Schoolgirl Missing

by Sue Fortin

  Neve took them off and turned to look at him. He was standing tall now, adjusting his jacket on his shoulders. He was back in control of himself. ‘Yeah, you’re right,’ she said.

  ‘You rocking up like you’ve just been to an all-night party isn’t going to help win the public’s support. We want everyone out there sympathising with us, wanting to help us.’

  ‘I know. I get it,’ said Neve. There was no hiding anywhere now. She was going to be in full sight of the press and her face plastered all over the country. It was like a nightmare, but she knew she couldn’t get out of it.

  The press conference was every bit as horrendous as Neve had thought it would be. They were briefed by the DCI what would happen. He would introduce them and give the press details of Poppy. Neve and Kit had been asked to provide a recent photograph of Poppy which the police had used on the posters. There was going to be a call for volunteers to help search the surrounding areas and they were going to dredge the river. Something that caused Kit to close his eyes and lift his head up to the ceiling, whilst swallowing hard. Neve held his hand, sending what she hoped was both moral and physical support.

  Pearson told them it would then be their turn to read out the statement the FLO, Sally, had helped prepare.

  ‘We would really like you to say something too,’ said Pearson and reluctantly Neve had agreed.

  Now entering the room, facing a bank of photographers with their cameras, microphones and voice recorders, Neve could feel her whole body begin to shake. This time it was Kit who held her hand and offered strength through a gentle squeeze. They took their seats and a hush descended upon the room.

  ‘Good afternoon,’ began the detective. ‘Thank you for coming. We are currently searching for fourteen-year-old Poppy Masters, who was last seen …’

  Neve found herself tuning out to his words as she kept her head bowed and her grip on Kit’s hand. The cameras clicked as the detective spoke. The noise got louder and louder. The click-click, click-click of the shutters filled the room and Neve could no longer hear what Pearson was saying. She slid her free hand up to her ear, and under the cover of her hair, she pushed against the ear, trying to block the deafening click-click sound.

  She didn’t know how long she sat like that for but suddenly she was aware of Kit speaking. Neve raised her eyes just enough to see his left hand shaking ever so slightly as he held the paper with his pre-prepared words.

  ‘We are appealing to anyone who has seen Poppy to get in contact with the police. Poppy is a vulnerable young teen, who we desperately want home safe and well as soon as possible …’ His voice cracked, and Neve heard him gulp before carrying on. ‘If anyone has seen her or even thinks they have seen her, please, please get in touch with the police. It doesn’t matter how insignificant or how unsure, just let the local police know. We desperately want Poppy back. Thank you.’

  He stopped talking and offered Neve the piece of paper. She had only two lines to say but felt herself freeze up. She couldn’t take the paper. Kit gave it a little shake. This time Neve looked fully up at Kit and could see so much angst in his eyes, she knew she couldn’t let him down. With trepidation, she took the piece of paper from her husband and began to read out loud.

  ‘Poppy, darling, if you’re watching this, know how much we love you and we are doing everything we can to find you. We love you very much.’ Neve couldn’t say any more, she gave one glance up to the press which sent the click-clack of the shutters into overdrive as they took what sounded like hundreds of photographs. Kit put an arm around her and they leaned into each other, their heads resting together. Another flurry of shutters opening and closing rapidly filled the room before DCI Pearson was thanking the press and a colleague was handing out flyers with Poppy’s face smiling out at them and the word MISSING in bold red capital letters emblazoned across the top.

  As Neve gazed at the stack of flyers on the edge of the table, the picture of Poppy seemed to come alive, but it distorted and morphed into another face. Another girl. A younger girl. She was only three. Everyone was looking for her. The flyer no longer said Poppy. Instead the name Jasmine stood out.

  Neve felt her head roll and as she tried to refocus, all she could see was a long dark tunnel ahead. There was a circular light at the end, but it was getting smaller and smaller. The tunnel sides grew and grew, drawing her into darkness until the light disappeared and she was swallowed up whole.

  Chapter 18

  Neve heard the voices first and felt the cold compress on her head. Her eyes flickered open and she saw snatches of faces, fading in and out. She could hear Kit’s voice. Soft and then louder.

