Richard picked up his phone and began to dial the number which he knew by heart. It had always given him a thrill to ring Serena, the clandestine nature of their relationship, the excitement of anticipating their next meeting, but not today. He had no idea how she would react when he asked her to tell the police about their relationship. Surely she could have no objections to vouching for him? It wasn’t as if she was married. He’d been the one taking all the risks. He punched in the number and waited to hear her voice.
‘Richard, darling! How are you? Is Danny home yet?’ Serena positively purred into the phone, but at least she didn’t sound angry with him for neglecting her these last few days.
‘No, he isn’t. We should have got him home today but we couldn’t raise the money ... so we’ve got another two days to endure.’ Richard paused, hoping the bitterness of his words and the seriousness of the situation would in some way touch her and she might reconsider helping him financially. She didn’t.
‘You poor thing. If you’d like to come over I could help you to relax?’ Serena’s voice sounded seductive but he was in no mood for playing those games.
‘How the hell can I come over and relax when Danny’s still in danger?’ He spoke sharply. There was no reply, so he continued in a gentler tone, ‘I do need your help, though. The police have a theory that it could be someone we know who’s taken Danny and they want to look at all my current and recent cases and contacts. They’ve been to chambers, but Martha told them I also worked in London, handling pro bono cases. They know now that it’s not true so I’m going to have to tell them about you and I need you to vouch for me so they’ll stop asking such awkward questions.’
Richard listened for an answer, unsure how Serena would take this. It seemed to take her forever to reply.
‘I’m not sure about this. Surely the police can take your word for it without having to drag me into your problems? You haven’t given them my name, have you?’
Richard could feel anger rising inside him. He could see quite clearly now that he had been the one to do all the giving in their relationship and Serena was one of life’s ‘takers’.
‘Serena, what have you got to lose? I’m the one who’s married and whom the police are investigating. I’m the one with a family and a reputation to keep intact! All you’ll need to do is to answer a few questions concerning our relationship and the times we’ve been together.’
‘Well, if that’s all and if it helps you... I suppose you could give them my number.’
‘Thanks, Serena, it will help.’ Richard ended the call swiftly, before he said anything he might regret. He was certainly seeing Serena in a different light. Now he was faced with his own stupidity. Having allowed this woman to seduce him and having spent a fortune on her, it appeared that she didn’t want to help him when he really needed it.
What a fool he’d been to risk everything for a woman like Serena. If it hadn’t been for her they would have the money to pay for Danny’s freedom. Richard loathed what he had become and was worried that because of his actions, he might well lose his wife and son. It dawned on him, with considerable regret, that he’d taken them both for granted and he now realised that he loved them above anything else.
The next call he made was to DI Radford. All he could do was to throw himself on the mercy of the man, disclose what he’d really been doing when he was supposed to be in London and beg him to keep it quiet.
‘Radford,’ was the brief, rather terse answer, which threw off Richard’s hastily composed speech before he’d even begun. He was unused to being the one lost for words. In his professional life, he used words to tie people in knots — they were a tool with which he was skilled — but now he was on the other side of the conversation.
‘I’m sorry to have misled you, but as you seem to have discovered, I don’t work in London. I’ve actually been seeing someone, a lady, and the pro bono work was just a cover.’
Richard waited for some sarcastic or angry answer, but neither came.
Radford remained calm, even-toned. ‘I suspected that was the case. Perhaps you can supply me with this lady’s number so we can interview her.’
‘Is that really necessary? It’s not as if I was with her when Danny was taken — you’ve confirmed my alibi for then.’
‘Yes, that’s true, but as you know we’re looking at all of your contacts, business and personal, to eliminate them from the investigation.’
‘Yes, of course.’ Richard would argue no more, he recited the number and then asked, ‘Could you possibly keep this from Martha? It won’t do any good to tell her now and I’m not going to be seeing this lady again, so please, if you don’t tell her I’ll be very grateful?’
‘We’ll do our best, Mr Stone. I have to say though, that this misinformation has only served to slow down any progress we’ve made, any kind of non-co-operation wastes our time and resources.’
‘Yes, I can see that now and I really am sorry.’
‘Thank you. Now, is there anything else you’re not telling us?’ Radford asked.
Richard was again faced with a snap decision as he thought immediately of the kidnapper’s mobile phone, which he’d told the police they’d taken from him. ‘No, that’s all,’ he said, feeling his cheeks burn in shame.
The call ended and Richard was disappointed that he didn’t experience the relief he’d expected to feel. It was good that Radford was agreeable in trying to keep his secret about Serena, but deceiving him about the phone was sitting heavily on his conscience. All in all, Richard felt that he’d not covered himself in glory throughout this whole sequence of events. He wished it could be all over and his life would return to normal, but would that ever be possible now?
Chapter 19
It was early evening and Danny heard Lewis coming up the stairs. He ran to the door.
