Stop Dead (DI Geraldine Steel)

school had her registered as living at the Harrisons’ address. Nearly two years later, when Emily was fourteen, Linda was arrested and the girl was taken into the care of social services.

     
    After leaving school at sixteen, Emily vanished from the system. Her name didn’t appear on any census records, she was too young to be on the electoral register, and she wasn’t registered with a doctor or dentist. It was frustrating. Geraldine could find no record of any marriage or death, and no trace of her leaving the country or even applying for a passport. The only obvious explanations were that she was homeless or had changed her name, or perhaps both.

     
    Geraldine’s research had thrown up no indication of where the name Tennant came from. Linda Harrison’s maiden name was Buckingham, and there was no record of her sister having married. Tennant could have been the name of Emily’s father, but no father was named on her birth certificate. Perhaps her mother had adopted a new surname to hide the fact that she was unmarried. In any event, Geraldine could find no records from the life of Emily Tennant after she reached the age of sixteen. The only vaguely encouraging piece of information was that she had found no record of her death. Linda was the only person who could help her.

     
    Returning to the prison, Geraldine was admitted by a different prison officer wearing the same cheerful expression as the woman who had accompanied her on her previous visit. Once again she was led along a walkway around the prison building, past small scrubby bushes and weedy flowers. The place was eerily silent. Her guide led her through several secure doors, along corridors, until they reached the cavernous visitors’ room. It was empty. Minutes crawled by as though time had stopped. For some of the prisoners, incarcerated for decades, it effectively had.

     
    At last another prisoner officer entered the room. She was alone.
    ‘Linda doesn’t want to see you.’
    ‘I just want to ask her one question.’
    ‘I’m sorry, Linda is refusing to see you.’
    The prison officer led Geraldine back along dim corridors, her keys jangling as she locked and unlocked the heavy doors they passed through on their way back through the prison gardens. The outer gate closed behind her, and Geraldine walked slowly back to her car. Somewhere in the normal world to which she had returned, an unknown killer was hiding.

CHAPTER 58
     
    ‘W e have a match!’ Reg crowed, grinning at Geraldine from behind his desk.
    His broad shoulders were hunched forward over his keyboard as she entered his office but he straightened at once, his face bright with enthusiasm. She couldn’t help returning his smile, he looked so pleased with himself.
    ‘Is it Emily Tennant?’
    Her voice echoed his excitement. The detective chief inspector’s grin faded as he leaned back in his chair, frowning.
    ‘What’s that? Emily who?’
    ‘Tennant. Emily Tennant.’
    ‘Emily Tennant? Who’s Emily Tennant? The name they gave me is Lolita Wild. She’s the woman who was there when Bradford was murdered.’
    It was Geraldine’s turn to look baffled.
    ‘Lolita Wild? Who the hell is she?’

     
    Reg smiled, misconstruing her surprised expression.
    ‘Lolita Wild. I know, highly unlikely, isn’t it? But it’s probably a false name, although you can never tell, especially these days –’
    ‘Who the hell is Lolita Wild?’
    ‘That’s exactly what you’re about to find out.’
    The misunderstanding was swiftly clarified. The forensic team had identified the owner of the blonde hairs found on Bradshaw’s body. The bad news was that her DNA did not match that of the brunette who had left her hair in Patrick’s car, which meant that different women had been at the two crime scenes. It wasn’t one woman who had dyed her hair, after all. They were looking for two women. The only other information they could gather from Lolita Wild’s hair was that she was a habitual heroin user.
    ‘But we already knew that from her record,’ Reg added.

     
    ‘Lolita Wild? That can’t be her real name,’ Sam laughed when Geraldine told her about the development. ‘What sort of a name is that?’
    ‘What’s so funny about it?’ Geraldine responded sourly.
    She was vexed that her theory about Emily Tennant appeared to be foundering. She had been so convinced she was right.
    ‘Do you ever get a strong feeling about something, for no reason?’ she asked her colleague. ‘I