Taken

by Lisa Stone

  There was a short silence before Matt asked, ‘Does Sharon know Doris Goodman?’

  ‘Yes, a little.’

  ‘It may seem crazy now, but couples do flee the country to evade the social services or a violent partner. I thought Sharon’s plan would work and that I was going to spend the rest of my life with the woman I loved. To be honest, I wasn’t fussed if Leila came or not, but I would have done anything for Sharon. I agreed to her plan and she took care of all the arrangements. She told me that when I took Leila, I should make it into a game so she wouldn’t cause a fuss, and to buy her new clothes and cut her hair so she couldn’t be recognized. When the day came for me to take Leila, she came back to my flat without a problem. I did as Sharon suggested and told her we were tricking her mother and teaching her a lesson for not looking after her properly. But almost straight away she began playing up.

  ‘She was rude and demanding and not used to doing what she was told. The first night she made such a fuss about not having her bloody teddy bear that we had to go back to her flat for it. She had the key and let us in. Her mother had passed out, off her head again on whatever she’d taken. Leila got the bear and we left. Later, I got rid of the bear when you featured it in your missing person’s appeal.’

  Beth nodded. ‘Go on.’

  ‘We were supposed to stay in my flat until all the commotion had died down and then go to the cottage. But Leila made such a noise, someone was sure to hear, so we decided to move her the next night. I had drawn out all my savings by then, ready to start my new life abroad, and I left a suicide note, as Sharon had told me to. Leila slept for most of the journey, but when we arrived at the cottage I couldn’t believe the state it was in. Doris Goodman had said the cottage was basic and that she no longer used it, but it was far worse than I imagined. There was no proper heating so the place was freezing. The roof leaked, there was no hot water and no television or Internet. Leila was used to watching television and didn’t know how to amuse herself. She quickly grew bored and played up even more. Unbelievably, she missed her mother, though goodness knows why. I was pissed off and the only reason I stayed was the thought of spending the rest of my life with Sharon.

  ‘Then one day, I think it was a Wednesday, I couldn’t stand Leila’s whining any longer and I left her in the cottage while I went into town to buy some more provisions and to download some films on my laptop for her to watch. It was the only thing that kept her amused. I told her to keep out of sight of the windows, but the cottage was miles from anywhere, so I didn’t see a problem. I never for one moment thought she’d leave. I mean, where would she go? But when I got back, she’d escaped and stolen nearly two thousand pounds of my money. I spent ages looking for her in the fog and then gave up.’

  ‘So you felt it was all right to leave an eight-year-old, lost on the moors in winter, when the temperature plummets to below zero at night?’ Beth asked incredulously.

  ‘I wasn’t thinking straight. I was more concerned with what Sharon would say. To be honest, I’d had enough of the kid by then.’

  Beth shook her head in disbelief. ‘Then what happened?’

  ‘I was about to leave the cottage when your lot turned up and arrested me.’

  ‘Where were you planning to go when you were arrested?’ Beth asked.

  ‘To phone Sharon. I needed to tell her what had happened, and that we should bring forward our departure, change the tickets and meet at the airport. But there’s no signal in the cottage – you have to go further up the lane. I was going to drive up the lane to phone her when your lot arrived. I thought Sharon would tell you what happened once she’d found out I’d been arrested, but she hasn’t got in touch with me since. I don’t think she had any intention of doing so. I now believe she used me.’

  ‘What for?’ Matt asked.

  ‘So she could gain custody of Leila. She was obsessed with having the child, and she hated her sister. I didn’t see it at the time. I’ve got no experience of families – I’m an only child. I thought she was just being nice – the caring aunt – but it was more than that. Something far deeper and darker. She was getting her own back.’

  ‘For what?’ Beth asked.

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘Sharon has been very supportive of her sister,’ Beth said. ‘Why would she go to all that trouble of having you kidnap Leila when she could have just applied for custody?’

  ‘Kelsey would never have agreed to Sharon having Leila had she not been pushed into a corner,’ Colin said. ‘After she disappeared, the social services took action and the choice became Sharon or a foster carer. For Kelsey, having Leila live with Sharon was the lesser of two evils, although she may live to regret that decision.’

