The Taken Girls

by G D Sanders

  Nigel was sitting at a corner table with a bottle of champagne on ice and two flutes. He stood to greet Ed with an outstretched hand.

  ‘DI Ogborne, your champagne awaits.’

  ‘Officially it’s still DS, I’m afraid, Mr Drakes-Moulton.’

  ‘Ah, yes. Just a little hiccup with the paperwork, Saunders assures me.’ He pulled out a chair and Ed sat down.

  ‘You’re well informed.’

  ‘It’s my business, Ed.’

  ‘Normally, Nigel, I’d say it was no concern of yours, but I’m buying an apartment through your agency and you’re arranging useful introductions so, for the moment, I’ll allow it.’

  ‘Excellent. So, officially it’s premature but, nonetheless we may celebrate the expectation.’

  ‘I may be on duty this evening.’

  ‘I think not. You’ve left the Station, agreed to meet in the bar, and you’ve changed into a delightful outfit for the evening. I particularly like the skirt.’

  ‘I may be a quick-change artist determined to maintain status with my estate agent.’

  ‘Quick-change artist maybe, but I’m confident you’re not on duty this evening.’

  ‘How can you be so sure?’

  ‘As I’ve said before, it’s a small world.’ He began to pour the champagne.

  Saunders again! No, it couldn’t have been Brian, he was in Maidstone. Potts … Addler? No, she couldn’t believe Nigel would have such contact with the Super. It must have been the Desk Sergeant. Ed changed the subject. ‘You said you had some news.’

  ‘Yes, but first let’s toast your arrival in Canterbury and imminent promotion.’

  They touched glasses and Ed smiled.

  ‘Now, what did you want to tell me?’

  ‘I’ve arranged for you to see a financial adviser about your mortgage and a solicitor who can act for the purchase. They’re both highly regarded.’ Nigel passed her two business cards. ‘Get in touch and see them as soon as you can.’

  ‘Thank you. That’s very kind.’

  ‘I was also thinking you wouldn’t want to be cooped up in a hotel room until you can move into to your new apartment.’

  Ed smiled inwardly at what she thought Nigel was about to suggest.

  ‘What did you have in mind?’

  ‘I told you the developer’s a friend of mine. He’s agreed to let you move in on a short, one-month tenancy while waiting completion.’ Nigel indicated the business cards. ‘He’d be happier if you saw Malcolm and BC first, so that they can vouch for you.’

  Ed chided herself for thinking Nigel’s suggestion would be self-serving. Far from it, he’d been thoughtful and proactive. She smiled. ‘That really is very kind of you, Nigel.’ She raised her glass in acknowledgement. ‘Actually, I’ve already decided to stay at the hotel until I move in.’

  Nigel thought for a moment and then said, ‘In that case I’ll have a word with Spencer. I’m sure I can persuade him a long-term client should be given a room upgrade.’

  ‘You really are a man to know.’ Ed glanced at the business cards. ‘I’ll see Malcolm and BC this week. How am I ever going to thank you?’

  ‘Let’s start with another glass of champagne.’

  Something cool …

  Champagne segued into dinner and then the pretence of a nightcap in her room. At least Ed had the good sense to leave the last drink untouched.

  30

  She lay receptive on the bed. He lifted her skirt and moved her underwear to one side. The much-anticipated moment had arrived. He was calm. She was his. He was in control.

  Just to be sure, he’d rechecked the dates in his notebook. Of course he’d remembered correctly: begin tonight and finish on Sunday. He’d put the sedative in her drink just as he’d done for Teresa and Kimberley. Lucy’s breathing was regular and the hand holding the iPod had dropped to her side.

  As a final check, he’d walked to the partition and called loudly.

  ‘Lucy! Would you like another drink?’

  There had been no response.

  He’d gone into the room to inspect her closely. She was deeply asleep. Using chiffon scarves, he’d gently tied her wrists and ankles to the corners of the bed, checking the loops were snug, but not tight against her skin.

  It was then that he raised her skirt. His actions were methodical, like those of a doctor. He felt no sense of arousal. Without hurry he went to his private room where the equipment was set out on the bench. With all thoughts of Lucy banished from his mind, he fixed his eyes on the women in the magazines. It wouldn’t take long; he’d practised many times.

