Page 104 of Stolen Ones

‘Jenson Butler?’

Brenda shrugged. ‘Dunno – I kept away from all of ’em.’

‘Why’s that?’

‘Cos of the trouble.’

‘What trouble? Something happened with Jenson Butler?’

‘Only if he’s a really big guy with a tattoo on his neck.’

That wasn’t Butler, but it sounded like one of his employees who she’d spoken to earlier in the week.

‘What happened?’

‘Got a bit too fresh with one of the other part-timers, Sasha – sixteen, I think she was. Started with wolf whistles and comments, which she ignored, but then that big bloke tried to corner her round the back of the toilets, tried to touch her. We told Tony, who wasn’t having any of that. Anyway, your man was even here for all the drama when Tony kicked the crew off site.’

Kim felt her hopes of getting a yes from Woody dwindling. When Bryant had said it was problematic, he’d meant getting Woody to agree to a second excavation when they’d as yet got no results from the first. A second batch of complaints from business owners was not going to be tolerated. And persuading him otherwise, when Butler hadn’t even completed the job, was going along the ‘don’t even waste your breath on a request’ route.

‘Your man came back after that bunch had gone. He couldn’t apologise enough. It was late in the day but he still took the time.’

Late in the day rang all kinds of alarm bells, but Woody was not going to allow her to dig up this family-owned business because of her suspicion. Maybe if the Wyley Court dig produced something, Woody would hear her out.

‘Thanks for your time, Brenda. You’ve been—’

‘Thank goodness they did get thrown off site,’ she said.

‘Why’s that?’ Kim asked, retaking her seat.

‘Well, the new construction manager suggested moving everything along by about fifty metres, so the seating area wouldn’t be obscured by the trees. Better view, and cos the footings hadn’t even been—’

‘Hang on, are you saying that the café isn’t sitting directly on top of the area that was dug by the first building crew?’

‘Not even close,’ she said, looking to her left. ‘See where that bench is?’

Kim did and it was around fifty metres away.

‘That’s where the first bunch were digging out ready. New guys came and filled it in properly and started digging again.’

Kim felt a smile begin to creep onto her mouth.

Fifty metres wasn’t far, but it might be far enough to get her a different answer from her boss.

Sixty-Three

It was almost three when Kim returned to the station, and it felt as though she’d been gone for days.

After her phone call to Woody, a second crew had arrived at the Clent Hills, and Brenda had moved into full-on organisation mode, clearing the public from the area. She’d taken on the task of informing Tony, the café owner, and Kim had completed a full handover with Inspector Tomkins before she’d left.

She’d been pleased to see that the board had been updated in her absence, offering clarity, though it did not make for easy reading.

Libby Turner 8, taken 1992. Returned 1993

Suzie Keene 9, taken 1994. Returned 1995

Melody Jones 7, taken 1996. ?

Lexi Walters 6, taken 1998. Hawne Park 1999