Free The Final Minute by Simon Kernick

never easy finding someone if they don’t want to be found.’
    ‘I understand,’ said Donaldson, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice.
    ‘Did you know that your daughter changed her name by deed poll just over a year ago?’
    ‘Really?’ He looked shocked. ‘I know she’s still very angry with me but I didn’t think she’d resort to changing her name. What does she call herself now?’
    ‘Lauren Marano.’
    He looked puzzled. ‘I don’t know where she got that from.’
    Tina shrugged. ‘Maybe she thought it sounded exotic. It’s interesting because I’ve scoured the net to see if I can find any online presence for a Lauren Marano. It’s quite an unusual name, but there’s no sign of anyone under that name looking like your daughter. And I can’t find her under her old name either.’
    ‘But Lauren’s always had a Facebook page. She wouldn’t let me friend her but I know she had one.’
    ‘She doesn’t any more. I’ve been in contact with Facebook trying to find out whether they’ve taken down a page used by a Lauren Marano or Donaldson, and when, but so far I haven’t had any meaningful response, and they’re not obligated to help me.’
    ‘Do you think it’s a bad sign that her page isn’t up any more?’ Donaldson asked uncertainly.
    ‘Not necessarily, although it does make it harder to track down her current whereabouts, especially as I’ve got no forwarding address from her last place. I’ve been in contact with all the utility companies trying to track her location down that way but it’s slow work.’
    ‘Did you manage to get hold of Ben?’
    This was where things got more worrying. ‘Yes I did,’ Tina answered. ‘Ben’s been in contact with Lauren periodically over the past three years, but he hasn’t spoken to her since the beginning of April. He had a postal address for her but she left there over a year back, around the time she changed her name. Ben’s tried the mobile number and the email he’s got for her, but the number’s out of service, and she hasn’t replied to his messages.’
    Tina saw the pained look in his eyes. ‘Look, Mr Donaldson, it’s important not to worry too much yet. Lauren could have just fallen off the radar. People do that all the time. Did you know that more than a hundred thousand people go missing every year in this country? And most of them just turn back up when they’re good and ready.’
    Donaldson nodded slowly. ‘Yes, I did know that. The police were at great pains to point it out to me. But I also know that two thousand of those hundred thousand never turn back up. I’ll be honest with you, Tina. I’m very worried about Lauren. She’s always been a girl who’s easily led, and there are some horrible people out there.’
    ‘I know that as much as anyone,’ said Tina, smiling to soften her words.
    ‘I know you do. It’s why I came to you in the first place. You don’t have children, but I know you care. I trust you to do everything you can to find my daughter.’
    Over the years Tina had built up a reputation as a maverick operator, someone prepared not only to bend the rules, but to ignore them entirely if the mood took her. At one time that reputation had been at least partly justified, but she’d changed now, and had no desire to further sully her reputation. Having said that, she was prepared to pull out all the stops to find Lauren because she was a lot more concerned about her than she was letting on. She didn’t like the fact that Ben, the one person Lauren had had fairly regular contact with, could no longer get hold of her. Ben was worried too: it had been he who’d initially reported her missing to the police. Tina had spoken to the officer who was supposedly dealing with the case and, though he’d expressed sympathy, he didn’t appear to be trying too hard to find her. After all, Lauren was simply one of thousands.
    ‘I’m hopeful the newspaper interview will throw up a few leads,’ she told