‘Any time you need to go or take time off, you ask. Okay? I mean it,’ Ruth said.
‘Yes, boss,’ Nick nodded as though he had been told off. Which he had.
‘Poor Amanda,’ Ruth said. ‘She’s going to be fine, you know that?’
‘Yes. We’ll get through this,’ Nick said and looked over. ‘Thanks.’
Ruth nodded and then pulled out into the traffic to make their way across Llancastell.
Weaving through the roads that led north, Ruth and Nick sat quietly listening to the radio until they reached their destination.
They had tracked down an address for one of the missing teenagers on the list that Nick had requested from Mold Magistrates’ Court: Ho Yin Cheung. His father, Laihin Cheung, lived in a nice, neat cul-de-sac on the northern side of Llancastell. A PNC check on him had shown that he’d had no police convictions since his arrival from Hong Kong in the 1970s. However, his son was a very different matter. Ho Yin had a string of convictions for theft, vandalism and low-level dealing dating back to his early teens.
Once Ruth and Nick had introduced themselves and explained why they were there, Laihin showed them inside. The house was tidy, very clean, and devoid of clutter. There were a few wall hangings with Chinese calligraphy, and some photos of the Hong Kong skyline at night. The mantelpiece carried a few family photos and it looked to Ruth as if Ho Yin was an only child.
‘Please, sit down,’ Laihin said. ‘I can make tea if you would like some?’
‘We’re fine, Mr Cheung. But thank you,’ Ruth said with a smile.
‘And this is about Ho Yin?’ Laihin asked quietly with his brow furrowed.
‘Yes. Do you know where your son is at the moment?’ Nick asked, as he edged forward on the sofa.
Laihin shook his head sadly and gestured with despairing hands. ‘No ... I wish I did. I haven’t heard from him for over a year now.’
Ruth could see that Laihin was visibly upset. ‘Where was Ho Yin the last time you spoke?’
‘He had these crazy ideas. He had gone to some place miles away. A Christian place,’ Laihin explained.
‘Solace Farm?’ Nick asked.
Laihin nodded. ‘Solace Farm. Yes. We are not a religious family.’ He gestured to a framed photograph of himself, Ho Yin aged about ten, and a woman who Ruth assumed was Ho Yin’s mother and Laihin’s wife. ‘You see my wife died nearly seven years ago.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ Ruth said gently.
‘Ho Yin had been a very good boy up until then. But when he went to the school here, he made friends with some boys. It was always trouble with them. I didn’t know what to do with him,’ Laihin said, getting emotional and wiping a tear from his eye under his glasses. ‘I’m sorry ...’
‘Please don’t apologise, Mr Cheung,’ Ruth said with a kind smile. She looked down at the folder she was carrying. ‘And I can see that Ho Yin was granted bail at Mold Court?’
Laihin nodded as he dabbed his eyes with a tissue. ‘Yes. And that was the last I saw of him.’
‘But you knew that he had gone to Solace Farm?’ Nick asked.
‘Yes. He had sent a few text messages to tell me he and Becca were all right,’ Laihin explained. ‘But not for a long time now.’
‘Becca? Who’s Becca, Mr Cheung?’ Ruth asked gently.
‘Sorry. Becca, Rebecca. She was Ho Yin’s girlfriend. But she was always trouble too,’ he said.
‘Was she at Mold Court on the same day as Ho Yin?’ Nick asked.
And is she one of the missing teenagers on our list? Ruth thought. Good work, Nicholas.
‘Yes, that’s right. For the same offence. They were caught stealing from the shop up here, on the main road,’ Laihin said, shaking his head as he gestured out of the window.
‘Do you remember Rebecca’s surname by any chance?’ Nick asked as he looked at something on his phone.
‘Becca ... Becca Johnson, I think it was,’ Laihin replied, deep in thought.
‘Johnson? Could it have been Becca Johnstone, Mr Cheung?’ Nick said. He showed him the list he had on his phone of the missing teens – Rebecca Johnstone was one of them.
‘Yes, I suppose so. Becca Johnstone,’ Laihin nodded.
‘When was the last time you heard from Ho Yin?’ Ruth asked.
