Page 20 of Stolen Ones

On cue, Emma stopped punching, and Alex grabbed Bambi by the hair, lifting her to her feet.

She immediately moved her grip to the bony arm, so that when the circle opened, Alex was standing between the two parties, holding them away from each other.

Two officers quickly grabbed Emma and moved her away. She’d receive some kind of punishment, but Alex didn’t care. The newbie was covered in red marks and clutches of her hair littered the floor. Emma had done a thorough job in a couple of short minutes.

But it could all have been so much worse if Alex hadn’t stepped in and stopped the fight. Someone could have been seriously hurt. The whole incident could have turned into a riot if handled incorrectly, and Warden Siviter certainly didn’t want that on her watch.

Alex’s selfless action and disregard for her own safety had averted disaster. All worth it if the warden had seen what just happened.

Alex glanced her way. The woman’s hand was hovering near her throat, twisting the simple chain around her neck anxiously, an expression of concern on her face, but the slight nod of acknowledgement that travelled the space between them confirmed Alex’s hope.

She had seen.

Eleven

‘Okay, Bryant, get off home,’ Kim instructed as he pulled into the station car park. He’d need some rest before taking her off watch duty in the morning.

‘Yeah, thanks, guv. I’ve got an evening of any film with Tom Brady in it apparently.’

Kim smiled at his defeated tone, knowing he wouldn’t change it for the world. Laura was home and his pack was safe for a few days.

‘Hardy,’ she corrected.

‘You know who he is?’

‘As does most of the world. Now get lost.’

He gave her a small wave as he turned and drove away.

She took the stairs quickly, having already called ahead to brief Stacey on what she wanted.

‘It’s all a bit of a mess, boss,’ Stacey said as she entered the office.

Kim removed her jacket and poured the dregs of the day’s coffee pot. ‘How so?’

‘Well, the original files are partly electronic and partly hard copy.’

Kim groaned. Because there had been no charges brought in the case of Melody Jones, the evidence and statements had never been put together in one cohesive package to present to the CPS. It was like a meal that had been cooked but never plated up.

‘It gets worse,’ Stacey said, offering her a look that said she was bracing for impact.

‘Go on.’

‘It’s been twenty-five years, boss. Other folks have dabbled.’

‘Dabbled?’ Kim asked, raising an eyebrow.

‘The case has been looked at three times since the initial investigation. New notes have got mixed up with old notes and, as I said, it’s all a bit of a mess really.’

‘Anything that strikes you?’

‘Not had much chance for a good look yet, but two of the three detectives who have picked it up as a cold case noted, for different reasons, that the family’s reaction and behaviour was odd.’

Kim sipped at the tepid liquid before pushing the coffee away. None of Stacey’s words were helping the unease in her stomach.

‘Twelve years after Melody went missing, a new team came in. They focused all their effort on trying to account for the movements of every family member for the twenty-four hours prior to Melody’s disappearance.’

‘They thought a family member was involved?’