‘Fuck off,’ Blackwell barked.
‘Hey, I was giving you a compliment.’ Edris shrugged.
Blackwell ignored him and turned to Meadows. ‘I’ve sent the locals home. It’s too dark for them and they’re more of a liability.’
‘Perhaps you should call it a night,’ Meadows suggested.
‘Search and rescue are still out with the dogs. I’ll wait until they come back. If it wasn’t for the fact that we found the girl’s toy I would’ve given up long ago. I don’t think she’s here though.’
Blackwell’s radio crackled to life, he hit the receiver and held it to his ear.
‘On our way. They’ve found something.’ He opened the car boot and took out three torches. ‘You’re going to need these. Come on, get in, I’ll drive.’
Meadows felt his stomach tighten as they sped along the track, the car swaying from side to side.
This doesn’t sound good, if they had found her alive they would’ve said and called for an ambulance.
‘They’re about two miles in.’ Blackwell’s jaw was clenched, his eyes fixed ahead. ‘That’s almost three miles from the entrance of the estate. Too far for her to wander alone, I reckon.’
Up ahead Meadows caught a glimpse of light. As they drew nearer they could see it was a man stood on the verge with a torch. An Alsatian dog sat at his heel.
‘It’s Craig.’ Blackwell stopped the car and they all climbed out.
‘It’s not too far in but watch your footing, there’s a lot of exposed roots.’ Craig turned away.
Meadows wanted to ask what exactly they had found but dreaded the answer. He knew that was the reason that Blackwell and Edris remained silent as they followed Craig through the trees.
‘I left the others to finish uncovering the earth.’ Craig stopped and turned to face them. ‘We’re not sure yet.’ He looked grim.
They continued in silence. Meadows kept his torch trailed on the ground. It wasn’t an easy route, branches snagged at his jacket and tree roots stubbed at his toes. They came to a small clearing and two men could be seen kneeling on the ground, gently brushing the earth.
‘Anything, Tom?’ Craig said.
‘Just these.’ Tom stood and held up an item of clothing.
Meadows stepped forward and shined his torch on the small pyjama top. It was covered in earth, but a crown and the name Ella were clearly visible.
‘That’s what she was dressed in when she went missing.’
He watched as the pyjama bottoms were pulled out together with a vest and nappy. Anger spiked his veins, he turned to Blackwell.
‘Get forensics out here.’
Blackwell took out his phone and stepped away from the group but could be heard barking orders.
‘It looks like it’s only her clothing. To be honest, when we found them we thought the worst.’ Craig looked down into the hole.
‘I don’t think we are looking for a missing child anymore,’ Edris said.
‘The dogs are cross-trained. They can pick up the scent of a living person or…’ Craig sighed. ‘If she is here we’ll find her, no matter how well hidden.’
‘Why take off her clothes and bury them?’ Edris asked.
‘Because we’re probably dealing with some sick fuck,’ Blackwell said as he re-joined the group. ‘SOCO are on their way.’
‘Let’s get these things bagged up and we better move the vehicles. We need to seal off this part of the woods.’ Meadows looked around the small clearing. ‘Hopefully not too many people have trampled this way, we might be able to get some prints.’
SOCO arrived and soon the area was flooded with light and a tent was erected over the hole to preserve any evidence. The hours ticked by as Meadows stood and watched the forensic team pick through the earth and take photographs. Now and again the voice of one of the search team could be heard giving commands to the dogs. When this happened, Meadows held his breath expecting a shout that they had found the girl, but none came.
‘I don’t understand,’ Edris said and yawned. ‘The toy was found near the footpath off the estate which is over two miles away and now we have a pile of clothes and nothing else. Surely, they wouldn’t have walked all this way to find a random spot. What’s the point of dumping the clothes here?’
‘It does seem like a trail of breadcrumbs,’ Meadows said.
‘Yeah but leading us to what?’
