Little Boy Lost

by J. P. Carter

  She spent the next hour typing names into the search engine. Mark Rossi. His late father, Isaac Rossi. Roy Slater. Gavin Pope. The Glory Entertainment production company.

  But she didn’t stumble upon anything new or in any way interesting until she looked up The Falconer’s Arms pub in Camberwell. It appeared on a list of London boozers that had closed down in recent years. And it was also the subject of an old newspaper feature that had appeared in a local rag to mark the pub’s thirtieth anniversary.

  There were lots of photographs, some of which showed how the building had changed both inside and out over the years. But one photo caught Anna’s attention. It was of a group of bar and restaurant staff, and it had been taken on Christmas Day twenty-five years ago.

  Among those smiling for the camera was a blonde woman in a black trouser suit who was identified in the caption as Hilary Metcalfe.

  Anna immediately seized on the possibility that she might be the same Hilary Metcalfe who had been Isaac Rossi’s partner before he left her and married Mark’s mother, Emily.

  It was Emily who had told Anna that Hilary had been living in Camberwell at the time of the woman’s death from cancer five years ago. But Emily had also said that she’d never heard of The Falconer’s Arms pub.

  So had Emily told the truth? Or was it just a coincidence that her grandson had died beneath that particular pub all these years after that photo was taken?

  It was too late for Anna to check it out now, so she printed off the picture and added it to her to-do list for tomorrow.

  She knew that it probably wouldn’t turn out to be any kind of smoking gun. But it was certainly something that needed to be followed up at the earliest opportunity.

  CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

  Anna was awake at the crack of dawn, having managed only a few hours’ sleep.

  She switched on her bedroom TV to find out what had happened on the streets overnight.

  And a lot had.

  Riot police had beaten back the mobs on the Embankment before they were able to cause any damage to Scotland Yard, but eight officers were badly injured in the process.

  No less than twenty premises along Bond Street and Brompton Road were invaded by rioters, among them the top designer stores of Burberry, Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co.

  Meanwhile, at London Bridge a man was badly beaten when he tried to stop thugs entering his restaurant, and a woman was critically injured in hospital after she was hit on the head by a brick thrown by a rioter in Brixton.

  All the news channels gave comprehensive coverage to the murder of firearms officer Barry Noble. There were photos of him and footage of his home where the crime took place.

  The reports also mentioned the sickening social media posts from people who reacted by expressing ‘delight’ at the death and describing the killing as being ‘fully justified’.

  So even before she got showered, Anna could feel the blood fizzing in her ears.

  After she was dressed, she made two phone calls. The first was to Phillipa Moore, the family liaison officer who was still on duty at the Rossi home. Anna told her she would be dropping by this morning with some news on the investigation.

  ‘If possible I’d like Jacob’s grandmother, Emily, to be there,’ she said.

  ‘I can go and pick her up,’ Moore replied. ‘She doesn’t live far from here.’

  Anna then phoned DI Benning on his mobile. He was still at home and agreed to meet her in Bromley.

  ‘By the way, I came across something interesting last night,’ she said, and then told him about the old photo of Hilary Metcalfe at The Falconer’s Arms pub.

  ‘Let me have the URL and I’ll see what I can dig up,’ he said. ‘But why are you bothering to pursue it, ma’am? The case is solved isn’t it?’

  ‘Too many questions remain unanswered,’ she said. ‘But I’ll talk it through with you when we meet up.’

  Anna woke Chloe up with a cup of tea and some biscuits. Her daughter wasn’t ready to get out of bed so Anna told her to lie in for as long as she wanted.

  ‘I’ll speak to Peggy and Ron next door on the way out,’ she said. ‘You’ve met them so you know they’re a nice couple, and they’ll be in here like a shot at the first sign of trouble. Now are you sure you’ll be all right here by yourself?’

  ‘I’m sure, Mum. Now let me go back to sleep.’

  *

  There were warnings on the radio that the start of the working week would bring chaos and gridlock to London because of the damage caused by the riots.

