by Anita Waller
Liz stared at him. ‘What are you saying? That you think Phil has taken Jake?’
‘No, I’m not saying that. Mr Latimer hasn’t touched his bank accounts, used his mobile phone, contacted a daughter he loves deeply and a wife he still cares about, or work. None of this makes any sense. What I’m really saying is that I think this is all connected, although how is beyond me at the moment. But one thing I am sure of, we’re not looking for a missing child, we’re looking for a missing child and his daddy, along with a double murderer. From now on, don’t go anywhere without me knowing about it, and there will be a squad car parked outside for the foreseeable future. Dan isn’t to go anywhere on his own, and neither are you.’
‘But…’
He held up his hand as if to shut her up. ‘Liz,’ he said tiredly, ‘for goodness sake, stop fighting me. Go to bed, let me go home to my bed, and we’ll look at it with new eyes tomorrow morning. Tanya… be vigilant. If there’s anything, any strange noise, you ring the station.’
26
Captor watched the screen with interest. The man appeared to be coping well with the child. The mother was probably falling apart, quite justifiably. She would learn the hard way to stick to her own kin, and not become involved in other families.
The baby cried, and Captor muted the sound. The man, the beloved Phil, went into father mode and picked up the baby. He soothed him, and then picked up a book to read to him.
Captor’s mind switched to the news shown that morning. It seemed that the whole country was on the lookout for this baby. It was a pity they didn’t know about the missing father as well.
Captor smiled, and switched off the screens, closed the door hiding them, and left the building. The plan was developing nicely – time to sit back and let the main players stew.
Phil was a trifle bored with Peppa Pig, and he swapped the book for one about dinosaurs. The sounds he made caused much giggling in Jake, and he wished he could be as resilient as this young baby. He didn’t feel much like giggling, he didn’t feel like much of anything, except regaining his freedom, and that of his son.
Since having had the chain removed, he’d taken full advantage of being free to move around, and several times he had climbed the twelve stairs up to the metal door, feeling his way around it. It was in shadow, so he couldn’t really see much, but he could touch. There was nothing. It was smooth; no screws, not even an indentation.
There was nothing else, four walls, no window; no escape.
27
For the second night running, Liz hardly slept, despite being back in her bed and not on the sofa. DI Brent confirming that Phil was being treated as a missing person both uplifted and squashed her. The possibility that he was dead made her feel bereft. Heartbroken.
And suddenly Gareth’s death had intruded into her thoughts. It was almost as though the discovery of his infidelity had wiped out her good memories of their life together, and she was beginning to remember little things from a happier time; the grief took hold.
She pulled his pillow towards her, and held on to it through the night. His untimely death meant he would never see Dan graduate, never experience the wonders of grandchildren, never walk in snow, kick autumnal leaves; death was hard to accept, especially at three in the morning, when the world outside her bedroom window was sleeping.
Except for the two policemen in the patrol car parked in the layby directly outside her home. The one in the passenger seat held up a thumb to her in query as he spotted her standing at the window. She responded with an upright thumb. ‘Everything’s okay,’ she whispered. ‘I want my son.’
Liz went downstairs and switched on the kettle. A cup of tea would calm her frazzled nerves, perhaps help her sleep. She grabbed a couple of biscuits and went into the lounge, nursing the mug of tea. She wondered if Rosie was asleep, or making her own 3am cuppa; two women, both wondering where a man and a baby were.
Liz’s arms were aching to hold Jake. She was trying to control her feelings, trying to be strong for Dan, when all she wanted to do was scream at everyone to get out there and find him. Gareth was gone, there was nothing anyone could do about that, but Jake… no tiny body had been found, and she was clinging to that thought with a tenacity she hadn’t known she possessed.
