“Two patrol cars very close. And get this. The perp is slowing down, like he’s looking for somewhere to park?”
“You’re joking!” Red swung a sharp right.
Terri looked at Red, mystified. “What’s the big deal with Onslow Square? It sounds familiar.”
Red shot a glance at Terri. “It should do. You came to Pippa’s birthday bash at the weekend. It’s my road.” ToAnna, “I see him! Blue Honda dead ahead. And – oh no! The blues and twos are on him from the other direction! Shit! Tell them to ease back! This bastard is mine!”
Red was already unbuckling her seatbelt as the patrol cars screeched to a halt blocking the Honda’s route. Red floored the accelerator to bring up the rear, then slammed the brakes on. Terri pulled up the handbrake and leant over to switch off the ignition. Red leapt from the vehicle, sprinting toward the Honda.
The driver’s door of the blue saloon opened, and the uniformed officers clambered out of their patrol cars. Red waved her badge frantically at them. “I’ve got this one!”
The suspect turned at the shouting, just as Red launched a flying tackle, knocking him to the ground. She pinned him to the floor. “You’re nicked!”
She bent his arm in a right-angle behind him, her other hand on his head, pressing his face against the tarmac. “Don’t move, or I’ll break your arm.” She pulled handcuffs from her belt and slipped them on the suspect with practiced movements.
The suspect secure, Red ran to the Honda. “Ella? Ruby? Are you okay? Did he hurt…” Red’s voice tailed at the sight of Ella and Ruby staring back wide-eyed at the scene unfolding.
“Cass! What are you doing?” Ella screamed.
“I’d like to know too,” the suspect said as the uniformed officers hauled him to his feet.
Red turned slowly as the familiar voice registered. “Steve?”
Steve Robinson swallowed hard, his features pale and clammy, bits of gravel sticking to his cheek. “I heard you were clamping down on car tax evaders, but this is ridiculous.”
Chapter 79.
Red’s brow crumpled with confusion. She stared at Steve, then the kids, then Terri, then back to Steve. “Why are you with the girls? You weren’t due to start until next week.” She was already processing the obvious answer.
“Pippa called me,” Steve confirmed. “The grandmother is sick. You weren’t available. Pippa had an important case. She asked if I could step in.”
Red looked to Ella for confirmation. Ella nodded, still slightly bewildered, but a smile playing on her face as she put the story together in her mind. “What, did you think Steve had kidnapped us or something?”
Red managed sheepish smile. “Of course not.”
Ruby took Red’s hand. “Look, Cassie. Helicopter!”
Red looked up and waved her free hand at the chopper to give the all-clear. “Give them a wave, Rubes.”
Ruby waved energetically. A hand waved back and the chopper gained height. It remained hovering overhead, awaiting instruction.
“Why did you jump on Steve, Cassie? Is it a new game?”
Red hunched down to Ruby’s height. “Are you okay, sweetheart? Where did you go with Steve?”
“To the park, and then a drive to see the boats on the river. We saw the big tower.”
“Tower Bridge,” Ella confirmed. “Steve says people can go inside and look round. He says he might take us their one day, for an educational trip.”
“Pippa asked me about extra tuition,” Steve said nervously. A uniformed hand was still on his shoulder. “This isn’t about the tax disk at all, is it?”
Red stood perplexed, searching his face for signs of betrayal, finding none. Possibilities tumbled through her mind like dice in a shaker. “Why didn’t someone call me?” She knew the answer before she’d finished the sentence. The phone alone in Teri’s bathroom.
“We tried,” Ella said. “Mum tried all morning before she went to work, and Steve gave me his phone to call you while we were out. But first there was no answer, then it was engaged all the time.”
Red silently cursed herself as reality sank in. She looked up at the helicopter high overhead. To a uniformed officer, “Call off the air support, will you. Tell them it’s a false alarm.”
The officer hesitated. “Ma’am?”
“The suspect is actually our new child-minder. Everything’s fine.”
The officer looked unconvinced. “But…”
“I’ll take full responsibility,” Red said.
