by Susan Lewis
Now she had his attention.
‘There’s another girl, Tania Karpenko,’ she continued, ‘who, as far as we know, no one’s seen or heard from in the past month. She’s eighteen, so she doesn’t have to give an account of her whereabouts, but we’re checking now to find out if any other girls have, quote vanished unquote, from Blue Ocean Park, or any of the other campsites. If they have . . .’ She let the sentence hang. He’d know how potentially serious the situation could be if it turned out Sophie’s wasn’t the only disappearance.
‘Did the two girls know each other?’ he asked. ‘Sophie and this Tania? They must have.’
‘According to Sophie’s bestie, Estelle, who we’ve just spoken to, they were good friends with Tania in spite of the difference in their ages. Take a look at this,’ and whisking out her phone she opened up the email she’d forwarded from Estelle.
Gould’s frown deepened as he watched it. ‘Where the hell would a girl her age learn to dance like that?’ he growled.
Andee’s eyebrows rose. ‘It’s called twerking,’ she explained. ‘Try Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna . . . In fact, look at most pop videos these days, they’re way more explicit than this.’
‘So what are you trying to say?’ he asked, handing her phone back.
‘The best friend’s denying it, but I reckon someone else was there when this video was shot, or maybe they sent it to someone, like Tania, who might have shown it to an interested party.’
‘By interested party, you mean some sort of pimp?’
‘It’s possible, still hypothetical of course, but the best friend showed us a text she received from Sophie last Sunday night. In it she’s saying she was with a man called Gary Perkins, who’s a lifeguard at the site’s pool. There’s also mention of the maintenance bloke, Tomasz Sikora, but we’re not sure yet whether she was actually with him. Apparently, apart from being a plumber, he’s also a bit of a wow in the cabaret room.’
Gould frowned.
‘He sings,’ she explained.
‘Where’s he from? The way you’re saying the name doesn’t sound English.’
‘According to the site’s records he’s from Poland, but we’ve yet to verify that. Tania Karpenko told Estelle and Sophie she was from the Ukraine, but her staff file has her down as Slovakian.’
‘Why would she lie?’
‘I’ve no idea.’ She took a breath. ‘Going back to Tomasz Sikora, apparently he’s been multitasking for the Poynters for the past three years.’
‘So you’ve spoken to him?’
‘Not yet. He wasn’t around when we were over there earlier, and apparently the uniforms missed him when they were going door to door.’
‘What about this Gary Perkins?’
‘No sign of him this afternoon either, but Dan Wilkes was supposed to be running a check on him,’ and opening the door she called out to ask if there was any news.
‘Right here,’ Dan Wilkes replied, getting to his feet. ‘You’re going to love this, but not a lot. Your bloke’s on the sex offenders’ register.’
Andee blinked in astonishment. A lifeguard at a holiday camp was on the sex offenders’ register! How the hell had that happened? She turned to Gould. ‘We need to bring him in right now,’ she declared.
Not arguing, Gould said, ‘Find this Polish bloke too.’
‘Andee, there you are,’ one of the admin assistants greeted her as Andee returned to her desk. ‘Gavin Monroe rang about ten minutes ago, asking to speak to you.’
Wondering why he hadn’t tried her mobile, Andee said, ‘Do you know if he’s heard from Sophie?’
‘All he said was he wanted to talk to you.’
Picking up the phone Andee pressed in Gavin’s number. ‘Send a couple of uniforms over to the camp to bring in Perkins,’ she instructed Leo, ‘he can’t be allowed to stay, no matter what. Mr Monroe? DS Lawrence speaking. You were trying to get hold of me?’
Sounding clogged, as though he’d been crying, Gavin said, ‘I was just . . . Heidi and me were wondering if you’d heard anything yet?’
Quickly pulling back from his despair, she replied, ‘Nothing that’s telling us where she is.’ Should she mention the older men? Perhaps not yet, and certainly not over the phone. ‘Has anything else occurred to you that you think might be helpful?’ she pressed.
