by Luca Veste
The other child – Charlie – seemed to stay much the same over the years. Never smiling. Always a sullen look on his face, much like the one he was wearing in the living room now. As if it was a burden to be anywhere.
Mark stopped at the final picture of the entire family. Julie Burns and her three children, snapped at a table in a restaurant, he guessed. All dolled up, an evening out for some special occasion. There was a balloon on the table, but it was too blurred to read the writing on it. They were all turned towards the camera, varying degrees of happiness spread across their faces.
‘That was taken two months ago,’ Julie Burns said, appearing beside Mark without warning. He shifted his body round a little, looking down at her as she stared at the photograph. ‘My birthday. They took me for a meal in town. It was a lovely night.’
‘Who took the photo?’
‘I think it was the waiter. It was just us. Me and my three kids.’
‘I’m guessing it’s been that way for a while.’ Mark couldn’t remember reading anything about the father being around in the scant notes he’d been given, but thought it was a good bet he hadn’t been involved for a long time. He made a mental note to check on his whereabouts.
‘We split up about fifteen years ago,’ Julie replied, confirming his guess. ‘He was useless anyway. They didn’t miss out on father of the year, you know? He buggered off as soon as he could, the lazy sod. Got sick and tired of me nagging him to get a proper job, rather than doing the odd foreigner for his builder mates.’
Mark tried to remember the last time he’d heard of a job taken off the books as a ‘foreigner’ and decided it was probably twenty years earlier, back on the estate he’d grown up on. ‘Did he keep in touch with them? Visitation, that sort of thing?’
‘The first few years or so, he was around a lot. Mainly trying to worm his way back into the house, you know? Didn’t work though. I wasn’t having any of it. We were better off without him. The kids definitely were. He started coming round less and less once he’d found a new soft lass to take care of him. Don’t think that one lasted long either. Probably spends his days in the pub or the bookies these days.’
‘How long has it been since they’ve seen their dad?’
Julie took a moment to think. It never failed to surprise Mark, the ease with which some people could turn their backs on their own flesh and blood. The way it can be forgotten that you have family you never see. Children you choose not to watch grow up and become adults.
‘Years,’ Julie said finally, shrugging her shoulders. ‘Must be at least eight or so by now – 2011, maybe? I think it was when Charlie was still at primary school. Emily and Stephanie would have been in first year at high school, I think. Old enough to start making the decision whether they wanted to see him or not, I suppose. He just stopped making the effort, not that he ever really made one to begin with.’
‘Have they spoken to him in the years since then at least? Is it possible Emily tried to find him or something?’
‘She wouldn’t even know where to start,’ Julie said, shaking her head. ‘No idea where he is these days, but I passed his name and details to your lot anyway. I’m not sure Emily would meet up with him. He made his mind up years ago that he wasn’t interested in them. Good riddance, if you ask me. They’ve done better without him in their lives.’
Mark needed to find the father, but something told him that might be difficult. Nothing suggested it was a case of a teenage girl deciding to find an estranged family member. Especially not with the blood. The images of her disappearing round that corner and never being seen again. At three in the morning.
‘She was doing so well recently,’ Julie continued, now seemingly lost in her thoughts as she stared at the photographs on the wall. ‘She’s always been withdrawn, a bit different from the other two. Less outgoing. Lately, she seemed to be happier. Like she had something to look forward to for once.’
‘Has she struggled before now then?’
‘Probably no more than any other teenage girl,’ Julie replied, lifting a hand and then moving the frame on one of the photographs a fraction one way. Correcting a crookedness only she could see. ‘Maybe it was more pronounced because of Stephanie – she flew through high school. Always had friends to go out with, did well in her exams. Emily seemed to struggle in her shadow a little. They separated them, but only because Emily wasn’t as good in school as Stephanie was. She started eating more. Always in secret and that. Which only made things worse with the other kids at school. You know how cruel kids can be. I never treat them differently though. Or Charlie. They all get the same attention and discipline. It isn’t easy – just me being here for them. And living round here doesn’t help.’
I can imagine, Mark thought. They were on the outskirts of it, but the notoriety of nearby Norris Green overshadowed them still, he guessed. ‘I’m sure you did your absolute best for them all.’
‘I tried. That’s the best you can do. And now… and now she’s gone.’ Julie turned to him, tears forming in already reddened eyes. She blinked them away, swiping a hand across her cheeks. ‘I feel like I should be out there. Looking for her. That’s what I should be doing, right?’
Mark shook his head. ‘You’re better here, waiting in case she calls or comes back. There’s nothing more you could do out there, other than driving around aimlessly. There’s people searching for her right now.’
‘I just don’t understand what could have happened to her,’ Julie said, blinking rapidly as a few tears escaped down her cheeks. She made no effort now to brush them away. ‘She seemed so much happier recently. She had made friends. Over the internet, but still. And she was meeting some of them over the last few months. She’d really turned a corner.’
Mark hesitated before he spoke. He hated this part. Choosing the words carefully, not putting himself in a position where he promised something he could never deliver. ‘Everyone is working hard to bring her home, Julie. I promise you that much.’
