‘Yeah and find Ella alive and well in one of their houses,’ Blackwell snapped.
‘Well it’s going to be a long wait for the results, lucky if we get anything back for a week,’ Valentine said. ‘Not a lot we can do in the meantime.’
‘Not with Mike’s new toy,’ Meadows said. ‘He will have the results in sometime tonight.’
‘What new toy?’ Valentine asked.
‘His Rapid Hit machine, he’s trialling it. Apparently, it can process the results in two hours,’ Blackwell said. ‘If the trials go well, we could end up having one at the station. No need to wait for forensics. Couple of weeks training and anyone can use it.’
‘Yeah and we’d probably be the last to get one,’ Edris said. ‘I wonder how Mike managed to wriggle in on the trial.’
‘Obviously got connections,’ Paskin said.
‘Yeah but how reliable is it?’ Valentine asked.
‘Mike’s impressed with it, although it could end up doing him out of a job in the future,’ Meadows said.
He sat at his desk and saw that Brianna had phoned in and asked to be called back.
‘Well, it’s going to be a long wait this evening and a busy day tomorrow so maybe you all better get off home and get some rest.’
‘I’m staying until the results are in,’ Blackwell said.
‘Me too,’ Paskin said.
Valentine nodded.
Meadows looked around at his team and admired their determination and commitment. It had been a long week and not one of them was willing to take up the offer to go home.
‘Okay, while we’re all here we may as well make ourselves useful. I want to go over everything we have so far on Ella. Sightings, statements, DNA results, Natalie’s finances and anything we have on Ryan. I want to make sure we haven’t missed anything. If it turns out there is no connection between the child in the garden and Ella’s abduction then Natalie and Ryan are still our only suspects. Edris, call Brianna and see what’s happening with Natalie. If it’s not urgent it can wait.’
* * *
They divided the files among themselves and the office fell silent as they combed through details. Meadows was looking through Natalie’s bank statements when he came across a payment to Bradbury farm dated a month before Ella’s disappearance.
‘Anyone got a reference to a Bradbury farm?’ Meadows looked around the office and was met with a shake of heads. He checked the reference then googled the name. It appeared to be a holiday cottage rental in Lancaster. He felt a flicker of excitement as he dialled the number. A man answered and confirmed that he had received payment from a Natalie Beynon for a booking of one of the cottages. His wife had also called the incident line to report this after seeing the appeal. Meadows thanked him and hung up.
‘How was this missed?’ Meadows said. ‘This cottage was booked over the weekend that Ella went missing, and is paid up to today. A woman and a child, the owner thinks. He said he would check with his wife as she was the one to hand over keys.’
‘The sub team checked the finances,’ Blackwell said. ‘We would’ve done a better job even if we were up all night.’
‘Who’s checking the reported sightings?’ Meadows asked.
‘Me,’ Valentine said.
‘Anything from Lancaster?’
‘Yes,’ Valentine bit her lip. ‘I remember this call coming in.’ She looked at Paskin.
‘Yeah, I did mention it at the time but I think we dismissed it as being too far away,’ Paskin said.
‘The lady who called in claimed that Natalie stayed at one of her cottages with a child. Requested a cot,’ Valentine said.
‘Edris, get hold of Lancaster police. Ask them to check it out. See if the cottage has any neighbours and if anyone saw who was staying there.’
‘But Natalie couldn’t have been at the cottage on Sunday night and got back in time to report Ella missing,’ Blackwell said.
‘Let’s see.’ Meadows pulled up a map on the computer and keyed in a route planner. Four hours and sixteen minutes. ‘If she stuck to the speed limit and she left after Nia saw her at ten then she could have been in Lancaster at just after two in the morning.’
‘But George saw her leave at two,’ Paskin said.
‘Okay, she leaves at two and gets there at half six. What time did she call in to report Ella missing?’
‘Eleven,’ Blackwell said.
‘She could’ve got back by eleven.’
‘Pushing it a bit,’ Blackwell said. ‘And why drive there and straight back again?’
‘Because she had arranged to drop Ella off,’ Valentine said.
‘Yeah, but there’s been no payment,’ Paskin said.
