by Lisa Stone
‘Goodbye, Alan,’ Matt said, watching him scuttle off to the lift. Then to Beth, ‘Unbelievable! Her kid is missing and she’s still having punters in.’
‘I know.’ Beth shook her head.
The door to Kelsey’s flat had remained open and Kelsey now came out. ‘I thought I heard voices. Have you found Leila?’
‘Not yet,’ Beth replied. ‘Let’s go inside and we’ll have a chat and take a few details.’
‘But I told the woman on the phone everything I know. You should be out looking for Leila, not talking to me.’
‘We are looking for her,’ Beth said. ‘But it will help if you can give us some background information. You know the routine by now.’
Kelsey sighed, and led the way into her flat.
‘You didn’t bring Alan in here then?’ Matt said dryly, surveying the mess in the living room
‘None of your business,’ Kelsey replied. ‘I’ve still got to earn a living.’
Beth shot Matt a warning glance. She’d worked with him before and they got on well, but subtlety wasn’t his strong point, which was why she usually led the questioning in sensitive cases such as these.
‘Is there anyone else in the flat?’ Beth asked, moving clutter off the sofa so she could sit down.
‘No. Just me.’
Matt positioned himself by the window so he could see their car. Kelsey looked dreadful, Beth thought – worse than she had the last time she’d seen her, when neighbours had reported a domestic incident.
‘Can I make you a cup of tea?’ Beth offered.
‘Nah, I just want you to find Leila,’ Kelsey said pitifully. ‘I’m sure something bad has happened to her this time.’
‘What makes you say that?’ Beth asked. ‘I mean, she has gone missing before.’
‘But not for this long, and this time she’s gone off with a man. I don’t know who he is.’
‘OK. Let’s start from the beginning,’ Beth said, taking out her notebook and pen. ‘When was the last time you saw Leila?’
‘Yesterday, I think.’
‘When yesterday?’
‘Morning, I think.’
‘But you’re not sure?’
‘No.’ Kelsey rubbed her finger over her forehead, leaving an impression on her dry skin. ‘The thing is, if I’m asleep Leila knows to get herself off to school, so I don’t always see her in the morning.’
‘Was she in school yesterday?’
‘I think so.’
‘She was,’ Matt replied. ‘I checked.’
‘So if you’re not sure you saw her in the morning, when did you last see her?’
‘The evening before, I guess. Yes, I’m sure she was in all evening and so was I.’
Beth made a note while thinking that an eight-year-old should be in every evening, especially in winter when it was cold and dark out. ‘And how did Leila seem the last time you saw her?’
‘OK, I guess.’
‘Was she happy or did she seem quiet? Maybe worried about something?’
Kelsey shrugged. ‘She seemed normal to me.’
‘Talk me through the last time you saw Leila,’ Beth said.
‘The little buggers!’ Matt shouted and opened the window. ‘Clear off! Or I’ll be straight down to arrest the lot of you!’
Beth returned her attention to Kelsey, who was clearly struggling to remember. ‘I think Leila went to school yesterday as normal but didn’t come home. She likes to play out, so I wasn’t worried to start with.’
‘Where were you?’ Beth asked.
‘Here. I had a client in if you must know, so it was better Leila stayed away from the flat.’
‘OK,’ Beth said non-judgementally. ‘What time were you expecting Leila home?’
Kelsey shrugged. ‘When it suited her, I guess, but not ever so late.’
‘Five o’clock? Six? Seven? Later?’ Beth prompted.
‘Yeah, I guess around seven.’
‘But you’re not sure?’ Matt put in.
‘No. The thing is, I lose track of time and I don’t always remember things right.’
‘Were you using yesterday?’ Matt asked.
Kelsey looked at Beth as she replied. ‘A bit. I’d had a bad day, so I needed something. I remember now. I went down to buy some stuff as soon as the lads were there. So it would have been around seven o’clock. I asked them if they’d seen Leila, but they hadn’t.’
‘Then what?’ Beth asked as she wrote.
‘I came back here.’
‘And?’ Beth prompted.
