“But if Daniel’s with your son, why are you so worried about him?” asked Rita.
“I’m ashamed to say it, but Jamal hangs around with some bad people, so you need to be careful.”
Rita didn’t respond. Instead she exchanged anxious looks with Yansis. Raeni had put them in a dreadful predicament, and there was no point arguing any further about it. She realised now that it wouldn’t get them anywhere. She needed to remain level-headed if she and Yansis were to decide on the best option.
They wanted their son; that wasn’t in doubt. But to rescue him they would have to defy the law and might also be putting their own lives at risk. Rita didn’t know much about Jamal but she had known his brother, Leroy, who was a ruthless gang member. If Jamal also hung around with gangs, then she understood Raeni’s concerns.
After a few moments’ silence, Rita said, “This isn’t something we can answer straightaway. We need to go outside for a bit, sit in the car and talk amongst ourselves. We’ll be back in a few minutes.”
She had already anticipated what Yansis’s reaction would be, and he voiced his concerns as soon as they were inside the car, “Rita, we have to tell the police. She is a crazy woman!”
“We can’t do that, Yansis. If we ring the police, the first thing they’ll do is call to see her, and she’ll clam up. Then where will we be? Can’t you see? She’s got us by the short and curlies; we’ve got no bleedin’ choice.”
“Oh, so you think we can go and challenge a load of crazy gangsters, and they will just give us our son back.”
“Not exactly, no.”
“Well, what are you saying Rita?”
“OK, fair enough; it’s too dangerous on our own. But I know someone who can help us.”
“Who?”
“Our John.”
“But he is police. He will have to report it.”
“No he won’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’ll make bleedin’ sure he doesn’t.”
Rita took her Nokia out of her handbag ready to phone her brother.
Chapter 18
Friday 21st June 1996 - Afternoon
“Now then,” said the probation officer, shuffling some papers on her desk. “I understand that you attended a programme during your time in prison, Maurice?”
“Er, yeah, that’s right.”
“The purpose of that programme was to teach you to manage the types of behaviour patterns that led to your detention in the first place, and to help you integrate back into society. I want to explore your behaviour patterns since your release to see how successfully you are managing things.”
Maurice stared blankly at the probation officer. Hadn’t she been listening to anything he’d said? He was going through hell, and all she wanted to talk about was ‘behaviour patterns’. Wasn’t she supposed to help with things like housing and finding a job?
“I haven’t done anything, if that’s what you’re saying!” was his comeback.
“If you could keep to the questions please, Maurice,” she said.
“OK,” he muttered.
“Now, let’s start by discussing your feelings since your release. Have you had any inappropriate feelings towards minors?”
“Not really, no.”
“How do you define ‘not really’, Maurice?”
“No, I haven’t. I’ve told you, I haven’t done owt.”
“Maurice, the probation service is here to support you. I’m not just trying to discover whether you have done anything. I also want to know whether you have had any inappropriate feelings towards minors. If that is the case then we may be able to offer further treatment to prevent any reoccurrences.
“Bear in mind that our concern is also for the general public. When we integrate you into society, we need to make sure that the public are safe. Now, can you honestly say, you haven’t had any inappropriate feelings?”
“Yes, I mean no, I haven’t.”
“Not even when you were hanging around the hospital corridors watching the children?”
He should have known that Anne Fielding would have been aware that he had been taken in for questioning by the police. That meant she would also know about the circumstances that had placed him under suspicion.
“Oh, that,” he said, shamefaced. “I, I was only looking. You can’t do me for looking. I swear I didn’t take Daniel.”
“Where did you learn the name of the child, Maurice?”
“I read it in the papers. It’s all over them.”
“Nevertheless, you would have to take a certain amount of interest to have remembered the child’s name.”
“It doesn’t mean I took him. I was just curious, that’s all.”
“What were you doing in the hospital?”
“I told you, I was just looking.”
“Why were you looking at the children?”
Maurice didn’t reply. He kept his head down, too ashamed to meet Anne’s reproachful gaze.
“Do you think that’s a healthy way to spend your time in view of your past record?” Anne persevered.
Still no reply.
“I want you to assure me that you’ll stay away from minors wherever and whenever possible, and I’ll see if I can find you a place on a further programme.”
Maurice failed to respond. It wasn’t what he had expected from this meeting. He wanted support, but not the kind of support they were offering. He left the meeting feeling cheated and put upon. All they were interested in was Daniel when he needed help with rehousing. How could he convince them he didn’t do it? Even the probation officer thought he’d done it, and she was supposed to be there for him.
Looking for an ally, he decided it was about time he visited an old friend. He hadn’t seen Sandy since before he went inside although they’d stayed in touch throughout Maurice’s incarceration. Sandy was the only one who’d ever understood him, and had always stood by him. Sandy didn’t judge him because of his urges. Sandy understood them only too well. And Sandy would always be there for him.
***
Friday 21st June 1996 - Afternoon
Rita came straight to the point when John answered her call. “John, I need a big favour. I think we’ve found out who’s got Daniel but we need your help to get him back.”
