by D. S. Butler
Tyler didn’t take the time to comfort Peter Watson. Right now, that wasn’t his priority.
He turned to Mackinnon. “Get Glenn Calvert on the phone, now.”
Mackinnon was already dialling. He knew exactly what Tyler was thinking. If the abductors had contacted Ruby’s mother, they would probably contact Lila’s mother, too.
“Let’s look again for the phone just in case,” Tyler ordered.
The family liaison officer helped him look behind the sofa cushions as Peter Watson looked on helplessly.
Glenn Calvert answered Mackinnon’s call on the second ring. The television was playing in the background.
Mackinnon took a step away from Peter Watson and said, “Glenn, it’s DS Mackinnon. Is Janice George there?”
“Yes. She just went to see to the baby.”
“Right, listen to me carefully. Claire Watson has received another text message from the abductors and she’s left the apartment on her own without telling anyone. We think Janice George could get another message too, so whatever happens, do not let Janice or her phone out of your sight.”
Glenn made an audible gulp over the telephone line. “Right. I’ll just go and get her.”
“I’ll stay on the line, Glenn, and I want to speak to Janice, okay?”
* * *
This was the first major case Glenn Calvert had been assigned as a family liaison officer. He’d done other bits and pieces here and there, but never on the case as huge as this. He thought he had been doing well. Obviously, the family were in bits emotionally, but he was doing his best to set up a rapport between them just like he had been trained.
He had a sneaking suspicion that Janice George looked down on him and thought he was too young for the job, but Glenn wasn’t really that young. He was thirty-three, but he had a round, youthful face that made people think he was younger than he was. He tried to keep his voice warm and reassuring and kept calm even when Janice was ranting at him. He hoped that made up for his youthful appearance.
Just before he had received DS Mackinnon’s phone call, he had been talking to Toby George. The man was in a state of shock, and Glenn had been trying to put him at his ease by talking about football. Toby had answered his questions about which team he supported and their chances for next year. His replies had been mechanical, but at least he had answered. Glenn felt that was a step in the right direction.
Janice simply ignored him. A little while ago, she informed Glenn and Toby she was going to put baby Ella down for her nap.
As Glenn scrambled to get up from the sofa and rushed into the hallway, he tried to remember how long ago Janice had left to see to the baby. He supposed he should have paid more attention. It was probably about ten minutes ago at least.
Glenn liked his job, and he wanted to keep it. Having DS Mackinnon hanging on the other end of the line made him extremely nervous. DI Tyler was in charge of this investigation and he was well known for his acerbic comments. Glenn hoped he wasn’t going to be on the receiving end of a dressing down from DI Tyler.
“I won’t keep you a minute, sir,” Glenn said as he pushed open the door to baby Ella’s bedroom.
“Okay, good. Keep her calm. After I’ve spoken to her, DI Tyler will be coming straight round.”
But Glenn didn’t answer. He stared in horror at the room. The baby was asleep in her crib, but there was no sign of her mother.
He stood there for a full ten seconds, willing Janice George to appear before his eyes and then he lifted his phone to his ear again. “Oh, Jesus.”
“What?” Mackinnon demanded.
“She’s not in the baby’s bedroom.”
Glenn raced out of the bedroom and along the hallway back to the sitting room. “Toby, where is Janice?”
Toby looked up and blinked a couple of times at Glenn as though he wasn’t quite processing words properly.
Eventually, he said, “She is with the baby.”
Glenn shook his head. “No, she isn’t. The baby is asleep, and I can’t find her.”
Glenn was aware of the building panic in his voice and he knew it wasn’t the correct way to address Toby, but desperation was bubbling inside him, and he knew he had let everybody down. He felt awful. He had been so pleased when they had assigned him the job. He thought people really saw something special in him, but now he was sure he wasn’t cut out for this sort of job.
Toby frowned and heaved himself out of the armchair.
“Don’t be daft,” he said to Glenn. “She hasn’t gone out. She would never leave in case Lila came back, or somebody rang with some news. She is probably out on the balcony having a fag.”
Glenn could have kissed him. Of course, why hadn’t he thought of that? His legs felt weak with relief as he rushed forward to the balcony door.
He pushed back the net curtains and opened the door. The balcony was only four foot by three foot, and other than two flowerpots containing wilting geraniums, it was empty.
Glenn felt his stomach churn.
He raised his phone to his ear. “I’m sorry, sir. She’s gone.”
Chapter 16
When Rob arrived back at the basement flat, Marlo was waiting for him and tapping his watch. “Do you know how long you have been?”
Rob shrugged. He hadn’t been that long. “There was a queue at McDonald’s,” he said and fished in the paper bag to pull out Marlo’s lunch.
Marlo waved his food away.
“We don’t have time for that now,” he said impatiently. “Give it to your big lump of a brother and make sure he feeds the girls, too. You and I have got work to do.”
Rob tried to hide his annoyance. He was sure Marlo got off on pissing people off. If he just went along with his stupid plan for now, hopefully, Marlo would send a text message demanding the money and then they could give back the girls and get on with their lives.