Was he crying for her? Was he getting enough to eat to build that little body? Was he being kept clean? She pulled out the photograph album from under the coffee table, where it had lain since she had handed a recent photo of Jake to DI Brent. Flicking through it, she touched each picture of Jake, with a finger and a smile. Her little one; she remembered the tears she had shed on her first day back at work. They were different tears to the ones she was crying now.
She finished her tea and laid down on the sofa, clutching the photo album. Pulling a throw over, she allowed her mind to wander. She replayed constantly the CCTV images she had seen, but still nothing stood out. That the last image of Jake was him being pushed in a pushchair by a kidnapper, distressed Liz beyond anything else, but she still had no idea of the kidnapper’s identity, or even gender.
Eventually, her tired brain gave up, the tears stopped flowing, and she slept.
Tanya was the one to find Liz asleep on the sofa, and she stood in the doorway looking at her. She felt so sorry; couldn’t imagine how Liz must be feeling. The case was complicated enough with the missing baby at the heart of it, but for Liz to lose her husband after he had made love to their childminder – it didn’t bear thinking about.
‘Liz.’ Tanya shook Liz’s shoulder gently, and she stirred. She looked up at Tanya initially with a puzzled expression, and then her mind cleared. She pulled herself into a sitting position, and shook her unruly blonde hair as she tried to free her mind from the dark dream she had been having.
‘Sorry, Tanya, I was asleep.’
Tanya smiled. ‘Good. It’s what you need. You want some toast?’
Liz pulled up her legs on to the sofa. ‘Just one slice, please. Shall I do it?’
Tanya shook her head. ‘No, you come around a bit. I’ll do us some toast and a pot of tea, and we’ll see what the day has in store for us. Your car, as I understand it, will be back by lunchtime, but don’t forget, you’re not to go anywhere without taking two police officers with you.’
‘Great,’ Liz mumbled.
‘DI Brent’s instructions – don’t knock them. He knows what he’s doing, and what he’s doing is protecting you.’
‘I know. I don’t like him.’
Tanya laughed. ‘You don’t have to like him, just trust him.’
‘I do. He accepts that Phil is missing for a start, which is more than I could get Phil’s wife to do. Although, to be fair, I think she simply buried her head in the sand about it, I don’t think she was being devious.’
‘And I think you’ve read her correctly. I’ll go and do that toast.’
Liz stood and crossed to the bay window, using her left hand to pull back the curtains, clutching her dressing gown closed with her right hand. At the top of the drive, the two police officers were both out of the car, talking to a young man trying to get down the drive.
Christian.
Although Liz had never met him, she had seen plenty of photographs dotted around Sadie’s house.
He appeared to be gesticulating quite wildly, and pushing the two officers away. Liz moved quickly, and opened the front door.
‘Christian?’
He turned at the sound of her voice. ‘Please… tell them I need to speak with you.’ There was a tremor in his voice.
‘It’s okay,’ she said to the two men. ‘This is my childminder’s son.’
‘Sorry, son,’ the taller of the two officers said, ‘but you’re not going in there unless we check you for concealed weapons. We’ve had our instructions…’
Reluctantly, Christian held up his arms. ‘Do it then, before we get an even bigger crowd.’ He glared at the small group of onlookers who had stopped to see what was happening.
Liz stayed at the door
until he walked down towards her. She touched his hand, then led him into the lounge. ‘We’re going to have a cup of tea and some toast. Do you want some?’
‘Just the drink, please. I don’t feel much like eating. I’m sorry, I had to come and see you.’
‘That’s okay, Christian. This is a lot to take in.’
‘You found her? Them?’
‘I did. I was collecting Jake.’
Christian dropped his head and mumbled, ‘I’m finding it all a bit unbelievable.’
‘I’m not giving you any details, and I think we have to put any circumstances from our mind. The big priority is finding Jake. There is some CCTV – the police will probably want you to look at it, in case it stirs anything in your mind. When did you get here?’
‘Late last night. I stayed at a friend’s house, I still can’t get into ours. He says I can stay as long as I want, so I’m okay.’
