Hunting Shadows

by Bugler, Sheila

  Empty. That’s how he’d been feeling ever since. Once the anger died away, he was left with nothing. It was like Marion had come back with the sole purpose of destroying him all over again.

  Only she wasn’t Marion. He knew that now. His Marion was still out there somewhere, waiting for him to find her. And he would do that. Soon. First, he had to sort out this mess with the other girl, the one who’d pretended to be Marion but really wasn’t. And once that was done, he’d be free again to focus on the only thing that mattered – finding Marion and bringing her back home.

  16:30

  Ellen left her car at the station and took the DLR home, thinking the walk through the park would do her some good. In fact, it just made her late. Her parents had collected the kids from school and taken them to Ellen’s house. She’d arranged to meet them there and cook supper for her parents.

  She walked through the park, moving fast. It was bitterly cold. The air was damp and misty and clung to her hair, skin and clothes. She wouldn’t be doing this again in a hurry.

  As she walked, she went back over her day, mentally ticking items off her long list of things to do. Baxter was an outstanding. She still hadn’t decided what to do about that situation. Then there was Kevin. Still being held at Bromley. Ellen needed to find out how Helen was coping. She’d left a message for Abby but, so far, the FLO hadn’t returned the call.

  As Ellen took out her phone to try again, a group of men caught her eye. Park workers, all dressed in green overalls, cutting dead branches from the trees along the side of One Tree Hill. Some were up on ladders, while others were carrying the cut branches into a trailer parked nearby.

  She swerved off the path and walked across to the men. The name on the van said Medway Maintenance, but there was no sign of Simon or Brian.

  ‘I’m looking for Brian,’ she asked the man closest to her.

  He looked at her, taking his time to answer as he sized her up. ‘Fletcher?’ he said at last. ‘Not here today. Boss has got him over at Manor Park finishing off some job.’

  ‘By boss you mean Mr Wilson, right?’

  The man nodded before bending down to gather up a fresh pile of chopped branches.

  ‘Hang on,’ Ellen said, following him as he walked over towards the trailer. ‘I’d like to ask you some questions.’ She showed her warrant card.

  The man dumped the branches into the trailer and nodded. ‘Go on then.’

  ‘Brian Fletcher,’ Ellen said. ‘What can you tell me about him?’

  The man sniffed and shook his head. ‘Hardly know the bloke. I’ve only been working with Wilson’s lot for a couple of weeks. Alex is the guy you need to see. I’ll get him for you. Alex!’ He called to the man up the ladder, cutting branches from the tree. ‘Lady here wants a word.’

  ‘Detective Inspector,’ Ellen said. For all the good it did. The man had already walked away and was busy gathering up the next pile of branches.

  Alex turned out to be Alexandru, a Romanian who’d been living in London for the past eight years, as he informed Ellen within the first two minutes of talking to her. He was a short, stocky man with long, dirty blond hair, piercing blue eyes and a cheeky smile.

  ‘You speak good English,’ she said. ‘If I didn’t know, I’d say you were from Lincolnshire or Yorkshire.’

  ‘I worked up north first when I came to this country,’ Alex replied. ‘Had a girlfriend from Scunthorpe. You know Scunthorpe? It’s a shithole. But this girl – Sandra Allen – she was worth it.’

  ‘So what happened?’ Ellen asked.

  Alex shrugged. ‘She dumped me for my best friend, Stanislav. It was a bad time. I got into a lot of trouble after that. If it wasn’t for Simon, I’d have been sent back to Romania. He gave me a job, and a reference. I owe him. Big time.’

  ‘And what about Brian?’ she asked.

  ‘What about him? Brian is a good guy, too.’ Alex paused. ‘He’s not in any trouble, is he?’

  ‘Not yet,’ Ellen said. ‘I’m investigating a missing persons case. A little girl.’

  The smile dropped from Alex’s face and he stiffened. Until then, he’d seemed relaxed, laidback even, using his arms expansively when he talked, and giving every indication that here was a man totally at ease with himself.

  Now, he crossed his arms tightly in front of himself like a barrier.

