Sign of Evil

by M A Comley

  “Wow, why so long before contacting the police?” Carla asked, voicing the same question that had crossed her own mind.

  “Parents on opposite shifts. That’s all I know.”

  In the car, Craig settled into his seat and fell quiet. “One rule if you partner me,” Sara said.

  “What’s that, boss?”

  “You don’t sit there like a moron. We don’t really know each other that well yet, but let’s see if we can change that.”

  She heard him gulp noisily. “Umm… what is it you want to know?”

  “What makes you tick? I know everything there is to know about your academic achievements, they’re in your personnel file. I want to know about you.”

  He sucked in a breath and let it out slowly as he thought. “I suppose I don’t really get much spare time, but when I do, I prefer to spend it with my girlfriend, Jenny.”

  “There, see, I didn’t even know you had a girlfriend. Look at the great strides we’ve made already. How long have you been together?”

  “Blimey! I think it’s about four years, give or take a few months. She’s a fitness instructor, teaches yoga and holds regular classes down at the gym.”

  “In other words, she’s fit,” Sara chortled.

  “In more ways than one. I’m hoping to pop the question soon. Can’t imagine my life without her.”

  “How wonderful. Gosh, I’m filling up here, I needed to hear some good news after what we’ve been confronted with this morning.”

  “You’re not wrong. It’s scandalous what happened to Carla. If someone chose to attack one of us, is there any hope to keep the rest of the people in Hereford safe?”

  “My thoughts exactly. My take is that she was specifically targeted; all we need to do now is find out who, and we’ll be laughing.”

  “Was she examined for possible DNA?”

  Sara shot a glance his way and then turned to combat the traffic ahead of her. “Shit! I never even thought about that. I bet she didn’t either.”

  He fished his mobile out of his pocket. “Want me to ring her?”

  “No. I’ll deal with it when we get back. Although, I’m guessing what her answer is going to be. ‘Don’t make a fuss, I’m fine’.”

  “I bet you’re right on that one. I suppose we’d be saying the same thing, if we were in her shoes, right?”

  “Probably. Okay, let’s leave that for now and focus on the task in hand.”

  She drew up outside a quaint cottage on the outskirts of town at Sutton St Nicholas. It had a pretty front garden, one side partially laid to lawn and the other decorated in slate chippings with small clumps of grasses dotted around, adding a certain amount of interest to an ordinarily dull January garden.

  Sara rang the bell and got ready to show her ID. A man in his fifties opened the door. His stomach was rounded and strained his T-shirt. “Mr Rowse? I’m DI Sara Ramsey and this is my partner, DC Craig Watson.”

  “I’m so relieved you’re taking my claim seriously. Please, come in. My wife is in the kitchen. Do you want a drink?”

  “Thanks. Two coffees would be wonderful. How are you both holding up?”

  “I’m not sure we are. Kathy keeps bursting into tears every time I speak. It’s hard knowing what to say for the best, it’s as though she wants to deny all knowledge of Amber going missing. The fact is, she’s gone and we don’t have a clue where.”

  “Okay, try and remain positive, we’re going to do our very best to find her.”

  “I hope so. I don’t even want to consider what the consequences might be. I run a pub, I see the way some men look at girls these days. I know that’s a generalisation, but if you match that to the statistics of rapes or indecent assaults going on in this shitty world of ours, is it any wonder I’m going out of my mind with bloody worry about her?” He paused at the end of the hallway and added quietly, “Of course, I wouldn’t mention any of that in my wife’s presence.”

  “I understand. Please, you mustn’t let your mind wander. Stick with what you know, I’m sure you’ll both be reunited with Amber soon.”

  “Can I quote you on that?” He offered a faint smile and opened the door to the kitchen. A woman with shocking red hair that had obviously come out of a bottle, was standing at the stove, stirring a pot. She wiped her hands on her apron and came towards them. “Hello, I’m Kathy. Please, please tell me you’re not going to give up on us.”