‘Not really. I just wish there was something we could do. It’s terrible just sat here, waiting, fearing the worst, thinking of all the things I should have said or done.’
Having been in that very place, Andee was only too aware of how torturous the waiting could be. It still was. ‘You mustn’t give up hope,’ she told him. ‘I’m sure we’ll find her.’ How could she be sure when they’d never found Penny?
This was different.
How?
She didn’t know, it just was. It had to be.
‘Before you go, is it possible to have a word with Heidi?’
‘She’s popped out with the baby. Shall I ask her to ring when she gets in?’
‘If you don’t mind. Or maybe you can tell me. Does she do the hiring and firing at the camp?’
‘As far as I know she sits in on the interviews, but I think the final decision is usually Jackie Poynter’s.’
‘OK, thanks,’ and deciding not to distress him with anything about Gary Perkins being hired, apparently in spite of his conviction, she assured him she’d be in touch as soon as there was some news, and rang off.
After reading through her emails she brought the case notes for Sophie up on her screen to begin checking through everything that had been added in the past few hours. Scrolling down, she saw that Slavoj Bendik, also known as Shrek, had seen Sophie on the beach on Sunday night, but she’d run away when he’d tried to approach her. Ended up getting chased on beach by Shrek, the text had said. However, it had gone on to say, With G now. My hero. So presumably Shrek hadn’t caught her. Or maybe he’d been with G too.
Deciding to get everything more thoroughly checked out, she reached for her mobile as it rang and clicked on.
‘Hi, it’s me. Is this a bad time?’
She turned so her back was to the office. ‘I’m afraid it’s not good,’ she replied, wondering if the sound of Martin’s voice would always throw her into turmoil. Only when it caught her off guard. ‘How are you?’
‘Fine, I guess. Bit shocked, but maybe I shouldn’t be.’
‘I don’t think we’re ever prepared for the loss of a parent.’
‘No, I suppose not. You know he thought the world of you.’
‘The feeling was mutual.’
He took a breath. ‘The kids seem to be doing OK. They’re upset, obviously, but they’re being great with Mum. It’s good for her to have them here.’
‘I’m sure they wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.’
‘No, probably not. She was glad you made it over last night.’
She knew he was going to ask to see her, and that she’d have to agree. Why was she feeling reluctant? Because of Graeme and the new beginning she’d finally started to carve for herself? Or because of how unsettled she was over everything right now?
‘We need to talk,’ he said.
Need to talk? Of course, about his dad. He’d want to relive the memories, and as she shared so many of them . . . ‘We’ve got a missing girl,’ she told him. ‘Things are looking . . . They’re not straightforward.’
There was a pause before he said, ‘Are they ever in those situations?’
‘Not really. She’s fourteen.’
‘I see.’ He would be thinking of Penny now, and perhaps remembering that he was the first person she’d really spoken to about her missing sister when she’d started college. Oddly, it was part of what had brought them closer together, and had helped to form a bond between them that had lasted for over twenty years. He’d understood how tormented she was by never having any answers, and though they almost never spoke of it now, she knew he’d never stopped understanding.
‘I’ll call, s
oon,’ she promised.
He didn’t say anything, and a moment later the line went dead.
Feeling terrible for turning him down Andee toyed with ringing him back, and might have if she’d known what to say. Since she didn’t she picked up the phone again and called the officer who’d interviewed Shrek – aka Slavoj Bendik. It turned out the site warden had admitted chasing Sophie, not to harm her, he’d said, but to find out why she was crying. When she’d shouted at him and run off he’d decided to let her go and had gone on to play poker with friends, where he’d spent the rest of the evening. The friends had confirmed this.
A while later, with the case now categorised as high risk, and the press already running the story thanks to Perkins’s involvement, she said to Leo, ‘If we don’t have it already we need the camp’s CCTV from last Sunday, and any information we can find on forced prostitution and trafficking in the area.’
Leo cocked her a look.
‘We can’t ignore it,’ she told him. ‘You’ve seen the way she danced, we know there are Eastern European girls coming and going from the camp and she was friends with Tania. We need to know if she’s got caught up in something like it. Does anyone have anything to share on prostitution and trafficking?’ she called to the office at large.
