‘And what about the other car, did you recognise it?’
‘No, but then I don’t really take that much notice of the cars that come and go. It’s just that it was there when I looked out; it could’ve been there all evening for all I know. It was a hatchback, can’t tell you much more.’
‘Did you happen to hear what time Natalie came back?’
‘I heard the car about half hour later, or maybe forty-five minutes. I’m not sure, I didn’t look at the time. I looked out and saw Natalie’s car was back and the other car was pulling away.’
‘Did you see the driver?’
‘No, only saw the back of it.’
‘Okay, thank you, George.’ Meadows stood. ‘Anything else you remember, please let us know.’
* * *
‘I reckon we should go inside and confront her,’ Edris said as they sat in the car.
‘No, not yet. I want to see how she handles the appeal. It’s strange that all of them conveniently forgot to mention they had been out in the garden. Did something happen out there?’
‘They could all be in on it,’ Edris said. ‘Thought if they kept the story simple they would get away with it. Half an hour would be enough time to drive to the woods and–’
‘Yeah, I get the picture, but all of them?’
‘There could’ve been an accident and they panicked.’
Meadows ran his hand over his chin. It would explain why they’d all scarpered before the police arrived, but surely one of them would crack, and why wait until eleven to report the child missing?
‘Give Brianna a call, ask her to see if Natalie has a pink coat, I’ll look at the car.’
Meadows climbed out of the car and walked over to Natalie’s Fiesta. It was in the same state as the house had been earlier that day. Empty packets, crumbs, and fizzy drink cans littered the floor. The ashtray was crammed full and the seats were stained. A child seat, dirty and battered, was strapped in behind the passenger seat. Meadows knelt and looked at the wheels. There was mud ingrained in the tread. An image of Natalie driving into the woods with a lifeless Ella entered his mind, his stomach tightened, and he chased away the thought. The mud could be from anywhere.
He returned to his own car where Edris sat waiting.
‘No pink coat hanging up, but Brianna will check what coat Natalie puts on when they leave for the appeal,’ Edris said. ‘George could be lying about seeing Natalie go out in the car – could be trying to cover himself. He’s got a key and he was really nervous when we went in.’
‘I think that has more to do with his porn collection,’ Meadows said with a smile. ‘I caught a glimpse of some of his DVD covers.’
‘Yeah, well that just shows he’s a pervert.’ Edris pulled on his seatbelt as Meadows started the engine.
‘Never watched any yourself?’
‘Well I…’ Edris reddened.
‘From where I was sitting it looked harmless, but like you say he does have a key. Get Valentine to do a background check. At the moment, I am more interested in where Natalie went in the early hours of the morning. We better let Blackwell know the latest development, he may have to extend the search area.’
Chapter Six
Meadows drove past the footpath entrance to the woods where an officer stood looking bored. The next turning off the estate led to a single track into the wood. It was only wide enough for one vehicle, but a rough grass verge gave room to pass. They were waved on by two PCs who were monitoring the incoming vehicles. Up ahead a large search and rescue van was parked with several other cars lining the verge.
‘How far does this track run?’ Meadows asked as he pulled up.
‘All the way through, as far as I know.’
Great, that’s a vast amount of area to cover if Natalie did drive in here with Ella.
He got out of the car and drew in a lungful of air.
‘Blackwell looks like he’s in his element issuing orders,’ Edris said.
Meadows followed Edris’ gaze. Blackwell was stood in front of his car, surrounded by a group of people who appeared to be listening intently as he pointed in various directions.
‘Looks like he’s doing a good job.’
‘Hello, Tristan.’
Meadows turned and saw a pretty young woman approaching Edris. She had waist length wavy dark hair and soft chocolate eyes. It took him a moment to recognise her as the lady that ran the cake shop where he had bought the cakes that morning.
‘Hi, Marina,’ Edris said.
Not another one of his conquests.
‘Hello again.’ Marina smiled at Meadows. ‘I heard a little girl was missing and that you were searching the woods. I thought I’d get a few friends together and bring hot drinks and food for the search party. It’s cold and it will be dark soon.’
