Long Gone

by Paul Pilkington

  Natalie, who had taken up position at the laptop, clicked through the various shots of the website’s pages.

  ‘The site would also enable readers to sign up to the company mailing list, which is very important these days for building brand loyalty and a real connection with consumers.’

  Penny stepped back as Natalie returned to the front.

  ‘We hope in this short presentation we have successfully conveyed our vision for the company, and how our use of language, visuals and web-design work together to communicate the ethos of the new publishing house. Thank you for listening. Are there any questions?’

  As the three of them lined up shoulder to shoulder, not yet risking any demonstration of satisfaction, several hands went up.

  Diana Saunders’ was one of them.

  ‘Who thought up the name?’

  ‘It was Natalie,’ Susie admitted. ‘We all loved it as soon as we heard it.’

  Diana remained poker-faced as she looked at Natalie. ‘A fan of tigers, are we?’

  ‘They’ve always been my favourite animal,’ she replied.

  ‘Mine too,’ Diana revealed. ‘I like the name. A lot.’

  The girls couldn’t help but smile. And that revelation gave them the confidence to deal with the half a dozen questions that came flying at them – from queries about the strap-line to technical issues relating to the website, all of which they dealt with like professionals.

  ‘Final question,’ Diana announced, just as a girl in trendy glasses was about to speak.

  The girl thanked Diana with a nod, before turning to the three at the front. ‘Hi. I’m Carmella Flurey, head of the branding team, and I just wanted to say, I think what you’ve managed to achieve in such a short space of time is really impressive. Really impressive.’

  Now truly was the time to relax. ‘Thank you,’ they all said, maintaining their composure.

  ‘Right!’ Diana said. ‘Thank you for coming, everyone – now back to work!’

  As the room cleared quickly, Diana approached them. ‘Well done, girls. That was most impressive. Most impressive indeed. Especially when you take into account the fact that you are all new to this. I must admit, you took me by surprise. I’ll certainly be feeding back a very favourable report to Sir Kenneth and his team. Bravo.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  She made to leave the room, but turned. ‘I hope you remember the document you signed at the beginning of the day. Everything you presented here – the name, the logo, the strap line, the website design – it all belongs to EXCEL-ENT now. We own the intellectual property. You have waived any right to financial or other commercial claims. Do you understand?’

  They all nodded. Diana Saunders certainly knew how to sour the taste of victory.

  ‘That’s terrific,’ she said, brightening again as she headed for the door. ‘I’m glad we all understand the situation. I wouldn’t want things to get difficult, not for three lovely girls like you.’

  Her smile told the real story.

  30

  ‘Tell me a bit about yourself, Zack.’

  Zack seemed surprised by the question. ‘Me? Oh, well, like I said, I’ve just started on the paper.’ He nodded, as if agreeing with himself. ‘It’s a good start for me, the Post has the biggest circulation of any non-national in the country. I feel lucky to have got the job.’

  ‘Your first job?’

  ‘Yes. Well, if you don’t count when I edited the student newspaper at uni.’

  ‘Which university?’

  ‘Manchester.’

  Cullen smiled. ‘My home patch.’

  ‘And mine,’ Zack replied. ‘Sort of. Actually I’m from your way. Well, across the hill – St. Helens.’

  ‘Really?’ Cullen hadn’t recognised the accent. The town of St. Helens was just a short ten miles from Cullen’s home town of Wigan.

  ‘My family moved to Hertfordshire when I was ten,’ Zack explained. ‘So I’ve lost the accent, pretty much. But I still have a lot of family there, and it still feels like home.’

  Cullen’s mood towards Zack softened some more because of their geographical connection. He had family in St. Helens, too. His mum’s side lived in the borderlands of Billinge, a small town bridging the two much larger towns in the rolling hills of the Lancashire countryside.

  ‘So I see you’ve done your homework on me,’ Cullen noted.

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘You always wanted to be a journalist?’

