Righteous Anger: A frantic hunt for a child killer (DCI Rob Miller Book 3)

by BL Pearce

  “She said to call her Rose.”

  “Rose?”

  “Yes, she said that was her favourite flower.”

  “Oh, I see. And what did Rose look like?”

  Katie shrugged. “She was normal.”

  “Did she have dark hair?” Mallory pointed at Lisa’s hair.

  Katie nodded, her eyes wondering. She was getting bored with the conversation.

  “Could you draw her?” Rob asked, thinking that might keep her engaged.

  She perked up.

  Lisa went to get some paper and crayons.

  Rob made himself another cup of tea. A million questions flew around his head, but he had to leave this to Mallory.

  When Lisa returned, she set the paper and crayons in front of Katie and told her to draw the lady who’d kidnapped her.

  Rob grimaced at her choice of words.

  Katie frowned. “She didn’t kidnap me. She looked after me ‘cos you were away.”

  “I didn’t go away.” Lisa stared at her.

  “That’s what she said.” Katie frowned, momentarily confused.

  “Is that what she told you?” Mallory kept his voice even. He didn’t want to alarm her.

  She nodded. “She said mummy had gone away and I was to stay with her for a few days until she got back. She was nice. She had lots of Barbie’s and we drew pictures and played in the garden with Flash.”

  Rob glanced at Mallory. “Flash?”

  “He’s her doggie.”

  It was the woman with the dog. That’s how she’d got Katie to go willingly with her into the reserve. She’d concocted a story about her mother going away.

  Katie was drawing a woman with dark, slightly wild hair, wearing jeans and sturdy hiking boots. Rob watched as she drew a cloudless blue sky.

  “Did she meet you on the street corner while you were waiting for Candy?” asked Mallory, getting back on topic.

  Katie nodded but carried on drawing. The woman stood on a green lawn, filled with flowers.

  “Then where did you go?”

  Katie looked up. “We fed the ducks.”

  At the old reservoir.

  “What happened to your backpack?” he asked.

  She screwed up her face. “I don’t know, I think I lost it.”

  Because the woman threw it into the reservoir when Katie wasn’t looking, weighed down with a stone. Followed by her phone. Perhaps Katie had been looking after the dog, or distracted by the ducks.

  “And then did you go for a walk or did she take you to a car?”

  Katie thought for a moment. “We walked along the river with Flash, then got into her car.”

  “You drove to her house?”

  Katie nodded. Rob realised it wasn’t flowers in the garden, but strawberries.

  “Did she grow strawberries in her garden?” he asked.

  Katie smiled. “Yes, we picked them. They were yummy.”

  “Katie,” said Mallory. She glanced at him. “Did you know Rose from before?”

  “I don’t think so.” Then she tilted her head to the side. “Maybe. I thought she was one of Mummy’s friends.”

  “I don’t know anyone called Rose,” said Lisa.

  “She may have used a different name.” Rob kept his tone conversational so as not to spook Katie.

  “Was it far?” asked Mallory.

  “Huh?”

  “When you drove to her house.”

  “Not really. She gave me a chocolate croissant.”

  “Had you finished it by the time you got there?” Mallory asked.

  Katie shook her head. “No.”

  So, the woman’s house must be within a fifteen, twenty-minute drive from here.

  “And what did it look like, this house?” Mallory asked.

  Katie sighed. “It was small, like a doll’s house.”

  Rob frowned. “Like a shed in the garden?”

  “Yes, like that, but it was a big one. It had a sofa and a TV and everything. I watched Cartoon Network.” She cast a sly glance at her mother.

  “I don’t let her watch that channel,” Lisa whispered. “I prefer CBeebies.” The BBC kids’ channel was more educational.

  “Did she leave you alone?” asked Mallory.

  “Yes, but I’m a big girl now.” That sounded like something else the woman had told her.

  “You weren’t scared?” asked Rob. How could she not be in a strange and unfamiliar place?

  “I had Flash with me.”

  Still...

