‘You’re always one for the melodramatic, aren’t you?’
He placed pillows on either side of Emily to stop her keeling over. When he started Emily’s recording again he had his knife out and this time Lisa was wedged under his arm.
‘Speak clearly, kid, or I swear I’ll hurt your sister and I know you don’t want that to happen. And she’s already done her recording so it won’t matter what I do to her, will it?’
Poor Emily did her best. It was an improvement on her first try and though he wasn’t pleased, he decided it was the best they were going to get.
Back downstairs, he sent the files over to the mother’s phone.
‘This’ll give her something to think about and just so long as the bitch comes up with the cash. What are you looking so gloomy about?’
It was hard for Maria to drag up a placating smile. The kid was dying, she felt sure of it.
‘My little brother had an infection when he cut his finger. He went like the kid is and he almost died.’
‘I told you to shut up with the dying shit. She’s fine.’
For once, her concern for Emily pushed her beyond her own fears. ‘You’re wrong. We need to take her to a hospital.’ In all the years she’d known him it was the first time she had ever stood up to him.
Rage and paranoia flashed across his face. Maria backed up against the wall.
‘Well, well, you’ve got mighty big for your boots all of a sudden.’
Her nose started bleeding. Muttering an excuse, she escaped, scuttling to the bathroom. She locked the door though she knew he could get in from the outside if he wanted. Leaning over the sink, she tried to stem the flow with a wad of tissue.
He hated talkback. She hoped he would forget about it enough to not take it out on her later, because she knew the story of how he once beat up one of his girlfriends so badly she needed thirty stitches in her face. He had always been volatile, and prison had made him worse.
The nosebleed took an age to stop and she had plenty of time to stare in the mirror. Sores were starting to break out at the base of her nose. Snorting coke had that effect. She’d known users who’d disintegrated the septum of their own damn nostrils.
Blood dripped into the basin and she could not hold in the tears. She despised herself – for getting together with him, for falling into using. You’ve slid to the bottom, she whispered to herself. It was horrible being back where she’d been when he went to prison. She was a useless junkie again, craving her fixes and unable to break away.
And this time it was worse because of the children and what happened with Billy kept playing in her mind. If Emily died she would never forgive herself.
31
Maria felt relieved because he hadn’t mentioned her outburst again. Him needing her for the plan seemed to be stopping him flying into a foul temper. She was the one who had visited the apartment Jack Glover kept for his mistresses. Sylvie had taken her there which meant Maria should be able to get in the building without arousing suspicion – and that was their next move.
Taking her time, Maria made herself look nice, putting on a blue flowery dress and her favourite jacket and carefully applying make-up. The cosmetics helped to cover the signs of her deteriorating health and the ravages of the drug. Even he thought she looked nice, and his eyes followed her as she crossed the room.
‘Do you think I’ll do?’ she asked.
‘Not bad and remember you drop the package and you come straight back here.’
He handed her the envelope containing the pay-as-you-go phone and Maria nodded. A few minutes later and she was out the door and feeling the fresh air on her face. She was glad to be away from him. If only she could get rid of him forever.
Taking the train to Himlands Heath, she sat by the window chewing viciously at her nails. He wouldn’t tolerate any deviancy from his plan and he’d made it clear he had no intention of taking Emily to the hospital. At the start of this, he had promised he wouldn’t harm the children. He always had been a liar.
The train sped along and the Sussex countryside whizzed by. Maria barely registered the green fields. Her life, which was already grim, had been closed down by the powder and by him. Should she make a run for it? This was her chance. Yet she knew she’d need another fix by nightfall or she would suffer and she could not bear the cravings.
He had been clever hooking her back into the habit. It took strength to detox in some clinic full of junkies. Strength Maria knew she lacked. The terror and pain she endured going through withdrawal the first time made her want to piss herself.
What about going to the authorities? Maria wanted to but she couldn’t because she wasn’t an ordinary person, she was a druggie and the police had no sympathy for people like her. She’d be condemned alongside him and thrown into some dirty cell to go cold turkey on her own. Then they’d lock her up for several years.
And if she crossed him, he would punish her. He’d chase her down and make her pay and where could she go? There was nowhere she’d be safe. Even if he went to prison, one day he’d get out and he’d come after her. She knew she was trapped.
The train arrived at Himlands Heath and she followed her instructions and walked to Jack Glover’s secret apartment. Her mind was churning trying to find a way out. What about Sylvie? Could she find her friend in Brighton? But where would she start looking and what if Sylvie wouldn’t help?
The foyer was quiet, and going to the gold-fronted mailboxes she popped the package in the one with Jack’s name on the front. The concierge smiled at her. The man was used to being discrete about the women Jack saw there. If what Sylvie told Maria was right, the concierge would notify Jack about the delivery, which was essential because the plan hinged on it.
The next train back to Brighton was due in half an hour. He would be expecting her on the dot, which meant she was running out of time to make a decision.
Waiting on the platform, Maria’s palms itched. When the arrival time of her train flicked up on the display board, her heart beat faster. Should she go back to him? Should she try to run?
