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

by Faith Mortimer

  Diana felt her skin crawl and the beginnings of trembling in her knees. Had something awful happened to him? In alarm, she backed away from the well, her mind in a whirl. What should she do? If it was Roger’s, he must have come up here last night, she thought and certainly before she and Clare had gone to his house. She remembered something Roger told her the previous evening before he left for home. He admitted something was troubling him, except he couldn’t remember what it was. He blamed his illness and the chemotherapy treatment for his forgetfulness. Roger had been out walking earlier that morning. What if he had seen something and not realised the significance of it. Supposing he saw Philip Bolton near William and Debbie’s house; he said he had seen him in his car.

  In a daze, Diana lifted the lid and pushed it back in place. She stumbled across the garden and made her way towards the outbuilding; she knew the drive to the road was in that direction. She was on the point of rounding the building when she heard a faint whimper. She stopped and listened, hardly daring to breathe. Had she imagined it? Diana looked around her and saw that the side door of the garage wasn’t properly closed. Should she ignore the sound and run down to the road for help? Or perhaps, if she took a quick peek inside, she might discover where the sound had come from. It might just have been a stray cat or rats, but she had to find out. What if it was one of the missing children? Their house wasn’t that far away, it could be seen from Bolton’s French windows.

  Inside the garage she found nothing much except Philip Bolton’s car, a floor littered with plastic and hessian sacks and a few gigantic pitharia. Despite her heart hammering from the shock of finding Roger’s scarf, she tiptoed over towards the car and squatted down to look underneath. The light was quite dim, so she couldn’t see anything except more old rubbish bags. She stood up and wandered round to the front of the car until she reached the other side where the huge clay pots stood. There was nothing between them, and she was about to leave when she noticed something caught in the passenger door. The draught from the open garage door caused the item to move, and it was the light reflecting from the shiny tinfoil material which caught her eye. Diana gasped.

  The mask looked exactly the same as the one she had given Hannah a few days previously. But…but how? Diana’s brain raced as the possibilities flew through her mind. It was improbable for Philip Bolton to have had one. Why would he have done? But the ghastly conclusion was that Hannah must have either been in his car or she had been there…Diana knew she had to get out and fast. She needed to get to the road and telephone her suspicions to Adam. Fear made her shake, and she felt nauseous at what could have happened.

  She began to edge round the car but was stopped. There it was again. A faint, but definitely tiny whimper. She could have sworn it came from the direction of the pitharia, but she had looked in the dark corners earlier and found nothing. The pots were huge with a rimmed opening halfway up the side. Her heart racing, Diana looked into the first pithari and found it empty. There must have been a leak in the roof, as she noticed water dripping onto the pithari. Melting snow, she thought. She moved to the next and cried out in surprise at what she saw. In the bottom, she could just make out a small figure, crouching down in about a foot of water. “Charlie?” she whispered. “Charlie, it’s Auntie Diana. Charlie, darling…come on, let’s get you out of there.”

  He shook his head and shrank back against the rear of the pot. She caught a look of terror in his eyes. How frightened this child must have been since he and Hannah disappeared.

  “It’s all right, sweetie, I’ve come to take you home. You know me…I came to your house last week.”

  At the cajoling sound in her voice, he raised his head and gave another pathetic whimper. Diana stretched towards him and lifted the soaking wet and shivering child into her arms. His thin little body felt freezing and Diana quickly took off her coat and wrapped it round him. Gently, she hugged the boy to her. His shaking little body was very nearly moving her to tears. She had to keep calm and ask him about his sister. “Charlie, where’s Hannah? When did you last see her?”

  In the gloom, Diana saw how Charlie’s eyes filled with tears and his lower lip quivered. “He took her. That fat man. I don’t like him,” he whispered.

  “No, I don’t either. Where, Charlie? Where did he take her?”

  “Don’t know. He said he had special plans for her. He hit me,” he swallowed hard, desperately trying not to cry.

