Taken

by Lisa Stone

‘He is in there. I left him on a chair,’ Leila cried. ‘I don’t want another one! I want Buttons!’ She pulled against him, struggling to free herself from his grip.

  ‘You can’t,’ he hissed. ‘The bear’s gone, so shut up.’

  ‘I want Buttons!’ Leila cried louder.

  Others passing by were looking at them now, their attention drawn by the commotion Leila was making. Then one woman with two young children stopped. ‘Are you all right, love?’ she asked Leila. Colin glared at her. Interfering cow.

  ‘I want Buttons,’ Leila appealed to her, tears springing to her eyes. ‘And he won’t take me back to get him.’

  ‘She’s lost her teddy bear,’ Colin explained, still holding Leila tightly by the arm. ‘I’m going to buy her another one.’

  ‘Oh dear,’ the woman sympathized. ‘I know how attached they can get to their soft toys. Well, good luck.’ Then to Leila: ‘Dry your eyes, pet, Daddy is going to buy you a new teddy bear.’

  ‘He’s not my—’ Leila began, but Colin was already pulling her away, smiling and apologizing to the woman as they went.

  ‘This way to the toy shop,’ he said loudly, drawing her across the car park towards the car.

  ‘I don’t want another bear, I want Buttons!’ Leila wailed and kicked his shin.

  He quickly opened the rear car door and pushed her in, then ran round and jumped into the driver’s seat, pressing the central locking system so she couldn’t escape.

  ‘You stupid girl!’ he cried, turning the ignition key. Thankfully it started first time.

  ‘I want Buttons!’ she screamed, trying to open the door, then hammering on the window.

  ‘Shut up!’ he cried.

  ‘Let me out! I hate you! I want to go home. I want my mummy!’

  ‘No, you don’t!’ Colin gripped the wheel and concentrated on navigating out of the busy car park. He was aware that not only those passing could see a distraught child at the car window, crying to be let out, but very likely it was being recorded on CCTV too. ‘Get down in your seat!’ he yelled.

  ‘No. You can’t make me! I want to go home.’

  ‘Get down if you know what’s good for you!’

  TWENTY

  Kelsey sat alone in her flat, staring into space. It was Sunday, twelve days since Leila had gone missing, and her thoughts were unusually clear. She hadn’t taken anything all weekend. Partly because she’d run out of money again and partly because Sharon had got angry with her – really angry – and said Kelsey’s brain was so messed up from alcohol and drugs that she’d been unable to help the police find Leila, suggesting it was Kelsey’s fault Leila was still missing. That had hurt. Kelsey respected her sister’s opinion. Sharon was smarter and cleverer than her and had led a good life. But to blame Kelsey for Leila not being found – that was unfair! She’d been doing her best to help the police, but she honestly couldn’t remember any more than the little she’d already told them. That was probably because of the drink and drugs, though, so Sharon was right – again.

  It had taken a lot for Kelsey to let Sharon download her contacts list from her phone and send it to the police. It was laying bare her dirty, sordid life, and it hadn’t produced anything yet. She doubted it would. Her clients weren’t paedophiles (as far as she knew), but men who couldn’t get regular sex, or who wanted something different from what their wives or partners were prepared to give them. Usually rough, oral or anal sex. But Kelsey hadn’t told Sharon that. She would have been even more disgusted with her than she was already. Sharon’s world was clean, neat, regular and normal: work, paying the mortgage and going to church on Sundays. Sharon hadn’t a clue about the kind of men who inhabited Kelsey’s world and used slappers like her. ‘Why don’t you have any female contacts in your phone apart from me?’ Sharon had asked. ‘Surely you must have some friends?’

  But Kelsey didn’t have any friends, because who would want to associate with someone like her? She’d made up an excuse to Sharon that she knew her friends’ numbers off by heart, although she doubted Sharon had believed her. She knew her too well.

  Kelsey continued to stare, unseeing, across the room, acutely aware of how miserable and disgusting her life was compared to her sister’s. Perhaps she should have let Leila live with her – Sharon had asked enough times. But Kelsey had been holding on to Leila for all she was worth. The child was her last hope; all the others had been taken away and given new families. Clearly she hadn’t held on tightly enough, though, or she’d still be here.

