‘You’d better be telling us the truth, George,’ Karen said, pointing at him, and then she turned up the collar of her coat and began to walk back along the garden path.
George laughed. ‘Why would I lie to you? When have I ever lied to the police?’
‘More times than I can count,’ Karen said, shivering as she trudged behind DI Morgan, trying not to trip in the darkness.
‘I take it you know where this Lewis Marks lives?’ DI Morgan asked when they got back to the car.
Karen nodded. ‘I do, sir, and it’s not far.’
In less than two minutes, they had travelled around the back of the housing estate and pulled up outside Lewis Marks’s house. It was a pleasant new-build detached home in a small cul-de-sac.
Karen groaned as she turned off the engine. ‘It looks like Odd George was right, sir. That’s Dennis Dean’s van.’
DI Morgan looked stonily at the old Ford Transit. ‘We’d better get inside.’
CHAPTER SEVEN
Before they reached the uPVC front door, it was yanked open by a pale-faced woman with shoulder-length red hair, carrying a baby on her hip. She snapped at them, ‘You took your time!’
Karen frowned. Although she’d had dealings with Lewis Marks on multiple occasions, she’d never seen this woman before.
‘Is Lewis Marks at home?’ DI Morgan asked.
The woman slapped a hand against her forehead. ‘Of course he is. Why do you think I called you? He’s about to get seven shades of you know what kicked out of him by Dennis Dean.’
As if on cue, they heard shouting.
The woman flapped her free hand, signalling for them to hurry up. ‘They’re in the garden. Lewis was out there having a smoke, and Dennis turned up all sweetness and light and told me he wanted a quick word. I’d have never let him in if I’d known.’
DI Morgan led the way inside, and Karen followed. French doors led from the kitchen on to the garden patio. The security light was on, and Karen’s stomach twisted when she spotted Dennis Dean brandishing a large hammer.
A few feet away, Lewis stood with his hands in the air. They couldn’t hear what he was saying, but his mouth was constantly moving, talking nineteen to the dozen, trying to extricate himself from his current predicament, as he backed away from Dennis.
‘What’s your name?’ Karen asked the woman as the baby started to cry.
‘Laura.’ She didn’t turn to look at Karen but kept her gaze locked on the drama unfolding in the garden.
‘You should take the baby upstairs, Laura.’
She hesitated, then did as Karen advised.
Lewis was a kid. All mouth and no trousers was how Karen’s mother would have described him. He liked to play the hard man, but all he did was sell a few knock-off goods here and there. What on earth was he thinking? Getting on the wrong side of the Deans was a serious mistake.
DI Morgan marched towards the doors and yanked them open. ‘What are you doing here, Dennis? I thought you were taking part in the search for Emily.’
Dennis Dean swung around towards them, holding the heavy hammer above his head. The security light gave his face an eerie glow.
‘I’m getting the truth from this lowlife,’ Dennis said, jerking his head towards Lewis.
‘Oh, thank God you’re here,’ Lewis said, inching closer to DI Morgan. ‘He’s gone and lost his mind. I have no idea what he’s talking about. He’s an absolute nutter.’
That was clearly the wrong thing to say. Dennis growled and raised the hammer higher, causing Lewis to flinch and whimper with fear.
‘Put the hammer down, Dennis,’ DI Morgan said.
‘I can’t. It’s the only language someone like him understands,’ Dennis said as he took a step closer to Lewis.
‘Just put the hammer down, Dennis. Or we’ll have to arrest you,’ Karen said. ‘How can you help look for Emily if you’re locked up?’
Dennis’s body tensed, and for a horrifying moment Karen thought he might be preparing to fling the hammer towards her instead. But he didn’t. His shoulders slumped and he dropped the hammer on the floor. It landed on the grass with a dull thud.
Lewis scrambled around them, desperate to get back inside the house safely.
‘Not so fast,’ DI Morgan said. ‘We’ve got some questions for you.’
Lewis turned to them. His round baby face crumpled, and his lower lip quivered. His fine fair hair was smothered in hair gel, making it stick up at odd angles. Karen wasn’t exactly up on the latest hairstyles, but she was pretty sure Lewis’s look went out in the early nineties.
‘We heard you were making allegations in your local pub a few nights ago,’ DI Morgan said, fixing him with a stern look. ‘You claimed that Dennis’s father had ripped you off and you were going to teach the Dean family a lesson.’
‘No, I would never. I didn’t. I . . .’
Karen held up a hand. ‘Save it for someone who believes your lies, Lewis. We have two little girls missing from Heighington and we intend to find them. If you know anything about it, you’d better come clean sharpish.’
Lewis frowned and looked genuinely confused. ‘Two little girls?’
‘My Emily,’ Dennis roared, taking a few menacing steps towards Lewis. ‘She’s gone missing from school, and you were full of all the big man talk about how you were gonna pay my dad and me back.’
Lewis shook his head rapidly and stepped away from Dennis until he was pressed against the wall of the house. ‘No, look, I just had a few drinks. I got a bit mouthy. I didn’t mean it, and God knows I’d never touch your daughter. Jesus, you can’t think I’d be involved in something like that.’ Lewis turned to DI Morgan. ‘I promise. I don’t know anything about it.’
Karen was inclined to believe him, and she thought they were wasting their time. They needed to get to the briefing room so they could organise a plan of action. The search would continue late into the night despite the limited visibility, but it was looking more and more likely that the girls had been taken. If they’d been injured or lost, the officers and PCSOs carrying out the comprehensive search of the area should have found them by now.
Plus, she was itching to go and pay Nigel Palmer a visit, just in case the old farmer had something to do with Sian and Emily’s disappearance. If she looked Nigel Palmer in the eye and studied his body language, she was sure she’d be able to tell if he’d had anything to do with the missing girls.
Dennis put his head in his hands. He believed Lewis, and now that his suspicion and fury had dissipated, there wasn’t much left holding him together.
‘Come on, Dennis. Let’s get you home,’ Karen said.
She put her hand on the big man’s shoulder and steered him towards the doors, surprised at the ease with which he let her lead him through the house and out front towards the cars.
‘I don’t know what to do,’ he murmured.
‘Leave it to us. I promise you we’ll do everything possible to get Emily back.’
Dennis shook his head. ‘What can you do? It’s been hours. If she’s been nabbed by one of them child snatchers, she could be anywhere by now.’ He raked a hand through his hair. ‘I can drive myself home,’ he said and moved towards his van.