Taken

by Lisa Stone

  ‘No, you’re not in any trouble,’ Beth said.

  ‘Well, that’s a relief.’ Mrs Goodman clasped a hand to her chest.

  Beth looked at Matt to see if he had any questions, but he shook his head. ‘Thank you for your time, Mrs Goodman.’

  ‘Is there any news about Leila Smith?’ she asked as they stood. ‘I’ve been so worried about her.’

  ‘Not yet, unfortunately. But we’re still actively searching for her.’

  ‘I do hope you find the poor child soon. Kelsey Smith has a lot to answer for.’

  ‘I think she knows that,’ Matt replied.

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  ‘What do you think of her story?’ Matt asked Beth as they left Mrs Goodman’s. ‘I get the feeling she knows Colin Weaver better than she’s letting on.’

  ‘I agree,’ Beth said. ‘She was aware his mother was in a nursing home, but I suppose she could have got that from someone else on the estate. There’s nothing to suggest she knew Weaver had Leila with him at her cottage, but why would he risk phoning her when he was supposed to be dead?’

  ‘Perhaps he was getting tired of the pretence once reality kicked in,’ said Matt. ‘Or perhaps he panicked and wanted to incriminate her.’

  ‘Maybe,’ Beth replied. ‘His call data should confirm just how much contact they had.’

  ‘What the—!’ Matt exclaimed as they arrived at the car. A large bright-red penis had been spray-painted on the bonnet.

  ‘It’s only just happened, the paint’s still wet,’ Beth said, looking around.

  There was no one in sight but Matt set off at a jog up the road, while Beth took a roll of paper towels they kept in the boot for mopping up spillages and began rubbing off the paint.

  Five minutes later Matt returned, out of breath, but without having found the culprits. All that remained of the graffiti on the car were some smudges of red paint that would have to be dealt with by the garage.

  ‘Let’s drive for a bit and see if we can spot them,’ Matt said, still annoyed, and jumped into the driver’s seat. Beth got into the passenger seat.

  As Matt drove around the ring road on the estate they looked for anyone acting suspiciously. Beth’s phone rang and she switched it to speaker. It was DS Scrivener.

  ‘We’ve just left Mrs Goodman’s,’ she said.

  ‘Update me when you get back to the station. Are you still on the Hawthorn Estate?’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘Can you visit Kelsey and tell her we’ve arrested Colin Weaver? She has a right to know.’

  ‘Will do, sir.’

  Matt completed the circuit and, having to accept he wouldn’t be catching whoever had graffitied the car today, drove to the block of flats where Kelsey lived.

  ‘Any news?’ Kelsey asked anxiously as soon as she opened her front door.

  ‘We haven’t found Leila,’ Beth said straight away. ‘But there has been a development.’

  ‘What? You haven’t come to tell me she’s dead!’ Her desperation was obvious.

  ‘No. Let’s go in and sit down.’ Beth touched her arm.

  The living room was as clean and tidy as it had been on their last visit, and Beth thought Kelsey seemed to be suffering less from the effects of drug and alcohol withdrawal. ‘How are you doing?’ she asked her gently, sitting beside her on the sofa. Matt took up his usual position by the window.

  ‘Not so bad. I’m still clean.’

  ‘Well done,’ Beth said.

  ‘My sister thinks it’s a waste of time being clean now. She doesn’t say it, but it’s written all over her face. She believes I’m a lost cause. I know it’s unlikely I’ll get Leila back, but I need to try, just in case she’s still alive.’ Tears filled her eyes.

  ‘You’re doing very well,’ Beth said, lightly rubbing her arm. She waited as Kelsey wiped her eyes before continuing with what she had to say. ‘Kelsey, the man who lives in the flat below you, Colin Weaver, was arrested this morning on suspicion of the abduction of Leila.’

  Kelsey stared at them with a mixture of astonishment and fear.

  ‘There is no evidence to say Leila is dead, but her DNA was found in his flat,’ Beth said.

  ‘What, the flat below me?’ Kelsey asked, horrified.

  ‘Yes. But Weaver was arrested in another part of the country, a hundred miles from here. He’d been staying in a remote cottage. Leila wasn’t with him when he was arrested, but we’re certain she’s been living there.’

