The Vanishing Child: A gripping crime thriller with a climax you won't see coming (Detective Arla Baker Series Book 9)

by ML Rose

  "No!" John bellowed; his face mottled. His fists were clenched on the table. He stood, and stumbled backwards, putting his back to the wall. Mr Chisholm stood as well, and spoke to him quietly. Arla leaned back, watching them. Eventually, both returned to their seats.

  Arla kept her tone steely. "You've been lying to us from the beginning, John. You never told us your true feelings about the victim. You lied about visiting his chambers. What are you trying to hide, John?"

  John said nothing. His chest heaved, beads of sweat pouring down his face and neck. Arla put her elbows on the desk and leaned forward. "This would be a lot easier for you if you told us the truth. Did you kill Dr Vaughan?"

  John shot her a look of pure venom. His lips twisted in hate. "No, I did not."

  "Do you know who did?"

  "No."

  "Why did you lie to us?"

  John glanced at his lawyer, who again leaned closer to him to whisper advice in his ears.

  John took a sip of water. "My issues with Dr Vaughan are both personal and professional. No, I do not like him. Yes, I was aware of him and my wife," John screwed his eyes shut and breathed heavily. He had difficulty in getting the words out.

  "But I did not kill him." His eyes opened, and he stared at Arla directly.

  “Why did you lie to us,” Arla repeated.

  “My views regarding Steven are personal. I did not wish to become involved in a police investigation.”

  Arla frowned. “That doesn’t mean you lie. When we asked you about the last time you saw Dr Vaughan, you said you couldn’t remember.”

  John glanced at Mr Chisholm, who spoke for him. “My client made a mistake, Inspector Baker. As he mentioned, he doesn’t wish to get involved.”

  Arla lifted her chin, staring at the veteran lawyer. “I’m afraid he is very much involved, Mr Chisholm. Your client is a suspect.”

  “Either charge him, or let him go,” Mr Chisholm said.

  She turned to John again. “Do you know Sandra Pitt?”

  His expression was bewildered. “Who?”

  Arla explained. John frowned, then his head moved sideways. “No. I have no idea who you’re talking about.”

  “What about Shirley Linklater?”

  John shook his head. “No idea.”

  Arla glanced at Rob, who shrugged. She wished like hell Harry was here. She wanted another opinion. But he wasn’t. She made her mind up.

  John had lied, and he had been checking out the victim’s car, but that didn’t make him a killer. The case was riddled with holes, and Arla felt dispirited. She could charge him, but it didn’t feel right. Tomorrow morning, his lawyer would be able to free him, in any case.

  She turned to Rob and murmured her directions.

  “Note Mr Churchill’s boot size and print. We also need access to the rest of his shoes. This is to match the boot prints found at the car park, and the crime scene. We also need his DNA swab.”

  She glanced at the lawyer and raised her eyebrows.

  Mr Chisholm said, “My client agrees to cooperate.”

  Arla nodded at Rob, then left the room.

  CHAPTER 35

  Arla walked into the open plan detective's office. Harry was nowhere in sight. Lisa walked up to her, and Arla pointed to Harry’s desk.

  “Where is DI Mehta?”

  "He said he had to do something."

  "Do what?" Arla frowned. "He told me he was helping out the drug squad."

  Lisa raised her eyebrows. She had become more tanned, and the dense crop of freckles on her nose and cheeks were darker. "Is he really? He must have gone out with them than. Do you want me to check?"

  Arla shook her head. She felt uneasy. Was Harry ignoring her on purpose?

  Lisa said, "Guv, remember that convertible Mercedes driven by the blonde woman?"

  "Yes, I do. The one that arrived at the crime scene?"

  "Yes," Lisa said, a sudden light jumping in her eyes. "We found it on CCTV. We looked for cars coming in and out of Dr Vaughan’s road after 11PM. And at midnight, we saw a convertible Mercedes turning into his street."

  Arla was enthused. "Excellent. Can I have a look at the images?"

  She sat down next to Lisa at her desk, and Rob joined them, followed by Rosslyn and Gita. Arla watched the car carefully. The driver was clearly a woman, with shoulder length fair hair. She appeared to be Caucasian.