  ‘Neve? Neve, you OK?’

  She could feel her hand being held and knew, without having to look, that it was Kit. The smooth texture of his skin and the long-boned piano playing fingers. She opened her eyes again and this time, they stayed open. Gradually, Kit’s concerned face came into focus.

  There was a smell of strong coffee and Neve turned her head to the side, where a plastic cup was sitting on a low rectangular table. The smell turned her stomach.

  ‘What happened?’ she asked, shuffling herself into a sitting position. She was on a black leather-look sofa in a small room which was trying hard to imitate a comfortable sitting room, but the water filter machine and fire regulation notice gave it away. She was in the family room of the police station where she and Kit had sat earlier waiting to go into the press conference.

  ‘You fainted,’ said Kit. ‘Out there at the end of the press conference. I managed to catch you and take you out before the press really knew what was going on.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ said Neve, bringing her hand to cover her face.

  ‘Hey, it’s OK,’ said Kit. ‘It’s you I’m worried about. The duty doctor is coming to check on you.’

  ‘I’m fine,’ Neve said quickly, alarmed at the fuss she was causing. She sat up further and swung her feet round to the floor to demonstrate her recovery. ‘I promise. It was just a bit hot in there.’

  ‘Just humour us,’ said DCI Pearson. ‘I wouldn’t be doing my job properly if I let you walk out of here without the doc looking at you.’

  ‘It doesn’t look like I have much choice,’ said Neve.

  ‘You’ve never fainted before,’ said Kit.

  ‘I’ve never been in a press conference before,’ said Neve and then seeing the hurt look on Kit’s face, she changed her approach. ‘Sorry. I just feel a bit embarrassed, that’s all. I hope the press don’t make a big deal out of it, they need to concentrate on helping us find Poppy.’

  The doctor arrived and after checking Neve’s pulse and listening to her heart, she convinced him that she was OK and promised to see her GP if anything like that happened again.

  Once again, there was an unmarked police car waiting to whisk them away from a few journalists who were waiting outside.

  ‘I’m afraid there are rather a lot of press camped outside your house,’ said Sally, their FLO. ‘It’s best not to say anything though. They’ll be asking you all sorts of questions, just ignore them. Let us deal with it.’

  ‘I don’t want to go home if that’s the case,’ said Neve.

  ‘Don’t worry. Just go straight indoors.’

  Twenty minutes later, they were pulling into Long Acre Lane and Neve was even more dismayed when she saw the press lining the road. The gate to the driveway was closed and a uniformed police officer was standing outside. He exchanged a nod with the driver and then opened the gate.

  As they stepped out of the car, Kit hurried around the back and put a protective arm across Neve’s shoulders as they both scurried indoors. Immediately, Neve went into the living room and closed the wooden blinds to the window which overlooked the front garden.

  ‘Why are they waiting out here? Why aren’t they doing something else?’ she said, slumping in to the sofa.

  ‘These days they can do the report from anywhere they are. It’s all sent electronically. They’re just camped outside now, waiti
ng for a development,’ explained Sally.

  ‘Can’t you tell them to clear off?’ said Kit. ‘In fact, I’ve got a good mind to go out there myself.’

  ‘No. Don’t do that,’ said Sally. ‘That really won’t help. They’re on our side, remember? We want them to keep Poppy in the headlines and we can do that all the time they’re on our side. We can feed them titbits of info. Keep them sweet. We need them as much as they need us.’

  ‘I don’t know if I can cope with all this,’ said Kit.

  ‘We have to,’ said Neve. ‘We don’t have any choice. I’ll make us a coffee.’ She turned to Sally. ‘When will the news conference go out?’

  ‘Local radio is covering it and so is the local TV. It’s going on the national six o’clock news too.’

  ‘Any developments on the search?’ asked Kit, taking his jacket off and slinging it onto the armchair.

  ‘Nothing yet. They’re searching further along the riverbank today and in the neighbouring fields.’

  ‘I should be out there,’ said Kit.