‘This is going to be so difficult for you. You’re so young. If you need to talk, we’re here.’
Tanya walked in carrying a tray. ‘I did extra toasts,’ she smiled. ‘And you, young man, need to eat something.’
‘Tanya is our family liaison officer,’ Liz explained to Christian. ‘We can say anything to her, and she bats it right back, but makes us think we’re not being stupid. You can do the same.’
‘I have questions,’ Christian said, the simple statement belying the anguish written on his face.
‘I’m sure you do,’ Tanya said, ‘but they’ll keep until after you’ve eaten something.’ She handed him a plate with two slices of toast on it. ‘Eat.’
And he did, chewing slowly, clearly not wanting it. But the police lady scared him.
He turned towards Liz, unable to wait any longer. ‘They found your husband there as well?’
Liz nodded. ‘Yes, they did.’
‘Why? If he was collecting Jake why was he still there? What’s going on?’
She hesitated. Tell it bluntly, like it was, or soften it?
She went for blunt. ‘They were having an affair, Christian. I’m sorry…’
‘No, I’m sorry.’ Once again, his head dropped, the anguish clearly evident. ‘Why would she do that? Since she threw my father out all those years ago, she’s never had anyone. Why now?’
‘Who knows. There’s never any real answer to infidelity, Christian. It just happens.’ Liz’s mind drifted towards Phil. It just happens…
‘But it doesn’t make sense. Do you think she was trying to stop whoever was after your baby? If somebody’s out to hurt you, to destroy you, why did they take Mum?’
‘I agree,’ Liz concurred, ‘but I do think one day we’ll know. You will meet DI Brent, probably today, and I think you’ll then begin to feel a confidence that the truth will come out.’
Tanya stood. ‘I’m going to ring the boss now, and tell him you’re in Sheffield. He’ll probably send a car for you, and you can give your statement and have a look at the CCTV pictures. How long are you home for?’
‘I’ve told them I’ll be up here for as long as it takes.’ He put down his cup. ‘Do you know when I can get into our house? I’d prefer to stay there, rather than on a settee at my friend’s.’
‘I’ll check. But are you sure you’ll be okay there?’ Tanya voice showed her concern. ‘I’ll go and ring, get some answers.’ She left them and moved into the kitchen.
He ignored Tanya’s question, his mind veering off. ‘Had they been in bed that afternoon?’
Liz spoke quietly. ‘It appears so.’
‘Why aren’t you ranting about it? Why are you so… bloody accepting?’
‘Because it’s not a priority in my mind.’ Her tone had sharpened to match his. ‘My eleven-month-old son is missing, remember? That is of far more importance than my husband having it off with… well,’ she finished lamely. This was a twenty-year-old boy who had lost his mother. She didn’t need to say what she really thought.
Tanya re-joined them. ‘There’s a car on its way. Christian, I know you can’t tell them much, but say what you can. That will be one more problem out of the way. DI Brent seems to think you can go back home tomorrow, so if you’re sure your friend can give you somewhere to sleep for tonight…’
‘I’m sure.’ Christian stood. ‘I’ll go and wait outside. I’d like to get it over with. Thank you, Mrs Chambers, and I’m so sorry for everything that’s happened. If I can do anything to help with Jake…’
‘Christian, please call me Liz. Go and get this business over with, and please feel free to come here anytime you want.’
He nodded, left the room and went out of the front door. They watched him chatting to the two officers still stationed at the top of the drive. Liz ached for him; such a young man to have a heavy burden on his shoulders. A second police car pulled up outside, and the driver got out, spoke briefly to his colleagues and helped Christian into the passenger seat.
Two minutes later he had gone.
‘Nice boy,’ Tanya said.
‘His mum was so proud of him…’ Liz felt the tears prick her eyes. She wiped them away angrily. ‘I’m going up for a shower. And I’ll see if Dan is awake yet, it’s not like him to sleep in.’
