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murdered in a horrifyingly gruesome way. Nothing could change that. No words would bring her back.
    Without conscious thought, she looked to Clayton for help. His face was somber. He looked as upset as she felt. It had to be done. They needed information and Angelina Caruso’s mother might be the only one who could give it to them. A madman had sawn her daughter’s head off while she was still breathing…
    He had to be stopped.
    She leaned forward and captured one of the woman’s flailing hands. “Mrs Caruso, we think we’ve found Angelina.”
    The woman’s eyes turned wild. “Don’t you mean to say you’ve found her head? Isn’t that what you meant to say? I read it in the newspaper. They said they’d found a head. I saw it the other week. The picture looked a little bit like her, but it was hard to tell with all the…” More color leeched from her cheeks. She swallowed and drew in a deep breath. “Today I saw the earrings.” A hand fluttered up and touched the plain gold stud in her ear.
    “They were my mother’s. She gave them to me when I turned sixteen. I gave them to Angelina four years ago. She wore them everywhere.”
    Her voice broke. Tears of pain pooled in her eyes. “My baby, my poor baby. ” Huge sobs wracked the slim body. She fell forward, her head clutched between her hands.
    The sound of the woman’s grief almost did Ellie in. Hot tears welled up in her eyes. Her chest tightened with emotion. She was grateful the media hadn’t got wind of all the details. At least the woman could be spared that much. For a little while, anyway.
    The sobs that came from the woman across from them gradually quieted. Dark, watery, pools of pain flicked to Clayton and then to Ellie. Jacqueline offered a small, self-deprecating smile. Her cheeks flushed, as if she were embarrassed to have given vent to her emotions in front of strangers.
    Ellie’s admiration for her grew. Hell, if it had been her, she’d have been rolling around on the floor, howling her pain to the world, oblivious to who was watching. In fact, that’s exactly what she’d done when they’d told her about Jamie.
    Pushing aside the memories, she opened her notebook and cleared her throat. “We have to ask you some questions, Mrs Caruso. We need to know as much as we can about Angelina in the days before her disappearance.” She consulted the page in front of her. “You told Detective Superintendent Walker that your daughter has been missing for about six weeks, is that right?”
    The woman sniffed quietly. “Yes, it was a Tuesday. May twenty-ninth. She was late coming home from university.”
    Ellie’s heart leaped. Her body stilled. Angelina Caruso was a student? She glanced across at Clayton and saw from the taut line of his jaw and his compressed lips that he’d also made the connection.
    “Which university did she attend, Mrs Caruso?” Clayton’s voice was calm, conversational, despite the turmoil that must be raging inside him, just like it was in Ellie. She held her breath and waited for the answer.
    “She’s a student at the University of Western Sydney. She’s studying physiotherapy at the Penrith campus.”
    The air whooshed out of Ellie’s mouth. Clayton’s jaw tensed. His throat moved as he swallowed.
    Leaning in closer, she posed another question, her voice pitched low. “Why didn’t you report her missing? Six weeks is a long time.”
    A frown marred the soft, lined skin of the woman in front of them. “What do you mean, why didn’t I report her missing? I called the local police station the same night she failed to arrive home.”
    Ellie caught Clayton’s confused gaze and gave a slight shake of her head. Frustration surged through her. Somehow, the report hadn’t been entered into the system.
    “I’m sorry, Mrs Caruso,” Ellie said. “We don’t have any record of your call.”
    Jacqueline Caruso looked bewildered. “I called just after eleven. It was cold and late and I was worried. It’s not like