He carried the McDonald’s bag into the front room and saw that Benny was still sitting on the sofa in front of the television. He was watching the news, which was very unlike him. Benny liked children’s programmes or quiz shows, so Rob knew he was feeling out of sorts, which really wasn’t surprising.
Benny was staring straight ahead, his eyes fixed glassily on the television screen. He didn’t turn around until Rob spoke his name.
“All right, Benny? I’ve got your McDonald’s. I need to do something with Marlo, so you’ll have to stay here for a bit. We are going to lock the door behind us and you mustn’t let the girls out of that room. Do you understand?”
Benny fixed his eyes on his brother, and Rob could see he was close to tears. He didn’t care what Marlo wanted. Benny wouldn’t be able to give the girls the food. He may have been nearly twice Rob’s size, but the girls would run rings around him.
Marlo had put up sound proofing in the bedroom, but the rest of the basement flat wasn’t soundproofed. If they got out of the bedroom and screamed out loudly enough, the girls would definitely draw some unwanted attention.
“I’m going to give the girls their lunch and then lock their door. I’ll put the keys in the kitchen, but you’re not allowed to use them unless there is an emergency. Just stay in here, watch the TV and eat your McDonald’s. I’ll be back before you know it, okay?”
Benny nodded slowly and took the burger and fries Rob handed to him.
“There are more cans of Coke in the fridge if you’re thirsty.”
Benny nodded as he unwrapped his burger, and Rob headed back out into the hallway. He took a deep breath before unlocking the bedroom door.
It was pitch black in the room. Although the flat was in the basement, most of the rooms had a long, narrow window where the wall met the ceiling, which allowed a small amount of daylight. In here, the window had been covered by the soundproofing material Marlo had used. For some reason, he’d also removed the light bulb.
He heard the girls scurry away from him, like frightened mice. He swallowed back his feelings of guilt and threw the bag of McDonald’s food in their general di
rection. Marlo had left them two large bottles of water earlier.
He quickly stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him. He put the key back in the keyhole when he sensed he was being watched. He turned and saw Benny watching him from the doorway of the front room.
Rob turned the key, locking the girls in. “Benny, I told you to stay in there and watch the telly. Promise me you’ll be good while I’m gone.”
Benny nodded solemnly. “I promise.”
“Aren’t you ready yet?” Marlo demanded stalking out of the kitchen towards the front door.
“Almost,” Rob said.
He jogged along the hallway to the kitchen and put the key down on the counter. Then he joined Marlo at the front door, pausing briefly to pat Benny on the shoulder as he walked past.
Marlo opened the front door and both men climbed the steps to the pavement. Marlo turned to Rob with a smile on his face.
“Have you got your phone? I hope you’ve got plenty of battery left.”
Rob frowned in confusion and nodded. “Yes, why?”
“Because you’re going to be recording the game. Now, listen carefully because if you mess this up, you’re going to land both you and your brother in the shit.”
Rob’s body tensed and his fists clenched. He longed to ram his fist into Marlo’s face, but he didn’t. Instead, he said, “I don’t respond well to threats, Marlo.”
Marlo looked at him for a moment through narrowed eyes and then said, “No one is threatening anyone. This game is important to me. If you do everything right, the next message I send will be for the money, okay?”
Rob nodded. “Fine. I’ll do it. Let’s just get on with it.”
Marlo smiled. “I’ve already sent text messages to both the girls’ mothers. I’ve instructed them to come alone, but you should keep your distance in case they’ve told the pigs. The first part of the game will take place at Monument Underground Station. There is a little present waiting for Ruby Watson’s mother, the container you saw earlier. She has to throw the contents over someone in the station, and you have to record it, okay?”
Rob stared at Marlo in disbelief. What the hell was he talking about? They didn’t have time for this crap.
“You want me to record her throwing the contents of the container over somebody?”
“That’s right.”
“And what exactly is in this container?”
“Oh, you’ll find out soon enough,” Marlo said, chuckling to himself. “Just be at Monument Underground Station, the subway entrance outside House of Fraser, to video Claire Watson.”
“I can’t even remember what she looks like,” Rob said.
The smile fell from Marlo’s face. “I showed you a picture.”
Rob shrugged. “I can’t remember.”
Marlo let out a huff of annoyance and pulled his mobile phone from his pocket. He tapped on the screen a couple of times and then held it out for Rob to look at a photograph of Claire Watson. “Take a good look.”
Claire Watson looked just like Rob had remembered. He hadn’t really forgotten what she looked like. He was just stalling for time. He didn’t want to be part of this stupid game.
“When you’ve finished videoing Claire Watson, you need to get to the bus stop on Bryant Lane. That’s where Janice George will be. I suggest you wait opposite the bus stop. You should have a good view from there. And no distractions. The time between both events is tight.”
