by M A Comley
“Be careful. Don’t go doing anything rash.”
“I won’t. Trust me,” Kayli called, running out the front door and onto the street. She surveyed the area from the steps then descended them and ran around to the back of the house, down the side alley. Looking up, she saw an emergency escape route from the third floor, a set of metal stairs. She ran the length of the alley but found nothing. Smashing her fist against her thigh, she shouted, “Damn. He’s gone.”
Looking up the alley, she saw her partner coming towards her. “Anything? Did you see him?”
“No. He was long gone before I got here. Well, if that doesn’t reek of guilt, I don’t know what does. I’m going back to the house. I need to find out his full name before we can start tracing him. Why don’t you sit in the car, Dave? You’ve got quite a sweat on you.” She handed him her keys and trotted up the alley ahead of him.
At the top of the steps, she jotted down all the names alongside the buzzers. “Okay, Mr. Bob Nuttall, let’s see what we can dig up about you and see why you took off the way you did.”
Dave was trying to navigate his access to the car when she arrived. “Need a hand?”
“Nope, I’m fine.” He collapsed into the passenger seat and dragged the crutches into the car beside him. “Did you get his name?”
“Yep. Bob Nuttall. I jotted down all the other names too. Let’s run background checks on all of them. It can’t hurt. Maybe something else will show up that will help to solve the case. We’re going to have to wait here until uniform arrive.” She pricked her ear up in the air when she heard a distant siren. “Sounds like they’re on their way. Damn, I didn’t even think about there being a possible fire escape to the house. I must be losing my touch.”
“It’s the law, I think you’ll find. Don’t beat yourself up. We’ll catch up with the bastard soon enough. He’s running for a reason. We just need to find out what that reason is. Here are our boys now.”
“I’ll just have a quick word, leave them to carry out a search of the area. We won’t be able to search his flat until we get a warrant. Then we’ll shoot back to the station.”
A patrol vehicle pulled up alongside her. She flashed her ID at the two uniformed officers as they got out of the car and apprised them of the situation.
“I’ll call for K9 assistance, ma’am,” the younger officer said.
“Good idea. Let me know how you get on. The suspect’s name is Bob Nuttall.” Kayli joined Dave at the car. “I hope they find him. At the moment, he’s got to be our main suspect.”
CHAPTER THREE
“Donna, I need you and Dave to work together on this one. Go through the list of names. I want everything you can find on these guys, including where they take a piss and who they shag. Obviously, I need you to begin with Bob Nuttall. The sooner we can find him and bring him in for questioning, the better.”
Donna nodded, jotted down half the names on a sheet of paper and handed it to Dave. “On it now, boss.”
“Any luck on the car yet, Graeme?”
He didn’t look up from the screen, just shook his head. “Nothing yet.”
“Let me know right away when you trace it. Okay, I can’t sit around here on my hands. I’m going to visit the children, starting with Anita Potts.”
“Alone?” Dave looked at her, surprised.
“Yes, I’ll be fine. You’re better off here, Dave. That has nothing to do with the fact that your leg is hindering you at the moment, either. The more people we have checking out the backgrounds, the better, for obvious reasons.”
“Okay, if you’re sure. Can you check in before and after you enter the house?”
Kayli chortled. “I’ll be fine.” She extracted a small canister from her pocket and waved it at him. “I have this with me for peace of mind. However, you’re forgetting who I tangled with last month and who came out on top.”
Dave tutted. “No, I’m not. You also had half a dozen shit-hot soldiers working alongside you.”
“Not quite. Four soldiers plus my brother,” she replied, pulling a face at him. “If it will make you any happier, I will check in all the same. See you later.”
Kayli left the station, and twenty minutes later, she pulled up outside a smartly presented, white-rendered detached house with bright-red woodwork around the doors and the windows. It was a sharp contrast to the condition of the flats she had visited earlier. The small garden on either side of the path consisted of a narrow flower bed around a piece of lawn that was cut short, despite the time of year. It was clear that someone cherished the home and its garden. She recalled what Paul Potts’s brother had said about him caring for the garden.
She rang the bell and turned to survey the neighbourhood. There wasn’t a grubby house or garden in sight. She couldn’t determine whether the neighbours were in competition with each other or simply proud of their community. On a nearby lamppost, Kayli spotted a yellow Neighbourhood Watch sign.
“A caring community, such a rarity nowadays,” she muttered.
She heard the chain being removed from the door before it was opened by a blonde, frail-looking young lady who was wearing large-framed spectacles and had freckles on her makeup-free face. “Hello, can I help?” she asked, her voice weak and fearful.
Kayli smiled warmly and flashed her ID. “Are you Anita?”
The young woman nodded.
“I’m DI Kayli Bright. Your uncle Samuel came to see me regarding your father. Would it be possible to come in and have a chat with you?”
She stood behind the door, allowed Kayli to enter the property then closed the door quietly behind her. Kayli followed her through a narrow carpeted hallway to a small kitchen at the rear.
“I was just about to make a pot of tea. Would you like one?”
“Is it possible to have a coffee instead? Instant will do, of course.”
“Please, take a seat.” Anita pointed at the small kitchen table against the wall.
