The solicitor scanned the document and furrowed his eyebrows.
‘This is in connection to the missing child.’
‘Yes,’ Blackwell said. ‘Now we’re all on the same page let’s get on with it. We have witnesses that place your client in the home of Natalie Beynon on the night her daughter Ella went missing. We also have a match from the trainers taken from your client’s home to a print found where the child’s clothes were buried in Coopers Wood.’
‘That’s bullshit.’ Ryan’s fist slammed into the table. ‘You’re trying to stitch me up.’
Blackwell took two photographs from the file, laid them side by side and shoved them towards Ryan. He pointed to the first photograph.
‘This is the print taken from the woods, size ten, the same as you wear. This one’ – Blackwell jabbed at the photo – ‘is from your trainer. Exact match. We also took a sample of the earth from the tread of your trainer and surprise, it’s a match to the soil found in Coopers Wood.’
Ryan’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the photos, then his face relaxed and he sat back in the chair.
‘Yeah, I was in the woods yesterday. I went with Claire and Jamie to help search for Ella. Loads of people saw us.’
How convenient, he probably went into the woods to cover his tracks and keep an eye on things. Slimy sucker was undoubtedly laughing behind our backs.
‘The thing is, the search parties were nowhere near where we found the prints.’
‘Yeah, well I may have wandered off for a bit, had a smoke, for medical reasons. Had to go away from the group as you lot can be a bit funny about the herbal.’
‘Stop pissing us about,’ Blackwell snapped. ‘You took that little girl into Coopers Wood, stripped her and–’
‘No! I’m not a fucking perv.’
‘What were you doing with her then?’ Blackwell’s eyes glinted dangerously.
‘Nothing, I didn’t take her.’ Ryan turned to the solicitor. ‘Are you listening to this shit? Are you going to say something or what?’
‘My client has given you an explanation as to why his footprint may have been in the woods. It looks like a fairly standard trainer to me. A lot of young men wear trainers and are a size ten, wouldn’t you agree?’
‘And what’s the probability of an exact match? That, together with the fact that your client was in the house at the time the child went missing and lied when questioned, doesn’t look good,’ Meadows said.
‘I didn’t want to get Natalie into trouble, I think she has enough on her plate,’ Ryan said.
Meadows could sense Blackwell’s frustration. A vein throbbed in his forehead and his jaw was set.
He’s going to lose his temper in a minute. Time to try a different angle.
‘Quite a little factory you’ve got going in your attic. Must have cost a bit to set up.’
‘So now we get to it, you use the kid as an excuse to have a shifty around my place. Don’t think you’re allowed to do that.’ Ryan smirked.
‘Finding the drugs was a bonus,’ Blackwell said. ‘You’re not going to squirm your way out of this one. So, what was it, someone paid you off to snatch the kid?’
‘You’ve got a sick mind,’ Ryan snarled. ‘Actually, it’s not my place, I’m just house sitting for a mate. Drugs up the attic you say, I’ve never been up there.’
‘I’m sure forensics will say differently.’ Meadows smiled. ‘Where did you get the money for the set up?’
Ryan shrugged. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘Sunday night you had a party, drinks, and drugs. No point in denying it, the others have coughed,’ Blackwell said. ‘Even your sister. They’re more interested in saving their own arses than covering for you. I suppose you’re not much of a threat if you’re banged up. They were more than happy to tell us that you brought some mushrooms to the party.’
Ryan grinned. ‘Don’t think so. I may have brought some bacon and eggs for brekky but I’m not keen on mushrooms.’
‘Cut the crap,’ Blackwell barked. ‘Shrooms, hallucinogenic drugs. You were all off your faces.’
‘If you’ve nothing to hide then your story should match what the others have told us,’ Meadows said. ‘Just tell us what happened on Sunday night.’
‘I told you I don’t know what happened to the kid. Nat put her to bed, I didn’t see her after that. I’m not saying any more, let me go or charge me.’ Ryan sat back in the chair his knees bouncing up and down.
