Behind Closed Doors

by Susan Lewis

  ‘None,’ Barry confirmed. ‘We’re waiting for the electricity board to come and disconnect his little grow tank, so we can take it away. The CSIs have got everything else bagged and tagged, ready to go.’

  ‘Any obvious signs Sophie was there?’

  ‘No, but we’ve taken plenty of prints. I can also tell you that the twerking video was almost definitely shot there. The backgrounds match.’

  Andee’s expression flattened into dismay. ‘I don’t want to think this,’ she said, ‘but I can’t help wondering if there’s some sort of procurement going on here. Three girls disappearing from this site . . .’ She sighed, not liking the way this was looking at all.

  ‘Did you pick up anything from Sikora’s place this morning?’ Barry asked.

  ‘You mean for DNA? I left Leo to go through the dirty laundry.’ Enjoying Barry’s laugh, she said, ‘Incidentally, did you hear there’s a question over another girl who’s worked at the camp? A Michaela Reznick.’

  Barry nodded. ‘Yeah, I did. I’ve also heard the Poynters are on their way back from Spain. Have you ever met them?’

  Andee shook her head.

  He grinned. ‘You should talk to your fellow DS, Carl Williams, when he gets back from leave. He’s come that close to nailing them on at least half a dozen occasions.’

  ‘For what?’

  ‘You name it, they’ve been up for it, but somehow they’ve always managed to slither free. I thought the last time our Carl was going to walk across the courtroom and punch the smirk right off Jimmy Poynter’s ugly mug. I don’t think anyone would have blamed him if he had.’

  ‘Mm, looks like I’m in for a bit of a treat,’ Andee commented wryly, ‘unless Sophie shows up before they do, of course.’

  Sobering, Barry said, ‘Let’s hope she does.’ Then, ‘By the way, I spoke to Martin last night. You know, to say sorry about his dad.’

  Andee’s eyes drifted to where a couple of Polsars, watched by a small group of holidaymakers, were using mirrors on poles to search under nearby caravans. She wondered if anything of significance had been discovered yet, either here, out on the main drag, or on the beach. If it had she’d have been notified. ‘I’m sure he appreciated that,’ she said. Had Martin told their old friend about the new woman in his life?

  Did it matter if he had?

  Changing the subject, she said, ‘Has the FLO turned up at the Monroes’ yet?’

  ‘Should have by now. Do you want me to check?’

  ‘It’s OK, I’ll do it. What are you doing when you’ve finished here?’

  ‘Loading up and heading back to the station.’

  Leaving him to it she set off in the direction of the Monroes’ bungalow, checking in with control as she went. After being told that no one had reported any suspect brothels or trafficking in the area over the past six months, and that Tomasz Sikora’s computer, which had been seized that morning, had a virtually empty hard drive, she clicked off her Airwave and took out her mobile.

  ‘Hi, it’s me,’ she said, when her mother answered. ‘Are you still at Carol’s?’

  ‘No, I got back about an hour ago,’ Maureen replied. ‘The children are still there, but I think they’re planning to come home later. Is everything OK with you?’

  From the mildness of her tone Andee could tell that she hadn’t seen any news over the last twelve hours, which was actually no surprise, since she knew only too well how the death of someone close could transport a family from the everyday world to a place where only the past and memories existed or mattered.

  Having no intention of telling her mother about Sophie’s disappearance over the phone, Andee simply said, ‘I’m fine. I spoke to Luke and Alayna last night.’

  ‘They told me. They’re worried about you.’

  ‘I know, and they shouldn’t be. I’m fine with their father meeting someone else. It was always going to happen . . .’ She was surprised by how matter-of-fact she was managing to sound when inside she was annoyed, upset, possibly even jealous, though she wasn’t prepared to run with that. ‘Have you met her?’ she asked.

  ‘Only briefly,’ Maureen replied. ‘She flew in yesterday, apparently, and is staying at a hotel in town. Martin thought it might be a bit much for her to stay at Carol’s, especially while the children are there.’

  Relieved he’d had the sense to realise that, Andee said, ‘What’s she like?’ and immediately wished she hadn’t.

