Chapter 14
DI Radford’s face was burning when he left the Chief Inspector’s office. The dressing down had been civilised, but it was still a dressing down and Radford’s pride was stinging from it. It wasn’t that he felt the Chief Inspector was being unfair — he just hated to be in the wrong and he couldn’t deny that he’d made a mistake in underestimating the kidnappers. There was a young boy’s life was at stake and he, as well as every officer on the case, desperately wanted a good outcome. He and his men were working long hours and putting in their very best efforts to find Danny and now he felt he’d let everyone down.
‘There’s someone here to see you,’ DS Best said, breaking into Radford’s reverie.
‘Not now. I need some coffee and a few hours’ kip and I suggest you do the same.’
‘I think you’ll want to meet this man.’ Best was smiling. ‘His name’s Jack Priestly — DI Priestly, from Leeds.’
Best led Radford to the incident room to find DI Priestly sitting on the corner of a desk, drinking coffee from a plastic cup.
‘That stuff will rot your insides,’ Radford said, holding his hand out to the visitor. ‘Don Radford — how can we help you, DI Priestly?’
Jack Priestly stood, smiling, and shook hands with Radford.
‘Call me Jack. I was hoping we could perhaps help each other,’ he said. ‘I’m interested in your kidnapping case, which Graham here’s been telling me is still not resolved.’
Radford grimaced. ‘It should have been wrapped up today, but things didn’t go to plan and we lost the trail. What’s your interest in it, Jack?’
‘There are aspects which are similar to a case we had earlier this year in Leeds and also to one in Liverpool over a year or so ago.’
‘Please tell me that they were resolved satisfactorily,’ Radford said.
‘Yes, in the fact that the kidnapped child was recovered safely, but no, in that the kidnappers were never apprehended. They just seemed to disappear once the money was paid and we’ve had no leads so far, until I saw the MO on your case.’
Radford’s tiredness suddenly evaporated and he was ready to compare notes.
‘DI Priestly was involved in the Bryson kidnap case.’ DS Best sounded impressed with their visitor and Radford’s eyes widened in recognition.
‘Isn’t that the case which spanned fourteen years?’ he asked.
‘Yes, that’s the one. I was a FLO in those days and the Bryson kidnapping was my first case in the role.’
Best was fascinated by the case — it had been well documented in the media at the time and he’d followed it keenly.
‘I grew pretty close to the family and as the case was never closed, I visited at least once every year, if only to let them know that we hadn’t forgotten them,’ Priestly continued. ‘There was an older child, Elise, who never gave up hope that her sister would be found. I didn’t know what to think, but it was a case which I’ll never forget. It’s strange how such an incident affects families in different ways. The Brysons drew closer together, stronger in the face of such adversity, although those fourteen years were always overshadowed by the loss of their youngest daughter. In this more recent case, however, the parents couldn’t seem to work together and I’m not sure their marriage will survive, even now when their daughter is back home with them.’
‘So what makes you think your case might be the same crew as ours?’ Radford asked.
‘Well, it doesn’t fit the regular MO of a kidnapping. The glaring point which I first connected is the low ransom demand. I believe your case is three hundred thousand?’
Radford nodded.
‘Ours was four hundred thousand and the case in Liverpool three hundred and fifty. The victims are all children of roughly the same age and snatched while walking to or from school, making them easy targets. In all three cases the parents are professional people, not rich or famous, just ordinary families. It simply doesn’t make sense going to all the bother of a kidnapping for such a relatively small amount.
‘So my thinking now is that they plan to kidnap several children, in different areas, for a relatively small ransom, in the hope that the parents will pay up, perhaps even before going to the police. To be honest if it was one of my children, I’d pay up, get my son back and then track them down to bring them to justice. It also makes me wonder if they’ve got away with other kidnappings which haven’t been reported. If a child was returned unharmed, the threat of repeating the crime if the family reported it would be an intimidating thought.’
