by Carol Wyer
‘Mount. You done now? Want me to lock it up?’
‘Leave it open, please. I don’t suppose you have any idea where Ned might be?’
‘He usually turns up round about now. We have a bit of a Sunday morning club thing going on here. A few of us who don’t have families meet up for tea and cake. I’m surprised he isn’t already here. He catches the eight o’clock bus.’
‘I’d like you all to keep away from the allotment today.’
‘Why?’
‘We can’t discuss an ongoing investigation but I’d appreciate it if you could contact your friends and tell them the allotments are out of bounds. Now, if you wouldn’t mind packing up, we need to clear the area.’ She strode towards Barbara Whitmore, who was watering some plants.
‘I’m going to have to ask you to lock up the gate to the allotments, hand me the key and leave the premises.’
‘But Sunday is one of our busiest days of the week.’
‘Sorry. Not this Sunday.’
The woman put down her watering can. ‘I’d like to protest about this.’
‘If you’d like to put in an official complaint, please do, but I shall still have to ask for your cooperation. Could you please vacate the premises immediately and hand the key to my colleague?’
Natalie ignored the woman’s huffs of irritation and hastened to the Audi. She rang the office and Murray answered. ‘Natalie, glad you called. Ned’s not at his house and there’s no sign of the Yaris. Ian’s still in position there in case he returns.’
‘Put out a call on the car.’
‘Done. Tech team are searching for it on safety cameras too.’
‘Good. I need a warrant to search his house and another for the allotments. I don’t like it, Murray. He’s got packets and packets of seeds for yellow flowers – only yellow – and we’ve found Sage’s locket in his shed. His patch has recently been turned over. There are six areas of equal size marked out on it. One has a marker for lily of the valley but there’s no sign of any flowers or plants. I want to dig it up.’
‘You don’t think he’s buried Sage there?’
‘I hope to God he hasn’t.’
‘I’ll sort it. Do you want to try Ned’s house or stay there?’
‘I’m leaving Lucy here. Will you come over and bring a team to search the plot? I’ll head to the house and join Ian. Let me know as soon as you’ve got the warrants.’
‘Natalie, I typed lily of the valley into a search engine. This website says the flowers represent sweetness and purity of heart.’ Lucy lifted her mobile to show what she’d found. ‘I think he might have buried her there.’
The gnawing, like hundreds of tiny teeth trying to eat through her stomach lining, began again. She fought the pain. This had to end now. If they found Sage in the allotment plot, she would never forgive herself.
She tore away from the allotment, praying she was wrong.
Thirty-Eight
SUNDAY, 30 APRIL – MORNING
Ian was in his car, seat reclined, eating a chocolate bar when Natalie tapped on his window.
‘Morning, guv,’ he said. His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep. ‘Fancy some breakfast?’
He held up two more bars of chocolate.
‘Cheers. Okay if I join you?’ She headed around to the passenger side and got in, took a bar from him and ripped off the wrapper. Maybe the chocolate would help ease the writhing in her stomach.
‘Think it’s him?’ said Ian, eyes trained to the end of the street. There were no cars.
Natalie looked across at the entrance to the park. It’d only been three days since she’d been here staring at the sweet face of Audrey Briggs, and since then, another child had died and yet another was missing. ‘Yes.’
‘Who’d have thought it? My money was on Ava’s father or mother. I figured they were seeking some sort of warped revenge. Goes to prove you can’t trust anyone. They’re a worry.’
‘Who?’
‘Kids today. My girlfriend’s expecting our first. Due in six months’ time.’
‘I didn’t know. Congratulations.’
‘I try not to bring personal life to work. Thanks. Have to say I’m a bit worried about it though. This job doesn’t help. I see loads of shit stuff and know my little one is going to be journeying through a dark world.’
‘It’s always been a dark world, Ian. We managed to navigate its pitfalls as did millions of others. Warn your children of them, try not to put too much pressure on them and listen to them when they need you to. That’s all we can do as parents and hope they don’t make too many mistakes.’