  Diana’s heart contracted as she stared at Charlie’s blood-encrusted lips. He could only mean Philip Bolton. But where was Hannah? Adam said they had found one of her shoes by the river. Had Bolton thrown her in? Diana suddenly remembered Clare was all alone in the house with that monster. If Bolton had killed Hannah, her friend was in danger. Diana almost wept while she pondered what to do. Should she go back and get her friend out or first take Charlie to safety. She couldn’t remember ever being in such a dilemma as she was at that moment. Diana felt torn until she suddenly remembered Clare’s earlier words. ‘Just one thing, Diana. Whatever happens please remember on this occasion to use your head.’ At the time, Diana didn’t know what Clare meant…but it was obvious. She must have known something like this would happen…she had sensed it. With a resolve, Diana knew what she had to do, although she didn’t necessarily like it. She prayed Bolton wouldn’t suspect anything and that Clare would come to no harm before she returned. Surely, with two of them together, he wouldn’t dare do anything.

  Hugging Charlie to her, she hushed him and said she was going to carry him outside. “You must be a very brave boy and keep quiet. We don’t want the nasty man finding us, do we?”

  Charlie shook his head then asked in a small voice, “But what about my sister?”

  “Charlie, listen to me. There are lots of people not far away, who are my friends, and they are looking for you and Hannah. I need to telephone and let them know I’ve found you. They’ll come and help us. So first, I’m going to hide you somewhere safe, and then I’ll come back for Hannah, I promise. Okay?”

  When he nodded, Diana felt her heart do a flip. He was only about five years old, hardly more than a baby himself. She thought about her own child. If Poppy had been abducted how would she have coped?

  Chapter 32

  Adam and the search teams were gradually converging towards the road. Apart from finding Hannah’s shoe, they had found no other signs of the missing children, and everyone’s spirits were flagging. Most of them thought the worst, even if they didn’t voice their opinions. After seven hours scouring the land, they didn’t know what else they could do, but they were loath to call it a day.

  Randy and Wee Willy had reached the limit of their territory and had begun the ascent of the hill. They were within a mile from the drive at Philip Bolton’s house when Wee Willy’s mobile sprang into life.

  “At last, we have a signal. It’s probably Adam calling. I shouldn’t wonder he’s going to call the search off,” he said, before holding the phone to his ear.

  “Di! Yeah, yeah! Bloody hell! That’s bloody brilliant! What? Shit…yes, we’re the nearest. Okay, copy that. Yeah! Adam’s probably still out of range. I’ll keep trying him, and hopefully we’ll be with you in about ten minutes, okay? But listen to me. For God’s sake, do not go back into the house. Stay hidden until we arrive.”

  When he replaced his phone in his pocket, he looked visibly shaken. “Fuck me, Randy! You’ll never believe this.”

  “What? What’s happened? Is Diana all right?”

  “Yeah, she’s fine. She’s found the boy and he’s alive. I’ll tell you everything, but first we’ve got the run of our lives.”

  *****

  Diana settled Charlie on her hip, his legs around her waist, as she peeked out from behind the garage door. Bolton was nowhere in sight, and she hoped and prayed he was still inside his house. Taking a deep breath, Diana left the shelter of the building and sped across the snowy landscape towards the gate and the road beyond. As she ran, she expected to hear a shout and heavy foo
tsteps behind. Terror for the boy and herself gave her extra speed and strength, and despite the snowdrifts, she reached the end of Bolton’s drive without mishap. With her breath coming in gasps, she unlatched the gate and squeezed through. The road was icy and slippery in places from the melting snow that had refrozen due to the drop in afternoon temperatures. Please don’t let me fall! The thought passed through her mind as she plunged on down the slope of the road.

  Once they were a couple of hundred metres away from the house, Diana slowed down and looked round for somewhere safe and sheltered to hide herself and Charlie until Wee Willy and Randy arrived. She knew she should keep away from the fresh snow, as new tracks would lead Bolton to them if he decided to follow her. Apart from the usual sandstone walls and trees, there was nowhere which offered total concealment. Thinking of Bolton and his bulky figure, she guessed he wouldn’t be able to move very quickly, nor would he easily climb a tree. She decided that if she could hide Charlie up high, he should be safe for the time being. Wee Willy said they would be at least ten minutes, and Bolton might have become suspicious and gone looking for her.

