by G D Sanders
‘Lucy! Darling! Simon, is she all right?’
‘She’s breathing.’
Rachel fell to her knees and tried to embrace her daughter.
‘Lucy! Lucy, my darling girl.’
‘Careful, Rach, she’s unconscious. Best not touch her.’
‘But Simon, she back, she’s alive!’
There was the sound of vehicles approaching, an ambulance followed by a police patrol car. One paramedic was out and coming towards them almost before the vehicle stopped.
‘What’s happened?’
‘It’s Lucy, our daughter,’ said Simon, ‘she’s unconscious.’
‘We’ll see to her now, Sir. If you’d step back and let us get to her.’
The paramedic began examining Lucy and two police officers approached.
‘PC Verner and my colleague’s WPC Sampson.’
‘It’s my daughter. She’s unconscious,’ cried Rachel, a rising note of desperation in every word.
‘The paramedics are here,’ the woman officer said calmly. ‘She’s in safe hands now, Mrs …?’
‘Naylor, Rachel Naylor.’
‘I’m Simon Naylor. My wife made the 999 call. Lucy’s been missing for three weeks.’
The paramedics had lifted Lucy onto a stretcher and were carrying her to the ambulance. The abduction of Lucy Naylor was known to everyone at Canterbury Police Station. PC Verner was already on the radio. WPC Sampson stayed with the parents.
‘One of you should travel with Lucy in the ambulance while the other follows by car. The detectives working on Lucy’s abduction will get in touch with you later.’
Having just been reunited with her daughter, Rachel was loath to leave Lucy’s side but, in response to the constable’s clear instruction, she responded pragmatically.
‘Simon, you’re dressed. You go in the ambulance and I’ll follow in the car once I’ve put some clothes on.’
‘Are you sure, Rach?’ When she nodded, he added, ‘Okay, take it easy and drive carefully.’
Simon watched his wife hurry back to the house until he was urged into the ambulance. As the doors closed, he saw the female constable securing the area with police tape and heard Verner call from the car, ‘Ed Ogborne, that new DI, she’s on her way.’
Approaching the end of Elham Road, Jenny narrowly avoided a car leaving Hollowmede at speed.
‘Bloody hell! Did you get the number?’
‘Forget it, Jenny. It was Rachel Naylor on her way to the hospital. Poor woman, she must be in a terrible state.’
‘She’s just got her daughter back and Lucy’s not hurt.’
‘But Rachel won’t be sure of that for some time,’ said Ed. ‘I feel for her, the pain of being separated from your only child, not knowing if you’ll ever see him again.’ Ed rushed on, hoping Jenny hadn’t noticed her slip. ‘And now, just when she doesn’t want to leave her daughter’s side for a minute, we’ll take over. She’ll not see much of Lucy during the next 48 hours.’
Jenny stopped behind the patrol car.
‘What do you want to do here?’
‘We’ll take a quick look to see if it’s worth getting SOCO out tonight.’
Ed and Jenny showed their Warrant Cards but the officers had lifted the tape and were waving them through.
‘What’s happened here since you arrived?’
‘WPC Sampson, Ma’am. The girl was unconscious on the ground there against the kerb where the asphalt meets the grass. She was wrapped in a blanket.’
‘Where’s the blanket now?’
‘It went with her in the ambulance,’ said the woman officer.
‘PC Verner, Ma’am. I’ve put markers where her head and feet were. The ambulance was parked where your car is and the paramedics walked from their vehicle to this side of the girl.’
‘As far as we’re aware, Ma’am,’ said Sampson, ‘the parents also stayed on this side of their daughter.’
‘Okay, thanks. Take a break while DC Eastham and I have a look around.’
Standing just short of where Lucy had been, Ed and Jenny shone their torches over the surrounding area. The light glinted from two objects side by side in the grass.
‘What d’you make of those Jenny?’
‘A mobile definitely and probably a small purse.’
‘Agreed. I’ll look a bit further afield. You call the Station and get SOCO here. Make sure someone has gone to the hospital for her clothes and remind them about that blanket. I want an MO there to examine Lucy asap.’ As Jenny turned back towards their car, Ed added, ‘When we’ve finished here we’ll go to the hospital.’