‘What’s the matter? Nicotine withdrawals kicking in or do you need a toke?’ Blackwell leaned across the table. ‘Talk us through Sunday night and we can get things moving, or I’m happy to stay here for as long as it takes.’
Ryan huffed. ‘Got to Nat’s about six, she put Ella to bed. We had a few drinks, smokes, and a brew, then I crashed on the sofa.’
‘You were out the garden,’ Meadows said. ‘What were you doing out there?’
‘Just messing around. We were pretty wasted.’
This is just wasting time.
Meadows stood up. ‘Charge him with assault and cultivation of cannabis and put him back in the cell.’
‘What! You can’t do that.’ Ryan leaped from his chair. ‘You have nothing on me.’
‘Sit down,’ Blackwell said. ‘You can tell your story to the magistrate. In the meantime, I suggest you think long and hard about what happened on Sunday night. A little girl is missing, and it doesn’t look good for you.’
* * *
Meadows left the interview room and headed back upstairs where the rest of the team were gathered. ‘Please tell me you have something?’
‘All the same story,’ Edris said. ‘Few drinks, a brew, and passed out in the sitting room. Didn’t see or hear the child.’
‘No one is owning up to supplying the mushrooms,’ Paskin said.
‘Claire wears a size six shoe,’ Valentine said. ‘She admits to taking the mushrooms and only vaguely remembers being out the garden, sounds like they were all tripping.’
‘He’s back in his cell and kicking off,’ Blackwell informed them as he walked in followed by Lester.
‘Carry on,’ Lester said and took a seat.
‘We’ve got Natalie’s clothing, shoes, boots, and laptop,’ Valentine said. ‘So far there hasn’t been a match to the boots.’
Maybe she has another pair of boots and they have conveniently gone missing like her coat.
‘Okay, I want her finances checked, see if she was in debt and if she’s received any unusual payments. Check the search history and social media on her laptop, see if she’s been complaining about being a single working mother and if she searched any adoption sites. That goes for Ryan too, the money for his cannabis venture must have come from somewhere. Nia also suggested that he may have an unhealthy interest in children. Get the tech guys to give his laptop a thorough search.’
‘What about Claire, Jamie, and Dan?’ Paskin asked. ‘We don’t have anything solid to link them to Ella’s disappearance other than the fact they were at the house. No match on the shoeprints.’
‘Doesn’t mean they’re not involved,’ Blackwell said.
Meadows suddenly felt an overwhelming fatigue. He walked to the incident board and massaged the back of his neck.
‘They can stay here until the search teams have finished then I guess we have to let them go. Brianna will be with Natalie so she can keep an eye on her, but unless she gets some sort of flashback, even Natalie doesn’t know if she’s involved in her daughter’s disappearance.’
Lester stood and looked around the team.
‘You’ve all done an impeccable job so far, but I think it’s time you all went home and got some rest.’
‘I think there may be a chance that she’s still alive,’ Meadows said. ‘She’s already been missing for over thirty hours, maybe as much as thirty-eight. Her chances are diminishing by the minute.’
‘The search teams are still in the woods, we are following up leads on the appeal, and I’ve got
a team in to sub you. You can’t work to your full potential when you’re all exhausted. How much sleep did you get last night?’
I didn’t.
Meadows looked around at the team, Lester was right, they all looked exhausted. ‘He’s right, go on, all of you get home and get some rest.’
‘That goes for you too,’ Lester said.
The phone on Meadows’ desk trilled. Edris who was the nearest leaned over and picked it up. The room grew silent as they listened to Edris’ conversation and Meadows felt a cold creep over his skin. Edris replaced the phone and looked at Meadows.
‘They’ve found a body.’
Chapter Fourteen
I had to go and look. I couldn’t help myself. It’s like those detective dramas you see on the TV where the police hang around the victim’s funeral convinced that the murderer will turn up. It’s true, there is an inexplicable desire to return to the place you ran from, a place you never wanted to see again. It would’ve been different if I had someone to confide in, someone to tell me that it would be madness to go there, and maybe I would’ve stayed away, but there is no one. This is my burden alone, my secret. So, I went. It took me a long time to decide where to park the car. I thought of going into the woods, no one would see me there. But I couldn’t, it was still cordoned off with the search. I parked on the other side of the estate and walked. I pulled my hair back and didn’t bother with make-up. I was certain no one would know me and I would blend in.