‘We had a case a year or so back,’ Karen, one of the other DSs, told her. ‘The girls were mostly Somalian, being run by an Iranian in a house on the Temple Fields estate. Immigration ended up taking it over.’
‘Anything since?’
‘Not that I’ve heard, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.’
‘I’ll get on to it,’ Dan Wilkes offered.
‘Any reply from the maintenance guy’s mobile yet?’ Andee asked Leo.
He tried again and shook his head.
‘OK, we’ve got an address so let’s go over there,’ she decided, and getting to her feet she was about to start for the door when Gould came out of his office.
‘I just heard Dougie Stone died yesterday,’ he stated.
She nodded. Gould and Dougie had been golfing partners. ‘Sorry, I should have said something.’
‘It’s all right. You know, if you want to take some time off . . .’
Suspecting it might be a ruse to get her off this case, she said, ‘Thanks, but it won’t be necessary. The children are with their father.’
He nodded, and turned back to his desk. ‘Let me know if you change your mind,’ he called after her as she left.
Twenty minutes later Leo was ringing the bell of number eight Patch Elm Lane. When a small boy inched the door open Andee gave him a friendly smile.
‘Hello?’ she said softly. ‘Are your mummy or daddy at home?’
‘Anton, what have I told you about answering the door,’ an accented female voice scolded. ‘You never know who it might be.’ As the speaker came into view Andee was immediately struck by how lovely she was. She almost seemed to glow, and though Andee wasn’t given to fanciful observations, the first word coming to mind about this woman was angel. Funny how some people exuded the very essence of who they were, while others, mostly, were all but impossible to read.
‘Can I help you?’ the woman asked, looking puzzled.
‘We’re looking for Tomasz Sikora,’ Andee explained. ‘I believe he lives here?’
Frowning, the woman said, ‘Yes, he does, but I am afraid he goes to Poland to see his mother. She is unwell. Perhaps I can give him a message when he rings?’
Andee smiled as she held up her badge.
The woman’s eyes widened with alarm. ‘You are the police? Is something wrong?’
Andee looked down at the boy’s wide, inquisitive stare and caught a glimpse of Luke at that age. How long ago it seemed, and yet almost like yesterday. ‘Is this Mr Sikora’s son?’ she asked.
‘No, he . . . My husband he is . . . Tomasz, he takes care of us now. He is like a father. He is a very good man.’
Andee’s eyes returned to hers. Why had she felt it necessary to add that? ‘May we come in for a few minutes?’ she asked politely.
Seeming uncertain of how to refuse, the woman pulled the door wider, and taking her son’s hand, she pointed down the hall towards the living room.
‘Do you mind if we ask your name?’ Leo began when she joined them after sending the boy upstairs.
‘I am Kasia Domanski,’ she told them. ‘I don’t understand . . . Why do you want to speak to Tomasz? Is it about Sophie from the caravan park?’
Intrigued by the assumption, Andee said, ‘Yes, it’s about Sophie. Do you know her?’
Kasia shook her head. ‘Not really. I see her around sometimes, if I am there, but I don’t go often.’
‘So you don’t work at Blue Ocean?’
‘No. I am a nurse at the Greensleeves Care Home. Sometimes, if it is not too late I take the children to watch Tomasz sing at the club. He is a very good singer.’
‘Was he singing last Sunday?’ Andee asked.
Kasia fiddled with her necklace as she thought. ‘Yes, I am sure that he was.’
‘Do you remember what time he came home?’
She shrugged. ‘A little after midnight. The same time as he usually comes when he has been singing.’
‘Did he say if he’d been anywhere else that night?’
‘No.’
‘Did he mention seeing Sophie Monroe?’
‘No, he say nothing about her.’
‘Does he ever talk about her?’
‘No, never. Apart from to tell me the day before yesterday that she is missing and the police are helping to find her.’
Andee nodded. ‘When did he leave for Poland?’
‘This morning on the early flight from Bristol.’
