Free April by Paul and Coral Jones

it didn’t make it any easier to hear that awful word.
    At times like this, it’s easy to slip into denial. While I’d accepted what the police had told us the previous evening, when the tears finally took hold of me in the early hours I
began to allow myself to doubt what they’d said. Perhaps April was still being hidden somewhere and the spots of blood in the cottage had appeared because she’d grazed her knee or cut
her finger? Plus, there was no sign of her, dead or alive. How could the police know anything for sure?
    But, realistically, we knew they were now looking for a body – and all we could do was wait.
    We didn’t attend the press conference held by the police that morning. Although she would have done anything to help find April, Coral had found Wednesday’s
experience very distressing and there was no real need for us to face the cameras again.
    However, the news channels were still playing in the living room as friends and family made endless cups of tea and coffee, desperate to help but not sure what to do or say. Detective
Superintendent Bevan, along with another senior officer, Superintendent Ian John, briefed the media on the latest developments, both wearing pink bows.
    Perhaps most significantly, they announced that the search was to be scaled down and that the hundreds of volunteers who had turned up to help find April were no longer required. From now on,
the search would be carried out solely by professionals.
    Superintendent John told reporters: ‘We want to acknowledge and are extremely grateful for the efforts of the community volunteers who have supported the professional searchers in trying
to locate April. They have been a vital part of our team throughout this search operation. Quite frankly, their commitment has been an inspiration to us all.
    ‘The dynamics of the search have now changed and, due to the passage of time and the developments within the investigation, it is no longer appropriate for us to expect untrained members
of the public to continue the search.
    ‘Now, we only require professional searchers to be involved in the ongoing search which continues in and around Machynlleth.’
    Afternoon came and went but there was still no sign of Bridger being charged. We were soon told that the police had been granted special permission by the court in Aberystwyth to hold him for
another twenty-four hours of questioning.
    It was a very trying time. While Coral and I knew about the damning forensic evidence, we couldn’t share these details with anyone – not even our closest family. Dave and Hayley
impressed upon us just how important it was to keep this information to ourselves, as neither the search team nor even many of the officers assigned to the case knew about the development. If it
was leaked, it could significantly harm the investigation. In fact, if and when the case came to court, Bridger’s lawyer could argue it had affected his right to a fair trial, particularly if
the media printed details of the evidence before it had been put before a jury. As much as it pained us to keep things from the people who had provided such unwavering support to us, we knew we
couldn’t breathe a word of what we knew to anyone.
    Dave and Hayley explained that in many cases where a child has been murdered, some key evidence has actually been withheld from the parents until the trial because the police have been so
concerned that they might, even unwittingly, share some sensitive information with someone who shouldn’t be party to it. In our case, Dave and Hayley told Andy how important it was for us to
kept in the loop and how we could be trusted to keep details of the evidence to ourselves. Dave stressed that there was only one condition attached – neither of us could be told anything
unless the other was there. If one knew something the other didn’t, not only would this cause confusion, which could potentially harm the investigation, it could also fuel resentment