‘Unless she has another account, or she could’ve hidden the cash somewhere,’ Valentine said.
‘Or she just wanted rid of the child,’ Blackwell said.
‘Check out traffic cameras for all the routes to Lancaster. See if you can pick up her car on Sunday night,’ Meadows said.
‘But George saw her come back in half an hour,’ Edris said.
‘He could’ve been mistaken, let’s see what Natalie has to say. What did Brianna say when you called her?’
‘Something about a hypnotist,’ Edris said.
‘Great, well you never know, it may have jogged her memory. I’m beginning to wonder if I mistook Natalie’s hangover on Monday for tiredness. She would look rough if she had driven all night. I think it’s time we got tough with her.’
Chapter Twenty-five
Natalie was laying on the sofa in a thick haze of smoke, her eyes fixed to the television screen.
‘Sorry to call on you so late,’ Meadows said, ‘but we have a few questions and I understand that you wanted to see me.’
‘Yeah.’ Natalie hit the mute on the control. ‘Nia and Leanne took me to see some guy about remembering Sunday night.’
‘A hypnotist?’ Edris asked.
‘Yeah, if you can call him that; bloody weirdo, if you ask me, but it worked. I didn’t go out Sunday night and neither did Ryan, so you can get off my case about it.’
‘Natalie, just because you’ve seen a hypnotist and you claim to remember Sunday night doesn’t prove anything.’ Meadows sat down. ‘A witness saw you get into your car in the early hours of the morning. Was this session taped?’
‘No, but she came with us.’ Natalie looked at Brianna.
‘Nia asked me to go along,’ Brianna said. ‘Natalie did appear to be under hypnosis and I did take notes.’
‘Okay, let’s hear it,’ Meadows said. ‘I want to know everything you remembered from Sunday night and not an edited version.’
‘You already know most of it.’ Natalie huffed. ‘Fine, I put Ella to bed about seven. Ryan was down here watching TV. She was still awake when I put her in the cot, I turned off the light and shut the door. Claire and Jamie came with Dan, they had some cans and a couple of flagons of cider. We sat in here and had a few drinks and a smoke.’
‘A spliff?’ Edris asked.
Natalie glanced at Brianna. ‘Yeah.’
‘How much?’
‘I dunno.’
‘Did you share one?’ Edris asked.
‘What does it matter how much we smoked?’ Natalie glared at Edris. ‘We had a few okay. Then after Nia left we made a brew.’
‘Who brought the mushrooms?’ Meadows asked.
Natalie shrugged.
‘You said that Ryan had some mushrooms and suggested a brew when you were with the hypnotist,’ Brianna said.
Natalie’s eyes narrowed. ‘Whatever, we all took them. Then everything changed. It was like seeing the world for the first time. The sofa was like liquid, it made waves of different colours. I just kept wanting to touch it but at the same time I wanted to leave the room to see more. We went out into the garden. The rain was like silver ribbons, twirling and dancing. I could feel it on my face; soft. It made me sparkle, made me beautiful.’ Natalie smiled. ‘The grass became tiny fingers, I fell to my knees, and I wa
nted to be part of the earth. I dug with my hands, made shapes that changed on their own.’
‘How long did you stay out the garden?’ Meadows asked.
‘I dunno, it could’ve been minutes or hours.’ Natalie shrugged. ‘Time didn’t seem to matter. When we came back inside we were wet and dirty and laughing. We came in here and stripped off, then I heard Ella crying. Well it was like singing, a beautiful song.’
Meadows looked at Brianna who shrugged and raised her eyebrows.
She was probably still tripping. We’re never going to get any sense out of her.
‘So, Ella was crying, what did you do?’
‘I went to go upstairs but Ryan came after me. He grabbed me around the waist and said to leave her, so we came back in here and we…’
‘Had a sex orgy?’ Edris asked.
‘None of your business,’ Natalie snapped.
‘Did you know Ryan filmed the whole thing and uploaded it to his computer?’ Edris said.
Natalie looked down at her hands. ‘He took some pictures, that’s all. Nothing wrong with that.’
