DS Jessica Daniel series: Think of the Children / Playing with Fire / Thicker Than Water – Books 4–6 Read Online Free PDF Page B

strands out from behind her ear and curling
them with her fingers before tucking them away again.
    ‘I didn’t know what to think,’ she added. ‘I called you, of course, and the guy on the phone said he thought someone might have hooked my keys out through the letterbox.
I went and had a look but there was no sign, although I’m not sure that there would be. The investigators came round and said they were looking for footprints or fingerprints but didn’t
seem to find anything. They didn’t sound confident but left me with a number to give to the insurance company. Then I got the call yesterday saying my car had been in an accident.
That’s about it really.’
    Izzy had been taking notes, although Jessica knew Daisy hadn’t revealed anything they didn’t already know. She let her colleague finish writing before moving on. ‘How long have
you lived here, Daisy?’
    ‘Not long, a few months. I work as a rep for this electronics company. They’re based in London but trying to break into the north. They pay half the rent because it counts as an
office and I pay the rest. The money’s good, which is one thing, I guess. I’ve still got a flat down south, which is where most of my stuff is. I don’t know if this is going to be
a long-term thing yet.’
    Jessica resisted the urge to smile at having her suspicions confirmed and took a sip of her own tea. She asked some follow-up questions about whether Daisy had seen anyone suspicious, or if she
knew anyone locally who was familiar with her domestic situation. The lack of a clear photo of the driver didn’t give them much else to work with. It seemed pretty clear Daisy was simply
waiting for the call so she could move back south and hadn’t made much effort to integrate into the area.
    As they were getting ready to leave, Jessica’s phone rang. She apologised to Daisy and stepped quickly into the hallway.
    Rowlands’s mobile number flashed onto the screen. ‘What’s up?’ Jessica asked.
    ‘Are you on your way back?’
    She knew her colleague well enough to know from his tone that he was excited about something. ‘Not quite, we’re just leaving. What’s going on?’
    Rowlands paused as if for dramatic effect. ‘We know where the key comes from.’

4
    Jessica felt a small surge in her chest as she always did when something important happened. She resisted the temptation to say anything nice. ‘Took you long enough.
Where’s it from?’
    Rowlands laughed. ‘I knew you’d be appreciative. We’re pretty sure it comes from an allotment shed. We’d been going around in circles talking to hotels and the like, and
then one of the uniform boys came in and reckoned his dad had a key just like it. We spoke to the council who were as useful as ever but they put us on to some allotment society secretary guy who
knew what he was talking about. We emailed him a photo of the key and he knew straight away where it was from. He said something about it being colour-coded by the fob. Anyway, we’re heading
out there now. The DCI was going to phone you to say to meet there but then he got called away along with Jason.’
    ‘Have we got anything back from the clothes we found?’
    ‘I don’t think so.’
    ‘Right, where am I meeting you?’
    ‘You know the reservoir out Gorton way? There’s a big plot near there. Just call if you can’t find it but we’ll wait for you.’
    Jessica hung up and quickly said her goodbyes to Daisy before heading off in the car with Izzy. The rain had finally stopped and she could feel the beginnings of that buzz that could herald
finding something horrific or something else that could help break a case.
    ‘You were right about the woman,’ Izzy said after Jessica had found her way off the estate back onto the main road.
    ‘When I’m not comparing people’s unborn children to salted snacks I’m not too bad.’
    Izzy laughed. ‘I don’t know how you get to a point where you just see things.’
    Jessica shrugged