She quickly explained what Raeni had told them, and asked him not to report it for the reasons Raeni stated. Then she asked if he would help them to rescue Daniel, but John wasn’t easy to win round.
“Rita, I’m sorry but you’re putting me on the spot here. I can’t take the chance, and I really should report this,” was his initial response.
“Oh yeah, you mentioned; your job comes first,” she said sarcastically.
“Rita, it’s not like that.”
“Well help us then!”
“No, I’m sorry Reet. I can’t take any more chances.”
“Why, what chances have you already taken?”
John didn’t reply straightaway, which roused her suspicion. In the few seconds of silence that followed, she realised why. “Oh my God! It was you, wasn’t it? You beat that paedo up?”
She heard a half-hearted denial down the line.
“Come off it, John. I’ve known you too long. I can bloody well tell when you’re lying to me. It was you, wasn’t it? You fit the description – tall and well-built.” Then she recalled the moustache and wondered fleetingly whether she was mistaken.
However, she was proved right when she heard her brother sigh before responding. “Nobody was supposed to find out. I even disguised myself so if anyone spotted me they wouldn’t be able to pick me out. Please don’t tell anyone, Rita. I’ll lose my job over this.”
“Course I won’t; I wouldn’t do that to you, John. But don’t you go reporting what I’ve just told you either.” Then, after a pause, she added, “Jesus, I can’t believe you did that! Why?”
“Why d’you think? I had to do something. It was eating away at me. I didn’t hurt him too badly. I just wanted to make him t
alk, to admit if it was him.”
“And did he say anything?”
“No. I searched the house too so I’m pretty certain it wasn’t him. That means there’s a good chance you’re right about who’s got Daniel.”
John’s mistake was to admit to Rita how much he cared. She knew she could use this emotional lever to persuade him to take action. “So, you’re admitting that you think Leroy’s brother has Daniel, and yet you won’t do anything to help us? Is that right?”
When her question met with silence, she continued, ratcheting up the emotional blackmail with every word. “You went after the paedo when you weren’t even sure if it was him. Yet, now we have a tip off, and you won’t do fuck all about it! John, do I have to beg? We’ve already lost Jenny to the gangs. Do you want us to lose Daniel as well? How will you sleep at night knowing that you could have saved him?”
She knew she shouldn’t have used what he had told her in confidence after too many drinks. But she was prepared to do almost anything to get Daniel back safe, and John was the key to helping her achieve that.
“Alright, alright!” he yelled down the phone. “I’ll help, but I’m only giving you twenty-four hours. I’ll have to call in sick tonight and we’ll get started as soon as possible. But you’ve got to promise me that you won’t tell anyone, not even Mam and Dad, or your best mate, Julie. And if we don’t find Daniel by the time I’m in work tomorrow then I’ll have to report it. I’ll tell them I’ve only just found out from you, and you’ll have to back me up on it. Is that OK?”
“Yeah, sure. Yansis already knows though; he’s here with me now.”
“That’s alright; I didn’t mean Yansis. He’s got a right to know, he’s Daniel’s dad. I expect he’ll be coming with us then?”
“Oh, yeah,” said Rita, looking at Yansis’s face and anticipating how he would react to the news. “Oh, and John … thanks. I really appreciate it.”
Once John was off the line she turned to Yansis. “Right, we’re on. Let’s go and tell Raeni the news, but not a word about John’s involvement, OK?”
Chapter 19
Friday 21st June 1996 – Late Afternoon
Ged desperately needed to get hold of his sister, Irene. He’d been obsessing about it for the past few days. He was careful not to tell Joan; this was something best kept between him and Irene. Despite trying to ring his sister several times, he wasn’t successful so now here he was outside her home, and hoping to have better luck.
He walked up the path that cut through the small, well-kept front garden. When there was no reply, in spite of his hammering on the door, he checked the window at the front of the house. Everything inside was neat and tidy, and there was no sign of anybody within.
To be on the safe side, he checked out the rear too, approaching via a narrow path that skirted around the property. But it was the same in all the rooms. Everything tidied away, and nothing out of place.
Disappointed, he was about to leave the premises when a noise disturbed him. He turned around and stepped back in surprise on seeing a large, coarse-looking woman. She had stains down her baggy sweatshirt and a front tooth missing. Some of her remaining teeth were chipped and discoloured.
“Just what the hell d’you think you’re playing at?” she demanded.
“Looking for my sister. Why, what are you up to?”
“I’m Irene’s neighbour. I watch the place for her when she’s out; make sure there’s no dodgy characters knocking about,” she said, eying him suspiciously, and emphasising the word ‘dodgy’.
Ged noted how she looked at him. He could understand it in a way. Despite the length of time that Irene had lived at the property, he hadn’t met her neighbours. That was chiefly because he didn’t usually visit often. So he was a total stranger as far as this woman was concerned.
In spite of the woman’s aggressive stance, it amused him to think how Irene would feel about having such a coarse and confrontational character living next door. ‘Common’ she would have called her. Irene may have turned her back on her roots, but her salary as a doctor’s receptionist would only get her so far.
“D’you know where she’s gone?” he asked.