As Priestly was speaking, Radford was nodding. He too had wondered about the low ransom demand; it was almost as if the kidnappers had deliberately set a figure which they knew to be within their victims’ means.
‘These kidnappers didn’t make their demands until the following morning, by which time we’d been on the case for several hours,’ Radford told Priestly.
‘Yes, that fits in with our case too. The girl was twelve years old and she was snatched after school, but no demand was made until the following day. Her parents had already involved us by then, just as with you. I think the kidnappers are so confident, they think they can outwit us. Janine’s parents are both doctors, consultants in their chosen fields and quite honestly the money wasn’t really an issue. They managed to get it together and went along with the kidnappers’ instructions for the hand-over, only to have the arrangement changed at the last minute. The father set off to the rendezvous as instructed, with us tailing him, but he suddenly changed direction. He pulled into a multi-storey car park and I’m afraid we lost him. His car was soon found by our men, but he’d continued on foot into a busy shopping centre where the exchange took place. Fortunately they did release Janine, but got away with the money. The father...’
‘Found a mobile phone in his car?’ Radford interrupted, ‘with new instructions, which effectively meant that you could no longer trace the kidnapper or the money.’
‘Exactly! So that’s already happened with you?’ Priestly asked.
‘Yes. If only you’d turned up yesterday things might have been different. But our boy hasn’t been released yet and the kidnappers have got most of the money.’
Priestly looked puzzled so Radford explained that the parents couldn’t raise the full amount and had risked paying only a part of the specified ransom.
‘What was the reaction of the kidnappers?’ Priestly asked.
‘Well, surprisingly, they agreed to another forty-eight hours to allow the parents to find the balance, but they’ve added on a little more for their trouble.’
‘So you’ll be waiting for more instructions?’
‘Yes. The kidnappers took the phone they’d left in the car, so it’s anyone’s guess how they’ll communicate now, but we’ll be ready this time.’ Radford was frowning. He’d heard from Suni that the Stones had managed to raise the extra money and were picking it up at the bank the following morning.
‘What do the parents do?’ Priestly asked.
‘He’s a barrister and she runs her own recruitment agency.’
‘I’d have thought that kind of sum wouldn’t have been a problem to them. He alone must be making near to a hundred grand a year?’ Priestly said.
‘My thoughts too, but apparently it’s come at a bad time for him. He’s committed to some investments recently, or so it seems. The money issue does seem to have been causing a rift between the parents, but we’re pretty sure they’re not involved with the kidnapping in any way and your information would support that now. If this is the same crew and there are at least two of them according to Stone, they now have to be a little more resourceful in getting the rest of the money. Which I suppose means we’ll have to do the same to catch them.’
‘So where are you now in regards to the investigation?’ Priestly asked.
‘I’m not expecting anything to happen today. The kidnappers agreed to another forty-eight hours so they’ll probably not get in touch today — early
tomorrow perhaps? I don’t know how they’ll do it. Last time it was a letter delivered by the paperboy and then the mobile in the car. The FLO is with the family and on top of things for now. We spoke to the father when he returned early this morning but he wasn’t able to tell us anything of any value. I’d like to speak to him again now that he’s had time to think about things. You’d be welcome to come along, Jack.’
‘Yes, I’d be interested to meet the parents. It’s probably unlikely that there’s a connection between the families but that’s something I haven’t ruled out yet.’
‘Good, a fresh pair of eyes is always welcome and who knows, you might pick up on something we haven’t.’ Radford was happy to have Priestly along. ‘We can set off now if that suits?’
‘What about the sleep you were going to grab?’ Best reminded his boss.
‘The moment’s passed. I’ll settle for a coffee, but not that foul machine stuff. We’ll grab some on the way. Sleep’s overrated anyway.’
‘I was going to go back to Stone’s chambers now, to follow up on some of those contacts they gave us. Do you still want me to do that?’ Best asked.
