Convictions by Julie Morrigan Read Free Book Online

believe me, they’re highly motivated. They want to find Annie as much as you want her found.’
    ‘I doubt that.’ Derek rubbed his eyes. ‘It’s not that I don’t appreciate what everyone’s doing, it’s just … Christ, I wish I could question him. I’d fucking beat it out of him, the bastard.’ He slammed his fist into his hand and Tina jumped at the violence of the gesture.
    ‘I’m sorry, Dad,’ she whispered. ‘It’s all my fault.’
    Derek put his arm around Tina and hugged her. ‘Don’t be frightened, love.’ He kissed the top of her head. ‘You didn’t mean for any of this to happen.’
    Ruth left to go to the police station shortly afterwards, wanting an update on the case. It was all well and good speaking to people on the phone, but you could learn a lot more face to face and the detention clock was ticking. Barring a breakthrough that meant they could charge Cotter, Hardcastle would be in the Magistrates’ Court in the morning asking for more time.
    Ruth waved to a uniformed officer as she climbed into her car. There was still a police presence outside the house; the threats against the family were being taken very seriously indeed.
     
    ***
     
    ‘He’s proving much tougher than we expected,’ Karen Fitzgerald told Ruth over a cup of tea in the canteen.
    ‘He doesn’t look up to much,’ Ruth mused.
    ‘Ah, but he’s not on his own.’ Ruth raised her eyebrows and Karen grimaced rather than smiled in response. ‘Our man has got God on his side.’
    ‘God abducts little girls, now, does he?’
    ‘Cotter reckons his faith is being tested. He still insists he’s innocent and has no idea where the T-shirt came from. He says it’s all a test from God and when he passes it, he’ll gain a deeper spiritual understanding and have a more important position in heaven to look forward to. It’s like this is his promotion board. Fucking freak.’ She took a sip of her tea. ‘I had to physically restrain Rob Winter earlier today. I thought he was going to lamp him one.’ She yawned. ‘When he’s not being questioned, he sits in his cell, praying. Fucker can pray like my ma-in-law can nag. Non-fucking-stop.’
     

Chapter 5
    Next morning, Ruth was back at the house. With no developments to speak of in the search for Annie, the tabloids were using stories about the family to fill up their columns. They had spoken to neighbours, workmates, friends, family, anyone they could think of to try to get some insight into the family and their lives. More than one had pictures of Penny smoking and drinking at the back door and at the little patio table. There was even a picture of Tina, her face obscured by the ever-present bunny, along with a psychologist’s insight into the burden of guilt the little girl must be carrying.
    The post brought no nasty surprises, which was a welcome change. Late morning, a florist’s van pulled up, but to Ruth’s relief it was a bouquet and a card from Penny’s workmates. She had been on full alert to intercept the delivery woman had it looked in the slightest like a wreath that was being delivered. People did some strange things when kids went missing. Blamed the parents, even if they’d done nothing wrong.
    Early afternoon, Fitzgerald turned up with bad news. The forensics results had provided no help whatsoever in the case against Cotter. There was no sign of anything in the house or in the car. No fingerprints on the T-shirt or the bag it had been in, nothing at all.
    ‘We had our gloves and hats on,’ Tina told Fitzgerald. ‘It was chilly coming home. That’s why I had to leave my T-shirt; it slipped out of my hand when I tried to pick it up because I had my gloves on.’
    ‘Was there nothing on Tina’s clothing?’ Ruth asked.
    Fitzgerald shook her head. ‘Nothing that tied her to that particular car. A couple of fibres were found that showed she had been in a Ford car, but it could have been any Ford car of that model or period. Unfortunately, the