‘We have to assume that whoever took Ella carried her into the woods from the estate, she dropped the toy along the way which means she would be awake. Then possibly they met up with someone in a car. We know that two cars were outside Natalie’s house in the early hours. According to George, Natalie drove off, or someone wearing her coat. They put Ella in the car and drove further in, parked up and walked to this spot.’ Meadows ran his hand over his chin, he could feel the stubble coming through. ‘So, they stripped her, buried the clothes and… no, it doesn’t make much sense.’
‘Are we going to tell Natalie about the clothes?’
Meadows looked at his watch. ‘No point at this hour, it can wait.’
Craig and his team returned with the dogs.
‘They’re not picking up anything, I’m sorry.’
‘Call it off and start again at first light,’ Meadows said. An image of the little girl flashed across his mind.
I’m not giving up on you sweetheart – not yet.
Chapter Twelve
Meadows drove towards home. Each village he passed through was still – no lights on in the houses, and no cars on the road. He reached Bryn Bach and turned down the farm track to his cottage. Inside was cold and smelled of fresh paint. Half the walls were still orange in the sitting room, the other half had the first coat of stardust. All the furniture had been piled up in the centre of the room and covered with a dust sheet.
I shouldn’t have started the decorating. It will end up looking like this for the rest of the year, he thought.
He pulled off the dust sheet and moved the armchair to the corner, placed a table and lamp next to the chair then went to the kitchen and brewed a cup of camomile tea.
Back in the sitting room he retrieved his stash from its hiding place and sat in the armchair rolling a joint.
What am I missing? He lit the joint and inhaled. A house full of drunk and stoned adults, two cars outside, clothes buried in the woods.
He felt the knots loosen in his muscles with each pull on the joint.
Were we meant to think she was in the woods to pull our attention away from somewhere else? We’ve checked all the homes of the relatives and those in close contact with Ella.
His thoughts swirled around with no conclusion. He stubbed the joint and closed his eyes letting his head fall back against the chair but he couldn’t sleep. Sighing he got up and made himself a snack before taking a shower and changing into fresh clothes. His eyes ached with fatigue, but he knew his mind would not let him rest, not with the image of the small dirt-stained pyjamas etched in his memory.
* * *
The upstairs office in the police station was silent when Meadows arrived. He made a strong cup of coffee and sat at his desk with a pile of statements from friends and neighbours and reports from social services, and Ryan’s drug arrest. He read until his eyes stung but nothing stood out. He groaned as he stood up and stretched before walking to the incident board.
It all comes back to Natalie and her friends. Meadows ran his hands through his hair as he concentrated on coming up with a plausible scenario. Nia came at ten and Ella was sleeping. Natalie and her friends were in the sitting room, drinking, smoking, and probably taking something else. What then? Ella wakes up crying for attention, someone goes up, probably Natalie, tries to settle her down but nothing works. Natalie is frustrated because she’s missing out on the fun, so she takes Ella downstairs. Now there are five adults all drunk, stoned, and incapable of watching a small child. Maybe there was an accident.
Meadows walked to his desk and picked up the drug raid report. MDMA wa
s found as well as cocaine and cannabis.
What if Ella picked up one of the pills? She would likely start fitting. They panic, take her to the car intending to drive to hospital but it’s too late. They take her into the woods and come up with the story that Ella wandered out of the house. But we would have found her by now, and why bury the clothes separately? Then there was the other car that was parked outside. No, this has to be something other than an accident – a planned disappearance?
‘In early? Or haven’t you been home?’
Meadows turned around and saw Blackwell plonk himself down at his desk.
‘The latter. Just a quick shower and change. You?’
‘Much the same. You look like shit.’
Meadows smiled. ‘Likewise.’
‘SOCO got some good prints from the site where we found the clothes. They eliminated ours and the search teams, which leaves a size ten trainer and a size five boot. Mike should be here in a mo.’
‘They must have been working all night.’
‘Yeah well, I told them we needed something to go on,’ Blackwell said.
I bet Mike’s not going to be a happy man having had Blackwell on his case all night. Meadows lips twitched.
The door swung open and a dishevelled looking man walked in.
‘Haven’t got much for you I’m afraid.’
