The delicate leather straps were in a blush pink colour and the case was shiny rose gold, with a cuff of metallic flowers climbing up the left side of the face. Pip ran her finger over them, the petals spiking into her finger.

‘What’s that?’ asked Connor.

‘A ladies’ watch.’ She spun around. ‘Is this yours, Joanna? Or Zoe’s?’

Joanna came over to inspect the watch. ‘No, neither of ours. I’ve never seen that before. Do you think Jamie bought it for someone?’

Pip could tell Joanna was thinking of Nat, but if ever there was a watch less suited to Nat da Silva, it was this one. ‘No,’ Pip said. ‘It’s not new, look – there’s scratches along the case.’

‘Well, whose watch is it, then? That Hillary’s?’ said Connor.

‘Don’t know,’ Pip said, placing the watch carefully back in the drawer. ‘It could be significant, could mean nothing. We just have to see. I think we’re done, for now.’ She straightened up.

‘OK, what next?’ Connor said, eyes falling restlessly on hers.

‘That’s all we can do here for tonight,’ Pip said, looking away from the disappointment creasing Connor’s face. Had he really thought she was going to solve this in just a few hours? ‘I want you two to keep trying to crack that login password. Write down all the possibilities you’ve tried. Try Jamie’s nicknames, favourite books, films, where he was born, anything you can think of. I’ll research a list of typical password elements and combinations, and give that to you tomorrow to help narrow it down.’

‘I will,’ Joanna said. ‘I won’t stop.’

‘And keep checking your phone,’ Pip said. ‘If that message ever delivers to him, I want to know straight away.’

‘What are you going to do?’ Connor asked.

‘I’m going to write down all the info I have so far, do some editing and recording, and draft the announcement for the website. Tomorrow morning, everyone is going to know that Jamie Reynolds is missing.’

They both gave her quick, awkward hugs at the front door, Pip stepping out into the night. She looked over her shoulder as she walked away. Joanna had already gone, heading back to Jamie’s computer, no doubt. But Connor was still there, watching her leave, looking like the scared little boy Pip once knew.

Pip:

I made a promise. To myself. To everyone. I said I would never do this again, never play the detective, never again lose myself to the world of small-town secrets. It wasn’t me, not any more. I would have stuck to it too; I know I would’ve. But something’s happened and now I have to break that promise.

Someone has gone missing. Someone I know. Jamie Reynolds from Little Kilton. He’s the older brother of one of my closest friends, Connor. As I record these words, on Saturday the twenty-eighth of April at 11:27 p.m., Jamie has now been missing for twenty-seven hours. And no one is doing anything about it. The police have classified Jamie as a low-risk misper and can’t spare any manpower to look for him. They think he’s simply absent, not missing. And truthfully, I hope they’re right. I hope this is nothing, that there is no case here. That Jamie has just left home to stay with a friend, neglecting to message his family or return their calls. I hope he’s fine . . . I hope he returns home in a couple of days, wondering what all the fuss is about. But there’s no place for hope, not here, and if no one else will look for him, then I have to.

So, here it is: Welcome to season two of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder – The Disappearance of Jamie Reynolds.

SUNDAY

2 DAYS MISSING

Initial thoughts:

– Jamie’s behaviour in the last several weeks seems significant: the mood changes, sneaking out late twice in the last week. But what has he been up to? It all seems connected in some way to his phone?

– Not appropriate to record this thought for podcast, but is it suspicious that Arthur Reynolds won’t partake in the investigation? Or is this understandable given Jamie’s history of disappearing without contact? They have a tense relationship and had a big argument just before the memorial. Could this simply be a repeating pattern: argument with dad → run away without contact for a few days.

– But Connor and Joanna are convinced Jamie has NOT run off. They also don’t believe Jamie would attempt to hurt himself, despite recent mood swings.

– Joanna’s undelivered text to Jamie at 12:36 a.m. is a key piece of evidence. This means Jamie’s phone has been off since at least that time and has never been turned back on. This itself casts serious doubt on the ‘ran away’ theory: Jamie would need his phone if he were contacting a friend to stay with or getting public transport. So, if something has happened to Jamie, if he’s come to harm in any way, it must have happened by 12:36 a.m.

– Reynolds family movements post-memorial: – Arthur walked home alone from pub, got in around 11:15 p.m. (my estimate)

– Joanna drove home, got in at 12:15 a.m. at the earliest

– Connor was dropped home by Zach Chen at approximately 12:00 a.m.

To-Do List:

Announce 2nd season on website/social media

Make missing posters

Get a notice printed in tomorrow’s Kilton Mail

Interview Nat da Silva

Research Hillary F. Weiseman

Record description of Jamie’s bedroom search

Have The Conversation with Mum and Dad

Wearing a collarless burgundy shirt, jeans and white Puma trainers.

Last seen on Friday 27th April around 8:00 p.m. at the memorial on Little Kilton Common.

URGENT APPEAL: If you have seen Jamie since the memorial or have any information as to his whereabouts, please call 07700900382 or email [email protected]

Please send all photos and videos taken at the memorial on Friday to the above email address, to assist the investigation.

Nine

Pip waited on the high street, the sun a pale and lazy yellow. Birds dawdled in the morning sky; even passing cars sounded half-asleep, their tires shushing against the road. There was no urgency in any of it. None. No trace that anything was wrong or amiss. Everything too quiet, too subdued, until Ravi turned the corner from Gravelly Way, waving and jogging over to her.

He hugged her and Pip tucked her nose in under his chin. His neck was always warm, even when it had no business being so.

‘You look pale,’ Ravi said, pulling back. ‘Did you manage to get any sleep last night?’

‘Some,’ she said. And though she must have been tired, she didn’t feel it at all. In fact, she felt sharp for the first time in months, aligned inside her own skin. Head thrumming in that way she’d been missing. What was wrong with her? Her stomach tightened uncomfortably. ‘But every hour that passes makes it statistically less likely Jamie will ever be found. The first seventy-two hours are crucial –’

‘Hey, listen to me.’ Ravi tilted her chin so she looked up at him. ‘You have to take care of yourself too. You can’t think properly without sleep, and you’re no good to Jamie like that. Have you had breakfast?’