  There were one or two carobs around, and the evergreen trees provided abundant leaf cover as well as a good perch for a small boy. Diana explained to a frightened Charlie that part of the plan was for him to hide in the tree until Diana’s friends arrived.

  “Will my daddy and mummy be with them?” he asked in a tremulous voice.

  Diana smiled and gave him a little squeeze. “Yes. My friends will have told them where you are,” she said, hoping William and Debbie were aware of what was going on, since she hated the idea of lying to a child. “It won’t be for long. You can keep my coat round you, but you must remember to stay hidden until I come and get you.”

  Diana couldn’t remember the last time she had climbed a tree and certainly never with a small child in tow. It wasn’t easy, as Charlie’s hands and bare feet were still so cold. He couldn’t grip, and Diana half pushed half dragged him into a forked branch where he wouldn’t fall. She explained that she would wait for her friends on the road, a little way off from the tree.

  Immediately, Charlie began to cry. “Please don’t leave me. I’m scared he’ll find me,” he sobbed. Seeing his pinched thin face and scabbed lips, Diana felt she just wanted to scoop him up and run all the way to the village with him. But it was neither practical nor possible. It was just too far.

  “I’m going to be just over by the wall. It won’t be for long. Look, if you peek through the leaves, you’ll see me. Okay?”

  Eventually Charlie stopped crying. He clung to a branch while watching Diana walk back over the uncovered rocks to the road. Once there, she dialled Adam and instantly got a connection. She explained in as few words as possible where she and Charlie were and what she had found on Bolton’s property.

  “Clare thinks that Philip Bolton is none other than Debbie’s old flame, the bookshop manager, James.”

  “Well done. She could well be right. He seemed to be close to Debbie back then and knew the children.”

  “They say that most murders are done by people who know the victims,” she added gloomily.”

  “Eighty per cent,” he agreed. She could tell by his breathy voice that he was hurrying as he spoke, and she hoped he wasn’t far behind Wee Willy and Randy.

  “And poor Roger. What’s become of him? He must have been pushed down the well. There’s a lot of water rushing through it. I…I just hope poor little Hannah—,” she couldn’t finish.

  “Di, please stop torturing yourself. The local police inspector has a team down at the river, and so far they’ve found neither Roger nor Hannah. We don’t know for certain what’s happened. What made you look down there, anyway?”

  “The coin. It was a strange two-pound coin lying on the top of the well wall. Because Roger collects coins, I thought it was his. It must have fallen out of his pocket. Are you nearly here?”

  “Yes, not far now.”

  “There’s something about Bolton that’s puzzling me, though.”

  “What?”

  “His binoculars. They’re not the type birdwatchers use because they’re too heavy. His are expensive Steiners.”

  “Perhaps they’re just for show. He knew he had to have a pair to make his cover look good.”

  “Yes, but these—ah, at last! Wee Willy and Randy have arrived. I’ll speak to you when you arrive.”

  “Excellent. Now remember Di, stay aw—”

  Diana never heard the end of Adam’s reply, as she hastily clicked her phone off and was waving like mad to attract the attention of two approaching hashers.

  It didn’t take long for Diana to bring Wee Willy and Randy up to speed. With the realisation of what had happened, their looks of astonishment changed to horror and then finally to grim determination. Both were fathers, and the thought of anyone abducting their children or grandchildren was completely abhorrent.

  Diana took them over to the tree where Charlie was hidden and speaking softly, she introduced him to them. At first, Charlie looked terrified at the sight of the two strange men, dressed up in jackets and woolly hats, but once Diana explained they were her friends, he became calmer, although still tearful.

  “Hey, little fella, we’re not going to hurt you,” Randy said as they stood beneath the tree. “You just stay there until you feel you want to come down, and then I’ll help you.”

