I nodded and dropped down into the seat, wiggling the computer mouse to get it to load up. I spent the next half an hour trawling through the relevant days’ footage, which, unfortunately, didn’t seem to include cameras inside Mr Wooding’s office and other private rooms, which were the places where I would have been most likely to find something useful. But it made sense that they wouldn’t want cameras invading their privacy.
“Oh, there you are,” I muttered, leaning forwards to study the grainy picture more closely.
“Darren!” Stephen’s loud voice made me jump so badly that I almost fell out of the chair.
“Christ, Steph!” I snapped, glaring at him. He looked a little sheepish. “Give me a sodding heart attack.”
“Don’t be a drama queen,” he said. “I’ve rung you twice. Had to ask the housekeeper where you were.”
I clicked my phone on and saw that I had two missed calls. “Sorry,” I said. “I got wrapped up looking through this.”
Stephen took in the wall of computers and whistled. “Pretty impressive kit here. What’ve you found?”
“Just this,” I said, rewinding the recording, which showed a low-quality picture of a stretch of lawn.
“What am I looking at?”
“Wait a minute.”
A figure jogged across the grass, turning back once, so that his face was caught on camera. “Who’s that, then?” Stephen said, leaning forwards over my shoulder.
“He looks like Lawrence,” I said, remembering the picture I’d seen of him on his social media. “I think it confirms Rebecca’s idea that he ran off on Friday night. Apparently, he’s been picked up by us lot before.”
Stephen made a noise of surprise. “We looked into the parents’ backgrounds, but I didn’t put him through the system,” he said.
“Aye,” I agreed. “Maybe we should. Though his parents might’ve hushed it up,” I added, a touch bitterly.
“Yeah, it’s possible.”
I’d fast-forwarded through most of the camera footage for the days that might’ve helped us, but didn’t find much of interest. There were videos of Mr and Mrs Wooding leaving on Monday, but there didn’t seem to be anything strange about their departures. What Nicholas had said about the gun Mr Wooding had been seeking out made me look twice at the man’s thick coat, but it was impossible to tell for sure if he was carrying.
“Rich people,” I muttered, watching him climb into his expensive car, which I recognised as the distinctive swooping lines of a Morgan.
Stephen huffed a laugh. “My thoughts exactly. We done here?”
I shut down the computer. “Aye. Let’s go drop you off for some cheap pub food.”
We dropped by the kitchen to let the housekeeper and her husband know that we were heading out, and let ourselves be shown out, since I wasn’t a hundred percent sure I could navigate through all the twisting halls.
“Thanks for your time,” I said at the front door.
Rebecca gave me a tight smile. “I hope you can find Mr and Mrs Wooding soon.”
“As do I,” I said seriously. I couldn’t make any promises, but I hated the thought of Lawrence growing up without his parents and would do my damnedest to find out what had happened to them. If we discovered the worst, at least it would provide closure, and wouldn’t leave the boy forever wondering whether they were out there somewhere.
Seven
Stephen had no patience for my grumbling after we arrived back at the station. “Mate, you could’ve been with me, eating pie. You chose to go running up a bunch of hills.”
I groaned as I sat down in my office chair, a new cup of coffee in hand. “Thanks a bunch for the sympathy. Really means a lot.”
“You’re going to be so sore tomorrow,” he added.
I sent him an unimpressed look. “Nice of you to point that out.”
He chuckled. “Alright, what’ve we got on next, then?”
I rubbed my forehead. “We need to contact these relatives of Lawrence’s first, I reckon. Sooner that happens, the better.” I checked my watch and saw that it was nearing four o’clock.
I pulled the paper out of my pocket with Lawrence’s aunt and uncle’s names on it and dialled the number there into my phone.
“Alicia Kelley speaking,” a woman’s voice said politely.
“Good afternoon,” I said. “I’m DCI Mitchell. I have some news regarding your sister’s son, Lawrence.”
I heard a sharp inhale. “Is he alright? Why isn’t Ellie calling me?”
