Nick was sitting in the window seat of Katie's nursery, looking out of the window. He glanced up as Eileen came in with a mug of tea.
"Brought this up for you," she said.
"Thanks." Nick put down the child's picture book in his hand and took the tea.
Eileen picked up the book and smiled. "Katie loves this," she said.
"Yeah. Think I know it off by heart by now," Nick said He looked round the nursery. "Kate put so much into this room. I suppose as Katie gets older we'll have to re-decorate it"
Eileen sat down in the large wooden rocking chair. There was a brief silence.
"Eileen, I wish you wouldn't blame yourself for what's happened," Nick said. "I've left Katie out there in her pram just like you have. Do you remember that time I put her out there and then fell asleep because I was so tired after being called out twice the night before? She ended up being out there three hours."
Eileen smiled. "She was good as gold, just sat in her pram, playing and I found her there when I came home," she said. "I'd been over in York hadn't I? You were still asleep as I recall!"
Nick despite himself, managed a smile, remembering.
"Anything could have happened then," he pointed out to Eileen. "The only person who's done anything wrong here is the one who took Katie." He bit his lip. "You know I've been involved in a few cases where women have taken other people's children. And it was usually the story that they had lost a child of their own which is why they abducted someone else's child. It always seemed so wrong to me - I mean if you knew the pain of losing a child why would you inflict that on someone else?"
"Grief I suppose. It can do the most awful things to people."
Nick nodded. "Look at how I was with Katie, after Kate died." He looked levelly at Eileen. "You gave up your life in London to come up here and help me and Katie. We honestly couldn't have managed without you Eileen. So come on please, for me, stop blaming yourself for this."
She nodded. "I'll try Nick. If you promise one thing for me. I mean there's a good chance isn't there we'll know something by the end of today. But if not, try and get some sleep tonight. You look ready to drop."
"All right. I promise. But anyway like you said we may have her back tonight Eileen. Someone, somewhere has to have seen Katie."
As she returned home from work that evening, Tracey sighed as she entered the hallway and heard the baby crying again. She went to put her key in the lock of the door of her flat. As she did so the main entrance door opened and to her surprise Laura came in carrying a bottle of milk, some bread and a paper.
"Oh, Laura," she said. "I heard the baby crying - um, is she okay?"
"I had to leave her a minute to buy one or two things," the woman said crisply. "She's woken up and is missing me I expect."
"She'll be wanting her Mum an' all I s'pose," Tracey said.
"Yes. And she's not an easy baby. I must go," the woman said quickly as the child's cries became more insistent.
She let herself into her own flat and let the door slam behind her. Tracey paused, listening as she heard the woman shouting, "Be quiet! Why are you making so much noise!"
As she stood, wondering whether to interfere, Tracey noticed something under the stairs. She went to pick it up. It was a child's rag doll. She guessed it might belong to the baby in the flat and she debated whether to knock on Laura's door and give it back to her. However now Tracey could not hear the baby crying and thought if she knocked on the door she might set her off again. So she stuffed the dolly into her shoulder bag. She could give it to Laura another time, she decided.
It had been a very long, arduous day in the Police House with little in the way of progress or sightings. Nick as an experienced police officer knew, without having to be told that if they did not get a breakthrough soon the trail was really going to go cold and they would be relying on luck.
At 11pm the house again was in darkness but the only occupants up and about were Phil Bellamy and Maggie Bolton. Eileen had been so exhausted she had gone to bed and to sleep without needing to rely on anything Maggie could give her. Nick had been somehow persuaded by Maggie to take the sleeping tablet she had offered and go to bed.
Now Phil quietly went upstairs to see if Nick had done as he was told. He found Nick fast asleep to his relief. He hadn't got in bed but was lying on the bed still dressed. However at least he was asleep. Phil quietly picked up a blanket and put it over him then went back downstairs. Maggie was poking the fire as he came into the sitting room.
"Everyone asleep?" she whispered.
Phil nodded, shutting the door to the stairs behind him. "Nick didn't get as far as actually getting in bed but he's on it and asleep so I've just chucked a blanket over him."
"I was getting worried. He needed sleep. If he hadn't taken that sleeping pill I'd have been calling the doctor to see him," Maggie said bluntly. "Here." SHe passed Phil a mug of tea and the pair settled down by the fireside.
"You can go and get some rest if you like Maggie," Phil said. "I can hold the fort here."
"I know. But I'll hold it here with you."
They smiled at each other.
"Phil." Maggie spoke carefully. "This is getting worrying now isn't it?"
He sighed. "Well the longer it goes on like.."
Maggie shook her head. "Its such a cruel thing to do, to steal someone else's child."
Phil nodded soberly. "I think the DI, and Blaketon and t'Inspector an' all - they're getting worried," he admitted. "And - well, don't let on I told you this Maggie, but they've even been reconsidering whether this was just a random snatch. I mean they're wondering if Katie was targeted because of Nick."
Maggie's eyes widened. "Nick's not been involved with anything - or anyone - who might want to do something like this though has he?"
"Well that's why it was discarded as a theory like. But you can't rule anything in or out Maggie."
Maggie took a deep breath. "Poor little Katie," she said softly.
Phil said, "There's so much to play for here Maggie. We have to find her. Nick will never get over it if we don't find Katie and get her back, safe and sound."