‘Sally has a son by a different father and the Morrises have three boys so I guess you wouldn’t notice a difference,’ Edris said. ‘I think it makes sense that one of the girls was snatched to replace the dead child.’
‘There are no other missing babies,’ Meadows said.
‘One of them could’ve had another child,’ Valentine suggested.
‘There would’ve been a record of the birth,’ Paskin said.
‘Shannon is the right age to be Cerys and Jade is the right age to be Poppy,’ Meadows said. ‘It’s the only logical explanation.’ He looked around the team for their agreement.
‘I agree,’ Paskin said. ‘But it’s a hell of a mess to sort out and think of the poor girl.’
‘What if we’ve got it wrong?’ Blackwell said.
‘We upset a few people, we’ve got nothing to lose,’ Meadows said.
‘Okay, let’s get them all in,’ Blackwell stood.
‘I think we’ll have to be more subtle than that,’ Meadows said. ‘We’ll ask Sally Anderson and Jim and Helen Morris for a voluntary DNA test. If they have nothing to hide, then they should cooperate.’
‘And if they don’t?’ Blackwell asked.
‘Then we bring them in for questioning.’
‘Are we going to ask Shannon Morris and Jade Anderson for a DNA sample?’ Paskin asked.
Meadows thought for a moment.
‘That would certainly get the Morrises or Sally Anderson worried if they’re guilty. Yes, I think we are going to have to if we are to be sure. I’ll go with Edris in the morning to get samples from Sally and the Morrises. Paskin, see if you can persuade Shannon Morris to give a sample. Blackwell and Valentine, you can take Jade Anderson. If she’s anything like her mother she may be difficult.’
‘What do we tell them?’ Paskin asked. ‘We don’t really want to give them the idea that they may be an abducted child.’
‘No, not at this stage,’ Meadows agreed. ‘Just say that it’s for elimination purposes and we are testing all children that were living in the house. That should do. Hopefully by this time tomorrow we can give that little girl in the morgue a name, but we must also bear in mind that we could tear apart a family, so some sensitivity is needed.’
‘So where does Ella Beynon fit into this?’ Blackwell asked.
‘Well, one of these two’ – Meadows pointed to the board – ‘either walked into a hospital or into a garden to abduct a baby. They may have done it again. If we establish the identity of the child, we’ll have good grounds to get a search warrant for the house.’
‘I hope you’re right,’ Blackwell said.
So do I, Meadows thought.
Chapter Twenty-three
The Police came today. It was a bit of a shock at first but I don’t think they suspected anything. Maybe this will all go away and you’ll never have to read this. It’s my prayer every night before I sleep and in the morning as soon as I awake. I beg and plead with God, even make deals. I’d do anything for you not to be hurt.
I amazed myself at how calm I felt when the police talked to me, the lies rolled off my tongue with ease. I guess if you pretend for long enough it’s not that difficult. I’m not sorry about George. He knew all along, even though he didn’t say it out right. He even helped to lay the patio. Maybe he wasn’t certain about what lay underneath the slabs but he dropped little hints. Always when I was alone. He would come to the house with some excuse to see me. It didn’t take him long to let me know what he wanted from me.
I always went to his house, I couldn’t bear the thought of having him in my bed. Afterwards I would come home and run a bath so hot I could barely stand it, I would scrub my skin until it was raw, but I never felt clean. That’s another thing you can add to my crimes. I prostituted myself – a common whore. It seemed to go on forever, he got greedy wanting more and more. I was afraid we would get caught and the truth would come out. There seemed no way out of the hell but that was the price I had to pay.
I got to the point where I wanted to end it all. I guess by now you think that I deserve to die – you’re right, I should have ended it then. I stockpiled paracetamols and bought a bottle of whisky. I sat on the patio and drank to work up the courage. I thought of my beautiful girl beneath my feet and how I had failed her and the child asleep in the cot. Then I had a sudden moment of clarity. Death wasn’t punishment enough. I had to live and try and atone for my crime. I made a plan to better myself, be the best mother I could. I could endure George, maybe I could even get away from this place, but I couldn’t bear to leave the garden.