‘I used some stuff, had a glass of vodka, then I must have crashed out around ten. I had a rough night. I dreamt I heard Leila laughing and a man’s voice that sounded familiar, but when I woke she still wasn’t here. That’s when I got worried and went out looking for her. It was very cold.’
‘So what time was that?’ Beth asked, glancing up from writing.
‘Four o’clock,’ Kelsey admitted quietly.
‘Four in the morning?’ Beth asked, unable to hide her shock. Kelsey nodded. ‘You didn’t think to call the police then?’
‘No, I thought Leila was staying out to punish me.’
‘Why would she do that?’ Matt asked, keeping one eye on their car below.
‘Because I’m a crap mother,’ Kelsey snapped, ‘as you well know.’
Beth felt sorry for her. However lacking Kelsey was, she hadn’t intended her life to be like this. There were so many on the estate like her struggling with addiction. ‘So at four o’clock this morning you went out looking for Leila. Where?’
‘Around the estate. I walked all round the ring road. I couldn’t see her, so I knocked on Goodman’s door. You know, that old bat whose home overlooks the play area. She doesn’t miss a thing.’
Beth nodded. She knew Mrs Goodman. ‘Did you speak to her?’
‘Yeah. She was in her dressing gown, but she answered the door pretty quickly, so I guessed she was already up. She gave me a lecture and then said she’d seen Leila in the play area go off with a man a little after six. I wasn’t worried to begin with. I knew Leila wouldn’t go with a stranger, so I guessed Brooke had reported me to the social services like she’d threatened, and it was our social worker, Peter Harris, who’d taken her. But when I phoned him this morning he said he hadn’t seen Leila.’
‘We’ve spoken to Peter Harris,’ Beth said. ‘Who’s Brooke?’
‘My neighbour, Brooke Adams.’
Beth nodded as she made a note and then looked up. ‘Can you think of anywhere Leila might have gone?’
‘Nah, that’s the thing. If Leila isn’t in school and our social worker hasn’t taken her, I don’t know where she can be. I found her on the estate before. I wondered if she could be at a friend’s house.’
‘We’ll be speaking to the school again,’ Beth said. ‘Do you know the names of her friends?’
Kelsey shook her head.
‘What was Leila wearing?’
‘Her school uniform, I guess. I didn’t see her leave, but she must have it on. It’s not here.’
‘Has she taken anything else with her? Clothes, money, her hairbrush, toothbrush?’
‘I don’t think so.’
‘Have you checked?’
‘Not really.’
‘We’ll have a look together in a moment,’ Beth said sensitively. ‘We’ll need to have a look around anyway.’
‘She’s not here,’ Kelsey said.
‘I know, but we need to see for ourselves. Then, once we’ve finished here, DC Davis and I will speak to Mrs Goodman and other neighbours. A lot of flats overlook the children’s play area so hopefully others will have seen Leila and may even know where she is. We’ll also talk to the lads you bought from last night. They might have seen or heard something. Mike Doherty and Jason O’Leary, was it?’ It was their patch.
‘Yeah. That ugly bastard Kevin Bates was there too, giving me grief. He said nasty things about Leila.’ All these lads were known to the police.
�
��What did Kevin Bates say?’ Beth asked as she wrote.
‘That I was too old for him but Leila wasn’t. I don’t think he meant anything by it – he’s not like that – he was just being his usual nasty self.’
‘We’ll speak to him,’ Beth said. ‘But try not to worry. I’m sure Leila will turn up soon. She usually does.’
Kelsey shrugged despondently. ‘That kid gives me a lot of trouble, but I do miss her.’
‘I’m sure you do,’ Beth said. ‘Let’s have a look around the flat now then.’
‘I’ll stay here and keep an eye on the car,’ Matt said.
Beth checked the kitchen first, opening and closing the cupboard doors, as Kelsey looked on. Then she went down the hall to Leila’s bedroom. Beth knew the layout of the flat from being here before. As well as Leila going missing in the past, neighbours had reported disturbances coming from Kelsey’s flat. Kelsey seemed to attract trouble like a magnet. It really was no place for a kid.