  ‘What do you mean by that?’ Matt asked.

  ‘Something happened when they were kids. I don’t know what – Sharon would never say – but neither of them has got over it. Sharon appears respectable – regular job, nice home, goes to church sometimes – but I now believe that underneath she’s more screwed up than Kelsey.’

  ‘Colin,’ Beth said, slightly changing the subject. ‘You said Leila was very badly behaved. How did you deal with that?’

  ‘I shouted at her, threatened her, even slapped her. I thought if the three of us were going to live together, she needed to learn to do as she was told. But nothing I tried did any good.’

  ‘Did you sexually abuse her?’ Matt asked.

  ‘No! I’m not a paedophile! I keep telling you. It’s Sharon you need to protect Leila from. Looking back, the signs were there, but I ignored them. I think she’s unhinged.’ He stopped and stared at them.

  Beth sat back and surveyed Weaver across the table. ‘Why are you telling us this now? If all this was true, surely you would have told us straight away, when you were first arrested?’

  ‘Back then I thought Sharon loved me and would help me by admitting her role and that we’d acted in Leila’s best interest. While I was on remand in prison, I came to realize that wasn’t going to happen. She got what she wanted – Leila – and she has no need for me now.’

  ‘When was the last time you spoke to Sharon?’ Beth asked.

  ‘November. I called her the day I took Leila. I’ve tried phoning her since and left messages, but she hasn’t returned any of my calls.’

  ‘What’s Sharon’s phone number?’ Beth asked.

  ‘I can’t remember offhand.’ Beth held his gaze. ‘I’m telling you the truth!’ he blurted. ‘If you don’t believe me, ask Doris Goodman. She’ll confirm everything I’m saying.’

  It took a moment for Beth to recover. ‘Are you saying that Mrs Goodman knew of your plan to abduct Leila?’

  ‘Yes. She was in on it. That’s why I called her when Leila disappeared.’

  Beth saw his solicitor raise her eyebrows, clearly this was news to her too.

  ‘And what was in it for Mrs Goodman?’ Matt asked sceptically.

  ‘I’ve no idea. I’ve told you all I know. You’ll have to ask her.’

  ‘We will,’ Beth said. ‘Is there anything else you want to say, Colin?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘We’ll be in touch once your client’s new statement is ready,’ Beth said to his solicitor.

  FORTY-THREE

  ‘What the hell do you make of that?’ Matt said as he and Beth made their way back to the main office.

  ‘It seems ludicrous, although there was a lot of detail.’

  ‘Weaver’s had plenty of time to concoct a story, and there’s been no evidence that anyone else was involved in Leila’s abduction.’

  ‘I know, but we’ll need to speak to Sharon and Mrs Goodman and see what they have to say,’ Beth said. ‘Do you remember when we interviewed Mrs Goodman after Colin was arrested at her cottage – you said you thought she might know Weaver better than she was admitting?’

  ‘Yes. And he was willing to jeopardize his suicide story by phoning her about the cold. But her story stacked up, and Weaver’s call data confirmed he only spoke to h
er once while he was at the cottage – complaining, according to Mrs Goodman. Since Leila is in the care of her aunt, we’d better make visiting her our priority.’

  ‘I’ll phone the social worker and see if he can meet us at her house,’ Beth said.

  ‘While you do that, I’ll update the boss,’ Matt said.

  As Matt went to find their DS or DCI, Beth sat at her desk, brought up Peter Harris’s work contact details on screen and keyed in his mobile number. He answered straight away with a slightly terse, ‘Yes, Peter Harris speaking.’

  ‘This is Detective Constable Beth Mayes, working on the Leila Smith case.’

  ‘Hello.’

  ‘I need to ask you a few questions. Is Leila still living with her aunt – Sharon Kern?’

  ‘Yes. In fact, I’m going there today, as soon as I can get away from my desk.’

  ‘For a routine visit?’