The Naylors were in A&E, both looking tired and drawn.
‘We’re very pleased your daughter’s back safely,’ said Ed. ‘Jenny, perhaps you’d check with the medical staff to see when Lucy will be ready to talk to us.’
As Jenny walked away Ed turned back to the parents.
‘With Lucy found, our priority now is to apprehend the perpetrator.’
‘We just want Lucy home,’ said Mrs Naylor, ‘home with her father and me.’
‘Of course, but remember she’s been unconscious. They’ll probably want to keep her in hospital, at least overnight. Then you’ll be able to take her home.’
‘Won’t you want to speak to her, Inspector?’ ask Mr Naylor.
‘Yes, when she’s ready we’ll need Lucy at the Station to tell us what happened.’
‘She’s our daughter and she’s alive.’ Mrs Naylor looked defiantly at Ed. ‘Lucy’s place is at home with us, her mother and her father.’
‘If the doctors are happy I’m sure you’ll be able to take Lucy home tomorrow.’
Ed felt for this exhausted woman, a mother who’d been racked with thoughts of her missing daughter, a mother who had clung to the belief her daughter was alive. And, despite the odds, Lucy was alive and the family were reunited. Ed felt for Mrs Naylor because she knew it would be days, perhaps weeks, before the family would truly be alone together. First the police and then the press would want their share.
43
It was 33 hours since Lucy Naylor had been found, but Ed and her CID team were still waiting to question her.
‘When do we get to see Lucy?’ Jenny Eastham sounded as frustrated as Ed felt.
‘She was discharged from hospital yesterday,’ said Ed, ‘and brought here for a videoed interview with specialist Achieving Best Evidence officers.’
‘So, when do we get to question her? We’re closer to the case. We may get something that Lucy didn’t mention during the VI.’
Ed agreed with her young DC. ABE officers were trained to get good evidence for a conviction. Detectives needed evidence leading to the apprehension of the perpetrator.
‘There was another interview session pencilled in for 10.30 today but it wasn’t needed. We should get the video this morning.’
The phone on Ed’s desk rang.
‘DI Ogborne.’ She listened for a moment. ‘Thanks, Barry, I’ll be right out.’
Ed replaced the receiver and turned back to Jenny.
‘The MO who examined Lucy.’ Ed pushed back her chair and then added, ‘While I’m gone, telephone the Naylors and arrange for us to see Lucy at 16.00.’
‘Hi, we haven’t met. I’m Anna Masood, the MO.’
Ed shook the Medical Officer’s proffered hand. ‘Ed Ogborne, I started here three weeks ago. How was Lucy when you saw her?’
‘No signs of a sexual assault. In fact, she’s not been physically harmed in any way. She’s been well fed and all her clothes were clean and recently pressed.’
‘Jenny and I will see her later. Did she say anything that might be useful?’
‘We talked through a few things. She’ll never forget the experience but I think she’ll come to terms with it. It’ll take her a while but I’m confident she’ll cope. Lucy Naylor is a remarkable young woman.’
‘Why so remarkable?’
‘I asked if there was anything she’d like to talk about. She hesitated be
cause she wasn’t sure it was connected to her abduction. I encouraged her to tell me anyway and she described a classic case of cleithrophobia.’
‘Is that like claustrophobia?’
‘They’re similar syndromes. Claustrophobia is a fear of small spaces but cleithrophobia is a fear of being enclosed, shut in. It can be experienced in large spaces. Often it’s associated with being in still, warm air.’
Ed didn’t have time to indulge a description of an arcane medical syndrome. She had a case to solve. She was about to cut the conversation short when the MO continued.
‘I think her response to the experience gives a good insight into her character.’
‘What happened?’
‘During her first night in captivity, Lucy woke with an intense feeling that she was enclosed and couldn’t breathe. In this situation, sufferers will usually open a window or go outside. Lucy couldn’t do either. She was chained on a bed and it was pitch black.’