  Had Leila really run away as the police were suggesting? Kelsey wondered. It was one of their lines of inquiry, they’d said. The other being that someone had taken her. Kelsey didn’t hold with the running-away theory; it didn’t feel right. Leila was a survivor and streetwise and would have taken clothes and some money, not just Buttons – although the police were doubtful that Leila had taken the bear, and thought Kelsey had simply forgotten it was already missing, as she’d forgotten so many things. But if that was true then surely Kelsey would have some memory of Leila kicking off when she’d discovered her bear was lost? She would have made a right fuss, but try as she might, Kelsey couldn’t picture that scene. She could recall plenty of other scenes when Leila had got angry and upset, but not one relating to Buttons. Also, and more worryingly, hadn’t she heard Leila and a man’s voice the night she’d gone missing? Although she’d be the first to admit she might have imagined that. She had been out cold for hours and often hallucinated and heard and saw strange things when she passed out from drink and drugs.

  Surely someone must know where Leila was? Kelsey thought. Besides, she couldn’t just sit here and do nothing. She picked up her phone and began scrolling through the text messages, trying to decide if any of her clients were capable of taking Leila. Their texts were short, sharp and to the point. They only texted when they wanted to see her, with a date and time. She never initiated conversation either by text or by phone in between visits – it wasn’t what they wanted – and she only replied to confirm the arrangements. That was the extent of their contact with her outside of the actual sex.

  Kelsey continued to scroll down. Her clients were in her contacts list by first name only – the name they’d given her, which may or may not be their real name, as she’d told the police. It didn’t matter to her what they called themselves as long as they paid. Kelsey was nothing if not realistic and had no expectations of more, either from her clients or life in general. There would be no fairy-tale Pretty Woman ending for her.

  Some of her clients had refused to give a name at all, so their text messages just showed their mobile number, apart from the ugly bastard who’d beaten her up, who she’d entered in her address book as PIG – a reminder to have nothing to do with him, no matter how desperate she was. Was he capable of taking Leila? He’d come back seeking revenge – only now had her bruises completely faded and her cuts healed. Could snatching Leila be part of his revenge? She didn’t think so. Leila hadn’t been in the flat either time he’d visited. And the second time – when he’d dragged her around the flat before beating her to a pulp – he’d seemed genuinely surprised that Kelsey had a child at all. ‘So you have a child. The poor kid,’ he’d said. ‘Where is she now?’

  Kelsey stood, wandered over to the window and looked out. Her body was still withdrawing and it made her restless. Outside, the light was fading fast as the evening drew in. The play area had cleared of children and the teenagers were grouping together. Bored and in destructive mode, they were now amusing themselves by tying the swings in knots and graffitiing the roundabout. Doris Goodman appeared at her window and banged on the glass. They looked over and ran off.

  Gawping Goodman, self-appointed custodian of the play area and people’s morals. She’d been so certain a man had taken Leila, even ridiculing Kelsey for not knowing who he was – ‘Your latest fancy man,’ she’d said. Kelsey had gone home convinced Goodman was right and that she’d forgotten she’d sent someone to collect Leila. But then it turned out that
Goodman could be wrong, although she doubted she’d ever get an apology.

  As Goodman’s curtains closed again the lads returned to the play area. Leila had been there with others on the night she’d gone missing, yet according to the police no one had actually seen her leave. Or, more likely, someone had and they weren’t saying. Kevin Bates? Was he the reason no one on the estate was willing to talk? She knew the police had already spoken to him, but without any results. It was agonizing just waiting. Perhaps she should speak to Bates and appeal to his better nature. As the thought came, so it went, for the likes of Bates didn’t have a better nature. All she was likely to achieve was another beating.

  TWENTY-ONE

  ‘You’d have thought the poor child could fly, given the number of simultaneous sightings from all over the country,’ Matt said dryly, leaning back in his office chair and stretching. It was 5.45 p.m. and nearing the end of another long day.

  ‘And not a single one verifiable,’ Beth said, glancing at him over the top of her computer screen.

  ‘No,’ Matt sighed. ‘Not one, after all these leads.’

