need to visit them. Get their alibis, if they have any. Also, talk to the neighbours and the people who live around the school gates. But, before that, we need to make certain of the parents’ alibis. Ben, if you’ve got a minute, you could do that. Call the head of the school where the mother works and one of the partners of the father’s firm. Meantime, I’ll take Jill and see if we can knock the mother’s sister up. Jane, you and Dick see if you can get hold of Alistair’s brother, Michael. Dave, when you’ve finished what you’re doing, take Ben and follow up on the registered paedophiles. Verify whatever alibis you can.’
‘Bearing in mind who and what they are, have we got to be gentle with them?’ Dave asked.
‘Until you can put one of them in the frame, Dave, they’re as innocent as you are, as far as this case goes.’
‘If they were innocent, boss, we wouldn’t be looking at them,’ Jane pointed out.
‘You know what I mean. Anyway, I thought you were going home?’
She shrugged.
‘Well, thanks for coming back. All of you. Come on, Jill. And don’t forget your brolly; it’s pissing down out there.’
‘Bugger, we thought you were just sweating from the stairs, boss,’ Dick said, as Jill rose from behind her desk.
Pete ignored him. ‘If we’re done by nine, I’ll pop back in here. Otherwise, I’ll see you all in the morning.’ He held the door for the slim, dark-haired constable.
‘Thanks, boss.’ She finished shrugging into her heavy coat and started down the stairs ahead of him. ‘So, where are we going?’
‘Exmouth. They live down near the front, just up from the river mouth.’
‘Very nice.’
‘Hmm. Especially for a bar manager and a social worker.’
‘Jane was saying the mother reckons he’s a bit too touchy-feely.’
‘Yes. So, you take his missus and I’ll have a word with him, assuming they’re in.’
‘Right, boss.’
Pete pushed open the back door and let her through, then ran for the car, the rain now turned to sleet again and coming down hard.
‘Susan Whitlock?’
‘Yes.’
‘DS Peter Gayle. This is PC Evans. Jill. Can we come in?’
‘Of course.’ She stepped back. ‘This is about Rosie, yes?’
‘That’s right.’
‘Jason’s in the bath, I’m afraid,’ the willowy brunette said as she led them into the wide hallway. ‘Jason,’ she called. ‘The police are here, darling.’
‘I’ll be down shortly.’
Pete heard the faint slosh of water from upstairs.
‘That’s all right,’ he said to Susan. ‘We can wait.’
‘Would you like something to drink in the meantime? Tea? Coffee?’
‘Tea would be excellent. Thanks.’
‘So, have you started the search yet?’ she asked.
‘We’ll get going on that in the morning. No sense stumbling about in the dark, destroying evidence.’
‘Oh.’ She paused, unsure whether to lead them into the kitchen or the sitting room. ‘I thought . . . Well, that little boy in Scotland, they were out looking straight away, weren’t they? And that little girl in Wales, a year or so before.’
‘Different circumstances.’ Pete raised a hand towards the kitchen and she led them through.
‘How do you mean?’
‘Well, Rosie’s older, for one thing. She’s not likely to have run off or got lost. And her family situation – Alistair’s job, for instance – brings other possibilities. Talking of which, there are no issues that you’re aware of, are there? People they’ve had a problem with? No one who would want to hurt them?’
‘No.’ She flicked the kettle on and set about making drinks.
‘What can you tell us about Rosie herself? How does she get on with her dad? With Jason? With you and her mum?’
‘Oh, she’s fine. She hasn’t got to the rebellious stage yet. Wait a minute . . .’ She looked up from what she was doing. ‘What do you mean – how does she get on with Al and Jason? You don’t think . . . ?’
‘We don’t think anything yet. We’re gathering information and we have to look at all possibilities, however unlikely or unsavoury, if only to eliminate them.’
‘Well, you can eliminate that for a start. Al would never . . . And Jason – he’s very tactile, very huggy, but that’s just his way. There’s nothing sexual about it. Trust me – I’m his wife.’
Pete heard heavy footsteps coming quickly down the stairs.
‘What do you mean by that?’ Jill asked.
‘Nothing. Just . . . We have a normal sex life, he’s not a pervert, that’s all.’
‘Who, me?’ Jason Whitlock asked from the doorway. ‘Why are we discussing my sexual proclivities, may I ask?’
‘For elimination purposes,’ Pete told him.
‘Ah. Well, that’s all right then. I think. Elimination from what, exactly?’
‘From the possibility that you were involved in what happened to Rosie,’ his wife told him.
‘Of course I wasn’t! Al said it happened this morning, around eight-fifteen, yes? Well, at eight-fifteen I was at work. I had a call to make, to California. I left here about seven-thirty.’
‘And can anyone verify that?’
‘I don’t know. I often see George, next door, on the way out. Didn’t notice him this morning, though. And there wouldn’t be anyone else at Stone’s at that time of day unless there was a delivery scheduled.’
Pete grunted. Bars were not known for being overpopulated at eight in the morning but he would still have to verify Jason’s story. ‘We’ll need details of who you called and when.’ He would also check on what car Jason drove and see if it could be spotted on CCTV or if it had been seen near the bar that morning. ‘Is there anyone either of you can think of that might have been involved in Rosie’s abduction?’
‘No.’ Jason glanced at his wife, who shook her head. ‘Al’s not the type to make enemies like that. And Jess is a primary school teacher, for God’s sake. Who’s she going to piss off