‘What did she do?’ asked Ed.
‘This is the remarkable thing for a young woman having her first attack. She told me that she created cool shade and a sea breeze in her mind and went there until the panic subsided.’
‘Sounds smart.’
‘She is smart,’ said Anna, ‘and mature for her age. Steer clear of the topic when you speak to her. The less she thinks about it, the less likely it is to recur. She’s going to have enough to cope with, especially if she develops PTSD.’
‘Don’t worry. I can’t see it’s relevant to us but thanks for the insight.’
At the house on Hollowmede, Mrs Naylor opened the door. She wore no make-up and there were dark circles under her eyes. She stared at the two detectives but offered no greeting. Ed and Jenny produced their Warrant Cards and Ed began her routine introduction.
‘DI Ed Ogb—’
‘Do you have to disturb Lucy today? Simon said you’d want to question her but she’s told you what happened. She answered all your questions yesterday. Can’t you just leave us in peace?’
‘We’re sorry to disturb you, Mrs Naylor, but it’s our job to apprehend the perpetrator.’
‘Can’t it wait? I just want us to be alone together, to be together as a family. We found Lucy Saturday night but she’s been with your lot so long we’ve hardly seen her.’
‘Our first priority now is to apprehend the perpetrator, whoever took your daughter. To help us do that I’m afraid we have a few more questions for Lucy. I know it must be difficult, but—’
‘Difficult!’ The word was like an exhausted shriek. ‘You can’t imagine. She’s my daughter. At last she’s back with us. I want to hug her. I want to hold her in my arms. I …’ Mrs Naylor’s voice died away in a weary sigh and tears began to run down her cheeks.
Ed had seen this before when a parent had lost a child. A diffuse anger, directed at a world which had allowed this thing to happen, mixed with a weary pleading to be left alone.
‘The sooner we—’
Ed stopped mid-sentence as Simon Naylor appeared. He put a hand on his wife’s shoulder, warmly comforting and gently directing.
‘Inspector, Constable … we’re both very tired. Of course, we’re relieved to have Lucy back, but … but when you’ve been worried for so long it’s hard to … take it all in, hard to adjust. It’s hard for all of us.’
He hugged his wife to him. ‘Come on, Rach, let’s show the officers in.’
Mrs Naylor slumped against her husband’s body and, under the gentle pressure of his hand, moved to one side.
‘How’s Lucy been since you brought her back from hospital.’
‘She not had much to say. We didn’t push her. She’s a good girl. She keeps repeating she was treated well, that there’s nothing to worry about. We’re sure she’s putting on a brave face for our benefit. Last night she slept with her door and window wide open and her room light on. You know teenage girls, Inspector, they never leave their bedroom doors open.’
‘Could we see her now?’ asked Ed.
‘I spoke to Lucy after you rang. She’s waiting in the lounge.’
‘Perhaps you could just show us in.’
‘Of course.’ The Naylors walked ahead. Ed and Jenny followed them into the sitting room.
‘Lucy, love, the police … the detectives … are here to see you.’ Simon looked at Ed.
‘Thank you, Mr Naylor. Perhaps you and Mrs Naylor could make some tea. Jenny will come to get it when we’re ready.’
Lucy, in jeans and a T-shirt, was sitting in the corner of the sofa with her knees clasped to her body. Her head was bowed and she didn’t look directly at the officers. Ed motioned to Jenny to remain silent.
‘Hello, Lucy, I’m Detective Inspector Ed Ogborne and this is my colleague, Detective Constable Jenny Eastham. We’re very pleased that you are able to talk to us this afternoon.’
Lucy kept her eyes lowered and made no response.
‘Lucy, we’re sorry to put you through this again. We know you spoke to our colleagues at the Station yesterday. Jenny and I have watched the video. You’ve suffered a terrible ordeal and we want to catch the person who did this to you.’
Without looking up, Lucy said, ‘The man … it was a man.’
‘We’ve a much better chance of arresting the man if we act quickly. Today you may remember something you didn’t say yesterday, which will really help us find him. I know it must be hard but perhaps I could ask you a few questions and you could respond as best you can?’
