9
The office smelt of polish and fresh paint. Lisa took the offered seat and looked towards Gabe, wondering what he was going to say. He had taken his notepad out of his pocket and was twisting his pen idly between his fingers. The line manager cleared her throat and fumbled with some papers on her desk.
“Okay,” began Gabe. “When was the last time that you saw Scarlett?”
“Erm … the day before she went missing,” explained Joanne. “She’d reported in to work on the Wednesday, worked all morning and then was due on shift on the Thursday afternoon, but she never showed.”
“Did you try to contact her?” Gabe asked, smoothly.
Joanne hung her head as she responded, “Yes, I called her on the Thursday and the Friday, but there was no reply. I thought she might be sick, but it was unusual for Scar