  Later, with his instruments cleaned and everything tidied away, he spent an hour caring for his collection. The row of jars, their contents lovingly suspended in preserving fluid, gleamed on the central shelf. Nobody suspected a thing, his collection continued to grow and, with Lucy, everything was progressing smoothly. Teresa and Kimberley had presented unforeseen problems but he was sure things would be different with Lucy. This time he’d chosen well.

  31

  It was mid-morning before Rebecca arrived with two large lattes and four Danish pastries. Kimberley’s eyes shone at the sight of the treat. They sat together in the kitchen.

  ‘I’ve spoken with the editor of The Chronicle and she’d be interested in a short piece about your experience to run alongside a report about the Lucy Naylor abduction.’

  ‘How much would I get?’

  ‘The Chronicle wouldn’t pay …’

  ‘But you said there’d be money in it.’ Kimberley was bitterly disappointed and there was mounting aggression in her voice. ‘You said I’d get some cash.’

  ‘And you will. I’m sure you will, but you’ll get the money from a national newspaper, not from The Chronicle.’

  ‘What d’you mean?’

  Rebecca gestured to the pastries. ‘Have one of these and I’ll explain.’

  Despite her annoyance, Kimberley reached for a Danish and began eating rapidly.

  ‘The deal is this. First you have to tell me everything about your abduction. I need to know what happened with the man who held you captive, what happened with Callum, what happened with the police, how your mum and dad reacted, everything. Then I’ll write two stories: a short piece for the local and a double-page spread aimed at a national redtop. That’s where the money is.’

  Kimberley was listening carefully. She stopped eating for a moment and took three or four mouthfuls of latte. ‘How much will I get?’

  ‘How much will we get?’

  ‘We … I thought you said I’d get the cash?’

  ‘Of course, but you won’t make any money without me. I’ll be writing the stories and touting them to the papers so I’ll take a cut.’

  ‘How much?’

  ‘Agents normally take twenty per cent. I’ll be happy with …’

  ‘Twenty?’ The aggressive note had returned to Kimberley’s voice.

  ‘Remember, I’ll be putting a lot of work into this. You’ll spend an hour or two telling me stuff and then I’ll spend hours writing it and maybe a few days selling it to a national newspaper. It’ll be a lot of work for me but I’m sure we’ll sell the story so I’m willing to put in the time. I’ll take thirty.’

  ‘Thirty! I could call the papers m’self.’ The aggression had become anger.

  ‘They’ll not be interested. For a small-town story to go national you’ve got to have a sample article already written by a professional who knows what sells.’

  ‘What sells?’

  ‘Sex sells, but it’s got to be well written and it’s got to be in the style of the paper you’re targeting.’

  ‘Oh, yeah, like page three, one of the girls at my school did that.’ Kimberley paused and her face fell. ‘I’m not stripping off. Perhaps a year or two back, but not now. I ain’t got the figure no more.’

  Becky took a sip of her skinny latte, thinking, perhaps if you didn’t eat so much fucking junk food and worked out a bit, you’d be in better shape.


  ‘There’ll be no need for nudity, but the more we can big-up the sex in the story the better.’

  Kimberley looked relieved.

  ‘So, is it a deal?’

  ‘It’s a deal.’ With her anger forgotten, Kimberley was enthusiastic.

  ‘Right, let’s start with how things were between you and Callum before you were abducted.’

  Rebecca put her notebook and voice recorder on the table.

  ‘What’s that for?’

  ‘It’s standard newspaper procedure to record interviews. That way I can check my memory and my notes against what you actually said.’

  Kimberley nodded and, after a few general questions she forgot about the machine. Rebecca took her through a complete account of all she remembered.

  ‘That’s great, Kimberley. Now I’d like to revisit some of the things you’ve told me.’ Rebecca glanced back at the notes she’d made. ‘Much of what I want to ask will be sex-related – as I said, sex sells the story – so I hope you’re comfortable with that.’

  ‘I’m not ashamed about nothing I did.’