  Some of the roads were closed, but most remained open and traffic flowed along the main arteries in and out of the city.

  It helped that after another night of anarchy the rioters had dispersed, no doubt to rest up and decide what areas to target later in the day.

  It was evident, too, that a great many commuters had opted to stay at home, having seen the startling images on the television.

  So for Anna the drive to Bromley wasn’t half as bad as she’d expected it to be. DI Benning was already there, parked up in his Audi in front of the Rossi house. He got out when she pulled into the kerb behind him.

  Before going inside, Benning asked her about the old photo she had come across, which showed the staff at The Falconer’s Arms pub.

  ‘I messaged the link to you before I left,’ she said.

  ‘I know and I’ve seen it.’

  ‘So what do you think?’

  ‘Well it really wouldn’t surprise me if the woman identified in the photo as Hilary Metcalfe is also Isaac Rossi’s ex-partner. We’ve already established that the woman lived in Camberwell before she died so does it matter that she worked in that pub all those years ago? I thought we’d accepted that Roy Slater abducted Jacob.’

  Anna shrugged, knowing that the rest of the team, along with DCS Nash, would probably ask the same question.

  ‘I just think it’s one hell of a coincidence,’ she said. ‘I also want to be sure that Hilary’s son – Joseph Walsh – is definitely in Australia. So you need to keep chasing that up with the embassy.’

  ‘I did put in another call last night but the bloke I’ve been dealing with had gone home.’

  ‘Then try again today. The sooner we can rule him out the better. You see, I’m still not a hundred per cent convinced that Slater was working alone. That’s why I also want us to have another go at Gavin Pope. He knew Slater and worked with him.’

  ‘But of course that wasn’t the only thing they had in common – both their wives had affairs with Jacob’s dad.’

  ‘Precisely. And he had no one to corroborate his alibi that he was at home by himself on Monday afternoon when Jacob disappeared.’

  ‘But we’ve gone down that road, guv. We interviewed the couple and their phone records were checked.’

  ‘I know that. But we’d be doing a lot more if we hadn’t come up with the incriminating evidence against Slater. So all I’m saying is that before we wind up the investigation we ought to satisfy ourselves that we’re not missing anything.’

  Benning nodded. ‘That’s fair enough. I’ll get back onto the Australian embassy as soon as we’ve wrapped up here. And I’ll check to see if that old photo can lead us anywhere.’

  CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE

  Jacob’s parents and grandmother listened in stunned silence as Anna told them about Roy Slater, including the fact that the man had himself been killed. The depth of their pain was evident in their stricken expressions. And in Mark Rossi’s eyes Anna saw the unmistakable glimmer of guilt.

  ‘The fact that Jacob’s phone and wallet were found in his house leaves us in no doubt that he was responsible for your son’s abduction and incarceration,’ she said. ‘At this stage there is no evidence to suggest that anyone else was involved, but we are continuing to explore that possibility.’

  Clare Rossi was the first to react, saying, ‘Is this the same Roy Slater who used to work for Glory Entertainment?’

  ‘It is, Mrs Rossi,’ Anna said.

&
nbsp; ‘But that was a long time ago. And as I recall he and his wife left before the company went bankrupt … He wasn’t one of those who felt that Mark’s father had let them down. So why would he have done this to our boy?’

  Anna didn’t want to ramp up the woman’s suffering by alluding to Mark’s affair with Slater’s wife, Ruth. So she said that the man’s motive was something they had yet to determine.

  ‘What we do know is that Slater had a serious gambling addiction and so he may have had a financial incentive for doing what he did,’ she said.

  Clare was about to say something else, but her husband got in first with his own question, which Anna guessed was aimed at deflecting the conversation away from Slater.

  ‘What about the bastard who threw the petrol bomb into the building?’ he said. ‘Do you have any idea who it is?’

  Anna shook her head. ‘Not at this time, I’m afraid. But we won’t stop looking.’

