Sally thought her a pleasant enough woman and was most grateful when she offered the use of both car and phone, should they be needed. They both questioned Carol but all she could tell them was that Daisy had gone straight home after leaving her.
‘Have you any idea where she might have gone?’ Sally asked. ‘Anywhere special she might have wanted to play?’
Carol felt a bit scared when she thought about their hideaway in the doctor’s garden, but Daisy would never have gone there again, she wouldn’t dare.
Carol shook her head. ‘We only ever play in the field, near the shelter,’ she said. ‘Or in our garden.’ Sally hurried away, praying that her daughter had returned home by now. She couldn’t just have vanished into thin air. Despite the cold, dismal day Sally could feel sweat break out at the back of her neck and her heart beating in her ears. Oh, God, if only Jim hadn’t been on the afternoon shift!
Mrs Dawson had sent her boys out to look for Daisy, and Emily as usual had made a pot of tea. Sally wondered how anyone could be expected to stand drinking that when their daughter was missing! She set off again in the direction of the Donkey Wood. It was falling dusk by now, despite the extension of summer-time. What would they do if Daisy wasn’t back before dark? She would have to notify the police.
Enid sent Norah down to Grandma Denman’s, but Sally was almost sure the little girl wouldn’t have gone there, and if she had her mother would have brought her back by now. Nobody could think of anywhere else to look. It was Ida Appleby who suggested checking on Danny Powell.
‘She might ’ave gone to help him, she’s a thoughtful little lass.’
‘Aye, there’s no harm in trying, I’ll go,’ Amy Butler said. She set off across the field, thankful that her leg was healed and she could be of use at times like this. She had hated sitting about like a lump of lard. She knocked on Danny’s door and was just wondering if she should go in and save him getting up when he opened it.
‘Amy! Amy Butler … eeh, lass, I ’aven’t seen you since your better ’alf died. That was a sad day.’
‘No sadder than when you lost yours, Danny. I’m not ’ere to socialise, though, I’m sorry to say. I wondered if you’ve seen our Daisy at all?’
‘Daisy? No, I ’aven’t seen her for a few days. She last came with ’er mam. She’s a good little lass, Amy. You must be proud of ’er.’
‘Aye, I am, but she’s gone missing, Danny.’ Then Amy could control herself no longer. The past few hours had been a nightmare. ‘We’re at our wit’s end,’ she sobbed, and flopped down heavily in a kitchen chair. ‘Eeh, I’m sorry.’ She was embarrassed by her tears.
‘Eeh, lass, there’s no need to apologise. No wonder you’re upset.’
Danny lifted the kettle off the fire and poured water into the brown teapot. He got two cups from the hooks underneath the cupboard, cups Sally had scrubbed till they were like new.
‘ ’Ere, come on, lass. Do yer take milk and sugar?’
Amy nodded. ‘One sugar and just a drop of milk,’ she managed to say between her sobs.
Danny poured the tea. ‘How long has she been gone?’
‘Since home time from school.’
‘Aye, come to think of it, she didn’t go past today.’
‘Are yer sure?’
‘Certain. I always watch the kids come ’ome. Some of ’em wave to me, and it passes the time. It’s a long day on yer own, lass.’ Danny grinned. ‘Mind you, theer’s one or two of the little buggers who chuck pebbles at me winders, but they don’t mean no real harm.’
‘They shouldn’t plague you like that, Danny.’
‘Oh, they don’t mean owt. Besides, I can remember doing summat similar when I was their age.’ He frowned. ‘I wonder where Daisy can be? It’s not like the little lass to be naughty.’
‘I’m sure I’ve no idea. Well! I’d better go and see what’s happening.’
‘Aye, well, let me know, Amy lass. I shan’t sleep tonight if I don’t hear she’s home safe.’
‘We’ll let you know as soon as she turns up. Thanks for the tea.’
‘Come again, Amy. I like a bit of company. Like I said, it’s a long day on yer own.’