‘You look how I feel, Mike.’ Meadows smiled. ‘I’ll be happy with anything you’ve got.’
‘Print is a size ten, well-worn trainer. Nothing special, probably worn by half the valley.’ Mike handed a photo to Meadows.
‘We got a few partials as well but that’s the best one. What’s interesting is that the tread is weighted at the front.’ He pointed to the photo.
‘A limp maybe.’ Blackwell left his desk and came to peer at the photograph.
‘Or shoes too big,’ Meadows suggested.
‘Could be,’ Mike said, ‘but that’s your job to work out.’
‘And the other prints?’
‘Looks like a ladies’ block heeled boot, size five, worn on the tread. We’ll check out the make.’
‘So, it looks like two of them went in, one male one female,’ Meadows said.
As they stood discussing the prints the rest of the team filtered in.
‘How come you look so fresh, Valentine,’ Edris asked.
‘Practice.’ Valentine winked. ‘You don’t want to know how many times I’ve been out and only had a few hours’ sleep before pitching up for work.’
‘Yeah well, you’ll be feeling it by this afternoon,’ Blackwell said.
‘What about the clothes?’ Meadows asked. ‘Did you get anything from them?’
‘We’re testing for DNA. We expect to find the child’s and the mother’s, but maybe there will be something to work with. No visible blood stains.’
‘Well that’s something,’ Meadows said.
‘Do we think she’s still alive?’ Paskin asked.
Blackwell shook his head. ‘It doesn’t seem likely.’
‘Let’s not give up hope yet. There may be some other reason the clothes were removed and buried. There have been plenty of cases of illegal adoption. If someone is willing to pay enough money, they can get a child to order.’ He looked around the team who all looked doubtful. ‘Well, it’s a better alternative and one we have to consider. I want all this lot brought in.’ He pointed to the board.
‘All of them?’ Valentine asked. ‘Including Dylan?’
‘Yes, one of them knows what happened to Ella, if not all of them. She didn’t walk out of that house on her own. If they don’t cooperate, arrest them. Better organise a search warrant. I want a thorough search of every property. I want their clothing, shoes, computers, and phones.’
‘You think Dylan would sell his own daughter?’ Paskin asked.
‘He doesn’t want her brought up by Natalie and if he thought he wouldn’t get custody then maybe he would rather see her with a loving family. According to Nia, Natalie has no interest in her child and is struggling for money. That’s enough motive. And these three’ – he pointed to Dan, Jamie, and Claire – ‘would sell their granny for a bag of weed. As for Ryan Phillips, he’s a slippery character. I don’t want to imagine what he’s capable of.’
Meadows let out a breath, he could feel the tension binding his ribs and his head was throbbing from lack of sleep.
‘Okay, let’s get to it,’ Blackwell said.
‘Good. First up, I’m going to see Nia. I’m sure she was holding back on us yesterday. As soon as the warrants are signed pick them all up. Valentine, can you give Brianna a call, tell her to bring in Natalie. Paskin, Blackwell, I’ll leave you to sort the warrants.’
‘Yeah, I’ll gladly drag the magistrate from his breakfast,’ Blackwell said with a grin.
‘That’s what I’m counting on,’ Meadows replied as he walked out the door.
‘Bit early to be calling on Nia, isn’t it?’ Edris jogged down the stairs behind Meadows.
‘She has children, so she’ll be up.’
‘Are you okay?’
‘Yes, why?’ Meadows turned to look at Edris.
‘It’s just, well, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so wound up. Even Blackwell didn’t argue with you.’
‘I just keep seeing that picture of Ella, all smiles and innocence. She’s got her whole life ahead of her. She should be home, safe and loved. Not alone, afraid, or even dead. Someone knows what happened to her, a child doesn’t just disappear,’ Meadows said. ‘While there is a chance she is still alive, no matter how small, we have to keep trying.’
He started the car and gripped the steering wheel.
‘It doesn’t look good though,’ Edris said.
‘No, it doesn’t, but I just have this feeling that she’s out there somewhere.’
