Page 43 of Silent Scream

A tall, solid, black male by the name of Woodward confirmed the discovery of a body on the site of the old Crestwood children’s home. His brief statement was followed by an aerial view of the place she had once called home.

Nicola felt instant relief. Finally they were going to uncover the secrets of that godforsaken place.

But then came the fear. How would Beth react to the news? Nicola knew her sister would not open up and talk to her. As children, they had been so close; all they’d had was each other. They had shared everything. Nicola struggled to recall when that had changed.

They had grown apart after Crestwood. Beth had returned four years ago when Nicola had been struck down by glandular fever but once she’d been out of intensive care, Beth had disappeared.

A week ago she had returned and although there were minor irritations at sharing her home, Nicola loved having her sister around. A small voice in the back of her mind offered the question, how long?

When Beth was away Nicola always felt that part of her was missing. Yet when she was back Nicola felt more anxious; always worried about Beth’s reactions.

Her sister was changed somehow. There was a remoteness to her personality now; a coldness that showed in a mean set to her features, an impatience with the rest of the world. Nicola felt that every ounce of her sister’s joy had been lost.

She checked on the contents of the oven. She had decided to cook Beth's favourite meal of breaded chicken nuggets and potato waffles with a dollop of tomato ketchup. Nicola smiled. It was strange how she’d never grown out of that.

Despite their differences, Nicola wanted to forge a stronger relationship with Beth. She wanted to understand what had driven them apart.

She was hoping they could sit together in their pyjamas and watch a film while eating the juvenile meal that might find its way into Beth’s memories.

Living together was not ideal but Nicola wouldn’t trade the mild irritations for having Beth back in her life.

And she would do whatever she could to make her stay.

Twenty-Four

Kim headedinto the office after a forty-minute meeting with Woody. Three pairs of eyes looked at her expectantly.

‘I’m still heading the case.’

A collective sigh went around the room.

Kim continued. ‘The forensic osteoarchaeologist has confirmed the bones to be human and modern, so the area is now a crime scene. Cerys has remained on site and will head up the archaeological side and a forensic anthropologist is due to land from Dundee shortly.’

Dundee University was home to the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification and had been offering degree courses in forensic anthropology for years. CAHID was regularly contacted for advice and input in high-profile identification cases at home or abroad.

Those strings had been pulled by Woody, who wanted to ensure that everyone who might need to take the stand was impeccably qualified.

‘Where are we on Crestwood staff members?’

Dawson picked up a piece of paper. ‘I’ve weeded out various short-term and temporary staff and I’m left with a list of four other members of staff that were recorded as working there when the place burned down.

‘As we know, Teresa Wyatt was the deputy manager and Tom Curtis was the head chef. General manager was a guy called Richard Croft. There was a housekeeper there for years by the name of Mary Andrews and two night-watch guys who doubled as caretaker, odd job guys.

‘So far, I’ve tracked Mary Andrews to a nursing home in Timbertree ...’

‘Richard Croft, isn’t that the name of the Conservative MP for Bromsgrove?’ Kim interrupted him. She could swear she’d just read an article that Croft had just completed some kind of bike ride for charity.

‘Definitely the same name but I haven’t yet been able to link him ...’

‘Pass it to Stace,’ Kim instructed.

She saw the set expression on Dawson’s face.

‘Stacey, what have you got on the names of the kids?’

‘I’ve got about seven so far and most of them's from Facebook.’

Kim rolled her eyes.