‘You get on okay with your children?’
‘I could do better.’ She finished the chocolate, balled the wrapper and shoved it into her pocket to dispose of later. Her phone rang. Murray was to the point.
‘Got them. I’ve sent an officer across with yours. On my way to the allotments.’
They waited a further ten minutes. Natalie chewed over every detail of the investigation, trying not to focus on the passing time, or on the possibility of Howard’s daughter being buried at the allotments. Ian left her to her thoughts. Eventually, a police car came into view.
‘Let’s go.’ She threw open the car door, collected the warrant and marched up to Ned’s house. She knocked loudly and rang the bell then walked around to the back door. ‘Mr Coleman, open up.’
There was nothing. Having proclaimed her intentions to enter using force, she nodded at Ian, who broke open the back door with the police-issue battering ram, sending it crashing against the jamb and splintering the wooden panels.
Natalie called out again. ‘Mr Coleman, if you are at home, please answer me.’ She was met with silence. She pulled on plastic gloves and spoke to Ian. ‘You take downstairs. I’ll take upstairs. We’re looking for anything that links him to any of the girls.’
The house was tidy and clean, and the bathroom smelt of pine. She noticed the old-fashioned shaving brush hanging from its stand next to a recently used bar of soap, covered in a light foam.
There were two bedrooms upstairs. She chose what appeared to be his room. A Teasmade stood on a bedside locker next to the bed. The wardrobe only contained a few outfits and a shelf of neatly folded vests and jumpers. Two pairs of shoes – shiny brogues and another more casual pair – were arranged on a shoe stand. A black tie hung on the back of the door. The drawers were ordered: socks rolled and arranged according to colour; underwear the same.
A dressing table had been left as an homage to his deceased wife. A porcelain necklace and ring holder supporting a few beaded necklaces and a brush and mirror set had been left in front of the mirror. Natalie caught sight of her haggard face in the glass and turned away quickly.
The second room chilled her. It contained little furniture – only a bed and a wardrobe – but a collection of dolls sat on the bed had been positioned to face the door. They were of various sizes and makes, some chubbier with cheerful smiles, some with long hair and tiny adult faces, and others with serious blank faces. They all had one thing in common: they were all dressed in yellow outfits. Natalie looked away, opened the wardrobe door and remained there for a second trying to comprehend the enormity of what she was seeing. Hanging in front of her, each in polythene protector bags, were two yellow dresses, identical to the ones they’d found.
‘Ian! I’ve found the dresses.’
Ian thundered up the stairs, his footsteps heavy on the thin carpet. ‘I might have something else,’ he said and lifted the object in his hand. ‘There were two dog leads hanging up beside the door. One’s thin and looks a little chewed in places where the dog’s pulled it, and then there’s this one.’ The lead he held up was shiny and new and pale yellow.
‘Bag it. We’ve got him. Got to locate him now.’
She raced down the stairs and called Aileen. ‘We’re sure it’s Ned Coleman. There are two dresses hanging in his house and we might have the murder weapon. I’m sending Ian back to the lab with it immediately. N
eed backup to search the rest of his house.’
‘I’ll arrange that. Any idea where Ned is?’
‘The tech boys are searching for the Yaris. There’s a call-out for it too. Ned won’t get far. I’m going across to the allotment now.’
She ended the call and gave Ian instructions to wait for the officers then take the dog lead and dresses to the lab. She hurtled towards her car and jumped in. It wasn’t far to the allotment. She had to know. There’d been five dresses. Two had been found on the bodies of Audrey Briggs and Rainey Kilburn. One was missing. By now it would surely be on Sage Franks.
Lucy and Murray stood side by side, hands thrust deep in pockets. A chill wind had blown up from nowhere and grey clouds had moved in, providing a suitably sombre atmosphere for the setting. A small team had arrived and were unloading their equipment at the far side of the allotment.