‘He filmed you,’ Meadows said. ‘I bet he never told you that. It wasn’t the only time. Did he go upstairs after?’
‘No.’
‘Why do you keep protecting him? We know he was in the woods the night Ella went missing. His footprints were found next to where Ella’s clothes were buried. We also suspect that he is responsible for Ella’s so-called accidents over the past six months. Surely your daughter means more to you.’
‘He didn’t go upstairs and he didn’t go into the woods that night. He didn’t take Ella. Why would I let him do that?’
Meadows shook his head. ‘I really don’t know. Maybe you’re only remembering what you choose.’
‘No, I’ve told you everything that happened. We all stayed here in the room. Claire, Jamie, and Dan fell asleep first, then Ryan. I was cold so I lay next to Ryan on the sofa and put a blanket over us. That was it until I woke up.’
‘Not quite,’ Brianna said.
‘Oh yeah, something woke me up. I thought I heard someone on the stairs, but I was too tired to go and look so I just went back to sleep.’
Sally Anderson or Helen Morris creeping through the house?
‘You mean someone walking up or down the stairs?’ Meadows asked.
Natalie shrugged her shoulders.
‘The hypnotist thought that Natalie could benefit from a few more sessions,’ Brianna said.
‘See, so I couldn’t have gone out, I would’ve remembered. I was asleep the whole time. I just want to get back to normal.’
Normal? Her child has been missing for six days and she thinks she can just move on as if it was a lost purse. She probably faked being under hypnosis. I wouldn’t put it past her.
Meadows sat forward in the chair. ‘Natalie, we are doing everything we can to find Ella, but you haven’t exactly been honest with us from the start. You could’ve saved us a lot of time if you had told the truth about Ryan and your extra job which involves contact with all sorts of men. Can’t you see how difficult it is for us to believe what you are saying now?’
‘I’m telling you the truth, I didn’t go out.’
‘Tell me about Bradbury farm holiday cottage.’
‘I don’t know anything about a holiday cottage.’
‘It’s in Lancaster.’ Meadows could feel his patience slipping.
Natalie frowned. ‘I’ve never been to Lancaster.’
‘Yet you booked a cottage for last weekend. The payment is dated a month previously and taken from your account.’ Meadows took out a sheet of paper and handed it to Natalie.
Natalie’s eyes scanned the entries. ‘But I didn’t book a cottage, it must be a mistake. The bank has made a mistake.’
‘I spoke to the woman who took the booking, it was booked in your name,’ Meadows said. ‘When was the last time you used your card?’
Natalie shrugged her shoulders. ‘I think I took out money last Saturday.’
‘You did, there is an entry on the statement. Can you see another entry on the statement that’s out of place? Another payment you didn’t make?’
Natalie looked at the statement again. ‘No, the rest looks okay to me.’
‘Well, don’t you think that’s a bit odd? The card hasn’t been stolen and if someone had got hold of your card details, I think they would’ve done a bit more than book a cottage in your name. Do you see our problem? It looks like you made that booking and payment. Someone stayed at the cottage last weekend.’
‘Well it wasn’t me.’ Natalie scowled. ‘You know it wasn’t me, I was here all night. Nia saw me.’
‘Nia saw you at ten, you were seen getting into your car at around two in the morning. That leaves enough time for you to drive to Lancaster. What were you doing there? Did you arrange to meet someone to hand over Ella?’
‘No! I didn’t go anywhere. Ella was in her cot asleep Sunday night.’
‘We are checking all the traffic cameras, if you drove to Lancaster Sunday night we will pick up your car.’
‘Look all you fucking want, you won’t find anything because I was here all night.’ Natalie stood up, her fist clenched and her face contorted with rage. ‘I want you all to go, get out of my house and leave me alone. I’ve had it with your questions and accusations. I’ve had Nia and Leanne on my case all day, I told them to piss off. I don’t want to see them.’ She turned to Brianna. ‘You can fuck off as well. I don’t need you here pretending to be my friend and spying on me.’
‘Brianna is here for your benefit,’ Meadows said. ‘She’s giving up time with her family to be here to help you in any way she can.’
‘Yeah, well there is no point in her staying. I’m going back to work on Monday, no one can stop me.’
