by D. S. Butler
Karen knew he was right but his reply irritated her. It sounded like something straight out of a textbook.
Nettleham was north-east of Lincoln, and they needed to cross the River Witham to get to Heighington. Travelling on the congested A15 was not ideal but, fortunately, the route wasn’t as busy as usual, and they reached Canwick Hill within ten minutes.
Karen’s mobile beeped. It was a message from her sister on the family group chat they’d set up with their parents. She’d check in with them later. After muting the app, she slid the phone back in her pocket.
As DI Morgan turned left on to Heighington Road, he asked, ‘Do you have any local knowledge of the area or know anything about the girls’ families?’
Karen lived just two miles away from Moore Lane Primary School in the neighbouring village of Branston. She’d moved there with her family ten years ago. Branston was full of happy memories. After her husband and daughter had died in a car accident, Karen hadn’t wanted to leave the area. If she did, she felt she’d be leaving a part of them behind.
‘I know the head teacher, Jackie Lyons, is well respected and active in the community. I’m not familiar with Sian Gibson’s family, but I think Emily Dean could be the daughter of one of the Dean boys.’
DI Morgan frowned but didn’t take his eyes off the road as they sped past the open fields. ‘The Dean boys?’
‘The Dean family are known to the local force. They’re forever getting into trouble, petty crime mostly.’
‘Go on.’
‘It goes back to Matthew Dean, their father. I guess he’s about sixty now and does a few jobs here and there. If you ask him, he’ll tell you he labours on local farms, but I suspect most of his income comes from criminal activities. He’s been prosecuted multiple times, and he’s been inside twice for long stretches. Once for actual bodily harm, and once for stealing farm machinery. He’s got two sons and the youngest, Dennis, is as bad as his father. I can’t say for certain, but I’m pretty sure Dennis has a daughter called Emily.’
DI Morgan nodded slowly. ‘We’ll have to find out if they’re involved in any active feuds. In my experience, criminal families like that don’t tend to get on well together, and if someone holds a grudge against the Deans . . .’
Karen looked at him. ‘The Deans are a pain in the neck, but even so, it’s hard to imagine anyone targeting two children to get back at them.’
Karen leaned forward in her seat, willing DI Morgan to travel faster along the straight road. She knew uniform were already on the scene and had started the search, but in a case like this every second counted.
‘I have heard rumours that Dennis’s wife kicked him out a few months ago,’ Karen said.
‘If that’s true, and Dennis Dean feels he’s being denied contact with his daughter, it’s possible he made a grab for Emily.’
Karen exhaled heavily. If Emily was, in fact, a member of the notorious Dean family, things could escalate quickly. The fact that another child was involved made her feel uneasy.
As they turned off Heighington Road and entered Moore Lane, Karen swore under her breath. The lane was packed with parked cars, but DI Morgan took it all in his stride and parked a distance away from the school.
Irritated by the precision of his parallel parking, Karen yanked the door open as soon as the car was stationary.
They walked quickly towards the small school. Groups of parents stood close to the entrance, many of them holding their children’s hands, reluctant to let go after they’d heard about the two missing girls. They were hanging around, anxious for any news, but Karen wished they’d go home. Unless they had information to pass on, they were just getting in the way.
In a crowd like this it would be easy to miss something important. Karen scanned the gathering, looking for anything suspicious, but all she saw were the concerned faces of parents and the wide-eyed, confused expressions of the youngsters, who didn’t really understand what was going on.
A young mum, wearing a navy-blue jacket and tight jeans, pushed her way towards them. ‘Are you the police? What’s going on? Have you found the little girls yet?’ She tossed her long brown hair.
‘We don’t have any news at present,’ Karen said and walked around the woman, heading quickly to the double doors at the entrance to the school.
Before they managed to get inside, Karen felt a tug on her sleeve. She swallowed a sharp retort, and DI Morgan slowly and deliberately leaned over and removed the man’s hand from Karen’s forearm.