‘Yes, the more I hear, the more convinced I am that the kidnappers know the family somehow. Let me know if you find anything interesting,’ Radford said before ushering Jack Priestly out of the office.
Chapter 15
The low, rumbling sound of thunder woke Danny up. His first thought was that this could be the day when he would be released. He listened, straining to hear any noises which might be coming from downstairs. Only the growl of the thunder and the splash of rain filled the room.
It was eight am. Danny felt sure he would have woken if Pete and Dave were back. The van’s engine was noisy. He was surprised he’d slept for so long and scrambled to his feet to try the door. It was open, so Danny went quietly along the corridor to the bathroom. When he came out, Lewis was waiting for him with a slice of bread and a glass of water. Danny ate hungrily while his friend watched.
‘So you did sleep then?’ Lewis grinned.
‘Yes. What time do you think Pete will come?’
‘Not sure. If your dad has the money and all goes well, then I’d guess he’d be here by lunchtime. You never know, he might even bring us something decent to eat if he’s in a good mood.’
‘I’d rather he just let me go. If he does, where are we? Unless Pete takes me back into Bristol, I won’t have a clue how to get home. Are we far from town?’
‘I’m not supposed to say...’ Lewis was thinking. ‘In fact I’m not really sure myself. I do know that they drove you around a lot to make you think it was a long way from Bristol, but it’s not. They’ll probably drop you near a service station. Then you can call your parents from there.’
The storm outside was worsening. A flash of lightening lit up the room and made both boys jump. Then they laughed at their reaction.
‘Blimey, we’ve got enough to worry about without being struck by lightning!’ Lewis said. He went to the window to look out. ‘This wall’s soaked.’ Danny looked up at the ceiling to see water pouring in and down the wall. ‘Let’s go downstairs. Mum’s still out of it so we’ll not get an ear bashing from her.’
‘What about Pete and Dave — won’t they be coming soon?’ Danny didn’t want to encounter them until he really had to, which would hopefully be when he was on his way home.
‘They’ll be ages yet and if they do come, you can get back up here before they get in from the van.’
Lewis led the way. His mother was still on the sofa, snoring gently as they passed her by to get to the kitchen. An empty bread wrapper was on the table and Lewis nodded at it.
‘Good job today’s the last day — all the food’s gone. You’ll be glad to get home for a decent meal, I suppose?’ He helped himself to another glass of water.
Danny stood quietly, not understanding the kaleidoscope of emotions he was feeling. There was no doubt in his mind that he wanted to get out of that awful house and home to his parents, but what would happen to Lewis? He realised that he cared about this boy’s future and strangely he wanted to keep in touch with him, although how that would be possible he didn’t know.
‘Lewis, if I give you my mobile phone number will you ring me ... if ever you need help?’
‘And what help can a rich kid like you give to me?’ Lewis laughed, but he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and picked up a pen. ‘Go on then, what is it?’
Danny recited his number which Lewis copied down, then he folded the paper and stuffed it deep into his pocket. It struck Danny then that he had never seen Lewis in any other clothes, only the ones he wore now. Of course he too hadn’t had a change of clothes, but was this usual for Lewis? His mind began to whirl with thoughts of the things he could do for this new friend, things he wanted to do for him.
Danny had more clothes than he needed and would gladly give some to him; even though they would be too large, he’d grow into them. He had piles of books too and toys and games which he’d gladly share. Danny realised that he would actually like to share his life with Lewis, as a brother of sorts, which was why he wanted him to have his phone number, just in case...
Another rumble of thunder was followed by a flash of lightening; the storm seemed much closer now, the noise sounding as if it was in the house with them.
‘If you count the seconds between the thunder and the next flash of lightening, it will tell you the number of miles it is away from you,’ Danny said.
‘So that’s the sort of thing you learn at your posh school is it?’ Lewis teased. ‘Mum must be well away if even this storm can’t wake her.’