  “There’s something I’ve not told you,” Diana confessed as she drew them a few feet away from Charlie’s hearing. “My friend, Clare, is still inside the house. Now, I’m sure Philip Bolton doesn’t suspect that we know he kidnapped Charlie and Hannah, and because of that she’s probably safe for now. The only thing is, I told him I was going to try and get a signal for my mobile, and I’ve been gone at least ten minutes. I have to get back to her before he guesses she and I are up to something.”

  Randy and Wee Willy looked aghast at her suggestion. “No. You can’t go back in there. Anything could happen. What would Steve say if you were hurt? I’d never forgive myself,” Randy said adamantly.

  “Me neither,” agreed Wee Willy. “It’d be madness.”

  Diana sighed. “Look guys. I am terrified of the man. I’ve seen evidence of what he’s capable of, but the two of us will be a better match than Clare on her own. I can’t leave her,” she finished, swallowing back the feeling of nausea which had risen in her throat.

  “Your policeman friend would never allow it,” Wee Willy said shaking his head. “He’ll be here soon.”

  Diana knew he was right. Adam would have had kittens if he learnt what she was planning.

  “Honestly, I’ll be fine. Please stay here with Charlie. I’ll go back, and somehow I’ll get Clare out. I can always stand outside his door and not go in. He can hardly refuse to let her go, can he?”

  While the two men looked at each other, Diana made a suggestion. “Can you get Charlie down from the tree, please? Although he’s wrapped up in my coat, he’s frozen. If he’ll let you, one of you could zip him up inside your own jacket, and he’ll be much warmer.”

  “Good idea. We’ll certainly give that a whirl.” While Wee Willy and Randy went to help Charlie from the tree, Diana took advantage of their turned backs and sprinted back up the road to the house, making sure she kept to the clear ice-free patches on the tarmac. When she was near the property, she paused and looked back. Wee Willy and Randy were standing on the road, and by Willy’s agitated gestures, she guessed he was on the phone to Adam. He had to understand! She dreaded the idea of going back inside that loathsome house, and she would have given anything for this never to have happened. But Clare was her friend, and Diana felt responsible.

  Like a sudden bolt of lightning, Diana had only just discovered that the real thing bothering her was that Clare truly believed Philip Bolton was Debbie’s old flame. Diana definitely thought otherwise. She didn’t know how it happened, but she felt sure she had proof. She had to warn Clare. She squared back her shoulders, ran a tongue over he
r dry lips and with her heart hammering against her ribs, walked towards the door. She would never ever let a friend down.

  Chapter 33

  Debbie stared at William in horror. She felt her face drain of blood, and she clutched the side of the table for support. The hashers had found Hannah’s shoe on the river bank! Did that mean she had fallen in the river? She shook her head to clear her thoughts. No! There was no way either child could have walked that far, and besides, the route wasn’t easy, especially in the snow. But what then? How could the shoe have got down there? Unless…someone had taken the children to the river. Debbie began to shake, and she fought to keep herself in control.

  “Are they searching the valley? Where is Adam Lovell now?’ she asked in a low voice.

  “The police have brought some extra men in and have it under control. Adam has left the river area, and he and the rest of the search parties are all on their way to meet up at the road.”

  Debbie looked at William. “Which road?”

  “Ours, they’re meeting somewhere between Roger’s and that birdwatcher’s house.”

  Debbie only half listened to his words; she was trying hard not to think about what could have happened to Hannah and Charlie. That birdwatcher’s house…she had only ever seen him from a distance, but was there something vaguely familiar about him? She closed her eyes and thought back to when Clare had hypnotised her. She knew she had mentioned seeing someone…my goodness! In an instant of pure lucidity, Debbie saw the awful truth and realised it might be too late.

  “Are you all right, darling?” William asked.

  Debbie looked up at him. Her shaking had stopped as she understood what she had to do. “I need my gloves, and I’ve left them upstairs.”

  “That’s okay. I’ll go and fetch them while you finish your tea. I won’t be a jiffy.”