Neo watched Superintendent Palmer as he reclined in his chair. Two fresh cups of coffee sat on the table between them as she reviewed his notes so far on the case.

'One dead, second one missing. Just terrible.' Palmer shook her head in sympathy as she flicked through her phone.

Neo leaned forward. 'Dead?'

Palmer looked up from her phone and sighed.

'Forgive me. It's easy to forget that you didn't grow up here. Mrs Bennett, the wife that's gone missing, her sister and her sister's boyfriend were murdered at Felton Pond over twenty years ago. Tragic case. I'll have someone pull the old files for you. They should have all been transferred onto the computer, but well, you know how those things go.'

Neo silently agreed. Though he knew London had been integrating its systems for decades, the smaller stations had resisted, until they'd been dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Marton was one of those stations. He wouldn't be surprised if half the original file had been scanned into the computer upside down or was completely illegible.

'You think it has something to do with why the family disappeared?'

Neo sipped at his coffee and enjoyed the hit of caffeine as it buzzed through his system. It couldn't replace his cigarettes, but it was something to get him through the day.

Palmer finished sending her email and stood.

'Their killer was a local boy, a friend of theirs, Jack Teece. We never found him. He just disappeared, done a runner no doubt after he realised what he'd done. His parents moved away not long after that, couldn't live in the village, not after everyone knew what he did.'

'I'll look at the files and see if there is anything useful from the original case. Though I somehow doubt that Jack Teece just happened to have come back to abduct the younger sister and her family,' Neo replied smoothly.

He was skeptical that the details would be useful. A case solved over twenty years ago was unlikely to have a bearing on the missing family.

Except for the fact they both happened in the same place, he reminded himself.

As a rule, Neo hated coincidence. In his book, coincidence was just an excuse for poor police work. That notion that some things are simply unexplainable. In his world, no such thing existed. Everyone had a motive, everything could be explained. A police officer only had to look at the evidence in front of them.

'Keep me up to date on this case. Don't mention the specific area you found the car at to the press. The last thing we need is for locals to think something is happening up at Felton Pond. There are already enough ghost stories floating around as it is.'

Neo went to ask her to elaborate on what ghost stories she was referring to when a wailing sounded from outside his office, followed by shouting.

'What the devil...' Palmer trailed off as she followed Neo to the reception area.

They both rocked back on their heels when they saw the weeping woman being supported by her husband. They'd both seen enough bereft families to know they were now looking at Mrs Bennett's parents.

Whilst the man looked vaguely familiar to Neo, he could comfortably say that he'd never seen the woman before in his life.

Her mop of white hair was listless where it hung down the sides of her face. Her clothes, though spotless, hung off her petite frame. But it was her eyes that made Neo shiver. Rolling white, stained with red as she wailed in her husband's arms. A mother grieving for the loss of not just one daughter but possibly two.

'She has her,' the woman cried. 'First my Lucy and now she's taken my Jane.'

Her husband tried to console her, but Neo could see she was beyond that.

'Mr and Mrs Phillips,' Neo began, but was thrown off guard by the older woman gripping the front of his shirt.

'She's taken them. She's taken them,' Mrs Phillips wailed.

Neo frowned. 'Who's taken them?'

Mrs Phillips licked her lips nervously, her eyes darting around in her head. 'The lady in white.'

'I'm sorry Inspector. My wife, she's ill.' Mr Phillips stepped forward and gently took his wife's hands from Neo's shirt. 'It's okay darling, we'll find them. You can't get yourself worked up like this. Remember, you need to breathe and keep calm.'

Mrs Phillips looked at her husband, though Neo wasn't convinced that she could really see him. Her wailing had turned to quiet sobs, but her mumbles continued.

'PC Tipton, could you take Mrs Phillips and get her a hot drink and keep her company?' Neo asked the prim officer overseeing the family.

'Of course, Sir.'

It took a little persuasion from Mr Phillips, but eventually Mrs Phillips hobbled off with PC Tipton.

'I'm sorry to separate you and your wife at a time like this, Mr Phillips.'

But Mr Phillips just waved off Neo's concerns.

'I understand and anything to help you find my daughter and grandkids. I just can't leave my wife too long, she suffers with Alzheimer's.'

'We'll make it quick,' promised Superintendent Palmer.

With one last look at his wife, now settled with a cup of tea, Mr Phillips followed Neo.

'When was the last time you heard from your daughter or son-in-law?' Neo started when they were all situated in his office.

'I spoke with my daughter yesterday afternoon. Maybe around 1pm or 2pm.'

'And did she seem okay to you? Nothing out of the ordinary?' Neo's gaze locked on the man with a precision that spoke of his profession.

Mr Phillips shook his head. 'She was fine. She spoke about Danny and Emma, her kids, and said that she'd see me tomorrow.'

Palmer leaned forward with interest. 'Tomorrow? So they weren't intending to visit you until today?'

'No, they were driving down from Leeds this morning.'

Mr Phillips looked at Neo and Palmer as they shared a look.

'Mr Phillips, we believe they abandoned the car sometime before 3am this morning.' Neo watched as the barrage of emotions crossed the man's face. 'Did your daughter call you to say that their plans had changed?'

But Mr Phillips was already shaking his head.

'Is there any reason they would have driven to Felton pond? Maybe for Jane to pay respects to her sister. I understand she died there?'

Mr Phillips paled and ran a hand through his fading hair.

'My daughter would never have willingly returned to that place. Not...not after Lucy,' he whispered.

Neo looked up as Palmer shook her head, seeing the same thing as him. There came a time when more questioning of a family member would just lead to more distress. And Mr Phillips was already at his breaking point.

Neo stood and handed Mr Phillips his card. 'We'll have some more questions for you soon, but for now I'll get PC Tipton to take you and your wife home. Should you think of anything else which may help the case, please call this number.'

They showed him to the reception area where Mrs Phillips and PC Tipton had been joined by a new woman that was a stranger to Neo.

Clad in a pair of ripped skinny jeans and oversized jumper, she looked young. Her golden hair was piled on top of her head, but wisps had escaped and dusted across her cheekbones when she moved.

'Charlie? I didn't expect you to come down so soon.' Mr Phillips shuffled forward and hugged the girl tightly.

'I got here as soon as I could. Your neighbour said you'd be here.' Even as she moved to return the hug, Mrs Phillips kept her hand on one of the girl's sleeves.

'Well Charlotte Hoggins, as I live and breathe.'

Neo glanced at his Superintendent as she stepped forward to shake the girl's hand.

'Rosy, it's good to see you. The crowns suit you,' Charlie said, pointing to the crown insignia on Palmer's shoulders.

'What are you doing here, Charlotte? Somehow I doubt it's a coincidence.' Palmer raised her eyebrow.

'Actually, she's here because I asked her, well hired her.' Mr Phillips fiddled with his cardigan. 'Charlie is a private investigator and I've asked her to find my family.'