As I walked towards the house, I could see a police car and a van parked outside. One man came out of the house dressed in protective clothing, he opened the van and took out a box before returning to the house. I hurried along, hoping to get a glimpse inside before he shut the door, but he was too quick.
I slowed down as I passed the house, my heart was thudding in my chest making my ears ring. I forced myself to keep moving and as I walked past I glanced down the side path. I saw them silently combing the garden and my stomach twisted. I thought I was going to be sick and found my feet wouldn’t move. I was sure one of them was going to spot me and come down the path, demand to know what I was doing there. Panic made my hands shake and there didn’t seem to be enough oxygen in the air. The pavement moved beneath my feet and I reached out a hand to steady myself.
I don’t know how long I stood there, it seemed like hours, but it must only have been a few moments. It took all my strength not to walk down the path and put an end to it, instead I forced my feet to move; small steps. The next-door neighbour was stood at her door, a small boy at her feet. I talked to her for a few minutes and explained that I just wanted to see if there was news on the missing child. She told me no, but that the mother had been taken away in a police car and that her boyfriend had been arrested. I felt nothing but pity for the child’s mother and what she must be going through. I realised how foolish I’d been to come and turned to hurry back to the car.
I almost made it, but he was walking past my car. I kept my eyes down hoping he wouldn’t recognise me, but of course he did, he called my name and a smile lit his face. He invited me back for a drink, I couldn’t refuse, I could tell by his face that he knew he still had a hold on me. The house was just the same, same worn furniture, same smell. It brought back the feelings of shame that left my skin creeping. I knew what he wanted, and it was the only way to buy his silence, so I told him to put the dog outside and not bother with the tea.
His greedy hands groped my body as we walked up the stairs to the bedroom. I felt sick. Now that he had found me again, there would be no end. There was only one way out.
Chapter Fifteen
A small crowd had gathered outside Natalie’s house and were craning their necks to see into the garden. On the opposite side of the road, neighbours gathered on their doorsteps.
‘How come this lot are hanging around, we’ve only just got the call ourselves,’ Edris said from the back seat.
‘Probably one of the neighbours peeking over the fence.’ Meadows switched off the engine.
‘Move them along,’ Lester said over his shoulder. ‘We don’t want this lot speculating and calling the papers. The place will be crawling with the press.’
They got out of the car. Meadows and Lester took the side path leading to the garden, leaving Edris to deal with the gossips. A tent had been erected over stony earth where the patio had been pulled up. Natalie’s dogs could be heard barking from within the house and were joined by the yapping of the neighbour’s dog on the other side of the fence.
Mike was stood outside the tent while the other forensic officers carefully combed the rest of the garden. ‘Not what we were expecting to find,’ Mike said. ‘There’s just enough room for the two of you to squeeze in.’
Meadows followed Mike into the tent and crouched by the makeshift grave.
‘Good Lord,’ Lester exclaimed.
Meadows peered at the tiny skeleton, perfectly formed, with remnants of material and plastic clinging to the bones.
‘Daisy’s on her way, although I doubt there’s much she’ll be able to tell you at this stage,’ Mike said.
Meadows felt a tingle in his stomach at the mention of her name and instinctively rubbed his hand over his face.
I should’ve shaved. Oh, stop your nonsense, there are more important things to worry about.
‘Did you pull up the slabs?’ he asked.
‘No, most of them were already up and the earth disturbed. Lots of shoeprints and it looks like the dogs have had a bit of a dig, but the skeleton wasn’t exposed. We just took off a layer of earth to be thorough. Just as well, as no one would ever have known the poor mite was there.’
‘Someone knew,’ Meadows said.
‘One missing child and another buried in the garden, the press will have a field day with this,’ Lester said.
