Bring Him Back Read Online Free PDF Page B

consent. Which I take it you don’t have.’
    Ben ended the call without saying anything more.
    This time, as Jessica Hunter led Ben into the kitchen, he accepted a coffee from her. What he really wanted was some of the single malt whisky in his flask and a cigarette to go with it, but smoking and drinking weren’t quite the thing inside a client’s house. He sat at the breakfast bar and sipped the espresso she made him. Strong, black, no sugar. Coffee with a bit of welly to it, the way he liked. He took out the evidence bag containing the hair sample and laid it in front of her.
    ‘This is for the police. A little something they missed, and I would have, too, except by chance. Like I said, ten to one they’ll come back saying it’s Drew’s. In which case they have to start mounting a whole new search, if it’s not already too late.’
    Jessica picked the sample up and stared at it in horrified fascination. Just then, Mike walked into the room looking weary and drawn, and came to sit at the breakfast bar. ‘Back again so soon,’ he said. ‘I can’t believe you’ve only been on the case a few hours and already there’s progress.’
    ‘Let’s take this one step at a time,’ Ben said. ‘I have a question. Does either of you know of any reason why Drew might have hired a private investigator?’
    Jessica was startled. ‘A what?’
    ‘His name was Paul Finley,’ Ben said. ‘Based in Dover.’
    ‘What on earth would Drew have wanted with a detective?’
    ‘There could’ve been a few reasons,’ Ben said. ‘The most obvious being to watch you. It’s not unknown for disgruntled ex-spouses to want to get the dirty on their former partners, especially when there are child custody issues involved.’
    ‘Get the dirty?’ Mike said, frowning.
    ‘Incriminating information that might have enabled him to accuse you of neglect, as a way of getting custody himself. Did you two ever go out in the evening, restaurants, nightclubs, and leave Carl on his own?’
    Jessica bristled. ‘Absolutely not. I really resent the suggestion. And I’m frankly appalled that this man has been watching us like a couple of criminals.’
    ‘You won’t have to worry about him any more,’ Ben said. ‘He was stabbed to death in London before the kidnapping took place.’
    ‘That’s awful,’ Mike said.
    ‘It happens,’ Ben said.
    ‘Anyway, we have nothing to hide,’ Jessica said angrily. ‘There’s no question of Carl being neglected or abused in any way. How dare Drew make those allegations? He’s my son. I love him. I’m not the one who’s falling about the place too drunk to take care of themselves.’
    ‘It doesn’t matter what Drew told the detective,’ Ben said. ‘What matters is that they were in touch in the first place. After Finley died, it’s possible that someone else at the agency took over where he left off. That could mean that Drew was in contact with them right up until he took Carl, and maybe even since. It could help lead us to him.’
    ‘Did you say they were based in Dover?’ Jessica asked. ‘Will you go?’
    ‘Can’t hurt to check it out,’ Ben said.
    ‘What if they won’t talk to you?’
    ‘I’m sure I can find a way,’ he replied. ‘I won’t be gone for long. In the meantime, the police may have some work to do.’
    ‘You’re talking about this?’ Mike asked, pointing at the sample bag containing the short, clipped lengths of hair.
    Ben nodded. ‘Forget the description you gave to the cops. It’s leading us off the trail. I’m almost certain that we should be looking for a man with much shorter hair, black or close to it. And that’s not all. If I’m right, the police should also change their suspect description from an overweight guy to one of slim-to-medium build. In other words, Drew has radically altered his appearance.’
    ‘Hold on, we saw him that night,’ Jessica said. ‘Nobody can lose weight that fast. It’s impossible.’
    ‘That’s true,’ Ben said.