Convictions

by Julie Morrigan

  Annie began to cry.

  ***

  ‘Bit of good news,’ Ruth Crinson announced. ‘We’ve found Tina’s bag.’

  ‘Where was it?’ Derek yawned and rubbed his eyes.

  ‘At the side of the A19, on the slip road for the Wessington Way turn off.’

  ‘That was after he went the wrong way,’ Tina chirped up. She had been driven along the road earlier in the day and had pointed out the place where she thought the man had pulled his car off the road and she had hidden in the bushes. Scenes of Crime Officers were busy both there and at Heworth Metro station.

  There was a knock at the door and Ruth went to answer it. ‘Television crew,’ she announced, coming back into the kitchen. ‘They’re going to set up outside for the interview.’

  Ruth wasn’t convinced this was a good idea at all, but it was a fait accompli. When Penny had rang work that morning to explain what had happened and arrange for some time off, her boss, whose daughter worked on the local TV news, had offered to see what he could do to help. A couple of phone calls later and it was all arranged: they would run a live interview with the Snowdon family on the lunchtime show.

  Ruth had spoken to DSI Philip Hardcastle, the senior investigating officer, and while he was no happier than she was, the police much preferring to handle media contact themselves, he was philosphical. ‘They’d be getting doorstepped by the press sooner or later anyway,’ he had said. ‘Just do what you can and make sure the helpline number gets an airing.’

  Derek stood up and stretched. ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘I’ll go and tell Penny.’ He headed upstairs to their bedroom, where, with Derek’s encouragement, his wife had gone for a lie down. She hadn’t expected to sleep, but she was sound when he went in. He didn’t want to wake her, she looked so peaceful and she needed the rest. They were exhausted, all three of them. The television crew saved him the trouble by clattering around outside and she sat up, blinking as he opened the curtains.

  ‘TV crew,’ Derek told her by way of explanation. ‘They’re getting ready for us to do the interview.’

  ‘I’m not sure we should.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘I’ve changed my mind. I don’t think we should do it.’

  ‘Pen, love, you arranged this. You invited them here. You can’t just send them away.’

  ‘They’ll think we did it.’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Them. People. They’ll think we’re like all those other parents who cry for their kids on telly, then it turns out they were the ones to have done away with them.’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Like that Sion Jenkins.’

  ‘No, love, they won’t. People know we’re not like that. Besides, there’s Tina to speak up about what happened. When she tells her story everyone will know it wasn’t us and they’ll help find the man who took Annie.’

  ‘I don’t want her on the telly.’

  ‘But—’

  ‘No “buts”. She’s not going on telly and that’s final.’

  ‘Pen, love, Ruth said Tina’s story would really, really help. People will listen to her, they’ll want to help her find her sister.’

  ‘Ruth isn’t Tina’s mum. I say “no”.’

  They heard the doorbell ring and headed downstairs. As they reached the bottom, Ruth opened the front door and she stood back to allow Derek’s mum to step inside. Mrs Snowdon stopped dead when she saw her son and daughter-in-law.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ she said, tears in her eyes. She looked wretched, exhausted, and Derek realised he and Penny probably looked like that, too.

  ‘It’s not your fault, Mum,’ said Derek. ‘You weren’t to know the girls would sneak out like that.’

  ‘Penny, love …’

  ‘You stupid old cow!’ Penny lashed out at her mother-in-law, slapping her hard across the face.

  ‘Penny!’ Derek manoeuvred his wife out of the way and put his arms round his mother. She was crying, and when she took her hand away from her cheek, the impression of Penny’s hand, red and angry, was clearly visible. Ruth hustled Penny into the kitchen and nodded to Derek to take his mother into the sitting room.

  Twenty minutes later, Derek’s mum had been despatched homeward in a taxi and Penny sat at the kitchen table puffing on her first cigarette in over ten years, scrounged from a young police constable. He was currently on his way to the shops to pick up a couple of packets of smokes and a lighter for her.

  ‘I asked Mum to give it a couple of days,’ Derek told Ruth. ‘She just feels so guilty, though. She wanted to see Penny and apologise in person.’

  ‘Well, it’s not her fault, but her timing couldn’t have been worse. We’re due in front of the cameras in ten minutes.’

