They hunted around the yard, looking for anything that shouldn’t be there, anything that might relate to Sophie.
‘I’ve no doubt the CID team have thoroughly checked the contents of Grove’s computer,’ Matt said, ‘but all the same, I would dearly love to get the chance to see for myself what he has on it.’
Their external search of the cottage, and that of the constable, yielded nothing, so with the sky darkening by the minute, they made their way back down Tylers Lane towards Emilia Swain’s place.
Little Anchor had a lonely and uninhabited air. Matt picked up a few letters from the doormat and they gave the cottage a cursory check. Nothing appeared to have been touched. Dust was gathering on the furniture and the old lady’s collection of brass on the fireplace had taken on a dull, uncared-for look. Matt was glad that she hadn’t come back, but he couldn’t help being sorry that the homely cottage was beginning to resemble Miss Havisham’s boudoir.
Back outside, Matt said, ‘Look at those clouds. We’d better get back to the house before the heavens open.’
Will glanced up at the gathering thunder clouds and nodded. ‘We can either run the gauntlet of the press, or double back out on to the fen and take the cattle track up to Holland House. What do you reckon?’
‘The fen. It will only take a few minutes more and I’m really not in the mood to have a microphone thrust in my face.’
The two men struck out across the damp ground until they came to a well-worn path on their left. After five minutes or so, the shape of the fallen rowan tree could be seen in the back garden of Holland House, and in no time at all they were joining a milling throng of searchers all complaining about the dark. Matt and Will made their way through the sea of Gore-Tex jackets to where the sergeant was scribbling furiously in his notebook.
‘Any news, Sarge?’ called out Will.
The man snapped his book shut. ‘Ah, Will! Yes. Liz was just about to phone you. A few minutes ago, we had another sighting, and it corroborates the little lass’s story. A farmer was ploughing one of his fields when he saw a girl in a blue-and-white baseball jacket on the bridle-path leading to the fen road. That’s about half a mile from where the youngster saw her. He didn’t think too much of seeing her alone as he thought she had a dog with her. He now thinks it might have been one of the farm dogs. The timing is right, and we are now quite certain that she was heading here. She just never arrived, poor kid.’
‘So, you are concentrating your search to this vicinity?’ asked Matt.
‘This is the most significant sighting, but naturally we’re still trying to cover every avenue. The super isn’t keen in putting all our eggs in one basket.’
Matt felt confused. ‘But how could she have found her way here? There are so many footpaths and bridle paths. I was born here, and I can’t remember all of them. Surely a child who is new to this terrain wouldn’t have the slightest clue about where she was going?’
The policeman nodded. ‘We’ve considered that point, Matt. We sent one of the officers brought in from the Humberside area, to see if she could find her way to Whisper Fen, just using signposts and asking directions. She had never set foot on the marsh before. She reckoned the child could have done it without even asking for help. All the fen walks and footpaths are really well signposted, and there is a big map of the surrounding area in the foyer of the hotel. Would you say Sophie was a bright girl, Will? Capable of reading a map?’
‘Is a bright girl, Sergeant,’ Will said sharply.
‘Sorry. I wasn’t implying anything.’
Matt threw Will a warning glance.
‘No. It’s me that should apologise,’ Will said. ‘I’m getting pretty frayed around the edges. Yes, Sophie can map read, in fact she enjoys it. Her father was sent all over the world and my sister said Sophie always traced his routes on the map. Plus, she is in the Brownies. She told me that she was doing her orienteering and compass work badge and she loved it. Sophie could have found her way to Whisper Fen with her eyes shut. It’s why she wanted to come here that worries me.’
‘Surely, if you’re her only living relative, the answer is obvious,’ the policeman said, puzzled.
Will looked at the ground. ‘She only came here once, but the fen, and Holland House in particular, frightened her a great deal.’
The sergeant shrugged. ‘You told us about that before. Well, it seems that the thought of seeing you again made her overcome her fears. We now have two almost certain sightings.’
A fine drizzle blew off the fen and coated Matt’s cold face with a sheen of salty mist. ‘It will soon be impossible to remain out there.’ He gazed out across the miserable windswept expanse of marsh. ‘Not just the weather, but the tide. I saw on the local news that we are expecting one of the highest tides of the year tonight.’
‘What gets swept out invariably gets returned to us.’ The sergeant’s tone was grave.
‘Do you think she just got caught by the incoming water? Swept out into the Wash?’ Matt asked.
‘Can’t be sure of anything on this coastline. It certainly could have happened that way. I’ve even known locals get caught out.’ The policeman paused, frowning. ‘But I don’t know, it just doesn’t feel right. The coastguard and the Royal Air Force are out there and they’ve found nothing yet. No, my gut feeling tells me that there is more to this than a simple accident. Sorry, Will, I imagine that’s probably not what you want to hear.’
Will glanced at Matt. ‘We feel the same, don’t we, Matt? Plus, we have a real lowlife living out here. Added to the strange goings on at Little Anchor, the whole thing stinks.’
‘And don’t forget the gruesome stories about Holland House,’ added Matt. ‘They might be fables and old wives’ tales, but they don’t help.’
‘You can say that again,’ Will said. ‘They’re certainly real enough to Kate — real enough to warp her mind, by the looks of it. Oh Lord. My poor Kate!’
Matt put a reassuring arm around his friend’s shoulder. ‘Come on, Will. She’s in good hands. Better than being here, that’s for sure. Let’s go inside for a bit and let these chaps get on with their work. They’ll soon come and get you if there’s any news, won’t you, Sergeant?’
‘Of course. In fact, I’m expecting the boss and some of the top brass down here shortly, so I’d better make sure my finger is on the pulse, so to speak. Oh, and now that the search is to be concentrated here, I understand they are sending out some toilet facilities, arc lights and catering equipment. We really appreciate everything you’ve done for the men, but we’ll be organising our own hot drinks and food from now on — you know, health and safety and all that.’
Matt smiled. ‘Oh yes, I remember. A Portaloo, a Land Rover and a tea urn?’
‘Most likely.’ He turned to Will. ‘But could we still use your garden as a meeting point?’
‘Sure, and if the guv’nor wants to use the kitchen as an office, she’s welcome.’
‘I’ll pass that on, sir. Naturally, they have an incident room set up at the station, but a warm, dry base out here may well be very appealing. Thank you.’