The Stolen Children

by Oliver Davies

  Liam hesitated when he saw Lawrence’s picture, a wrinkle between his brows. “He looks familiar,” he said.

  “Yeah?” I said. I didn’t feel like this was leading us anywhere, but it was better to leave no stone unturned, just in case. “Can you remember where you saw him?”

  Liam’s gaze moved to stare at the wall behind us as he thought it over. “I think he was on a picture on the notice board,” he said finally. “Yeah, that was it. It wasn’t up for very long.”

  I pressed my lips together. “And the little girl?” I prompted. “She wasn’t there too?”

  Liam shook his head. “Not that I remember, sorry.”

  I sighed. We continued to quiz Liam, asking about the house in Tang Hall where Lawrence had been found, and about the land where Lawrence’s father had been killed, but Liam didn’t seem to recognise either of them, except by name.

  “I’ve heard people talk about it,” he said with a shrug. “I’ve not been. I’m not a senior member.”

  “Aye,” I agreed, because that had been evident pretty much from the start. The fact that Liam was younger allowed us to convince him to give us the little he did know, so I couldn’t begrudge it. The blokes down in the holding cells likely knew much more, but I strongly doubted that they’d give us anything at all.

  “Alright,” I said finally, “let’s wrap this up.”

  Liam was looking tired, and I didn’t think he had much else to give us. Plus, it was approaching eight-thirty, the station had almost entirely emptied out, and Stephen was due home soon.

  “Hell of a day,” Stephen said, once we’d taken Liam back to holding and gathered up our things.

  “Aye,” I agreed. “Productive, though.”

  Stephen sent me a sideways glance and grunted. “Yeah,” he said, using a tone that told me that he hadn’t forgotten our argument. “Are you running home?” he asked as he put his coat over his arm.

  “Yeah,” I said. “I’ll take it easy, though.”

  “You don’t want a lift?” Stephen asked. “You definitely already did your running for today.”

  I snorted a laugh. “That was running, yeah,” I agreed, “but I wouldn’t mind some chilled jogging. Y’know, not chasing after a criminal.”

  Stephen smiled. “Just be careful, don’t pull something.”

  “I won’t,” I assured him. The bruise on my leg was sore, but it hadn’t turned out as bad as I’d fear when Liam first kicked me. I’d be fine to run on it. “Besides, I need to pass off what Liam told us to Gaskell-”

  “He’s still here?”

  I gave a one-shouldered shrug. “Most likely, if not, I’ll call him. He said to tell him-”

  “As soon as we know, yeah,” Stephen said with a nod. “Don’t stay too late, okay?”

  Stephen bid me goodnight and headed downstairs. Outside the window, the evening dark had closed in, along with the weather. I watched him go, thinking how lucky I’d gotten coming here and finding a friend like Stephen. If I’d not been partnered with him, we might have never gotten over the initial animosity he’d had towards me at the start, and I now couldn’t imagine working here without him at my side.

  After he’d headed off, I made my way over to Gaskell’s office and wasn’t surprised to see that the light was still. Overseeing our case alone would have kept him busy, and Gaskell had to juggle managing the whole station.

  I rapped on the door and, when Gaskell didn’t respond, pushed the door open. “Sir?”

  Gaskell startled, looking up sharply. “Mitchell?” he said, surprised. “What are you still doing here?” He checked his watch, and I caught his flinch at the time.

  “You wanted to know as soon as we had a location, sir,” I said.

  Gaskell let out a heavy breath. “And you’ve got it?”

  “Aye.” I’d copied out the address Liam had given us and held the paper out now. “It’s possible the kid was lying,” I said, “but unlikely. He was a terrible liar, and he told us in detail about the base. It looks probable on Google Maps, it’s a large suburban house, a little out of the way. Looks entirely normal-”

  “Like the one the Wooding kid was found at,” Gaskell finished. He looked tired, but straightened himself up. “If you’re sure,” he said, shooting me a considering look, “we can’t wait on this. The longer we leave it after taking that van, the more likely they are to run.” He clenched his jaw. “We’re not losing them a second time.”