  “You’re a very brave girl, Katie,” he said. “Very grown up.”

  She grinned.

  “What about at night?” asked Mallory. “Were you alone at night too?”

  “No, don’t be silly. Rose was there,” she said. “But Flash slept with me.”

  The shed was big enough for two beds at least, and presumably a kitchenette, or at the very least a place to eat.

  Katie drew big red fruit hanging off a bush. “Are those apples?” he asked.

  “No, they’re tomatoes.” She gave him a ‘seriously’ look.

  “Oh, sorry. Silly me.”

  She giggled.

  Before they’d begun the questioning, Katie had been given the all-clear by a paramedic. It appeared no harm had been done, thank God.

  Rob still couldn't believe it. He’d asked for a miracle and it seemed he’d got one. Here was their missing girl, hale and hearty and back with her mum.

  Katie put her crayon down. “Can I go and play now?” She glanced at her mum. “I don’t want to talk anymore.”

  Rob would have liked to question her some more, but he recognised the need for caution. He didn’t want to wear her out. They could always come back later.

  “Can I keep this picture?” he asked her.

  She nodded, sliding off her chair.

  Lisa hugged her. “There’s a good girl. I’ll make you some lunch in a little while.”

  “Okay.”

  Katie skipped out of the kitchen and moments later they heard her footsteps going upstairs.

  Lisa gazed at the doorway, remembering. “I can’t believe she’s back. I thought I’d lost her.”

  Rob couldn’t either, to be honest. “I don’t think the woman who abducted her planned to harm her,” he said carefully.

  “Why did she take her then?” asked Lisa, her brow furrowed. “Why take someone else's child if you’re just going to let her go?”

  Rob shook his head. “I don’t know, Lisa. I’ve never had a case like this before. But Katie gave us some useful information, so we may be able to trace who took her from any DNA or fibres on the dress she was wearing.” They’d also taken samples from her hair and fingernails in the hopes it would give them a clue as to where she was taken.

  “She could have had a change of heart,” Mallory pointed out. “Or something happened to persuade her to let Katie go.”

  “Well, I just thank God for answering my prayers.” She glanced upwards.

  “Does her father know?” asked Rob.

  Lisa nodded. “Brian’s coming over this afternoon to see her. We’re both so overjoyed she’s safe.”

  “That’s good.”

  Rob took the picture and studied it. A woman with wild dark hair and a dog who grew fruit and vegetables in her garden.

  The strange thing was, they knew someone like that. And she was already in police custody.

  31

  Rob watched the interrogation with Tessa Parvin on a monitor in the viewing room.

  DI Mallory and DS Jenny Bird sat opposite the accused. She’d been charged with the attempted murder of Anthony Payne. The Crown Prosecutor had had no problem approving that. She’d been caught red-handed by the police with at least five eyewitnesses.

  Thankfully, Payne was recovering in hospital despite losing a lot of blood, or she’d be standing trial for murder.

  Her solicitor, a petite brunette who’d mastered the art of power dressing, sat beside her. Since she’d already been charged, they’d informed her
she was being questioned on another matter.

  DS Bird began by identifying them all for the recording, then she asked them to say their names. Tessa’s voice was barely a whisper.

  Mallory began with the basics. How did she know the Wells family? Confusion flashed across her face, and her solicitor frowned.

  “Please answer the question,” Mallory pressed, when she didn’t immediately respond.

  “Um, well, I met Lisa Wells when I moved to the area three years ago. We’re not good friends, but we see each other around, at garden centres and the summer fete, that sort of thing.”

  Rob felt the tension rise and forced himself to relax. Mallory had this.

  “You like gardening, don’t you?” Mallory asked, keeping his voice casual.

  Rob nodded at the screen. He’d spotted the opening too.

  “Yes, but what’s that got to do with anything?”

  “You used to be a botanist, is that right?”

  “I did, but that was before… before Arina disappeared.”

  “What’s your favourite flower?” he asked her.