  In a voice that conveyed little warmth, Maureen told her, ‘She seems very pleasant. She’s a translator, by all accounts. They met in Cairo a few months ago when they were both working there.’

  ‘It sounds as though they’re well suited.’ How bizarre, bewildering, it felt to think of Martin being in any way suited to another woman, when she couldn’t even begin to imagine herself with another man. Apart from Graeme, of course, who she was imagining herself with all the time lately, and actually liking the way it felt. How perverse her feelings were, unfathomable, contrary, downright unpredictable from one minute to the next. ‘Is she going to be at the funeral?’ she asked.

  ‘I’m not sure. Carol doesn’t want her there. Between us, she’s not happy about her being here at all. She thinks it’s wrong for someone Dougie didn’t know to show up, almost like a member of the family, and I’m afraid I have to agree.’

  Deciding not to get her mother any more worked up by saying that she did too, Andee simply said, ‘I’ll talk to Martin later, but I should go now. I just wanted to check in to make sure everyone’s all right.’

  ‘We’re as well as can be expected, given the circumstances, but it would be nice if you could take some time off to be with us all.’

  She’d understand once she knew about Sophie, but for now all Andee said was, ‘I know, and I’ll try. I’ll see you later, OK? Love you,’ and ending the call she quickly refocused her thoughts to matters at hand, since she had no intention of allowing them to be hijacked by Martin and how angry she felt with him for just about everything.

  Finding the Monroes’ front door open and hearing raised voices coming from the kitchen she paused, not wanting to intrude, but curious to know what the shouting was about.

  ‘. . . I don’t know what you’re expecting to find out there,’ Heidi was yelling. ‘Why are you doing it? You’re just tormenting yourself . . .’

  ‘I can’t just sit around here doing nothing,’ Gavin protested. ‘We don’t know what she might have dropped, or if . . .’

  ‘Stop it, just stop,’ Heidi yelled over him. ‘I can’t take much more of this. I want them to find her as much as you do, but we . . . Oh Archie, I’m sorry, my love, I didn’t mean to scare you. Sssh, don’t cry. Mummy’s here.’

  Continuing along the hall, Andee knocked on the kitchen door and pushed it open. The baby was screaming so hard that no one heard her. She glanced around at the mess, open cupboard doors, crockery piled in the sink, food packets strewn over the counter tops. The place stank of dirty nappies and was so hot and stuffy it was hard to breathe.

  Turning as she rocked the baby, Heidi almost shrank back when she saw Andee standing at the door. Her fear of the worst possible news was so evident that Andee immediately assured her that that wasn’t the reason she’d come.

  ‘The front door was open,’ she told them.

  As Gavin lifted his head from his hands she could almost feel its weight. He clearly had no idea what to do with himself, how to drag his mind out of the depths and allow hope to keep him afloat.

  Hope, the great saviour with its positive and believable scenarios, and the great tormentor when it wouldn’t go away, even after twenty years of nothing but false leads and no contact at all.

  What would be Gavin’s worst fear?

  It surely had to be that someone had taken Sophie and used her horribly before dumping her body, but was that really the worst that could have happened? How often had she, Andee, wished she could be told that Penny was dead rather than think of her in the kind of living hells she’d come across at t
he most heinous of all crime scenes. She’d had to deal with victims who’d been imprisoned for months, sometimes years, their emaciated bodies riddled with scars, burns, all manner of abuse. In one particularly gruesome case two mentally deficient youths had had their fingerprints burned off, teeth extracted, even their tongues had been removed to stop them from talking. Wasn’t death better than that? The victims would surely have thought so.

  She’d forgotten until now how her father used to try comforting himself by pretending he’d been told Penny was dead.

  They’d all done that. Andee realised that in a very deeply buried place inside herself, she still did.

  ‘Do you mind?’ she said, going to open a window.

  No one objected, apart from the baby, who screamed louder than ever as he watched her.

  ‘Ssh, it’s all right,’ Heidi tried to soothe, but it was clear she was close to tears too.

  ‘I’ll go and lie him down,’ Gavin said, getting to his feet.