I took a deep breath. I hated having to break bad news to relatives. There was nothing worse in the job. “Lawrence is currently in York hospital, and I believe his condition is stable. For specific details, you’ll have to call them-”
“And Ellie? And Aaron?” she asked hurriedly.
“I’m afraid we have been unable to find or contact either of Lawrence’s parents,” I said, as evenly as I could manage. Stephen glanced over at me and pulled a sympathetic expression.
“What?” Alicia breathed. “What do you mean?”
“They’ve been missing for almost a month,” I said as gently as I could. “Lawrence was found earlier this week.”
“Found?”
“Yes. Would you be able to come down to York hospital so we can talk in person? Lawrence will need someone with him.”
“Yes, yes, of course,” she said, her voice sounding tight and shocked. “We’ll be there right away.”
“Do you live locally?”
“In Leeds, it shouldn’t take more than an hour.”
I nodded. “Okay. We’ll meet you there. Thank you.”
She hung up, and I set the phone down, rubbing my forehead before I took a breath and straightened up. Perhaps the run had been a mistake, since it was shaping up to be a long day and I was already feeling ready for a nap.
“What did she say?”
“She seemed to have no idea her sister was missing. She said she’d come to the hospital ASAP.”
Stephen raised his eyebrows. “Her sister’s been missing a month, and she didn’t notice?”
I shrugged. “Apparently so. Not especially close, I suppose. It’s easy to let things drift when you’re busy.”
Stephen accepted that with a nod. “What time do we need to be at the hospital by?”
I checked my watch again and turned to look at him. “I think this is looking like it’ll be a long day,” I said. “I reckon you could help me deal with today’s paperwork and then head off, and I’ll go meet Lawrence’s aunt.”
Stephen frowned slightly. “Are you sure? You look knackered, mate.”
I gave him an appreciative smile. “I’m okay, really. You spend some time with your family, alright? You’re needed at home more than I am.”
After a second’s pause, he nodded. “Thanks, Darren.”
I patted him on the shoulder. “No problem. And take tomorrow off, right?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
We spent the next half-hour wrapping up the day’s reports, before Stephen headed out and I went to let Gaskell know what we were doing.
“Good,” he said. “Sounds like you’re making progress.”
“Aye, getting there, sir,” I agreed.
“Good luck with the aunt, then,” he said, dismissing me. “Hopefully you can get a statement from the Wooding boy soon.”
“That’s the hope,” I agreed.
It was strange to drive over to the police station without Stephen ribbing me and flipping through the radio stations from the passenger seat, but I was glad that he’d get to spend some more time with his wife and kids. I couldn’t do anything to help his daughter, but at least she’d get to see her dad some more.
I grumbled at the price of parking at the hospital, but reluctantly paid up for a good few hours, not sure how long I was going to be there. Walking inside, I was met with a bustling A&E and beelined towards the reception desk, only to be cut off.
A woman moved to stand in front of me, her hair as dark a brown as Law
rence’s, from the pictures I’d seen.
“You’re the police officer?” she said urgently. There was a scared intensity to her wide, brown eyes. “Mitchell, was it?”
“DCI Mitchell.” I held out a hand. “And you’re Ms Kelley?” I glanced over her shoulder at the man who’d stepped up behind her, his grey-speckled hair shorn short, and he gave me a nod.
“Yes, please call me Alicia. This is my husband, Dan.”
“Nice to meet you both. Have you seen Lawrence yet?”
She shook her head, making her short curls bounce. “We only arrived just now.”
“I’ll go and ask,” her husband, Dan, offered, and she gave him a small nod.
“I should have realised,” she said, quiet enough that I almost didn’t hear her over the background noise of the busy waiting room. “I can’t believe that I didn’t…” She pressed her hand to her mouth and shook her head.
“It’s easy to get caught up,” I tried to reassure her. “Things are so busy-”
She sighed and cut me off. “If it had only been that,” she said tightly, looking away from me over towards where Dan was standing in the queue at the desk.
