In A Dark House

Wi

That left the third door, the room that faced the front of the house. Wi

The room might have been a monk’s cell. The starkness came as an almost physical shock after the cocooning clutter of Fa

The bed looked as if it had been made hastily, a lack of care that seemed oddly in contrast to the rest of the room. Wi

Wi

“She’s not here,” she said when she reached the sitting room and saw Fa

“No.” Frowning, Fa

“It must have been Elaine, as it doesn’t look as though she went out a window, and she can’t have vanished into thin air. Have you any idea what time this was?”

“No. I’m sorry. I’m not usually so groggy.”

“And you said you rang Elaine’s work and she hadn’t come in? Did they tell you if she’d called?”

“No. Only that she wasn’t there. They’re not allowed to give out more information than that over the phone.”

“Well, that’s the first thing, then,” Wi

“Yes, in medical records.”

“What about family? Does Elaine have anyone you could ring?”

Fa

Wi

Returning the pressure, Fa

“You’re just fine,” Wi

“No!” Fa

“Why ever not?” Wi

“But… surely that’s not necessary. If she’s just out for a lark or something, she’d be furious.”

“You’re afraid that if she’s all right, she’ll be angry with you? Wouldn’t she understand that you were concerned?” Wi

“Yes, but… you have to understand. Elaine’s a very private person. She doesn’t like… I don’t think… I think we should wait. After all, she did leave of her own accord,” Fa

“It does seem that way, but-” Wi

“Look,” she said to Fa

There was no point taking her disappointment out on Duncan, Gemma told herself, regretting her hastiness as soon as she’d hung up the phone. She’d sounded a right cow, and it wasn’t as if she hadn’t had to cancel out of family plans herself, especially in the past few months, but somehow that didn’t make being on the receiving end any easier.

She knew the investigation that had lately consumed so much of her time and energy had disturbed her balance, but that was no excuse for acting the harpy.

A child had gone missing on her patch, a six-year-old girl, and the current slacking of her workload was due not to a resolution, but to the fact that the case had gone cold. Not only was it the first time Gemma had dealt personally with such a case, but as SIO, she felt responsible for her team’s failure.

The parents’ grief and anger had been particularly hard to bear, and she’d not been able to shake off the case outside working hours, something she knew to be essential if one were to survive the job. Her fears for the missing child seemed to have transferred themselves to Toby and Kit, and she found herself worrying whenever they were out of her sight.

Which was all the more reason she should take the boys to Portobello on her own, where she’d have both of them under her nose for the day. She’d promised Kit they’d look for an antique specimen cabinet for his room, and having begun the redecorating project, she didn’t dare falter. They’d already framed sets of nineteenth-century botanical and zoological drawings they’d unearthed at one of the market’s print stalls; she’d painted the walls a strong aqua, and set up bookcases and a desk complete with microscope and dissecting instruments.

Although Kit had seemed thrilled with the idea of focusing his new room around his scientific interests, Gemma hadn’t neglected a concession to adolescent fashion – she’d covered a portion of one wall with cork squares, ready for his growing collection of music posters.

But in spite of Kit’s enthusiastic response to her efforts, she knew that nothing she did could compensate for Duncan’s lack of participation. It shouldn’t matter, she told herself, slamming her desk drawer and pinching her finger in the process. She swore loudly and shook her injured hand, realizing she’d failed to find the pen she’d been rooting for in the drawer when her phone had rung.

There was a knock on her office door and Melody Talbot, the PC who often assisted her, looked in. “You all right, boss?”

“Just a little accident with the drawer,” Gemma said, embarrassed by her outburst. “What’s up?” she added, as Melody seemed inclined to linger.

“It’s the sergeant’s birthday. Some of us were pla

Gemma had worked hard to improve her relationship with Sergeant Talley, who had initially resented her posting. It would certainly be politic to join in the festivities, even if only for a few minutes. Could she juggle things with the children, now that she knew Duncan would be late – if he got home at all? “I’ll try-” she began, when her mobile phone rang again.

Melody gave her a little wave of acknowledgment and slipped out the door.

Assuming it was Duncan ringing her back, Gemma flipped open the phone without checking the ID. “Look, I’m sorry. I was-”

“Gemma?” The voice was female and puzzled. “It’s Wi