by M A Comley
Mrs. Knot mulled over the two names then nodded. “Yes, Frank Parker seems to ring a bell.”
“That’s brilliant, love. Keep thinking. Maybe a conversation will come to mind soon,” Mr. Knot said, squeezing his wife’s shoulders.
“It’s definitely helpful. Can you tell us where your daughter socialised? Could she have met this man there?”
“She helps out as a volunteer now and again at a homeless shelter, against our better judgement.”
Lorne and Katy exchanged glances. “You were against her doing that, Mr. Knot? Can I ask why?”
“I feel ashamed to say it, but I suppose the stigma attached to those kinds of people. I know in this day it’s easy to fall on hard times, but when I used to pick her up from one of her shifts at that place… well, I have to say some of the people who frequented the centre, looking for handouts, made me shudder.”
His wife shook her head and tutted. “You’ll have to excuse my husband. Even though we live in a small terraced house, he’s still inclined to be a snob at times.”
Mr. Knot snorted. “It might just be a terraced house, but it’s paid for outright. We’re no longer having to work to pay off the mortgage, love.”
His wife smiled and dried her eyes on a hanky. “I remember. The name Frank. She mentioned a man by that name had struck up a conversation with her and another girl she worked alongside. I don’t recall the name Emma, however.”
“How long had Gillian been volunteering at the centre?”
“A few months, off and on. I think she’s only done about five shifts in total there. She told us it made her feel good about herself. As well as trying to save the planet, she was keen to help animals and her fellow human beings.”
“Pretty much the same thing Emma’s parents told us. At this point, we’re not sure if this Frank has anything to do with Emma’s disappearance, but my team are busy trying to find this person, as he’s definitely on our radar as someone we’d like to question. We visited the centre this morning, but they didn’t mention Gillian. I’ll ring the gentleman in charge and make him aware of the situation and tell him to warn his staff to be extra vigilant. If there is nothing else you can think of that could help our investigation, I’d like to leave things there for now.”
“Nothing is coming to mind, Inspector. Can you leave us a contact number? If anything should arise, we’ll ring you immediately.”
Lorne rose from her chair and handed Mr. Knot a business card. “Any time, day or night. Again, you have my condolences and my promise that we’ll do our utmost to bring this person to justice soon.”
Mr. Knot showed Lorne, Katy and Joe out of the house. In the hallway, Lorne heard Mrs. Knot in the lounge begin to sob again.
“Look after your wife, Mr. Knot. Sorry, I forgot to mention that the pathologist asked me to tell you that you’ll be able to say farewell to your daughter sometime tomorrow.” Lorne scribbled the mortuary’s number on another card and gave it to him.”
“Will the post-mortem be today?” he asked quietly.
“Yes. Gillian will be in safe hands. Patti is one of the best in her business.”
“Thank you. That’s very reassuring. Goodbye, and thank you for coming to see us in person.”
“You’re very welcome. I’ll be in touch as the case progresses.”
They all shook the man’s hand and left the house. Lorne leaned against her car. “How many of the friends did you question, Joe?”
“Four. I think in light of what Mrs. Knot just said, finding Frank Parker is more important than questioning the rest of the friends.”
“I think you’re right. We need to try to figure out who this Frank Parker is. He seems to be the major part of this puzzle.”
“I agree,” Katy said. “We should get back to base.”
Lorne hugged Joe. “Thanks for coming. I think you being here helped. When I rang Tony earlier, he said he was feeling better, so he should be back to work tomorrow.”
“Wish him well from me and tell him not to rush. It’s not as if we have a case to work any more, is it?”
“That’s true. I’ll be in touch if we need any info from you. Take care.”
“Nice meeting you again, Katy,” Joe shouted over his shoulder as he made his way back to the car.
“You too, Joe,” Katy replied before she slipped into the passenger seat. “Crap, it never gets any easier breaking bad news to the next of kin of the deceased, does it?”
