38 Nick
When I get back to the house, Jane McKenna’s already there, waiting for me. She smiles at me a little too keenly as I walk into the living room. Tasha seems a little uneasy.
‘Hello, Nick,’ McKenna says as she finishes drinking her cup of tea. ‘I was just updating Natasha on the search. We’ve had officers combing the woodland out towards the motorway, and the radio appeals are going to go national. It’s looking likely that whoever’s got Ellie will either be keeping her well hidden or will have taken her further afield by now.’
Well, I could have told you that, I think. In fact, I recall saying as much right from the start. ‘So that’s it?’ I say. ‘You’ve come to give us the news that there’s no news?’
‘They’re doing all they can, Nick,’ Tasha says. I wonder why she’s suddenly so
