“He’s coming here?” She jumped and the baby began to whimper when her nipple popped out of his mouth.
Adam waited while she reattached him. “He knows the situation and said he won’t stay long, but we need to get it over with. We can’t ignore it forever.”
“I’m aware of that. I’d put it to the back of my mind, to be honest.”
Adam stayed at the hospital until well past visiting time, briefly shooting off to grab some burgers for them both.
Afterwards, he went straight home to bed. He set the alarm, and once again, arrived at the station in the morning before the others.
The first thing he checked was that the warrants were in place. They were. Cal had organised for two search teams to be ready to move in as soon as they got the go-ahead.
As always, Cal arrived first and the others trickled in behind him, including Frances.
Her face appeared gaunt and her eyes reddened from crying. Her normally slim figure bordered on skinny, the jeans and T-shirt she wore hung off her.
“I’m sure you’re supposed to be on leave,” Adam said.
“And miss this? Most excitement I’ve had in ages. Where are we up to with everything?”
“All on track. Sally’s due here at one. I told her to bring a solicitor, but I don’t know if she will. Cal’s arranged for two search teams to be ready once we give them the nod. I’m happy for any of you to join them in the search if you like?”
“I think I might,” Ginger Dave said. “I’m still not convinced Sally is responsible, and if there’s anything to find I’d like to see it with my own eyes.”
“Fair enough. Choose which team you want to be with and sort it out.”
“Will do, boss.”
“Are you going to sit in on the interview with me?” he asked Frances.
“I was hoping to, yeah.”
“Good, she trusts you and may let her guard down. We need to spend a bit of time going through each of the points, so we’re on the same page.”
“Sounds good. How’s Amanda and the baby doing?”
“Oh, sorry. I meant to tell you. Baby Andrew is out of the special care unit. They’re both doing really well.”
“That’s fantastic news!” Frances said. The rest of the team chimed in with their congratulations.
“Maybe we’ll have a double celebration later?” Les raised his eyebrows comically. “Wetting the baby’s head and wrapping the case up once and for all.”
“Here’s hoping, Les.” Adam winked at him.
He pulled Frances to one side. “I have an appointment with a detective from Wolverhampton at ten-thirty. Can we catch up once I get back?”
“Of course we can, boss. Good luck.”
Chapter 48
Amanda’s hair was still wet from the shower when Adam arrived a few minutes after ten. “Oh, good. Did you bring me a change of clothes?”
“I certainly did.” He handed her a cloth supermarket bag and kissed her head.
“Cheers, I won’t be a sec.” She scooted back into the adjoining bathroom.
Adam stepped over to the bassinet and gently moved the pale-green sheet away from the baby’s face, so he could take a good look at him. He still couldn’t get over the all-consuming love he felt for the tiny bundle who didn’t even know his daddy existed yet.
When Amanda returned, wearing a pair of navy-blue leggings and a baggy white blouse, she looked more like her usual self—minus the bump, of course.
“That’s better.” She fussed about, tidying the bedside cabinet, shoving things in the drawer and cupboard, stacking magazines into a tidy pile. “I’m nervous. Are you?”
“A little.” He smiled reassuringly. “But he did sound like a nice guy on the phone.”
“I hope so. I didn’t sleep a wink last night.”
They heard a gentle tap at the door.
He glanced at Amanda and raised his eyebrows. “You ready?”
She took a deep breath and nodded.
Adam opened the door to a tall, wiry man with thinning, flyaway blond hair. He wore a grey suit, white shirt, and a blue and mauve paisley tie. He had a file wedged under his right arm. “Hi. You must be Detective Merchants?” Adam held out his hand.
“Yeah, but we can do away with the formalities. Call me Johnny.” He shook Adam’s hand warmly.
“Come on in then, Johnny. I’m Adam and this is my wife, Amanda.”
In two strides, the detective stood beside Amanda shaking her hand enthusiastically. “Congratulations on the new arrival.” He nodded at the baby. “I’m guessing a boy?”
“Thank you, yes. His name’s Andrew.”
“All the A’s,” he said.
“Yeah, I never thought about that.” She gave a fake tinkling laugh.
Adam pulled up a plastic chair and offered the armchair to Johnny. Once seated, the detective opened the file.
“I appreciate you seeing me, considering the timing of all this.” His forehead crinkled.
Adam nodded and glanced at Amanda.
She looked as though she may burst into tears any minute.
“I just need you to tell me what you know about Mary’s early years and her parents, etcetera.”
“Very little, I’m afraid,” Amanda said. “My brother, Andrew, went missing when he was fifteen years old, and I actually thought he was dead. We were abused as children you see, and after Andrew left, I discovered I was pregnant. I was fourteen.” Amanda began to shake, and a solitary tear rolled down her cheek.
Adam jumped to his feet and sat beside her on the bed. “I can send you the case notes if you like, Johnny. I’d prefer it if Amanda doesn’t go into too much detail about that part of her life.”
“Of course, I understand. When did you first meet up with your brother again?”