Rob stared at Marlo. He’d gone to so much effort over a poxy game. It was as though he didn’t understand how serious the situation was. They had kidnapped two girls and were holding them hostage. If they got caught, they were going away for a very long time. They should be treating this like a business transaction, moving as quickly and swiftly as possible, getting the matter sorted and covering their tracks, but instead, Marlo wanted to play a game.
Rob wanted to tell him where to go. He wished he had the backbone to refuse, go back down into the basement flat to get Benny and get the hell out of there.
But he wouldn’t. If he didn’t pay the rent next week, they would be out. He was on his final warning. All he needed to do now was play Marlo’s stupid game for a little while longer, and he would get his hands on enough cash to pay his rent for years.
He took a deep breath and nodded. “Fine.”
The smile froze on Marlo’s face. “You don’t sound very enthusiastic, Rob.”
Rob sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “To tell you the truth, Marlo. I just want all of this to be over.”
“Well, you had better get on with it then. Chop chop.”
Chapter 17
Claire Watson was shaking. She couldn’t believe this was happening to her family. They were successful and very careful about security. She’d never made an enemy in her life, well, not a real one anyway, not someone who would want to hurt her this badly.
She was only wearing thin cotton trousers and a lightweight blouse because she had rushed out of the apartment without bothering to grab a cardigan or jacket. The afternoon had turned cool, and she wondered if Ruby, wherever they were holding her, was warm enough.
Peter would be absolutely furious she had snuck out of the apartment to do this alone. In his mind, he was the man, so he should be the protector, but the message specifically said Claire must come alone otherwise her daughter would die.
Claire Watson had been almost paralysed by fear when she’d received the message, but if there was one thing that could motivate her to move through that terror, it was her daughter.
She had to be there by two p.m. and she’d forgotten she wasn’t wearing her Rolex. She dug around in her pocket for her mobile phone and checked the time. She still had ten minutes and didn’t have too far to go now.
She didn’t know what this game was all about, or what part she was expected to play. She only knew she would do anything to get her daughter back safely.
Claire couldn’t help hoping that it was all a hoax. An elaborate, nasty hoax, and Ruby would be there waiting for her. She could almost picture it even though deep down she knew the abduction was real. Ruby would never have made them worry like this.
Her stomach churned, and she clasped a hand to her belly, fearing she might vomit in the middle of the street. She was entering a busy part of the city now and passed a group of bankers on the way back to their office after a boozy lunch. She didn’t understand how everybody could be going about their business as though nothing had happened. She wanted to scream at them. Didn’t they realise her daughter was missing? Her world had been turned upside down, and they were merrily carrying out their everyday lives as though nothing had changed.
She was nearly there now, but as she approached the entrance to the alleyway, she gasped in horror.
It had been blocked off. That wasn’t right. Where was the entrance? She was sure there had been an entrance here to Merryweather Alley. They’d added a bloody new tower block exactly where she had expected the old entrance to be.
She felt the tears burning in the corners of her eyes. What would they do if she wasn’t there on time? Would she forfeit the game? Would they kill Ruby straightaway? She looked around frantically, trying to find another entrance to the alley.
She tried to make herself calm down and think logically. If they’d closed this entrance then there had to be another one further down the street.
It had been a long time since she’d walked around the city. She usually used taxis and hadn’t used public transport in years. She had a brand new Mercedes parked in the basement but she never used that either. Parking was ridiculous in central London.
She forced herself to keep moving, her eyes scanning for the entrance, and when she finally saw it, she could have sobbed with relief. She broke out into a run, bumping into a woman crossing the road. The woman stumbled and shouted something after her, but Claire wasn’t listening. The woman was not important.
She held her breath as she raced into the alley, but there was nobody there.
She didn’t know. But there was nobody here...What was she supposed to do next? She walked down to the end of the alley and looked around, but it was empty. She was alone.
She pulled out her mobile phone again and read through the text message, thinking perhaps she’d got the location wrong.
But she hadn’t.
She shivered as she read the message again.
If you want to save your daughter, you must play the game. One girl will live, the other will die. Be at the corner of Merryweather Alley in one hour. Tell no one or your daughter dies.
She put a hand to her head and clutched at her hair. Was this some kind of cruel trick?
She turned in a circle, unable to believe that anyone could be so cruel, and that was when she saw it.
A piece of paper, taped to the street sign, fluttered in the breeze and caught her eye. Below the street sign was a white tub.
Could that be it? Was this some sort of follow the clue game? She reached up, grabbed the note and tried to blink away the tears blurring her vision.
The note was handwritten in block capitals and said,
You have completed the first level. To complete the second level, you must take the white container to Monument Underground Station. Use the subway entrance outside House of Fraser. Choose a platform and throw the contents over a person of your choice.
No peeking before you throw. We will be watching.
Claire turned around, expecting someone to be watching her right then and there, but she couldn’t see anyone.
She gazed up at the buildings looming above her. She supposed they could be in there, looking down at her.
Did they have Ruby up there?
She couldn’t think like that now. She had to do what they asked. If she did, there was a chance they would free Ruby unharmed.
And she knew that the other mother would do it. Claire’s only chance of success was to do it first.