Child's Play
Page 1
Table of Contents
Cover
Recent Titles from Maureen Carter
Title Page
Copyright
Acknowledgements
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Recent Titles from Maureen Carter
The Bev Morriss Mysteries
WORKING GIRLS
DEAD OLD
BABY LOVE
HARD TIME
BAD PRESS
BLOOD MONEY
DEATH LINE
The Sarah Quinn Mysteries
A QUESTION OF DESPAIR *
MOTHER LOVE *
DYING BAD *
CHILD’S PLAY *
* available from Severn House
CHILD’S PLAY
A DI Sarah Quinn Mystery
Maureen Carter
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
First published in Great Britain 2013 by
SEVERN HOUSE PUBLISHERS LTD of
9–15 High Street, Sutton, Surrey, England, SM1 1DF.
First published in the USA 2014 by
SEVERN HOUSE PUBLISHERS of
110 East 59th Street, New York, N.Y. 10022
eBook edition first published in 2014 by Severn House Digital
an imprint of Severn House Publishers Limited
Copyright © 2013 by Maureen Carter.
The right of Maureen Carter to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs & Patents Act 1988.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Carter, Maureen author.
Child’s play. – (The Sarah Quinn mysteries; 4)
1. Quinn, Sarah (Fictitious character)–Fiction. 2. Women detectives–England–Birmingham–Fiction. 3. Missing children–Fiction. 4. Women journalists–Fiction. 5. Detective and mystery stories.
I. Title II. Series
823.9’2-dc23
ISBN-13: 978-1-78029-058-4 (cased)
ISBN-13: 978-1-78010-493-5 (ePub)
Except where actual historical events and characters are being described for the storyline of this novel, all situations in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to living persons is purely coincidental.
This ebook produced by
Palimpsest Book Production Limited,
Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland.
The lyrics from ‘Femme Fatale’ are reproduced with kind permission of The Toy Hearts. Thank you Hannah, Sophia and Stewart Johnson.
My thanks for editorial expertise and insight go to Kate Lyall Grant, Anna Telfer and the exceptional team at Crème de la Crime and Severn House. I thank my wide range of contacts for their expert knowledge and priceless input and – as always – I thank readers everywhere.
ONE
August 1960, Moss Pit, Leicestershire
Picnics and pooh sticks. Hide-and-seek and pirate ships. It was that kind of blue-skies summer, long days with no school or stupid rules. Susan didn’t want it to end, would happily spend the rest of her life in shorts and t-shirts messing about outside. Scabby knees and nettle stings were a non-occupational hazard for a ten-year-old who loved climbing trees, squeezing through hedges, rolling down grassy banks. Not that it was all rough and tumble: sometimes she and Pauline just lazed in the long grass, threading daisy chains, blowing dandelion seeds, listening to the birds and bees. If she’d spared a thought about it, Susan might have described the last few weeks as idyllic, but the little girl’s focus was on more down-to-earth subjects and her vocabulary didn’t stretch that far.
Indeed, idyllic wouldn’t have been entirely true and it would not have painted the full picture.
On the edge of the village, new building was underway. Thirty, maybe forty redbrick slate-roofed council houses. Little boxes, most of the oldies reckoned. But Susan rather liked the sparkling windows and shiny yellow doors. Compared to the row of old stone cottages where she lived, Susan thought they looked smashing. She might even make new friends. A handful of families had already moved in, clothes flapped on washing lines and she’d spotted a couple of children’s bikes lying in scrubby front gardens, but most of the houses weren’t finished yet, and a lot of the site was still fenced off.
She and Pauline sometimes pressed their faces against the wire to have a nose. It was all bare-chested men with brawny arms and beer guts busy over wheelbarrows and concrete mixers. The site was what Susan’s mum called an eyesore: littered with piles of bricks and mounds of sand, half-empty sacks and spades shoved anyhow in the ground. Keep-out notices in huge red lettering were dotted round the fence, as if they’d deter some of the lads from sneaking in for a dare. Not Susan. Her dad had told her to keep away: setting foot inside would have been more than her life was worth.
No. Most of her days were spent larking about in the open fields backing on to the farm labourers’ cottages. Right now, she stood on top of a rotting tree stump, shielding amber eyes from the sun’s glare, sweeping the landscape with a narrow gaze. Constable could have painted its straggly hedges, quilted fields, muted greens and browns. To the left stood a copse of ancient gnarled oaks and, just beyond, sunlight glinted off a sluggish stream; in the heat haze the church steeple glimmered and the big farm where Susan’s dad worked was bathed in gold. But apart from cows and crows there was no sign of life.
‘What you doing, Sukie?’ Pauline, wildly swinging a sturdy little leg, squinted up at her playmate. Susan ignored the question but suspected if Pauline didn’t calm down she’d do herself an injury. Oblivious, the little girl swapped legs, swung even harder, then stuck her thumb in her mouth for good measure.