‘I understand that you’re extremely concerned, sir, but we need to get inside and do our job.’
The man swallowed and ran a hand through his light brown hair. ‘Of course, sorry. It’s just I think I’ve got some information for you.’
Karen had already turned away and had one hand on the door ready to enter the school, but his words stopped her dead.
‘What information?’ DI Morgan asked.
‘Well, actually it’s not me. It’s Danny, my son.’
DI Morgan and Karen looked down at the young lad standing beside his father. He had brown hair and big, expressive brown eyes, and he looked absolutely terrified.
‘Do you have something to tell us, Danny?’ Karen asked.
The boy’s lower lip trembled, then he looked up at Karen and replied, ‘I saw them climb over the fence in the playground. I saw them leave.’
CHAPTER TWO
DI Morgan went to check on the progress of the search, leaving Karen to speak to Danny Saunders and his father, Matthew. The head teacher, Jackie Lyons, had escorted them to an empty classroom and left them to talk.
Karen sat gingerly on one of the tiny chairs and tried to cram her knees under the low desk. She began by telling Danny he wasn’t in trouble and explaining that anything he could tell her might help get the girls home safe. But Danny wasn’t concentrating. His wide eyes were looking around the classroom. Various posters decorated the walls, along with a brightly coloured chart which listed the pupils’ names.
‘Are you okay, Danny?’
Danny nodded absently but didn’t take his eyes off the chart. Karen followed his gaze but nothing looked unusual. It was just a list of pupils, some with a red sticker beside their name, others with gold stars.
‘Concentrate, please, Danny,’ his father said sternly. ‘You need to answer the policewoman’s questions.’
Danny nodded meekly and turned back to Karen. ‘Sorry.’
‘How old are you, Danny?’
‘He’s eight,’ Mr Saunders answered for his son.
‘I’d really like Danny to answer these questions, please, sir,’ Karen said.
‘Of course, sorry,’ he said and held his hands up. He looked even more uncomfortable than Karen with his large frame perched on one of the child-sized chairs.
Karen leaned forward so she was eye-level with Danny. ‘Can you tell me exactly what you saw, please, Danny?’
‘I already told you. I saw them. I saw them leave.’
‘Was anybody else with them?’
Danny shrugged and broke eye contact.
‘And what time did they leave?’
Danny shrugged again. ‘I don’t know. I saw them when I was on my way back from the toilet. It was nearly home time, I think.’
‘Did you tell a teacher you’d seen them leave?’ Danny’s father asked.
Karen wished he’d stay quiet and leave the questions to her, but she couldn’t judge him too harshly. She was sure he really did want to help them find the two girls, but he was concerned about his son. Still, she must have communicated her displeasure silently because he looked at Karen and muttered, ‘Sorry, sorry. Carry on.’
‘I didn’t tell the teacher,’ Danny admitted, keeping his eyes fixed on the desk. ‘I thought maybe they were allowed to leave early or maybe they had a dentist appointment like I did last week.’
‘Did you see where Sian and Emily went after they left the school, Danny?’
Danny blinked a couple of times and then re
plied, ‘I don’t know.’
Mr Saunders opened his mouth to prompt the boy, but before he could, Karen shot him a look.
‘It’s very important you remember, Danny. You’re not in any trouble. You understand that, don’t you?’
The little boy looked at Karen as though he were deciding whether to trust her. ‘I . . . I saw them go outside and followed them.’
‘You did what?’ The question exploded from Danny’s father’s mouth as he twisted in the small seat, his knees crashing against the desk. ‘You know you’re not allowed to leave school.’
Karen pushed on, ignoring Mr Saunders’s outburst. ‘It’s okay, Danny. You’re being really helpful. Now, tell me what you saw when you followed them.’
Danny’s cheeks were flushed as he looked down at the desk. ‘I don’t want to.’
‘I don’t care what you want, young man. You need to tell us exactly what happened right now.’ Danny’s father was fuming, and despite her irritation, Karen could understand why. A million thoughts must be running through his head right now, while he imagined how it would feel if Danny had been the one to go missing.