Leila’s room was in just as much of a mess as the rest of the flat and Beth had to step over the rubbish on the floor. Crisp and biscuit packets, empty cartons of Pot Noodles, fizzy-drink cans and other stuff that should have been thrown away, all left where they had fallen. As Kelsey watched, Beth opened Leila’s wardrobe door, but apart from a broken child’s scooter dumped in the bottom, it was empty. The few clothes Leila possessed seemed to be scattered on the floor and bed.
‘Was she wearing a coat over her school uniform?’ Beth asked.
‘She must have, it’s not here. It’s a navy zip-up jacket.’
‘And her school bag?’
‘Yes, she must have that too.’
Beth’s thoughts flashed back to her own mother, who had lovingly seen her off to school at the door every morning with a hug and a kiss even when she was a teenager. This poor child just had to get on with it.
To the right of the wardrobe was a small chest of drawers. Beth pulled open the top drawer. It was crammed full of packets of sweets and chocolate novelties, doubtless stolen. The second drawer contained packets of unopened biscuits and three new ladies’ watches.
‘Well, I can’t keep tabs on her the whole time,’ Kelsey said defensively.
Beth didn’t comment. They could check out the watches another time. Completing the missing persons’ procedure was their first priority. The bottom drawer contained a torn colouring book, a small packet of crayons and a couple of broken plastic dolls, their limbs separated from their bodies. It was a sad reflection of the poor kid’s life, Beth thought – stealing, squirrelling away food, with a nodding glance at childhood.
‘What shoes was she wearing?’ Beth asked.
‘Black trainers, same as usual. That’s the only pair that fit her.’
‘Has she taken her nightwear?’
‘No, it’s there.’
‘So apart from her school uniform, coat, trainers and school bag, you can’t see anything else missing?’ Beth asked, turning to Kelsey.
But Kelsey was preoccupied, pulling the covers off the bed, checking under the pillow and on the floor, looking for something. ‘Her teddy bear, Buttons, isn’t here,’ she said anxiously.
‘Perhaps Leila took it to school with her.’
‘Nah, they’re not allowed toys in school.’
‘Could it be in one of the other rooms?’ Beth asked. The flat was in such a state you’d be hard pushed to find anything.
‘No. Leila always kept it on her bed. She can’t go to sleep without it.’
‘Let’s check in the other rooms anyway,’ Beth said, taking the missing bear seriously. If Leila had taken the bear with her, it suggested that her leaving had been premeditated, which raised the search to a whole new level. She could be miles away by now. ‘What does the bear look like?’
‘It’s about this big,’ Kelsey said, moving her hands apart, ‘and it has a red coat with lots of buttons on it.’
‘Matt!’ Beth called as they crossed the hall to Kelsey’s bedroom. ‘Can you have a look in the living room for a teddy bear wearing a red coat?’
‘Will do,’ he returned.
Beth found that Kelsey’s bedroom was much tidier than the other rooms – possibly, she thought, because this was the only room the clients saw. Kelsey straightened the duvet as Beth checked in the wardrobe and then under the bed.
‘There’s no bear in here,’ Matt called from the living room. ‘In fact, there aren’t any toys at all.’
‘Thank you,’ Beth replied, then said to Kelsey, ‘So we’ll assume Leila has the bear with her when we put out her missing-person appeal.’
‘But it doesn’t make sense,’ Kelsey said, rubbing her forehead again. ‘Leila would never have taken it to school because she’d know it would be confiscated until the end of the day. She must have come back for it, but when? And then what happened?’
‘That’s exactly what we’re hoping to find out,’ Beth said.
EIGHT
‘We’ll speak to Mrs Goodman first, then go to the school, and on to see Bates,’ Beth said as she and Matt returned to their car. ‘Perhaps the children in Leila’s class know something. Kelsey is adamant that Leila must have returned to the flat at some point and taken her teddy bear. Leila may have confided in a friend at school what she was up to.’
‘But if Leila was planning to run away, surely she would have taken other things too – clothes and money? She’s pretty savvy and would know a bear wasn’t going to get her very far.’
‘Matt, she’s eight years old. Kids her age don’t think like that. She will have homed in on her most treasured possession, especially if she was short of time. Kelsey says Leila always sleeps with the bear. It’s comforting for her. It would have been her main priority.’