  ‘You’re best here,’ said Sally. ‘In case Poppy turns up here somehow. It’s not a good idea for parents to be involved in the search. Look, I’ll check in with my sergeant and see if there’s any news, but I’m sure we would have heard if there was.’

  Neve wondered if Sally was just placating Kit for now. As she went out to the kitchen, her mobile vibrated in her pocket. She had muted it earlier because of the press conference. Neve looked at the screen and wasn’t surprised to see Jake’s name flash up. She pushed the kitchen door closed and opened the messages, the first being from earlier, asking if she was OK and now a second one.

  Any news? Thinking of you. Xx

  Neve tapped a quick reply.

  No news. I’m fine.

  Jake must have been sitting waiting for her to answer as he replied straight away.

  I’m here if you need me. xx

  Neve sighed. Dear sweet Jake. He was a good man. If things had been different, if she wasn’t in the middle of this right now, she would probably have taken him up on his offer. But in the midst of all this angst and upset, Kit seemed to be changing. He was being stripped bare in front of her. His emotions exposed. He was vulnerable. He needed her, and she couldn’t abandon him now. Not now. Things had changed. There had been a shift. The fault line that was once running through their marriage had stopped expanding, maybe even closed a little. She hoped she could get Kit back, and once this was all over, they could be the family she so desired.

  ‘How’s that tea coming on?’

  Sally’s sudden appearance in the kitchen made Neve jump and she dropped her phone. It hit the tiled floor. ‘Shit!’ Neve bent down to pick it up.

  ‘Sorry. It’s not broken is it?’

  Neve inspected the phone and fortunately, the protective case had done its job. ‘No, it’s fine,’ she said, slipping it back into her pocket. She busied herself with filling the kettle and putting it on to boil, before preparing the cups. Sally being there made her feel uneasy and Neve wished there was a radio she could put on to fill the awkward atmosphere.

  ‘Everything OK?’ asked Sally, as if sensing Neve’s unease.

  Neve stopped what she was doing. ‘OK aside from my daughter being missing? Bit of a stupid question.’ She couldn’t help herself snapping at the FLO. She wished Sally would just clear off.

  Sally nodded towards Neve’s pocket. ‘I meant your text message. You seem jumpy.’

  Neve snatched the phone from her pocket and held it out to Sally. ‘Want to read? It’s my art tutor. He knows about Poppy and was checking to see if there was any news. As for being jumpy, it’s hardly surprising with you creeping up on me and quizzing me about text messages.’

  ‘I don’t need to read it, Neve. I was just asking.’

  They both looked at the phone for a moment and Neve was silently grateful for Sally’s response. The words of the text were innocent enough, but the two kisses Jake had put at the end might be a little harder to explain. Neve put the phone into her pocket once again. ‘This whole thing is making me jumpy,’ she said in a more conciliatory tone. ‘I can’t help thinking it’s another night and we still don’t seem to be any closer to finding Poppy. I mean, what the hell is going on? Where is she?’

  ‘I know how frustrating and upsetting it can be but, I promise you, we are doing everything we can to find her.’

  ‘Are you? Look, you can tell me, I won’t say anything to Kit, I promise, but what really is happening?’

  ‘Honestly, Neve, there is nothing to tell. I don’t know any more than you do,’ said Sally, walking over to the now boiled kettle and pouring the water into the cups.

  ‘Are you staying here tonight?’ asked Neve.

  ‘Only if you want me to, but I’d need to OK the overtime with my boss and sort out a babysitter.’

  Neve looked at Sally, who shifted awkwardly. ‘It’s OK,’ said Neve. ‘You can mention children.’

  ‘Sorry, I didn’t think,’ said Sally.

  ‘How many have you got?’ Neve was genuinely interested. Up until this point, Sally had just been a police officer but behind the uniform there was another person. A woman. A mother.

  ‘Two boys. Twins. They’re seven.’

  ‘Ah, lovely. Who’s looking after them?’

  ‘My mum. My husband’s in the force too. We try to work it that our shifts don’t clash but it’s not always the way.’ Sally put the kettle down and fished out her phone from the side-zip on her jacket. She scrolled through the pictures and then turned it to Neve. ‘That’s Kai and that’s Aiden.’