‘I heard them leave,’ he said, ‘how are you?’ He looked at Lewis’s head wound which was still red and swollen.
‘It’s nothing. I’ve had worse.’
‘It looks pretty bad. You should get stitches.’
‘Yeah and who’s going to take me?’ Lewis shrugged his shoulders and held out a bowl of cereal and mug for Danny.
‘Thanks ... but have you had something?’
‘I ate earlier, with Mum.’
There were a few moments of silence while Danny ate hungrily. Even cereal tasted good when he was so hungry and the orange juice was pure nectar. As he finished his meal he turned to Lewis and asked, ‘Did they say anything about me?’
‘Pete was cross that you’d been out of the room, but he’ll get over it. When he gets the rest of the money in his hands he’ll be happy again.’
‘But I’ve seen them now — that makes me a threat, doesn’t it?’
‘They’ll probably forget it. They’ll be off somewhere tonight getting drunk now they have money to spend, Pete’ll not be worrying about you.’ Lewis’s words weren’t very convincing.
‘I think they’ll kill me now. They went to great lengths to stop me from seeing them and now that I have, I’ll be able to identify them.’ There was a catch in Danny’s voice as he considered his own words.
Lewis stayed silent.
Eventually Danny spoke again. ‘Why doesn’t your mum leave Pete? He’s such a horrid man; she could find someone much better who would take care of you both.’
‘Oh yeah and which fairy stories have you been reading?’ Lewis attempted a smile, trying to cajole Danny into a better mood.
‘She’s my only hope now.’ Danny was deadly serious. ‘If she has a key we need to get it. If I don’t get away from here I just know they’ll kill me.’
‘And if she hasn’t a key?’
‘If you’ll help me, we’ll break out. That back door looks the most likely. Have you seen anything lying around which we could use to batter it down?’
‘Can’t say that I have but I could search the cupboards in the kitchen?’
‘S
o you will help me?’ Danny felt a surge of hope.
‘I didn’t say that. We’d have to think it through first but even then I’m not sure...’
‘Please, Lewis, you can come with me and I’ll look after you.’
‘And leave Mum to face Pete?’
‘She can come too, I’ve told you that.’
‘But she won’t, you know she won’t!’ Lewis was getting frustrated. ‘Look, Dan, I need to think about this and perhaps talk to Mum again.’
‘But there’s not much time left, is there?’
‘Pete said another two days so I think it’s best if we sleep on it and decide what to do in the morning.’
‘Will you talk to her again?’ Tears rolled down Danny’s face and his voice was barely a whisper.
‘Yes, but she’s even more afraid of Pete now that he’s slapped her about a bit. I’ll try though, so you get some sleep and we’ll talk in the morning.’
Chapter 20
It was late in the day when DI Radford had taken Richard’s call, so contacting his girlfriend would have to wait until the morning. Radford decided to task one of the detective sergeants with the job of interviewing her; he had no wish to meet Richard Stone’s mistress and the man’s confession considerably lowered Radford’s opinion of him. He would try to keep the knowledge from Martha Stone, but if it came out, so be it.
There was a growing list of things Radford needed to do but he decided to call it a day and pick up the threads of the investigation again in the morning, when he would hopefully be fresher and more alert. He was used to long hours, particularly when in the middle of a serious case like this one, but it looked as if it would be another couple of days at least until something significant happened.
Graham Best had gone home an hour ago, tasked with arranging another press conference for the following morning and the job of priming the Stones to take part. Radford was ambivalent as to whether another press conference would do any good, as Danny was most likely hidden away somewhere safe. But as far as the public were aware, he was still classed as a missing child and any new leads would be welcome.
Jack Priestly was still in the office as Radford prepared to leave.
‘So, are you on your way back to Leeds tonight, Jack?’
‘Yes, I don’t think I can do much more here but I’m really grateful for your help. It seems quite possible that we’re looking at the same crew as yours, so if it’s okay with you I’d still like to be kept up to date with your progress?’
‘No problem there and I assume you’ll let us know of any developments at your end?’
‘Of course, Don, it goes without saying. So far we seem to have been doing the same things; looking at the family contacts as well as the usual door-to-door. It seems we spend most of our time asking questions, doesn’t it?’
‘It does that, but I’m beginning to wonder if we’re asking the right questions.’
Both men thought on that for a few moments. Radford then told Priestly about Richard Stone’s affair. ‘It’s difficult enough getting to the truth without the parents lying to us,’ he said.
As they walked through the almost deserted building Radford asked how many kidnappings Priestly had worked on.
‘Five, but the first one, the Bryson case, was more of an abduction, there was never a ransom demand.’
‘So how do the parents fare? I can see cracks appearing between the Stones, some apportioning of blame, that sort of thing. Have you found that with your cases?’
