It was late afternoon and Jessie was sitting numbly on a seat in one of the SI10's corridors. It couldn't be. This day had to be nothing but a horrible nightmare and she wanted nothing more than to wake up. She felt lost in a dark tunnel and couldn't see the end of it.
She had spent the last hours describing to police officers what had happened exactly; where they were, what time it was, how the men surprised them and kidnapped Maggie. Jessie hated to think about it again but she knew that the more details and clues she could give to the police, the sooner they would find her friend. After the deposition, she felt tired and frustrated, she hadn't seen their face, she didn't know the plate number of the vehicle; the only thing she could say was that it had been two men in a white van. It wasn't enough and she knew it. The officers also took names of their friends and of people they met on regular basis before leaving her.
In the early afternoon, when Maggie's mother had arrived at the station, panic-stricken, her own mother had gotten up, giving her the bag of ice with which she had been trying to soothe her contusion. Not able to stand this anymore, Jessie had left the room, catching a glimpse of her best friend's mother sobbing on her mother's shoulder as she closed the door.
Ever since, Jessie had stayed in the corridor, far from the stiffening ambiance of the office. She had no idea how much time had passed.
As if it was coming from a distance, Jessie heard a door opening down the corridor and then her mother's voice.
"I tried but nobody answers. It's not…" Harry stopped in mid-sentence, spotting her daughter slumped on a seat, face down, chewing her fingers.
Following her gaze, chief superintendant Jarvis put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "She'll be better soon."
"I hope." She answered slowly. "Maggie's her best friend since kindergarten. They're inseparable. You have to find her Chas."
Harry glanced in the room she had just left. Maggie's mother, Lucy Duncan, was staring out of a window, she seemed miles away. Harry couldn't imagine how she would feel right now if it had been Jessie and not Maggie that these men had taken. Chas' voice brought her back to present.
"We're doing everything we can, you know it. I've got men watching the security cameras of the neighbourhood, we'll find that van. Now you should go back home." He paused. "Call me if she remembers anything else."
Harry nodded. "Let me know if there's something new."
"Of course." Chas promised.
She marched slowly to her daughter's level, not knowing what to tell her. Jessie made no sign that she had noticed her mum. Harry sat on the chair next to her and took one of her hand in hers.
"Darling?" she whispered. No answer. "We should go home now. There's no point in staying here longer."
Jessie turned to face her mother. She had stopped crying now but her eyes were red and you could still see the place where the tears had run down her face.
"They're going to find her, right?" she said with a cracked voice.
Harry sighed. She would have given anything to make it easier for the young girl, but with so little clues, she couldn't think of anything reassuring to say. "Come." She stood up and put her arm around her daughter to get her up. Jessie didn't protest, she followed her mother to the car and didn't utter a word during the journey home.
...
Once they were back home, Harry went to the bathroom to run a relaxing bath for her daughter. She made it just the way the young girl liked it, not too cold, not too hot and filled with that essence from Paris 'Joie de vivre'.
Once the bath was ready, Harry looked for her daughter in her bedroom but she wasn't there, so she went up the corridor where a door stood ajar. She peered inside; Jessie was sat on her mother's bed, a framed picture in her hands. Harry got nearer, but she already knew which picture it was. It was a very old photo from her days in SI10, picturing her and her partner toasting after they had arrested a jewel thief at his daughter's wedding. Jessie was caressing the man's face.
"I wish he was here." she sobbed.
Harry took a deep breath. She had to be strong for her daughter. "It wouldn't change anything sweetheart." She got closer and retrieved the picture. She put it back in place. "Your bath's going to be cold."
Jessie nodded and left the room. Harry walked to the door but stopped before leaving. She turned to look at the picture. "I wish you were here too." she whispered.