  Zack nodded. ‘Ever since I was little.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I want to make a difference,’ he said, without missing a beat.

  Cullen nodded. ‘In my experience, journalists fall into one of two camps. Those who make a difference for the right reasons. And those who make a difference for the wrong reasons. Which one do you want to be, Zack?’

  ‘The first, definitely. Which is why I wanted to speak to you.’

  ‘Simon wanted you to speak to me,’ Cullen stated.

  ‘No,’ Zack corrected. ‘He doesn’t know about this.’

  This was interesting. ‘Isn’t that a bit of a risk, being the new boy, going behind your boss’s back?’

  ‘Trevor knows.’

  ‘I thought you said…’

  ‘He’s on holiday, yes. But I got in touch via WhatsApp. He said it was okay to speak to you.’

  ‘You said you had something of interest to the police internal investigation.’

  Zack nodded. ‘Something that I think you should know. It might be a big help for you. You see, when I spoke to Shazney this morning, something in her story, it wasn’t right. And then I…’

  Cullen held up a hand. ‘Please, Zack, don’t say any more.’

  ‘But…’

  ‘If you have anything relevant to the internal investigation, please report it directly to the British Transport Police. You’ll have all the contact details back at the office.’

  ‘Well, I will, of course, but I thought…’

  ‘There are strict rules about these things, Zack. I really shouldn’t even be meeting with you. Any suspicion of interference in the independent police complaints investigation could have serious consequences for me.’

  ‘Then why…’

  ‘Did I agree to meet you?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Because I was interested to meet you,’ Cullen said. ‘It’s always good to make contact with the new journalists in town.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘And I also wanted to make a polite request, which in my experience always comes across better in person.’

  Zack looked pensive, as if steadying himself for a blow from the guy who seemed twice his size. ‘Okay…’

  ‘Please respect police investigations.’

  Zack flushed again. ‘I do, I do.’

  ‘And if you really want to make a positive difference, be more like Trevor and less like Simon. One is a principled journalist who knows the line to tread between getting a story and respecting the work of those trying to bring people to justice. The other is a lowlife. I’ll let you work out which is which.’

  This actually got a smile from Zack. ‘Understood. So you don’t want to know about what I found out? I think it will help to explain what happened.’

  ‘Of course I want to know,’ Cullen said. ‘And don’t get me wrong, I’m not afraid of bending the rules in the right circumstances. But this isn’t one of those occasions.’

  ‘Okay.’

  Cullen clarified. ‘I’ve got faith in my colleagues to come to the right conclusions about what happened on Monday. It might take a little time, but that’s fine. The wheels of justice sometimes turn slowly. I can wait.’

  ‘And me telling you what I know could really mess things up, right?’

  Cullen nodded. ‘Mess things up is the right word. My boss would come down on me like a ton of bricks if she thought I was soliciting information for my own case. I love my job. I really do. So I don’t want to screw things up by being impatient.’
>
  ‘I understand.’

  ‘That’s great, thank you, Zack.’

  They settled into a few seconds of silence. Zack sipped nervously at his drink, unsure about what he was supposed to do next, now that he had been cut short in telling his story.

  ‘So you’re taking some time off?’ he said finally, unable to stomach the silence any longer. He seemed to regret the probing question as soon as it had left his lips. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to be nosey.’

  Cullen thought about what he’d already done since Monday morning, and his plans for the rest of the day. It certainly couldn’t be classified as taking time off. ‘I’m keeping myself busy,’ he replied.

  Zack nodded, as the silence descended again.

  That’s when Cullen had an idea. ‘Actually, there is something that you might be able to help with.’

  Zack brightened. ‘Oh, yes?’

  Cullen paused, giving himself one or two more seconds to weigh up the pros and cons of telling the press, especially a journalist he’d only just met, about this. He decided any risks were minimal, while the potential benefits were massive. ‘A girl has gone missing.’