  ‘Where is she then?’ Kelsey cried in desperation. ‘What’s the bastard done with her?’ Her face crumpled and tears fell.

  ‘We don’t know yet,’ Beth said gently. ‘But we will find out. Mr Weaver is being brought back to Coleshaw now for questioning.’

  ‘Has he said if Leila’s still alive?’ Kelsey asked in anguish.

  ‘He’s not saying much at present,’ Beth said. ‘But we thought you should be aware of this new development. We’ll be putting out a fresh appeal for information tomorrow.’

  ‘How long was she in his flat for?’ Kelsey asked, wiping her eyes and clearly struggling to take it all in.

  ‘We don’t know for certain, but we think a couple of days. Then he moved her to the cottage. We’re looking at CCTV cameras along the route he would have taken.’

  Kelsey straightened and looked from one to the other. ‘So I was right about hearing a man’s voice in my flat the night Leila went missing.’

  ‘What makes you say that?’ Beth asked.

  ‘I told you I thought I heard Leila laugh and a man’s voice that sounded familiar close by. It was Weaver’s voice. I put it down to hallucinating from all the drugs and drink I’d had that night. But I’m right. It was him. They were in my flat. Leila must have come back for Buttons, and he was with her.’ Her voice trembled.

  ‘How would you recognize his voice?’ Beth asked. ‘Did you ever talk to him?’

  ‘A little, when Leila and I first moved in. And he used to open his window and shout at the kids in the play area if they were causing trouble. Doris Goodman does it too. I’ve heard his voice plenty of times, but I didn’t make the connection until now. Have you found Buttons?’

  ‘No. The bear wasn’t in Weaver’s flat and as far as we know it hasn’t been found in or around the cottage. Forensics are doing a more thorough search now.’

  ‘That gives me some hope Leila is still alive,’ Kelsey said quietly. ‘She’s inseparable from Buttons.’

  Beth gave a small nod, although she couldn’t share Kelsey’s optimism.

  ‘Has Weaver done this sort of thing before?’ Kelsey asked, her face creasing with pain. ‘Taken kiddies.’

  ‘Not as far as we know. He wasn’t on the sex offenders’ register,’ Beth replied.

  Kelsey grimaced. ‘But he might have done things and not been caught?’

  ‘It’s possible,’ Beth had to agree.

  Kelsey took another tissue from the box and wiped her eyes.

  ‘We’re doing all we can to find Leila,’ Matt said. ‘And if Weaver has harmed her, he’ll pay for it.’

  Beth waited while Kelsey tried to compose herself before asking, ‘Did you know Doris Goodman owned a cottage that she lets people use?’

  Kelsey shook her head. ‘She wouldn’t tell me about something like that. I only spoke to her when I couldn’t find Leila. She always gave me a lot of grief for being a crap parent. Was it her place then, where Colin Weaver took Leila?’

  ‘Yes,’ Beth said. ‘But there’s nothing to suggest Mrs Goodman knew Colin had taken Leila there.’

  Kelsey looked at them in disbelief. ‘So the old cow knows everyone’s business but her own!’

  ‘We’ll keep you informed,’ Beth said. ‘Are you still sure you wouldn’t like a liaison officer?’

  ‘Yeah. I’ve got this far. Just find Leila for me, will you?’

  TWENTY-NINE

  ‘Good, you’re back,’ DS Scrivener said as Matt and Beth returned to the office. ‘Just in time to join the team brief. Weaver�
�s arrived. We’re waiting for his solicitor. Perhaps you’d like to share with us what Mrs Goodman had to say.’

  ‘Of course,’ Matt said, stepping forward and addressing the team. ‘She admitted she owns Heath Cottage and she knew Colin Weaver was staying there. It seems she lets people stay there, like a retreat. But she says as far as she was aware, Weaver was there alone. Apparently he phoned her last night complaining about it being cold. We also updated Kelsey Smith. She’s very upset, obviously, but she’s now convinced she heard Weaver and Leila in her flat the night Leila went missing. She thinks they were getting Leila’s teddy bear.’