“Shopping, I think. That’s where she usually goes on a Friday afternoon; she finishes early on a Friday. Mind you, I shouldn’t be telling you that. I’ve only got your word for it that you’re her brother when all’s said and done,” she said, looking at him as though the notion was preposterous.
“Well, I am. My name’s Ged. Ask our Irene next time you see her if you don’t believe me. What time will she be back? Did she say?”
The woman shrugged, and Ged surmised that any information she had was probably gained through keen observation rather than through discussions with his sister.
“Don’t suppose there was anyone with her?” Ged persisted.
“What is this, the bloody Spanish Inquisition, or what?” asked the woman, folding her arms beneath her formidable bust and pursing her lips. “I tell you what, love; if you’re her brother, then why don’t you give her a ring when you get home? Then you can ask her all about her comings and goings without having to mither me.”
She then waited for him to leave the garden. He came away cursing his bad luck. Ged needed to get in touch with Irene, the sooner the better. He’d just have to keep trying until he managed to speak to her.
***
Friday 21st June 1996 – Late Afternoon
“OK, we’ve had a think,” Rita said to Raeni once they were indoors. “We’ll do it, but we want as much information as possible. We need something to start with.”
“Right, well I’ll tell you what I know ... He stays on the Buckthorn Estate in Moss Side with someone called Kyle Palmer.”
Rita waited for her to continue until it became apparent that Raeni had nothing more to add. “Is that it?” she asked.
“That’s all Devan would tell me, and it took all my time to get that much. Jamal tells me nothing, and you won’t find out any more by going to Devan. I don’t want him to know I told you or he won’t tell me nothing in future.”
Rita hesitated before responding, and it was Yansis who spoke first. “That’s a very dangerous place. We would be taking a big risk.”
Before Raeni could say anything, Rita cut in, “Look, Yansis, we already know it’ll be risky. We knew that before we agreed to it. You don’t think they’ve got him in a bleedin' mansion in Cheshire, do you?”
“From what Devan says, Kyle Palmer is well-known on the estate,” said Raeni. “I don’t know the name myself but it’s been some years since I lived there.”
Yansis looked embarrassed about his disparaging view of the Buckthorn estate on hearing this reminder that it was Raeni’s former neighbourhood.
“Yes, I know all about the Buckthorn estate,” said Raeni. “You should think yourself lucky you never had to live there.”
Rita got straight down to business before Yansis changed his mind. “Raeni, is there anything else you can tell us? What about his room; is there anything in there that might tell us something?”
“Not really, no.”
“Well, do you mind if we have a look? There might be something that will help us. The more we know, the more chance we have of bringing Daniel back. It could help us find Jamal too.”
Raeni sighed, wavering for a moment before she said, “You can look, if you must, but I don’t think you’ll find anything.”
Raeni led them upstairs and pointed out which room was Jamal’s. “You’ve got five minutes, and leave everything as you found it. If Jamal comes home and finds out anything’s been moved, he’ll go crazy,” she instructed, leaving them alone in the room.
Rita could smell a trace of cannabis as she and Yansis entered the bedroom. Other than that, she was surprised at how clean and tidy the bedroom was. Somehow, from everything she had heard about Jamal, she didn’t have him pegged as the fastidious type. She surmised that the tidiness must have been down to Raeni who kept a clean home.
It was an average-sized room, the walls painted mid-blue and cream with posters arranged haphazardly. A large one of Bob Marley dominated the main wall and the others she guessed were of bands, but she wasn’t familiar with any of the names.
Rita did a quick scan of the room’s contents. “Yansis, you search the wardrobe and bed. Don’t forget to look under the mattress, and I’ll do the chest of drawers and around the TV.”
“What are we looking for?”
“Anything. Names. Addresses. Takeaway menus even. Anything that might give us a few more clues about where he hangs out.”
She set to work, starting with the chest of drawers. As soon as she pulled out the first drawer it became obvious that Raeni’s tidying up didn’t extend to any items stored inside the drawers. Now she understood what Raeni meant about not disturbing anything. It seemed that although Raeni gave the room a dust and hoover, she didn’t interfere with Jamal’s personal property.
The drawers were mostly filled with clothing but there were other items inside as well: foil, tobacco, cigarette papers and various childhood objects such as matchbox cars and marbles. She went through each drawer while Yansis searched the wardrobe, but neither of them found anything that gave them any clues.
Next she moved onto the unit that housed his TV, music centre and games console. She noted that the equipment was all top of the range. There were various shelves around the unit filled with stacks of games, videos and CDs. She pulled the stacks out quickly but carefully, placing them to one side so she could put them back exactly as she found them.
One by one, she emptied and refilled each recess, feeling around the back of them for any items hidden in the shaded areas. She completed the compartments to the left of the TV and Music Centre. Nothing.
She moved onto the right-hand side. Second compartment. In her haste she pushed against the back of the compartment and felt it give. Noting that it seemed shallower than the other compartments, she continued pushing until the small piece of hardboard at the back gave way. She felt around in the area behind it.
Danger by Association: The Riverhill Trilogy: Book 3 Page 12