  ‘Christ.’ Derek ran a hand over his face. ‘I should go and shave.’

  Ruth went into the kitchen. ‘How are you holding up, Penny?’ She squeezed her shoulder. ‘Are you up to doing this interview? You don’t have to, you know.’

  Penny stubbed out the cigarette with a shaky hand. ‘I’m okay. It’s just talking, isn’t it? Asking for help. I can do that, for Annie.’

  ‘I’ll be with you. So will Derek.’ Ruth took a deep breath. ‘It would be really helpful if we could have Tina there, too. It would give a powerful message if she told everyone what had happened and asked for help finding her sister.’

  Penny pursed her lips, then said: ‘Absolutely not. I won’t have my child exploited. I won’t make her stand in front of everyone and explain how her sister is God knows where because of her stupidity and selfishness.’

  ‘She made a mistake, that’s all.’

  Penny was suddenly angry again. ‘A mistake! Is that what you call it? My Annie could be dead because of that little fool’s mistake.’

  Ruth heard a sniff and turned to see Tina in the doorway, clutching the fluffy bunny to her chest; she turned and ran up the stairs. Ruth ran her hand through her hair: the poor kid would have to wait. She had enough on her plate right now with the parents and the television crew.

  ***

  ‘We just want our little girl back,’ Derek was saying into the camera. ‘Our little Annie. She’s so precious to us, both our daughters are, our family won’t be complete until we have Annie safe at home with us. Please, if you know anything at all, if you’re the one who’s got her, we just want her back. Our Annie. Please.’ He ran out of words, turned to Penny and put his arm around her.

  ‘If you know anything at all, please get in touch,’ Ruth was saying. ‘If you’ve seen anything, if you suspect anything, please tell us. No call is a waste of time and yours might just give us the piece of the jigsaw we need to get Annie home safe to her mum and dad.’

  ‘How’s Annie’s sister coping?’ the reporter asked.

  Ruth took it on board. ‘Tina is very upset. She’s been through a terrible ordeal and she misses her sister very much.’

  ‘And what about Granny? How is she?’

  ‘Naturally, she’s upset, too. But none of this is her fault.’

  ‘Yes it bloody is,’ Penny snarled. ‘Her and Tina, they did this.’

  Ruth reacted quickly. ‘Right, folks, that’s enough. Show’s over.’ She herded Penny and Derek back into the kitchen, leaving the television reporter, the crew, and the crowd of onlookers outside the house.

  ‘What were you thinking?’ snapped Derek. ‘Ruth told us, present a united front, a family pulling together in the face of tragedy.’

  ‘I didn’t lie!’ Penny yelled. ‘They are to blame!’

  ‘It won’t help anyone if you two fall out,’ said Ruth. ‘Simmer down, both of you. I know you’re under a lot of stress, but you have to hold it together.’

  ‘I know, Ruth, I’m sorry.’ Derek sat down at the kitchen table, head in hands. ‘Nobody knows what to do. What to expect. I mean, what are the chances of us finding Annie safe and well and bringing her home?’

  Slim and getting slimmer with each hour that passes, thought Ruth.

  ‘I’ll put the kettle
on,’ she said.

  ***

  ‘I want you to watch this, Sarah,’ the man said.

  ‘I’m not Sarah. I’m Annie.’

  ‘Look.’ He pressed a button and Penny and Derek appeared on the television screen, along with another woman that Annie didn’t recognise. ‘Watch.’

  Annie didn’t need to be told: she was glued to the screen, reached out her fingers to touch her mum and dad. The sound was turned down, but Annie knew they would be talking about her, knew they would be worried.

  ‘Look at those people,’ the man was saying. ‘They have no sense of duty. They let their precious little girls go out alone, at night, and they can’t even make an effort to look decent and respectable when the world is watching.’ He paused the image and Annie looked closely: her dad was dishevelled, his hair needed brushing, and her mum wore no make-up and her clothes looked like they’d been slept in. They looked exhausted. ‘How can they take care of you when they can’t take care of themselves? They don’t deserve you. That’s why God led you to me, Sarah.’

  ‘Annie.’