  “Excuse me, detective, but what is the relevance here?” Her solicitor leaned forward, putting her hands on the table, breaking the flow.

  This wasn’t a law court. Mallory was entitled to ask any question he thought fit. “If she could just answer the question,” he replied.

  Rob held his breath. The solicitor could prove difficult. But Tessa just shook her head. “I don’t know. Daffodils, maybe.”

  “Are you sure it isn’t a rose?” He fixed his gaze on her.

  She shuffled lower in her chair as if hoping it would absorb her.

  “I’m sure.” It was a mumble.

  Mallory paused, then after a few reproachful seconds had passed, said, “Mrs Parvin, do you own an allotment in the area?”

  Her eyes flickered towards his. “No, I have a garden at home.”

  If you could call that tangled mess a garden, Rob thought.

  “Yes, I’ve seen your garden,” Mallory said, offering a small smile. He was trying to throw her off guard. “But my question was, do you own an allotment?”

  “My client has already stated she does not own an allotment,” the solicitor confirmed.

  Mallory kept his gaze on Tessa, who scowled at the table in front of her.

  “I think you do.” Mallory said. “When we searched your premises, we found several large bags of fertiliser in your attic. As far as I can recall, you weren’t growing any fruit or vegetables in your garden, were you?”

  Not intentionally, she wasn’t. Rob recalled the overgrown lavender bushes, nettles and other unidentifiable plants. None of it was fertilised.

  “That was in storage,” she said, without looking up.

  Mallory changed tack, but he was rattling her, Rob could tell.

  “Where were you the morning Katie Wells disappeared?”

  “You know where I was,” she retorted. “I was helping Lisa search for her daughter.”

  “That was around ten o’clock,” Mallory pointed out. “Where were you between eight thirty and nine thirty?”

  “I was at home,” she said.

  “Was anyone with you?” Mallory asked. “Can anyone confirm you were there?”

  She shook her head.

  “Mrs Parvin, do you own a dog?” He changed tack again.

  She glanced up. “Yes, I do.”

  “What’s its name?”

  The solicitor shook her head. “Really, detective.”

  Mallory held up a hand. “Your dog’s name, please Mrs Parvin.”

  Tessa gnawed on her lower lip. “Asher,” she bit out.

  “How often do you walk Asher?”

  The solicitor gave a dramatic sigh.

  Mallory raised an eyebrow. “Every day, would you say?”

  Tessa nodded.

  “And were you out walking Asher on the morning Katie disappeared? Say at around eight thirty?”

  Tessa frowned. “No, I usually walk him later in the day.”

  “So this isn’t your voice?” he said. “For the record, I’m going to play a phone message captured at eight thirty-five on the morning of Katie Wells disappearance.”

  The room fell silent.

  The muffled woman's voice could be heard asking if Katie was alright. Katie replied that she was waiting for her friend. Then a dog barked, and the rustling began, before the recording cut off.

  Mallory looked at Tessa. “Is that your voice, Mrs Parvin?”

  She shook her head.

  “For the record, Mrs Parvin is indicating no,” said DS Bird.

  “Is that Asher barking in the background?” he asked.

  Again, she shook her head, but she wouldn’t look at him.

  “For the record, Mrs Parvin is indicating no,” repeated DS Bird.

  Now for the crunch.

  Mallory leaned forward. “You see, Mrs Parvin, we’ve done some clever voice analysis and discovered that is indeed your dog barking in the recording.”

  She didn’t respond.

  “Would you like to revise your statement? Were you walking your dog the morning Katie disappeared?”

  “You don’t have to answer that,” her solicitor said.

  “You don’t have to answer,” Mallory confirmed. “However, the evidence proves you met Katie on her way to school. If you had nothing to do with her disappearance, it would be in your best interests to come clean. It could harm your defence if you don’t.”

  The solicitor pursed her lips, then leaned over and whispered something in Tessa’s ear.

  Tessa nodded.

  “Is that a yes?”

  “Yes, I saw Katie that morning.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?” asked Mallory.

