‘Is it likely they were part of a diversion?’ one of the uniforms said. ‘Make it easier to snatch the kid?’
‘Highly unlikely. But if anyone does strike you as odd, give me a shout.’
The six officers headed off to begin interviews and Clare turned to the remaining cops. ‘I want a search of the dunes, the road, the car park and the golf course beyond. The Dog Unit will be here shortly. Start up at the rocks and fan out across the road, covering the golf course.’ She glanced at Chris. ‘Golf course sorted?’
He nodded. ‘This end’s clear now and they’ve taped it off to prevent more tourists wandering over. It’ll take a bit longer to clear the far end, though.’
Clare looked along the beach to the point where the North Sea became the Eden Estuary and the golf course ended. ‘It’s unlikely anyone out that way would have seen anything. And someone snatching a baby would be too visible out on the course.’
Chris followed her gaze, along the dunes. He seemed lost in thought for a moment, then he nodded. ‘What next?’
Clare fished a numbered token out of the pocket of her shorts. ‘Come on. Let’s get my stuff back then we’ll speak to the parents.’
Chapter 3
Kevin and Lisa Mitchell lived in a modern, detached villa on the outskirts of St Andrews. From the outside it seemed to be one of the larger properties with a well-kept garden to the front, laid out with grass and shrubs. The Mitchells had the corner site, giving their house more ground than the others on the street. A red Audi A3 and a black Volkswagen Arteon sat on a hardstanding at the front of the house.
‘Whatever they do, it obviously pays well,’ Chris said as he climbed out of the car.
Clare took in the rest of the street. ‘Is this anywhere near the protesters’ camp?’
‘Not far. It’s about a mile north of here. The group have said they’ll stay until the council change their minds about the development.’
‘When did all this happen?’
‘About ten days ago, I think. Not long after you went off to France.’
‘Can’t turn my bloody back for a second,’ Clare said. She started walking up the drive, then stopped. ‘That protest, Chris…’
‘Yeah?’
‘Convenient for whoever snatched the baby, wasn’t it?’
‘I suppose. But it couldn’t have been planned as a diversion. Surely you don’t think that? All these people – in league with a baby snatcher?’
Clare’s brow creased for a few seconds. ‘No, I doubt it very much. But it was a gift to whoever took the baby, wasn’t it? Put yourself in the abductor’s shoes: you see a pram, wonder if you might have the opportunity and suddenly the protest kicks off and it’s all confusion. It must have been the perfect diversion. Everyone’s looking at the protesters and he – or she – takes their chance.’
‘You think it was a spur of the moment thing?’ Chris asked.
Clare hesitated. ‘I’m not sure. If we’re talking about someone who desperately wants a baby, then maybe. They see a baby and they’re overcome with the need to hold it and it goes too far. I can only hope it’s someone like that who’s taken her.’
‘And you’re thinking…’
‘Chris, you don’t need me to tell you why babies are taken. People – abusers – they hang around family events. They’re experts at finding places where children gather.’ She shivered involuntarily and shook her head. The prospect of a baby being taken to be abused was chilling. She looked at the house and thought of the couple inside, almost certainly distraught. Her chest felt as if there was a lead weight pressing on it. The worst part of the job by miles. She took a couple of breaths to steady her nerves, then said, ‘Come on. Let’s get on with it. See what they can tell us.’
Sara met them at the door. Clare was glad to see the colour was back in her cheeks.
‘How are they?’ Clare asked, her voice low.
‘As you’d expect. Frantic.’
Clare followed Sara into a large sitting room. It was comfortably furnished without being cluttered. On one wall there was a large TV screen, while the other walls were hung with photos, many of a smiling baby, the latest ones showing a single tooth in an otherwise gummy smile. The baby’s presence was everywhere – toys, a changing mat, an open pack of nappies, a baby gym. Clare took it all in with a practised eye. There was money here, too. Not super rich, but the ornaments were expensive, the sofas large, real leather, and the carpets soft underfoot.
The baby’s parents sat together on one of the sofas. Clare scrutinised them. She decided her earlier assessment was correct. Late twenties or early thirties at most. They both wore jeans but none of your Primark bargains. Lisa’s top was Fred Perry and Kevin’s Hugo Boss. Yes, there was money here, all right. Lisa’s eyes were swollen and she was shaking. Kevin had his arms around her.