  He took her gently by the arms and turned her to face him. ‘No, child, not any more. “Annie” was a sad, lonely, neglected little girl with parents who didn’t care. Look at them.’ He turned her to the screen. ‘And listen.’ He hit play and turned up the volume.

  ‘Yes it bloody is!’ Penny snarled from the television. ‘Her and Tina, they did this.’

  Annie began to cry.

  ‘See? That’s what they think of you. They don’t want you back. They don’t love you.’

  ‘They do,’ Annie whispered. ‘I know they do.’

  ‘No, child. They’re glad you’re gone. You were a burden, Sarah.’

  ‘I’m not Sarah!’ Annie shouted. ‘It’s a stupid name, I don’t like it!’

  ‘What would you like to be called?’

  ‘Annie! I’m Annie!’

  ‘No, child, not any more. You can pick a nice name from a book I have. If you like, we can pick one together.’

  ‘Annie!’

  ‘No, not “Annie”. You can choose a name from the book with me or you can be Sarah, like I’d planned, but you aren’t Annie anymore; Annie’s gone for good. You’re our daughter now. You’re safe and loved, watched over by God, and we won’t ever let you out on your own to be taken away from us. Not ever.’

  ***

  ‘I’ve just heard,’ said Ruth. ‘There’s something useful on the CCTV from the Metro station.’

  ‘Have they got him?’ asked Penny.

  ‘They’ve got part of a number plate and the make and model of the car. There’s no clear image of the driver, but the girls can be seen quite plainly getting into the back seat of the vehicle.’

  ‘Is that enough?’ asked Derek. ‘Enough to get him?’

  ‘It’ll narrow it down to a list of people who’ll each get a visit from a police officer. How long it takes to contact them all will depend on the size of the list, and we may need to use other police forces, depending on where in the country those people are.’

  ‘Surely you just need to check the local ones?’

  Ruth shook her head. ‘We’ll check them all. Besides, Tina said the man sounded “posh”. That suggests his accent might not be local, which might mean he’s from out of the area. Heworth is pretty central, not too far from either the A19 or the A1. He could have come from anywhere.’

  ‘Dad, can I go to Hilary’s?’ Tina materialised beside her father, the ever-present bunny toy clasped tightly in her arms.

  Derek looked first to Penny, then to Ruth. ‘Yes, of course, love, if you want to.’ He stood up. ‘Come on, I’ll drive you.’

  ‘Let me do that,’ said Ruth. ‘Why don’t you two get your heads down, you look done in.’

  ***

  ‘She hates me,’ said Tina, as Ruth pulled away from the kerb.

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Mum. It’s all my fault and Annie was her favourite anyway. She really hates me now.’

  ‘I’m sure that’s not true, Tina. Your mum and dad are under a lot of pressure. That makes people say and do things they wouldn’t normally say and do, and that they don’t even mean. You feel it, too, don’t you?’

  Tina nodded. ‘I feel all funny inside. My tummy feels heavy and buzzy. All I can think about is Annie.’ She grasped the bunny’s ears tightly. ‘Will they find her?’ she asked Ruth.

  ‘I hope so.’

  ‘We had such a good time at the concert. It’s not fair. It shouldn’t have all gone wrong like that.’ She sucked in a lungful of air and hiccupped out a sob. ‘If only I hadn’t bought those T-shirts, we could have got a taxi. Or if I’d watched the time, we could have left earlier. Or if I’d taken more money. Or rang Mum and Dad. Or just got in a taxi then asked Gran to pay when we got there … I’d have still been in trouble, but Annie wouldn’t have been taken away.’

  ‘Shh, pet, you can’t think like that. You could drive yourself mad with all the “what ifs” and “might have beens”. You can’t blame yourself for that man being what he was. Any decent man would have taken you two girls home. He’s the bad one, Tina, not you.’

  ‘Do you think Mum will ever forgive me?’

  ‘I’m sure she already has. She’s tired and upset and worried about Annie. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you, but she knows you’re safe now, doesn’t she? And that’s what matters to her.’

  Tina wound the bunny’s ears round and round her fingers, over and over again, eyes on the toy.

  ‘It’ll be okay. You’ll see,’ said Ruth, pulling into the kerb.