‘Yeah, that’s what they all keep saying to me,’ Julie said, leaving him in the hallway and returning to the living room.
The photographs of a happy family stared down at him from the wall.
He wondered what kind of friends Emily had made online. That seemed like a good place to check, he thought. He drained the last of the tea, shuddering at the aftertaste, and wondered how many more cups he’d have to drink before he admitted he didn’t even like the stuff. It seemed wrong to refuse though. He stared at the photographs a little longer, then made his way back to the kitchen.
As Mark put his cup in the sink, he glanced up to see the big fella outside, through the window. Pacing the small yard, rolling a cigarette as he did so.
He made a decision.
Mark breathed in deeply and started walking.
Seven
Mark stepped out into the back yard, thrust his hands in his pockets and walked across the limited space, looking towards Rich, wondering if he’d grown since the last time he’d seen him.
He could feel the clouds above them threatening rain.
‘Any news?’ Rich said, patting his pockets looking for a lighter for the rolled-up cigarette dangling from his lips.
‘Not at the moment, no,’ Mark replied. Not since you last asked, five minutes ago, he decided not to add. He realised he was now at the other end of the yard, with no other way back into the house, except past Rich. He considered taking a running jump at the fence and going next door, but thought it might be an overreaction. Besides, he’d walked out here to talk to him. ‘That’s not to say we’re not getting anywhere. There’s a number of possible routes in this investigation to go through yet. And there’ll be a more detailed search of the area soon.’
‘It’s not far from the water. If someone has put her in there… could be a long time until we find her.’
‘Let’s hope that’s not the case,’ Mark said, still trying to look for any signs of something being hidden. ‘It’s early days. We haven’t exhausted
all the possibilities yet.’
‘The first coppers that turned up couldn’t find her phone,’ Rich replied, taking a drag on the cigarette and blowing a large plume of smoke in Mark’s direction. ‘Means she took it with her. I thought you could trace the last place someone was from that alone.’
‘That’s true, unless the phone has been destroyed, or the SIM card has been removed, things like that. It doesn’t mean anything though. She could’ve just lost her phone…’
‘Anything could have happened,’ Rich cut in. Mark snapped his mouth closed, happy to allow the bigger man to talk. ‘She was a good girl, you know. Quiet, didn’t have many friends, but was never any trouble for our Julie. The other two, they’ve had their ups and downs, but Emily… Emily was always the good one. Kept her head down, let her twin do the talking. Not that they were close really.’
‘No?’ Mark said, wondering how well the man knew the family. And why he was already referring to Emily in the past tense? As if he knew that when people go missing for any length of time, they didn’t usually come home.
‘I thought twins were usually quite close?’ Mark said, when the quiet between them grew too much to bear. ‘That’s what I’ve always thought anyway. Not that I’ve known too many.’
‘Not those two. They’re far too different. Weird how that can happen. They were identical growing up, but then they just grew apart when they got older. Even though nothing changed really. Both brought up the same. One goes one way, the other… Well, we don’t know yet, I suppose. I’ll tell you something though. If anything has happened to her – if anyone has done something to her – I’m going to be doing time. A long time.’
Mark was standing about ten foot away, but suddenly felt very close to Rich. A vein bulged in his neck as he took a last drag from his cigarette and flicked it towards the fence on his right-hand side. He exhaled one last breath filled with smoke as his face crumpled and then he turned away, his body shaking.
‘Are you okay?’ Mark said, knowing it was a stupid question even as it fell from his lips. He tried to keep the surprise from his voice at the show of emotion from the man.
‘I’m fine,’ Rich replied, raising a hand to wipe away his tears. He was still standing with his back towards Mark, but even without seeing his face, Mark felt it was genuine emotion.
He just wasn’t sure if it was fear or regret he was witnessing.
‘This is just going to tear our Julie apart,’ Rich continued, turning back to Mark now. ‘She’s always done her best for them kids. On her own as well. They wanted for nothing. She deserves a bloody medal. Not… not something like this to happen.’
‘Do you spend much time with them?’
‘As much as I can, but I have my own stuff to sort out, you know? It wasn’t like they needed a father figure or anything. Julie was enough for the kids. She’s a diamond, our Julie. Worked hard all her life.’
Mark nodded, but still didn’t step closer to the man. He could see that wouldn’t help. Rich wouldn’t want a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Still, Mark didn’t know if he was talking to a grieving uncle, or someone who potentially had something to do with his niece’s disappearance. And there lay the dichotomy he had to live with as a detective. One part of him providing comfort and resolution to a family; the other, constantly on guard. Looking for inconsistencies in stories. Viewing every word spoken with suspicion.
‘I’m sorry for the way I spoke to you when you turned up,’ Rich said, catching Mark’s eyes and holding them.
‘It’s okay—’ Mark began, but stopped as Rich moved forward a couple of steps.
‘No, I mean it. I know you’re only doing your job. And that you’re all doing the best you can. It’s just I’m not used to being this side of it. Usually when I speak to your lot, it’s defending something or other I’ve got myself mixed up in.’
Mark smiled thinly, but didn’t reply.