  ‘No. There’s a problem with contact. I left Sharon and Kelsey to make their own arrangements, but Sharon is refusing to allow Leila to see her mother. She says Kelsey is always drunk and it’s harming Leila. Kelsey has been on the phone too, very upset. She was expecting to see Leila this afternoon, so I’ve told her I’ll go and talk to Sharon and sort something out.’ He sounded stressed. ‘Always something!’

  ‘Can I and a colleague meet you at Sharon’s in about an hour? We need to speak to her and Leila. Colin Weaver has been into the station today and changed his statement. He’s now claiming Sharon knew all about Leila’s abduction – in fact, according to him, she masterminded it. There’s no proof of this, but we do need to speak to her and Leila.’

  ‘Yes, of course. That’s very worrying. Do you think there’s any truth in it?’

  ‘Probably not, but at this stage it’s impossible to say.’

  ‘OK. I’ll meet you there. But I doubt you’ll get much out of Leila. She’s still traumatized from what happened to her.’

  ‘We’ll go easy. Were all the usual foster-carer checks completed on Sharon before you placed Leila with her, even though they’re related?’

  ‘Yes, we did the same checks as with any foster carer – police check, medical, work reference and so on – all clear.’

  ‘Any mental health issues?’

  ‘None came up.’

  ‘Has Leila said anything about her abduction?’

  ‘Only that it was Colin Weaver who took her. I’ve told Sharon not to push it. It may take months or even years before Leila is able to talk about what happened.’

  ‘When you visit Leila, is Sharon always in the room with her?’ Beth asked.

  ‘Not for the whole time, no. When I visit any child in care, I see them alone for some of the time so they can speak openly about how they’re being looked after.’

  ‘And Leila is happy living with her aunt?’

  ‘She appears to be, although obviously she’s still suffering from the effects of her abduction.’

  ‘Yes, of course. Does Sharon own or rent her house?’

  ‘She owns it, I believe. I’d need to check. Why? You don’t have to own your house to foster.’

  ‘No. That wasn’t my reason for asking,’ Beth said. ‘Colin Weaver is claiming Sharon was going to live abroad with him and Leila, and it’s easier to give up your home if you rent – you just give notice.’

  ‘That’s highly unlikely,’ Peter said. ‘Sharon’s said nothing to me about any intention to live abroad, and Leila hasn’t even got a passport. Foster carers need permission to take a looked-after child abroad even for a short holiday. It’s doubtful we would have placed Leila with her aunt if she’d had any plans to emigrate.’

  ‘OK. Thank you. We’ll see you in about an hour.’

  Beth replaced the handset. She hadn’t pointed out to Peter that if Sharon had wanted to get Leila a passport without him knowing, she could have done so illegally. With no sign of Matt yet, Beth used the time to check something else Weaver had said, and brought his call data on screen. He’d said he’d telephoned Sharon the day he’d taken Leila. Now Beth could see that the only calls he’d made that day were to the pay-as-you-go phone they hadn’t been able to trace. There were other calls to that number stretching back months. If that phone was owned by Sharon it would give weight to Weaver’s claim they were in a relationship and Sharon was involved in Leila’s abduction. But how to prove it?

  Beth picked up her desk phone again and entered the number for the pay-as-you-go. Matt appeared. ‘Won’t be a second,’ she said to him as she listened to the phone go straight to voicemail. She replaced the handset.

  ‘The boss has given us the go-ahead,’ Matt said. ‘Visit Sharon first and then Doris Goodman.’

  ‘Good.’ Beth stood. ‘Peter Harris is going to meet us at Sharon’s house. He was going there anyway. I’ll fill you in on the details as we go.’

  Fifteen minutes later, Beth had updated Matt as he drove and had tried the pay-as-you-go number again without any success.

  ‘I think it should be illegal to sell SIM cards without registering the owner,’ Beth said, frustrated. ‘We can only trace the phone by GPS if it’s switched on.’

  ‘The black market would take up the shortfall and reset stolen phones,’ Matt said. ‘It already does.’