By the time it pulled into the station she was sweating and shivering from head to foot. The electric doors opened with a hiss. She stood in front of the doorway. A man pushed past to board the train. There were people inside the carriage, one was reading a book and another jiggled a baby on her knee. Maria shuffled forward until she could smell the inside of the carriage and someone’s sandwich. The next step would take her into the train. Squeezing her eyes closed, Maria willed herself to be brave.
She had a sudden vision of her brother, not as a child but as an adult, when she’d last seen him and he screamed at her he never wanted to see her again and he’d never, ever give her more money to feed her habit.
Do it for Emily, do it for Billy.
The doors beeped, warning her they were about to close.
As the doors hissed, she took one tiny step. Then the air swept past her face and the train pulled away, leaving Maria on the platform.
32
Alice received a video recording showing Emily and Lisa. Tom and Ruby were at the Glover house when it arrived and they stayed with Alice and Jack long enough to make sure the couple were able to cope. Then they left the Glovers in the capable hands of support officers and headed to the police station because Grant wanted to give instructions about their next steps.
In the incident room, Tom pressed the play button on a remote control and the video came up on the big screen. The team were gathered round. The recording started and they saw Lisa sitting with her back against a bunk bed. Lisa was holding up a copy of the day’s newspaper.
‘Hello Mummy,’ Lisa said. ‘Handover the half a million and you’ll get your kids in exchange. You must approach the meeting point alone.’
Lisa looked terribly serious and scared. It made Tom feel sick. Her young voice didn’t fit the stark words she read out. ‘No cops,’ Lisa said.
The film cut and then Emily came on screen. ‘Look out for further
instructions.’
That was the end of the message. They watched it through several times.
‘The technicians are analysing it,’ Grant said. ‘What are your observations? Throw them out.’
McGowan had started pacing which he always did when he was stressed. Tom rewound the recording and froze it on a shot of Emily’s face. ‘At least it shows the children are both still alive.’
‘Emily’s ill,’ Diane said.
Ruby nodded. ‘That’s what Alice said.’
‘She’s sweating and her eyes don’t seem focused. And her part was ultra-short. She was the main player in the other message. What did her mother say?’ Diane asked.
‘Alice was relieved because she was desperate to see them both. But Emily’s appearance frightened her, actually she got a bit hysterical afterwards. She said what you said – that there’s something terribly wrong.’
‘Oh no, I knew it,’ Diane said. ‘Can we get a doctor to look at this?’
Grant nodded. ‘I’ve contacted a paediatrician at Himlands General. What else?’
‘The abductor tried to hide the problem by putting less emphasis on Emily and making Lisa speak for longer. Did you see how there were pillows on either side of Emily,’ Ruby said.
‘Yes,’ Grant said. ‘Like she was being propped up. I’d like to know Jack’s reaction.’
Tom put the remote on a nearby table. ‘He was less certain than his wife about Emily not being well. He said she could simply be tired though I got the impression he said it to calm his wife.’
‘I doubt if that worked,’ Diane said wryly.
Tom shook his head. ‘It didn’t, and Alice is still not speaking to her husband. Also, Jack’s not happy about Alice doing the drop-off. He wants to be the one to handle it. He told me he doesn’t want to put Alice at risk.’
McGowan made a snorting noise. ‘Isn’t it a bit late for him to be worried about his wife? I think Mr Glover’s burned his bridges.’
‘Jack Glover has no say in this,’ Grant said. ‘I’m sticking with the abductor’s demands for the wife to deal with the handover. As for the phone calls, the constables have identified the SIMs from them and we’ve traced them through to a network provider. They’re still trying to trace a retail outlet where they were purchased.’
‘That’s going to take ages, guv,’ McGowan said.
‘Yes, thank you, McGowan,’ Grant said sharply.
Tom thought the strain was starting to show.
‘The techies have used azimuths to locate where the calls were made from and I don’t see any correlation with the addresses of any of our persons of interest.’
‘Damn it,’ Tom said.
‘Exactly and we’ve no choice about the drop-off. We go along with the abductor’s demands or we risk the children’s lives. Alice will wear a microphone and we’ll set up a perimeter so we can control who goes in and out. How efficiently we can protect her will depend on the location. The force helicopter will be on standby to give air support and we’ll have dog patrol units at the perimeter in case.’
‘The best scenario will be if we can ring the abductor in. Let’s hope we get lucky on that one,’ McGowan said.
‘DCS Fox has the armed unit on standby. We’ll have sniper support for Alice but it will have to be from a distance. Again, we can’t risk alarming the abductor. The uniformed division are ready to give us full support to have the area locked down. Delaney and Ruby, do you think Alice is up to it?’
Tom answered first. ‘It’s an odd thing. The marital rift seems to have given her more strength than I gave her credit for.’
‘I agree and Alice told me she’s determined to carry out the demands to the letter,’ Ruby said. ‘I think she can do it.’
‘Good because it’s going to be tough and I can’t risk her cracking at the last minute. Keep talking to her and prepare her as best you can,’ Grant said. ‘Jack called me to request he take his wife’s place. I refused. I’ll give Jack permission to attend the exchange on the condition he remains in the background which means putting him inside a squad car on the perimeter.’