Edris’ phone rang and the room fell silent. ‘Excuse me a moment.’ Edris stepped out of the room and closed the door.
Meadows looked at Natalie who looked close to tears. She stood rigid, with her left leg shaking.
Maybe I’ve pushed her too far but she’s either lying or someone is playing a wicked game.
‘Natalie, you’re right, no one can stop you from going back to work, if that’s what you want to do. At least let Brianna stay for the weekend. It’s not good to be on your own at a time like this and she will be able to keep you updated on any developments.’
‘There haven’t been any developments, sitting around here is driving me crazy.’
‘The cottage is a breakthrough and we are checking it out. Someone booked it and someone stayed there. That person is likely to be involved in Ella’s abduction,’ Meadows said, although doubts were starting to creep in.
Edris walked back into the room and caught Meadows’ attention. ‘The results are in.’
Chapter Twenty-six
Meadows felt the adrenalin fizzle through his veins as he rushed to the lab with Edris close behind. He pushed away the niggle of doubt that the results could all come back negative. Mike was waiting in his office, a small room positioned outside the laboratory.
‘What have you got for us?’ Meadows asked.
‘Eager for the results, are you?’ Mike teased. ‘Okay I’ll put you out of your misery. Helen and Jim Morris were not a match to the child found in the garden. Helen Morris was a match to Shannon Morris, but Jim Morris was not.’
‘You’re saying Jim is not Shannon’s father,’ Edris said. ‘No wonder Helen was cagey about the DNA test.’
‘Sally Anderson on the other hand is a match to our garden child.’
Meadows felt his stomach harden in anticipation of the next result.
‘And Jade Anderson?’
‘Jade Anderson is a match to Tom and Daisy Moore,’ Mike said.
‘So Jade Anderson is Poppy Moore,’ Edris said.
‘Yes, I will check all the results, but I’m fairly certain of the accuracy. I haven’t spoken to Daisy, it’s going to come as a bit of a shock.’
‘I’ll talk to her ton
ight,’ Meadows said. ‘I don’t want her finding out through station gossip. The news will soon spread when we make the arrest. All we need now is to match Sally Anderson’s DNA to the samples taken from George’s bedroom, but I think that’s just going to be a formality.’
‘That’s my next job,’ Mike said as he stifled a yawn.
‘Leave it until tomorrow,’ Meadows suggested. ‘Go home and get some rest, we have enough to arrest Sally Anderson.’
‘No, I’d rather stay and get it finished. That way I can have Sunday at home and I don’t intend to come back until Monday, so don’t go finding any more crime scenes. I’m going to switch off my phone,’ Mike said with a smile.
‘I don’t blame you,’ Meadows said. ‘Have a good time with the family and thanks for all your help. I appreciate all the extra hours you’ve put in.’
‘Yeah, well the little one in the garden deserved some answers and everyone here is fond of Daisy. At least this will put an end to years of not knowing what happened to her sister.’
‘I’m not sure her sister is going to be happy to hear the news. At the moment, she is in blissful ignorance,’ Meadows said.
‘Sad thing is it’s the children that suffer, the baby in the garden, Daisy and her sister, and poor Ella Beynon who is Lord knows where. Some people shouldn’t be parents. Good luck tomorrow, I have a feeling you’re going to have a bitch of a day.’
‘Yeah,’ Edris agreed. ‘Perfect end to the week.’
Meadows sent a quick text message to Daisy and by the time he had driven to the station car park she had replied and given her home address.
‘I’ll leave you to fill the team in on the latest developments. I have something I need to do.’ Meadows turned to face Edris.
‘Daisy?’
‘Yes, I don’t want to leave it until the morning. Better tell Blackwell to give Lester a call and fill him in. Then you all better get off home. I want to make an early start in the morning.’
‘Tell Daisy I’m thinking of her, it’s not going to be easy news to deal with,’ Edris said before climbing out of the car.
Meadows’ mind raced as he pulled up outside the address Daisy had given him. It was a block of four flats and Daisy lived on the first floor. He had kept his message brief, giving no indication of why he needed to talk with her and now he wondered what reaction he would get.
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