Kayli pulled out a chair and withdrew her notebook from her pocket before she sat down. “I take it you haven’t heard from your father in the last few hours?”
“No, nothing. I’m struggling to cope with his disappearance, if you must know. That’s why my uncle agreed to call at the station. I keep breaking down in tears every time I think of what my father must be going through.” She removed her glasses and reached for a tissue to wipe away her tears.
“Please, try and stay positive. We’re doing our very best to find your father. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before that happens. Are you up to answering a few questions? We’ll take it slowly, at your own speed. I’ll completely understand if it gets too much for you and you want to stop. I promise.”
Anita finished preparing the drinks and joined Kayli at the table. Her hands shook when she deposited the two mugs on the table, spilling some of the contents. Kayli knew she would have to be patient and tread carefully with the woman if she was going to get any sense out of her.
“I’m not sure I can tell you much, Inspector.”
“When was the last time you saw your father?”
Her head bowed, and she stared at the contents of her mug, her hands clasped tightly around the china. “It must have been five on Saturday.”
Kayli jotted down the young woman’s answers. “Where was that?”
“Here. Dad had just finished watching the football results on BBC, then he suddenly announced he was going out. I was halfway through making the dinner at the time. We usually eat around sixish. I tried to object, but he’s too obstinate and set in his ways to listen to me. He told me to leave his meal in the oven or put it in the microwave for when he returned.”
“Did your father say where he was going?”
“Yes, to pick up the rent due to him from the flats we own.”
Kayli looked up to find Anita was still staring at the mug. “Can you tell me what sort of mood he was in?”
“He was pretty narked that Bristol City had lost their match before he left. Don’t as
k me who they were playing. I have no interest in the sport.”
Kayli smiled. “Likewise. Did your father leave here angry, then? Is that what you’re telling me?”
Anita looked up. “Not sure angry is the right word. More pissed off, I’d say.”
“How often does your father visit the flats?”
“More often than he should. His friend has a few rental houses, and he never has to badger the tenants to hand over their money. They always pay by direct debit, but then all his tenants work for a living and aren’t reliant on the Social for their money.”
Kayli noticed a bit more fight in Anita when she mentioned the tenants. “Has he had a lot of problems with the tenants in the past?”
“Dad took over the house about a year ago. Bought it with the insurance money after Mum died. It’s been like an albatross around his neck ever since. The people down there can’t understand that they have to pay their way in this world. All of them think that society owes them something. They need to get off their backsides and find a bloody job.”
“Have you met the tenants, Anita?”
Her head shook fiercely. “No. Dad refused to let me go down there with him. He thought the tenants were too dangerous for me to have anything to do with them.”
“How strange. I was down there this morning, and to be honest, I didn’t really get that impression.”
She looked Kayli in the eye. “But you’re the police. Wouldn’t they treat you differently to someone they owed money to?”
Kayli shrugged. “Perhaps you’re right about that. Has your father ever been attacked by any of the tenants?”
Anita’s gaze dropped down to the table again. “He’s had a few run-ins with a couple of them. One or two roughed him up a little. You know, pushed him or jabbed him in the chest once or twice to intimidate him, but nothing more than that, really.”
“Okay, that’s still something that should never happen. Can you give me their names?”
She swallowed noisily before she answered. “One of them was Nigel Hawkins, and the other was the bloke on the top floor, Bob Nuttall.”
“Any idea when the hassle took place? Was it recently?”
“A few weeks ago with Bob. The argument with Nigel, on the other hand, took place a few months ago. I pleaded with him to kick them out. We have a list of people who have contacted us, wanting a flat. I begged Dad to give them a chance. He always said it was far more hassle than it was worth to keep changing tenants. I suppose he was right. It is a lot of trouble. However, my take on it is that it would be far less bother for Dad to have to contend with. Buying the house was supposed to secure his future, give him a reasonable pension to live on, not create more bloody work for him. He’s under the doctor for high blood pressure, you know. All because of that damn place. It’s just not worth all the aggro. Now this…”
Kayli sensed that Anita was working herself up into a frenzy and covered her hand with hers. “Please, try not to upset yourself. We’ll get to the bottom of this. I’m sorry, but I have to ask. Is there any possibility your father might have ended his own life?”
She shook her head adamantly. “No, there is no way on this earth he’d do such a thing. He was really down last year when we lost Mum, which is only natural, I suppose, but we pulled together and came through that tough time. He relies on me as much as I rely on him. He is open with me, Inspector, very honest with his feelings, unlike other men I know. If he had dark thoughts along those lines, I’m sure he wouldn’t hesitate to confide in me.”
“Okay, sorry. I had to ask. At least we can discount that route from our enquiry. And you don’t think it was possible for him to take off on a break of sorts without telling you?”
“Absolutely not. Why would he arrange to meet my uncle down the pub on Saturday evening if he intended to go away? I truly believe that something bad has happened to him, Inspector.”
“Yes, your uncle mentioned they had agreed to meet and that he was in regular contact with his brother.”
“Every day. They’re very close. Closer still since my grandparents died around ten years ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Was it an accident? Did they die together?”