  ‘Good, the more we can big it up the more money we’ll … you’ll make. Tell me, what was your relationship like with Callum before the abduction?’

  ‘We’d been together a year or more and wanted to get married.’

  ‘Were you having sex?’

  ‘Nah, that’s why we wanted to get wed.’

  ‘So you were a virgin before you were abducted?’

  ‘Mum said if you give men what they want straightaway they’ll bugger off.’

  ‘So you and Callum had not had sex?’

  ‘Well … we’d fooled around. He’d touched me and I’d … well … like, we’d done it with our mouths.’

  ‘But you were a virgin before you were abducted?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘What about when you were released, were you still a virgin?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘So the guy who held you captive for seven weeks didn’t touch you?’

  ‘Nah, like I told the police, ’e were good to me.’

  ‘Could you just say that for me, Kimberley? Say what you’ve just told me. I was a virgin before I was abducted and I was still a virgin when I was released.’

  ‘I were a virgin when I were abdu … when I were snatched and I were still a virgin when I were freed.’

  ‘Thanks, that’s great. Sorry to be a bit pushy but why did you refuse to have a police medical examination?’

  ‘Like I said … I weren’t hurt. The guy were good to me.’

  ‘You had sex with Callum the night you got back. Was that it? You were embarrassed?’

  ‘Nah, we still hadn’t gone all the way. I told you, we were waiting ’til we were wed.’

  ‘Kimberley, you know I have your best interests at heart but, for both our sakes, I’ve got to be tough on you and push you hard. What you tell me has got to be the truth.’

  ‘Like I told you—’

  ‘No, not like you’ve told me. I don’t think you’re telling me the truth. You told the police that you had sex with Callum the night you were set free. Now you are saying you were still a virgin. Which story’s correct?’

  Kimberley’s face fell; she was close to tears. Becky pushed the pastry box towards her. ‘Take a moment, have the last Danish.’

  Kimberley sniffed but she began to eat.

  ‘I have to check the story. I do that with everybody I interview. I’ve been told that you had an abortion six weeks after you were released. Is that true?’

  Kimberley stopped eating and began to sniff again. ‘I told my parents I’d had sex with Cullum when ’e stayed the night after bringing me home.’

  ‘You’ve just told me you didn’t have sex with Callum. You said you were still a virgin. Which story is true?’

  ‘I were pregnant and I didn’t know where it had come from. I were bleeding scared. I hadn’t had sex but I were pregnant. Like that old ’orror film with Mia Farrow, the one about the baby. I just wanted to get rid of it. So I told Mum I’d had sex with Callum. Later, I told the policewoman.’

  ‘What did you say to Callum about the abortion?’

  ‘Mum said keep quiet or ’e wouldn’t marry me. She agreed I were too young to have a baby. She thought it were Callum’s but I knew it weren’t. I’d made sure ’e never come down there. I knew it weren’t Callum’s. I didn’t know why I were pregnant, where it had come from. Like I said, I were scared, scared of it … the baby, I mean.’

  ‘If you were pregnant and it wasn’t Callum’s, then the man who held you captive must have raped you.’

  ‘No, ’e never did nothing like that.’

  ‘How do you know? You said you were woozy and even unconscious some of the time.’

  ‘I just know. I know ’e didn’t. Sure ’e had a funny voice and I were scared but ’e were good to me. Anyway I weren’t sore. I asked a couple of friends who’d done it. They said they were sore and bleeding the first time. I didn’t have any of that. I were just scared. I didn’t know where the baby had come from and I wanted rid of it.’

  Rebecca could hardly hold back her excitement. She finished her skinny latte and looked Kimberley in the eyes.

  ‘Kimberley, this is important. I’m going to repeat what you’ve just told me. Listen carefully and then say it in your own words. Are you ready?’

  Kimberley drained her own latte and then nodded.

  ‘Okay, if what I say next is true, say it after me in your own words.’ Rebecca held Kimberley’s gaze. ‘When I was released from captivity I was still a virgin, but I soon discovered I was pregnant and had an abortion.’