‘It was about this time last year. He told me that Becca had decided to leave the farm, but he was going to stay there,’ Laihin said. ‘I asked if I could visit him there, but he said that wasn’t allowed.’
‘Did he say anything more about Rebecca?’ Nick asked.
Laihin shook his head. ‘No. Just that. She wanted to leave.’
‘And that was the last text you had from Ho Yin?’ Ruth asked.
‘No, there was one the next day. He said that mobile phones weren’t allowed anymore and that he couldn’t text me otherwise he might be punished,’ Laihin said.
NICK GLANCED AT HIS watch. It was 7.30pm and he had been waiting in the psychiatric ward for over an hour. A nurse promised that Amanda was in good hands and that a doctor would be out to see him shortly.
Checking his phone, Nick couldn’t help looking at some photos of Amanda and him in happier days. The day that he had taken her to the Fairy Falls and then down to the Fairy Glen, close to Betws-y-Coed. The Glen is a beautiful spot where the stream weaves between two sides of a rocky gorge. He told Amanda how the Glen was supposed to be inhabited by mythical sprites. It was also a place associated with Cerridwen, the Celtic goddess of motherhood, fertility and rebirth. Amanda loved it.
As he flicked through the photos, Nick saw Amanda’s smile and that twinkle in her eyes that he had first fallen in love with. If felt like he hadn’t seen that for so long. Wasn’t having a new-born baby meant to be a magical time in a couple’s life? Instead, it had turned into a living nightmare.
His thoughts were broken when someone approached. It was a bearded doctor in his early 30s.
‘Mr Evans?’ the doctor asked.
Nick nodded and said, ‘It’s Nick ... Is she okay?’ He could feel the anxiety wash over him. He was trying to quickly read the expression on the doctor’s face to tell how bad the news was.
‘She’s not in any danger while she’s here. But I think what Amanda has developed is postpartum psychosis. I assume that her moods have been very up and down, with depression, exhaustion, anger?’
‘Yeah, exactly that,’ Nick said.
‘And maybe some confusion?’ he added.
‘Sometimes ... Is postpartum psychosis serious? Do I need to be worried?’ Nick asked, feeling his pulse racing. He certainly didn’t like the sound of the word ‘psychosis’.
‘It’s not dangerous while she’s here under our observation,’ the doctor said.
‘How long will that be, do you think?’ Nick asked.
‘Very difficult to say. She might respond well to the treatment and be out in a couple of days.’
‘If she doesn’t?’ Nick asked.
‘If it’s in their best interest, we’ve kept patients in here for months,’ the doctor said. ‘I’m sorry.’
CHAPTER 19
It was morning, and Incident Room 1 was alive with chatter and excitement. To one side, Ruth looked over at the six armed response officers. Even though she knew they needed to be part of the briefing, it made her feel uneasy.
Sian and French were now at their desks – the time for patient surveillance had gone and Drake had ordered them back to Llancastell CID at the crack of dawn.
Ruth looked over at Sian. They hadn’t come to any conclusion as to what was going on between them, and Ruth was finding it difficult to be in limbo. She and Sian would have to talk later.
Ruth noticed that Drake had taken his usual position of sitting on a table and looking as cool as a cucumber. She then glanced out at the assembled room as she headed for the scene boards and maps.
Right, let’s get this show on the road, Ruth!
‘Okay everyone, if we can settle down a bit,’ Ruth said loudly and the room went
quiet. It was starting to get stuffy even though it was freezing outside. ‘Our ongoing investigation into Solace Farm is escalating rapidly. The more we uncover, the more convinced I am that there are historic and ongoing crimes taking place at the farm.’ She went to the board and pointed to a photograph of Callum Roper, his mouth open in a silly grin. ‘What we do know is that four days ago, Callum Roper was shot, chased across countryside close to the farm, and then struck and killed by a van on the A5. An hour earlier, he had made a phone call to his mother saying that he was in trouble and was leaving the farm. There were reports of shouting and gunshots in the area before Callum’s death. Our hypothesis is that he told the senior members of Solace Farm that he intended to leave and that he was told that he couldn’t. He tried to escape and was chased across the countryside by members of The Family who shot a firearm several times in their pursuit.’ Ruth then pointed to a photo of a teenage girl pouting for a selfie taken in a bedroom. ‘This is Ketha Langley. She was released on bail from Mold Magistrates’ Court eighteen months ago. She was picked up by a blue Land Rover. A check on the plates revealed that the car’s owner lives at Solace Farm. Her final text to her father said that “Rachel is going to look after me.” She hasn’t been in contact since. Before that, she was in touch with her father every few days so it’s completely out of character ... Nick?’