She went upstairs and knocked gently on Dan’s door. ‘It’s me, Dan,’ she called. When there was no response she opened the door.
The bed was untidy, but Dan wasn’t in it.
28
Liz stared at the bed, then moved quickly down the landing to the bathroom. She knocked on the door, and called loudly, ‘Dan. You in there?’
There was no response, and she pressed down the handle. The door opened inwards; the bathroom was empty. She quickly checked the other upstairs rooms, before almost falling downstairs in panic.
‘Tanya,’ she called. ‘Have you seen Dan?’
‘Dan? No, I haven’t. I thought he was still sleeping. He’s not here?’ She took out her mobile phone and pressed for DI Brent. She quickly explained, said yes a couple of times, and went out of the front door, still speaking to the DI.
Liz watched her walk up the small driveway to the squad car still parked outside and speak to the two officers. She saw them shake their heads, and she felt sick.
Tanya re-entered the front door. ‘They haven’t seen anyone leave the house. They also haven’t seen anything suspicious. Try not to panic, there may be a perfectly simple explanation…’
‘What sort of simple explanation? Even Brent thinks I’m being targeted. Have they taken my other son?’
‘They?’
‘Figure of speech, Tanya, bloody figure of speech. I’ve no idea who would want to hurt me, apart from Rosie Latimer, and I’m damn sure it’s not her, so where does that leave me and my family? Confined to this damn house, that’s where it leaves us.’ She broke down in tears. ‘Where’s Dan?’ she whimpered.
‘I’ve spoken to our two officers, and they’ve seen nothing. Not even a postman has been to the door. That leads me to think that maybe Dan has left out the back. I don’t know why he would have gone out, but Dan is a big lad, he would have kicked off if someone had tried to abduct him.’
‘If he was conscious,’ Liz sobbed. She was trying desperately to stop crying; she wanted to show no weakness.
‘Liz.’ Tanya held her by the shoulders, and looked into her face. ‘Be strong. DI Brent will be here anytime, along with other officers. Don’t give up.’
Liz turned away from her. ‘I’ll be fine. Just give me five minutes on my own.’
Tanya nodded and headed for the kitchen. ‘I’ll get you some water, it’ll help calm you.’
Liz walked towards the bay window, and saw one of the officers get out of the driver’s seat. His eyes were trained down the road, and then he moved, quickly. She followed where he was looking, and saw Dan.
The officer reached him, put an arm around his shoulders, and escorted him at speed towards home. Liz reached the front door as he came down the drive.
‘Is this the young man we’ve got half of South Yorkshir
e Police looking out for?’
Liz raised her hand and slapped Dan across the face, then pulled him into her arms. The tears she had managed to dry overflowed again, and she brought him into the lounge.
‘Where’ve you been? You know we’re virtually confined to the house, at the moment?’
‘What? What do you mean?’
It dawned on Liz that Brent had issued his instructions after Dan had gone to bed. She groaned. ‘You didn’t know…’ She reached up and stroked the red mark she had left on his cheek. ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have hit you, I was so scared. The police officers out front are here to babysit us. DI Brent feels we’re being targeted and wants us protected. So, where’ve you been? They didn’t see you go out of the door.’
‘I went out the back. I dropped down to the playing fields, looking. Looking for the pushchair, Jake’s blankie… anything really. I needed to do something to try and get him back. I’ve been out about three hours, but not found anything.’
The front door opened, and DI Brent came through. ‘You’re back then. You okay?’
‘I’m fine, and I’m sorry. I hadn’t been told I couldn’t go out. As if I’d upset Mum any more than she already is. I genuinely didn’t know I’d cause all this trouble. Mum…’
She held out her hand and clasped his. ‘You’re safe. Go and have a shower, it’ll warm you up. You’re freezing.’
They watched as he climbed the stairs, his head bowed.
Liz turned to Brent. ‘I’m so sorry. I should have known…’