  “Of course we won’t. I’m DI Sara Ramsey and this is my partner, DC Craig Watson. Can we take a seat?”

  “You sit down, love,” Mr Rowse instructed his wife. “I’ll make the nice officers a drink. Do you want a coffee?”

  “No, I’ve had my share for the morning already.”

  Kathy motioned for Sara and Craig to sit at the round kitchen table.

  “Perhaps we can start with when you noticed your daughter was missing?” Sara asked.

  Kathy placed her hands over her face. “Aiden works really long hours at the pub, he’s got the day off today. I work four nights a week as a nurse at the hospital. This is the first opportunity we’ve had to spend time together all week. I asked in passing if he’d seen Amber, and he told me he hadn’t spoken to her since Monday.”

  “And that’s unusual, is it? To not see her?” Sara asked.

  “Yes, she’s always here. Well, most days, when she’s not staying over at Greg’s, that’s her boyfriend.”

  “I take it you’ve contacted Greg?”

  “Yes, he told us he hasn’t seen her either, and he’s tried calling her several times but her phone always goes into voicemail.”

  Sara saw Craig jot the information down out of the corner of her eye. She was grateful that she hadn’t needed to ask him to do it.

  “What about her friends, have you tried calling them?”

  Kathy and Aiden glanced in each other’s direction, their expression one of helplessness. “We’ve tried to think of her friends’ names, but all her contact details are in her phone.”

  “Maybe she has a notebook or similar in her room?”

  “I checked, I couldn’t find anything,” Kathy replied, downhearted.

  “Okay, don’t worry about it. Maybe Greg will be able to fill in some blanks there. Do you have his phone number?”

  “We have his address, if that will do?” Aiden nudged his wife, expecting her to supply it.

  “Yes, his Mum works with me. I’ll get it for you, he still lives with Sandra.”

  “Okay. What about social media, have you checked her profiles? Has she been active on them since Monday?”

  “I checked her Facebook and Instagram accounts and no, there’ve been no posts from her,” Kathy confirmed from the other side of the room. She rummaged around in a drawer, withdrew a notebook and returned to the table. She flipped it open to the letter B and slid the book across the table to Craig. “Greg and Sandra Bishop, that’s their home number. I’m sorry, I don’t have their mobile numbers’. I really wish I did now.”

  “It’s okay, we can sort that out, don’t worry. What about work? Or is Amber at university?”

  “No, she works at Boots on the Estee Lauder make-up counter.”

  “Have you checked to see if she’s shown up there for her shifts? Is she full-time?”

  “She enjoys her job but is always on the lookout for something better. I rang Boots and they hadn’t seen her since Saturday. That was her final shift for them. They said she took a day’s holiday on Monday.”

  Sara frowned. “I see, and you weren’t aware of that?”

  “No. She didn’t tell us. Which makes matters worse. All I keep thinking is that she didn’t trust us enough to tell us where she was going and now…” Kathy broke down and Aiden slung an arm around her shoulder to comfort her.

  “Please, try and not get upset. We hear so many instances where teenagers take off without their parents’ knowledge.”

  “Yeah, and how do those cases usually turn out?” Aiden was quick to fire back.

  “More often
than not, the teenagers were just out to prove a point to their parents.”

  “There was no need to do that, not with us,” Kathy sniffled. “She’s a good girl. She’s not one of these girls who strut around in a huff if they don’t get their own way. We treat her like an adult, she contributes to the household expenses. She’s always cautious with her money, at least, I think she is.”

  Sara sensed some doubt filtering into Kathy’s words. “Is there something that has come to mind, Kathy?”

  Aiden grunted. “I think what my wife is getting at is that Amber has a penchant for nice things, you know, shoes, bags and designer clothes.”

  “Ah, so there could be a money issue, is that it?”

  Kathy’s chest inflated with a deep breath. “Yes, Aiden is right. She’s never let us down with her rent, but I think sometimes, around the end of the month, she struggles to make ends meet. Isn’t that normal with teens, though?”