Still with her eyes down, Lucy nodded.
Ed spoke slowly and clearly, keeping her voice gentle.
‘First, just as you did yesterday, please tell us what happened after you left Debbie’s. Take your time. Just tell us what you remember in your own words. Anything, even little things, may help us.’
Lucy began to speak in a low voice. Sometimes Ed and Jenny had to lean close to catch what she was saying. Not once did she look at the two officers. Her whole demeanour was flat, reminding Ed of something she’d read. People who experience a prolonged inability to control what happens to them come to believe they have no control and stop trying. If Lucy’s terror, anger, fear and pleading had failed to sway her captor then she might have ceased to express emotion. Whatever her mental state, Lucy gave a hesitant but surprisingly methodical account of what had happened. Her description was orderly and detailed but it added nothing new to what she said in the video interview.
‘Thank you, Lucy, that’s all very clear. We’ll take a short break and get that tea.’
Ed glanced at Jenny who went to the kitchen and returned with three cups of tea and a plate of biscuits. Ed began to question Lucy gently but systematically.
‘Lucy, I’m sorry to make you relive your ordeal but I need to go over some of the things you’ve told us. Are you sure you’re all right with that?’
Still with her eyes cast down Lucy nodded. Then she looked at Ed and said, ‘You … you say it was an ordeal … it was. At first I … I was terrified. His weird voice was horrible, and he looked so scary. I couldn’t see his face, just his eyes glinting through a slit in a hood; he always wore a black hood. I try not to think about it. The thoughts still frighten me … chained all night, in the dark, hearing animals. I didn’t know what would happen to … Would he really let me go?’
‘He disguised his voice and told you he would let you go?’
‘Yes, and he kept saying it. He said he’d let me go and he did.’ Lucy tightened her arms around her knees. ‘He said he wouldn’t hurt me and he … he didn’t. He got me what I needed, except for jeans. He was kind, he looked after me.’
‘Did he say why he was keeping you?’
‘No. I asked lots of times. He said it was his business so I stopped asking.’
‘Who sent the text and called your mother from your mobile?’
‘He must’ve done it. A couple of days ago he said it would soon be time to let me go. He said he needed to use my mobile to tell my parents where to find me. I wrote down my password
for him.’
‘You said he got you everything you needed except for jeans. Can you explain that?’
‘He asked me to make a list of all the things I needed. I put jeans on the list but he came back with skirts. He said skirts were easier to wash and iron.’
‘Can you tell us about the place where you were held?’
‘There was one odd thing, the wall and door between the room I was in and the room where he prepared food was made of wire fencing like we have in the back garden.’
‘What about outside the building?’
‘I never got to see the outside.’
‘Not even through the windows?’
‘No. The ones in the room where I was kept were high on the wall and the one in the other room, which I could see through the wire mesh …’
Ed knew what was coming.
‘… was round a corner. I could see the light coming in but I couldn’t see the window itself.’
Now Ed had no doubt. Not only had Kimberley and Lucy been taken by the same man, they had been held captive in the same building.
‘What about his car? He must have used a vehicle.’
‘I never saw it. I must have been unconscious whenever I was in it.’
‘I don’t want to dwell on what must have been very frightening, but what about when he grabbed you? Did you see a vehicle you hadn’t seen before parked by the patch of grass?’
‘No. Debbie and I were going to London the next day and I was thinking about that …’ Lucy relaxed her grip on her knees ‘… thinking about the clothes I wanted to buy.’
‘And then?’
‘Then, it happened so fast. I remember a sweet smell, then I couldn’t breathe and he was pulling me backwards. Then I must have passed out.’
‘What about the sound of his car when he arrived and left the building?’
‘I don’t remember. He gave me an iPod and I spent most of my time listening to music. Once I heard a car door slam just before he came into the building.’
‘What about other sounds from outside?’
‘It was very quiet. Sometimes a few birds during the day and at night I heard foxes and the squealing of their prey.’ Lucy shivered at the memory. She slipped her arms between her knees and her chest and hugged herself.