CHILDHUNT: A Mystery & Suspense Thriller in the Bestselling Diana Rivers Series (The Diana Rivers Mysteries Book 5)

by Faith Mortimer

  “Accident?”

  “Mmm. Your mummy had an accident. Do you know what being dead means?” he asked.

  “It means…it means going to heaven. Being with God.”

  He smiled and nodded. “Clever boy, that’s right. You see, this morning after her accident, your mother went to God. That’s why all the police cars are there. So, until your daddy gets home, you have to stay with your uncle. He said you had to be good and look after your sister. You have to help me.”

  The boy looked shocked and his face blanched. Tears filled his eyes and his lip quivered. “Mummy’s gone to God? Then, then I want to go too,” he croaked.

  He smiled and pulled him back towards the cellar steps, where Hannah was still sobbing. “All in good time, I promise. All in good time.”

  Chapter 14

  Diana stopped her car just outside the gates of the lane leading to the Frosts’ house. Judging by the fuss, something was very wrong. She wondered whether she should continue up the drive or turn around. After all, she didn’t know the family well, and they might not have appreciated her intrusion. But when she had been sitting in her car a few minutes before, Diana felt a strange feeling of despondency. Something terrible had happened, and she wanted to help. As she dithered at the wheel, a pair of headlights appeared in her rear mirror, and the driver gave her a hoot. Another police car! To avoid blocking the entrance, Diana felt she had no choice but to go on up to the house.

  Finding a space, she parked her car and hurriedly got out. She recognised one of the occupants of the patrol car and didn’t relish the thought of meeting Inspector Andreas Christopopodoulou again. She and he had crossed swords before, and no doubt the bumptious little policeman would delight in ordering her away from the house if the opportunity arose. She considered him a police officer of the worst kind: self-opinionated, a braggart and a misogynist, especially with expatriate women. The front door to the house was ajar, and Diana hurried over before Christopopodoulou could acknowledge her, once he had finished his telephone call.

  Inside, she heard voices coming from the kitchen and the room William called the den. Diana walked towards the latter and after giving a tap on the door poked her head into the room. The first thing she noticed was William’s pale face. She couldn’t remember ever seeing such agony in a man’s eyes before. She caught her breath when her gaze swiftly took in the scene before her. Debbie was lying on the settee with her eyes closed, a dazed William perched next to her, holding her hand. William was the first to notice Diana’s presence, and he made a half-hearted attempt to stand up.

  “No, William, stay where you are. I hope I’m not intruding, but I saw the cars and the lights. Is there anything I can do to help?”

  Before William could answer, Roger appeared behind her carrying a laden tray. He looked relieved to see her and indicated she should go further into the room. “Diana…just the person. I was about to suggest to William that I should call you. We need some help.”

  Diana looked from one person to the other. She was surprised to find Roger there, as his house was all lit up when she drove past. Debbie so far hadn’t moved from her prone position.

  “Why? I mean, of course I’ll help, but what’s happened?”

  William struggled to speak, and Roger stayed him with a hand. “Easy, son. Take it easy, I’ll explain to Diana.”

  Diana dragged her eyes away from William and Debbie and looked expectantly at Roger. “You better make it quick before PC Slack gets in here. He followed me up the drive.”

  Roger shook his head and sighed. “That idiot! That’s all we need. Diana, something awful has happened. Hannah and Charlie have disappeared. They were playing in the garden one minute and apparently gone the next.”

  Diana felt her face drain of blood as an icy grip took hold of her heart. “Oh my God! When?”

  “This morning. We haven’t been able to get much out of Debbie because we think she’s in shock. But she did say she sent them out to play while she cleaned the house.”

  “William, I am so sorry. If there’s anything I can do then you only have to ask.” She turned from William to address Roger. “What’s happening with the police? Have they started a search?”

  “Er…I believe they were waiting for the inspector before they started.”

  Diana flashed a concerned look at William before glancing back at Roger and saying softly. “Great. Don’t they realise time is of the essence? They have to start immediately.”