Standing on tiptoe, Susan was still trying to spot where the other kids had gone. She always seemed to get landed with Pauline and, truth be told, sometimes the girl could be more of a p
ain than a pal. It mightn’t be so bad but she was only five and supposed to stay within earshot of her mum’s house, anything further than the copse being out of bounds. It was like baby-sitting without the pay. What with the baby twins and that, Pauline’s mum had her hands full and Susan’s mum was big on helping neighbours. Well, big on Susan helping neighbours. Her mum had drummed it into her enough times how it wouldn’t hurt to take the kid under her wing. What was she? A flippin’ bird or something? She wouldn’t care but Pauline had a big sister. Grace was a good bit older but she never wanted to play or help out or anything. Wasn’t blood supposed to be thicker than water?
Still, Susan had to admit that Mrs Bolton was pretty generous with treats and stuff: this afternoon she’d given them pop and sandwiches for a picnic. Pauline was supposed to be laying the goodies out on the blanket. Like she ever did as she was told. She might be just a nipper but, according to Susan’s mum, with her Shirley Temple curls and huge blue eyes Pauline could be a right little madam. What’s more, to Susan’s way of thinking, the kid had a touch of the Violet Elizabeths. Scream wasn’t in it. Yet to look at her, butter wouldn’t melt. She sneaked a quick glance remembering how, ages and ages ago, she’d heard her parents talk about how Pauline got away with murder at home. She could smile about it now, but for days Susan had pictured blood-stained bodies propped all over the place. She’d eventually mentioned it to her mum and got a clip round the head for ear-wigging and being thick.
‘Sukie!’ Pauline swung the leg even harder; she was going to ruin those sandals. ‘I said what—’
‘Nothing.’ She used the hem of her t-shirt to wipe her glasses. ‘I’m not doing nothing.’ She’d bet Sally and Brenda were off playing vampires again. They were always hanging round that creepy graveyard; obsessed they were. Mind, the Dawson girls were only nice when they wanted sweets or a ride on her bike, things like that. She’d heard the names and sniggers behind her back: fatso, four eyes, smelly-poo-Sue. Fair-weather friends her mum called them. At least Pauline wasn’t into name-calling. Well, not the nasty sort.
‘Sukie!’
‘Don’t call me that.’ The little girl’s lisp made Sukie sound like thoo-key and it drove her mad. ‘How many times do I have to tell you?’
‘Can if I want. You’re not my mum.’
Thank God. Susan hiked up a once-white ankle sock then puffed out her already pigeon chest. ‘I’m the king of the castle and you …’ She waggled a finger at Pauline.
‘I am NOT so.’ She took a swing too far and toppled over. What with all the grass, it couldn’t have hurt that much. Susan reckoned the welling eyes and quivering lip were purely for show. Again.
Sighing, she jumped down and helped the little girl to her feet. ‘Come on, don’t be a cry baby.’ The fall had damaged the dress more than her bum: grass stains were a devil to get rid of.
Pauline made heavy weather of wiping her eyes then flashed a hopeful smile. ‘Shall we play tick?’
‘OK.’ She prodded the little girl’s shoulder. ‘You’re it.’
‘Not playing then. You’re mean, you are.’ Head down, she toed the ground. The white sandals were scuffed now as well as dirty; she was going the right way to get a smacking from her mum. ‘I always have to be it.’
‘Always moaning, that’s what you are.’ Susan sniffed and turned on her heel. ‘Come on. I’m starving. Let’s do the picnic.’
‘Can I be mum?’ Didn’t take much to distract her; she skipped alongside, happy enough.
‘Don’t be daft.’
‘Why not?’
‘Why d’you think?’ Susan halted and turned, hands on hips. ‘I’m older than you and twice as big.’
‘’Snot fair.’ Pauline kneaded her eye with a knuckle. Cor, it looked dead painful.
‘All right then.’ Relenting, Susan smiled, reached down and ruffled the little girl’s curls. ‘Just this once.’
‘Ow!’ Pauline recoiled, rubbing her head. ‘That hurt.’
‘No it didn’t. Stop whinging. You’re …’ She bit her lip. What was the point? The kid was never happy unless she was moaning. Spoilt rotten was Princess Pauline.
Laying the spread on the old tartan rug kept them both quiet for a while. The make-shift tea set comprised chipped mismatched crockery donated by their mums. Susan filled a cast-off teapot with dandelion and burdock pop while Pauline sorted the food: jam sandwiches cut into quarters, a packet of Midget Gems and two slabs of fruit cake. Apart from a dog’s bark and the occasional cracking twig and creaking branch they munched in companionable silence, the sun warm on their flesh, the smell of cut grass wafting even in the still air.
Susan sat as cross-legged as chubby thighs allowed and watched a now kneeling Pauline pretend to feed her doll. The thing was propped against a tree, glassy eyes staring straight back at Susan. She grimaced. It hadn’t struck her before but the doll looked a bit like Pauline. How spooky was that? Mind you, Susan couldn’t be doing with dolls at the best of times; they made her skin creep. Give her a teddy bear any day.
‘Now be a good girl, Carol,’ Pauline coaxed. ‘Eat it all up.’