Terri handed Red the phone from the car. “Anna? Call off the hounds. False alarm. Tell Richard the girls are fine. They were with the new au pair. Pippa brought him in to cover for the sick grandmother. Nobody’s hurt.” Red turned to Steve, “Apart from my pride, and the suspect’s face. I’m just hoping he won’t be pressing charges for assault.”
She grinned sheepishly at Steve as she unlocked the handcuffs. “You need to clean up that graze. Ella, take Steve in and show him where the first aid kit is. Ruby, you go with them. .. I’ll be with you shortly. I’ve got a mess of my own to clear up here first”
Chapter 80.
Richard Ward advanced on Anna as she entered the room. “Will someone please tell me what’s happening! I demand to speak to someone in charge. You two are a disgrace. I want to know what you are doing to find my children.”
“Mr. Ward, please.” Anna Hargreaves proffered her palms in the universal gesture to calm down. “Take a seat and we’ll explain everything.”
“An hour I’ve been sat here. No information. No indications. Nothing. I report a kidnap, tell you that my children have been abducted by a strange man, probably a paedo or some loony-tunes that Juliet Bravo has locked up in the past, and you tell me to calm down!” A vein throbbed at Richard Ward’s temple, his face an angry shade of purple. “If anything happens to those girls…”
“DS Hargreaves is right, Mr. Ward,” Harris said. “You’re not helping matters.”
“Listen you little pr—”
“That’s enough, Mr. Ward!” Anna stepped between them, firing a warning glance at Harris. “Now, if you’ll sit down, we have some good news for you.”
Richard’s anger deflated instantly. “Good news? You’ve got them? Where are they? Are they hurt? If he’s touched them, so help me, God, I’ll…”
“The children are perfectly safe, Mr. Ward,” Anna said. “DCI Rose is with them now.”
“Cassandra?” Richard let out a sigh of relief. He slumped down onto the chair. “So she’s not a total waste of space after all. Did she catch the bastard who took them?”
Anna took a seat opposite Richard. Now for the difficult part, she thought. “There was no abduction, Mr. Ward.”
Richard stared at Anna. “I saw it with my own eyes!”
Anna chose her words carefully, her training kicking in. When a member of the pubic makes a fool of themselves, don’t rub their noses in it. “The person you saw with your daughters in the car was their au pair.”
“That’s ridiculous. Deimante has gone AWOL. Stole a car and disappeared back to wherever it was she came from. The children haven’t got an au pair.”
“That’s just it, Sherlock,” Harris said, twisting the lid off a biro, then using it to pick his ears with. “They’ve got a new au pair. Just started today, the Guv said.”
Richard Ward shook his head. “No. This was a man I saw.”
“Men can be au pairs too, Mr. Ward,” Anna assured him.
“There is no way Philippa would allow a man to look after the children.”
“Why not?” Harris asked. “She knows the sex discrimination laws better than anyone, I should think.”
“DC Harris is right, Mr. Ward,” Anna said. “We’ve had it confirmed by DCI Rose herself.”
Richard glared at Harris. “Philippa never told me about any new au pair.”
“Best discuss that with her, Sir,” Harris smirked. “As far as we’re concerned, the case is closed.”
“I want to see my daughters. Where ar
e they?”
“With DCI Rose.”
“I want them here with me. Now.”
“With respect, Sir, that’s not within our remit.”
“The woman is a menace,” Richard stated. “She’s not fit to look after any child, let alone my two. Tell her to bring them here immediately. She has no right to be with them.”
“Is there a Court order of some description barring DCI Rose from having access to her partner’s children?”
“I wish,” Richard muttered.
Anna shrugged. “There’s nothing more we can assist you with, Mr. Ward. Whatever differences there may be between yourself and DCI Rose are domestic issues that we cannot get involved with.”
“That’s right. Stick together. Where is that woman now? I’ll go and collect my daughters myself.”
“Last I spoke to her, she was heading for the Old Bailey to see the children’s mother.”