The child was still missing and Betty had gone to fetch Jim from work. Sally was inconsolable. Her father had come as soon as Norah had given him the news. The house at Taylors Row was overflowing with well-meaning neighbours, but the only person Sally wanted to see was Daisy. She wondered briefly if the fire and this incident were connected, but dismissed the thought as too far-fetched. Jim came in then and immediately sent for the police. He didn’t know who looked to be in a worse condition, Sally or her father. He gave them both a tot of brandy and then took one himself. He wished everybody would go home. He knew they all meant well, and had obviously been a comfort to Sally, but now he was here he needed to think and he couldn’t with all these people mithering. It was like he’d always said: their house had an ever open bloody door, and all he wanted to do now was shut it, with them all outside and only Sally and him left inside.
Bobby Jones turned up with another constable. A missing child warranted two coppers, it wasn’t like a few missing tins of paint. At this point Jim said he thought everyone else should go home so that they could talk in private. He promised to let them know what was happening and to call on them if they were needed.
Bobby Jones began at the beginning. When he heard that Daisy had left her friend on the corner, he sent his colleague off to make house-to-house enquiries along that road. When the other policeman came back, alone, Bobby Jones sent him off to organise a proper search party. At least a dozen men and boys were soon split into pairs and sent off in various directions.
At least Sally could see something being done, though it wasn’t much consolation. In fact, she would never forget this day if she lived to be a hundred. She now knew exactly what Mary and Tom had gone through, losing their little daughter.
Charlotte filled the bath and sprinkled some scented salts into the water, which coloured it pink and made it smell of roses. Daisy lay back in the lovely, silky warmth and thought it wasn’t so bad staying with Aunty Charlotte. When the water began to cool, she got out and dried herself on a fluffy, white towel. Charlotte had prepared well, and had bought the child a lovely flannel nighty with a pretty rosebud trim round the collar. Daisy marvelled at her warm bedroom and springy bed. She thought this woman must be ever so rich.
She had a little lamp on the table by her bed and Aunty Charlotte had said she could read for as long as she liked. She had found a book called Nan the Circus Girl. Aunty Charlotte brought her up some cocoa and real chocolate biscuits. Daisy hoped her mam would soon be home, but in the meantime it wasn’t too bad staying here.
Bobby Jones had been uneasy after the fire at the Butlers and now he thought he would make further enquiries at the house of Charlotte Kaye.
Charlotte had anticipated a further visit and had prepared well for it. Any trace of the girl had disappeared from downstairs. Daisy was ensconced in a room at the back of the house, the one that used to be Charlotte’s until the dogs took it over. She didn’t think they would bother Daisy, though, it was Charlotte they were after. The door to the room was locked and she had donned her most glamorous housecoat, hoping to distract any caller’s attention. When the bell rang she tried to answer the door looking suitably surprised.
‘Oh! Has something happened to Mark?’ Her hand rose to her throat with the expertise of a professional actress.
‘No. We’re making house-to-house enquiries about a missing girl.’
‘Oh, how awful. How long has she been missing?’
‘Since four o’clock.’
‘Oh, my goodness, that’s a long time. How old is she?’
‘Do you mind if I come in and look round?’
‘Not at all.’ Charlotte hoped he wouldn’t go upstairs. Bobby Jones went along the hall and into the kitchen. Everything was shipshape with only one setting of crockery draining on the board by the sink. He went t
hrough to the lounge, marvelling at the decor and the warm comfort of the place. The woman must be worth a bob or two to live in a house like this. Emily Simms must have been wrong to suggest that Mrs Kaye was envious of the Butlers’ inheritance. This woman didn’t need to be envious of anyone. She had it all.
He glanced up the darkened staircase. No sound from up there. He felt a bit of a fool now, trailing all this way for nothing. ‘Right, Mrs Kaye. Sorry to have bothered you. I’ll be on my way.’
Charlotte had let the top of her housecoat fall open, revealing an inviting cleavage. Bobby Jones blushed when she said, ‘You’re sure I can’t offer you anything?’
The policeman hurried out as fast as he could. Women like that always made him feel uneasy, mainly because he didn’t think he’d know what to do with one like her if he really did get the chance. Give him a comfortable, cuddly, plain Jane any day. Eeh, but he could imagine what a beauty Mrs Kaye must have been in her younger days. Oh, well! Another wild goose chase.
