Chapter 2

They found the blood trail first.

Detective sergeant Lizzie Maddox stood next to James looking down at the blood. The trail stopped in the street.

'He got into a vehicle here,' she said, then followed the trail back into the grass, 'I'll get some techs out to get us blood samples.'

James saw a silver glint in the grass and stooped to look at it. It was a silver watch. Taking an evidence bag out of his breast pocket, he carefully picked up the watch. A plastic snap tie was caught in the band. It was at least 15 inches long, of heavy grade. There was no doubt it was meant for tying someone's hands. He let his breath out slowly.

'They definitely meant to take her. Let's get this area searched too, Lizzie, as well as blood samples from the pavement. '

He looked at the watch. It had a silver metallic band, and a Canadian red maple next to the face.

He turned it over; it was inscribed across the back of the face, '2002 Commonwealth Games'.

Hathaway looked across the park where she'd run, 'High Street is much closer, and would have been busy already at that hour. I wonder why she ran East instead of towards High Street.'

'How far was she from our station when she ran in front of you? Because if I'm not mistaken, it's in a straight line from here.'

'A couple of hundred meters…' James looked off through the beech trees. His eye caught an object about 10 meters in. It was a backpack. They walked out to it.

'It looks expensive. Hers, do you think?' Lizzie, her hands covered in gloves, opened it and made a quick survey of the contents.

'Wallet, notebook, um, not sure what this is.' Lizzie pulled out an object, then realized it was a white latex bathing cap. On it was a red maple leaf.

'You said she sounded American.'

'Canadian, then. Let's see the wallet.'

She opened it and removed first a driver's licence.

'Province of Ontario. Belonging to Diane Chisholm,' she held up the card with the photo, 'is this her?'

'Yes.'

Lizzie kept looking through the wallet, 'Oxford University Student card. University Sports Complex pass,' she paused reading the next card, 'Toronto Police Service Credit Union.'

Lizzie raised her eyebrows at James in an unspoken question.

'Yes, I'd say she could be a copper,' Oh Blimey! I met her about a year ago. '