  ‘Oh?’

  ‘She’s a friend of my daughter’s. Her name is Natalie Long. I think you might be interested in the story.’

  Zack reached for his tablet computer. ‘Is it okay if I…?’

  Cullen nodded. ‘Sure, go ahead.’ He waited as Zack opened up the notepad app and tapped out Natalie’s name.

  ‘She’s a student at Bristol City University, shares a house with my daughter, Amy. At the weekend, she travelled to London for a residential recruitment event. The last Amy heard of her were a couple of text messages, but she feels quite strongly that it wasn’t Natalie who sent them.’

  ‘What makes her think that?’

  ‘The phrases. They didn’t seem right to her.’

  Zack nodded.

  ‘The last message that she feels was from Natalie was one sent on Sunday afternoon, saying that she was about to board a train at Paddington, heading back to Bristol. She made reference to the fact that the weekend hadn’t gone well.’

  Zack was busy tapping away. He looked up for more information.

  ‘Amy asked me to look into things.’

  ‘But aren’t you…’

  ‘On leave, yes. This isn’t an official police investigation. It’s a concerned father, helping out his daughter.’

  ‘Oh,’ Zack said, puzzled. ‘So the police aren’t concerned?’

  ‘It’s too soon,’ Cullen explained. ‘Too many people go missing every day. They need to prioritise. I’m afraid unless there’s a clear sign that Natalie is in danger, it’s a matter of waiting for a few more days until the police will take things forward.’

  ‘I see.’

  ‘Which is why I’m helping Amy out.’

  ‘Do you think Natalie is in danger?’

  ‘Amy does. And that’s enough for me to take it seriously.’

  ‘Won’t you get into trouble with your bosses if they find out what you’re doing?’

  ‘As I said before, I’m not afraid to bend the rules, or take risks, if I have to and the circumstances dictate it,’ Cullen said.

  ‘So how can I help?’

  ‘I’d like some publicity, raise Natalie’s profile, see if anyone comes forward with information.’

  ‘You’d like us to run a story?’

  Cullen nodded. ‘I’ve initiated something on the rail network, using a contact of mine. They’re putting up posters at stations on the route from Paddington to Bristol, and have alerted station staff. But without a formal police-led Missing Persons investigation being launched, that’s the limit of what can be done.’

  Zack looked perplexed. ‘I could probably arrange for an announcement in the ads section.’

  ‘I was thinking more about an article. I want something that a lot of Londoners are going to read, not just the ones perusing the classifieds.’

  ‘I might be able to get them to place it next to the “Love on the Run” feature. A lot of people read that.’

  ‘Maybe.’ That feature, messages from London commuters declaring love for strangers they had come across on their journey, was popular. It was a frequent talking point among Cullen’s team.

  But was it enough?

  Zack ran a hand through his hair. ‘The thing is, I just don’t think that Simon will run with the story. Not unless there’s an angle to it, something to capture the interest of the readers. Like you say, people go missing in London every day. Is there anything else that might make it stand out?’

  ‘The recruitment event was run by Brand New,’ Cullen tried. ‘There’s every reason to believe that Natalie’s disappearance is linked with what happened at that event.’

  Zack nodded. ‘It adds interest, definitely,’ he said, tapping away some more. ‘They’re a high-profile company, that’s for sure.’

  ‘Do you think it will be enough for Simon?’

  ‘Maybe.’

  ‘Can you call him now?’

  ‘Now? Er… I guess.’

  ‘Excellent.’

  ‘Shall I tell him all the details? You know, about your involvement?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Zack dialled through and, after thirty seconds on hold, was put through to the Deputy Editor. Cullen watched and listened as Zack made the case, against what appeared to be some resistance. Cullen did wonder whether revealing his involvement might be more of a hindrance than a help, given his history with Simon.

  Zack brought the phone away from his ear and tapped on the mute function. ‘Simon said he would run the story, front page this afternoon, if we can report on your involvement.’