  "What does the registration number show? Arla asked.

  "That's where it gets interesting," Lisa said. "The car is registered to a rental agency. But a week ago it was rented by Natalie Chapman. Dr Vaughan’s ex-wife."

  Arla's eyes widened. She stared at the screen again, at the frozen image of the car exiting Dr Vaughan’s Street. "Okay. Bring her in."

  Rob asked, "do we have enough to build a case?"

  Arla stood, and put both hands on the back of the chair.

  "She lied to us about not seeing him. The time of death coincides with the time she left the crime scene. Fragments of a pink cashmere sweater are on the chair at the dining table. We don't know if it’s her sweater, but we can ask SOC if they can do a match. In any case, it is reasonable to assume she is the blonde woman who sat and had dinner with the victim."

  "And then killed him," Rosslyn said. "But how?"

  Gita said, "Poisoning. How else could she have killed a man twice her size?"

  Lisa said, "Unless, the hooded man, who might have come inside the house, killed him by some other means."

  Arla said, "Then there would be more signs of trauma on the victim's body. All we found was some scratches on his knuckles." Arla touched Gita on the arm. "Poisoning is my best guess as well. I need to talk to Dr Banerjee about it."

  "In any case," Arla continued. "We now know that Natalie was at the crime scene the night Dr Vaughan died. That makes her our second definite suspect."

  Rosslyn said, "Gita and I went to see her this morning. We got a DNA swab from her. Her daughter Caroline is staying with her currently."

  Arla pondered for a few seconds. She didn't wish to cause the daughter any more trauma. But if her mother was indeed the killer, there couldn't be any further delay in arresting her.

  "Thanks for letting me know. Have the DNA samples been sent off?"

  Rosslyn nodded. "Yes guv. Results should be back later today, first thing tomorrow morning."

  Natalie's daughter being present made the situation more delicate. "Let's visit Natalie in her home. Lisa, please come with me. Rob, did you get everything you needed from John Churchill?"

  “Not yet, guv. I need to visit his house to get the rest of the evidence, like his shoes.”

  “Okay, please make sure we get everything we need. Mr Churchill is not off the hook yet.”

  Arla instructed Rosslyn and Gita to search about Shirley Linklater and get a statement from Sandra Pitts security guard about the burglary.

  With Lisa, she strode out into the rear parking lot, savouring the sunshine as it warmed her face. This time, they'd be going with a squad car, just in case Natalie decided to bolt. Arla could feel the case getting more complex. She couldn’t understand why Natalie would lie about seeing her husband.

  She checked her watch as she slid into the driving seat. Harry's absence made her deeply uneasy. Where could he be?

  CHAPTER 36

  The street on which Natalie lived was very quiet. The front lawns of the terraced houses on either side were empty. Arla parked the car a few doors down, and made sure she had everything with her. Then they walked down to the house.

  A pretty young woman opened the door. She had blonde hair like her mother, and she looked stressed. She had bags under her eyes, and looked like she hadn’t slept. "You must be Caroline," Arla said.

  The woman nodded. "Caroline Vaughan. Would you like to come in?"

  "Is your mother in?"

  Caroline had freckles on her fair skin. Her dark blue eyes shifted from Arla to Lisa. "The police came this morning to take DNA swabs. Why are you back here again?"

>   "We just want to ask your mother some questions."

  "Mum's gone out to see someone. She said she would be back in a couple of hours."

  Lisa and Arla glanced at each other. Lisa asked, "Do you know where she's gone?"

  "Caroline shook her head. "No." She regarded them suspiciously. "Can you please tell me what's going on? Is my mother in trouble?"

  Arla said, "we just need to speak to her as a matter of urgency. I'm afraid I cannot say any more than that at present."

  Caroline folded her arms across her chest, and her eyes hardened. "Do you know how my father died?"

  "We are still waiting for the post-mortem report," Arla said.

  "Really? Don't you think his death is suspicious? He was fit and healthy, and working almost full-time. I'm a medical student, and I know about his health. He didn't have any risk factors for heart disease, or a stroke."

