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“Witness statements. Crime reports, more filing.”
“What are you working on right now?”
“Not…not working. On leave.”
“Then why did you come to Caernbro Ghyll? You came here as a police officer, didn’t you? What are you investigating?”
She shakes her head. “No, I’m here to find my sister. Naomi…”
“Naomi isn’t here.”
“I know that now. I have to leave. My mother is ill, she needs me.”
“Ineed you. I need you to tell me the truth. I can’t let you go home until you do.”And possibly not even then.
“I have.” She’s sobbing gently. “I told you, I came to find Beth.”
“You said your sister was called Naomi.”Is her story slipping, finally?
“She was, but her parents changed her name to Beth, when they adopted her.”
Ah, yes. She already mentioned that.“Tell me about Naomi,” I say. “Or Beth.”
“She was adopted, as a baby. A couple took her, and they changed her name.”
“I know that. What else?”
“They ran pubs. I followed them through each place they worked. Stafford, then York. Then Newcastle. Harold — Harry — and Faith Sampson. And their daughter, Beth.”
I meet Moses’ eyes. We both recognise those names. He shrugs at me, so I continue.
“Where did you get those names from?”
“I found them out, from the adoption records. My dad was in the Job, police, like me. He tried to find Naomi when he and my mum got married. They wanted her back, and he got the name of her new family. But they decided to leave her where she was because she was happy and they didn’t want to disrupt her life.”
“Very noble,” I observe. “So, what changed?”
“She’s grown up now. And…”
“And what?”
“My mum’s dying. She wants to see Naomi again, before it’s too late. She asked me to look for her, to pick up where my dad left off. So, I did. I couldn’t refuse her. At the Newcastle pub, someone told me Beth has become a plumber and had a little boy. I Googled her, then went to her business in Berwick, but it was empty and for sale. The estate agent sent me the details when I enquired. The name of this house was there, as the contact. So, I came here, hoping to find Beth.”
Her words have become sluggish again. She yawns, her eyelids droop. “I’m tired.”
I’m minded to press her for more but decide to do some fact-checking before continuing. Her story has a distinct ring of truth to it. I know so-called truth serums aren’t foolproof, but they can work, and in this case I’m inclined to think it did.
I’m also inclined to think I know exactly where this Beth she’s so keen to find is.
I know Beth well, assuming this is the same person. She is currently living on Caraksay with Aaron Savage, my boss’s brother. The part about the sales details for Beth’s plumber’s yard is certainly true. Aaron asked me to field any queries if they should come up, as I’m on the mainland most of the time and he and Beth live permanently on Caraksay.
I pick up the water bottle again and place it on her lips.
“Drink,” I command her.
She obeys without protest, another happy side-effect of the sodium thiopental. I wait until she finishes the bottle, then lay her down again. “You need to get some sleep.”
She half-smiles, and her breathing softens as she drops off.
