Ruth Rendell Mysteries - Season 3 (1989)

When 5-year-old John disappears, Reg Wexford is obsessed with the memory of the similar, yet unsolved disappearance of a little girl that happened years ago. Wexford is afraid he has another case on his hands that he won't be able to solve. Annoyed by the media, his superiors and an anonymous caller who claims to have kidnapped little John, DCI Wexford is grumpier and more determined than ever to find the missing boy. Meanwhile, Inspector Burden struggles to deal with a tragic loss in his family.

While Inspector Burden desperately tries to cope with his personal tragedy as well as console Celia Lawrence, the mother of the missing boy, DCI Wexford is convinced that he can nail the kidnapping of little John and the disappearance of Stella Rivers that he tried to solve years ago on Ivor Swan. While tightening the noose around Swan's neck Reg Wexford seems to forget the task at hand - to find little John Lawrence, and to find him alive.

After the long lost body of young Stella Rivers has been discovered, the investigation in the disappearance of little John Lawrence leads to a dying man, a dramatic confrontation between Wexford and Mike Burden, and a surprising conclusion. But still, 5-year-old John is missing. Will Wexford find him in time, and will he be able to uncover the identity of his anonymous harasser?