‘I’ve called their GP,’ Sara whispered.
Clare nodded. ‘Hot sweet tea,’ she said.
Sara left the room in search of the kitchen.
Clare sat down opposite the couple. ‘Mr and Mrs Mitchell, I’m Detective Inspector Clare Mackay and this is Detective Sergeant Chris West. Let me say, first of all, we have every available officer out looking for your baby…’
‘Abigail. We call her Abi.’ Lisa dabbed her eyes with a crumpled tissue.
‘Abi. We have alerted our colleagues in Dundee and across Fife and they’ve put everything on hold to search for her.’
‘You’ll find her though, won’t you?’ Kevin this time, his eyes pleading.
Clare avoided the question. ‘I just want to go over what you told me earlier. At the beach.’ She offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile then checked her notebook. ‘Now, you said Abi is six months old?’
‘That’s right. Six months last Thursday.’ Lisa fished in her pocket and produced a rose-gold iPhone. ‘I’ll get a photo.’
‘She’s wee though, isn’t she, Lisa?’ Kevin said.
‘Oh yeah. Quite small for her age. Dinky, my sister says.’ Lisa swiped the screen then held it out for Clare to see, her hand shaking. A tiny face swathed in frothy pink beamed back at her.
Clare studied the pair and concluded Kevin was coping better than his wife. She wrote a phone number on the back of a business card and handed it to him. ‘Could you forward maybe three or four good photos to this number please, Kevin? We’ll get them circulated and on the news.’
Kevin stared.
‘Now please, Kevin,’ Clare said, her tone still gentle, but insistent. ‘Every minute counts.’
Kevin took Lisa’s phone from her. Clare saw that Lisa was still shivering and she glanced round the room. Her eyes fell on a red chenille throw draped over an easy chair and she rose from her seat to fetch it. She put it round Lisa’s shoulders but she barely seemed to notice.
‘Tell Sara to hurry up with that tea,’ she said quietly to Chris, and he left the room. Then she sat back down opposite the pair and continued. ‘Now, you said Abi was wearing a pink sleepsuit with red rosebuds. Is that correct?’
‘Present from one of the neighbours,’ Kevin said, his voice flat.
‘And under the sleepsuit?’
‘White top. Hello Kitty.’
‘Hat at all?’
‘Yeah, same as the T-shirt. Hello Kitty.’
‘Eyes?’
‘Blue. Like Lisa’s.’
‘Hair?’
‘Not much. A bit of blonde on top. Bald patch at the back. Where she sleeps, you know?’
Clare scribbled this down, nodding.
‘She had a bib on too,’ Lisa said suddenly. ‘A green one, I think.’
‘Over the sleepsuit?’
Lisa nodded. ‘She’s teething, you see. Dribbles a lot so the suit gets wet. Makes her chin sore.’ She said, ‘Will they know that? Whoever’s got her?’
‘That’s the photos sent,’ Kevin said. ‘Lisa took one of her this morning when we were getting ready to go out – the fun run, you know. I’ve sent you that one. Shows the sleepsu
it.’ A spasm of pain crossed his face at the mention of the run. He put Lisa’s phone down on a glass-topped coffee table and rose suddenly from the sofa. ‘I can’t sit here waiting. I’m away out to look for her.’
Sara opened the door and held it for Chris, who walked in carrying a tray of mugs and a packet of biscuits. Clare stood too and put a hand on Kevin’s arm, gentle but firm. ‘You need to leave that to us, sir. You’re needed here.’
Kevin put his head in his hands. ‘I’m her dad. If anyone finds her it should be me.’
Clare led him gently back to his seat. ‘As soon as we find Abi, you’ll have her back. I promise. But for now, Lisa needs you here. She needs you to be strong.’
Kevin sat down reluctantly and took his wife’s hand.
Chris cleared his throat. ‘Is there – is there someone we could call? To be with you both? Parents, maybe? You shouldn’t be here alone.’
Lisa shook her head.
Kevin said, ‘Lisa’s mum – they don’t get on. Haven’t spoken for years.’
‘You don’t think maybe…?’ Clare began.