‘He won’t like that,’ Tom said.
‘Too bad. All we’re waiting for are the co-ordinates of the drop-off.’
McGowan stroked his moustache. ‘We know the perp’s going to choose a location which works for him and not for us, guv. And whoever he is, he’s a smart bastard.’
‘Of course he is except that doesn’t mean he’ll have the upper hand. I want everyone’s absolute best. I’ll be in command of the operation and we are going to get those children back.’
‘Yes, guv.’
‘And be ready to move at a second’s notice.’
Waiting was always the worst part. Grant shut himself in his office. Would they get a visual on the abductor during the exchange? What sort of instructions was Alice going to receive? Likely it would be to drop off the money and she would be told the location of the children because the abductor would want to get away, not walk into a trap.
Grant was too wired. The results of the DNA swabs at Jack’s apartment had come in and there was no trace of the children. Diane had tracked down the whereabouts of Zofia Kaminski, the woman who had made a rape allegation against Jack. She worked in a florist in London and Grant badly wanted to interview her. Travelling was out of the question with the drop-off likely to happen at any moment and Grant couldn’t spare anyone from his team. How long would the abductor keep them waiting?
The team were holding up under the pressure. Delaney and Ruby were on top of it with the family, Collins and McGowan had carried out some great detective work and everyone was giving it all they’d got.
Grant took the call from his paediatrician friend.
‘Hello, David. I got your message and I examined the video.’
He could tell by her voice she hadn’t liked what she’d seen. ‘And?’
‘The older child is ill. Emily’s six? It’s not looking good. She has limp body tone and she’s slurring. What’s more worrying are the red patches on her forearm.’
‘I didn’t see them.’
‘They’re barely visible but I caught a glimpse at the edge of her sleeve.’
‘How bad is it?’ Grant asked.
‘You said her blood was at the scene and you suspect the abductor used a blade, well, if Emily had a dirty wound or one which got infected, I think the infection may have become systemic. This isn’t a hard and fast diagnosis but those red patches tell me there’s a strong chance she has sepsis.’
‘Blood poisoning?’
‘It’s known as that although it’s much worse. Sepsis is life threatening. Untreated, it can take an adult’s life within twelve hours. Emily requires urgent treatment. Even with hospital intervention, if she enters the last stage of sepsis, which is septic shock, we might not be able to save her. Her vital organs will shut down.’
‘Jesus.’
‘If it’s sepsis Emily’s fever will turn to chills. Then the red patches will spread and become purple which is the first sign of organ failure. At that stage, her heart will struggle. You must find her, David. It might be a matter of hours.’
Grant hung up and shouted to the team in the cubbyhole.
‘Diane, I want the constables to phone every GP surgery in the area and hospitals in adjacent counties. Check if Emily’s been seen by a medical professional.’
He muttered, ‘And let’s hope to God she has.’
Hours later when they had not yet received the drop-off information, Grant was sweating.
Every kidnap case was different. Yet such a long time between a proof of life call and the final demands felt plain wrong. They were dealing with someone who planned carefully. For certain, the abductor had already chosen a location for the drop-off. They’d have carried out surveillance to make sure it met their needs while giving as few advantages as possible to the police team.
Did the delay mean there was an issue with the drop-off point? Grant was afraid Emily might be the prob
lem.
McGowan clenched his left hand over his right fist. It was a habit of his when he was extremely stressed. ‘The delay doesn’t make sense. Something’s gone wrong.’
Grant rubbed his eyes. ‘We can’t make assumptions. We have to keep going forward.’
The kidnapper had a sick child on their hands. Wouldn’t it make them want to get rid of the children sooner? It wasn’t a reason for them to prolong it unless the kidnapper meant to kill the children.
Grant didn’t want to face that possibility, nor the other worst-case scenario; perhaps Emily was already dead.
33
Air rushed past Maria’s face as the train sped out of the station. She was perilously close to the edge and she stepped back. She’d done it. She had defied him. As soon as he realised she’d not stuck to the plan he would be furious. She must hide.
Pulling up the collar of her jacket, Maria hurried away. Where could she go? It was then she realised she had no money. He’d given her only enough to buy the return ticket. Wait – she had money at her apartment which would be the first place he’d look for her, though surely he’d be occupied with Emily and Lisa, and be focused on collecting his half a million. Wouldn’t that be more important to him than coming after her? And if she went to her place quickly he wouldn’t have time to make it to Himlands Heath from Brighton, would he. She could grab money and clothes and get the hell away – far, far away where he’d never find her. Thailand, she decided on a whim, where it was sunny and people were nice. It was supposed to be cheaper there too. She’d sleep rough until something turned up. The idea of escape made her giddy.
It was a long walk to her old place and a little voice in Maria’s head kept saying the same thing over and over – what about the children? She tried to squeeze out the voice which kept telling her to help them. She was involved which meant she couldn’t go to the police. I don’t want to go to prison. It’s too late. No it isn’t, think about Emily. You’ve got to help them. Shut up, she argued with herself, shut up, shut up.
Deadly Lies Page 16