‘I don’t think I can bear to watch,’ said Lucy. ‘I just know she’s going to be there. I can’t imagine how we’ll break it to Howard.’
‘You’ll be okay,’ said Murray, who moved closer, the warmth of his body rising towards her.
Their conversation dried. The team were upon them.
‘Where do you want us to start?’ said a dark-eyed officer.
‘That patch,’ said Murray. ‘The one with the plant marker.’
The men dug with care, lifting the soil spade by spade, beginning at one end of the patch, closest to the stick. The wind blew in gusts that made Lucy sink her hands deeper still into her pockets and hunch her shoulders. Murray remained by her side.
Shovel after shovel of rich brown earth was lifted and placed upon a plastic sheet adjacent to the plot. With each shovel Lucy released a breath, then tensed once more as the spade slapped again into the ground.
Time slowed as she watched the two men work, and then the moment she’d dreaded happened. One of the spades clanged against something. ‘Whoa!’ she called. ‘There’s something there.’ They stopped digging and knelt to examine the find.
‘It’s a wooden box,’ said the officer with the dark eyes.
Lucy looked at Murray. Neither spoke. The silence was broken by an engine, and a dark-grey Audi ground to a halt near the gates. Natalie emerged and broke into a trot towards the gate.
‘Natalie! Here!’ Murray’s shout filled the air.
They waited until she’d reached them.
‘Wooden box,’ said Murray.
‘Okay. Dig with care,’ said Natalie. A sudden pain made her double over. An inner voice whispered Olivia. She was terrified of what they might unearth. She couldn’t face failing another child.
‘You okay?’ Lucy rushed to her side.
‘Fine. Stitch. Ran too quickly.’ Natalie pressed the tender area and, wincing slightly, drew herself upright.
The officers had put down the shovels and were now scraping the dirt away from the box with towels. Little by little a lid became visible. It was a wooden casket.
‘Oh God,’ muttered Lucy under her breath. She half-turned away.
The officers continued working.
‘It’s small,’ said one.
Natalie pushed the flesh of her stomach hard to halt the throbbing. The wait was unbearable. The officers cleared away the dirt more quickly, scraping with gloved hands, and finally uncovered a wooden casket.
‘Looks too small to contain the body of a child,’ said Murray.
‘Open it,’ said Natalie.
The officers worked loose the screws and lifted the top. The inside of the coffin was fitted out with silken material, and lying inside, wearing a yellow dress, white socks and black shoes, with its eyes closed, was a doll with blonde hair.
Natalie’s chin jutted forwards and the tension vanished from her shoulders. ‘There’s nothing else there, is there?’ she asked the officers.
‘Don’t think so.’ They scraped away more earth to make sure while Natalie stamped her feet to put some feeling back into them. Murray lifted the doll up. Its eyes opened.
‘What the fuck is this all about?’ asked Lucy.
‘I don’t know but I don’t like being pissed about,’ said Natalie. ‘I can’t hang about here playing his stupid games. Come on. We’re going to find out where he is and where he’s taken Sage. Better bring that with you,’ she added, indicating the doll. ‘And the casket.’
She marched away across the allotments, breath coming in sharp bursts. The pain was easing. If she were to be honest, she’d far rather be annoyed at finding a plastic doll than Sage in the coffin. Her only fear was that Sage was hidden elsewhere; a little girl buried in a yellow dress.
Thirty-Nine
SUNDAY, 30 APRIL – LATE MORNING
Natalie was in a foul mood. She couldn’t make up her mind if Ned was deliberately attempting to needle them by burying the doll in a man-made wooden coffin or was genuinely disturbed. Either way, she wanted him found but Ian and the other officers, who’d been drafted in from the technical side to assist, hadn’t yet located a dark-blue Yaris on security cameras throughout Uptown.
Using the overhead projector once more, Natalie pulled up the map of Uptown with Ned’s house circled.