“Yes, they broke through the central reservation on the M5 and caused a multiple pile-up on the opposite side of the motorway. We were all devastated at the time. Granddad was in his seventies but had always been a truly safe driver, never going above the speed limit, even when he overtook another vehicle.”
“So sorry to hear that. Was the incident investigated?”
“Yes. They discovered that something had gone wrong with the car’s brake system. I don’t know the ins and outs, Inspector. I just know that we were all very traumatised at the time. Of course, back then, Dad had Mum around for support. Not sure how he would have coped if she hadn’t still been with us. Since then, Dad and Uncle Samuel have been inseparable.”
“I see. That’s very sad. Sorry for your loss. Your uncle mentioned that you have a brother and a sister. Am I right?”
“Technically, they’re my half-brother and half-sister, although we were brought up together. My dad married their mum twenty-five years ago after their own father ran out on them. It took a while for our mum to track their father down to enable her to divorce him so that she could marry my dad, but eventually, things turned out for the best.”
“And you’re all close now?”
“Yes, Sharon was here yesterday, comforting me. My stepbrother, Dylan, was doing a shift at the pub where he works. They share a house together.”
“What does Dylan do there?”
“He flits between the bar and serving tables, even helps out in the kitchen sometimes when they are short-handed. I suppose you’d call him an all-rounder.”
“The name of the pub?”
“The Old Swan in the town centre.”
Kayli had a vague recollection where the pub was situated, and she noted down the name. “And what about Sharon? Where does she work?”
“She’s a carer in a care home. The Nightingale Care Home.”
“Thanks. I’ll need to speak to them both to see if they have seen your father since Saturday.”
“They haven’t. Sharon called round, and I rang Dylan. To be honest, they usually come round most Sundays. I generally cook a family roast dinner. I couldn’t face doing that yesterday. Sharon ended up going out to fetch a KFC instead, not that I ate much of it. She ate most of mine and took the rest home for Dylan.”
“What’s their take on your father’s disappearance?”
“They just think he’s taken off somewhere to spend some time alone. They’re wrong, though. They don’t know my father like I know him. He wouldn’t go off without telling either Uncle Samuel or me where he was going.”
“I have my team searching the area for your father’s car. I’m sure the cameras will highlight it soon around the city. I have every confidence once we locate it, the mystery of where your father is will be solved. In the meantime, I suggest you stay either near or in the house at all times in case he returns.”
“I will. I rang my firm today and called in sick. Told them I wouldn’t be back until the end of the week.”
“What do you do for a living, Anita?”
“I’m a secretary at an estate agent’s in town. They weren’t too happy with me, but that’s tough. I need to be here for when he comes home. If he comes home…”
“Is there anything else you can tell me about your father? Perhaps he’s fallen out with someone lately?”
Anita looked up, thought over the question then shook her head. “Not that I can recall. Dad is pretty easy-going most of the time. It’s just that mob at the flats that rile him now and again.”
“Does your father have any other family in the area?”
“No. There’s only Samuel and him now. All our extended family are no longer with us.”
“Is Samuel married?”
“Yes, to Dorothy. They have a son and daughter, Alan and Jil
l Potts.”
“Do you have their details for me? An address is preferable.”
Anita pushed back her chair and left the room. She returned, carrying her handbag and a small address book in her right hand. “Yes, here we are. I don’t really have much to do with them now that Nan and Granddad are no longer with us. It’s sad when family members drift apart.” She offered Kayli the address book.
Kayli wrote down the names and addresses and handed the book back to Anita. “Thanks. I’ll pay them a visit, if only to put my mind at rest that I’ve covered all the angles.”
“That’s all I can tell you, really, Inspector. Please, I’m begging you not to discount this case in favour of another one that you might deem more important. I honestly feel it in my stomach something terrible has occurred and that my father is in desperate need of our help… if he’s still alive, that is.” Fresh tears welled up in her eyes.
“Please don’t upset yourself. If your father wants to be found, I promise you that we’ll find him. However, if he’s determined not to be found, then it is totally out of our hands. I’ll register him as a missing person when I return to the station. I’m sure we’ll find out where he is soon. Just stay positive.”
Anita walked towards the front door of the house and opened it. “Have you ever been parted from a loved one, Inspector?”
Kayli smiled and nodded. “As it happens, yes, I have. Recently, in fact. Why do you ask?”
“Then you’ll know the empty feeling I have buried deep inside at present. It’s a terrible sensation and one that I am keen to get rid of. Please, please, do your best to bring my father home to me. I’m lost without him. He’s my absolute world. I could never forgive myself if I found out that something bad has happened to him.”
Kayli patted Anita on the forearm. “Honestly, you have my word. My team are the best in the area. If we can’t find him, then no one will. Rest assured we won’t stop the investigation until we have the answers that we are seeking.”
“Thank you. I believe you and wish you luck in your endeavours.”
Kayli handed Anita a business card. “If anything should come to mind, don’t hesitate to ring me, day or night. I’ll try and keep you updated as the case progresses, but give me and my team time to get the investigation underway first. We need something concrete to go on before we can be optimistic about bringing your father back to you.”