  "Like I said-

  Caroline raised her hand, interrupting Arla. "Instead of finding the person who killed my father, why are you chasing after my mum? What's she done?"

  Arla could sense Caroline's anger, and she could understand the reasons. But she needed Caroline on her side. It was possible that Natalie had realised the game was up, and fled. She might not have told Caroline anything. Every moment now was precious.

  "We have reason to believe your mother visited your father the night of his murder. Now, there could be a perfectly reasonable explanation for that. But without questioning your mother, we don't know for sure."

  Caroline's mouth had opened in shock. A deep frown creased her face. "My mother's not like that. She could never do anything… Like this."

  "Then we need to find out what happened that night. Caroline, for your sake if nothing else, we need to get to the truth. Do you agree?" Arla stepped forward, staring directly into the woman's eyes.

  Caroline gulped, the nodded. "Let me get my phone. I share my location with mother, because she demands it when I'm in London. I might able to track her on my phone's GPS."

  She went into the kitchen, and Arla followed. Caroline looked up from her phone. "Yes, she’s still sharing.” She showed Arla the screen. Arla took the phone from Caroline’s hand and examined it, with Lisa peering over her elbow.

  “She’s in Surrey, outside London,” Arla remarked. The beeping green dot was stationary. It was the middle of nowhere, in a village called Woodham, near Woking. Arla had been to Woking once, many years ago. It was about an hour and a half’s drive.

  For some reason, a sense of dread was overcoming her. She didn’t understand what Natalie was doing in such a remote location, unless…hairs rose on the back of her neck. She turned to Caroline. “Did your mother say who she was meeting?”

  “No.”

  “Has a man ever visited her here? Or a blonde woman?”

  Caroline shook her head, anxiety contracting her forehead. “Why do you ask?”

  “No reason. Caroline, stay here. If a man, or a blonde woman rings the door, do not open it. If anyone apart from us wants to speak to your mother, do not tell them anything. Even if someone claims to be the police, do not let them in. Do you understand?”

  Caroline gulped, and nodded. She reached out and caught Arla’s hand. “Let me come with you.”

  “No. You’re safer here. I’ll be in touch.”

  Lisa was speaking on the radio as they ran outside, and into the car.

  CHAPTER 37

  Arla gripped the steering wheel hard, eyes focused on the road. She was driving dangerously fast. The siren blared, and blue lights flashed as four small beeps in the corners. Her knuckles were white. The A3 was the main artery that took traffic from south London into the leafy suburbs of Surrey, and the road was busy. Arla was ducking and diving between vehicles, screaming past SUV’s and delivery trucks.

  “All units are busy guv,” Lisa said, turning off the radio.

  “Call Inspector Mehta,” Arla said between clenched teeth.

  “Tried him already. No response.”

  Arla had no time to wonder what Harry was up to. She was concerned Natalie had bolted. She could have left the car in a country lane and got a ride with her accomplice – but then why was the GPS signal on her phone still stationary?

  Arla didn’t like any of the scenarios buzzing in her brain. The exit came up and she took it at full speed, tires screeching on asphalt. Traffic was less here and she let rip on the gas, flooring the accelerator.

  The GPS satnav was directing her. The green dot was now less than fifteen miles away. She turned left into a narrow lane, wrenching the steering wheel viciously. The trees and hedges on either side were a green blur.

  “Guv,” Lisa exclaimed. A tractor was trundling up the road, its massive rubber wheels turning at a snail’s pace. Arla swore under her breath. She had no option but to slow down.

  “Try Natalie’s phone,” Arla said, and got out of the car. She ran to the farmer, who was climbing down. She explained to the middle-aged man why he had to move immediately. The farmer removed his flat cap and scratched the back of his head.

  “There’s no way to reverse. I can go on the verge, but it has to be slow, or the machine will tilt over.” He pointed at the incline on the verge, from the pitched road.

  “Okay, let’s try that.” Arla got back in the car. Lisa said, “Gone to voice mail again. Called her four times now.”