“What do you mean?” I asked, as gently as I could manage.
Her gaze flickered up to me and then away again. “I don’t know if it’s a wise move to tell the police this,” she said with an uneasy little laugh. I tried to keep my expression neutral and waited for her to go on. “We argued,” she said. “We argued and it- well, I thought that was why she wouldn’t reply to my messages and calls this last week or two. Because she was still angry at me.”
I exhaled. That was hardly a damning confession. “I see.” Dan was still the third person from the front, and he might be awhile, I thought. “Can I ask what you argued about?”
She pressed her lips together and fiddled with the strap of the glittery handbag slung over one slim shoulder. “Lawrence,” she said. “I thought she was letting him run wild. She didn’t seem to care that he was going off the rails. That boy he,” She sighed, “does what he likes, and damn the consequences.” She met my eyes briefly. “I love him, of course, I do. But I told my sister that she didn’t care about him, and she hung up.” Her breath hitched, and she took a quick, sharp breath. “Oh god, what if that’s the last thing-?”
“We don’t know that yet,” I said quickly. “Let’s not jump to the worst assumptions just yet. We’ve had no evidence of that yet.”
She gave a stiff nod. “Of course.” She didn’t sound like she believed me and I couldn’t really blame her. The statistics for people returning after being missing for so long, under suspicious circumstances, weren’t the best. But we didn’t have any concrete evidence that she was taken, so I had to keep an open mind.
Dan returned soon afterwards with a room number for Lawrence, and we made our way through the people towards a rickety, little lift, which carried us up to the right floor in a series of unnerving, jerky movements.
“I hate lifts,” Dan muttered, and was the first out when we arrived. Alicia seemed too distracted to care and made her way quickly towards the ward we’d been told Lawrence was on.
A nurse intercepted us, and I hung back, doubtful that they’d let anyone but family in right now. The couple were shown into a closed room, and the nurse approached me with a curious expression.
“Can I help you, officer?”
I gave him a friendly smile. “I’m fine, thank you. I came in with those two.” I gestured to the door Dan and Alicia had just disappeared through. “Though, would it be possible for us to talk to Lawrence’s doctor?”
The nurse gave me a sympathetic look. “I’ll see what I can do, but we don’t release information on minors without-”
I waved my hands. “Oh, aye, I know, don’t worry. It’ll be up to the kid’s aunt and uncle if they want me there.”
With a nod of understanding, the nurse headed off. I looked around for a seat and dropped down into the nearest one, across the corridor from Lawrence’s room. Finally given a moment to myself, my tiredness rushed back. It’d been a long day, and my legs were aching.
At least I didn’t have to chase after anyone today, I thought with faint amusement. Checking my phone, I saw that it was nearly seven and my stomach rumbled. I’d grabbed a serving of chips and a sandwich to go from the pub. While I’d eaten them on the way back from the Dales, that felt like a long time ago. I’d had nothing but coffee since then.
I didn’t want to miss Alicia and Dan’s emergence from Lawrence’s room, but I reckoned that they’d be a little while yet, at least, and I felt in bad need of a sugary pick-me-up.
So I went in search of a vending machine and fetched myself an energy bar and a packet of Walkers, which I munched on while I waited.
Lawrence’s doctor approached before Alicia and Dan came out, and I stood up as she walked towards me, brushing crisp crumbs off my trousers.
She raised her eyebrows in silent question when she saw me, her blond hair pulled back in a neat bun and her eyes looking tired. “You asked for me?”
I gestured to Lawrence’s room. “Lawrence’s aunt and uncle are here,” I explained. “I’d like to talk to you about how soon we might take his statement but,” I held up a hand to fend off the disagreement I was sure she was about to voice, “only if his relatives agree, and he’s well enough, of course.”
She gave me a quick nod. “I’ll talk to them now.”