‘That’s very thoughtful of you,’ Edris said.
‘It’s probably best to ask Sergeant Blackwell.’ Meadows pointed him out. ‘He’s in charge of the search but I expect he will be grateful for a hot drink and something to eat. We’ve just got to have a quick word with him first.’
‘Okay, I’ll do that, thank you,’ Marina said.
Edris winked. ‘See you around.’
‘Don’t tell me she’s one of your ex-girlfriends or on the hit list,’ Meadows said as they walked towards Blackwell.
‘Okay I won’t,’ Edris said, ‘anyway I’m still seeing Harry and not about to cheat on her.’
‘Glad to hear it.’
‘At least I have some fun outside of work.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘Well, it’s about time you made a move on Daisy.’
Just her name made Meadows skin tingle. ‘I told you, I don’t think she’s interested.’
‘Bollocks, she is waiting for you to ask her out. She’s not going to make the first move. At this rate, you’ll end up like George. Alone with a porn collection.’ Edris laughed.
‘Cheeky sod. I did dance with her at the Christmas party.’
‘Three months ago.’
‘Well I haven’t had a chance to see her. It’s not like we are knee deep in bodies.’
‘How bloody romantic,’ Edris said. ‘You don’t need a dead body for an excuse to see her and there are telephones, you know.’
Meadows didn’t respond. They had come within Blackwell’s earshot. He’d seen them approach and broken away from the group beckoning one of the men to join him.
‘How’s it going?’ Meadows asked.
‘Slow progress.’ Blackwell huffed. ‘We’ve split the woods down into areas we think she would most likely be, given the direction she came from, her age, and how far she could have walked. It doesn’t help that we don’t know exactly how long she’s been missing. We found the toy off the footpath about half a mile in and we’re concentrating the search in that area. This is Craig. He’s head of Search and Rescue.’
He indicated the man stood next to him.
‘I would’ve expected to have found her by now or at least picked up some sign that she is in the woods,’ Craig said. ‘Although some areas are quite dense and it’s possible that she could’ve fallen or is exhausted. She could well be lying among the bracken or even have fallen into brambles. We’re almost out of light, it will make the search harder.’
‘We’ve formed groups who are working in lines off the path leading in, they’re due back shortly. Another team are on their way with the dogs, they should be able to pick up her scent,’ Blackwell said.
‘If she has wandered in here what are her chances of surviving?’ Meadows asked.
‘Not good,’ Craig said. ‘It depends how long she’s been out here. She’d be in her night clothes which are probably soaked by now. I don’t rate her chances of spending another night exposed to the cold and damp.’
‘If she’s in here,’ Blackwell said.
‘We can’t take any chances,’ Meadows said. ‘There’s another possibility. Natalie’s neighbour said he saw her drive off in the car at
around two this morning. She was gone about thirty to forty-five minutes.’
‘Enough time to drive in here and hide the child.’ Blackwell’s face darkened.
‘Exactly,’ Edris said.
‘But how did the toy get to the footpath?’ Meadows asked.
‘Someone could’ve carried her in and arranged to meet the car,’ Blackwell suggested.
‘Or they could’ve thrown the toy to confuse us,’ Edris said.
‘Or she simply wandered into the woods, someone has found her and taken her home.’ Meadows sighed.
‘Why would they do that?’ Edris asked.
‘Who knows? There is all sorts of reasons why people take children. There was that case in the Eighties where a woman who couldn’t have children of her own took a little boy from his pram that had been left outside the post office.’
‘Yeah and there’s also perverts and whack jobs,’ Blackwell said. ‘I guess we better extend the search. Plenty of locals offering help and I expect more to turn up. They can search the immediate area, I’ll let the pros search further afield.’
‘I think that’s wise,’ Meadows agreed.
‘Lester is sending a news crew, he wants an interview and some shots of the woods,’ Blackwell said.
‘I’ll let you handle that.’ Meadows smiled. ‘I’m sure you can keep the media under control.’
‘Damn right,’ Blackwell said.
