‘Jesus Christ,’ she said to herself as she bit down on her lip to stave off the tears. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. It was selfish of her to think this, but why was this happening to her again, just as she was getting her life settled. Finally.
A child has been kidnapped.
‘FUCK!’ Matilda screamed loudly. The expletive resounded off the walls.
The doorbell rang and she ran to the solid door and pulled it open. Sian was standing there. Her face was ashen.
‘Are you all right?’ Sian asked.
‘No,’ Matilda replied honestly. ‘Come on in. The kettle’s not long since boiled.’
Sian placed her bag on the oak table and pulled out the form she had filled in while at the Armitage house. Matilda told her to help herself to whatever she wanted in the fridge while she tore through the report.
Matilda looked at the photo. ‘Blonde hair and blue eyes. Just like Carl.’
‘That’s what I thought too. Even Finn put two and two together.’
‘Tell me about the Armitages,’ Matilda said, pulling out a chair and sitting down.
‘Well, they’re a complete contrast to the Meagans. For a start, they don’t live in a big house. They don’t own restaurants and I doubt they’ve got fifty grand in the bank.’
‘So why target them?’
‘You tell me,’ she shrugged. ‘I didn’t go into any details with them – the mother was practically hysterical; understandable, really – but they have a young son, Riley. He’s severely disabled by the looks of him. I’m guessing any bit of money they have gets spent on caring for him.’
‘So, they’re not rich, and don’t seem to have a lot of money?’
‘No. The ransom makes no sense at all.’
‘Have you contacted the phone company and checked that a call was definitely made?’ Matilda asked.
‘Yes. Finn did that. He emailed me when I was on the way over here. A call was made to the house at seven minutes past four. It lasted less than a minute.’
Matilda frowned. ‘If you’re going to kidnap someone for ransom, you target someone who has plenty of money.’
‘Maybe the kidnapper knows something we don’t.’
‘But if you had money stashed away and had a severely disabled child, you’d be spending it on them to give them a better life, wouldn’t you?’
‘That’s what I’d do.’
‘Precisely. Like you said, either the kidnapper knows something about the family we don’t, or, it’s a hoax.’
‘A hoax? Why would someone claim to have kidnapped a child when they haven’t?’
Matilda returned to biting her bottom lip. Her eyes darted left and right as she tried to think. ‘To cover up another crime, perhaps?’
Sian was about to take a sip of ice-cold water when she stopped, the glass touching her lips. ‘Such as?’
Matilda looked away.
‘Keeley already being dead?’ Sian asked.
‘It’s possible.’
‘What are the alternatives?’
‘Children are usually kidnapped by a parent if the parents are divorced or a family member, for some deep-seated reason. If it’s for ransom then the family are usually well off. If that’s not the case here, and, as you say, it isn’t, then someone is playing a very dangerous game.’
‘Does that make our job easier or harder?’
Matilda ignored Sian’s question. She went over to the window and looked out at the expansive garden, but she wasn’t looking at the view. She was thinking of this poor girl. She was thinking of Carl Meagan, and she was thinking of herself. If Keeley was dead, then it had happened before the police had even become involved. Nothing they could do would bring her back to the family. She couldn’t be blamed like she was blamed for Carl’s disappearance.
She closed her eyes softly and shook her head, hating herself for thinking of her own reputation. Keeley may already be dead, but if that was the case, her murderer was out there and needed catching and Matilda would move heaven and earth to catch the sick bastard.
Chapter 5
The role of the Family Liaison Officer is that of an investigator. They gather evidence and information from the family to contribute to the investigation. It is important for the FLO to gain the trust and confidence of the family members who are their main source of support during such a difficult time.
Detective Constable Ellen Devonport was ideal for this role. An experienced and well-respected DC, she had taken further training in order to make her invaluable to South Yorkshire Police. Whenever an FLO was needed, she wanted her name to be the first mentioned by the senior investigating officer.
Sian had given her the basics of the Armitage kidnapping. It was imperative she was circumspect upon her arrival in case whoever was holding Keeley was watching the house. On her approach to the house, she pulled over in her battered Fiat Punto, and made a call to Craig’s mobile, telling him who she was and to act like he knew her personally when she knocked on the door. She parked outside the house and headed up the garden path, taking long strides, and looking determined. She had purposely dressed down for the occasion. Ellen usually took pride in her appearance, always smartly dressed, enough make-up to look professional yet accentuate her best features, with her chocolate brown wavy hair glossy and shiny and bouncing with every step. For this occasion, she’d dressed in comfortable jeans, a baggy sweater and an old pair of Converse trainers. She’d tied her hair back into a loose ponytail and had a black rucksack that had seen better days over one shoulder.
She knocked on the door and stood back. It was opened almost straight away by a tired looking Craig Armitage.
‘Craig, how are you? I’ve just heard. I thought you could do with a friendly face,’ she said. She walked past him into the house and waited until he closed the door before she dropped the character.
‘Good evening, Mr Armitage,’ she held out a hand for him to shake and was surprised by how light his touch was. ‘I’m DC Devonport. Ellen. I’m the Family Liaison Officer. How are you all doing?’ Her accent was soft Geordie, friendly and light.
She turned around at the sound of a cough coming from the kitchen and saw Jodie standing in the doorway with her arms folded. Her eyes were red from crying.
Once Ellen had explained what her purpose was for being here, Craig and Jodie went their separate ways. Linda was in no fit state to talk. She had cried herself to sleep. Craig was keeping a constant vigil, while Jodie was taking care of Riley in his bedroom. Ellen went to join her.
‘I’m guessing he likes penguins,’ Ellen said, noticing the all the stuffed penguins and pictures of them on the walls.
‘Yes,’ Jodie replied as she changed his nappy. ‘Pingu is the only programme he seems to respond to. We’re not sure why. When it’s on, there’s a change in his facial expression. It’s like he’s genuinely happy.’
‘It must be difficult for you all.’
‘Not really. Mum and Dad told us to think of it like we have a baby who won’t grow up. He’ll get bigger, obviously – he’s quite heavy now – but we have to feed him, change him, clothe him, bathe him, and we’ll keep doing that for the rest of his life.’ She turned to look at her for the first time. ‘Our lives, too.’