“Nope. I have to admit that one was particularly tough. We need to hunt down this Frank Parker and quickly.”
“I agree.”
~ ~ ~
When they walked into the incident room, they found Sean Roberts waiting for them.
Lorne’s heart skipped several beats. “Hello, sir. Did you want something?”
“I’d like you to bring me up to date on the case so far, Inspector, if you’re not too busy dealing with other cases.”
Lorne’s gaze drifted to Karen behind him, and she mouthed an apology. “Would you like to go through to my office, or would you rather sit in on a briefing I’m about to give my team on the relevance we have discovered between the two cases?”
Roberts looked sheepish. He dropped into a nearby chair and folded his arms across his taut chest. “When you’re ready.”
“Karen, would you mind getting coffees for Katy and me? It’s a tad chilly out there.” I’m getting the impression that it’s going to get rather chilly around here also!
Lorne accepted the cup with a smile. “Thanks. Right, this is what we have so far. Katy and I were called to a murder scene this morning. The victim, Gillian Knot, has a distinct likeness to Emma. Of course, we need to await the PM report, but I’m willing to stick my neck out and link the two cases. By the way, my husband, Tony, and his partner had been hired by Mr. and Mrs. Knot to find their daughter. If it’s all right with you, sir, I’d like to share information with them both going forward.”
“Why?”
Lorne took a sip from her cup. “Because they have contacts on the street that could prove useful.”
Graham raised his hand to speak. “With respect, boss, so do I. Do you want me to ring around, see if anyone has heard anything?”
“Good man! Yes, you do that,” Sean piped up quickly before Lorne could reply. “I’d prefer to keep this in-house if it’s all the same to you, Inspector, instead of involving a two-bit PI agency.”
She ground her teeth but refused to rise to the bait of Sean lashing out. She suspected it was payback for her pulling him up about the kiss—and that there was more to come. And they say women are the bitchy gender! “As you wish. That’s fine by me. Yes, Graham, I’d like you to work your magic directly after we’ve finished this meeting. The other connection we’ve made between the two girls is that Gillian was also a volunteer at the same homeless centre, not as frequently as Emma, but the fact remains the same.”
“Have you questioned the person who runs this place?” Sean asked.
“Yes, Katy and I questioned the staff on duty and the manager of the establishment this morning. However, I think we will return to question them further this afternoon as we weren’t aware of Gillian Knot’s demise before we went.”
“So, you’re saying that you think one of these hobos is behind Emma’s abduction and the death of this other girl?”
“It would appear to be the case at the moment, although I think it’s important for us to keep all other avenues open for now, as well. The last thing we want to do is throw all our resources in one direction and neglect any obvious clues that could take us in another. If that makes sense.”
Sean glared at her and nodded. “It does. So, what’s next?”
“We keep digging. We’ve got a possible name, actually two, that I need to search the database for. Karen, can I leave you to deal with that?”
Karen picked up her pen and paper. “What are the names?”
“Frank Parker. We think he’s the one we should initially be looking into, but I
’d also like you to try to find out about a Frank Mills, just in case. That’s all we’ve got right now, guys. Let’s work on this quickly. Anyone got anything else to add?” Lorne expected Sean to say something. Instead, he unfolded his arms, jumped out of his seat and left the room. She expelled a large breath. “I guess we’ll have to get used to him popping in and out all the time. In case Katy or I aren’t around, I need you all to keep abreast of what each of you is doing. If he asks anything in my absence, you’ll all be able to answer him without pause. He’s very close to Emma, and while I think it’s annoying that he keeps dropping by, I can completely understand why he’s doing it. It’s nothing I haven’t done in the past when my own family have been at risk and at the hands of a madman.”
She shuddered as an image of Charlie wearing a suicide vest filtered her mind. Tony and Sean had been instrumental in releasing her daughter without harm that day, so it was important for her to remember that and to shelve any misgivings she might have towards Sean at the moment.