  Since the appeal had been shown on television the investigating team had been inundated with possible sightings of Leila, but so far none of them had led anywhere. The house-to-house had given no clues either and the men on the sex offenders’ register living in the area had all been seen and eliminated, having had sound alibis for the night Leila had gone missing. Alan Stevens, the client of Kelsey Beth and Matt had met on his way out of her flat, had also been interviewed and eliminated. He’d been at home with his mother, wife and children that night from five o’clock. The list of phone contacts from Kelsey’s phone that Sharon had sent in had virtually been exhausted too. Most of the phones were pay-as-you-go, so there were no registered details of the owner. The few who had contract phones weren’t on the sex offenders’ register, although two had served time in prison – one for breaking and entering, and the other for grievous bodily harm. Those who had answered their phones or responded to the voicemail messages usually began by saying they had no idea why Kelsey should have their phone number and ended by pointing out that it wasn’t illegal to use a prostitute.

  Tomorrow it would be two weeks since Leila Smith had disappeared and the chances of finding her alive now were very slim indeed. The theory that she had run away was losing credence, because a runaway of her age would have reappeared by now, unless someone had taken her off the streets. In which case she could be anywhere by now and very likely deceased. If they were honest, they were waiting for a call to say a child’s body had been found, rather than a plausible sighting of her alive.

  ‘We could interview Mrs Goodman and Kelsey again, to see if they remember anything new,’ Beth suggested, also leaning back in her chair and flexing her shoulders.

  Matt grunted a half-hearted agreement. ‘If you like.’

  The general office phone rang and DC Tom Hilt, whose desk was directly behind Beth’s, answered it. He listened and Beth heard him say, ‘OK, someone will come down.’ Replacing the handset, he announced to the office, ‘Another helpful member of the public in reception with information about the disappearance of Leila. Whose turn is it?’

  A collective sigh went up. Since the appeal had been aired, not only had members of the public been phoning and filling in the web form with information, but they’d been arriving at the police station too. So far none had anything useful to add to the inquiry and some were just plain silly or time wasters. One elderly gentleman, Mr Ley, stopped by most days on his way to the grocery store and claimed Leila was much older now, married with kids, and living in the same street as him. He said he was getting her shopping. They’d notified adult social care, but it hadn’t stopped him coming in.

  ‘It isn’t our Mr Ley, is it?’ Matt asked.

  ‘Not this time,’ Tom said. ‘It’s a Mrs Kelly. Don’t all rush at once.’

  ‘I’ll go. I need to stretch my legs,’ Beth said, standing. A small cheer went up. She smiled as she made her way out of the office. You needed some lighter moments even in an inquiry as worrying as a missing child. As Beth entered the reception she was surprised to see Mike Doherty and his mother. She hadn’t made the connection when Tom had said Mrs Kelly. Mike’s mother had changed her surname when she’d remarried. The last time she’d seen her was when Mike had been discharged into her care after he and Jason had been found to be in possession of class-A drugs on the Hawthorn Estate. She was looking very worried, Beth thought, but what could she contribute to the Leila Smith inquiry?

  ‘Hello, Mrs Kelly, Mike,’ Beth said, going over to them. ‘I believe you’ve asked to speak to someone in connection with the disappearance of Leila Smith?’

  ‘He needs to,’ Mrs Kelly said, standing and nodding at her son.

  Mike was staring at the floor and couldn’t meet Beth’s gaze. Gone was his usual bravado and in its place was a look Beth recognized as guilt. Beth braced herself for what she was about to hear. They already knew Leila had been seen hanging around Mike, Jason and other older lads, although Mike had denied seeing her the night she went missing. Now Beth was sure he was going to say he, and possibly other lads, had sexually assaulted Leila and accidentally killed her. He wouldn’t be the first young person to take advantage of a vulnerable child and then panic.

  ‘Go on,’ his mother said. ‘Tell her what you told me.’

  Mike shifted uncomfortably in his chair and still couldn’t meet Beth’s gaze. ‘Would you like to go somewhere private to talk?’ Beth offered. ‘I’ll see if there’s a room free.’

  ‘No, he can tell you here,’ his mother said. ‘Come on, get a move on. I’ve got to get to work.’

  Beth looked at Mike again.

  ‘Promise you won’t say it was me who told you,’ he began.