He hoped the little lass turned up soon, though. Missing children were the cases that upset Bobby Jones the most, especially with so many mucky-minded men about. He just hoped Daisy Butler hadn’t ended up in the hands of one of them.
Daisy switched out the light like Aunty Charlotte had shown her. It had been lovely with it on, but as she tried to go to sleep she found the unfamiliar surroundings scary. The room didn’t have a blackout blind, just a heavy velvet curtain, and every so often the moon escaped from behind the clouds and lit up her surroundings, showing the long black shadows by the porcelain figures on the dressing table. Daisy had admired them with the light on but now they were scary and strange. She could also see a long ghostly shape behind the door. She was sure it hadn’t been there when the light was on. When the moon came out again she would peer hard and try to make out what it was. Something was tapping on the window and she could hear a thumping sound in her ears.
She screamed out then and heard someone hurrying up the stairs. The landing light was switched on. Soon she would see the thing behind the door …
Charlotte was even more afraid than Daisy. What if the dogs were waiting to pounce on her when she opened the door? Slowly she pushed it open and peered gingerly inside.
‘I was scared of the thing behind the door,’ Daisy announced, ‘but it’s only a dressing gown hanging there.’ She realised now that the tapping on the window must have been the creeper on the wall. The thumping in her ears had ceased, for She felt silly and thought of an excuse. ‘I felt a bit sick.’
‘Do you need the bathroom?’ Charlotte asked.
‘No, I’m all right now.’
‘Well, you’d better not go to school tomorrow.’ Daisy had played right into her hands. Charlotte had been wondering what excuse she could make for keeping her away. Daisy was about to protest that she felt better, but changed her mind. It was games tomorrow, and that was almost as bad as PT.
Carol hadn’t slept all night for worrying about Daisy. Where could she be? She ought to tell about the house in the bushes. What if Daisy had decided to fetch her teaset and had fallen or something? If she didn’t come to school, Carol would tell them then.
But Daisy didn’t come to school. The headmaster questioned all the children in assembly in case any of them had seen her or knew where she might be. Una Bacon said Daisy sometimes went to Barkers Farm to talk to Charlie so that information was relayed to Bobby Jones. Carol wondered if her father would punish her if he became aware of the painted bushes. She decided if there was no news about Daisy today, she would definitely tell Daisy’s mother.
When Jim and Tom Porter followed Carol through the wall and into Dr Sellars’ garden after school that afternoon, they couldn’t believe the two girls could have caused such havoc to someone’s private property.
‘Bloody hell, Jim.’ Tom looked incredulous. Carol peered inside their hideaway to see if there was any sign of her friend, then she ran home, leaving the two men still mesmerised by what they were seeing. The hideous blue paint was daubed over every bush for a radius of about twenty yards. The old curtains hung forlorn, dirty and saturated, and sodden mats and boxes littered the ground.
‘Well, at least Daisy isn’t lying here injured, that’s one consolation.’
‘Aye, but where the hell is she?’ Jim looked around him at the mess. ‘We’re going to have to tell Dr Sellars about this little lot.’
Tom cringed. ‘Do we ’ave to? Nobody else knows about it, and I don’t think young Carol’s going to confess. She looked petrified, the poor kid.’
Jim glanced around, making sure nobody was looking, then made a dash for the broken bit of wall. ‘Come on then, let’s get out of here!’
Tom grinned and leaped after him. ‘She never does owt by halves, your Daisy, does she?’ Then he realised the remark was in poor taste with the little girl still missing.
‘No, she doesn’t. And I’ll tell yer this, Tom. If our Daisy’s disappearance is another of her escapades, she ’ll see the back of my hand this time, that’s for sure.’
‘Nay, Jim. I don’t like to say this but the little lass’s been missing for almost twenty-four hours now. That can’t be one of her escapades, as yer call ’em.’
‘No. No, it can’t.’ Jim looked all in suddenly. He hadn’t been to bed at all last night and it was doubtful he would go tonight either if his daughter hadn’t been found.
‘Come on, lad. Let’s get thee home.’ Tom knew exactly what it was like to lose a daughter. He said a silent prayer that this one wouldn’t be lost for good, like their little Celia.
