The Lost Girl (Brennan and Esposito) Read Online Free PDF

me.’
    ‘I don’t even know if they’ll need me, Marina. I’m just going to advise. You know I won’t be able to get involved. Not directly. That’s my name on the bodies. I’m too personally involved already.’
    Marina fell into a sullen silence once more.
    ‘Please,’ said Phil, his voice low, his tone conciliatory, ‘Josephina needs at least one of us to stay with her. And it won’t be for long. At least I don’t think so. I’ll just go over there, see for myself what’s happened, give them as much help and information as I possibly can and then come back. That’s all I can do. The rest is up to them. Let Franks and his team deal with it.’
    Gary Franks was Cotter’s opposite number in Colchester.
    Marina, reluctantly, nodded.
    ‘You’ll be given round-the-clock protection,’ said Cotter to Marina. ‘You and your daughter. Ring of steel. Nothing will get through.’
    Marina nodded once more, not making eye contact with either of them.
    ‘I’ve spoken to Franks,’ said Cotter, ‘and he said he’ll send over someone to escort you there.’
    ‘I know the way to Colchester.’
    ‘I’m sure you do, but this officer is firearms trained and is to be your bodyguard. Just as a precaution. You’ll be perfectly safe.’
    Phil said nothing.
    Marina gave one more try. ‘What d’you hope to achieve by this? It’s a trap. You know it is. She’s targeting you for a reason.’
    ‘Yeah, I’m sure she is. And I’m sure that’s what she intends. But as long as I’m there and protected, I’m in a good place to find out what she wants, what’s going on. And the sooner we know that, the sooner we catch her.’
    ‘And the sooner we can all relax,’ said Cotter.
    ‘Exactly.’
    Marina said nothing.

5
     
    J osephina Brennan couldn’t have been happier. She sat with her parents, surveyed the bowls of food before her. There was barely a centimetre of the table uncovered. She smiled, looked up at them.
    ‘Did I tell you this is my favourite place?’
    ‘Only about a hundred times,’ said Phil, smiling. ‘Today.’
    It was a treat. They had picked her up from school, brought her down to the Las Iguanas restaurant at the Arcadian. The lighting was dim in the chain restaurant, with palm trees and faux, unspecific South American tiki décor. Josephina loved the place. It was a glimpse of a different, exciting world, miles away from her own home and school and playing with friends. And she loved the food. Especially the tapas menu.
    Quesadillas,
gambas
and
champiñones
.
Pata taquito
and
albondigas
. Plus empanadas, crayfish salad and beer for the grown-ups. Nachos to share.
    ‘Can I start?’ she asked, barely able to restrain herself.
    ‘Go on,’ said Marina. ‘But don’t forget your manners. We’re in a restaurant. There are other people here.’
    Josephina rolled her eyes, hoping her mother wouldn’t see. Phil tried to stifle a grin. Couldn’t begin to explain, even to himself, just how much this seven-year-old girl meant to him. Josephina began eating. Phil’s grin faded to sadness. Like he had already gone and this dinner just a memory.
    He looked up. Marina was watching him. She raised her eyebrows.
    ‘Sorry,’ he said quietly, shaking his head.
    Marina said nothing. She felt the tension coming off him. Shared it herself. Knew what he was about to say, dreaded it as much as him.
    He waited until Josephina was well into the meal before speaking. Let her have a brief bit of pleasure first, he thought.
    ‘Listen, Josie, I’ve got something to tell you.’
    Josephina looked up, eyes round, expectant. Trusting. The look of creeping apprehension on Phil’s face began to remove the trust from hers.
    ‘It’s nothing,’ he said. ‘It’s just… I’ve got to go away. Only for a couple of days, though.’
    Josephina stopped eating. She looked between her parents, trying to find some kind of clue as to what was about to happen next.
    A parent going away, even for a couple of days,