  “Aye, sir,” I agreed quietly. “What are you thinking?”

  He looked up to meet my gaze, rubbing a hand over his cheek. “We’ll need an armed unit again. And we’ll move tonight.”

  Twenty-Four

  “What the hell happened last night?” Stephen asked as he reached our desks and sat down.

  I sent him a slightly sheepish grin. “You got my text?”

  “Just before I went to bed, yeah.”

  “Gaskell wanted to move immediately,” I said. “I wasn’t much involved, but the Leeds folk brought them all in.”

  A smile spread across Stephen’s face, making me completely unprepared for him to smack me on the arm.

  “Ow!” I protested.

  “That was for leaving me out,” he said, still smiling. He dragged me into a hug, patting me on the back. “And that’s for snatching them.”

  We pulled apart. “It really wasn’t me,” I said, “the armed unit-”

  Stephen made a dismissive gesture. “Nonsense. They couldn’t attack without a location, and it was you who talked the kid around.”

  I smiled back at him, giving a small shrug. “It was a team effort.” My smile fell away after a moment and, my dry eyes stinging after a late night and hours looking at a computer, I rubbed a hand over my face.

  “What is it?” Stephen asked, seeing my changed mood.

  “Lydia wasn’t there,” I said quietly, looking down at the desk. “She was the real prize, and she wasn’t there.”

  “Oh.” Stephen exhaled, looking as devastated as I felt, before he rallied himself. “We’re not giving up yet, okay? We’ll get one of them to talk, or we’ll find her some other way. There must be something at the base-”

  “Officers are crawling over it as we speak,” I said. I’d been preparing to go out to search myself when I’d turned up here at six this morning, after only a couple hours of sleep. Then Gaskell reminded me that he’d given me a team of officers exactly so that I wouldn’t burn myself out, and so I’d conceded and gotten them out there early instead.

  “It’s bugging you not to be there yourself,” Stephen said, perceptive as usual.

  I rolled my eyes at him. “Aye, I’m a control freak. We’ve got other business now, though.”

  Stephen lifted his eyebrows. “More interviews?”

  I snapped my fingers. “You got it in one.” I started to head off, only for Stephen to catch my arm.

  “What now?” he said. “Can’t a guy get a cuppa first? I only just arrived.”

  I chuckled at his wounded expression. “Okay, but hurry it up, Huxley.”

  He grinned. I waited for him to get his necessary dose of caffeine, and then we headed back down to the interview rooms.

  “What’ve we got?” Stephen asked as we walked over.

  “There were five on-site,” I said. “No doubt there’s many more, not living on the base. Then there’s Liam and the two in the van, though they’ve not given anything up.”

  Stephen grunted. “Not surprising,” he said. “The older they are, the more loyal.”

  “Generally, yeah,” I agreed.

  “So, were there any more youngsters? Ones that might know something Liam didn’t?”

  I smiled. “Exactly my thinking. We’ve two in their twenties. The first one’s ready for interview already.”

  It took a good deal of cajoling to get through to them. Our first try led to little, as the guy refused to talk and was so stony-faced that I couldn’t even judge his reactions to our questions.

  “That was a dud,” St
ephen said afterwards.

  “Second time lucky?”

  I fetched myself a cup of coffee whilst the second younger guy was brought up by the other officers.

  “Thanks,” I said to one of them. She nodded with a friendly smile and left us to it.

  This one, a man called Louis Dignam, was immediately different from the other one. He fidgeted on the spot and started talking the moment he saw us.

  “What am I doing here?” he said. “I’m not with them, man. They pushed me into it-”

  “Woah,” I said, holding up my hands. “Let us set up the interview equipment, and then you can say your piece, alright?”

  The blond guy swallowed and nodded, his thick eyebrows scrunched together in worry. Stephen and I shared a look, both of us thinking that this bloke might be promising.

  I decided that this one didn’t need the same softening up that Liam had, and that he was evidently already afraid of the consequences.

  “Louis, isn’t it?” I said, continuing before he could respond. “We’ve got one thing you can help us with, and if you can do that, we can try to help you, do you understand me?”