Left alone again, I sat back down and sighed, wishing that I had some paperwork to do, at least. I was tired enough that my eyelids felt like lead weights, and I was struggling to stay awake by the time the doctor emerged, with Alicia and Dan behind her.
I blinked myself back to focus and stood up, wincing at the stiffness of my legs. Alicia’s eyes looked red-rimmed from crying, and Dan didn’t look much better. Neither of them seemed to notice me for a long moment, and I wished that I could leave them to deal with their upset in private, but, in the interest of advancing the case. I really did need to talk to the doctor, and to Lawrence.
Alicia took note of my presence and pulled her shoulders back slightly, pulling herself together.
“We intend to move Lawrence to a private hospital,” she started with. “Dr Gwynne has told us that he’s stable enough to be moved now, with care.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” I said, before hesitating. “When will we be able to take his statement?” I looked between the doctor and Alicia.
“With a relative present, I believe he’ll be well enough to speak to you briefly tomorrow,” Dr Gwynne said before giving me a firm look. “If he becomes agitated, tired, or is in pain, you’ll have to suspend the questioning until another day, understood?”
I nodded quickly. “That’s perfect.” I turned to Lawrence’s aunt. “When are you planning to move him?”
“The weekend, or Monday, if possible,” she said, her voice clear. “I know his parents would want the very best care for him.”
Tomorrow was Friday, so that would really be my best chance to talk to Lawrence before he was moved.
“And you’ll be here tomorrow?”
“Of course we will,” Dan said when Alicia hesitated. He looked warmly at his wife. “You can afford to take the days off, Ali. The business will go on without you. Lawrence needs us.”
She gave a nod and met my eyes. “We’ll be here.”
We arranged for me to drop by in the late morning and then parted ways, Alicia keen to return to her nephew and me desperate for my bed. It had been a long day. While I wasn’t home yet, it’d been productive, and I felt cautiously optimistic about how the case was developing. Now I just had to hope that Lawrence would be able to cast some light on who had torn him away from his home and family.
Eight
The next morning found me wincing at every step I took. I took my car into the station, before forcing myself to climb the stairs up to our floor, in the hopes that it would loosen me up.
“Are you alright?” I looked up, surprised to b
e addressed, and found Keira standing at the top of the stairs and considering me with concern in her face.
I gave her a tight grin as I climbed up the last few stairs to join her at the top. “Ah, don’t feel too bad for me,” I said. “It’s my own fault.”
“Really?” she said, raising an eyebrow. “Did you deliberately run into a wall?”
I exhaled a startled laugh. “No, not that bad. I went running up some hills yesterday. This city is too flat, and I’m out of practice.”
“Hmm,” she said, looking me up and down. “The results are worth it, I’m sure.”
I blinked at her, not sure how to take that comment. Her mouth curved into a smile before she walked away, leaving me wondering what exactly had just happened. That had been flirting, I was fairly sure, and it had taken me completely by surprise, especially since I still didn’t feel quite awake.
Feeling much better about my achy legs, I made a strong coffee and went to sit down at my desk with a slight grimace. I had a short while until I was due at the hospital and spent the time looking into Lawrence on our system, after what the housekeeper had said about Lawrence’s troublemaking tendencies.
I found that he’d earned himself a caution as a young’un for carrying weed and recieved a stint of community service after getting caught red-handed graffiting a bridge down by the river. It was mostly minor offences, and since he was still a minor, they’d be wiped after he turned eighteen. He’d be in the clear if he kept his nose clean once he became an adult. Still, it showed a pattern of reckless behaviour and acting out. I wondered both what had prompted it, and whether it had anything to do with why or how he’d been taken. Most likely, it didn’t, and the reason was solely linked to his parents’ significant wealth, but I had to consider all avenues.
By the time I’d done a thorough search, it was time for me to be heading out, so I grabbed my old coat and shrugged it on to go and brave the cool air outside. It was nearly May, but there was still a definite chill to the air and spring seemed to be dragging its feet.
DI Mitchell Yorkshire Crime Thrillers: Book 1-3 Page 54