‘To where, exactly?’
‘Krakow.’
‘And when are you expecting him back?’
‘I am not sure. It depends what happens with his mother. Maybe a few days.’
‘And you’re absolutely sure he’s gone to Poland?’
Kasia blinked, and appeared offended. ‘Yes, I am sure. He would not lie about his mother.’
Allowing Leo to take over, Andee spent the next few minutes watching Kasia’s changing expressions as she was asked if it was possible Tomasz had finished early on Sunday and not come straight home; if she was sure Tomasz had gone to Poland alone; if she had met many of Tomasz’s friends.
By the time Leo had finished tears of anger and confusion were shining in Kasia’s eyes. ‘I don’t understand why you come here saying these things. Tomasz is a good person. You can ask anyone. Everyone they tell you, he is a very good person.’
Knowing she truly believed it, and hoping, for her sake, it was true, Andee smiled reassuringly.
‘Perhaps you can give us his mother’s number before we go,’ Leo suggested.
Kasia immediately looked uneasy. ‘I am not sure,’ she stumbled. ‘She is not . . . She does not like that Tomasz is with me, because I am married to another man. So when he is with her, I always call him on his mobile.’
‘Would you mind trying him now?’ Leo prompted.
Noticing how she was shaking as she connected to his number, Andee found herself willing the man to answer, if only to restore this trusting young woman’s faith in him. It was evident though, when her eyes came to Andee’s, that she had been pushed through to voicemail.
‘Tomasz, to ja,’ she began.
‘Please speak English,’ Leo quickly interrupted.
With her eyes on him, Kasia whispered hoarsely, ‘Tomasz, the police are here and they want to speak to you. Please call me.’
Andee waited until she’d rung off before saying, ‘Does the name Tania Karpenko mean anything to you?’
Looking more puzzled than ever, Kasia shook her head. ‘I don’t think so. Why? Who is she?’
‘She’s someone who worked at the camp until about a month ago. We’re not quite sure where she is now.’
As Kasia’s hand went to her mouth, Andee looked down at her mobile to c
heck an incoming text.
Mum, you have to call me. Axx PS: If you can’t get me try Luke.
Wondering what it could be about, Andee pocketed her phone and said to Kasia, ‘If you speak to Tomasz before we do, please ask him to get in touch right away.’
‘Of course,’ Kasia promised. ‘I know he will want to help in any way he can.’
Once they were back in the car, Leo said, ‘Funny that she doesn’t have the mother’s number. Who would she call in an emergency?’
‘I was wondering the same.’
‘Do you think she was lying?’
‘No, I think it’s more likely he’s never given it to her.’
‘Because whenever he says he’s going to Poland, he’s actually going somewhere else?’
‘Possibly. Or he’s going there, but not to see his mother,’ and taking out her Airwave she point-to-pointed one of the DCs back at base. ‘Terry, find out if there were any flights to Krakow from Bristol today,’ she instructed, ‘and if there were, whether Tomasz Sikora was on it. Oh, and check for any fourteen-year-old girls too. We know Sophie’s passport is at home, but that doesn’t mean she’s not travelling under another name.’
‘He could be too,’ Leo suggested as she disconnected.
‘We have to start somewhere,’ and going through to Barry Britten she said, ‘Have you picked up Gary Perkins yet?’
‘Afraid not,’ he replied. ‘No sign of him at the camp, and the sister’s adamant she doesn’t know when he’s coming back.’
Andee’s expression darkened as she said, ‘OK, I’ll be in touch,’ and after disconnecting she went through to Gould. ‘Sir, both Gary Perkins and Tomasz Sikora seem to have disappeared. According to Sikora’s wife, girlfriend, Sikora left for Poland first thing this morning to visit his sick mother, but now she can’t get hold of him. Perkins we’ve got no idea about, and the sister’s saying she hasn’t either.’
‘OK,’ Gould replied. ‘The incident room’s already being set up. I’ll contact Polsar now to get them on the case.’ At last, the specialist search unit. ‘You know I ought to remove you, given your history,’ he added abruptly.