“I’ll catch up with them there. You can count on it.” Richard shot a final dirty look at Harris. To Anna, “Thanks for nothing.”
Chapter 81.
The security guards at the Old Bailey eyed Red, Terri and Steve with suspicion as they arrived at the checkpoint with two children in tow. Red produced her badge and explained they were there to meet Philippa Crichton-Ward when she finished her session.
“All of you?” The security guard studied Ruby and Ella briefly before nodding. Ms Crichton-Ward’s daughters. The eyes were a dead give-away. They filed through, Ruby triggering the alarm.
“Hold on, young lady,” the guard said, “I hope you’re not trying to smuggle any prohibited items into my court?”
Ruby stared up at him open mouthed as the alarm buzzed.
Terri bent down to her. “Anything in your pockets, pumpkin?”
Ruby shook her head.
“Car keys?” Terri said mischievously. “Have you been out driving Mom’s car again?”
Ruby shook her head solemnly. “I can’t drive yet. I’m not big enough.”
Terri eyed the child up and down. “You look big enough to me, pumpkin. Now, can we have a look in your pockets?”
“I haven’t any keys,” Ruby protested. “Cassie, tell her.”
“It’s okay, Tues,” Ella reassured her. “You must have something metal in your pockets.”
Ruby’s eyes sparkled as she remembered the paperclips. She fished them out and proudly displayed a small chain.
“That’s beautiful, Ruby,” Terri said, taking the chain from the child. “Let me have a proper look.” She examined the paper-clip chain with one hand while gently easing Ruby through the barrier with the other. Safely through, she passed the chain through and handed it back to Ruby, setting the alarm off again.
“Can’t be too careful,” the Guard smiled as Ella, Terri, Steve and Red followed her through, collecting their personals from the counter. He glanced at the clock. To Red, “They’ll be recessing for lunch any time now. Go straight down -”
“We know the way. Thanks.”
“Can we see Mum in Court?” Ella asked.
“Sorry, hun. The last thing Pippa needs is seeing you two peering down from the gallery. Besides, it’s not a suitable case for children.”
Ella’s eyes lit up. “Is it a murder? A serial killer?”
“You watch too much telly, Els,” Red said. “I’m afraid we’ve just got to sit out here and wait.”
“How long?” Ruby asked.
“Could be a while, Rubes,” Red replied. “So make yourselves comfortable.”
“Not too comfortable,” Steve said. “Here she comes now.”
They looked up to see Pippa emerging from Court 3 in whispered conversation, oblivious to their presence.
“Mummy” shouted Ruby. She was scooting towards her mother before Red could react. “Mummy! Mummy!”
A startled Pippa and colleague turned to see Ruby running full pelt towards them.
“Ruby!” Pippa cried. “What on Earth are you…” The look of astonishment changed to one of concern as she took in the reception committee, her eyes faltering briefly on Terri before taking in Steve and Ella. “Oh my God! What’s happened?”
“We thought we’d come and surprise you,” Red said unconvincingly.
Pippa reached down to pick up Ruby, eyeing the group with suspicion.
“Mummy, Cassie jumped on Steve and a helicopter came and there was lots of policemans!”
Pippa cut her eyes at Red, then trawled the line up from Terri to Steve to Ella, searching for answers. Everyone stared back awkwardly, Red mentally reworking her planned explanation in the light of Ruby’s statement.
Steve stepped forward. “We… We got our wires crossed a bit today.” He ran a hand through already wayward hair, “It seems the children’s father saw me with the girls. That is, he saw the girls in a stranger’s car. And understandably he called the Police, thinking I’d abducted them.”
Pippa clutched Ruby tightly and looked at Ella, then back at Red. “Abducted?”
“Yeah, Richard got it into his head that Ella and Rubes were being kidnapped,” Red said, trying not to laugh.
“Richard called the Police?” A smile tugged at Pippa’s lips as the news sunk in.
“It was well cool,” Ella added. “There was a helicopter and two police cars with sirens and everything. Even Cass fell for it. She jumped on poor Steve like he was a terrorist! I had to give him first aid!” She looked up at Steve. Beamed a smile at him. A hand reached out to his cuff. “He’s probably been traumatized for life!”
