The Missing Name

Emma found Fiona Kerr's name in three old documents. One was a bill, one was a report and one was an email that Emma had started to write in 2011. She had wanted to ask Fiona some questions, but she had never sent the email.

Emma also read her old newspaper article. It said that Claire might have disappeared after a family problem. The information came from a person who did not give a name. Emma had no other proof. She wrote a note: Not confirmed.

Then Sarah called. Someone had telephoned the newspaper that afternoon. The person asked if Emma was working on Claire's story again. Sarah asked for a name, but the caller ended the conversation.

Sarah said that more people had read Emma's old article online that day. But she did not know who the readers were. She could not say if one of them had made the call.

Emma found an old work address for Fiona Kerr and saved it. She would contact her later. Then she found another note in her notebook. It asked: Who told me about the family problem? Under it were the words: Ask Vale directly.

Emma did not know if Malcolm Vale had sent the old email. The note was only a question. She closed her laptop. The next day, she would start by speaking to the students who had been promised money.