  ‘It depends on what you tell me,’ Beth said gently. ‘But if I can withhold your identity, I will.’

  Mike shifted again. ‘You need to stop harassing Kev,’ he blurted.

  ‘Kevin Bates?’ Beth asked.

  Mike nodded.

  ‘I wouldn’t call two visits harassment, but what’s that got to do with you?’

  ‘It wasn’t him who took Leila. He had a go at Kelsey, but he didn’t take her kid.’

  ‘Do you know who did?’ Beth asked.

  ‘The bloke who lives in the flat below Kelsey. Colin, I think his name is. I don’t know his surname.’

  ‘How do you know that?’ Beth asked, surprised.

  ‘I saw Leila leave with him. So did Jason. It wasn’t the first time. He bought the kid presents and sort of looked out for her. Sometimes she went to his flat if it was raining.’

  Beth continued to stare at Mike, trying to gauge if he was telling the truth.

  ‘Can you give me a description of Colin?’

  Mike stared at her blankly.

  ‘What does he look like?’

  He shrugged. ‘Ordinary. Middle-aged, I guess. Shortish and going bald.’

  ‘And you actually saw Leila leave with him?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘What time was that?’ Beth asked.

  ‘Around six.’

  ‘So why didn’t you tell me this before, when Matt and I asked you?’

  ‘You’d just arrested us for possession. We weren’t going to help you. We never help the police.’

  His mother gave a heart-felt sigh. ‘Sorry. I do my best with him.’

  Beth continued to study Mike. ‘Does Kevin Bates know you’re here?’ she asked.

  ‘Maybe.’ He shrugged.

  ‘Did he tell you to come?’

  ‘Yes, but it’s still the truth, honest. It wasn’t Kev Bates who took Leila but that bloke Colin. She went with him, and Kev’s dad is threatening to kick him out if you lot turn up again.’

  ‘So Kevin sent you here?’ Beth asked.

  He nodded.

  Mrs Kelly immediately saw the implications. ‘You stupid boy!’ she cried and clipped him over the head. ‘You’ve dragged me all th
e way here to try to save that thug Bates! He’s nothing but trouble! Wait till I tell your stepfather.’

  ‘But it’s true,’ Mike protested. ‘Kev didn’t take her. Colin did.’

  Angered by her son’s dishonesty, Mrs Kelly stood, ready to leave.

  ‘We’ll look into what you’ve said,’ Beth told him.

  ‘I wouldn’t bother. Sorry to have wasted your time,’ Mrs Kelly said angrily. Marching to the door, she jabbed the button to release it and let them out.

  Beth watched them go, then began up the stairs to her office. It was true, the police had been leaning on Kevin Bates and had paid him a number of visits lately, not only in connection with the disappearance of Leila, but breaking and entering and other recently reported offences they had reason to believe he may have been involved in. Kevin Bates was a nasty piece of work – a thug, as Mrs Kelly had said. Older than Mike and Jason, he controlled them and other kids on the estate, largely through fear. Had he killed Leila and then got Mike to lie for him by making up this story about Colin? It was certainly possible. Yet what Mike had said about Colin giving Leila presents and taking her home if it was raining had a worrying ring of familiarity about it, which left Beth feeling very uneasy. If true, it was the classic behaviour of a paedophile who’d been grooming Leila for some time.

  Everyone in the office was working hard, looking at screens or going through paperwork, trying to cram in as much as possible before they went home. Beth returned to her desk.

  ‘Well?’ Matt asked, peering at her over his screen.

  ‘It was Mike Doherty with his mother,’ she replied, concentrating on the information she was reading. ‘Kevin Bates sent him to tell us to get off his back because his dad is threatening to throw him out. He says Bates didn’t have anything to do with Leila’s disappearance and that a man called Colin who lives in the flat below Kelsey took her.’ Beth paused as she moved the cursor over the page she was reading. ‘I’m checking now. Colin Weaver lives in flat three-seventeen, directly below Kelsey. No previous convictions. Squeaky clean. Uniform were able to speak to him when they conducted the door-to-door and there were no concerns. A regular bloke who lives alone, out all day at work. Doesn’t really know anyone in the flats and didn’t see anything on the night Leila went missing.’