  ‘Brian is a good guy,’ he repeated. There was a robotic tone to his voice that was new as well. ‘If you think he has anything to do with this girl, then you’re wrong. He’s a simple guy, sure. You police, though, you get an idea into your head and that’s it. Once you’ve decided someone is guilty, that’s it. In your minds you’ve already got them locked up. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work. Still a lot of branches to clear before we can finish for the day.’

  As he turned to go, Ellen reached out and touched his arm. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.’

  ‘You haven’t,’ he said. ‘But I have nothing more to say to you.’

  ‘Wait. Just one second.’ She pulled a card from her wallet. ‘My details. If you think of anything else, call me. A child is missing, Alex. A little girl called Jodie. I’m just trying to find her before it’s too late.’

  ‘Jodie Hudson?’ Alex asked.

  ‘You know her?’

  He shook his head. ‘Heard about it on the news, that’s all. Like I said, I don’t know anything about it. Goodbye.’

  And then he was gone, picking up his electric saw and climbing back up the ladder to continue cutting dead branches.

  Ellen stayed for a moment, half-hoping he might change his mind, climb back down the ladder and tell her something else. But he never even looked back at her. Eventually she turned and headed across the rest of the park, towards home.

  18:00

  ‘He’s not himself this afternoon,’ Ellen’s mother said, following her into the kitchen. ‘Has he said anything to you?’

  ‘I haven’t had a chance,’ Ellen said. She’d barely been home an hour. Just enough time to get supper ready for her parents and children. She knew Pat was out of sorts, but had already decided there was nothing she could do about it until after supper.

  She handed her mother a bowl of salad. ‘Can you take this through, Mum?’

  Mrs Flanagan eyed the salad suspiciously. ‘Your father won’t eat this, you know. What is it, anyway?’

  ‘Rocket with balsamic dressing and Parmesan shavings,’ Ellen said.

  Her mother snorted. ‘What’s wrong with a bit of lettuce?’

  Squeals of laughter erupted from the sitting room, making Ellen smile. Her father was playing the monster game. This basically involved him prowling around the room trying to catch Pat and Eilish. Whenever one of them got caught by the monster, the punishment was death by tickling.

  ‘He’s like a child himself,’ Ellen’s mother said, but she was smiling as well, and Ellen felt a sudden surge of love for her.

  ‘I’ll have a chat with Pat,’ Ellen said. ‘I promise, Mum. I know there was a memorial service in school today for that boy who was killed. Jamie Rider? He used to be a student at St Joseph’s.’

  ‘And you think it’s reminded him of Vinny?’ her mother asked.

  ‘Sometimes everything reminds him of Vinny,’ Ellen said. ‘Don’t worry, Mum. Whatever it is, I’ll deal with it. Now, come on. Let’s eat. I’m starving.’

  ‘That rocket stuff is grand, isn’t it?’ Ellen’s father said once the meal was over. ‘Bridget, why don’t we get some of that? Beats the shite out of lettuce any day of the week, I’d say.’

  ‘Mum,’ Eilish piped up. ‘Why is Granddad allowed to swear but we’re not?’

  ‘Because he’s a stupid old man,’ Ellen’s mother said. ‘Who doesn’t know any better. I keep telling him he’s got a mouth like a sewer, Eilish, but do you think he listens to me? Of course not.’

  ‘What’s a sewer?’ Eilish asked.

  Ellen made eye contact with her father and smiled. ‘Fancy giving me a
hand clearing this away?’ she asked.

  In the kitchen, she turned the TV on so they could catch the news as they tidied up. Clearing the dishes and washing up had always been her father’s job. The one little piece of housework her mother trusted him with.

  On the news, two stories still dominated – the murder in Bromley and Jodie’s disappearance. So far, the press hadn’t made a connection between the two cases, mainly because Harris’ ID hadn’t been made public yet. Soon, that would change and Ellen knew the first journalist to come sniffing around would be Martine bloody Reynolds, joining the dots and making a gruesome picture she could use to shift copies of her rag.

  ‘Is that the girl you’re looking for?’ Ellen’s father asked as Jodie’s face appeared on the TV screen. ‘Terrible business. Did I read somewhere that the father’s the main suspect?’