The police say they may come back. Maybe George told someone what he knew. I may not have much time, so I need to tell you what happened that day…
Chapter Twenty-four
‘I’m sorry to call so early,’ Meadows said as he stood on the Morrises’ doorstep, ‘but it’s important that we talk to you again.’
‘Okay, you better come in.’ Helen Morris was wearing a faded pink dressing gown, her hair stuck up on one side, and her eyes were sleepy. ‘Jim is just getting up, he had a bad night.’ She led them into the sitting room. ‘Take a seat for a minute, I won’t be long.’
Edris sat while Meadows took the opportunity to have a closer look at the photographs that were positioned around the room. The photos showed the Morris children at various ages. Meadows peered at a school photo which showed three mischievous boys, one with his front teeth missing. Behind them sat a girl with her hair in braids, one hand on the shoulder of her brother.
Could you be Cerys Lane?
Muffled voices came from the room next door. Meadows moved on to the next photo, this one showing Shannon holding a baby. He tried to pick out any features that would resemble the Lanes. The muffled voices grew clearer, so he moved away from the photo and took a seat.
Jim came into the room first, his gait unsteady, and a tremor in both arms. He was dressed in a stripy robe with slippers on his feet. Helen hovered behind him and looked relieved when he finally managed to plonk himself down in the armchair.
‘I’m a bit slow in the morning, have to wait for the meds to kick in.’
‘I’m sorry to have disturbed you,’ Meadows said. ‘We won’t keep you long. Following our enquires yesterday we have reason to believe that the child we found in the garden was put there somewhere between 1991 and 1993.’
‘Oh, but surely you don’t think we had anything to do with it,’ Helen said. ‘We have four children of our own, we would never have kept quiet if we knew someone had buried a child in our garden.’
Yes, but you would keep quiet if it was you that buried the child.
‘There are things regarding the case that we cannot discuss, but it would be really helpful if the two of you would provide us with a DNA sample.’ Meadows eyes moved from Jim to Helen watching closely for a reaction.
‘What does it involve?’ Helen asked. ‘Jim has had a bad night and I don’t think it’s a good idea to take him out and have him pulled around.’
‘It’s just a swab of the inside of your cheek,’ Edris explained. ‘I have a kit with me, so we can do it here. You don’t even have to leave your chair, Jim.’
‘Fine by me,’ Jim said.
‘Okay, if it helps,’ Helen said.
They don’t look very concerned. Meadows watched Edris take the samples and check each label.
‘Thank you,’ Meadows said. ‘We really appreciate your cooperation. We won’t need to trouble you further, one of our officers will call with Shannon to see if she is happy to give a sample.’
‘Shannon?’ Helen’s eyes widened. ‘Why do you need a sample from Shannon?’
That got a reaction. Interesting. ‘We have to test all the girls that lived in the house. It’s just for elimination purposes. Nothing to worry about,’ Meadows said.
‘Right, I see,’ Helen said.
‘We’ll see ourselves out.’ Meadows said. ‘Thanks again for your help.’
* * *
‘She looked worried when I mention
ed we would be testing Shannon,’ Meadows said as they drove towards Cardiff.
‘Maybe she thought that the test was only to eliminate them from George’s murder and not to test for a match against the child we found,’ Edris said.
‘But that doesn’t make sense, there was plenty of DNA left in George’s bedroom.’
‘Yeah but they don’t appear to be sharp tools, probably don’t really understand how the tests work. Whoever killed George took the remainder of the twine, obviously thinking that would help, yet didn’t wear gloves or wipe down the bedposts. You’d have to be a bit thick to think you could get away with it.’
‘Or it was just a spur of the moment act,’ Meadows said.
‘Well, Jim didn’t look a bit bothered. You’d think that he would notice if his wife buried their child in the garden and swapped it for another. He didn’t react at all when we mentioned we would be testing Shannon.’