Steve looked suitably embarrassed. “It was just a graze.”
“Well, young lady,” Pippa said, aware her colleagues were looking on with amusement, “you seem to have recovered from your trauma. Back to school this afternoon, I think.”
“Mum!”
“If you’re well enough to go cavorting around London setting off manhunts then you’re well enough to go to lessons.”
“But Steve can teach me at home,” Ella protested.
“It’s Mr. Robinson when you are in public, young madam, and no he may not teach you at home, except as extra tuition in addition to school.” Pippa remembered her manners, turning to her colleagues. “I’m so sorry. Edward, Miranda, please say hello to our new au pair, Mr. Robinson, who as you will have gathered has just brought London to a standstill. You know Cassandra and the children, of course. Oh, and that’s one of Cassandra’s underlings,” she added, gesturing to Terri Miller. “I forget her name.”
The two barristers gave a friendly wave. “Nice one yesterday, Cassandra,” Edward said. “I nearly choked on my apple crumble when I saw you on the news last night.”
Pippa’s face split into a huge smile. “Why yes, Cassandra! I was so proud of you this morning. I came into Court to find you on the front pages! Cassandra’s a hero, Ruby!”
Red studied the floor. “I was in the right place at the right time.” She shook her head in disbelief at Pippa’s change of tune.
Pippa suddenly paused, puzzlement etched on her forehead. “Or do they still say heroine?” To Edward and Miranda, “What do you think? Has hero become a unisex term nowadays?”
Edward’s and Miranda’s considered response was put on hold as all eyes turned to the commotion coming from the main entrance, Loud and angry voices competed with the shrill of the alarm. Two ushers and a security guard hurried past.
Red and Terri stepped forward in unison to follow them but Pippa put up a restraining hand. “Court security is quite capable of handling it, whatever the problem may be, Cassandra.”
Red smiled at Pippa. “A hero’s work is never done, Counsellor. And besides, I think we all ought to get along to security pretty sharp. Listen.”
Pippa held her response and listened to the raised voices emanating from the security barrier.
“Oh my God. Richard!”
A second alarm went off. An announcement over the tannoy. “Assistance required at security. Assistance required.”
“Steve, stay here with
the kids. Terri, let’s go!”
“Wait for me!” Pippa wailed, trying desperately to maintain an elegant posture as she strode after Red and Terri. Edward and Miranda looked on, open-mouthed.
Steve took Ella and Ruby by the hand, looking dazed. “Never a dull moment with you guys, is there.”
Ella smiled, and clutched his hand tightly.
Chapter 82.
Red and Terri arrived at the barrier to find all quiet. Red flashed her badge. “Problem, guys?”
“Nothing we can’t handle. Some crackpot trying to get in armed. Looks like he wanted to attack one of the wigs.” The guard straightened his collar theatrically. “We soon took care of him.”
Red looked around. “Where is he?”
“Secure. We’ll give him an hour to cool off, then deal with him.”
Pippa appeared behind them. “Was it Richard?” To the guard, “What happened here?”
“Nothing to worry about, ma’am.” the guard said, turning to Pippa. “Oh.” The guard looked flustered. “I didn’t realise it was you. We’ve just had some lunatic try to get through security intent on doing you mischief.” The guard produced a cloth and unwrapped it to reveal a gleaming sharp blade. “Lethal, or what? And not just the one, either. He had more in his case. ”
Red took a step back, enjoying Pippa’s discomfort. “Counsellor?”
Pippa looked around her, thankful to see Edward and Miranda had not followed her. “I think there may have been a slight misunderstanding.”
“No, no,” the guard reassured her. “No misunderstanding. He asked for you by name. Some crazy story about children being kidnapped by a nanny and a police officer called Red who was to blame.” The guard twirled his fingers at his head to illustrate his point. “A complete fruitcake, ma’am.”
Saffina Desforges' ROSE RED Crime Thriller Boxed Set Page 47