‘Can I suggest that we go into the living room,’ she said.
Rebecca’s mouth fell open and Anna could see the panic in her eyes.
‘What’s happened?’ the woman said, her lips trembling. ‘Do you know where Holly is? Please tell me she’s all right.’
‘I’ll tell you everything I know, Mrs Blake, but I really think you need to sit down first.’
Theo hurried forward and put his arm around his wife’s shoulders, easing her back into the room she had emerged from.
‘Stay calm, Becs, and don’t jump to conclusions,’ he told her.
Anna felt a wave of heat roll up her chest as she followed them into the living room, which was large and airy with stylish grey furniture and patio doors that gave access to a neat walled garden.
She waited for them to sit side by side on the leather sofa before sitting opposite them on a matching armchair. Walker stood off to one side with his hands behind his back.
It was almost ten years since Anna’s brief meeting with Scotland Yard’s former Assistant Commissioner. She’d seen her many times since then on the television promoting various causes as well as her own political career. It had always struck Anna how little the woman had seemed to age. But now, seen close up without make-up, Rebecca Blake looked all of her fifty-three years.
She was a thin woman with a small oval face and dark hair that was tied back. Her nose was pointed and delicate with slightly flared nostrils. As her teal-blue eyes shifted between the two detectives, she pressed her lips together, which etched deep lines around her mouth.
Anna cleared her throat and was still searching for the right words when Rebecca said, ‘I’ve seen you before, haven’t I? You were the lead on the nursery kidnapping case. And it was your daughter who …’ Her voice trailed off and she drew a sharp breath. ‘Oh, my God, we met once. I remember.’
‘We did indeed,’ Anna said.
Rebecca swallowed hard and took another deep breath. ‘You’ve got bad news for us, haven’t you? So what is it, detective?’
Anna leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. The look on Rebecca’s face froze the blood in her veins.
‘A young woman’s body has been found,’ she said. ‘And there’s convincing evidence to indicate that it’s Holly.’
A choking sound rushed out of Rebecca and she started to shake her head.
‘No, that’s not possible,’ she screamed. ‘It must be a mistake. It has to be.’
‘We don’t think it’s a mistake,’ Anna said. ‘The description fits Holly and the dead woman has the same tattoo in the same place on her back. We will, of course, need one or both of you to carry out a formal identification. I’m so very sorry.’
Rebecca’s whole body convulsed and she let out an anguished cry. Her husband enveloped her in his arms and scrunched up his face as he fought back his own tears.
Anna looked on helplessly, aware that there was nothing she could say or do to ease their pain and suffering. She knew from her own bitter experience that elements of the big bad world can turn up at your door when you least expect it, shattering your life and redirecting your future towards an emotional abyss.
She threw a glance over her shoulder at Walker and saw that he had picked up a framed photograph from the sideboard. It was one of several on display and they were all of Holly.
‘How sure are you that it’s our daughter?’ Theo said suddenly, his voice a hollow rasp.
Anna turned back to them. ‘I’m positive. If I wasn’t I’d be offering you a crumb of hope. But that wouldn’t be fair in the circumstances.’
She took out her phone, pulled up the photo she’d taken of the ring on the dead woman’s finger.
‘Do you recognise this?’ she said, showing it to both of them.
Rebecca flinched and nodded. ‘It’s Holly’s. I’m sure of it because I bought it for her myself on her twenty-first birthday. Oh, Jesus, when can we see her?’
‘Tomorrow morning, Mrs Blake. I’ll make the arrangements.’
‘So why can’t we see her now?’ Theo asked.
‘It’s too early, I’m afraid. The body was discovered only a few hours ago and it may still be in situ.’
‘And where is that?’
‘Barnes Common in South West London,’ Anna said.
Sobs had continued to rack his wife’s body while this exchange was taking place. Now she straightened herself, wiped at her eyes with her sleeve, and said, ‘Since you’re here, Detective Chief Inspector, I’m assuming that foul play is suspected.’
Anna nodded. ‘That’s right, Mrs Blake. We’ve launched a murder investigation.’
Rebecca squeezed her eyes shut for a couple of seconds and when she opened them again, she said, ‘I want the details and I don’t want you to hold anything back from us.’
Anna’s stomach tightened and her mouth dried up.
‘The victim suffered a stab wound to the throat,’ she said. ‘She was naked and her body had been covered with ferns and branches. However, we’re not sure at this stage if she was sexually assaulted, but it doesn’t appear so. She was discovered by a woman walking her dog. The pathologist believes she was killed several days ago, perhaps on Tuesday evening, and left on the common soon afterwards. We found out that you’d reported your daughter missing. So we downloaded Holly’s photos from Facebook and realised that her description was a match for the victim.’
Rebecca bit into her bottom lip and her husband started patting the back of her hand.
‘I therefore need to ask you some questions,’ Anna said. ‘I know it’s going to be difficult for you to answer them but please try to.’
Rebecca gave a slow nod and tears slid down her cheeks. ‘I know the routine, Detective Tate. And I fully appreciate that it has to be done.’
She pushed her shoulders back and tried to compose herself. It seemed to Anna that she suddenly looked smaller, as though she’d been crushed by the weight of shock and grief.
‘So let’s get this over with,’ Rebecca said.
Anna nodded. ‘I’ll start with the most obvious questions. Do either of you have any idea who might have done this, assuming it wasn’t a random attack by a person or persons unknown to Holly? Has she upset anyone recently or is there someone you know who has a grudge against her?’
Rebecca clenched her jaw and pursed her lips. When she spoke her voice cracked with emotion.
‘There’s only one person I know who would want to take my daughter’s life,’ she said. ‘I can give you his name and I can tell you where you can find him. And I’m convinced that he’s the bastard who either killed her or got someone to do it for him.’
Sophie had picked up a copy of the Evening Standard after leaving the dental clinic. And she’d been so anxious to read it that she’d considered popping into a café or pub rather than wait until she got home. But the feeling that she was being watched had returned as soon as she’d hit the High Street, so she’d decided to get back to the flat as quickly as she could.
From the moment she stepped through her front door she was battered by a perfect storm of panic and paranoia. She was even grappling with the chilling thought that if she was indeed being stalked then it might