  “I knew how it would look. I left her there by herself and moments later she was abducted.”

  “It looks bad,” Mallory acknowledged.

  “After I heard, I immediately went to help. Don’t you see, I had nothing to do with her disappearance.”

  “You had enough time to take her into the nature reserve, feed the ducks, bundle her into your car and take her to a shed on your allotment, then drive back home and go and help her frantic mother search for her.”

  Tessa shook her head. “No, that’s not true.”

  “We’ve spoken to Katie,” DS Bird said, speaking for the first time. “She reports being taken to a garden shed by a woman called Rose. You fit the description she gave. She also said Rose had a dog called Flash. That’s quite similar to Ash, isn’t it? If Katie had called Flash, a dog used to being called Ash would respond.”

  Tessa didn’t say anything.

  “Detectives, this is all circumstantial,” said the solicitor. “You can’t prove any of this. Just because Katie Wells' abductor looked like my client, doesn’t mean it was her. And just because her dog has a similar name, doesn’t mean it’s the same dog. I think you’re reaching here.”

  They were, but Rob was pretty sure they were on the right track. The rest of his team were looking into the ownership of allotments found within a five mile radius of the nature reserve, and he’d put through a rush order on the DNA samples from the clothing and samples they ‘d taken from Katie, but realistically, they wouldn’t get those back for a day or two.

  “If you’re going to further charge my client with kidnapping, you’ll have to come up with something better than this.”

  Rob took off the headphones and switched off the screen. Mallory would tie up the interview now and they’d speak to her again once they had something more finite. But judging by that, Rob was more certain than ever it was Tessa who’d kidnapped Katie.

  He just didn’t know why.

  32

  “There’s one way we can prove this,” said Rob, as he walked with Mallory and Jenny back to the squad room. “We find the dog. If Katie confirms it’s Flash, then we’re away.”

  “There wasn’t a dog at her premises,” said Mallory. “And I don’t recall there being on
e when we searched the place last time.”

  “There was a dog’s bowl,” said Rob. “It was on the back porch. The dog itself was probably at the allotment with Katie by then, or wherever this mysterious garden shed is located. God knows who’s looking after the poor thing.”

  “We’ve got a search warrant for her car,” Jenny said. “Forensics are going over it now.”

  “If Katie was in that car, they should find something,” said Rob.

  Jenny nodded. “Let’s hope she hasn’t had it valeted.”

  “Guv, I’ve got something.” Will shot up his hand like a schoolboy.

  “What is it?” Rob marched over.

  “I’ve picked up Tessa Parvin’s car on the ANPR camera at the roundabout at Barnes Bridge station.”

  “Excellent!” Rob thumped him on the shoulder. “That proves she was in the vicinity and not at home like she claims. Well done, Will.”

  “It still doesn’t prove she took Katie,” pointed out Mallory.

  “No, but it’s one more nail in her coffin.” Rob bounded back to his desk. They were on the right track, he knew it.

  While Mallory went into a meeting with his team on the other missing girls, Rob briefed the Chief Superintendent.

  “Why do you think she did it?” Lawrence asked, leaning back in his chair and studying Rob. There were bags under his eyes and his salt and pepper hair was turning silver at the edges.

  “I don’t know,” Rob said. “Maybe she missed her own daughter. Maybe she wanted to know what it was like to have a child again. Who knows?”

  Lawrence sighed. “It’s very sad. I take it we’re pulling the plug on the other investigation, now that we know it isn’t linked to Katie’s disappearance?”

  It wasn’t really a question.

  “We’re the ones who found Arina’s body,” Rob said. “We can’t abandon her.”

  Lawrence jutted out his lower lip. “The linkage has been disproved. We have no grounds to continue with the investigation.”

  “If we don’t take it on,” asked Rob. “Who is going to find out what happened to her?”

  “It’ll revert back to Woking. It’s in their jurisdiction.”

  Rob ground his teeth. He couldn’t let this go. Not now, after all they’d discovered. “No offense, sir but they didn’t do a very good job the first time round.”