‘No!’ Lisa pulled the chenille throw tightly round herself. ‘I don’t want them here.’
Clare glanced at Chris. ‘Okay, that’s fine.’
‘There’s Ashley,’ Kevin said.
‘Ashley?’
‘Lisa’s sister. Ashley McCann. Lives in the town.’
Clare looked at Lisa.
Lisa avoided her eyes. ‘No. She’s – busy. We’ll manage.’
Clare and Chris exchanged glances.
‘Maybe just tell us where she lives then, Lisa. We can call in for a quick word.’
Lisa reeled off the address then said, ‘But she won’t know anything.’
Clare watched Lisa carefully, wondering what she had meant. Was there some problem between the sisters? ‘That’s okay, Lisa. We’ll just let her know what we’re doing. That sort of thing.’
Kevin cleared his throat. ‘Ashley – well, she sometimes takes stuff. Pills and that. She’s not always with it, you know?’
Clare glanced at Chris again, then turned back to Kevin. ‘Okay, Kevin. Thanks for that. Is there anyone we can call for you?’
He shook his head. ‘My mum died a few years ago. Dunno where my dad is.’
Clare thought of her own family. Her doting parents. Too doting, most of the time. Her sister Jude – they were so close. She couldn’t imagine facing something like this without their support. Poor Lisa and Kevin. She wondered if the estrangement was connected to Abi’s abduction. Grandparents prevented from seeing their granddaughter. She hoped that would turn out to be the case. Far more straightforward than an unknown abductor. ‘If you could just give me their names,’ she said. ‘We won’t approach them unless it’s absolutely necessary.’
Lisa scowled and said nothing. Kevin glanced at her then reeled off the names, which Chris wrote down.
Clare waited while he did this then said, ‘And I’ll need both your mobile numbers too, please. I have to make you aware that we’ll be listening in to any calls you make and receive.’
Kevin gaped. ‘You’re – you’re going to bug our calls?’
Clare nodded. ‘The chances are Abi’s been taken by someone who just wants a baby. Maybe a mum who’s lost one of her own. Usually, in these cases, the baby is returned within a few days. It’s highly unlikely this is a ransom situation but, if a call does come in, we’ll hear everything that’s said.’
Kevin and Lisa looked at each other but said nothing.
‘We won’t be interested in anything personal,’ Clare went on. ‘I can assure you both of that. But we do need to monitor all calls, in and out.’ She paused to let that sink in then went on. ‘Our techy guys will arrange to send you a piece of software to install.’
Kevin was still frowning. ‘Then what?’
‘The software alerts us when a call is made and it immediately places a call to a phone at our end, activating the microphone. We can then listen in to the conversation. It’s not the most sophisticated solution but it’s something we can do quickly.’ She gave what she hoped was an encouraging smile. ‘Is that okay?’
They nodded. ‘Suppose,’ Lisa said. ‘But will they know? I mean, if the person who has Abi calls us, will they know you’re listening? They might hurt her – if they hear…’
Clare shook her head. ‘They won’t know unless you say something to give it away. So, if a call does come in, act as naturally as you can. Pretty difficult, I know. Just tell them you want Abi back and see what they say.’
Clare paused to let this sink in. Then she said, ‘Are you both up to answering a few more questions?’
Lisa looked at Kevin. He took her hand and said, ‘Yeah.’
‘Okay.’ Clare pressed on. ‘What time did you arrive at the fun run?’
‘Just before the start,’ Lisa said. ‘Maybe ten minutes before, I think.’
‘So, about ten to twelve,’ Clare said, scribbling in her notebook.
‘Yeah, I think so. About that.’
‘Thanks, Lisa. That’s great. Now think back, see if you can remember. Who was standing beside you?’
Lisa turned to Kevin again. ‘I can’t think. Can you?’
‘Some teenagers, I think.’
‘Boys or girls?’
Kevin thought. ‘Girls mainly. Might have been a few boys. I – I can’t remember.’
‘Okay. Anyone behind you?’
He looked blank. ‘Not sure. Don’t think I noticed.’
Clare went on. ‘Can you recall how you were standing? Side by side? Or one behind the other?’