  ‘Thank you,’ DS Scrivener said. ‘I’m not surprised Weaver phoned Mrs Goodman complaining about the cold,’ he resumed, addressing the team. ‘Local forensics phoned in with some preliminary findings. The place is falling down, the roof leaks and there’s no proper heating, lighting or cooking. Indications are that Leila spent a lot of time in the only bedroom that was habitable. She carved her name on the wooden bedhead in various places. It appears Weaver slept on the sofa. He’d been warming food on a camping stove and had visited Marsborough at least once to buy provisions. Forensics found a receipt from a supermarket there. A local officer is going to talk to the staff at the supermarket to see if anyone remembers him. An updated missing person’s appeal for information will be going out this evening, focusing on that area. If Weaver took Leila with him shopping, it might jog someone’s memory.

  ‘A stain that is almost certainly blood was found in the kitchen, but at present we don’t know if it’s Leila’s,’ DS Scrivener continued. ‘There is no sign of recent digging in the garden, but the cottage is on the edge of the moors and surrounded by marshland, so there are plenty of places to bury a body. Sniffer dogs are being deployed there shortly. A quick look at Weaver’s laptop showed he’d downloaded a number of children’s films, but so far no porn has been found. Digital forensics are going through it more thoroughly now. I’ll let you two interview Weaver when his solicitor arrives,’ he said to Beth and Matt. ‘Make it good. We need to find Leila. And ask him about the money he had on him. When he was arrested he was carrying a bag containing just under forty thousand pounds in cash.’

  ‘That fits, sir,’ Beth said, also addressing the team. ‘Weaver’s bank statements show he’s been withdrawing large sums of cash regularly over the last six months. He ran his savings account to zero. It’s possible he’d been planning Leila’s abduction for some time.’

  DS Scrivener nodded. ‘Good work, everyone. Now let’s find Leila.’

  An hour later, Beth and Matt entered Interview Room 2. Colin Weaver and his solicitor were already there, sitting on one side of the table. ‘Good afternoon,’ Beth said. ‘I’m Detective Constable Beth Mayes and this is my colleague DC Matt Davis.’

  ‘Deborah Harold, representing Mr Weaver,’ his solicitor said.

  Weaver was smaller than Beth had anticipated. She’d seen photographs of him, but sitting down, shoulders hunched forward, he looked insignificant and feeble. There was none of the arrogance or bravado that some suspects showed when about to be questioned.

  Beth sat opposite Weaver and Matt next to her.

  ‘Colin Weaver,’ Beth started the formalities. ‘This interview is being monitored and recorded and may be given in evidence if your case is brought to trial. We are in an interview room at Coleshaw Police Station. I am Detective Constable Beth Mayes and the other police officer present is Detective Constable Mathew Davis.’ She stated the date and time and then asked Colin Weaver to give his full name and date of birth.

  ‘Colin James Weaver,’ he said, his voice slight. ‘My date of birth is the third of November 1970.’

  ‘Also present is Ms Deborah Harold, Colin Weaver’s solicitor,’ Beth continued for the sake of the recording. ‘Do you agree that there are no other persons present?’

  ‘Yes,’ Colin said in the same small voice.

  ‘Colin,’ Beth said, leaning in slightly. His solicitor prepared to take notes. ‘Before we talk about the abduction of Leila, can you please tell us where she is? We are all very worried about her and Leila’s mother is heartbroken. We need to find her quickly.’

  Colin stared at her, tense and anxious. ‘I don’t know where Leila is. Honestly. This is all her mother’s fault.’

  ‘What makes you say that?’ Beth asked, surprised, as was his solicitor, who was looking at him.

  ‘If she’d taken proper care of her daughter, none of this would have happened.’

  ‘Can you explain, please?’ Beth said.

  Colin thought for a moment and then shook his head.

  ‘Whatever you think about Mrs Smith’s parenting,’ Beth said, ‘she is desperate for news of her daughter. If you cooperate and tell us where Leila is, it will help your defence in court.’

  ‘I don’t know where she is,’ Colin replied, his voice rising.

  ‘You were the last person to see her,’ Beth continued evenly. ‘We need to find her quickly. It’s not a murder charge yet.’

  ‘Murder? I didn’t murder her!’ Weaver cried. ‘I’m telling you, I don’t know where she is!’

  ‘You must have some idea,’ Matt said. ‘You kept her hostage, first at your flat, and then at Heath Cottage. Where is she now?’