Nick got up from the table he was leaning on. ‘We got a list of all teenagers who had gone missing after being granted bail at Mold Magistrates’ Court.’ He pointed to Ho Yin Cheung’s photograph. In it, he was grinning and doing the peace sign to the camera. ‘We spoke to the father of Ho Yin Cheung, whose name appears on this list. Apparently, Ho Yin and his girlfriend, Rebecca Johnstone, who is also on the missing list, both travelled to Solace Farm after being released on bail. Ho Yin texted his father to say that Rebecca had wanted to leave the farm. After that she seems to have vanished. The following day Ho Yin sent another text to say that mobile phones were banned and there would be a punishment for using them. That was the last time his father heard from him.’
Ruth looked out at the team. ‘So we have four teenagers that we know had been through Mold Magistrates’ Court but ended up living at Solace Farm. One is dead and the other three are missing. I want to know where they are.’
‘Do you think they’re being held against their will, boss?’ French asked.
‘I’m not sure,’ Ruth said. She honestly didn’t know.
‘What if they’ve been trafficked?’ Sian suggested.
Drake stood up at that point. ‘Up to now we’ve taken a softly, softly approach to the Solace Farm operation. There are women and children up there, and they are a religious community. However, given the developments of the last twenty-four hours, we have to bring in Rachel Ryan for questioning. And we have to conduct a thorough search of the farm and surrounding area. If there is anyone being held against their will, then we need to act now,’ Drake explained.
Sian shifted uncomfortably in her seat. ‘Boss, I understand what you’re saying, but as you’ve said, there are a lot of very small children up there.’ Sian turned and gestured to the AROs. ‘And we’re sending in armed officers. That’s going to be terrifying.’
Drake nodded. ‘I share your concerns, Sian.’ He walked over to a photograph which French had taken yesterday of the boxes that had been carried across the yard. He looked at Sian. ‘DC French took this photograph yesterday. I’ve shown these boxes to the Tactical Firearms Unit. There is no doubt in their minds that the larger box is a gun case used to store and transport weapons. The green box here is used to store ammunition.’
For a moment, the room was still.
Drake looked out at the assembled team. ‘And I’m not prepared to send my officers into anywhere that we know has firearms without armed support.’
CHAPTER 20
As Ruth accelerated to overtake a car and caravan, she clicked her Tetra radio.
‘Gold Command, Gold Command. Three-six. Over.’
Gold Command was essentially Drake and someone from upstairs – probably the new Superintendent Brown, whom Ruth had only met once. The operation to arrest Rachel Ryan, and any others who might be implicated in criminal activities, had been elevated to a “major operation” now that there were missing persons and the likelihood of firearms at the arrest site. North Wales Police force, like many others, employed a Gold-Silver-Bronze command structure for major operations, although when Ruth worked in the Met, it was usually split up into Strategic-Tactical-Operational.
Drake came on the radio. ‘Three-six, three-six. This is Gold Command. Go ahead. Over.’
‘Three-six. We are 10 minutes from target. Over.’
‘Gold Command. Received. Await instructions. Out.’ Drake replied.
Outside, the sky was awash with grey clouds that slowly darkened to the east where they were distinctly black. In fact, if Ruth squinted towards the higher reaches of Snowdonia, she could see where the rain had started to fall. It was coming their way.
Sod it! That’s going to hamper our search of the farm.
Glancing behind, Ruth could see French and Sian in an unmarked car, a uniformed patrol car, the armed response vehicle, and a SOCO van. SOCO stood for scene of crime officers, and they would be carrying out a thorough forensic search of the farm.
Nick’s phone rang and he answered it. Ruth knew that his mind would be on Amanda and the events of the past two nights. She was concerned about his refusal to take compassionate leave. He might want to be distracted but even so, at a time like this he needs to be with his family.
