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out, it wouldn’t be something he could just explain away. Professional standards would have his job.

And now he’d snapped at one of his colleagues and made himself look like a prat.

Sighing deeply, he shoved his hands in his pockets and frowned. When on earth will this all end? When will I be able to dig myself out of this shit? When will I be able to make amends for all the bad things I’ve done?

He knew there was no excuse. One day fate would come knocking, and then what would he do?

Putting his face straight, he turned and walked back to the team. They could never know. He needed to get Marlo alone and apologise.

Outskirts of Hetton-le-Hole – 2 November

Elvie felt consciousness try to tug at her mind. She tried her best to resist, wanting to stay in the dreamworld where she was safe and nothing could touch her. But a voice invaded her subconscious, prompting her to become more aware. The voice was female, nasal, and spoke English with a Filipino accent.

‘The youngest one stays. She is pure. She will bring much money. The other goes. Tonight. Take her to Rocko on Wear Street. He will teach her how to be a good girl.’

Elvie heard a male voice give confirmation, ‘Yes, boss. Make sure she’s drugged. The last one used her teeth on me, the bitch. I’ve still got the scars.’ It was the same skinny man who had kicked her.

‘She was punished. The only thing she bites now is the pillow in the bed of the man who owns her.’ The woman cackled as she and the man left the room, closing the door and clicking the lock into place.

Elvie opened her eyes carefully in case she’d been wrong about the door closing. She saw Nita on the bed opposite; her hair was damp, and she had different clothes on. Putting a hand to her own head, she realised her own hair was damp. She had been washed and changed also.

‘Pure?’ she muttered the word to herself. What does that mean?

She tried to sit up, but the room spun making her feel sick. Placing her head back down on the pillow, she closed her eyes. Just for a minute, I’ll get up and… Darkness dragged her back down and she fell back into slumber.

Dive Team HQ, South Shields ––2 November

Marlo stood in the doorway to the sergeant’s office. ‘Hey, Sharpie. Everything’s sorted in the kit room. Am I OK to get away?’

‘Yeah sure, Buck. You’re at HQ tomorrow, right? The professional standards hearing?’ said Sharpie glancing up.

‘Yeah at 1 p.m. I’ll pop here in the morning. If we don’t get a shout, I was thinking I might do some practice dives. It’s chilly, but the water’s supposed to be calm tomorrow.’

‘That’s a good idea. Connor can join you. He hasn’t had much chance to get in the water with being the new guy. In fact, we’ll all pitch out. It’s been a while since we used the Delta RIB: it could use the run out. Can you tell the team to report in at 7 a.m. and we’ll get started immediately?’

‘Sure. I’ll need to be out and dry for about twelve ish though. Give me enough time to drive back down to Sunderland. Glad this is the final hearing, like.’

‘Well, you paid for the phone. There’s no other issue really. I’d have reacted the same in your shoes.’

‘Yeah, this meeting’s just a formality now. Even so, I’ll be pleased when it’s over.’ The incident they referred to had happened a couple of months ago. The team had just finished pulling a body out of a lake in Washington. A woman had been walking with her three-year-old daughter on the path that ran alongside the man-made bank. The mother had been busy playing on her mobile phone, too engrossed to notice the child walk to the edge to look at the ducks. Marlo had happened to look up as the child pitched forward over the edge and landed headfirst into the water. She’d jumped back in and grabbed the child, pulling her to the surface. The mother hadn’t even heard the splash as her eyes were still fixed on the phone screen.

In a fit of temper, Marlo had grabbed the phone out of the woman’s hand and thrown it towards the centre of the lake. A complaint had been lodged the next day, demanding payment for the phone and demanding the force address Marlo’s “attitude problem”. Professional standards had told Marlo to pay for a replacement out of her own money, and the meeting tomorrow would put the matter to rest.

‘Last day in tomorrow, then rest days. I need ’em like, am shattered this week. Don’t ever have kids,’ warned Sharpie with a shrug of his shoulders.

‘Do I look like the kind of girl to settle down and want a family?’ joked Marlo. ‘I can barely look after myself. Besides, if I had kids, I wouldn’t have time to dive. I’m heading up to the Farne Islands on my rest days. Bit of solo diving with my camera. I’m hoping to get some decent shots of what’s left of the wrecks up there. Last time I went there was too much sediment. I couldn’t see naff all.’

‘You’re the only person I know who dives at work, then goes home to dive on her own time too. Have fun though and be careful. You know how I feel about solo diving. Something can…’

‘...always go wrong,’ finished Marlo. ‘I’ll be careful don’t worry. I’d better run if I’m gunna catch the guys before they leave. See you in the morning.’

‘Bright and early,’ replied Sharpie, turning back to the computer.

 

Chapter Three

Outskirts of Hetton-le-Hole – 2 November

M uffled sounds invaded Elvie’s sleep – a whimper, the sound of feet scuffling on carpet. She remembered