‘No, but then Parkinson’s can cause a loss of facial expressions. So even if he was panicked we might not be able to tell. We’re just going to have to wait for the test results.’
‘Can’t wait to see Sally Anderson’s reaction when we turn up again and interrupt her busy life,’ Edris said grinning.
* * *
This time it wasn’t Sally that stood on the doorstep but a portly man with receding grey hair. He wore rimless glasses and held himself with an air of authority.
‘Mr Anderson?’ Meadows asked.
‘Doctor Anderson.’ He pulled his shoulders back.
Oh, so he wants to use titles, well I can play along with that.
‘Detective Inspector Meadows, and this is Detective Constable Edris.’ He showed his ID. ‘We would like to speak to your wife if she is in.’
‘My wife is very busy, as am I. Perhaps it would be better for you to call back. If you leave your contact details, I’ll ask my wife to contact you with a convenient time. I would imagine that it won’t be until after next week.’
He’s obviously someone who is used to getting his own way.
‘I’m afraid that won’t be possible. It’s important that we speak with your wife now. If it’s not convenient to do so here, then I’m happy to conduct an interview at the station.’ Meadows gave what he hoped was a tight smile.
Dr Anderson’s eyes narrowed, and he looked like he was about to protest before a look of curiosity flashed briefly across his face.
‘What is the nature of your call?’
‘I’m afraid we can only discuss that with your wife. We spoke with her yesterday.’
By the expression on Dr Anderson’s face it was clear that Sally hadn’t mentioned their call. ‘I suppose you better come in, but I would appreciate it if you kept the visit brief.’
They were led into the hallway where the floral arrangement had been changed and ivy interspaced with flowers decorated the stair banister. Meadows imagined that it was set up for the bride’s grand entrance.
‘Sally!’ Dr Anderson’s voice echoed through the hallway. ‘You have visitors.’ He turned to Edris and Meadows. ‘You can wait in here.’
He showed then into the same room that they had been in yesterday. The scent of lilies tickled Meadows nose as he entered the room. Two large floral arrangements stood either side of the fireplace and a table had been set out with upturned champagne glasses.
Sally walked into the room and stopped when she saw the visitors. Her shoulders stiffened and her jaw clenched.
‘These detectives said that they spoke with you yesterday.’ Dr Anderson raised his eyebrows.
‘Yes.’ Sally smoothed down her dress although it was not creased. ‘With everything going on, I forgot to mention it.’ She forced a smile. ‘They just wanted some information about a neighbour from years ago. You go ahead and carry on, I can deal with this.’
‘What neighbour?’
‘Coopers Wood estate,’ Edris said. ‘You may have heard of the recent events on the news.’
‘You never said you lived there.’ Dr Anderson glared at his wife. ‘I think we better sit down.’
‘It was years ago, well before we met.’ Sally perched on the edge of the armchair. ‘I didn’t live there very long.’
What else hasn’t she told her husband?
Meadows took a seat. The atmosphere in the room was tense.
I imagine there is going to be a few chosen words said when we leave.
‘Some information has come to light since we spoke yesterday, and we’d like you to provide us with a voluntary DNA sample.’
‘What?’ Dr Anderson’s eyes widened. ‘Are you saying my wife is a suspect in, well, whatever it is you are investigating? From what I’ve heard on the news there was an abduction and a suspicious death. I can’t imagine why you’d think my wife has any involvement in either of these cases.’
‘We are investigating both, as well as the discovery of a three-month-old baby found in the garden of 109, Coopers Wood estate, where your wife lived from 1991 to 1993,’ Edris said.
‘We believe that there’s a connection between the discovery of the child and the death of George Williams who lived next door,’ Meadows said.
‘Did you know this man?’ Dr Anderson glared at his wife.
‘Not really, like I explained yesterday to the detectives, we were only neighbours for a short time, I knew him to say hello to, but that’s about all.’
‘Then I don’t see what this has to do with my wife,’ Dr Anderson said.
‘The DNA sample is just for elimination purposes,’ Meadows explained.