“Are you all right, Lorne?” Katy asked.
“Sorry, I was miles away then. Let’s get cracking on this, team. Let me know if and when you find anything of importance.”
“When do you want to return to the homeless centre?”
“I think we should stay around here. I have a gut feeling we’re going to get a break in the case soon. I might just ring Maurice Cathcart instead.”
Katy smiled. “Are you all right to do it, or do you want me to place the call?”
“I’m fine. I’ll call him. Keep on top of things out here if you would. Take a look at what’s come in from the appeal, sift through it and see if there is anything useful amongst the usual crap.”
“I’ll get on it now.”
Lorne walked into her office and sank into her chair. The bouts of aggravation with Sean were definitely taking their toll on her physically. She felt drained, tired to the point of exhaustion, and there were still over four hours to go until the end of her shift—and if something major happened during the afternoon, she would be working even longer.
She picked up the phone and dialled the homeless centre. The receptionist passed her through to Maurice right away. “Hello, sir. I wonder if you could answer a few questions over the phone, or would you rather I pay you another visit?”
“Over the phone is fine by me, Inspector. How can I help?”
“After we left you earlier, we were called to a murder scene.”
“Oh no! You haven’t found Emma’s body, have you?”
“No, thankfully, it wasn’t Emma. However, I do believe you know the victim.”
“I do? In what respect?” Maurice replied, sounding surprised.
Lorne sighed heavily. “The victim’s name is Gillian Knot.”
“Oh, Lordy! How awful. Yes, Gillian has helped us out a few times in the past. She recently joined the volunteer team. I’m devastated and appalled by this news.”
“It’s not something I enjoyed sharing, I can assure you. When we visited her parents, they told us that she’d been helping out at your establishment. I also ran the name Frank past them, and they said their daughter had mentioned his name. I need to know what, if anything, you know about this man.”
“How strange. Nothing is coming to mind, Inspector.”
“That’s a shame. Would you mind asking the volunteers we spoke to earlier? Perhaps they’re aware this man and Gillian were friendly. Ideally, we’d like to know if they’re aware of where he pitched his cardboard box, as it were. I’m sure I don’t have to enforce upon you how important it is that we find this man.”
“I’ll ask them and ring some of my other volunteers and get back to you within the hour.”
“That would be brilliant. Thank you. Again, it’s a shame that you don’t have any form of surveillance cameras onsite.”
“I can see the importance now and will address the situation ASAP. I can promise you that, Inspector.”
“Had it been installed, it could have saved us a lot of time and effort. Look forward to hearing from you soon. Goodbye.” Lorne hung up and extracted a thick file from her in-tray, thinking she might as well get some of the paperwork she was behind on out of the way while she waited for Maurice to call her back. The trouble was that her mind lay elsewhere, and although she looked at the words, their meaning failed to register in her brain. She shoved the file back in the tray and left the office. “Anything, guys?”
“I have, boss,” Karen replied, not looking up from her screen.
Lorne pulled up a chair alongside her. “What have you found?”
“I trawled through the system for both names. The first one, Frank Mills, only turned up an expired driving penalty fine. I’ve just begun the search for Frank Parker and this popped up.” She angled the screen so that Lorne could take a closer look.
“A sexual assault charge that he was banged up for. Shit! That’s not going to help matters. I’m going to dread telling DCI Roberts that piece of news. When was this?”
“Over fifteen years ago.”
Lorne shook her head in despair. She was fed up of hearing about cases such as this. “Shouldn’t he be on some kind of register?”
“He should. I tried to track down his whereabouts, but I suppose the system is only good if the person has an address to their name. If he’s deemed homeless now, then he’s hardly going to keep his address up to date.”
“Shit! You’re right. Some systems just aren’t worth having when these people are living on the streets. How many other predators are out there?”
“It makes you wonder. Anyway, I came up with this. Before his spell in prison, he was a regular at a church. You’ll never guess where that is.”