  ‘Don’t believe what you read in the papers,’ Ellen said. ‘You know that, Dad.’

  Before her father could answer, disruption from the sitting room distracted them both. Pat was shouting. This was followed by the sitting-room door slamming shut and the clunk-clunk of his footsteps running up the stairs.

  Ellen rolled her eyes at her father. ‘This has been coming all evening,’ she said. ‘Leave him to me.’

  Upstairs, the door to Pat’s bedroom was closed. Ellen pressed her ear against it and listened. Heard Pat crying. Big, shuddering sobs that cut through her. She knocked on the door and went in without waiting for him to answer.

  He was lying face down on his cabin bed, arms wrapped around his head, his little body shaking as he cried.

  ‘Pat?’

  Ellen climbed the ladder and lay down beside him. Tentatively, she reached out and put her hand on his head. He didn’t brush it away, which she took as a good sign.

  ‘Pat, love. What is it?’

  ‘We were playing Blink with Nanny, and Eilish cheated and Nanny let her and it’s not fair because I was winning. Nanny always lets Eilish cheat just because she’s younger than me. But I don’t get why we have to let her. I hate them both. I hate Nanny and I hate Eilish and I’m not playing any more stupid games with either of them.’

  ‘I’ll have a word with Eilish,’ Ellen said. ‘Cheating isn’t nice, you’re right. And it’s not fair on you. I do understand that. But it’s not worth getting so upset about either, Pat.’

  ‘How do you know? Just ’cause you don’t get upset about anything.’

  Where the hell had that come from?

  ‘Of course I get upset,’ she said. ‘But sometimes when I get upset I try not to show it because I think it might upset other people.’

  ‘You don’t get upset about Daddy anymore.’

  Now they were getting somewhere. At last.

  ‘Pat.’ She stroked his head, fingers lingering on the silky softness of his dark hair. She longed to press her face against his neck, like she used to do when he was little, and breathe in the lovely, unique Pat smell.

  ‘I do still get upset about Daddy,’ she said. It was an effort to keep her voice from wobbling. ‘I miss him. All the time. Every single day. And I always will. Just as I know you and Eilish will, too.’

  ‘It’s not fair,’ Pat said. ‘I’m the only boy in my class who’s dad is dead. None of my friends have a clue what that’s like. And if you miss him so much, why don’t we do something special to remember him?’

  ‘Like you did in school today for Jamie Rider?’

  ‘We had this, like, really stupid mass we had to go to and everyone was talking about him and saying what a great person he was. And I didn’t even know him, Mum, but I had to go to this mass. It’s not fair. Why do they do something for someone I don’t even know. They didn’t do anything when … after Dad’s accident. Nothing. And all my friends were nice enough for a bit, but now it’s like they’ve forgotten all about it.’

  ‘They haven’t forgotten,’ Ellen said. ‘It’s just difficult for them to understand because it hasn’t happened to them. And you’re right, Pat, it’s not fair. I absolutely hate that you and Eilish have lost your dad. I hate it so much I can’t tell you. But the thing is, darling, sometimes people die. It’s horrible and sad and I wish it didn’t have to happen, but it does.’

  ‘What if the same thing happens to you?’ Pat asked. ‘And don’t say it won’t or it can’t because that’s not true.’

  Ellen hated these conversations. He was right, of course. She couldn’t promise something that wasn’t true. And yet, she couldn’t bear to think of him living with such uncertainty.

  ‘I will never, ever lie to you about this,’ she said. ‘But think about it logically. You said it yourself, you’re the only boy in your class who’s lost a parent. The chances of the same thing happening to anyone else in your class are extremely low. The chances of something happening to me are even lower than that.’

  ‘They’re not in the police.’

  ‘What’s that got to do with anything?’ Ellen asked.

  ‘Rufus’ dad works in a bank,’ Pat said. ‘Leo’s dad is a plumber and Aidan’s dad is a teacher. They’re all normal jobs.’

  ‘A policewoman is a normal job.’

  ‘It’s dangerous,’ Pat said. ‘I looked it up on the internet. Being in the police is the fourth most dangerous job you can do. The only things worse are deep-sea worker, bomb squad and construction worker.’

