Helen Fields - Perfect Silence

‘Thanks,’ Selina said. ‘See you in an hour.’ She leaned across to kiss Luc on the lips as she walked past him. Ava looked away until the doctor had disappeared into the space beyond the doors.

‘She’s really lovely,’ Ava declared brightly to Luc.

‘It’s casual,’ Luc said. ‘But I guess it’s easier seeing someone who understands shift work and why you’re effectively on call all the time.’

‘And you two have the European thing. That must be good for you. Not having to understand the Scottish accent, for a start. So how long have you been seeing each other now?’

‘Weeks, in reality,’ Luc said. ‘Not that often either, given our work schedules. What was it you wanted to see me about?’

‘Just a catch-up on Zoey Cole. We should talk in my office for confidentiality,’ Ava said, waving her security pass in front of the electronic lock and pushing the door open.

‘Sure,’ Luc said.

‘You want a coffee or anything?’ she asked as they left the stairs and walked down the corridor.

‘Um, no, I’m okay,’ he said. ‘Listen, I didn’t ask Selina to come to the station. She was trying to surprise me. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.’

‘Don’t be silly,’ Ava said. ‘I encourage my squad to invest time in their private lives. Happier homes make for happier officers, as far as I’m concerned.’ She looked at him and cringed. ‘God, I’m sorry, I don’t know where that corporate sound bite came from. Listen, Luc, I’m glad you’re involved with someone. I know how hard it’s been for you, and Selina seems great. We absolutely should go out sometime. I could, I don’t know, bring Natasha maybe.’

As they stepped into her office, Ava tried not to roll her eyes at her own suggestion. Going out for a foursome with Luc and the best-looking female he could have identified north of the border with her lesbian best friend as her plus-one wasn’t exactly an ego boost. Somehow everyone on her squad seemed to have someone to go home to, or go out with, except her.

‘I’m not sure Selina and Natasha would …’ Luc said.

‘You’re just worried that Natasha would seduce her,’ Ava said. ‘You know how she is about women with legs that long. I’m not sure even a man as good looking as you would be able to compete with Natasha in full flirtation mode.’

‘Are you okay?’ Luc asked.

‘Yes, of course, fine. Why?’ Ava asked.

‘You just paid me a compliment, that’s all. Not that I’m complaining, but it’s kind of unusual,’ Luc said.

Ava adjusted some papers on her desk before answering. ‘I think I’d call it a technical observation rather than a compliment,’ she smiled. ‘And don’t expect another one. That’s what your girlfriend’s for, after all.’

‘I’m not sure I’d call her my girlfriend,’ Luc said. ‘How is Natasha, by the way? I haven’t seen her for ages.’

Professor Natasha Forge – Ava’s best friend – disappeared and reappeared depending on the intensity of whatever fling she was in the middle of. Ava was used to it, but it still meant she suddenly got dropped without warning when a new woman appeared on the scene.

‘Single,’ Ava said. ‘So I’m seeing more of her than usual. Right, any progress on Zoey Cole?’

‘The stepfather has a watertight alibi and no previous convictions,’ Callanach said. ‘He was with about a hundred other people during the period when Zoey was abducted, and they’re all sending us photos to prove it. The boyfriend of Sandra Tilly, who runs the shelter where Zoey was living, turns out to have previous for blackmail and threatening behaviour, though. I’ve asked for the files. His name is Tyrone Leigh.’

‘Get an officer in the incident room to check it out for you,’ Ava said, ‘then go and rescue Selina from the cells. She seemed keen to take you away to whatever surprise it is she’s organised.’

‘I’ll stay if you need me,’ Luc said. ‘Selina can wait.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Ava said. ‘We’ll have a briefing tomorrow morning to make sure the squad is up to speed. Have a good evening.’

‘I will,’ Luc said. ‘Thanks, Ava.’ He shut her office door as he left.

Ava sat down to write up her notes of the day, trying to banish the sensation that there were other things she was missing out on.

The news that another young woman had gone missing just three days after Zoey’s body had been found was treated with quiet sadness in the incident room. Everyone on the squad had been prepared for the possibility, but that didn’t make the announcement any easier to hear. Ava decided to handle the initial enquiry herself with Callanach. There was no point mobilising the full unit until they were certain what they were dealing with, but her guts were churning. There were coincidences and there were patterns, and the new missing person report felt much more like the latter.

Leith’s mother and baby unit was housed in a grey building that had unmistakably been erected in the 1970s, featuring pebble-dashed walls to protect it from the sea to its north and the ensuing gales. Callanach met Ava in the car park, where she stood clutching the pre-noon necessity of two takeout coffees. She handed one over and began to walk towards the front door.

‘Is this a hospital?’ Callanach asked. ‘I haven’t been here before.’

‘No, it’s somewhere new mothers can look after their babies with supervision if the court has concerns about the care they might provide. Better this than having the baby taken from them and adopted, but it’s a last resort. The state provides medical care, rooms, food, guidance and prepares the mother for independent life,’ Ava said. ‘The baby’s being seen by a doctor now.’

They entered the building through pale blue corridors that smelled of bleach and nappies, and were directed to a small room where a doctor was just buttoning up a Babygro.

‘This little girl’s fine,’ the doctor said, stroking the baby’s cheek. ‘No marks on her, no signs of distress, her temperature is normal. I’d say the baby hasn’t been touched. She is getting grouchy though, so I’ll hand her over to a nurse for a feed.’

‘Thank you,’ Ava said. ‘Still no word on the location of the baby’s mother?’

‘Not that I’ve heard,’ the doctor replied, ‘but you should speak to the unit director. He might have had an update.’ The doctor left them and took the baby with her.

‘How old is the missing mother?’ Callanach asked.

‘Nineteen,’ Ava said. ‘The pram was discovered a few roads away from here, left in an alleyway near a newsagent. No one saw who left it there. It was in a reasonably sheltered position out of the wind but a passer-by became concerned when she heard the baby crying.’

There was a knock at the door and a man walked in carrying a file and pushing an empty pram. ‘I’m Arnold Jenkins,’ he said. ‘I manage the unit. Thank you for coming. This is the pram baby Tansy was found in. It belongs to the unit and it has an identification tag underneath, so we can be sure it’s ours. I gather a search for Lorna Shaw is already underway?’

‘Uniformed officers are checking CCTV footage and walking the streets in the area. Do you know what time Lorna left here?’ Ava asked.

‘Three hours ago. She was taking Tansy out for some fresh air, apparently, and wanted to top up her phone credit at the shop. Lorna had permission to take the baby with her. She’d agreed to be no more than sixty minutes. We were already concerned before the police notified us that the baby had been found,’ Jenkins said.

‘You don’t think this is simply a case of a young woman under too much pressure who just ran away?’ Callanach asked.