In this second episode, detectives Callie Pritchard and Nikesh Ready continue to hear from Lucy Phelps about her missing husband and son. Is she telling truth and if she is, what has happened to them? Let us know what you think.

  1.  Interview room

Lucy is texting on her phone to Whatsapp group ‘St Saviours Mums’

Don’t want to panic anyone bu….

Help! I can’t…

Did anyone see Jamie and Pip this morning? They’ve gone AWOL. I’m getting worried.

“I’m getting”

     2. Office

Callie
I’ve spoken to nursery, no one saw him. His PA says he was in and out in about three minutes.

Nikesh
Because he had the kid in the car.

Callie
Looks like it. I can’t be doing with this. The amount of paperwork I’ve got…You know what’ll happen. We’ll spend all day, running around in circles and then come six o’clock he’ll roll on in. Been to the zoo.

Nikesh
I wonder if she might be right to be worried.

Callie
Because…

Nikesh
Feeling. 

Callie
Right, well that’s some really forensic analysis there Scooby Do.

Nikesh
I’m going to get a bit more out of her.

Callie
She can drink her tea and we’re sending her home. Nikesh! I am actually the senior officer here.

3.  Interview room

Nikesh
Ms Phelps, we’d like to build a clearer picture of your husband’s state of mind. In order to establish whether there is any cause for concern here.

Lucy
Right.

Nikesh
You said that last night Jamie sent some emails. Do you know who they might have been to?

Lucy
No. I mean, I presume they were work contacts.

Callie
Does he have a separate computer for work?

Lucy
No. He has a laptop which is synced with his office computer. He uses it for everything.

Callie
And do you know the whereabouts of the laptop?

Lucy
No, with Jamie. Presumably.

Nikesh
Did Jamie take any calls or send any emails this morning?

Lucy
No. Oh, actually, yes, ok. His phone did ping a couple of times – emails. He took a quick look but… we were having breakfast. You know what he didn’t…

Text message from Miriam arrives

“Babes, I saw Jamie and Pip this mrn @ the lights nr Preston Park. Heading out of town. You ok? What’s going on?”

Callie
Who do you know out that way? Any friends? Family? Clients?

Lucy
Loads of people I guess. But why would he…

Nikesh
Lucy, you were about say something about Jamie this morning. What didn’t he do?

Lucy
He didn’t. It’s silly, but he didn’t kiss my hand. We do this thing in the morning where he kisses my hand before he goes to work. Pip does it too. It’s just a…

Nikesh
But he didn’t do it this morning?

Lucy
No. He didn’t.

Callie
Ms Phelps, what were Jamie and Pip wearing this morning?

Lucy
Eh, Jamie was wearing a suit, a blue suit with an open collar. Pip had green cord dungarees and a yellow long sleeved t-shirt. And a navy hooded jacket on. He will have had Mr Pom Pom, his toy elephant.

Lucy
Sorry, I’ll put this on silent…

She reads the text on her phone and wails in distress.

Session Vocabulary

  • Useful words and phrases from this episode
  • paperwork
    preparing reports and other written tasks that are part of your job
  • state of mind
    how someone is feeling and behaving at that time
  • forensic
    detailed scientific methods used to solve a crime
  • Scooby Doo fictional cartoon dog, famous for solving crimes
  • dungarees
    clothing item consisting of trousers and a piece of cloth covering the chest, held up by straps over the shoulders
  • AWOL
    missing (from the military acronym – absent without official leave)
  • heading
    going in the direction of
  • synced
    (informal for sychcronised)data that identical is in more than one place
  • hooded
    clothing item with a hood
  • running around in circles
    wasting time with no final result