Glancing over, she could see the concern in his face as he nodded before finishing the call.
‘Everything all right at the hospital?’ Ruth asked.
‘They’re doing a psychological evaluation. Lots of tests. They want to keep her for a couple of days,’ Nick explained. ‘Auntie Pat has got Megan again. And my cousin Cerys is coming over later.’
‘I still think you should be there,’ Ruth said. She didn’t know if Nick was trying to avoid the situation by staying at work.
‘I’m not letting you go anywhere in the middle of Snowdonia on your own after last year’s fiasco.’
Nick was referring to a joint operation between Llancastell CID, Special Branch, and MI5 that had gone horribly wrong.
‘I nearly lost you that day,’ Nick said. ‘So you’re stuck with me.’
‘Thank you,’ Ruth said. She meant it, but she was still worried that he would be distracted all day.
‘What do you think has been going on at Solace Farm?’ Nick asked.
Ruth thought for a moment. ‘My guess is that someone has been grooming vulnerable teenagers that have been passing through Mold Magistrates’ Court. Teenagers that have broken homes, a criminal record ...’
‘... and if they disappear, no one is going to be surprised that they’ve run away,’ Nick continued.
‘Exactly. The teens are promised a new start and a new life up at Solace Farm. Free accommodation, free food, friendly people. All they have to do is go to some religious meetings and help out. I think it is Rachel Ryan’s mission to save these teenagers’ souls. My guess is that once the novelty wears off, these teens are itching to leave and go back to their old lives. Something tells me that Rachel Ryan doesn’t like that.’
As the road curved around to the right, Ruth could see the buildings of Solace Farm on slightly higher ground. The land around it was flat and sloped gradually up to the mountains behind.
‘You and Sian seem to be being very grown up about her leaving CID and Llancastell,’ Nick said.
There was part of Ruth that would have liked to tell him that they had slept together. To tell another human being, quite frankly, and get it off her chest. However, she feared that Nick might also give her some honest answers that she didn’t want to hear. She decided to keep it to herself for now.
‘We’re just trying to be professional until she goes,’ Ruth said. There was part of her that hoped so much t
hat they could make it work and rebuild a life together.
Indicating right, Ruth pulled off the A5 and headed down the track to Solace Farm.
‘Gold Command, Gold Command. This is three-six. Over.’
‘Gold Command to three-six. Go ahead. Over.’
‘Three-six. We are two minutes from target. Over.’ Ruth said into her radio.
‘Gold Command to three-six. Received. Proceed with caution. Out.’ came the reply.
Passing the painted wooden sign of Jesus with his outstretched arms, Ruth thought how ironic it seemed. Solace Farm appeared to be anything but welcoming unless you adhered to its dogmatic regime. Rachel Ryan’s regime.
Ruth wondered how Rachel would react to being arrested. She didn’t seem like the sort of woman who took kindly to having her authority challenged.
The road surface started to get bumpy. Ruth could feel the tension in her stomach. She had been in more dangerous situations than this before in her career. Nevertheless, she worried that they were dealing with an unknown entity on the farm. She was experienced when it came to drug dealers, hardened criminals, and general lowlifes. However, Rachel Ryan and The Family at Solace Farm thought that their authority came from God. People with that kind of unquestioning faith could be incredibly dangerous. Not only do they believe that they are right, they are often not afraid to die fighting for the God they believe in. Ruth’s experience with religious terrorists six months earlier had been a sharp reminder of this fact. It had nearly cost both her and Nick their lives.
The farmhouse loomed into view. The yard was deserted. No children playing, and no eyes peering from the windows.
‘They must have seen us coming,’ Nick said, looking at the empty spaces as Ruth slowed the car to a stop about fifty yards from the farmhouse.
Ruth looked behind to check that all the vehicles were a little further away. This was not some kind of ‘shock and awe’ raid. It was a gentle show of strength.
‘If you’re watching, you can see vehicles approaching almost as soon as you turn off the A5,’ Ruth said.
The Solace Farm Killings: A Snowdonia Murder Mystery (A DI Ruth Hunter Crime Thriller Book 7) Page 12