They drove in silence to Nia’s house. There were plenty of cars on the road as people started to make their way to work. Meadows noted the absence of a second car in the driveway as he parked.
‘Looks like her husband has already left, maybe she will feel able to tell us more if she’s alone.’
Nia opened the door and Meadows noticed that she visibly paled when she recognised their faces.
‘We don’t have any news,’ Meadows quickly reassured her, ‘but we do need to ask you a few more questions. I’m sorry it’s so early.’
Nia put her hand to her chest. ‘For a moment, I thought you’d come to tell me… I thought it was bad news.’ She stepped back to allow them to enter. ‘I’m just getting the girls ready for school,’ she said as she led them into the kitchen.
The two girls were sat at the kitchen table wearing identical uniforms and eating from bowls of cereal.
‘Morning ladies.’ Edris took a seat at the table. ‘That looks yummy, I only got Marmite on toast this morning.’
‘I think Edris can keep them entertained for a few minutes,’ Meadows said.
Nia nodded. ‘I’m just going to have a little chat with the policeman, why don’t you ask Detective Edris to help you with your spelling test?’
Meadows followed Nia into the sitting room and waited for her to close the door.
‘Even though we haven’t found Ella yet, we have found evidence that she was in the woods at some point.’
‘Natalie said you found Buba,’ Nia said.
‘We found a lot more than that, but I can’t really go into it now. I got the impression that you wanted to say more yesterday. I need you to tell me everything you know, no matter how insignificant it seems.’
‘I’ve told you everything.’ Nia folded her arms.
Maybe I misread the situation.
‘Has Natalie ever talked about giving up custody to Dylan, or adoption?’
‘Not to me, she wasn’t happy when she got pregnant but then she seemed to enjoy the attention.’
‘Why don’t you like Ryan, is it more than the fact that he takes drugs?’
Nia bit her lip. ‘It’s more of a feeling really.’
‘Go on.’
‘Last summer we had a pool party for Grace. Natalie brought Ryan. I didn’t like the way he looked at the girls in their swimsuits.’
‘You think he has an unhealthy interest in young girls?’
‘Like I said, it’s just a feeling. He took a lot of photos. I didn’t want to say anything in front of Andy. Well, you can imagine what his reaction would be.’
‘We have a warrant to search his mother’s house so if there is anything like that I’m sure we’ll find it. I didn’t see a lot of his possessions at his mother’s house, do you think he’s living with Natalie?’
‘His mother’s house?’ Nia frowned. ‘He has a flat in Ynys Melyn, it’s the old grocers that was converted to flats. He has the upstairs one. You haven’t checked it out?’
Ella could be there. Meadows felt a twinge of hope.
‘Are you sure he’s still there? We found no record of Ryan renting a flat.’
‘You wouldn’t, the flat is in Jamie’s name, and he claims housing benefit but lives with Claire.’
Meadows felt a sudden rush of adrenalin and a need to move fast. He called Edris from the kitchen and hurried to the car. Meadows quickly filled in Edris.
‘Call Paskin and ask her how they are getting on with the warrants. Get a car to meet us there.’
He pulled the car onto the main road as Edris made the call.
‘Warrants signed,’ Edris said. ‘I can’t believe we missed it, the kid could have been there all along.’
‘We’ll go straight in, knock down the door if we have to.’
Meadows gripped the steering wheel as he sped towards Ynys Melyn. A police car was already parked outside the flats as they pulled up.
‘He’s here.’ Edris pointed to Ryan’s car that was parked a few doors up on the opposite side of the road.
‘Let’s’ go.’ Meadows climbed out of the car and was met by PC Matt Hanes.
‘We’ve got the paperwork,’ Hanes said.
‘Good.’ Meadows pressed the buzzer for the flat, counted to ten then pressed again, this time keeping the buzzer pressed in. ‘He’s had enough time.’ He turned to Hanes. ‘Break it down.’
Hanes moved quickly to the car and returned with a burly officer. Meadows and Edris stood back as they hurled the battering ram at the door. The noise echoed through the street. With another two hits the door gave way.
Suffer the Children Page 9