The Good Samaritan

On his fourth wedding anniversary, Ryan Smith drives home to his apartment in Northampton to surprise his wife, Charlotte. As he drives, Ryan reminisces about their life together: meeting at university, moving to London, and eventually returning to Northampton. He recalls their painful struggles with infertility, followed by the joy of a successful IVF treatment. Charlotte is now seven months pregnant, and though the pregnancy has been challenging, she has recently seemed much better.

When Ryan arrives, he finds that Charlotte’s car is gone and the apartment is empty and unusually tidy. He calls her phone, but it goes to voicemail. His growing concern turns to panic as he calls the local maternity ward and her friends, but no one has heard from her. His panic is interrupted by a knock at the door. He opens it to find two police officers, Detective Sargent Mortimer and Police Constable Coghill, on his doorstep. Throughout this time, an anniversary gift remains in his pocket.

Ryan’s parents and his brother, Johnny Smith, were present when the police delivered the news that Charlotte’s body had been found at the base of cliffs in East Sussex. An unidentified man died with her, but his body was swept out to sea.