  She then ran through the salient points of the inquiry and pointed out that the police were due to hold a press conference later in the day.

  ‘After that I expect you’ll be badgered by the media again,’ she said. ‘Officer Moore will stay with you as a point of contact and she’ll make sure the hounds keep their distance.’

  By this time Clare Rossi was an emotional wreck and the FLO stepped in and offered to take her upstairs. Mark’s mother got up at the same time to go with them, but Anna asked her to stay for a few minutes.

  Anna then showed Emily the old photo of the staff at The Falconer’s Arms pub.

  ‘It was taken twenty-five years ago and shows a group of people who were working there back then,’ she said. She then pointed at the blonde woman in the black trouser suit. ‘That lady is identified in the caption as Hilary Metcalfe. Do you happen to know if this is your late husband’s former partner?’

  Emily squinted at the picture for several seconds and then nodded.

  ‘I never met the woman, but when Isaac died I found some old photos taken when they were together,’ she said. ‘And yes, I’m pretty sure that’s her. I had no idea she worked at that pub, though.’

  ‘Neither did we.’

  ‘But is it relevant now?’

  ‘Only if it enables us to shed some light on why Jacob was placed in that particular pub cellar,’ Anna said. ‘It’s probably just a coincidence but I’d like to be sure. And to that end we’re still trying to track down Hilary’s son, Joseph, who we believe to be in Australia.’

  ‘Well if you do would you be so kind as to tell him that I would like to get in touch with him?’ Emily said. ‘I’ve never spoken to him, but I’d like the opportunity now to tell him that his father wasn’t the bad man he thought he was. Isaac always regretted not staying in touch with his son, and as I’ve already explained to you I was part of the reason that he didn’t.’

  Anna assured her that if they tracked Joseph Walsh down, she would pass on the message.

  After Emily went upstairs, Anna again offered her condolences to Mark and said that if any other facts surrounding his son’s abduction came to light, she would be in touch.

  She left it to DI Benning to mention the big fat elephant in the room.

  ‘It might be wise to come clean with your wife about your affair with Ruth Slater,’ Benning said. ‘There’s a very good chance that it will come out now, and it might be better if she heard it from you first.’

  They left the man to make up his own mind, and he didn’t say a word as they walked out of the house.

  CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX

  The two detectives headed back to Wandsworth in their own cars. On the way Anna called King’s College Hospital to check on Tom. She was told that he’d had a comfortable night and that his condition was continuing to improve.

  That put a spring in her step as she walked into the ops room at MIT HQ.

  The air in the room oscillated with tension as Anna got on with the briefing. She said that she and DI Benning had been to see Jacob Rossi’s parents and that they’d be going public with Roy Slater’s name at a press conference later.

  ‘But as I made clear yesterday, I want us to spend today pulling together all the threads and loose ends,’ she said. ‘I’m concerned that there’s still a lot we don’t know, including whether Slater had an accomplice.’

  DS Khan had provided the first update. He had followed up the fact that Gavin Pope’s wife had spent two weeks at a recruitment agency in Camberwell.

  ‘I went there and spoke to the manager,’ he said. ‘But he never heard Mrs Pope mention The Falconer’s Arms and he didn’t think she acted suspiciously at all. Most days they all had lunch together and after work he assumed that she drove straight home.’

  ‘So now go back and interview her and her husband,’ Anna said. ‘Her working in Camberwell was probably another coincidence, but see what she has to say. And press Pope on his relationship with Slater after they left the Glory Entertainment production company where they worked together. Pope told us he hadn’t spoken to the guy in months, but he may be lying.’

  She told the team about the old photograph of Hilary Metcalfe at The Falconer’s Arms pub.

