“Six years ago, Alice’s younger sister vanished,” explained Rathe. “You might remember the case, you might not. Kirsty Villiers was her name, and she disappeared on a night out with friends, last seen on CCTV drawing some money from a cash machine. Alone. She was never seen again.”
“Rings a faint bell,” said Cook without any particular confidence.
“A few days ago, Alice had a call from a private detective, asking to meet her in person, because he had something personal and private which he had to speak to her about.”
“And she thought it was about this missing sister of hers?”
Rathe nodded. “She wanted me to go with her. Moral support, she said.”
“So you agreed?”
“I didn’t want her to go to meet a stranger on her own.” Rathe paused for a moment. “And I didn’t want to say no to her.”
