Extract Seven from Chapter Five, pp 26-28
When I entered the kitchen and saw Adam standing there next to Brennan, I totally lost control and broke down. Adam rushed over and put an arm around me, and I sobbed into his shoulder. We were used to seeing each other during his frequent visits to the flat to pick Molly up, but this was the first time we’d had physical contact since the divorce.
He spoke in a soothing voice, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying. I was just glad he was there and the scent of him filled every intake of breath.
When I eventually stopped crying, Brennan handed me a tissue and I used it to dry my eyes. Then I stepped back out of Adam’s embrace and looked up at him.
At six feet he was a good four inches taller than me and was wearing a dark suit and white open-neck shirt. His familiar face was sharp and angular, with high cheekbones and a thin nose. But his expression was totally unfamiliar, a mixture of fear and incredulity. Sweat had gathered in the creases of his brow and his lips were drawn into a tight line.
‘I’ve been told what’s happened, Sarah,’ he said, his voice barely above a whisper. ‘I can’t believe it. Why would anyone take Molly, for God’s sake?’
I had a sudden, violent urge to vomit again. Brennan must have sensed it because he quickly pulled over a chair and told me to sit down.
Adam came and stood in front of me, placing a hand on my shoulder. I could feel the tension in his fingers.
He held out his other hand and said, ‘Can I see the photo?’
Before I gave the phone to him I opened up the message.
‘You should check that first,’ I said.
He clamped his top lip between his teeth as he read the text.
‘This is fucking insane,’ he said. ‘What kind of lunatic would pull a stunt like this?’
He took a shivering breath and exhaled, then tapped on the photo.
I watched the muscles in his neck tighten as he stared at it, his eyes narrowing to slits.
‘Do you by any chance recognise that room?’ Brennan asked him.
Adam’s eyebrows knitted together, and for just a moment hope surged within me.
Please say yes, I wanted to cry out. Please tell us you know who lives there and where it is.
But after an agonising wait he shook his head and my insides shrivelled up.
‘I’ve never seen it before,’ he said. ‘I’m absolutely sure of it.’
He continued to stare at the photo and I saw his eyes start to glisten with tears.
‘The bloke who did this obviously knew that Molly would be with her grandmother,’ Brennan said. ‘It’s likely he was watching the house and waiting for your father to leave before striking. That suggests he knew that you were all locked into a routine. And it also suggests that you might know him – or them – since it’s quite possible he wasn’t acting alone.’
Claire's Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is a thriller about Police officers Sarah and Adam, who have their 15 months daughter kidnapped while being babysat from the grandmother.
Wow, I seriously couldn't put this book down and had my heart in my throat several times. Being a mother myself, I cannot imagine how you would feel if someone took your child.
I haven't read any previous books of Jaimes, but this won't be the last. This was very well written and gripping right from the start.
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