  Kimberley did as she was told. She also signed the contract Rebecca had written stating that she would give exclusive interviews to Rebecca Hawthorne and nobody else. They both signed to say that any fees obtained for stories would be split 70 per cent to Kimberley and 30 per cent to Rebecca. The soon-to-be-single mother and the young reporter parted on good terms with Kimberley thinking she would get some much-wanted cash and Rebecca confident her career was made.

  32

  ‘You’re driving.’ It was an observation, not a question. ‘Pull over somewhere discreet, I’ve something in mind.’

  Ed had taken the call hands-free on her personal mobile without screening it but she recognized the voice immediately.

  ‘Nigel, your timing intrigues me. How do you manage it? I’m doing 70 on the M20 and there’s a rest area half a mile ahead.’

  ‘Timing’s one of my strengths.’

  Ed glanced at the dashboard clock. She was early for the Education Authority. Thoughts of her evening with Nigel at the County vividly returned. He may have something going with the auburn-haired daughter of a local landlord but, sod it, she wasn’t looking for exclusivity. She’d enjoyed their night together and anticipated more. Pulling into the rest area, Ed parked under trees away from other vehicles and switched off the engine.

  ‘So, Nigel, what exactly did you have in mind?’

  ‘I was thinking of our nightcap in your room and wishing we were there now.’

  Ed cursed under her breath. She should have seen it coming. Nigel’s voice was a whisper. She could almost feel his lips against her ear. It was tempting, but not like this, not here in the car dressed for work. Having dumped Don and his mobile calls she had no intention of starting again with someone new.

  ‘Nigel, it’s the middle of the morning. I’m on duty, in my car on the M20 to Maidstone.’

  ‘In your car you may be but you’ve already parked away from prying eyes …’

  No way was she going there. Ed spoke firmly, ‘Nigel, we can do better than this. Meet me this evening in the hotel bar. I’ll text you a time.’

  Without waiting for a reply Ed ended the call, fired the ignition, and drove back onto the motorway.

  On her return from Maidstone, Mike Potts looked up from his desk grinning. Ed hadn’t seen him look so enthusiastic since she’d arrived from London.

&nb
sp; ‘It’s just like the Mulholland case. Whatever happened with Anders and Carlton in May 1999 there’s not a word in police records.’

  ‘I saw Brian Saunders this morning; he mentioned rumours.’

  ‘Certainly rumours, but it must have been kept very hush-hush. Senior officers only, no charges and the whole thing brushed under the carpet.’

  ‘Brian said it involved schoolgirls, business leaders and a local art group.’

  ‘If he’s right about the girls, that’s a possible link to Anders and Carlton.’

  ‘Don’t tell me all you’ve got is a possible link, a hush-up and an empty file?’

  Mike’s grin broadened. ‘I checked out the senior officers at that time, avoiding anyone above Detective Inspector. The higher echelons mix with local bigwigs and are more likely to have been involved in keeping things under wraps.’

  Ed wanted to shake her DS but she held herself in check.

  ‘Who have you got for me?’

  ‘DI Lynn, he’s retired but lives nearby on the coast. He’ll talk over lunch tomorrow if we take him to a pub that’s 2,675 miles from the North Pole.’

  ‘I assume this won’t entail a boat trip.’

  ‘It’s on the seafront at Herne Bay.’

  ‘Good work, Mike. Arrange it for 12.00.’ As Mike reached for his telephone, Ed added, ‘Before that we’ll have another word with Carlton and Anders about what happened in May 1999.’

  ‘Tomorrow morning?’

  ‘Let’s call on them at home this evening. They should appreciate our discretion. Take a break now and I’ll pick you up on the way.’

  She crossed to her desk and messaged Nigel to say she’d see him at 8 p.m.

  Ed and Mike arrived at Stephan Anders’s house to find him alone. When he discovered the reason for their visit he appeared relieved that his wife was out with her girlfriends and his attitude changed from defensive irritation to loquacious accommodation.

  ‘That episode was all a mistake. I was given an official apology and told that any details would be deleted from my records. While I appreciate it’s your job to investigate all possible angles, I can assure you that incident can have no possible bearing on the disappearance of Lucy Naylor. It was all so long ago.’