  ‘It’s a tenuous link to Jacob’s abduction, I know, but it’s a link nonetheless. DI Benning will be looking into it. Those other members of staff in the picture are also named in the caption and they might still be living in the area. So we should see if we can talk to them. At the same time DI Benning will try to find out if Hilary’s son, Joseph, is indeed in Australia. If he is then he’s in the clear, but if he isn’t it raises all kinds of questions. We know from what we’ve been told that he’s harboured a grudge all these years because his father, Isaac, left him and his mother to take up with Emily and her son, Mark. What we don’t know is if Joseph knew Roy Slater and got together to cook up the plan to abduct Jacob.’

  Finally, Anna asked DI Walker and DS Prescott to wade through all the documents and personal belongings that were brought back from Roy Slater’s house in Rotherhithe.

  ‘See if you can find anything that tells us how and why he kidnapped Jacob,’ she said.

  CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN

  Almost an hour passed before things started to happen. First DI Benning came to her with an update that was disappointing but not entirely surprising.

  ‘Just got word back from the Australian embassy, ma’am,’ he said. ‘They’ve confirmed that Joseph Walsh, formerly Joseph Metcalfe, is indeed resident down under and hasn’t left the country since he moved there four years ago. They’re coming back to me with contact details for him.’

  ‘Well at least that’s one loose end we’ve tied up,’ Anna said.

  Ten minutes later DS Prescott came striding into her office waving a small piece of paper.

  ‘You’re not going to like this, guv,’ he said. ‘It’s a receipt that was found in one of Roy Slater’s jackets.’

  He placed it on the desk in front of Anna. She looked at it and frowned. It was a cash receipt for drinks at a well-known casino in London’s West End. But she couldn’t see why it was significant.

  ‘Look at the date and time of issue,’ Prescott said. ‘Three-twenty on Monday of last week. That was when Jacob Rossi was taken.’

  Anna felt a tight spasm in her chest as she studied the details on the receipt.

  ‘I just called the casino,’ Prescott added. ‘They still have security footage from that day on their server. I’ve arranged to go straight over there to look at it.’

  ‘And if Slater makes an appearance, we’ll know that he couldn’t have snatched Jacob.’

  Prescott nodded. ‘So either he had nothing to do with it or you’re right to suggest that he did it in collusion with someone else.’

  Anna told Prescott to hurry over to the casino and report back ASAP. She then broke the news to the other members of the team before phoning Nash to tell him to postpone or cancel the press conference. He wasn’t happy but agreed that they had no choice.

  There were two further developments during
the next hour. Anna heard back from the detectives who had gone to re-interview Gavin Pope. He wasn’t at home, and according to a neighbour he and his wife had left their home in Richmond on Sunday morning and hadn’t yet returned. And they weren’t answering their phones, which set off an alarm bell in Anna’s head.

  She was still trying to get her mind around what was happening when DC Sweeny approached her with another update.

  ‘The guy who runs a greasy spoon café near The Falconer’s Arms pub just called me,’ she said. ‘He’s one of the people who told us that a rough sleeper named George regularly bedded down outside the pub until just over a week ago.’

  ‘Ah yes, any word on him?’ Anna said.

  ‘Precisely that, ma’am. He’s back in the area apparently and he’s pitched up at one of his usual spots across the road from the café. Do you still want to talk to him?’

  ‘Too bloody right I do. He’s the only potential witness we have. You and I will go and see him. Tell the café owner not to let him out of his sight before we get there. Or better still get him to offer the guy something to eat and drink and I’ll reimburse him.’

  Anna decided that she would make the most of the trip to Camberwell to drop in on Tom at the hospital.

  She was stepping out of her office to brief the others on the developments when Prescott phoned her from the casino.

  ‘I’ve seen the CCTV footage, guv,’ he said. ‘It shows that Roy Slater was here from two p.m. to ten p.m. last Monday. So there is no way he could have abducted Jacob Rossi while the boy was walking home from school.’

  *

  So I was right to be concerned about winding down the investigation too soon, Anna told herself. Now there were even more questions that needed to be answered.

  But as various scenarios unfolded in her mind, she struggled to make sense of any of them.

  From the start, the investigation had been less than straightforward, and it had been hampered by the riots at every stage. Somewhere along the line they must have missed something.