I start my research.
I discover there is no death certificate for Fred and that he has a daughter called Katrina who I believe, although I cannot be sure, lives in the south of England. I also discover that when a petition for a declaration of Presumption of Death is filed the court can respond by ordering a search for the body.
If all attempts are exhausted and there is sufficient evidence to demonstrate a person has died the court will issue a Presumption of Death Order. In exceptional circumstances this can take place before seven years have passed since an individual was last seen alive.
I look up the website of the New Mills local history society, I call the Derbyshire Constabulary press office and then I call my friend Dr Erica Smith, a psychologist.
I want to talk to Janet and I want to help her write a book but at the moment it is a book with no ending. I would like to help her unlock whatever it is that is tormenting her but I don’t want to push her over into some terrible abyss.
I have to be honest here; this isn’t all altruism on my part. I think this is potentially a very good story but, the mystery at the beginning of the book is still there at the end. On the one hand I don’t think she would have made the nightmares such a prominent part of her life story if she didn’t want to find out what had happened all those years ago, but at the same time I need to be sure I’m doing the right thing.
The Stranger In My Life 