  Louis blinked, his hands twisting together atop the table. “I don’t- I mean, I can do my best, but I don’t know that much, okay? I wasn’t involved, I was a pawn, really.”

  “Okay, okay,” I sighed. “Bear in mind that being low ranking won’t help when your group gets sentenced,” I told him. “So you think hard before answering my next question.”

  He nodded quickly. “I want to help,” he rushed to assure me. “I just don’t know-”

  Stephen held up a hand. “Answer the question, and keep it short,” he said sternly. “Don’t waste our time, Dignam.”

  “Uh, understood,” the kid said quickly.

  I nodded to Stephen. “Show him the picture.” Stephen brought up Lydia’s picture and showed Louis. I watched Louis’s reaction closely, noting how his eyes widened, seemingly in recognition. “Do you know her?” I asked, slow and serious.

  Louis glanced up at me, swallowed, and looked back to Lydia. “I don’t- I mean, that’s- that’s the kid, isn’t it? Lydia something. I never saw her but I, well, I heard about her.”

  I leaned backwards, relieved to have finally gotten something. “And where is she?” I said.

  Louis opened his mouth and shut it again. He shot a glance towards the door like he wanted to run for it, before looking down at the desk. “I’m telling you the truth, okay? I don’t know. I really don’t.”

  Stephen shifted next to me, looking annoyed, and I put out a hand, asking him to let me continue. His frustration might’ve been an act to get Louis to open up more, or it might’ve been genuine, I wasn’t honestly sure. But it didn’t matter.

  I focused back on Louis. “Where was her most recent location?” I demanded. “What did you overhear?”

  Louis swallowed again. “C-can I have some water?” he said, stalling.

  I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Instead, I got to my feet to pause the interview. Louis looked nervous when I did that, like I might hit him, and the expression made me frown. I’d never done something like that, even with the foulest people I’d interviewed, and had no intention of ever doing it.

  “I’m getting your water,” I told him, leaving the room to fetch him a plastic cup and a couple of biscuits while I was at it.

  “Thanks,” Louis said, when I returned. He took two quick gulps of the water and then choked.

  “Jeez,” I said, alarmed. “Slow down, okay?”

  Louis looked sheepish as he finished coughing and took a smaller sip, before stuffing a biscuit in his mouth. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

  I shook my head in exasperation. “I’m restarting the interview now,” I said, switching the machine back on. Leaning forward, my elbows on the table, I gave Louis an expectant look. He knew what I wanted to know. “You were telling us where Lydia is, or was,” I said pointedly.

  Louis awkwardly wiped his mouth on his sleeve, the metal cuffs jangling with the movement.

  “She was at the base,” he said finally, avoiding our eyes. “I didn’t know till after she’d gone, I swear to god,” he added hurriedly.

  He was about to say more, but Stephen cut him off, “Gone?” he snapped. His anger was real this time, for sure. “What do you mean, gone?”

  Louis tried to hold up his hands, looking alarmed. “She- she’s not dead!” he said quickly. “I don’t think so, anyway. I didn’t hear anything.”

  “Okay,” I said, more gently, and Louis’s attention swivelled back towards me. “So when you say ‘gone’, what do you mean exactly?”

  He shrugged helplessly. “Just that they took her away,” he said.

  “To where?” Stephen pressed.

  Louis winced. “I don’t know.”

  I clenched my jaw. “Did you overhear them saying anything?” I said, trying to keep my impatience from my voice.

  Louis hesitated before nodding. “I heard them saying that they- they didn’t know where she was.”

  “What?”

  Louis looked like a kicked dog. “I think- think they lost her.”

  Stephen and I stared at him for a long second. “You think she ran away?” I repeated, not quite able to believe it. “When? When did you hear this?”

  Louis spread his hands. “I don’t know, maybe a week ago?”

  I cursed under my breath. “Seriously? A thirteen-year-old, missing for a week and she hasn’t shown up yet?”

  If Louis was telling the truth, which wasn’t something I was entirely sold on yet, then Lydia had been kept prisoner by the gang, and now she was out there somewhere, all alone. What would a traumatised kid do given those circumstances? She hadn’t run to adults for help, or, if she had, they hadn’t helped her.