  ‘Gorgeous. You’re so lucky to have twins.’

  Sally gave a laugh. ‘You wouldn’t say that when it’s Christmas and birthdays. Or when they’re fighting with each other.’

  ‘But the rewards outweigh all that, surely?’

  This time Sally smiled, and Neve could see the love she had for her boys.

  ‘Absolutely,’ confirmed Sally. ‘You and Kit didn’t have children, then?’

  ‘No. We agreed not to have any. Not with Poppy needing so much care.’

  ‘Really? I thought she was quite high functioning. That’s what Kit said.’

  ‘She is but only to the ability of a ten-year-old. She still needs a lot of looking after,’ Neve explained, dropping two sweeteners into her husband’s coffee. ‘It was Kit’s idea really. He didn’t want another child. Not after what happened. His first wife died in childbirth and Poppy suffered from a lack of oxygen to the brain.’

  ‘That must be hard on you? I’m not sure I could take on someone else’s child, at the expense of having one of my own. That doesn’t bother you, no?’

  Sally was fishing, Neve decided. She was still in police officer mode, despite the dampener of showing Neve the photo of her kids. Neve wondered if they were even Sally’s children. She might just be using a random picture to lure Neve into a false sense of security. To make it feel they had something in common so she would confide in Sally. Female solidarity and all that. Well, Neve wasn’t going to drop her guard, she was wise to it.

  ‘No, I don’t mind,’ she lied. ‘We talked about it before we got married. I totally understand and support Kit’s reasons.’

  ‘You’re a better woman than I am,’ replied Sally.

  It took enormous effort on Neve’s part to continue the conversation in a civil tone. She didn’t trust Sally. Neve was sure she had an ulterior motive to spy on them, to try to trip them up in case either of them were involved in Poppy’s disappearance.

  It was another thirty minutes before Sally left and, much to Neve’s relief, the press appeared to have given up for the day and decamped from outside. Neve watched Sally pull out of the driveway and the police officer standing on duty outside closed the gate behind her.

  ‘Thank goodness for that,’ said Neve, going into the living room where Kit was sitting near the window.

  ‘She was only doing her job,’ says Kit.

  ‘I know, but I didn
’t like her in the house. I felt like she was spying on us. Judging us.’

  ‘How do you mean?’

  ‘She started showing me pictures of her kids and then managed to get the conversation round to why we didn’t have any together.’

  Kit raised his eyebrows. ‘You don’t think she was genuinely interested?’

  Neve shook her head. ‘Don’t think so.’

  ‘I knew this would happen!’ Kit paced back and forth across the window. ‘Next thing we’ll have social services round here again. In fact, I’m surprised they haven’t been here already, going on past history.’

  He let out a cry, almost a growl, of frustration and kicked the side of the armchair, before falling to his knees. Neve rushed over to him, crouching beside him, her arm across his hunched shoulders.

  ‘Oh, Kit,’ she whispered, rubbing her hand up and down his back in an attempt to both comfort and soothe him.

  ‘I don’t know if I can cope with all this.’ His shoulders heaved, and he gave a muffled sob.

  Neve didn’t say anything this time. What could she say? All she could do was to be there for him. It was another minute or so before Kit calmed himself down.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ he said, straightening up. He fished out a handkerchief from his pocket, blew his nose and wiped his eyes. ‘I think I’m losing it.’

  ‘I do understand your pain,’ said Neve. ‘I know this may sound a bit odd, but I understand how it feels to want something that is out of your reach. You want Poppy back, we both do, but there’s nothing we can do to influence that. We’ve got to sit tight, stick together and try to come through this.’

  ‘I’d do anything, absolutely anything, to have Poppy back safe and unharmed,’ said Kit. ‘I’d literally give my life if it came to it.’

  ‘I know. I do understand.’

  ‘Do you? Can you really understand what it’s like? You’re not a …’

  His voice trailed off. Maybe because he could see the anger and hurt flash across Neve’s face. ‘I’m not a what?’ she demanded, standing up, hands on her hips. ‘Go on, say it. I’m not a mother so I can’t possibly understand what you’re going through.’