Poster Child

On the eve of his retirement surgeon Dan Marsden is shot dead and his daughters Karen and Mira taken. His widow Laura tells Vera that Mira is an Iraqi war orphan on whom Dan operated before the couple adopted her. An iconic picture of her was taken by war photographer Jonah Regan, whom Vera visits and learns that Jonah had tried to adopt Mira but failed, due to the unstable behaviour that had caused his wife to leave him. New recruit Barry finds a link with Iraqi Malik, an illegal immigrant recently smuggled into the area. Karen is located and freed but Barry is killed and Laura wounded by the kidnapper who was returning for diabetic Mira's insulin. It becomes evident that the kidnapper is known to Mira and she is a willing abductee but Vera must stop them leaving the country and work out how he knew where to find her. Written by don @ minifie-1