‘Looks like this one has been here quite a while,’ Mike said.
‘So, what’s your story, little one, and whose secret are you keeping?’ Meadows stood up in time to see Edris poke his head in the tent.
‘Daisy is here.’ Edris gave Meadows a sly wink.
‘I’ll give you some room,’ Mike said. He left the tent, followed by Lester.
Meadows stood a little straighter as Daisy Moore entered the tent. He gave her a smile which he hoped looked natural.
She peered into the grave, her eyes filled with pity. Meadows thought he saw a look of pain flit across her face before she appeared to compose herself and kneel on the ground.
‘Are you okay?’ Meadows asked.
‘Yes of course,’ Daisy snapped. She sighed and relaxed her shoulders. ‘Sorry, it’s just… well, when it’s a child...’
‘Yes,’ Meadows agreed, although he was sure there was more to Daisy’s unease. He watched as she carefully examined the skeleton. Her long black hair was twisted and pinned up to reveal an elegant neck.
‘She’s about three months old.’
‘A little girl then?’ Meadows crouched down besides Daisy.
‘No, well I don’t know, but I’m not going to refer to her as it.’
‘Okay, that’s fine.’
This was not the Daisy that Meadows was used to.
Is she angry with me or is it something else? I hope it’s the latter.
‘Is there anything you can tell me?’
‘Not a lot I’m afraid. It’s going to be difficult if not impossible to give you a cause of death, unless I find any obvious fractures. She’s been in here a while. Could be twenty years or more. You’ll need a forensic anthropologist; I’ll make a few calls. Meanwhile I’ll take a few soil samples and get her moved. Maybe what’s left of the material can tell us something. If you look here.’ She pointed to the pelvic area. ‘Looks like the remains of a disposable nappy, I think they became popular in the seventies.’
‘You think she could’ve been here that long?’
‘It’s possible. Like I said, I will need to run some tests, but I’ll push them through as quickly as possible, get a DNA profile, and sex.
’
‘Thank you.’
Daisy nodded and turned her attention back to the skeleton. ‘Right sweetie, let’s make a start on getting you out.’
‘I’ll leave you to it.’ Meadows stood and left the tent. Lester was talking to Edris who looked like he was struggling not to yawn.
‘I think it’s worth talking to the neighbour,’ Meadows said. ‘He’s lived here for thirty years. He might be able to tell us who lived here and who laid the patio.’
‘It can wait until the morning,’ Lester said. ‘There’s nothing you can do for that little one tonight. Drop me back at the station and go get yourself some rest.’
As much as Meadows wanted to stay, he had to admit that he was struggling, his head hurt, shoulder throbbed, and his mood was low. He didn’t feel like going home so he dropped off Lester and Edris then drove to his mother’s house. The smell of herbs and freshly baked bread in the kitchen eased his headache as he sat and watched his mother prepare camomile tea, her long plaited hair swinging across her back as she padded barefoot across the tiles.
‘You look shattered, love.’ Fern placed a mug on the table. ‘You drink this, it will help you sleep. I bet you’ve been filling your body with crap all day to stay awake.’
‘Yeah, I’ve drunk a fair amount of coffee, I can’t exactly send Edris to get a cup of herbal,’ he said. ‘I get enough stick about being a veggie as it is. Anyway, I enjoy a cup of coffee and black tea.’
‘Closet hippy.’ Fern laughed. ‘You should just be yourself.’
‘I am.’ Meadows sipped his tea. ‘I came over to see if you’ve got something for my shoulder. I got in the way of an iron bar.’ He undid his shirt and pulled back the material to reveal the bruise.
‘I’ll get some arnica. I’ve got a jar made up somewhere.’ She rummaged through the cupboards. ‘Then I’ll make you something to eat.’
‘Don’t trouble yourself, I’m not hungry.’
‘Nonsense.’ Fern took a jar from the cupboard and handed it to Meadows. ‘Rub that in, it will take care of the bruising.’
‘Thanks.’
‘Rumour is you found the girl buried in the garden.’
Suffer the Children Page 11