  Arla shook her head in frustrated silence. She had to reverse to give the tractor space. The giant machine vibrated, and lurched forward. It wobbled dangerously as it tilted to the left, trying to go on the verge. Then it shuddered to a stop.

  The farmer climbed down again. Both Arla and Lisa went up to him.

  “Look, I can’t do it,” the man spread both hands. “There’s a chance the thing will crash down.”

  “We got one mile left guv,” Lisa said, and Arla knew they had only one option.

  She set her lips in a grim line. “Let’s make a run for it.” A thought occurred to her. She showed the farmer their target location and asked him for directions. The last thing she wanted was to lose GPS as they got closer. That could happen in the countryside where signal was poorer.

  “That’s the Jameson farm.” He pointed to the right, where Arla saw nothing but open fields and trees. “About ten minutes’ drive but longer on foot obviously. You sure that’s the right place?”

  “Yes, why?”

  “Because it’s been deserted for years.”

  CHAPTER 38

  Lisa was panting so hard Arla thought she would collapse. Arla was surging ahead, her old running muscles suddenly gaining their memory back, and moving in rhythm. It felt good, she hadn’t run for weeks. But she wasn’t fit anymore, and she was sprinting, which was making her exhausted very quickly. She stopped when she realised Lisa wasn’t next to her.

  Lisa was hunched over, walking slowly, about fifty yards behind.

  “I’ll catch up,” Lisa shouted. “Just need a minute to get my breath back.” She waved her phone. “I got the location here.”

  Arla nodded, then carried on down the road. A couple of cars whizzed past, and she knew they would find the road blocked.

  She stopped, panting, staring at the screen. Beads of sweat poured down her face, blinding her eyes. She wiped her forehead, then took her cardigan off. Her jacket was in the car, which she had left on the grass verge. She tied the cardigan around her waist.

  A fence ran down her right, and it wasn’t high. She grabbed hold of the top log, and put her foot on the log below. Then she vaulted over. It was all woodland now, the grass coming up to her shin level. She found a path that meandered between the trees. She heard a sound behind and saw Lisa climb over the fence.

  “Guv,” she shouted, waving her arms wildly.

  “What?”

  “Look over there!” Lisa pointed through the trees, into the distance.

  Arla squinted. A plume of dark smoke was rising between the trees. A cold fist of fear sunk in her stomach. Could something have happened to Natal
ie’s car? Or was it just a bonfire in some farmyard?

  “Hurry up,” she shouted, and took off. Her lungs were burning, and her blouse was soaked, sticking to her like a second skin. But she pumped her legs harder. She came across a clearing, and skidded to a halt.

  A black Mercedes convertible was parked in front of a large, corrugated iron roofed barn. The barn was on fire, flames crackling inside, dark smoke wafting out. The barn doors were open, and one door had fallen off. She could see holes in the roof, and the iron was rusty everywhere. The barn was abandoned. The main plume of smoke was through a hole in the roof, rising high above the trees.

  Arla rushed to the Mercedes. She yanked the driver’s door, it was open. The car was empty. The keys were in the console next to the gearbox. Arla didn’t touch anything. She looked in the side compartment below the window and saw the phone. A red button flashed on it. She donned a pair of gloves and picked it up. The screen was locked, but showed several missed calls from Lisa and another number which Arla guessed was Caroline’s.

  She slammed the door shut. She took the cardigan off her waist, and tied it around her face like a mask. Smoke was heavier now, billowing out of the barn doors in a black cloud. Arla looked around but couldn’t find Natalie anywhere.

  Lisa wasn’t visible either. Arla knew her trusted sergeant would be here soon, and would radio for help as soon as she saw the empty car. But that might be too late. If Natalie was inside the barn, she only had minutes before Arla could drag her out.

  And Natalie, Arla felt, held the key to solving the case.

  It was now or never.

  CHAPTER 39

  Arla had zero experience of fire hazards. But every year she, like all other policemen and women, had to attend courses on survival. She knew the basics – to cover her nose and mouth to avoid smoke inhalation injury. To move in and out as quickly as possible. The cardigan was wrapped tight around her face, leaving only her eyes to see.