  “Possibly. Do you know who she banks with? It might be worthwhile taking a peek at her bank statements, see what state her finances are truly in.”

  “You think her expensive tastes could have led to debts that she kept hidden from us?” Aiden asked.

  “There’s a possibility of that, although it’s purely speculation on my part until we gain access to her accounts.”

  “She’s with the Halifax,” Kathy replied.

  Aiden ran a hand through his hair. “If she was in debt, she should have come to us. Maybe we’re guilty of pushing her too hard too soon. Oh God, why didn’t she come to us, talk to us?”

  “Please, until we’ve seen what state her finances are in, there’s no point blaming yourselves,” Sara did her best to allay his fears.

  “The inspector is right, love. Please don’t do that, we’re suffering enough as it is already.”

  “Do you want me to search her room, try to find a bank statement for you?” Aiden offered, already jumping out of his seat.

  “It would make our lives easier if you could find something for us.”

  He set off and thundered up the stairs and into the room above the kitchen. Sliding wardrobe doors banged.

  Kathy rolled her eyes. “He won’t find anything, he’s a typical bloke, rarely sees what’s under his nose. I’d better go and help him.”

  Sara smiled and nodded. Kathy left the room.

  “You think the girl has fallen into some kind of trap?” Craig asked.

  “I’m not sure. The money aspect is definitely an eye-opener. I can’t afford expensive clothes, handbags and shoes on an inspector’s salary, so how is a mere shop assistant doing it?”

  “Yeah, I suppose it depends on how much she pays her parents a week or month to live here. You have a mortgage and all the household bills to meet and cover every month.”

  “True enough. Although my mortgage is quite small in comparison to most, it’s still a hefty wedge off my monthly income.”

  “What next? If they don’t find anything?”

  “We’ll get on to the bank, and after that, we’ll pay the boyfriend a visit. I wish we had a girlfriend’s contact details, they usually hold the key in cases like this.”

  Craig lowered his voice and asked, “You think she’s guilty of having secrets, the type you’re keen to hide from your parents, right?”

  “It’s looking that way to me. Let’s face it, at present, that’s all we have to go on.”

  Craig flipped back through his notes. “Sadly, I think your assessment is correct, judging by what we’ve learned so far.” He shuddered.

  “What was that for?”

  Again, keeping his voice low, he replied, “The thought of someone abducting her and doing unmentionable things to this teenager, it makes my skin crawl.”

  “That’s because you’re a sensitive man.”

  “I am? Maybe you should have a word with Jenny about that.” He smiled.

  They fell quiet when they heard Kathy and Aiden coming back down the stairs.

  “Anything?” Sara asked, more out of hope than expectation.

  “I found this under her bed.” Kathy handed Sara a screwed-up bank statement which she flattened out on the table.

  Sara read the contents and shook her head. “And you had no idea she was in this much debt?”

  “No, she never told us. How can the bank allow her to be ten thousand in debt? I don’t understand. Looking at the rates she’s paying, that in itself is nothing short of being bloody criminal, it shouldn’t be allowed.”

  “Ouch, I missed that part,” Sara replied, scanning the statement again. “You’re right, it’s irresponsible for the bank to allow youngsters to notch up debts this large. As long as they get their cut, I suppose, everything is rosy to them.”

  “Shame on them. She has more debt than both of us put together. We’ve had to be super cautious with money over the years, neither of us chose a job that was ever likely to make us rich.”

  “It’s hard to fathom what goes on in the heads of youngsters. I don’t think they understand the term ‘saving up for what you need’.” Sara chuckled. “I know that makes me sound like my mother, but I think she has a point.”

  Kathy nodded her agreement. “Too right. We’re the same, we don’t have a loan to our name; if we can’t afford it, we don’t buy it, it’s as simple as that. I’m guilty of letting my daughter down, she shouldn’t have got herself into such a rut with money and now… it could have got her into a world of trouble, couldn’t it?”

  “No, love, I won’t allow you to think that way. We can’t run her life for her. We’ve always had an open relationship with her. I’m hurt that she’s laden herself with these kinds of debts at such a young age. How many more kids are there out there in the same boat?” Aiden interjected, shaking his head.