  ‘I don’t know!’ he cried again.

  His solicitor looked up. ‘My client has told you he doesn’t know where the child is, so can we move on?’

  Beth nodded. ‘Colin, if you change your mind at any time during this interview then please tell us where Leila is.’

  He shook his head, but Beth wasn’t unduly disappointed by the way the interview had opened. They’d all been expecting a no-comment interview, which was doubtless what Weaver’s solicitor would have advised him to do – not to admit to anything. It was heartening he had engaged even this much. Beth was hopeful it wouldn’t be too difficult to lead him into a confession and for him to tell them where Leila was – dead or alive.

  ‘Where were you on the evening of Tuesday, the thirteenth of November?’ Beth asked.

  ‘In my flat,’ Colin said.

  ‘Which overlooks the children’s play area on the Hawthorn Estate.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You often watched Leila and other children playing there, didn’t you? Sometimes you told them off.’

  ‘If you say so.’

  ‘But Leila stood out from the others. She was there every evening after school and stayed much later than the other children, even after dark. You began going down there when she was alone, talking to her, giving her presents and forging a relationship with her.’ Beth paused and looked at him.

  ‘So what if I did?’

  ‘Leila was a highly vulnerable child, not very popular at school and crying out to be liked and to have someone take an interest in her. You offered her what she needed, gradually gaining her trust, grooming her for what you had in mind.’

  ‘I didn’t groom her!’

  ‘Then, on the evening of Tuesday, the thirteenth of November,’ Beth continued, ‘you waited until she was alone, then went down and talked to her for a while before taking her to your flat. Whatever you told her made her feel comfortable going with you. Then what happened, Colin? Did she fight off your advances?’

  ‘I’m not a paedophile,’ he shouted, his face creasing and his bottom lip trembling.

  ‘What else would you call a person who grooms a child and lures them back to their flat?’ Matt asked.

  Colin shook his head. ‘I was trying to help her.’

  ‘How?’ Beth asked.

  Weaver stared at the table, then said, ‘No comment.’

  Beth took a breath and glanced at the notes in the folder in front of her before continuing. ‘At some point that evening Leila must have known she wasn’t going home and wanted her favourite teddy bear, Buttons. I’m guessing she must have been pretty insistent, because you took the chance of going into her flat while her mother slept.’ Beth paused for Colin’s reaction, but he just
shrugged.

  ‘Leila might have thought it was a bit of game at this point,’ Beth continued, ‘because her mother heard her laugh. Kelsey also heard your voice, Colin. She recognized it from when you spoke to her when she first moved into her flat, and from hearing you shouting at the children from your window.’ Beth stopped. Colin was shaking his head. ‘Do you want to say something?’

  Colin stared at her, and then said, ‘No.’

  ‘Later that same night,’ Beth said, ‘Leila must have realized it wasn’t a game any longer, probably when you began abusing her.’

  ‘I didn’t abuse her!’

  ‘From then on you held her captive, locking her in the bedroom in your flat, at your mercy to abuse whenever you wanted. I can’t begin to imagine what that poor child went through.’

  ‘No! It wasn’t like that!’ Colin cried, his face reddening.

  ‘What was it like then?’ Matt asked, leaning in.

  ‘Please give my client a moment to compose himself,’ his solicitor said. Then to Colin, ‘Would you like to take a break?’

  ‘No. Let’s get this over with. It’s ridiculous.’ He sniffed, pulled a crumpled tissue from his pocket and blew his nose.

  Beth moved the plastic cup of water closer to him and continued. ‘In line with your plan, you went to work the following morning – Wednesday, the fourteenth of November – as if nothing had happened, locking Leila in the bedroom before you left. That night you moved Leila in your car to Heath Cottage, Fern Lane, which, as you know, is owned by Doris Goodman, having previously told her you were going there alone.’ Colin made as if to say something but then decided otherwise.

  ‘CCTV on all major roads along the route you are likely to have taken is being examined now for sightings of your car,’ Beth said. ‘We have found Leila’s DNA all over your flat and we’re expecting to find it in your car and the cottage too. A large amount of human hair, almost certainly Leila’s, has been found in a bin at Heath Cottage. The evidence against you, Colin, is overwhelming. If you tell us where Leila is, it will help your defence.’