  I was feeling faintly sick and cleared my throat. “We’ll end there for now,” I said roughly, switching off the recording machine and walking out without waiting for Stephen.

  I heard Louis start protesting but ignored him. I needed some fresh air.

  “Mitchell?” Stephen said, when he joined me outside a minute or so later. “Are you alright?”

  “We’ve failed her, that girl. Whether she’s with the gang or not, she’ll be terrified-”

  Stephen exhaled. “No,” he said firmly. “We’ll have failed her when we stop looking. We’re not doing that yet.” He put a hand on my shoulder. “Come on. We’ve got more questions for him yet.”

  I pulled myself together and gave Stephen a nod. We headed back inside to question Louis further about anything he could remember, but he didn’t have much more to tell us.

  “Lunchtime,” Stephen announced as soon as we were done and I agreed, less because I was hungry than because I needed a break from work.

  We headed out to the shops, and I absently picked out a couple of things. On the way back, Stephen kept shooting me sideways glances, and I came to a halt outside the station doors.

  “Whatever it is you want to say-” I started.

  “Sorry, sorry. But, are you okay?”

  “I will be,” I said firmly, “once we get that kid. Let’s eat this and get on with it, okay?”

  Stephen agreed, and we headed upstairs. It felt like it’d been a long time since breakfast, and I ate up my pasta salad as I turned things over in my head.

  “You know who else we haven’t found yet?” I said, swivelling my chair to face Stephen.

  He raised an eyebrow. “Who?”

  “Lawrence’s mother,” I said tightly. Just thinking of her made me clench my jaw hard enough to make my teeth ache. I looked up. “Did we hear anymore about how the Leeds officer is? The one who was shot?”

  “I think he’s out of hospital,” Stephen said. “Thank god.”

  I hummed. “Good. I still want to grill her about what the hell happened.”

  “Yeah, I’m right with you there,” Stephen said, his lips pressed together. “But let’s focus on the kid right now.”

  “Aye, I know. S
he’s the priority.” We fell into a brief silence as we both ate our meals, and I took a sip of water to wash it down. “Do you think Louis was telling the truth about Lydia not being with the gang?” I asked him.

  Stephen swallowed his mouthful. “I think the better question is, do I think Louis understood correctly, or heard it right. He didn’t seem all that sure of it.”

  “True,” I said. “But depending on whether or not we believe it, that takes our steps in totally different directions. If she’s missing, and not with the kidnappers, we can send in the cavalry, drum up the press, get her parents involved, all of that. If she’s still with them, that would be a big mistake.”

  “You’re right,” Stephen said. “And the wrong decision could have serious consequences.”

  I sighed. “So, what then? Do we try to track down the gang’s other hideouts-?”

  “Or do we talk to Lydia’s parents and go public?” Stephen finished. “Look, maybe we should bring this to Gaskell first, see if he can give us something.”

  I went to throw away our lunch rubbish. “Aye,” I said when I came back. “No harm to keep him in the loop and he might know something.”

  Gaskell wasn’t immediately available for us to speak to, but it didn’t take too long before he waved us in. He listened attentively as I ran through what we knew.

  “And what’s your feeling on this?” Gaskell said, looking between us.

  I opened my mouth, shut it again. “I’m not sure enough on either option to bet a child’s life on it.”

  “Same,” Stephen echoed me.

  Gaskell nodded, not looking surprised by our response. “You gave me two options, but there’s a third. A mid-ground.”

  I blinked as I processed that. “Like,” I said slowly, “a low-key search, whilst still looking for the gang? Looking into both at once?”

  Gaskell tilted his head in a nod. “If you aren’t confident enough to put out a public appeal, we won’t. But we can do a low profile search if we need to, if you do think this kid might be out there somewhere.”

  “I think it’s a serious enough possibility that we shouldn’t dismiss it,” I said finally. “Louis wasn’t lying, and if he overheard that, it might be true. If she is out there, and has been for a week already, we need to find her soon.”