Lost Girls Read Online Free PDF Page B

week?’ Stephen Hanson asked.
    Probably not as many as I do, Kim thought.
    â€˜I'm Crown Prosecutor for Organised Crime.’
    Had this been another situation, she would have said that he didn't piss off as many as he should.
    Kim knew that the CPS division for which he worked was a separate arm of the service to the lawyers that presented the cases she worked on, which was why they had never met.
    Regardless, the relationship between most police officers and CPS was strained at best. There was nothing worse than working a case for weeks, months, even years, to have prosecution discontinued on evidential grounds.
    â€˜How many of your prosecutions would have the resources to put something like this together?’ she asked. ‘This isn't a brick through a window, Mr Hanson.’
    â€˜I'll make a list,’ he said.
    His change in attitude came with the promise of proactive momentum. Kim made a mental note to keep Stephen Hanson busy.
    â€˜How about you, Mrs Hanson?’
    She shrugged helplessly. ‘I'm only a paralegal but I'll give it some thought.’
    â€˜Mr Timmins?’
    His face was furrowed in deep thought. ‘I own a haulage company. I had to let a few people go around seven months ago but I don't think …’
    â€˜I'll need their names. They'll all need to be ruled out.’
    Silence fell.
    â€˜Karen?’
    She shook her head. ‘Nothing at all. I'm a housewife.’ She shrugged as though that was enough.
    â€˜Anything in your past?’ Kim asked pointedly.
    â€˜Absolutely not,’ she said, just a little too quickly. Realising the speed and decisiveness of her response, she added, ‘But I'll certainly think about it.’
    â€˜And the last thing for now is to get your list of phone calls ready for tomorrow. Your stories for the girls will need to match so that no one becomes suspicious. Understood?’
    They all nodded and Kim breathed a sigh of relief. They were all co-operative. For now. It wouldn't last. For the moment they had things to do, things to think about that might aid the return of their children, but as their emotions ran the gamut she and her team would be on the receiving end.
    She stepped out of the lounge to take a breather. At that moment the doorbell sounded throughout the house.
    The constable opened the door as Kim walked towards it.
    She was greeted by a middle-aged woman with ash-blonde hair. Her build was slightly overweight but carried with authority. She wore light jeans and a thick Arran knit jumper beneath a heavy winter coat.
    The woman smiled past the constable, directly at Kim.
    â€˜Helen Barton. You requested my presence here.’
    Kim looked at her blankly.
    The woman offered her hand. ‘Family Liaison Officer.’
    â€˜Oh, thank God,’ Kim said, taking her hand.
    Finally, tea and sympathy had arrived.

Seven
    â€˜ D amn it ,’ Kim said, as Bryant brought the car to a stop outside the darkened leisure centre.
    They had left Stacey unloading the computer equipment and Dawson on his way to the house with the old case files.
    Her natural urgency had propelled her out of the house to their first and as yet only lead.
    She exited the car and turned to take in the surroundings.
    A road ran alongside the building, cresting in a hill before heading down the other side. Next to the complex lay a construction site following the demolition of a local council building. To the right was the entrance to a park. A dirt road separated the two areas.
    On the other side of the road stood residential properties set back from the pavement and elevated. A clutch of newer houses masked a road that led to a small council estate behind.
    â€˜Too many possible directions of travel,’ Kim said.
    She suspected the kidnappers had parked on the dirt road between the building and the park. Close enough to effect a speedy exit but not close enough to the road to raise any suspicion if the girls put up a fight. A