  Beth nodded sagely. He was right, of course. Drug dealers and terrorists relied on reset stolen mobile phones. ‘I suppose it was asking a bit much for the owner of the phone to answer and identify themselves,’ Beth said with a rueful smile.

  ‘Yes. And if it was used in the abduction of Leila Smith, it’s probably been dumped by now. The canal is awash with mobile phones used in crimes, if you’ll excuse the pun.’

  ‘Perfect timing,’ Matt said as they drew up outside Sharon Kern’s home – 86 Park Road. It was a modern terraced house on a small new estate of similar houses. Peter Harris was just getting out of the car in front. He saw them and waited on the pavement. They shook hands.

  ‘Does Sharon know you’re coming?’ he asked as they began up the path to the front door.

  ‘No,’ Beth said.

  ‘I’ll need to explain to Leila why you’re here. What reason shall I give?’

  ‘Just say we’ve come to make sure she’s OK,’ Beth said. ‘Don’t worry, we won’t push her if she isn’t willing to talk to us. Then perhaps you could take her to another room while we talk to Sharon?’

  ‘Yes, it would be upsetting for Leila to hear her aunt being questioned, and it will give me the chance to have a chat with Leila. It’s a nice house,’ he added as he pressed the doorbell.

  A few moments later Sharon answered. Her shock at seeing Beth and Matt was obvious. ‘Oh. You’ve brought the police with you!’ she exclaimed.

  ‘I didn’t bring them,’ Peter corrected. ‘We arranged to meet here. They need to speak to you and Leila.’

  ‘What about?’ Sharon asked, clearly thrown by their arrival. She stood aside to allow them to enter.

  Leila appeared at the other end of the hall, smartly dressed but looking at them very warily. ‘Hi, Leila, how are you?’ Beth asked, smiling at her.

  Leila didn’t answer but stared back apprehensively.

  ‘Can we go into the sitting room?’ Peter said to Sharon, pushing open a door on their left.

  ‘Shall I send Leila to her room while we talk?’ Sharon asked.

  ‘No, we’d like to speak to her first,’ Beth said.

  Beth took in the modern L-shaped living room, with its cream leather sofa, matching chairs and pouffe, neatly framed prints on the walls and Smart TV. Tastefully furnished and immaculate. A large wooden toy box containing brand-new children’s toys, puzzles and games was on a rug at one end, although there was no sign it was being used prior to their arrival. Peter had been right when he’d said it was a nice house – compared to Kelsey’s flat, it was a palace.

  ‘Matt and Beth have been investigating your disappearance,’ Peter said gently to Leila as the adults sat down. ‘Now they’d like to talk to you. It’s nothing for you to worry about,
and you don’t have to say anything unless you want to.’

  Standing just inside the door, Leila stared back at them cautiously.

  ‘Come and sit down,’ Sharon encouraged. ‘Don’t worry, I’m here with you.’

  She did as her aunt said and perched on the pouffe beside her.

  ‘She’s not talking about any of it,’ Sharon said.

  Beth looked at Leila. ‘Are you able to tell us anything about what happened to you while you were missing? It doesn’t matter how small it is.’

  Leila stared back and then shook her head.

  ‘We know Colin Weaver took you to his flat,’ Beth tried. ‘Did anyone else come to the flat while you were there?’

  Leila didn’t reply.

  ‘Did you hear him speaking to anyone on the phone?’ Beth asked.

  Leila shook her head again.

  ‘What about in his car? It was a long drive to Heath Cottage. Did he speak to anyone during the journey?’

  ‘I don’t know. I was asleep,’ she said in a small voice.

  ‘OK, good girl,’ Beth said. ‘You were at the cottage for over two weeks. Did anyone visit you while you were there?’ Beth glanced at Sharon for any sign that she might be trying to influence Leila. Matt was watching her too.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Leila replied.

  ‘Can you think of anything else that might be important?’ Beth asked.

  Leila shook her head and then began to look very worried. It was time to stop. ‘That’s fine, good girl,’ Beth said. ‘If you do think of anything, just tell your social worker.’