‘We’re collecting a number of samples,’ Edris said. ‘So far all the previous occupants have been kind enough to provide a sample.’
‘Unfortunately, this is the only way we can isolate the person responsible. Once we have the sample results we can eliminate you from our enquiries and we won’t need to bother you again.’ Meadows smiled at Sally.
‘This is ridiculous,’ Dr Anderson said. ‘Just give them the sample so we can put an end to this nonsense.’
‘Fine,’ Sally said.
Edris stood up, snapped on latex gloves and took a swab from the inside of Sally’s cheek. ‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘We appreciate your co-operation.’
‘Is that it?’ Sally asked.
‘Yes, we only have a couple of more samples to collect then they can be sent off for analysis. One of our officers is calling on your daughter so we won’t need to trouble you again today,’ Meadows said.
‘My daughter! No, you can’t,’ Sally stiffened. ‘You can call your officers and tell them they’re not to bother Jade. It’s bad enough you come here harassing me.’
‘I don’t see what this has to do with my daughter,’ Dr Anderson said.
Same reaction as Helen had to her daughter being tested.
‘There are certain aspects of the case that we cannot disclose but I assure you that it is necessary to request a sample from Jade. She is an adult in her own right and therefore has the right to decide to take or refuse the test.’
‘Please.’ Sally’s eyes pleaded. ‘It’s her wedding day soon. I don’t want anything to ruin her day. Can’t it wait until after she comes back from her honeymoon?’
‘Mrs Anderson, I’m sorry but this cannot wait. I am a little confused as to why you’d think a simple DNA test would cause distress to your daughter,’ Meadows said.
Sally looked at her husband then back to Meadows.
‘She doesn’t know anything of my past. I mean about her biological father. Laurence is the only father she has known, and we have never told her the truth.’
‘I see, but surely she would’ve found out at some time. What about her passport application? She would need her birth certificate for that.’
‘Her father’s name was not put on the birth certificate. We told her that we weren’t married when she was born so Laurence had to go through a formal adoption so she could change her name to Anderson. She accepted the explanation.’
‘Well, I can assure you that the r
equest will be handled with sensitivity. As Jade’s biological father has no bearing on the case, as far as we know, then there’s no reason that she hears this, erm, revelation from us.’
Dr Anderson looked at his wife, the resentment evident on his face.
‘We’ll have to tell her that we stayed in that house while we were waiting for the sale of our property to go through. I don’t like to lie to her but it seems you have put me in an awkward situation. She has more important things to think about, so I doubt she will question it. We can put this behind us and get on with the preparation.’ He looked at Meadows. ‘If that’s all, we have things to attend to.’
Meadows could sense that Edris was itching to say something, but he remained silent until they were back in the car.
‘That Dr Anderson is a control freak. I think he was pissed that you didn’t take any shit from him,’ Edris said.
‘Yes, I got the impression that he’s used to getting his own way. His only concern seemed to be that Jade would find out that he is not her real father. And Sally doesn’t want the embarrassment of anyone knowing that she once lived on a council estate and had a child by, well, who knows.’
‘Can you imagine Dr Anderson’s reaction if he found out his wife is a murderer? He’d probably drop dead from shock.’ Edris laughed.
‘He seemed fairly confident that she had nothing to do with it,’ Meadows said, ‘but it looks like she has kept her past life from him. Still, I would’ve expected more resistance from her if she was guilty. She gave the sample without much fuss.’
‘Yeah because he told her to do so.’
‘We’ll find out soon enough.’
* * *
They dropped the samples off at the lab and went back to the station where the rest of the team were working at their desks.
‘All samples are in,’ Blackwell said. ‘Who’s your money on?’
‘I don’t think I would bet on either of them,’ Edris said. ‘They’re all acting weird if you ask me. Especially when we mentioned the DNA test on their daughters. That certainly caused a reaction.’
‘Maybe they’re all guilty,’ Paskin said. ‘We could hit the jackpot and find Cerys and Poppy in one go.’
Suffer the Children Page 19