‘Just bring her back home,’ Rich said, turning away. ‘Not for me, because I don’t expect you to do anything for me. For her. For Julie. She doesn’t deserve this. Any of this.’
‘We’ll do everything we can,’ Mark replied, watching Rich nod his head but not turn back. Then, the older man opened the back door and went inside, leaving Mark alone, wondering whether he’d just been played.
Eight
Leaving the house as soon as he’d finished the third cup of tea he hadn’t really wanted, Mark made his way back to the station. The family hadn’t been exactly what he’d been expecting. He was too used to barely constrained anger from the occupants of that sort of estate. The family had seemed more lost than anything else, the only exception being the big fella.
Good ol’ Uncle Rich. Keeping stereotypes in business.
He wasn’t expecting much to have happened in the time since he’d turned up at the house, but he guessed his boss would be interested in an update of some sort. Especially as he’d been away from his desk for a few hours now.
He knew the score. Someone goes missing, usually they either have problems they want to escape, or someone close to them wouldn’t allow them to get away from problems they had created for them. He also knew that finding blood at the scene meant the second option was going to be the most likely scenario. Whether it was by her own hand, or if she had come to some harm by someone else, it would be up to him to find out. All that would be up for discussion now; he would have to look into every aspect of this family’s life – the way they interacted with each other, the way in which problems were solved when they came up. Whether any of them had any secrets.
It could get messy, he thought, as he pushed open the door into the offices. A few heads turned his way briefly, but no one welcomed him back. That was a standard greeting for him. He’d been there a year, but still felt like an outsider. Moving from a quiet station outside the city centre, suddenly being thrust into a major crimes unit as a detective… It was a change he was still getting used to.
Mark approached one of the DCs who worked near his desk. ‘Is the boss in?’
The bloke held up a finger to him and continued to type on his keyboard. Mark waited patiently, wondering why he didn’t even deserve a polite just a minute. Manners cost nothing, but for some people that was still too expensive.
Eventually, the DC turned to him and leaned back in his chair. ‘What do you want?’
‘Just wondering if the boss was in?’
‘Why don’t you go over and check yourself?’ the DC replied, then turned back to his computer without saying anything else. Mark shook his head as he made his way over to DI Bennett’s office. Knocked and then went inside when he heard her voice from within.
‘Mark, how are you getting on?’ Bennett said as Mark went in and hovered by the empty chair on the other side of her desk.
‘Not much to report so far,’ Mark replied, resting a hand on the back of the chair, waiting to be invited to sit down. DI Angela Bennett didn’t move. She was as pale-faced as a full moon, all cheekbones and dark mascara. ‘The blood is being tested as we speak. The family seem willing to talk, but I haven’t formed any early impressions yet. A mention of making friends recently, but online, rather than in real life.’
‘Nineteen-year-old going missing usually isn’t a major event for us. Not been long enough really. I’ve got a bad feeling about it, though. I’m sure you have as well.’
‘Yeah, can’t argue with that,’ Mark replied, noticing one of his fingernails was a little long and resisting the urge to bite into it. He wanted to chew it off in the silence and spit it out onto the floor. He thought about the ridiculousness of basing things on bad feelings. Wondered if his DI realised how pointless an exercise that would be. ‘I’ve asked uniforms to go over the CCTV again, but I could do with some help from the tech team on that.’
A long sigh greeted his request. ‘You know we’re busy at the moment, but I’ll try and get someone on it.’
‘We need to work out what happens after she enters that yard. There’s a
few exits but not all of them are covered by CCTV. She doesn’t show up again. We’re going over all the previous footage, but if no one goes in there ahead of her, I don’t know what we can know for certain without a body.’
‘Could be that there is no other footage. That she left via one of the exits that isn’t covered by CCTV.’
‘Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about,’ Mark said, then gritted his teeth at the thought. This was the type of case every detective dreaded now. With the wealth of cameras covering the city, it was almost impossible to enter any area without being monitored. It had made their jobs easier, but also meant that when a case came along that didn’t have easy answers, it was all the more difficult.
‘How about her movements?’ Mark heard DI Bennett asking, tuning himself back into the conversation. He looked up towards her and saw she wasn’t even looking at him. Her computer screen seemed to contain something more interesting than their discussion.
‘They’ve put a request in to track her phone’s last location, which should tell us if it was ditched anywhere,’ Mark said, ploughing on regardless. ‘Info should be with us soon. According to uniforms, it seems like she walked a long way to get to that yard, which is unusual. Means she was going to a specific place. If it was just to the river, then she had plenty of options before reaching that yard. Speaking to the family, it doesn’t seem like she had many friends, or a boyfriend, who lived close by. Not sure she spoke to anyone at all, other than over the internet.’
‘A social media trail it is then, Mark. I know you’ll love that.’
‘I’m living the dream,’ Mark replied, going for cold indifference rather than the excitement he actually felt. He knew the way most detectives reacted when social media was mentioned. Everyone lived online, it seemed. Every aspect of their lives posted for all to see. Even those who believed they kept things under wraps would usually have a Facebook or Twitter account. There, with personal photos for all to see.