Susan rolled her eyes. Stupid name for a doll. And look at the waste. Stuffing food in its mouth like that. Crumbs were flying everywhere and the shiny pink face was smeared with jam. God, it looked a right mess.
Still, gift horse and all that – with Pauline otherwise occupied, Susan inched forward and sneaked the last sandwich.
‘Hey, you.’ She’d caught the movement out of the corner of her eye and spun round fast. ‘That’s Carol’s.’
‘Not now it isn’t.’ Susan gave a fulsome smile before cramming the bread into her mouth.
Pauline sat up straight, folded her arms and screwed her eyes tight. Talk about killer looks. Mind, the little Miss Sulky pose was so over the top it was comical. If her mouth wasn’t still full, Susan would have laughed out loud.
‘You’re a greedy pig, Susan Bailey.’
The older girl stared back, took her time chewing and swallowing before making a sudden grab for the doll and lifting its skirt. ‘Carol’s had enough already. Look at her. What a porker.’
Pauline’s lunge took Susan by surprise, winded her as she fell back. The little girl scrambled up, hiking Susan’s t-shirt with both hands. ‘Let’s look at yours then, shall we? See how you like—’
Frozen at the sight, Pauline gasped then stared open-mouthed. ‘What’s that, Sukie?’ Gingerly the little girl made to stroke the jagged damson mark that spread over much of her friend’s stomach.
Susan shoved her to one side and straightened, tugging at her top. ‘Mind your own. It’s nothing.’ She sensed Pauline’s confused gaze but refused to meet it. The silence was no longer companionable; it was painful.
‘Does it … hurt?’ Pauline asked.
‘Course not, dumbo.’ Not so much, now.
‘It looked like a … a …’ Still hesitant, Pauline whispered, ‘A big … nasty … bruise.’
She shrugged. ‘Yeah, well. Shows what you know. Let’s clear this lot up.’ She started gathering the plates and cups, greaseproof paper. ‘Come on, don’t just sit there.’
‘Sukie?’ Gentle, still unsure of herself, she placed tiny fingers on her friend’s arm. ‘Did you … did you … fall over again?’
‘Yeah.’ She dropped her head, eyes smarting. ‘Dead clumsy me. Don’t tell anyone, eh?’
‘Course not.’ Susan wrapped her arm as far as it would go round Pauline’s sloping shoulder. Both were kneeling now, heads together; neither spoke. Neither noticed the man’s dark figure lurking in the shadows of the copse.
‘It’ll be OK, Sukie. Don’t cry.’ Gently, she patted her friend’s shoulder, trying to gee her up. ‘Look, we don’t have to go home yet. We’ve got bags of time to play.’
Susan lifted her head, gave a tentative smile. Pauline was right. There was no point sitting round moping, and in an hour or so, hopefully the kid would have forgotten all about the bruise. ‘Course we have. Bags and bags of time. W
hat’ll we play?’ She cut a sly glance at the copse before raising a knowing eyebrow. ‘Anything you fancy?’
‘Hide and seek? Yeah!’ A broad grin broke across her features as she leapt to her feet.
‘Off you go then.’ It was Pauline’s favourite game.
‘No peeping,’ the little girl yelled over her shoulder.
Susan’s back was turned already. She closed her eyes and pressed sticky hands over her pink National Health specs. ‘One … two … three …’
TWO
‘And you’ve no idea where she is? Who she might be with?’ The woman fought to keep her voice calm, her knuckles clamped round the handset looked as if they were about to split. It was nearly eight o’clock and this was the sixth call she’d made since arriving home. Nicola hadn’t even sat down yet, still wore a thick car coat. She’d been late herself – she picked up the weekly shopping after work on Thursdays – but her daughter should’ve been back hours ago.
‘Sorry, Mrs Reynolds, Caitlin never said anything about meeting anyone. Far as I know she was heading straight home after school.’
It was a half-mile walk from Queen’s Ridge comprehensive. She pictured Caitlin weighed down by her schoolbag, strolling along in her own little world, probably listening to some pop pap on her iPod. The fond smile on Nicola’s face froze. Surely she’d not been in an accident? She told herself to cool it. The roads were quiet, mostly residential. Besides, she’d have heard by now.
‘Are you still there, Mrs Reynolds?’
‘Sorry, Lauren, I’m …’ She glanced round the sitting room on the off-chance a note had gone astray somewhere; there’d certainly been no texts sent to her phone. Something had seemed amiss as soon as she stepped inside the house – it had been too quiet, a pile of junk mail lay on the mat and Caitlin’s blazer wasn’t hanging skewiff from the banister. After dumping five Tesco bags on the floor in the kitchen, Nicola’s quick scout round suggested Caitlin hadn’t been back at all.
‘Mrs Reynolds, are you there?’
Distracted, Nicola dragged her fingers down a cheek leaving pale trails in the sallow skin. Caitlin was no angel – what teenager is? – but usually she’d let Nicola know if there was a problem or she was running late. Surely this wasn’t payback time for the minor spat this morning?