Page 53 of The Vanished

“I’m coming, Quinn,” Jude said. “I can’t leave until tomorrow morning, but I should be with you by tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow evening at the latest. You can’t deal with this alone, and Max needs all the protection he can get. Does he have a passport?”

“Logan took him on holiday to Greece last year.”

“Do you have a key to Logan’s house?” Jude asked.

“Yes, he gave me a key in case of emergency.”

“Well, I’d say this qualifies,” Jude said with a bitter chuckle. “Do you have it on you?”

“No, it’s at home.”

“Right. I actually have a spare key,” he seemed to suddenly recall. “Logan gave it to me when he first bought the house, in case I arrive in London and need a place to crash. I will go to Logan’s and look for Max’s passport. And then I will take him back to Germany. No one will be able to get to him at the base.”

“I suppose that’s one option.”

“What’s the alternative?”

“To wait and see what DI Malone turns up.”

“I’ll get the passport, but we’ll wait until Sunday to make any decisions. That gives us a few days.”

“All right, then,” Quinn agreed. “Sunday.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, sis. Give me the address, and I’ll come to you.”

“Thanks, Jude. I can’t wait to see you,” Quinn said after she had told him where they were staying.

“I just wish it was under happier circumstances,” Jude said and rang off.

Quinn pulled a tissue from her bag and dried her eyes. It made her feel better that Jude was coming, and Max would be happy to see his uncle. And if Logan didn’t turn up, taking Max to Germany might prove a good solution, since Quinn didn’t have the resources to keep him safe. What put her off was the conversation with DI Malone. Despite Sean Cadogan’s recommendation, she didn’t have a good feeling about the man. There was just something about him that didn’t inspire confidence. Perhaps it was his demeanor, or maybe it was that Quinn didn’t believe he really cared about solving the case. She got the feeling that he was just going through the motions and would tick all the right boxes until he could set the file aside.

But there was someone she liked and trusted, a private inquiry agent who’d consistently delivered results in the past. Quinn hadn’t spoken to Drew Camden since Brett had been convicted and sent to prison—thankfully, there had been no need—but she thought of Drew now. A lot could happen to a middle-aged man in five years, and the last few years had been like no other that any of them had ever lived through personally. But she had nothing to lose by trying, so she pulled up Drew’s number and made the call.

THIRTY-TWO

“Quinn.”

Drew’s voice was like a rumble of distant thunder, but she instantly felt comforted. Drew got things done, and, despite the years of noncommunication, he didn’t sound like a man who’d moved to a retirement village and started his own murder club with other bored retirees.

“How have you been, Drew?”

“Not too bad.” There was a brief pause. “I considered reaching out when Quinngate first broke but thought you probably had enough to contend with. I’m glad to see it’s all water under the bridge now. Or is it? Has something happened? Did someone threaten you?”

“I’m not calling about myself. But I do need your help.”

“I’m all ears,” Drew said. And she told him everything.

“I can see why you wouldn’t feel reassured,” Drew said when she finished. “That DI should have had considerably more information by this stage.”

“What sort of information?” Quinn asked.

“Well, for one, it’s not that difficult to find out the name of Logan’s surrogate and trace her movements. Likewise, he should have contacted Rafe and asked about his movements on the day Logan was followed home. At the very least, he should try to rule the two of them out of the investigation.”

“Why would someone burn Logan’s car?” She could think of a reason, but she needed to hear it from a professional.

“My guess would be that someone wished to destroy evidence.”

“But evidence of what?” Quinn cried.