  “I should imagine a lot, Mr Rowse.” Sara could sit there for hours, going over what she thought was right and wrong about the state of the economy and the effect it had on folks’ personal finances, but it wasn’t going to bring Amber back. She needed to crack on with the investigation. “What about a laptop, did she have one?”

  “Yes, we bought her a second-hand one for Christmas last year. She uses it all the time. I think it’s in the lounge. I’ll be right back.” Kathy raced out of the room and returned with a small black Lenovo laptop. She flipped the lid open and booted up the computer. Sara craned her neck to look at the screen. “Damn, I don’t know her password, do you, Aiden?”

  “How should I know? I wouldn’t even know where to begin with a guess either.”

  Kathy tutted. “You’re no bloody help. What about her boyfriend’s name?” She tapped in Greg, but the password field juddered. “Shit!” She pushed the laptop away from her. “I don’t know.” Tears trickled onto her cheeks.

  “It’s okay. Please, you’ve done your best. If you’ll allow me to take it, I’m sure Forensics will be able to get into it within a few minutes.”

  “Yes, take it. Of course, leave it to the experts, they’re sure to know how to open it.”

  “Before we leave, is there anything else you can tell us? Maybe your daughter has mentioned someone showing an interest in her at work lately, something along those lines?”

  “No, not that I can think of,” Kathy admitted. She dried her eyes on a tissue and blew her nose.

  “If she’d told me that I would have throttled the person,” Aiden added.

  “What type of character is she?” Sara asked.

  “Gosh, loving, caring, and one that gets into a heap of debt without us knowing,” Kathy added dejectedly.

  “Don’t go there, love. Once she’s home, we’ll sit her down and get all this sorted. It’s not the end of the world.”

  Kathy gasped. “What if she owes money to someone unscrupulous and they’ve kidnapped her, intending her to work for them, you know, until the debt is paid off?”

  “Please, it would be better for you not to think along those lines. I’m sure there’s a simple explanation why she’s gone missing.”

  “
Really? But she had no reason to just disappear, simple explanation or not, it galls me to think she’s been missing for two days and we didn’t even realise. What does that say about us as parents?” Kathy broke down again.

  Aiden comforted his wife once more. “Busy people, love, trying to earn money to keep a roof over our heads. We weren’t to know that she would need us…”

  “We’ll find her. I’m sure all this will turn out to be a misunderstanding in the end.”

  “I hope so,” a tearful Kathy replied. She buried her head into her husband’s chest.

  He ran a hand over her hair and made a soothing noise, peppered with the odd kiss on her forehead.

  “I’m going to leave you a card, if you think of anything I should know, don’t hesitate to ring me.” Sara and Craig rose from their chairs.

  Kathy remained seated and glanced up at Sara. “Please, do your best to find her.”

  “You have my assurance on that. We’ll see what the laptop reveals, hopefully it’ll give us a trail to follow which will bring your daughter home where she belongs.”

  Aiden led the way out of the kitchen to the front door. He shook their hands and added his own plea, “Do your best for our baby, promise me?”

  “I promise you. My team is top-notch, we give our all to every case that comes our way. Take care of your wife, sir. If you have any joy remembering her friends’ names, please let me know.”

  “Of course. Thank you, both of you. All we want is our daughter home safe and well. We don’t care what sort of problems she’s having to deal with, we can resolve those once she’s home with us.”

  “That’s good to hear, keep thinking positively and never lose your faith in us, that’s all I ask.”

  “You’ve got it.”

  Aiden closed the door gently behind him. “Right, back to the car. I’m torn now, whether we should take the laptop to the lab first or go to see the boyfriend.”

  “If I was in charge, I think I’d be doing all I could to search for clues.” He tapped the laptop lid.

  “Decision made, then. The lab isn’t too far, about twenty minutes or so. Why don’t you ring ahead, let them know we’re on our way and the urgency behind our visit?”