  ‘I hope so,’ Tina replied in a small voice.

  ‘Trust me.’

  Hilary spilled out of the front door and ran toward the car, waving.

  ‘Now, you go and have fun with your friend. Call me when you want to come home, you hear?’

  Tina nodded, already halfway out of the car.

  ***

  When Ruth got back to the house, Derek and Penny were rowing at full volume. The police constable on the door looked distinctly uncomfortable, but the press were enjoying the show.

  ‘Clear off,’ Ruth shouted, as she locked her car and headed for the path. ‘I want them out of here,’ she said to the uniformed officer. Then louder, so the reporters could hear: ‘And arrest them if you have to.’ She turned her back on them, muttered ‘Fucking vultures,’ as she went into the house.

  Derek and Penny were toe to toe, at each other’s throats, red-faced and shouting. Ruth took one look, then went into the kitchen and put the kettle on. She made a pot of tea and raided the cupboards for biscuits, then went back through to the sitting room. The volume had decreased, but the bickering continued.

  Ruth had loved her dad. He taught her all sorts of things her mother disapproved of, such as how to gut a fish, climb a tree, and whistle. She put her fingers in her mouth and blew, and the resulting ear-piercing shriek got Derek and Penny’s full attention.

  They turned to face her. ‘Ruth! When did you …?’ Derek asked, as it registered that Ruth was in the house.

  ‘Come through to the kitchen, please,’ she said, then turned and led the way. They followed her and sat down at the table while Ruth poured tea for them all.

  ‘Now,’ she said. ‘What on earth was that all about?’

  Derek and Penny looked at each other. Their mouths worked, but neither said anything. Finally, they both spoke together.

  ‘Nothing,’ said Penny.

  ‘I don’t know,’ said Derek.

  ‘Look, I know you’re feeling the pressure, but I need you two to be strong, to be a team. And so do your girls.’

  Derek rubbed his eyes. ‘It’s the not knowing … but let’s face it, Ruth, whatever we’re going through, it pales into insignificance against whatever Annie’s coping with.’ He turned to his wife, covered her hand with his. ‘I’m sorry, love. I didn’t mean it, any of it. I’m just so …’

  She nodded, gripped his hand tightly. ‘I know. Me, too.’
<
br />   ‘Is there any news?’ Derek asked Ruth.

  ‘Nothing, yet. Leads are being followed up and people are being spoken to. We will find this man, I promise you.’

  ‘Then we can bring Annie home.’

  Ruth said nothing: she didn’t want to dent Penny’s optimism. When her mobile rang a few minutes later, the tension in the room was palpable, as was the disappointment when it turned out to be Hilary’s mum, saying that Tina was ready to come home. Ruth went to collect her, first warning Derek and Penny to keep cool heads.

  ***

  ‘You didn’t stay long,’ Ruth remarked to Tina when she had the little girl safely buckled into her seat.

  Tina shrugged. ‘It didn’t feel right.’

  ‘You girls didn’t fall out, did you?’

  Tina shook her head. ‘No, but I shouldn’t be enjoying myself when Annie’s missing.’

  Ruth reached over and squeezed her hand. ‘It is still okay to do normal things, you know.’

  Tina wound the bunny’s ears round and round her fingers. ‘Do you think Annie’s okay?’ She didn’t lift her head, just stared at the toy, kept winding the ears.

  ‘Well, we don’t know that she isn’t. That’s all we can say for sure right now.’

  ‘She’ll be scared, though.’

  Ruth said nothing. There was no need, they both knew it to be true.

  ‘What if he kills her?’ Tina’s voice was little more than a whisper. ‘Ruth, what if Annie’s already dead?’

  Ruth pulled over and parked.

  ‘Hilary’s brother said …’

  Ruth unbuckled her seat belt so she could move closer to Tina. She put her arm around her shoulders and turned the girl’s face up to hers. ‘What did Hilary’s brother say?’

  ‘He said that Annie was probably in a freezer in somebody’s garage by now, all cut up.’ Tina started to sob.

  ‘Take no notice of stupid talk like that. Hilary’s brother sounds like an idiot,’ said Ruth, fuming inwardly.