‘Of course, sorry,’ he said and held his hands up. He looked even more uncomfortable than Karen with his large frame perched on one of the child-sized chairs.
Karen leaned forward so she was eye-level with Danny. ‘Can you tell me exactly what you saw, please, Danny?’
‘I already told you. I saw them. I saw them leave.’
‘Was anybody else with them?’
Danny shrugged and broke eye contact.
‘And what time did they leave?’
Danny shrugged again. ‘I don’t know. I saw them when I was on my way back from the toilet. It was nearly home time, I think.’
‘Did you tell a teacher you’d seen them leave?’ Danny’s father asked.
Karen wished he’d stay quiet and leave the questions to her, but she couldn’t judge him too harshly. She was sure he really did want to help them find the two girls, but he was concerned about his son. Still, she must have communicated her displeasure silently because he looked at Karen and muttered, ‘Sorry, sorry. Carry on.’
‘I didn’t tell the teacher,’ Danny admitted, keeping his eyes fixed on the desk. ‘I thought maybe they were allowed to leave early or maybe they had a dentist appointment like I did last week.’
‘Did you see where Sian and Emily went after they left the school, Danny?’
Danny blinked a couple of times and then replied, ‘I don’t know.’
Mr Saunders opened his mouth to prompt the boy, but before he could, Karen shot him a look.
‘It’s very important you remember, Danny. You’re not in any trouble. You understand that, don’t you?’
The little boy looked at Karen as though he were deciding whether to trust her. ‘I . . . I saw them go outside and followed them.’
‘You did what?’ The question exploded from Danny’s father’s mouth as he twisted in the small seat, his knees crashing against the desk. ‘You know you’re not allowed to leave school.’
Karen pushed on, ignoring Mr Saunders’s outburst. ‘It’s okay, Danny. You’re being really helpful. Now, tell me what you saw when you followed them.’
Danny’s cheeks were flushed as he looked down at the desk. ‘I don’t want to.’
‘I don’t care what you want, young man. You need to tell us exactly what happened right now.’ Danny’s father was fuming, and despite her irritation, Karen could understand why. A million thoughts must be running through his head right now, while he imagined how it would feel if Danny had been the one to go missing.
Outside, DI Morgan was walking along the edge of the playground, picturing the two young girls climbing over the fence. What had been behind their decision to leave school early?
DI Morgan sighed. If he knew that, then he suspected he’d be a lot closer to finding Emily and Sian.
He’d spoken to the officer in charge of the search and been impressed by the clear-headed and strategic way in which they’d operated so far. He’d given permission for the officer to draft in extra uniformed officers to start on the house-to-house enquiries.
The stretch of woodland beside the school was narrow. This area of Lincolnshire was known for wide-open fields, not woodland. That should work in their favour. Whichever direction the girls took, if they were on foot then they’d have had to walk across open fields, which would greatly increase the likelihood of them being spotted. If they were lucky, a member of the public would spot the girls and report the sighting to the police.
Unless, of course, they weren’t on foot. If they’d been taken and put into a vehicle, they could be some distance away by now. Tracking them wouldn’t be easy.
He took one last look at the fence and the woodland beyond. The time of year didn’t help the search. The floor was a carpet of brown and orange, and a gust of wind shook the branches of the trees, sending yet more leaves dancing in the air. DI Morgan turned and began to walk back to the school.
Ideally, he’d have liked to talk to the parents in their own homes, but the head teacher had already informed both mothers, and as was only natural, they’d each wanted to come straight to the school.
He wondered if Karen had managed to get any more information out of Danny Saunders. In the short time he’d known her, DI Morgan had been impressed by the detective sergeant. She had a knack for talking to people and getting them to open up. DI Morgan knew his talents lay in other areas. Friendliness and warmth weren’t top of the list. He’d been called distant and cold by his ex-partner, and he thought she could have a point.
Sometimes, DI Morgan hated the suspicion with which he viewed the world. He’d like to believe it was a side effect of becoming a police officer, but he’d always had a level of cynicism and mistrust even before he’d joined the police. And there was something about Mr Saunders that made DI Morgan uneasy. The man seemed eager to help – too eager.
DI Morgan took a deep breath and walked back into the school building. Ahead of him lay a task he dreaded. He’d have to talk to the parents of the missing girls.
‘Danny’s being really helpful, Mr Saunders,’ Karen said.
Mr Saunders looked torn between wanting to hug his son and read him the riot act. Finally he settled for putting a hand on the boy’s shoulder. ‘It’s all right. I’m not angry. Tell us what you saw.’
Danny began to speak in a shaky voice. ‘I wanted to know where they were going. So I followed them into the playground and saw them climb over the fence. They were talking for a while and then they walked off into the woods. I followed them, but I hid. I didn’t want them to see me.’
‘But why . . .?’ Mr Saunders began to ask and then abruptly shut his mouth when he remembered he was supposed to be keeping quiet.
Karen nodded and waited for the boy to continue.
‘I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I think Emily was angry with Sian because she fell over.’
‘Who fell over, Danny? Sian or Emily?’
‘Sian. She tripped when she climbed over the fence. Then they walked into the woods. I think they were meeting someone.’
Karen felt a prickle of apprehension run down her spine.
‘Jesus,’ Mr Saunders muttered.
‘Who did they meet, Danny? Did you see anyone else in the woods?’ Karen asked softly.
Danny bit his lower lip and blinked several times. ‘I’m not sure.’
‘Was another child with them? Or a grown-up?’
Danny thought for a moment and swallowed hard. ‘I couldn’t see very well.’
‘That’s okay. Just try to explain what you saw.’
‘They were looking at something, but I couldn’t see anything except shadows.’ Danny’s face crumpled.
‘Well done, Danny. You’ve been very helpful,’ Karen said, wondering if the little boy had seen someone else in the woods. That would certainly increase the likelihood that the girls had been taken rather than wandering off on their own.
She asked the boy a few more questions and then looked up as DI Morgan walked into the classroom.
Karen smiled at Danny. ‘That’s all for now. You did very well.’ She looked at Mr Saunders. ‘I have your contact details. If we need anything else, we’ll be in touch. Thank you.’