‘We’ll have to work it out using old-fashioned logic,’ she said, tapping the image with her forefinger. ‘We don’t know what time he left his house and that’s making this all the more difficult. I’m going to base my judgements on the premise Ned is clever and way ahead of us. He’s fooled us into believing he’s an old man who wouldn’t hurt anyone but we’ve discovered he’s devious and able to move about undetected. He is not to be underestimated. So, let’s assume he took a route to avoid all cameras. Which direction could he have taken from his house for that to be the case?’
‘Left out of his house, past the open-all-hours shop where Audrey was heading and right along that street. That’d take him to the church, and beyond that are lanes leading to two villages, neither of which contain cameras,’ said Ian.
‘That’d be Kingstone and Honiton,’ said Natalie, pointing them out.
‘There’s a disused quarry at Honiton,’ said Ian.
‘He might have taken her there. Murray, you head in that direction.’
Lucy spoke up. ‘There’s not much at Kingstone, only the garden centre just outside it.’
Natalie took a step backwards, a sudden thought taking shape. Could he? ‘Roselyn told me he purchased plants at Kingstone. I’m going out on a limb here. Lucy, come with me. We’ll try the garden centre. Everyone here is to stick to working on the footage in case we’re wrong. We’ll stay in touch at all times, using the communications units. Anything else comes up here, let me know, Ian.’
Chairs scraped back as one and the room filled with urgent rustling as jackets and communications units were grabbed. They clattered downstairs one after another and peeled off into two cars, Lucy diving into the passenger seat of Natalie’s car.
They pulled out of the car park at speed and hurtled towards Uptown, where at a junction they went in different directions. As the car jolted down the potholed lane, Ian’s voice crackled through the comms unit.
‘Forensics have discovered traces of Rainey’s DNA on the dog lead we found at his house.’
Natalie gritted her teeth and drove with even more determination. Hedges flashed past and the first heavy drops of rain tumbled from a leaden sky and bashed against her windscreen. The gnawing in the pit of her belly had returned. What if we’re too late? Lucy must have been having the same thoughts because she asked, ‘What if he killed her yesterday? He might have done a bunk.’
‘I don’t think he’s gone. He probably doesn’t even know we’re onto him yet. Two of the yellow dresses are still hanging in his wardrobe so he hasn’t yet completed his task.’
‘He might have already killed her though.’
Natalie shook her head. ‘He snatched Sage from where he found her. He hasn’t done that before. Also, Sage wasn’t at the birthday party in 2015. He’s not following the same modus operandi so I’m hoping he ha
sn’t harmed her. I’m clutching at straws here but I have a hunch he’s taken Sage to the garden centre. Ava was buried behind a similar centre and I suspect Ned is doing this either because of what happened to Ava or because that’s where this all began, and he killed Ava.’
There was more crackling and Murray’s voice. ‘I’m at the quarry. No sign of a Yaris or anyone. I’m going to look about.’
The sign for the garden centre loomed on the right.
‘Just arrived at the garden centre,’ said Natalie, turning into a gravelled car park. She checked the time on the car display. It was coming up for eleven thirty even though it felt much later. Lucy let out a gasp.
‘The car. It’s here.’
The Yaris was close to a trolley park to one side of the car park, well away from the entrance. They ran across to it and were met with a sudden yapping. A small, grey-faced black dog raced from one seat to the other, barking furiously.
‘Shh!’
Lucy was answered by another volley of barks that got louder and louder.
‘Shut up, will you?’
Natalie tried tapping on the car boot lid but couldn’t identify any sound from within.
‘We’ll try inside the centre. Could have taken her there.’ As they dashed towards the entrance, she shouted into the comms unit, ‘Ned’s here. The Yaris is here. I repeat, Ned’s here.’
‘Where shall we look?’ Lucy’s head turned left and right. A couple was standing in front of a hanging basket collection. Further ahead, another pair wheeled a large trolley filled with individual plants. Plant displays stood to the left and right of the aisle, which branched out into an outside area. Overhead signs directed customers to perennials, shrubs, trees and evergreens. The place was humungous. Natalie had no idea where to head.