Outside, DI Morgan was walking along the edge of the playground, picturing the two young girls climbing over the fence. What had been behind their decision to leave school early?
DI Morgan sighed. If he knew that, then he suspected he’d be a lot closer to finding Emily and Sian.
He’d spoken to the officer in charge of the search and been impressed by the clear-headed and strategic way in which they’d operated so far. He’d given permission for the officer to draft in extra uniformed officers to start on the house-to-house enquiries.
The stretch of woodland beside the school was narrow. This area of Lincolnshire was known for wide-open fields, not woodland. That should work in their favour. Whichever direction the girls took, if they were on foot then they’d have had to walk across open fields, which would greatly increase the likelihood of them being spotted. If they were lucky, a member of the public would spot the girls and report the sighting to the police.
Unless, of course, they weren’t on foot. If they’d been taken and put into a vehicle, they could be some distance away by now. Tracking them wouldn’t be easy.
He took one last look at the fence and the woodland beyond. The time of year didn’t help the search. The floor was a carpet of brown and orange, and a gust of wind shook the branches of the trees, sending yet more leaves dancing in the air. DI Morgan turned and began to walk back to the school.
Ideally, he’d have liked to talk to the parents in their own homes, but the head teacher had already informed both mothers, and as was only natural, they’d each wanted to come straight to the school.
He wondered if Karen had managed to get any more information out of Danny Saunders. In the short time he’d known her, DI Morgan had been impressed by the detective sergeant. She had a knack for talking to people and getting them to open up. DI Morgan knew his talents lay in other areas. Friendliness and warmth weren’t top of the list. He’d been called distant and cold by his ex-partner, and he thought she could have a point.
Sometimes, DI Morgan hated the suspicion with which he viewed the world. He’d like to believe it was a side effect of becoming a police officer, but he’d always had a level of cynicism and mistrust even before he’d joined the police. And there was something about Mr Saunders that made DI Morgan uneasy. The man seemed eager to help – too eager.
DI Morgan took a deep breath and walked back into the school building. Ahead of him lay a task he dreaded. He’d have to talk to the parents of the missing girls.
‘Danny’s being really helpful, Mr Saunders,’ Karen said.
Mr Saunders looked torn between wanting to hug his son and read him the riot act. Finally he settled for putting a hand on the boy’s shoulder. ‘It’s all right. I’m not angry. Tell us what you saw.’
Danny began to speak in a shaky voice. ‘I wanted to know where they were going. So I followed them into the playground and saw them climb over the fence. They were talking for a while and then they walked off into the woods. I followed them, but I hid. I didn’t want them to see me.’
‘But why . . .?’ Mr Saunders began to ask and then abruptly shut his mouth when he remembered he was supposed to be keeping quiet.
Karen nodded and waited for the boy to continue.
‘I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I think Emily was angry with Sian because she fell over.’
‘Who fell over, Danny? Sian or Emily?’
‘Sian. She tripped when she climbed over the fence. Then they walked into the woods. I think they were meeting someone.’
Karen felt a prickle of apprehension run down her spine.
‘Jesus,’ Mr Saunders muttered.
‘Who did they meet, Danny? Did you see anyone else in the woods?’ Karen asked softly.
Danny bit his lower lip and blinked several times. ‘I’m not sure.’
‘Was another child with them? Or a grown-up?’
Danny thought for a moment and swallowed hard. ‘I couldn’t see very well.’
‘That’s okay. Just try to explain what you saw.’
‘They were looking at something, but I couldn’t see anything except shadows.’ Danny’s face crumpled.
‘Well done, Danny. You’ve been very helpful,’ Karen said, wondering if the little boy had seen someone else in the woods. That would certainly increase the likelihood that the girls had been taken rather than wandering off on their own.
She asked the boy a few more questions and then looked up as DI Morgan walked into the classroom.