  How long, Ellen wondered, had this concern been knocking about inside that head of his? And why the hell hadn’t she picked up on it before now?

  ‘I want you to give it up,’ Pat said. ‘Please, Mum. I want you to do something else. Something that’s not so dangerous.’

  ‘I can’t do that,’ Ellen said. ‘It’s not as easy as you think, moving jobs, Pat. Being a policewoman is the only thing I know how to do.’

  ‘But you don’t need to do it,’ Pat said. ‘I heard Nanny telling Granddad. You don’t need to work because we have, like, loads of money from Dad. So why can’t you just give it up?’

  Ellen tried to think of an answer that made sense, but nothing came to her. In the end, she wrapped her arms around him, held him tight and told him she’d think about it. She owed him that, at least.

  21:00

  Dallinger Road was quiet when Ellen pulled up outside the Hudsons’ house. While it was a relief not to have to run the press gauntlet anymore, the lack of media presence was depressing. Before long, the press would move on to the next big story, forgetting all about Jodie.

  Ellen ran from the car to the house, shivering on the doorstep as she waited for someone to let her in. The door was eventually opened by Finlay. The hope in his face, when he saw Ellen, was painful to see.

  ‘Is your mum around?’ Ellen asked.

  ‘Have you found her?’ Finlay asked. ‘Is that why you’re here?’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Ellen said. ‘No news. I just wanted to see how you were all doing. Listen, Finlay, would you mind if I come inside? It’s freezing out here.’

  ‘So you’ve got no news at all?’ Incredulity made his voice sound high-pitched and childish.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Ellen said. She nodded to the inside of the house. ‘May I?’

  He stood back and let her pass.

  ‘Is Abby around?’ Ellen asked.

  ‘She’s in the sitting room,’ Finlay said. ‘We’ve been watching TV together. Her brother died. Did you know that? But she said she doesn’t think that will happen to Jodie because you’re a really good detective and Abby said you’ll find her. You will find her, won’t you?’

  ‘I hope so,’ Ellen said. She went to go into the sitting room, but the boy started speaking again.

  ‘Mum wants me to go back to school tomorrow,’ he said. ‘She says I’ve missed too much already and school’s important.’

  ‘She’s right,’ Ellen said. ‘I know it’s difficult, Finlay, but sometimes, even when really bad stuff is happening, we have to carry on with our normal lives.’

  He frowned. ‘That’s what Abby said. But you don’t know w
hat it’s like. None of you have a fucking clue what this is like for us. And how does going back to school make anything better? I hate school and I’m going to hate it even more if I go in and everyone’s talking about me and pointing at me. And they all know what’s happened. Do they know about my dad, too?’

  ‘What about him?’

  ‘He’s been arrested,’ Finlay said. ‘Mum told me earlier. That’s why she’s in bed. She had to take a sleeping tablet. I heard her telling Abby she can’t sleep and she’s stressed. She kept getting sick. The first day Jodie went. She kept throwing up. I never saw my mum being sick before. I didn’t know adults got sick. I know that’s stupid, but it’s the truth.’

  He looked so vulnerable. Reminded her so much of Pat. Poor kid. A flash of rage hit her at the cruelty of it all. Some perverted bastard had caused all this. Her hands curled into fists as she remembered her promise to Ger Cox. A promise Ellen had every intention of keeping.

  ‘Did your mum say why the police have arrested your dad?’ Ellen asked.

  ‘It’s nothing to do with Jodie,’ Kevin said. ‘It’s, like, just a formality or something, right?’

  ‘Right,’ Ellen said. ‘And your friends in school won’t know anything about it. We’ve been really, really careful not to let the press find out about this.’

  ‘Like you were the last time?’

  ‘That won’t happen again,’ Ellen said. ‘I promise. Listen, Finlay. You have my number if you ever need to talk, right? Call me if you have any questions at any time. I’m always here for you. And so is Abby. Right now, my parents are babysitting and I promised I wouldn’t be long. I’m just going to pop into the sitting room for a quick word with Abby. Then I’m out of here. But you call me if you need anything. Got that?’