‘We’re going to interview the sister again. Natalie was known to social services and seems she had a boyfriend with a dubious past.’
‘Oh, this just gets better,’ Blackwell said. ‘God knows what’s happened to that poor little mite.’
‘I’m not giving up hope and we still have to keep an eye on the father,’ Meadows said.
‘He’s out with the search party. Seems on the level.’
‘Okay, I’ll let you get back to the search. I’ll send someone to relieve you later.’
‘I’m not going anywhere,’ Blackwell snapped. ‘I’m staying until we have combed every inch of this place.’ He turned and sauntered off towards the group.
Chapter Seven
Meadows drove in and out of villages as they headed up the valley. Darkness was creeping into the sky with the mountain tops barely visible. They came to Bryn Coed village square where a blue painted pub sat opposite a church.
‘There’s a chippy there.’ Edris pointed.
‘I’ll stop on the way back if you’re that hungry,’ Meadows said as he took a left turn. He drove over the old railway crossing then followed the road that ran alongside the river.
‘Right, we better see what Nia has to say. I guess she didn’t want to talk in front of her sister.’
Meadows parked the car outside Nia’s detached.
‘Nice place,’ Edris said.
‘Yes, looks like she’s had better luck than her sister.’
Meadows looked out the window. The house was set back from the pavement, with a car port to one side. A paved area held pots with budding spring bulbs.
They made their way to the front door and rang the bell. Chimes could be heard echoing through the house on the other side. The door was opened a fraction and the head of a little girl peered around. Meadows thought her to be about ten years old. She had the same strawberry blond hair as her mother.
‘Hello.’ Meadows smiled. ‘Is your mother at home?’
The girl nodded and opened the door. Nia was walking down the hallway with a mobile phone held to her ear.
‘I have to go, I’ll call you back.’ She ended the call. ‘You better come in.’ She turned to the girl. ‘Go and sit with your sister, Gracie.’ Nia turned and led the way into the sitting room.
Meadows’ eyes scanned the room. Gracie sat on the sofa with a younger sibling, both watching the television. The room was neat, decorated in pastel colours with a large family photo hanging over the mantle.
‘Let’s go into the kitchen,’ Nia said. She led them in and closed the door. ‘That was Leanne on the phone, I’m trying to dissuade her from coming over. She hasn’t long been on a visit and she has her son to look after. There isn’t much she could do if she was here.’
‘Where was it you said she lived?’ Edris asked.
‘The Isle of Man.’ Nia turned to the stove where two saucepans emitted steam into the extractor fan.
‘How long has she lived there?’ Meadows asked.
‘About five years. Her husband is originally from the island.’
‘How old is her son?’
‘Elijah is two.’ Nia gave a tight smile.
‘I guess it must be difficult for her being so far away. She must be really worried about her sister and niece.’ Meadows leaned against the counter.
‘She is, but like I said there isn’t anything she can do.’ She adjusted the heat on the stove and turned to face Meadows. ‘What can I do for you? I don’t mean to be rude, but I’d like to feed the girls before I go to the station. I want to be there to support Nat when she does the appeal. I don’t have a lot of time.’
Meadows noticed the dark circles beneath her eyes, visible now her makeup had worn off.
‘We won’t keep you long, but we do need to ask you a few questions. We can talk as you prepare food, just move us along if we are in your way.’ Meadows smiled. ‘When you called at Natalie’s last night did you go into the sitting room?’
‘Only briefly.’
‘What were Natalie and her friends doing?’
‘Getting drunk and stoned.’ Nia sighed. ‘It’s what they usually do.’
‘They were smoking cannabis?’
‘Yeah, the place stank of the stuff.’
‘Was Natalie smoking?’
Nia shrugged. ‘I guess so, you don’t need to smoke the stuff, you get stoned just sitting there.’
‘Who was in the room?’
‘Nat, Claire, Dan, Jamie…’ Nia opened the oven and peered inside.
‘Who else was there?’ Meadows stepped back from the heat of the oven.
Nia straightened up. ‘Ryan was there.’