She pulled a tissue from the box and dabbed at her eyes. “A couple of years ago. He was living in the country with his wife and Mary. His wife was suffering from acute MS and died soon after. That’s when I discovered Andrew was responsible for several murders including that of our father. Before he absconded for a second time, he asked me to look after his daughter for him.”
“Did he tell you anything about the child?”
“He told me she was born in France. His ex, Mary’s natural mother, didn’t want to be tied down and left the baby with Andrew. He brought Mary back to England when she was around five, I think.”
“Do you have a copy of Mary’s birth certificate?”
Amanda nodded. “Yes. It’s in French. I got all her legal documents from their house after she came to live with me.”
“Would it be okay if I examine them? I’ll return them of course.”
Amanda looked at Adam.
Adam nodded. “I can pick them up for you later. I’ll send them internally, if you like?”
“I’d appreciate it.”
“What do you make of all this, Johnny?” Amanda asked. “Up to now, that is?”
The detective seemed uncomfortable as he glanced between each of them. “Well, I’m not sure if you were told, Amanda, but the child you gave up for adoption was indeed the child who was kidnapped a few years later. So the information we were given was correct in that respect.”
“So, this means if Mary isn’t her, my little girl is still missing?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“I’m not sure what’s worse now, to be honest. Finding out Mary is my daughter, or finding out she’s not.”
“What would happen if she is?” Adam said. “Surely there’s a family who’ve been searching and pining for her all these years. Would she have to go back to them?”
“Both adoptive parents passed away a few years back. And, to be honest, I’ve never had a situation like this one, so I haven’t a clue what will happen.” He got to his feet just as the baby began to squeak and snuffle. “Thanks for your honesty, I appreciate how delicate the subject is, and I can assure you I’ll do my utmost to wrap this up as soon as possible.”
Amand
a shook his hand before reaching into the cot for the baby.
Adam walked him to the lift. “I’ll send you those case notes later. I’ve got a huge investigation going on at the moment, and I imagine I’ll be tied up for the rest of the day, but I promise to have Mary’s birth certificate, and anything else I can find, in the mail by tomorrow.”
The lift door opened and several people got out, two of them carrying flowers.
Johnny sidestepped them before getting in the lift. “I appreciate it. Thanks, Adam.”
Adam raced back to Amanda. The time was ticking, and he still had a lot to do. He found her sitting on the bed, the baby attached to her breast.
“Who knew what a good little actress you were?” he said, kissing her head.
“Do you think he bought it?”
“Hell, yeah. But it was mostly true anyway. How can they prove Andrew told you anything else?”
“They can’t. And I’m exhausted now.”
“Get your head down once his nibs has had his fill. Promise me, Mand. Turn your phone off and get some sleep. You won’t get the chance once you’re back home.”
“I will. I promise.”
“Good. Right, I’ve got to dash. I’ll be back later. Has anybody told you when you can come home?”
“Maybe tomorrow. I’ll need you to buy a car seat though. That’s one of the things I hadn’t got around to shopping for.”
“I don’t know anything about car seats, but I’ll ask one of the sales staff. Is there anything else?”
“We need a pushchair, but we can go shopping together once I’m home. I think we’re fine for everything else.”
“Alright. Give me a kiss.” He kissed her lips and then the top of baby’s head before rushing off.
*
He got back to the station with only an hour to spare. Ginger Dave was heading down the stairs as he arrived.
“How’s it going, Dave? Did you sort it out with the search team?”
“Going over there now.”
Dave couldn’t even raise a smile which was unlike him. “Are you alright, mate. You don’t seem yourself.”
“No offence, but I can’t wait to watch you eat your words. That poor girl’s just lost her only living parent, and now she’s got you persecuting her.”
Adam was completely taken aback. “Hardly persecuting her, Dave. If there’s even a remote chance Sally could be our killer, then even you must agree we’re obliged to follow it through, regardless of who her father was.”
Dave shook his head and shoved past him.
Adam turned and watched the older man leave. He’d never had a cross word with Ginger Dave in all the time they’d worked together.
The rest of the team were standing in a huddle as he walked in. They sprang apart, seeming relieved it was him.
“Something happened?” he asked.
“Ginger Dave just blew up at us all,” Frances said. “We were talking about having a whip-round for the new baby, and he started ranting about déjà vu, and how he remembered having a whip-round for Charlie Kemp’s little girl—the one we’re all trying to frame!”
“He said that? He thinks we’re trying to frame her?”
They all nodded.
“He’s too close to it. I should have realised and put him to work on another case. He’ll calm down,” he said, trying to reassure them. “Now come on, we’ve not got much time left. Frances, are you ready to go through that list with me?”
“Yes, of course.”
They had little over half an hour before Sally would be there. “Cal, are the teams on stand-by?”
“Not yet. They’ll call when they are.”
Adam nodded. “Okay. Tell them I want to know immediately if they find anything.”
“I already have, boss.”
He followed Frances into his office and closed the door. “I wish I could be in three places at once,” he said.
“You could be, you know. If you tell her something’s come up and make her wait, you could be part of both searches.”
“I know. But I really don’t want to put the wind up her. We’ve got very little proof as it is. We need to shock a confession out of her, if we can.”