Karen smiled at Danny. ‘That’s all for now. You did very well.’ She looked at Mr Saunders. ‘I have your contact details. If we need anything else, we’ll be in touch. Thank you.’
Mr Saunders stood, lifting his son up and giving him a huge hug before carrying him out into the corridor.
As they followed them out of the classroom, Karen quickly told DI Morgan what Danny had seen, before calling the station so DC Cooper could coordinate delivering the information to every officer involved in the search.
When she hung up, she turned to DI Morgan and said, ‘Rick has set up the incident room, and he’s getting background on both girls’ families.’
‘Good.’ Before DI Morgan could say anything else, they heard heels clicking on the floor, echoing along the corridor.
They turned in the direction of the noise. It sounded like someone running towards them. A tall, blonde woman came into view, closely followed by Jackie Lyons, who appeared out of breath.
Horror and anguish contorted the blonde woman’s face. ‘Have you found Sian?’
Her desperate question meant she needed no introduction, but the head teacher presented her anyway.
‘DI Morgan, DS Hart, this is Leanne Gibson. Sian’s mother.’
CHAPTER THREE
Leanne Gibson skidded to a halt in front of them. ‘Have you found her yet?’ she asked breathlessly.
Under normal circumstances, Leanne Gibson would be considered a very attractive woman, but with worry etched on her face and distress contorting her features, she looked haggard. Karen’s heart went out to her.
DI Morgan introduced himself and Karen.
‘Let’s go in here,’ he said, indicating the empty classroom. ‘We can tell you what we know and ask you some questions about Sian.’
Leanne nodded and her eyes filled with tears. ‘I can’t believe this is happening. I knew I shouldn’t have let her go home with Emily Dean. Why did I change my mind? What was I thinking?’
‘It’s not your fault,’ Karen said as she opened the door to the classroom.
Leanne had just walked ahead of them when they heard more footsteps.
‘Ah, this is Emily’s mother, Jenny Dean,’ the head teacher said, walking towards the tall, dark-haired woman.
Jenny Dean made a stark contrast to Leanne Gibson. Jenny wore dark skinny jeans tucked into black high-heeled boots and a red
top that was so tight it fitted her like a second skin. Her dark hair fell in messy waves to her shoulders, and although she was heavily made up, most of the kohl had smudged beneath her eyes.
DI Morgan shot Karen a questioning look and she nodded. Karen recognised Jenny from her time in uniform. Emily was Dennis Dean’s daughter. It would make liaising with the family difficult because the Deans held such resentment towards the police.
‘He’s taken her, hasn’t he?’ Jenny snapped, shrugging off the head teacher’s attempt to put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
‘Do you mean you think Dennis has taken the girls?’ Jackie asked, tucking her hair behind her ears and taking a step back from Jenny.
Karen felt like taking a step back from Jenny too. The woman was filled with raw, unstable emotion. Her gut told her the sensible option would be to separate the two mothers and question them individually. She turned to DI Morgan and suggested she talk to Jenny in another classroom. DI Morgan nodded his assent, but before Karen could lead Jenny away, Leanne walked back out of the room.
‘Why didn’t you pick them up from school?’ she demanded, raising her voice. ‘They’re only ten. I can’t believe you’d just leave them to make their own way home.’
‘It’s not far,’ Jenny said defensively. ‘Besides, I’m sure they’re fine. My good-for-nothing ex has probably taken them for a pizza or something. He just wants to put the fear of God into me. That’s him all over.’
Leanne’s face crumpled. She was desperately trying not to cry. ‘Do you really think he’d do that?’
The anger in her voice had dropped and she almost sounded hopeful, as though she wanted to believe that was what had happened because that meant she’d get her daughter back safely. She shook her head. ‘Why would he have taken Sian too?’
‘I take it you’ve spoken to Emily’s father?’ DI Morgan asked Jenny.
Jenny hesitated and then bit down on her lower lip. ‘No, not yet. He’s not answering his phone, but that’s probably all part of his plan to wind me up.’