‘Certainly with this current one, yes. The parents began to blame each other from day one and their attitude towards each other grew worse as time went on. Now that they have Janine home again it’s anyone’s guess how they’ll recover as a couple. The Brysons, however, were very different. If anything it drew them closer, they looked to each other for support and in doing so they managed to find their way through the unimaginable horror of those long years. I suppose it all depends on what kind of marriage they have to begin with. With Richard Stone having this affair, I shouldn’t think their marriage is very strong, so whether they’ll come through this intact remains to be seen.’
‘And do you think it’s possible that the kidnappers were known to the family in your case, Jack?’
‘Well, the fact that they snatched the girl from the street and then asked for a ransom which was within the parents’ means could indicate they knew the family’s routines and financial position. But it could just as easily be that they did their homework and watched the family before they struck.’
‘Do you have children?’ Radford asked.
‘Yes, two boys. You?’
‘A boy and a girl. A case like this brings it all home to you, doesn’t it? I can understand how the Stones feel in many ways — not just about their son being taken, but the resentment towards us doing our job. Having their home turned upside down when they’re sick with worry and all the intrusions into their lives, as well as questions to colleagues and friends. I wouldn’t like it much either, but surely a successful outcome will make it all worthwhile?’
‘It’s to be hoped so. I know I was relieved when we found Janine, and her parents were ecstatic. If it is the same crew, the fact that they let her go is encouraging, as with the boy in the Liverpool case. I’m only hoping that you can catch them before they tear someone else’s family apart.’
‘You did say that in both cases the children never actually saw the kidnappers’ faces, but I wonder if the outcome would have been different if they had seen them. How’s the little girl doing now, anyway?’ Radford asked.
‘She’s obviously traumatised and wouldn’t speak to anyone at first, not even her parents. She got over that in the first couple of days and one of our officers spent time with the family and eventually gained the girl’s trust. She began to open up, telling her about the place she was held but there was nothing to give us any solid leads to go on. With not having seen the kidnappers’ faces, we got very little from her. Arrangements were made for Janine to have counselling which should help in the longer term. I’m interested in your theory that the kidnappers may be known to the family. Have you got anywhere with that yet?’
‘Sadly not, but looking into that now is better than leaving it until the boy’s home and the kidnappers disappear off the radar.’
Priestly nodded thoughtfully. ‘When I get back to Leeds I’ll be going round to interview Janine’s family again. I’m beginning to wonder now if perhaps I’m guilty of not asking the right questions.’
The two shook hands and reiterated the need to keep each other informed before going home to their respective families. Both men would snatch a few hours’ sleep before returning to the cases which kept them wholly occupied.
DAY 5
Chapter 21
When Martha woke up she could hear her mother was already busy in the kitchen. She and Richard dressed and went down to join her. Richard’s expression was one of suppressed anger; his feelings for Elaine were cool at the best of times. Martha couldn’t be bothered to placate either of them and sat down to allow her mother to wait on her.
‘I’m not hungry,’ Richard stated.
‘It’s not a good idea to neglect eating,’ Elaine countered. ‘You need to be on top of your game to get through this.’
He didn’t reply and helped himself to a cup of coffee and then left the two women in the kitchen.
‘If you were struggling to raise the money, Martha, why didn’t you come to me?’ Elaine asked.
‘I know your capital is tied up to provide an income and really the amount you’d have been able to offer would barely help.’ Martha was weary and didn’t want to get into this conversation with her mother.
‘Is Suni coming today?’ Elaine asked.
‘No, she’s on a rest day but DI Radford said another officer could be here if we wanted one.’
‘You didn’t say yes, did you?’
‘No, Mother, Suni’s been great for some thi
ngs but it’s actually quite tiring to have someone in your home all the time. I said we’d manage and you’re here now so we’ll be fine.’ Martha drank the coffee which Elaine poured and began to nibble on a piece of toast; she wasn’t really hungry either but her mother was right about eating, she needed all the strength she could get.
At eight am the doorbell rang. They’d grown accustomed to the odd hours that the police worked and Richard rightly assumed it would be either DI Radford or DS Best. It was the latter of the two.
‘I don’t suppose you’ve been approached by the kidnappers yet?’ Best asked.
Richard shook his head.
DS Best asked to speak to Richard and Martha together, so Elaine left them alone and returned to her bedroom.
‘We’ve arranged another press conference for today at one pm and would like you both to attend.’ His words brought a gasp from Martha.
‘But what will we be expected to say?’ she asked.
‘It will mainly be a case of answering questions. The best thing you can do is to answer as honestly and as briefly as you can. But I’m afraid journalists can ask some pretty stupid questions, like “how are you feeling?” and “how much do you want your son back?” If they ask anything too difficult or something about the investigation which we don’t want them to know, DI Radford or I will cut in. Don’t feel pressured into saying what you think they want to hear, but if they ask if you have a message for anyone who might be holding Danny, simply say you’d like them to return your son.’
‘How long will the press conference go on?’ Richard asked.
‘Only a few minutes — five or six at the most — but we’ll cut it short if we feel it’s necessary.’
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