Lisa closed her eyes. Then she said, ‘I was on the left, Kevin a little behind me. It was a bit of a squeeze.’
‘And the pram?’
Lisa’s head lowered and she started to sob. She dabbed her eyes again with the tissue, then raised her head. ‘I was afraid she’d get squashed or the pram bumped by the runners so I put it over to the side, away from the crowd. Just by the dunes. I mean, I could still see it but I wasn’t beside it. She had just fallen asleep, you see, so I didn’t want to lift her.’
‘And when was the last time you saw her in the pram?’
Lisa thought. ‘Maybe five to twelve – I think. Yeah, about then. She was girning a bit. Unsettled, you know. I jiggled the pram, and when she started to fall asleep, I moved away. Sometimes she sleeps better when I’m not close by.’
‘And when did you realise she was gone?’
‘Just after the race started. I heard that horn. A few of the spectators were going back and forward to the burger van and I said to Kevin we should have one.’
‘And then I said we should have ordered a pizza,’ Kevin added.
‘Ordered a pizza?’ Chris repeated. ‘At midday?’
‘Yeah,’ Kevin said. ‘There was a pizza delivery bike heading away, towards the main road. Next to the golf links, you know? Somebody must have phoned for a pizza.’
* * *
The doctor arrived and administered a sedative to Lisa Mitchell. Kevin waved away the offer of something to help him sleep.
‘She needs me,’ he told the doctor. ‘Abi. I need to be ready for her – when you find her.’
‘You need to leave it to us, Kevin,’ Clare said. ‘I understand you want to go out there and look for Abi yourself, but we know what we’re doing.’
Kevin looked at Clare. ‘Have you had your baby stolen, Inspector?’
Clare said nothing.
‘Thought not. Then, with respect, you don’t have a fucking clue.’
‘All the same. Please, will you leave it to us?’
The doctor said, ‘There is something else. Lisa, did you give Abi her medicine this morning?’
The colour drained from Lisa’s face and she leapt to her feet. ‘Her medicine! Oh my God. Her medicine!’
Kevin was on his feet too. ‘We have to find her. We have to!’
Clare looked at the doctor. ‘Medicine?’
‘Lisa, Kevin,�
� he began, ‘please don’t panic. Now think: did you give her a dose this morning?’
Lisa was crying again now. ‘I don’t know. I can’t think…’
The doctor took hold of Lisa’s hands. ‘Focus, Lisa. Close your eyes and think back. When do you usually give Abi her morning dose?’
Lisa bent her head to think. Then she said, ‘Yes! Yes I did. Same as usual, with her morning feed.’
‘So she isn’t due another dose until tonight?’
Lisa looked at Kevin and he nodded.
‘Now, she can miss tonight’s dose,’ the doctor went on, ‘and probably tomorrow as well without any lasting damage.’
Clare could stand it no longer. ‘What medicine? What does Abi need medicine for?’
Lisa was sobbing loudly now, her head buried in Kevin’s chest.
‘Abi has a congenital heart defect,’ the doctor explained. ‘She needs digoxin twice a day.’
Clare’s mind was a whirl. Baby abductions were rare these days, but more often than not the abductor was someone who would love and take care of the baby. This changed everything. It meant little Abi could be in real danger, even if she had been taken by someone who would look after her. They had to find her in time. ‘We’ll put out a press release. Suggest the baby is brought to a hospital.’
They were prevented from further discussion by the arrival of the Family Liaison Officer, a blonde PC in her early forties.
‘This is Wendy,’ Clare said to the couple. ‘She’ll stay with you for as long as you need her and she’ll keep in regular touch. You can call Wendy any time, day or night. And we’ll station someone at the front door. Make sure you’re not bothered.’
With Wendy installed, Clare, Chris and Sara left the room, closing the door quietly behind them.
‘Get round the neighbours, Sara,’ Clare said. ‘See if there’s been anything untoward over the past few weeks. See what they think of the Mitchells.’
‘Will do, boss.’
Sara headed out to speak to neighbours while Clare and Chris went upstairs for a look round.
‘If necessary, we’ll come back with a few more bodies and do a thorough search,’ she said. ‘But, for now, just look for anything unusual; or something that might give us a clue as to why Abi was taken.’
In Plain Sight Page 2