  Roger looked embarrassed while he decided what to say next. “Yes. I think you should see this.” He motioned her over to where a table stood against a wall and turned the laptop resting on the top towards her.

  Swiftly, Diana read down the page on the computer, skimming over the photographs. At first she was puzzled. Yvonne Brookes—that name rang a bell, and then it hit her. She raised a stunned face towards him. “Am I right in thinking that Debbie is Yvonne Brookes?”

  Roger nodded grimly.

  “But did you know?” She saw from his look that he did. “How long have you known this?”

  “For some time. I’m sorry, William, I still haven’t explained to you yet because there hasn’t been time. But I will. I’ve told you I have nothing to do with this, in fact—” He broke off when two Cypriots walked into the room.

  Diana felt her heart plummet as she faced her old enemy, Inspector Andreas Christopopodoulou and his more human sergeant, Yiannis Loukiades.

  “So, what have we here? Mrs Diana, I see. Trouble always precedes you, if I remember.”

  “Inspector. Sergeant,” she mumbled, inclining her head in acknowledgment.

  “I understand we have two missing children. They’ve been gone for what? Three hours?”

  William nodded dumbly.

  “According to my sergeant here, who was first on the scene, I understand this has happened before to Mrs Debbie Frost, or should I call her Mrs Yvonne Brookes, perhaps? Before we start a search I need to first ask her some more questions.”

  William sprang up from Debbie’s side. “For God’s sake, man! What are you implying? My wife is incapable of harming our children. We need to begin looking for them now.”

  A gleam appeared in the inspector’s eye. “Indeed we do. But first I’d like to know why Mrs Debbie is covered in mud? Why was she digging in the ground? What has she hidden and where?”

  *****

  “At long last they’ve started a search,” Roger said as he walked back into the den sometime later with an armful of logs for the fire. William was in the kitchen talking to the police, and Debbie was in bed. “Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?”

  Diana smiled. “The inspector’s useless, but his sergeant’s pretty good…and polite. I can’t think why their ranks are not reversed.”

  “Family connections, like most things out here,” Roger grumbled in disgust. “Grease a few palms, and a plum job falls in your lap, easy as winking. Is the doctor still here?”

  “Yes. He’s going to give Debbie a sedative to help her relax. You know, Roger, this doesn’t feel right. We’ve got to talk to her. We need a proper talk with her. Debbie doesn’t strike me as a murderer and even less capable of killing her own children. I remember a bit about her case and trial. When was it five or six years ago?”

  “Six.”

  “What a coincidence that hers is one of the cases you’re interested in. I couldn’t believe it when I heard what you were telling William earlier. Neither could he, judging by the look on his face.”

  “I had to tell him. Apart from anything else, he deserves to know the truth. I couldn’t let him think I’d sent those awful emails. But there’s something else I haven’t told either of you yet.”

  Diana put her head on one side as she waited. “Yes?”

  “Mmm. The officer in charge back then in the UK was Adam.”

  Diana gasped. “What? You mean my old friend, Adam? Adam Lovell?”

  “The one and the same.”

  Annoyance rose in Diana, and she knew s
he was flushing. “I don’t suppose Adam’s visit out here has anything to do with Debbie, has it?”

  “It does.”

  “I knew it! I did wonder why he and Clare decided to come out on the spur of the moment. Did you put them up to it?”

  Roger looked embarrassed and made a show of poking the fire. “I’m afraid so. Adam and I have known each other professionally for many years. Now, Diana, please listen before you bawl me out. I’ve always been interested in what we call cold cases, and Yvonne Brookes was particularly fascinating. You probably don’t remember all the gory details, but she was set up by another police officer. Of course, it was all thrown out of court, and she was released. But you see, Adam, as officer in charge, always felt guilty because a member of his team was so utterly despicable in trying to frame a young woman. And more so, especially as her children were so brutally murdered. When I was finally convinced that Debbie was actually Yvonne, I let him know and suggested he join us here and ask her for an interview. He has always felt she didn’t tell the court everything there was to do with the case. He still believes she was holding something back. Anyway, he agreed, and said he and his girlfriend could make a holiday of it and see you and Steve at the same time. Now all this has blown up. It’s terrible.”

