Page 51 of Too Close To Home

Calder shifted under the scrutiny. Harrison hadn’t openly reprimanded him. He wouldn’t do that. But he had corrected the narrative Calder was clearly after. Because Harrison had seen his type before. Officers who preferred conclusions to questions. Who leaned towards the explanation that made paperwork lighter and overtime unnecessary. Every force had them. Big cities. Rural counties. Didn’t matter. And if Calder had been involved with Jake Whitton before, he could almost see why Jake might have taken a dislike to him. Men like Calder didn’t enjoy having their judgement challenged. And men like Jake didn’t challenge quietly.

But Calder was on his team now. He’d have to get used to confrontation.

“Identify this boy in Manchester,” Harrison said. “Full name. Address. Social media. Travel records, if we can. Speak to her friends again. Confirm whether she made plans. If he exists, we speak to him. Today.”

Calder nodded. “Aye, sir.”

Harrison glanced back at Murray. “Have we reached the mother?”

“She’s trying to get back from Spain. She’s been informed.”

Silence again.

A mother abroad. A father here. An argument. A seventeen-year-old who might have felt cornered. Could Emily be trying to get to her mother?

The thought hovered. Possible, but thin.

Before he could pursue it, another officer appeared at the door. “Media’s set up, sir.”

“Right.” He checked his watch. Twelve exactly. “Better give them something before they write their own version.”

He capped the marker and stepped out of the incident room, the low murmur of voices resuming behind him. He’d done more media interviews than he could count. Local press on rain-slicked London streets. National breakfast television with producers whispering in his ear. Live statements after arrests that had made front pages. The Met had trained him how to hold a line. Control a narrative. Give enough without ever surrendering ground.

But this…this was his first day in post. In a station where he couldn’t even point out where the loos were, in a town he hadn’t yet learned the rhythm of. The nerves were there. Low. Controlled. He pressed them down where they belonged.

A uniformed constable held the glass door half open for him, and he walked out in the midday light. The sky was a pale, washed-out grey-blue, rooftops bleached beneath it. Two marked patrol cars were angled neatly near the entrance. A quiet, present perimeter. And three microphones waited. One camera. A reporter he suspected had covered parish council meetings until this morning.

Small town.

Small force.

But the stakes weren’t small.

He stepped forward to take the stand.

“I’m Detective Inspector Harrison Black, Senior Investigating Officer in the disappearance of seventeen-year-old Emily Fisher.” His voice carried evenly across the small cluster of microphones. Controlled. Projected without strain. “Emily was last seen leaving The King’s Arms public house in Hartswick at approximately 11:20pm last night. We’re treating this as a high-risk missing person investigation.”

Pens scratched. The camera flashes came out.

“Is this an abduction?” a reporter called.

“We’re keeping an open mind,” Harrison replied. “At this stage, there’s no evidence to confirm the circumstances of her disappearance. Our priority is ensuring Emily is safe.” He took a breath. “We’re appealing to anyone who was in the High Street or woodland shortcut area last night to come forward. Even the smallest detail could prove significant.”

He waited, giving space and time to the information being shared.

Then he switched tactics, “And if Emily herself sees this appeal, you are not in any trouble. Please make contact. Your family are concerned for your welfare.”

A hand shot up. “Are you linking this to the disappearance of Robyn Whitton?”

The name landed in the air like a dropped glass.

Whitton.

He didn’t blink. Didn’t break posture.

But internally, that was fast. Too fast for coincidence. He’d been in the building for less than twenty-four hours. That question shouldn’t have been the first leap.

“We’re not linking incidents at this stage,” he said, tone steady and neutral. “Our focus is solely on locating Emily Fisher.”