  Cullen shook his head and smiled, imagining how the article would be framed. ‘Detective under investigation launches personal crusade to find daughter’s missing friend.’

  Zack just looked at him, phone poised, waiting for a decision.

  Cullen thought for a few more seconds. Without doubt, both the front-page splash, the undermining of police protocol, and the fact that Cullen had gone off on his own mission while under orders to refrain from work activities would not go down well with Maggie Ferguson. But at the same time, it could be a chance worth taking, especially for a front-page story.

  Natalie’s photo on the front page would reach tens of thousands of people. It would be publicity that money couldn’t buy.

  And if Natalie were really in trouble, which was the working hypothesis, then it was worth a bit of an ear-bashing from the Chief Super.

  ‘Do it,’ Cullen said. ‘Run the story however you like, as long as it’s front page. I don’t care what the headline is. But I want Natalie’s face front and centre.’

  Zack nodded, before relaying the information to Simon. ‘He wants to speak to you,’ Zack said at last.

  Cullen took the phone. ‘Simon. How are you?’

  ‘Good, thanks, Paul. I just wanted to check that you’re sure about this.’

  ‘I’m sure.’

  ‘Because I know from experience how you guys like to complain if you think we’ve stepped on toes,’ he added.

  ‘Only when it’s warranted, Simon,’ Cullen shot back.

  ‘Well, we’ll have to agree to disagree on that particular point, Paul. But you can understand how I wanted to hear it from the horse’s mouth that the force won’t come complaining after this hits the newsstands.’

  ‘I understand,’ Cullen replied. ‘Trust me, you’ve got nothing to worry about on that score.’ It wasn’t the newspaper that would be in the line of fire after this story broke. It would be him, all the way.

  ‘So Zack tells me that you’re undertaking an informal investigation about the disappearance of this girl?’

  ‘Natalie, yes.’

  A low whistle. ‘DCI Cullen. Carrying out unofficial police business, against the orders of your senior officer. Won’t you get into big trouble for this?’

  ‘Quite possibly.’

  ‘We’ll have to c
over this in the story, you understand?’

  ‘I understand. Do what you like, as long as you get it up on the front page.’

  ‘You won’t get any editorial oversight on this,’ he stated. ‘This will be our story, independent from others.’

  ‘No stories are independent from others,’ Cullen replied. ‘But that’s fine, I don’t want to see what you’re going to write – as long as Natalie’s headshot is prominent on the cover.’

  ‘Agreed. Is she good-looking?’

  ‘Yes,’ he answered, holding back on what he really wanted to say. He knew how things worked with the press. Any story featuring a pretty girl was much more likely to receive high-profile coverage than a story about a plain Jane, or worse, a guy. They saw it all the time when trying to get the press interested in investigations. Pretty faces shifted more newspapers, and it was no different for the London Daily Post.

  ‘I assume you can provide the headshot image?’

  ‘I’ll send one through.’

  ‘You’ll need to be quick. If we’re to hit the afternoon edition.’

  Cullen had the selection of photos that Amy had sent over yesterday. He remembered that there was a good headshot, but he’d also send through the two other full-length photos in case the paper was tempted to print more than one. ‘I’ll pass it through to Zack now.’

  ‘Excellent. If you can just let Zack have as much detail as possible about the case, then we’ll get the story in. Nice doing business with you, Paul.’

  ‘You too.’ Cullen passed the phone back. He didn’t trust Simon not to screw him over in the piece, but that wasn’t important. He could say whatever he liked as long as that photo appeared.

  ‘Are you sure about this?’ Zack said, as he cut the call to his boss.

  ‘I’m sure.’

  Zack nodded. ‘I’d better get some more details then, and start writing up. We’re under quite a time pressure if we’re going to hit today’s deadline. I’ll try and write this as sympathetically as possible, but the final edit will be down to Simon.’