  As she handed him over Heidi seemed to lose her balance, making Andee wonder when she’d last eaten. They clearly weren’t coping well. They needed some serious support, which, in part, was why she’d come. The FLO was turning up this afternoon apparently, but meantime what the Monroes needed more than they realised were details of the various organisations and charities that served as a vital backup for families in their situation. So she’d brought a handful of leaflets and factsheets herself.

  ‘I take it you haven’t found her.’ Heidi sank into a chair at the table.

  ‘I’m afraid not,’ Andee admitted, going to sit down too.

  Heidi seemed to twitch as she looked at her. ‘No news about Gary Perkins?’ she asked.

  Andee shook her head. ‘I’m afraid not,’ she repeated. There was no point getting into the fact that Perkins would never have been anywhere near the campsite if the proper criminal record checks had been carried out. It clearly hadn’t happened, and reminding Heidi, as manager, that she was responsible for the oversight wasn’t going to help anyone now. ‘We still don’t know for certain if Sophie’s with him,’ she said, ‘but as he’s disappeared too, along with Tomasz Sikora . . .’

  ‘Tomasz Sikora?’ Heidi echoed. ‘Oh yes, Tomasz Sikora. Why aren’t they saying anything about him on the news?’

  ‘We have nothing, at this time, to connect him to Sophie’s disappearance. I know she mentioned him in her text to Estelle, but it doesn’t actually place them together at any point that evening, and so far we have no witnesses to say they saw them together either. We’re hoping to speak to him though, obviously.’

  ‘So where is he?’

  ‘We’re told that he’s visiting his sick mother in Poland. The local police are checking this.’

  Heidi began chewing her nails. ‘I can’t believe . . .’ she murmured, her focus clearly drifting. ‘I mean it’s not . . .’ Her eyes suddenly shot to Andee’s. ‘Does Tomasz Sikora have a record?’ she asked hoarsely. ‘I mean like Gary Perkins?’

  ‘Not that we’re aware of, but we’re also pursuing that with the Polish authorities.’

  ‘I knew she had a crush on him,’ Heidi mumbled, almost to herself. ‘She was always in the cabaret room when he was on. Never liked to miss a show.’

  ‘So if he’d asked her to go away with him, do you think she’d have gone – willingly?’

  Heidi pondered this. ‘I don’t know. I suppose it’s possible. But where would he take her?’

  Since she wasn’t in a position to answer that, Andee said, ‘Are you aware of any sort of friendship or alliance between him and Gary Perkins?’

  Heidi shook her head. ‘They must know each other, because they work in the same place and there’s always something needing attention at the pool. Tomasz has to be over there at least a couple of times a week.’

  Andee looked round as Gavin came back into the room, and listened quietly as Heidi filled him in on what had been said about Tomasz Sikora.

  ‘But you’re looking for him?’ he pressed.

  Andee nodded. ‘Of course, but we can’t go public with his name or his picture until we know for certain that he’s disappeared.’

  ‘You don’t know where he is? Isn’t that enough?’

  ‘We’re still waiting to hear from the Polish authorities.’

  He seemed suddenly agitated, unsure what to say or do. ‘I should have kept a closer eye on her,’ he croaked shakily. ‘I knew she was going off the rails . . .’ He clapped his trembling hands to his face. ‘This is all my fault . . . I should have stopped her going out so late . . .’

  ‘She used to sneak out,’ Heidi reminded him. ‘Half the time we never knew she was gone.’

  His eyes went to Andee. ‘How serious, how violent is Perkins’s history?’ he asked, ‘because if he lays . . .’

  ‘Not violent at all,’ Andee came in quickly.

  Seeming to accept that, he looked at Heidi, but turned away again. ‘They’re so much older than her,’ he declared. ‘What was she thinking, getting involved with them?’

  Deciding not to get into the obvious answer, that Sophie had lost her father’s attention so was seeking it elsewhere, Andee said, ‘Do you recall two girls who used to work at the camp? Tania Karpenko and Michaela Reznik?’

  Heidi frowned. ‘Yes, why?’

  ‘We can’t seem to find any record of where they went after they left here.’

  Heidi’s frown deepened. ‘They don’t always tell us where they’re going,’ she said. ‘Some of them only stay for a few weeks . . . Are you saying you think Sophie might be with them?’