Beth started the car and pulled away. Although Doris Goodman’s flat was only on the other side of the play area – a two-minute walk – it made sense to keep the car close. School finished soon and teenagers unleashed from a day of having to do as they were told liked nothing better than to vent their frustration on a police car.
‘From the timescale Kelsey gave us,’ Beth continued, ‘Leila must have returned to the flat and taken the bear between ten o’clock on Tuesday evening and four this morning while Kelsey was asleep. Either that or she returned to the flat while her mother was out looking for her, but I don’t think that’s likely. It would suggest Leila was close by all that time, watching her mother and waiting for the opportunity. A child of her age wouldn’t have that sort of patience.’
‘I don’t know much about kids,’ Matt said.
‘No,’ Beth agreed and threw him a look. ‘So for now we’ll go with the assumption that Leila returned to the flat between ten and four while Kelsey slept, which means she was still in the area.’
‘Unless the bear vanished ages ago and Kelsey just didn’t notice, like she didn’t notice when her daughter was missing,’ Matt said.
‘It’s quite possible,’ Beth conceded.
Doris Goodman’s clean and recently painted front door opened even before Beth had finished parking. It was one of the few properties on the estate that had been bought by the tenant and was therefore privately owned and maintained. ‘She doesn’t miss much, does she?’ Matt said.
‘Hopefully not. At present she’s all we have, and the last person we know to have seen Leila.’
‘Good afternoon, Mrs Goodman,’ Matt said as he and Beth crossed the narrow strip of grass that separated her maisonette from the road.
‘I’ve been expecting you.’
‘Have you?’ Beth asked, mildly surprised.
‘I assume you’re here about the break-in at number fifteen. Unfortunately I can’t be of much help. I heard the glass break but that was all. I didn’t see anything.’
‘Uniform will be dealing with that,’ Matt said. ‘We’ll pass on what you said. We’re actually here about Leila Smith.’
‘Oh really?’ Mrs Goodman looked surprised.
‘Can we come in?’ Beth asked. Most residents
on the estate wouldn’t be seen dead talking to the police and couldn’t get them inside quickly enough, but Doris revelled in it. She liked everyone to know what a good relationship she had with the local police and that if anyone crossed her, they’d feel the full force of the law. It seemed to work, for despite her maisonette being on the ground floor, it had never been burgled, unlike many on the Hawthorn Estate.
Beth and Matt followed Doris into her living room. It was at the front of the property and reserved for adult guests only. As usual it was spotlessly clean and meticulously tidy: scatter cushions were aligned on the sofa, the glass-topped coffee table gleamed and dozens of china ornaments sparkled in the display cabinet. The children she made meals for weren’t allowed in this room but ate and played in the kitchen-diner at the rear, where there was a dining table, chairs and beanbags. Matt and Beth had seen the rest of the property when they’d had to search it last year. Another kid had run off and her father was adamant Mrs Goodman was harbouring her, which she wasn’t.
Matt took the armchair by the window so he could watch their car.
‘Leila Smith is missing,’ Beth said, sitting at one end of the sofa as Mrs Goodman sat at the other. ‘We’ve just come from seeing her mother, Kelsey. It appears you were the last person to see Leila.’
‘So she really is missing?’ Doris asked, clearly shocked.
‘It would seem so. Did you doubt it then?’ Beth asked, opening her notebook.
‘I assumed she would be back by now. She’s never gone missing for this long before.’
‘No. Kelsey said you saw Leila in the play area yesterday evening and that she left with a man.’
‘Yes. It would have been around six. I assumed it was her mother’s boyfriend or a client and she couldn’t be bothered to collect her daughter herself.’ She pursed her lips in disapproval.
‘Have you ever seen this man before?’ Beth asked.
‘No.’
‘Can you give us a description?’
‘He was of average height and build and was wearing a coat. Sorry, it was dark, and I didn’t really take much notice.’
‘Approximate age?’ Beth asked. Doris shook her head. ‘Was he in his twenties? Thirties? Fifties or older?’