  Diana was silent as she pondered his words. She stood up and paced the room for a minute or two deep in thought. “It’s more than that. I can’t imagine anything more horrendous than losing your children.” She stopped and spun round to face him. “We’ve got to help William and Debbie. We can’t interfere with the local police and their search, but we can do our own research. And I’ve just had an idea. Adam Lovell is the perfect person to enlist to help as well.”

  “Absolutely spot on. They should be on the island by now, shouldn’t they?”

  “Yes. Steve and I haven’t heard from them yet, but I expect they’re unpacking or exploring the village. I’m going to go upstairs to see if there’s anything I can do to help Debbie, even just sitting with her and holding her hand if it helps. Perhaps you could make some more tea for all of us? My God, look at the snow now! Can you believe we’re in Cyprus and not somewhere in the Swiss Alps?” She wandered over to the window, and they both looked out at what was now a blizzard.

  “When I was out walking this morning I met Andreas up near his fruit farm. He went through all that sniffing the air palaver, looking up at Mount Olympus and sagely nodding. It was almost comical, but he was right, I’m afraid—the wind chill was terrible. Apart from him, I saw no one else. By the way, I nearly forgot. I did see our resident bird fancier. But he wasn’t braving the elements on foot, he was snug in his car. By Jove, it is a bloody awful day. Those poor kids…”

  Roger looked troubled, and Diana knew what he was thinking. How on earth were they going to find two small children in weather like this? Tiny little bodies couldn’t retain much heat. If they were exposed to the elements for even a short time, they would soon freeze to death.

  Time was not on their side.

  Chapter 15

  William sat at the table in the den and buried his face in his hands. He couldn’t believe it was only a few hours since he had left his wife and children, warm and happy in the kitchen while he set off for work. The three of them looked so contented. Debbie had agreed to try and integrate more into the community, and the kids were busy playing.

  What happened? Had he pushed her too far? What about the email? Had it generated something…?

  “By God, no!” He jumped up just as the inspector came into the room.

  “What? What have you remembered?” he asked, looking expectant.

  William blinked at the policeman as if in surprise. “My wife is incapable of harming our children. I have no idea what’s happened, but I’m sure she hasn’t done anything to them.”

  The Cypriot office pursed his lips and made a sucking noise between his teeth. “Perhaps not…normally. But maybe she went a little mad…it happens all the time. I’ve seen other women go completely crazy, and of course, there is the history of last time…” He waved a folder in his hand, and William guessed he had obtained a copy of the case concerning Debbie and her first two children, faxed over from England. William almost groaned in despair. Sometimes, technology these days worked against you.

  William bent over the table and clenched his hands into fists. He glanced up at the ceiling, ignoring the inspector. “I need help, not hindrance. My wife was innocent then just as she is now.”

  He stood up straight and looked around the room as if for the first time. It was in chaos. Items had been removed from the drawers of a dresser and strewn haphazardly on the floor. The police had made a quick search throughout the house before concentrating their efforts outside. A police photographer had arrived and was taking photographs of the kitchen and the den. William noticed where Debbie had obviously spilt coffee over her computer; it had dried to a sticky smear across the keys. Every policeman seemed to have a mobile telephone, and they all seemed to ring at once, every five minutes. William wanted to take their own house phone off the hook, but decided against it in case someone rang with news of the children. So far, there had been little aggravation from the media, and William thanked Cyprus for living partially in the ‘dark ages’. Had they been in the USA or the UK, they would have had hoards of cameramen, photographers and reporters banging on the front door by then.

  The inspector answered his own mobile yet again and finished the call saying, “I’ll make a statement later. Yes, yes, later.”