Sally was frantic. Mary had never left her side all day. Others were in and out all the time, bringing hot soup, coming up with ideas on where to look next. Emily Simms suggested searching Charlotte Kaye’s house, and Bobby Jones was relieved he had thought of it first. He assured Sally that her child wasn’t there.
At six o’clock more police arrived with the news that the reservoir was to be dragged. At this Sally fainted and was taken to bed. Dr Sellars was called then and bedrest prescribed, with hot bricks at her feet. Jim and Tom dare not look at each other in the doctor’s presence lest their guilt about the damage to her garden showed on their faces. They were both relieved when she left.
More excuses were made when Daisy asked to go home. ‘Can’t I just go and see my mam and then come back?’ she asked. She wanted to know why this strange woman was looking after her. Normally she would have been at Aunty Enid’s or Grandma Denman’s. This woman didn’t seem like one of her mam’s usual friends. Sometimes she was kind and let Daisy do anything she liked; at other times she became annoyed if Daisy even spoke to her, telling her to be quiet or to go to her room. She had thought about running away and in the middle of the night sneaked downstairs, but the door was locked. The back door was also locked and Daisy wondered why the key wasn’t hanging in the letter box like it was at their house. She began to worry then that she had been kidnapped. She had read a story about a kidnapped boy once. She began to cry, imagining she would be here forever.
‘What are you crying about? You’re a big girl, and big girls don’t cry.’
‘I want to go home, just for a bit. I’ll come back if you want me to.’
‘You can go home when I say. I’ll tell you what! Why don’t I go and get a Christmas tree and you can trim it up? I’ll get some holly too. We’ll make the whole house look nice for Christmas.’
‘But I won’t be here at Christmas. I want to be in my own home by then.’
‘We’ll see.’
‘That’s what you said before.’ Daisy knew she was a big girl but she couldn’t help crying all the same.
When Amy Butler hadn’t let Danny know about Daisy’s whereabouts the man couldn’t sleep for worrying, and when no news was forthcoming by the third day he decided to go and find out what was happening for himself. He put on a suit he hadn’t worn for more years than he cared to remember, the shirt he had last worn for his wife’s funeral, and his best shoe. Then he set o
ff on his crutches for Potters Row and Amy’s house.
When Betty opened the door to Danny she didn’t know who he was. Amy came and helped him into the kitchen, pulling out a chair for him.
Little Ernie stared at the pinned up trouser leg, wondering where the man’s leg had gone. Betty put the kettle on and Amy apologised for not keeping Danny informed. ‘The truth is, there’s nothing much to tell.’ And then she broke down, as she had so often in the past four days. ‘Our Daisy’s still not turned up and I can’t help fearing we’ve seen the last of ’er.’
‘Mam, that’s an awful thing to say!’ Betty placed her mother’s cup of tea on the table so forcefully that it slopped all over the white cloth.
‘No, lass, yer mustn’t give up hope. Yer know what they say, weer there’s life there’s ’ope,’ Danny encouraged her.
‘Yes, I know, but we don’t even know if she’s alive. Our Jim and Sally are frantic wi’ worry. Where can she be, Danny? They’re still searching the dam. Thank God they ’aven’t found her body!’
‘I ’ope yer don’t mind me coming, Amy. Only I couldn’t rest, and I didn’t want to bother Sally.’
‘No! It’s nice of yer to be bothering.’
‘Well, that little lass saved me life once. I don’t think I’d ’ave survived out there much longer. Other folk’d passed me by and left me lying, but your little Daisy fetched her mam. I’ll not forget that in a hurry.’ Danny paused. ‘I’d just like to say that if theer’s owt to be done, money wise, I’m not without a bob or two, If they need owt, they’re welcome to anything I’ve got.’
‘That’s very kind of yer. You’re a good man, Danny Powell, you always were.’
‘Well, I can’t go roaming about, searching the hills and dales, not wi’ only one leg, but I can put me hand in me pocket when needed. So if yer’ll just pass the message on to yer son?’
‘I will, with many thanks.’
Danny struggled to his foot and adjusted his crutches. ‘I’ll be off then, I’ll not outstay me welcome.’
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