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forensic
submission forms, overtime requests, house-to-house questionnaires, various maps of the area. And there were other essentials too: coffee, cartons of fresh milk, Fudges Belgian Dark Chocolate
Florentines and, most important of all, lemon drizzle cake supplied by Carmichael’s aunt.
    Someone quickly made tea. They all gathered round for their morning briefing, listening intently as Daniels updated them on developments: Adam Finch’s failure to identify the body, the
threatening message received from his daughter’s mobile, the fact that the enquiry was back to square one.
    ‘Poor sod!’ Gormley said. ‘Finch must be demented.’
    ‘He is, and the guv’nor’s not too thrilled either.’ Daniels glanced at the murder wall, her eyes finding the photograph of the unidentified girl. ‘He and Finch go
back a long way, apparently.’
    ‘It could’ve been worse . . .’ Carmichael logged on to her computer, keying in ‘MISSING PERSONS’ as she spoke. ‘The dead girl might have
been
his
daughter. All the same, it’s a horrible experience for anyone to go through.’
    ‘Bright wants us to run a parallel enquiry with this one.’ Daniels’ comment drew sceptical faces and expressions of concern all round. ‘I know it’s going to be
tough, but we have no choice. The guv’nor wants our very best team on it and that happens to be you guys.’
    She caught Robson’s eye. Aware that his future hung in the balance, he dropped his head. During their last murder enquiry, his loyalty to Daniels and the team had been questionable.
He’d admitted passing information to Assistant Chief Constable Martin, a senior officer who had himself withheld information relating to the murder of an innocent man.
    Martin had since resigned from his post.
    Thank God!
    As far as Daniels was concerned, there was only one downside to his departure and that was the subsequent reshuffle that had taken place in its wake: promotions for Chief Superintendent Billings
to Assistant Chief Constable; Detective Superintendent Bright to Detective Chief Superintendent – Force Crime Manager – a role he’d coveted for years.
    Losing her guv’nor was a big blow. His replacement had not yet been approved and the uncertainty over the appointment was worrying, to say the least. She wondered who it might be,
concerned that the dynamics in the team might change if the wrong person arrived to take charge. Bright could sometimes be a bully, but she’d walk over hot coals for him. He’d taught
her everything she knew and they understood each other perfectly.
    Better the devil you know.
    A vibrating mobile interrupted her thoughts.
    ‘DCI Daniels.’
    ‘Kate, how’s it going?’ It was Detective Superintendent Ronald Naylor of neighbouring Durham Constabulary, a colleague for many years, a friend for nearly as long.
    ‘Run off our feet. And you?’
    ‘Word is you have an unidentified body of a young woman on your patch.’
    ‘Bad news travels fast.’
    ‘Care to share a description?’
    ‘Care to tell me what it’s got to do with you?’ Daniels’ eyes scanned her depleted team. They were waiting patiently for her to get off the phone. But curiosity took
over. Naylor’s call obviously wasn’t a social one. ‘Hold on, Ron. I’m going to take this outside.’ She covered the speaker with her free hand. ‘Carry on, Hank.
I’ll be back in a second.’
    She got up and walked away from the others, brilliant sunshine blinding her as she opened the front door.
    ‘Kate?’
    ‘Yep, still here. What’s your interest?’
    ‘I’ve just interviewed a couple whose daughter hasn’t come home.’
    Daniels wondered why a Detective Superintendent had involved himself in a misper case. Ninety-five per cent of missing persons turned up safe and well eventually. As Naylor talked, she wandered
down the garden, amazed at how quickly the early mist had cleared. She parked her bum on a drystone wall, on the other side of which a newly dug veggie