  William dreaded the idea of the newspapers and TV getting in on the act. He would never forget the haunted look on Debbie’s face when he last saw her. Feeling frustrated, he elbowed past the inspector, who was making another call, and rushed upstairs. William had left Debbie resting in their bedroom, and when he opened the door, he saw Diana sitting on one side of the bed, and he registered that the visiting doctor was on the point of leaving. Catching his eye, William half raised his hands in a gesture of appeal. Putting down his black case, the physician nodded, moved across the room to Debbie and spoke in a calm voice.

  “Debbie, William has come to see you. Debbie, I’m sure you can hear me. I said William is here. He’s worried about you. Please talk to him, Debbie.”

  William hurried to his wife’s side and knelt down. Debbie was lying in a similar position to when he left her. He saw that someone—Diana most probably—had removed her wet, mud-stained clothes and dressed her in a warm dressing gown. William felt his heart wrench. She looked so fragile and helpless lying there. He was instantly reminded of how much alike Debbie and Hannah were and nearly broke down.

  “Darling, it’s me, William. Debbie, please listen. You’ve got to help the children. The police are trying to find them. We’ve got to find them. Darling, please try and remember what happened because Hannah and Charlie need you, and only you can help.” His voice was low and thick with emotion.

  The doctor coughed. “Careful, William,” he said softly. “I’ve given her a sedative because she’s very shocked. So far, she hasn’t responded to anything I’ve asked her. I believe it might have something to do with the email.”

  William stared at Debbie for a moment before switching his attention to the older man. “Maybe you’re right, but we’ve got to be sure.” He moved his gaze from the kind, sensitive face of the practitioner and spoke to his wife in a gentle voice. “Debbie, sweetheart, please don’t worry about the email. I know all about it, and I’ll deal with it. The important thing now is to find the children. You must help us. Can you tell us why you were digging in the orchard with your bare hands? Did you lose something?”

  Debbie’s eyes flew open and she shuddered. She moved her lips and uttered a strangled cry. “Will! You have to find them…hurry.”

  “Yes, of course, darling. But you have to help us.”

  On hearing his words, she struggled to sit up and caught hold of his arm. William looked down and saw her torn and dirty fingernails. He noticed she had specks of soil o
n her face and in her hair. Why had she been out in the orchard in that dreadful weather? What business had she digging at that time of day and on someone else’s land? A feeling of deepest desolation hit him. Unless…

  The doctor shifted his weight from one foot to another. “The sedative should help her keep calm, but it won’t knock her out. Don’t overtax her, as she might have a relapse. I have to leave now, William, but please don’t hesitate to call me if things take a turn or you’re worried about anything else.”

  William nodded dumbly, and Diana watched the doctor as he left the room. Her gaze fluttered back to the desperate woman lying on the bed. She too wondered why Debbie’s hands were so filthy.

  *****

  Debbie fell back upon her pillows. She felt so weak and strange, dizzy and vague. It reminded her of a very long time ago. She struggled to remember exactly when. All she could tell was it had something to do with when her parents died. She recalled how dreadfully depressed she had been and how she had almost given up the will to live. Losing both parents at once was an appalling experience for a young woman. Debbie was an only child and had always been close to her mum and dad. She recalled feeling completely lost and bereft after their accident; she had never been alone in the world before.

  She corrected herself. She hadn’t been entirely alone—just without any close relations. Thank goodness Claude was on the scene. When she told him about the accident, she broke down in floods of tears. He had been so supportive, kind and loving. It was Claude who arranged their funeral and helped her write short thank-you notes to sympathisers. He worked tirelessly, helping her choose suitable music and prayers at the funeral, organising a cold buffet after the service for the mourners. Nothing had been too much trouble. She did everything he suggested as if she was in a dream; she felt so tired and pathetic. Claude had been a strong person to lean on while she was in that lethargic state. When he insisted they get married soon after, she was so relieved. Dear Claude, he was so sweet and understanding back then, but it was a long time ago. She tried not to think about Claude or Sally and Stuart.