“How did you get on with the detective?”
“He was a nice bloke, really. He just has a job to do. And he doesn’t seem to be out to screw me over like some would.”
“Good. That’s a relief.”
He pulled up the list on his laptop and sent it to the printer.
Frances reached behind herself and grabbed the two sheets of paper.
“Okay. Most of the points are straight forward. Just read through them, and if you need any further information let me know.”
Cal tapped on the door and brought in two cups of coffee.
Adam took the cups from him. “You’re a life saver, Cal. I haven’t had anything all day.”
“If you get stuck in the interview room, you might not get the chance to have anything until later.” He produced a packet of biscuits from under his arm.
“I could kiss you,” Adam said, as he opened the chocolate digestives and crammed one into his mouth.
“Better watch out or people will begin to talk.” Calvin exaggeratedly minced out of the office.
Adam laughed. “Want one?” He offered the packet to Frances as she glanced up from the file.
“No, thanks. And all of this looks pretty much straight forward.”
“I’ll take it in with us anyway. Get your coffee down you. She’ll be here any minute.”
Chapter 49
I leave the house on time, dressed to kill in a skin-tight scarlet pantsuit and over the knee black boots. The outfit is finished off with a classy, black jacket that boasts a fluffy collar.
I climb into my two-door Audi and head off in the direction of the police station. A little further up the road, I turn and double back. I spot the van on the other side of the street, just up from my apartment. I can imagine the commotion inside right now as they prepare to get to work.
I park up and watch them for a few moments, but I’m soon bored. I decide to leave them to it.
On the other side of town, I get out of the car and lock it. Glancing around me, I slowly walk through the gate and up the path. The front door is open a few inches and I push it, tapping my highly polished, red fingernails on the glass. “Knock, knock.” I call.
A woman, who looks to be in her late fifties with fashionably short, grey hair, appears at the top of the stairs. “Oh, hello. Hang on a minute.”
This throws me. Who the hell is this woman?
The woman rushes down the stairs towards me. “Sorry about that. How can I help you?”
I give her my warmest smile. “I’m looking for Amanda. Is she home?”
“Oh, no, she’s not. Are you a friend of hers?”
My brain went into overdrive as I tried to remember as many details as possible from the secret box. “Yes. Although I’ve not seen her in ages. Not since she split with Michael.”
“Gosh, that was a while ago. Come on in.”
I follow her inside, closing the door behind me.
She walks through to the kitchen. “Fancy a cuppa?”
“I’d love one, actually,” I say, holding my hand out towards her. “I’m Sally, by the way.”
The woman folds a tea towel and throws it onto the counter. “Sorry, I’m Sandra, Amanda’s foster mum.”
“Oh, Amanda told me a lot about you. It’s nice to finally be able to put a face to the name.” Flattery always works, and, when the woman smiles I know I’m in.
“That’s nice. How do you and Amanda know each other?”
“I used to go out with Kevin, a friend of Michael’s, and Amanda and I were often thrown together. We got on well. But Kevin and I split up before they did and I moved away. She sent me a message on Facebook, telling me all about Michael, of course.” I didn’t know what the hell happened to Michael, but something clearly did, or else they’d still be together.
“Black coffee, please.” I perch on a stool beside the breakfast bar.
Sandra fills the kettle and grabs a couple of cups from the shelf. “Sugar?”
I shake my head. “No, thanks. So, where is she? Amanda?”
“She’s in hospital. Nothing nasty, she’s had another baby. A little boy.”
“That’s lovely. Congratulations! She must have three now?”
“Yes. Unless you count Mary, she’s Amanda’s niece who lives here too.”
“So she’s got four kids. Wow! Busy lady.”
“Do you have a family, Sally?” Sandra scoops instant coffee into the cups and pours boiling water on top.
“Not yet. A career girl, me. But, I must admit, my biological clock’s ticking away.”
“Don’t leave it too long, love. I speak from experience.” She hands me a steaming cup.
“Is that what you did?”
Sandra nods, sadly it seems. “I was in my thirties when we began trying, which isn’t late in this day and age. We expected it to happen right away. All my sisters were popping them out for fun. But it wasn’t meant to be.”
“So you decided to foster instead?”
Sandra’s eyes lit up. “I did, and I loved every minute of it. Amanda stayed with us the longest, and I class her as my own. We’re close.”
“She thinks the world of you.”
“It’s so nice of you to say that. I’ve been looking after the children while she’s been in the hospital, but she’s due home tomorrow, the reason I’m here, actually. I thought I’d give the house a once over. You know what men are like when they’re left to their own devices.”
“I do indeed. He’s a detective I believe? Amanda’s new fella.”
“Yes, that’s right. He’s lovely.”
“I was hoping to meet him and the children. I’m only home for a few days, and then I’m shooting off to the States for a year or two.” I eye the knife holder on the kitchen side. The police took my hunting knife away.
“Sounds fabulous, if not a little scary. I tell you what. Why don’t you surprise Amanda at the hospital? She was going stir-crazy yesterday.”
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