  ‘We can’t say anything for certain at the moment, but we’d like to trace them. Are you aware of any friendships or relationships that might have existed between them and Tomasz Sikora or Gary Perkins?’

  Heidi looked blank as she shook her head.

  Gavin hardly seemed to be listening.

  ‘It’s still very early in the investigation,’ Andee reminded them. ‘There could be a lot more to uncover.’ She regarded them both expectantly, but neither seemed to have engaged with her meaning. ‘Is there anything else you want to tell me?’ she prompted gently.

  Heidi’s eyes rounded with shock as Gavin’s head slumped forward.

  ‘What are you saying? Do you think we’re hiding something?’ Heidi cried.

  ‘I think it’s possible you might know more than you realise,’ Andee explained.

  Heidi was baffled. ‘Then how would we know it?’

  ‘After you’ve had some time to reflect on what’s been said today it might come to you.’

  They all looked up as Barry Britten tapped on the door and put his head round. ‘Sorry to interrupt,’ he said to Andee, ‘could I have a word?’

  ‘Have you found something?’ Gavin wanted to know.

  ‘Sorry,’ Barry responded.

  Getting to her feet, Andee dug out the literature she’d brought from her bag and put it on the table. ‘I think it would help you a lot to take a look through these and maybe get in touch with one or two of the organisations,’ she told them. ‘They have a great deal of experience in supporting families who are going through what you are now. Some are actively involved in helping to trace the missing child. Take your pick, go online and have a look at their websites, see which ones you think will work for you.’

  Picking up a factsheet from The Child Exploitation & Online Protection Centre, Gavin said, ‘I just can’t think what they would want with her.’

  Realising he was meaning Perkins and Sikora, Andee squeezed his arm and followed Barry outside.

  ‘What’s up?’ she asked, checking on the messages that had come in over the past half-hour.

  ‘No details,’ he replied, ‘but I’ve been told to let you know they’re ready to show you some CCTV.’

  Chapter Six

  ‘TOMASZ! WHERE ARE you? Please tell me what is happening?’ Kasia cried into the phone. ‘The police have been to the house. They take away . . .’

  ‘Stop, stop,’ Tomasz ur
ged. ‘What are you saying? Why did they come to the house?’

  ‘They are asking about Sophie. They want to know where you are the night she disappears. What time you come home, and if I am sure you go to Poland. I know you are there, Tomasz. I see by the code, but what is this number? It is not your usual one.’

  ‘I had my phone stolen, or maybe it fell from my pocket. I have only just been able to get a new one. Kasia, please, you must not worry. Everything is fine.’

  ‘But why do they think you know about Sophie?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘You must call them. They said if I hear from you, I must tell you to call. You will do it, won’t you Tomasz?’

  ‘Of course. Where are you now?’

  ‘In my office at the care home. I cannot stay long. Tomasz, the police have taken our computer, and other things . . .’

  ‘What other things?’

  ‘Your razor from the bathroom. You forgot to pack it.’

  ‘I know, but I have bought another. What else?’

  ‘Coins from the drawer by your side of the bed. Clothes from the laundry . . .’

  ‘Why do they want that? I don’t understand.’

  ‘They didn’t explain, but Olenka and Glyn, they are saying it is to get your fingerprints and DNA.’

  Tomasz fell silent.

  ‘Please, Tomasz, you must tell me what is going on,’ Kasia implored, glancing over her shoulder as Brenda, one of her charges, came bumbling into the room. ‘I have the police officer’s number here,’ she told Tomasz. ‘Her name is DS Lawrence. She wants that you call as soon as possible. Do you have a pen?’

  ‘No, but you can text to this number.’

  ‘OK. I must go now . . .’

  ‘First, tell me, are the children all right? Do they know what’s happening?’

  ‘They have seen the police, but I have told them that all the houses of people who know Sophie are being searched.’

  ‘So they’re not frightened, or worried?’

  ‘I don’t think so.’ She gave a shaky smile, while trying to take her keys from Brenda. ‘It is only me who is those things. I will feel much better when you come home. When will that be? How is your mother?’