Free Gone by Rebecca Muddiman

never really a part of this place,’ Jessie said.
    ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘Well, he never really . . .’ Jessie looked at the ceiling, searching for the right word, ‘gelled.’
    ‘Gelled?’
    ‘He didn’t socialise with anyone here. He kept very much to himself.’ Jessie stopped and looked at Freeman as if she’d just realised for the first time that she was talking to a police officer. ‘Don’t get me wrong,’ she said. ‘He was quite good at his job. Very committed.’
    ‘But?’
    ‘I don’t know. Something about him always struck me as being a little odd.’
    ‘In what way?’
    ‘Can I ask what this is about?’ Jessie said.
    ‘I’m investigating a possible murder. I’m just looking to speak to anyone who might’ve known the deceased. I have reason to believe Ben knew her.’
    Jessie almost raised an eyebrow. Freeman could tell she wanted to ask more questions but knew as well as she did about confidentiality.
    ‘Ben was good at his job,’ Jessie repeated, leaning forward a little, lowering her voice. ‘But sometimes I worried he was a little too involved with some of his clients.’
    ‘Which clients?’
    Jessie looked away for a second. ‘Some of the girls,’ she said.
    ‘What made you think that?’
    ‘Well, he spent a lot of time with some of them. And not always at work.’
    ‘He saw them outside work? In what capacity?’ Freeman asked.
    Jessie just shrugged. ‘I have no idea. I just saw him in the town with a few of them. One of them used to hang around outside, waiting for him to finish work.’
    ‘Do you know who it was?’
    ‘I did recognise her. The name escapes me now. It was a long time ago.’
    ‘Was it Emma Thorley?’ Freeman asked, and saw Jessie’s eyes light up.
    ‘The girl from the woods?’ she said. Freeman didn’t respond. ‘You know, I think it might well have been.’
    Freeman nodded. Might well have been wasn’t the sort of thing the CPS liked to hear.
    ‘But you’re not sure – not absolutely certain?’ She had to push; had to know for sure.
    ‘N–no, not certain, but . . .’ She trailed off.
    ‘Why did Ben leave?’ Freeman asked, hoping for something a little more concrete.
    ‘He left to go and take care of his mother. It must’ve been ten, eleven years ago now, I suppose.’
    ‘Eleven years?’ Freeman said, perking up. It had been eleven years since Emma Thorley disappeared. Eleven years since Ben Swales left town too.

Chapter 19
     
    14 December 2010
     
    Freeman knocked on the door and waited a few minutes before Ray Thorley opened up. He looked bleary eyed, like he’d been sleeping despite being fully clothed. He took a minute to focus his eyes and recall her name from the depths of his mind and then smiled a kind of weary smile.
    ‘Miss Freeman,’ he said. ‘You’re back again.’ He edged back just enough to let her through, clearly trying to minimise the amount of cold air that got in.
    ‘I hope I’m not disturbing you,’ Freeman said. ‘I just wanted to ask you a few more questions.’ As she’d driven over she’d told herself it was probably a pointless exercise – Ray Thorley was unlikely to remember any more about his daughter’s friends and associates, even if he had once known. But anything was worth a try.
    Ray led her through to the living room and the sudden heat from the ancient gas fire made Freeman’s cheeks flush. The TV played in the background, some American show from the seventies or early eighties, one that only the elderly or unemployed knew of. Ray muted the volume and took a seat in his chair.
    ‘Mr Thorley, do you know if Emma had a friend called Jenny Taylor? Did she ever mention her?’
    Ray shook his head. ‘I don’t know. I don’t recall her friends too well.’ He looked down at his hands and rubbed them. Freeman wondered if he had arthritis or something. He couldn’t possibly be cold with the heating turned up that high.
    ‘There was one girl. Diane,’ he said. ‘She still saw