‘Why didn’t you mention this earlier?’ Edris asked.
‘Because he’s not supposed to be there. Nat would kick off if I said anything.’
The kitchen door opened, and a man walked in. He was dressed in a charcoal suit with a blue striped shirt and spotted tie. He looked from Nia to Meadows and Edris. ‘Any news?’
‘No,’ Nia said. ‘This is Detective Meadows and Detective Edris. They just came around to ask a few questions. This is my husband, Andy.’
Andy shook hands with the two men. ‘Take a seat,’ he said. ‘Can I offer you a cup of tea?’
Nia shot her husband a look. ‘They’re not staying long. I need to get ready.’
Meadows pulled out a chair and sat. ‘We appreciate that Nia is busy,’ he said.
‘Well I’m sure you could do with a cuppa. I’m having one.’ Andy smiled.
‘That would be great,’ Edris said and joined Meadows at the table.
While Andy set about preparing the tea, Nia took a stack of plates from the cupboard and began placing them on the table.
‘You were telling us about Ryan,’ Meadows said breaking the silence.
‘Yes, he was there last night. He’s there most of the time but Nat will deny it if you ask her.’
‘You don’t approve of her relationship with Ryan?’
‘He’s a druggy, not fit to be around a child.’
‘Is that why you contacted social services?’ Edris asked.
‘That’s supposed to be confidential,’ Nia snapped.
‘Given the situation, social services were at liberty to tell us,’ Meadows said.
‘Well, I’d appreciate it if Nat didn’t find out. If she stops me going around then who is going to keep an eye on Ella?’ Nia bit her lip and turned away.
‘She had no choice,’ Andy said. ‘Natalie wouldn’t listen to her, she kept on seeing Ryan.’
‘Do you think that Ryan is capable of
hurting Ella?’ Meadows asked.
Nia turned and looked at Meadows.
‘You know about her broken arm?’
‘Yes, Natalie said she had fallen off the bed.’
‘That’s her story,’ Nia said.
‘That one lies so much you can’t believe her radio,’ Andy said.
‘You think that Ryan was responsible and Natalie protected him?’ Meadows asked.
‘You don’t know what she’s like, she’s selfish,’ Nia said.
‘But do you really think she would put Ryan before her own daughter?’
Nia shrugged her shoulders. ‘I don’t know but there were other injuries. Bruises on her legs and arms. I think Ryan has some sort of hold on Nat. Probably drugs.’
‘Have you seen Natalie take drugs?’ Edris asked.
‘No but you’ve seen the state of her, she looks more like forty. She’s lost so much weight and I swear she’s out of it most of the time. She looks like one of those junkies you see on TV.’
She’s got a point. Classic look of a user.
‘She does manage to hold down a job.’
‘Maybe she takes something to get her through the day,’ Nia said.
‘Have you asked her?’
‘Yes, but she denies it of course. I even asked around, see if I could find out if someone was supplying her with drugs.’
‘What did you find out?’
‘Nothing really, people won’t talk to you unless you’re one of them.’
Andy placed two mugs on the table. Meadows took a sip of tea. It tasted wonderful, the last cup he’d drunk had been at the station. It seemed like days ago.
‘Social services reported that Natalie seemed to be coping. There were no major concerns regarding Ella’s welfare.’
Nia laughed. ‘Well, they would think everything is okay. They made appointments to see her. Gave her a chance to get Ryan out of the way, clean up, and put on a show of mother of the year.’
‘But you didn’t make a complaint to social services until three months ago. Ryan has been around a lot longer. Why wait?’
‘My mother got sick. Before that she was over there every day, cleaning, taking care of Ella, and making sure there was food in the fridge. She covered up for Nat. I’ve tried but I have my own family, as well as Mum to look after. I also work. I can’t be there every day to watch her. I even tried helping her to sort out that bloody garden so Ella could have somewhere to play. I paid for new slabs, I thought she’d take an interest in a new patio, but she wouldn’t even come out to help me and Andy pick up the old ones.’
Suffer the Children Page 6