Another noise caught their attention then, one even more frightening than the storm. The front door was opened and slammed closed, violently. The boys exchanged a frightened look; they hadn’t heard the van because of the thunder!
‘Hide behind the door — if I can keep them out of the kitchen they won’t find you!’ Lewis sounded scared, but he bravely went into the room where Pete was trying to rouse his mother.
‘Does she ever do anything other than sleep?’ Dave asked Pete.
‘Wake up, Sally; we need a drink, something strong!’ Pete shouted.
‘Don’t push her like that, she had a bad night.’
Danny heard Lewis try to protect his mother. Pete laughed and it sounded like Sally was dragged off the couch onto the floor.
She woke up then. ‘Have you got the money?’ she asked.
‘Some of it, but the bastard tried to get away with short-changing us. I’ve given him two more days and added another ten grand as a little sweetener for us. So you’ll have to look after the brat for a while longer, Sally. Now, get me a drink, a proper one too.’
‘I’ll get it.’ Lewis jumped in front of his mother to stop her going into the kitchen.
‘Get out of the way,’ Pete yelled, ‘and let the woman do her job!’
Sally obediently went into the kitchen where she came face to face with Danny, who was trying to hide in an impossibly small corner.
‘What the....’
Her reaction brought Pete into the kitchen where he saw Danny crouching behind the door.
‘Who the hell let him out?’ He was angry and raised his arm to strike Sally.
‘No, don’t! I let him out, it’s my fault.’ Lewis ran in front of his mother and the blow aimed at her was swiftly redirected to him. He fell to the floor, banging his head on the corner of the table.
As Lewis struggled to his feet a trickle of blood ran down the side of his face. For a moment there was a stunned silence and then Sally pulled her son towards her, holding him protectively.
Pete turned and glared at Danny. ‘Get back upstairs! Now!’ He took a swipe at Danny which missed the target as he ran quickly back upstairs.
Hot tears ran down Danny’s cheeks as he dropped onto the mattress and sobbed. He was trembling and blinking rapidly to clear the tears and instinctively curled into a
ball, attempting to make himself as small as possible, as if he could shrink into the very mattress itself and become invisible.
For the first time Danny wished there were bolts on the inside of the door so he could shut his captors out and remain safely where he was. Pete had said that he’d given Danny’s father another two days to get the money, which meant another two days that he’d be their prisoner. Surely he couldn’t bear another two days of this ordeal? And Lewis was hurt, he’d looked dazed, disorientated and the wound on his head probably needed stitching, but he doubted they’d take him to hospital.
Danny wondered what Pete would do to him now. Nothing was certain anymore. Another clap of thunder resounded in the bare room, followed immediately by a flash of lightening. For an instant the room lost its black and white, hostile feeling, as the lightening brought a splash of vivid colour into the space, the colour of the blood on Lewis’s face. It also reminded Danny that his predicament had changed in an instant. All he could think about was that now he’d seen his captors. And they know that I’ve seen them! he thought.
Chapter 16
Richard wasn’t pleased when DI Radford arrived later that afternoon and asked to talk to him again. Martha was upstairs but when he offered to call her down, he was told that wouldn’t be necessary, as it was only him they wanted to see. Radford introduced DI Jack Priestly and explained why he was with him. Richard nodded briefly at the newcomer then turned towards Radford.
‘We haven’t heard from them yet,’ Richard said, tilting his head up slightly, ‘but we’ve managed to raise the rest of the money, which we can pick up in the morning at the bank.’ As far as he was concerned, that was all he needed to tell the police.
‘Good. We’ll have officers on standby ready to shadow you when they instruct you where to go.’
Richard shuffled uncomfortably and hoped the phone the kidnappers had given him didn’t ring while the police were with him. ‘Right,’ he said, ‘but they gave me another forty-eight hours to get the money together, so probably they won’t contact us until that time is nearly up.’
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