“I’m guessing in the Abbots Langley area.”
Karen gave an emphatic nod. “Yep. It might be worthwhile getting in touch with the vicar, see if he knows the man and where he is.”
“You’re right. Katy, grab your coat. Good work, Karen. Keep digging.”
“Will do. I’ll print out a picture of Frank Parker for you. Good luck.”
The printer churned into life behind Lorne, startling her. She picked up the man’s image and looked deep into his eyes. Where are you keeping her, Mr. Parker?
She jumped out of her seat. “Graham, did you manage to speak to any of your contacts?”
“I did. They’re putting the word around for me. The name didn’t ring a bell with two of them, but the third one said he recognised it. It was only a vague recollection he had, nothing of any relevance.”
“Anything is better than nothing at this stage. Don’t let things slip. Keep hounding them until we strike lucky, Graham.”
“I’ll do that.”
“Where are we going?” Katy asked, slipping her arms into her long woollen coat.
“I’ll fill you in on the way. I have a good feeling about this.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Emma shivered. Her cheeks were sore and tender from the salty tears she had shed. Since the man had raped her, he had removed all her clothes. Now, with the temperature dropping by the second, she kept drifting in and out of consciousness.
Please, God, punish this man for what he is doing to me. Help me to remain strong in adversity. To conquer my fears and the torture he seems keen to dish out. Why are you allowing him to treat me this way? Her eyes widened as she heard his footsteps approach her temporary cell. “Please, I’m cold. Can I have a blanket? A drink? Some soup to keep me warm? I’m begging you.”
His footsteps paused. She held her breath, thinking that her pleas had resonated with him at last. Maybe he was contemplating giving her back her clothes. She waited for his next move but struggled to hold her breath any longer. The effort put far too much strain on her young body. She gasped and inhaled the stale air circulating the confining space.
Hearing the familiar sound of the fastening being shifted above her, she closed her eyes. She didn’t want to see the leering expression on his face as his hands roamed her body. She had
never wished to die ever before, but she was struggling to keep such vile thoughts at bay now. Who knew what he had in store for her—if she survived the perishing cold? What have I done to deserve this? I offered this man help when he needed it most, and this is how he repays me!
The lid opened, along with her startled eyes. Her heart sank when she saw his stained teeth emerge through his widening lips that parted the hair around his mouth. She had always hated men with beards, and now she detested them. Bile rose in her throat as his body odour filled her cell, cancelling out the stale air.
“Please, I need food and something to cover me. I’m freezing.” Her teeth began to chatter as if emphasising her point.
“God is punishing you, not me.”
“No, he wouldn’t do that, because I have done nothing wrong.”
He laughed. “Nothing wrong? I could tell you weren’t a virgin. In God’s eyes, that is shameful.”
“No, you’re wrong. I was a virgin… until you… Please, I’m begging you not to do it again.”
“Do what? Make love to you? That’s all I did. You enjoyed it. I could tell you did.”
“I didn’t enjoy it. I surrendered to you. There’s a difference.”
The smile slipped from his face and was replaced by a stern look of pure hatred. He grabbed her bound hands and hauled her to her feet, then he lifted her from her cell and placed her on the nearby bed. She tried to sit up, but his flat hand connected with her chest, pushing her backwards. Emma openly shuddered. The air outside the confined space was much colder, and it made her wish he would get the deed over with quickly and return her to her cell.
His hands began to remove his clothes. She closed her eyes and imagined herself in a distant place, with the sun’s rays beating down on her flesh instead of his cold hands causing her to shiver. The chattering of her teeth increased. She kept her eyes firmly closed as he crawled into position on top of her, grunting like the pig he was. She prayed that God would strike him down and sighed when that didn’t happen. Does this mean instead of being my saviour, God has deserted me in my hour of need? She refused to believe that. Her faith would keep her alive—she was sure of that. As sure as night followed every day.