The Missing Children

by M A Comley

  Blackbird turned his back on the couple to let them finish getting dressed. “Arsehole, you knew what time I’d be here. If you can’t control your urges, that’s your lookout, not mine.”

  “Maybe you turned up early for the thrill factor of seeing us together,” Magpie taunted, doing up her bra and taking her time to get dressed, unlike her partner.

  “Like shit. I’ll be glad when this job is over and we can go our separate ways. You two are annoying the shit out of me. Have you fed the girls today?” He turned to face the two youngsters who looked more embarrassed by his question than being caught humping.

  “Yeah, of course,” Magpie replied unconvincingly.

  “Prove it.” He walked over to the bin in the corner and rummaged around. He found nothing apart from the chip wrappers from the day before. “Liars. You want them dying on us because you couldn’t be arsed to feed them? Then where will we be? Christ, I’m working with bloody amateurs.”

  Swift marched across the room and grabbed him round the throat. “I’ve had enough of you having a pop at us. You fuckin’ stay here all day with them. I’ve had enough of this shit.”

  Blackbird wormed his way out of Swift’s grasp and gasped for air. “Another week. That’s all. If you can’t hack it, fine. But if I have to replace you, you won’t see a penny of the money due to us when we hand them over. It’s your call, man.”

  Swift flung his arms out to the side. “I’m going stir-crazy here. It’s not what I signed up for, and it’s getting on my tits now.”

  “Fine. Go. Walk out the door, but say goodbye to any compensation you thought was coming your way.”

  Swift grabbed his crotch. “Suck my dick, arsehole.”

  “That’s my job, sweetie. I don’t like to share. You know that,” Magpie said, sauntering up to Swift.

  Blackbird tutted in disgust and flung himself into a chair at the table. “I didn’t give up my lunchtime to come over here to witness you two screwing around. You called this meeting. Why?”

  The two youngsters joined him at the table, one on either side of him.

  Magpie smiled tentatively. “We’ve been talking. We need to replace the black girl.”

  “I came to the same conclusion. If your tosser of a boyfriend hadn’t killed her, we wouldn’t be in this mess. I’m expecting you to sort that out. How and when you do it is up to you. I want no part of it.”

  Swift glared at him and pointed. “I’ve got news for you, fucker. You’re up to your neck in this shit whether you like it or not.”

  “Not for much longer. Do what you want. Just don’t get caught.”

  “Where do we get another one? You’re usually the one who tells us where and when,” Magpie said, her lips pulling into a slight smile.

  “Not my problem. I’m going down to see them. I suggest you start making them some sandwiches.” He thrust his chair back and opened the door to the cellar. The body odour and smell of urine hit his nostrils on the way down the stairs. He had no idea what the couple upstairs expected from him, as they clearly weren’t capable of looking after the children adequately. He would need to return later on that evening to ensure the kids were fed again.

  The petrified girls cuddled together as he approached the cage. “Don’t worry, little ones, lunch will be with you soon.”

  The three of them looked as though they needed a good soak in the bath, smelt like they could do with one, too. He should have felt some form of guilt for putting them in such a situation, but it was all about the money to him. Why else would I be working with the idiots upstairs?

  He listened and could hear the couple messing around above him. They were truly beginning to get on his nerves. “All of this will be over soon enough. You’ll get your freedom back next week.” He smiled at the girls and took in their features one by one. None of the children reacted to his statement. “Don’t you want to be free?”

  When they still showed no reaction, he slammed his fist against the bars and bared his teeth in a sneer. “You should be nice to me. Show your appreciation more. Otherwise, things could turn out very differently. You know what happened to Jamillia.” His smile pushed the sneer away. He saw tiny tears appear in the three girls’ eyes at the mention of Jamillia.

  Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned.

  “Lunch as requested for the brats,” Magpie stated, placing a plate piled high with scruffily made sandwiches on the chair beside the cage.

  He nodded. “They’ll need a drink. Get them one.”

  Retracing her steps up the stairs, Magpie chuntered under her breath. “Goddamn, I’m not your slave.”

  “No, but you were entrusted with their care,” he called out after her.

  She returned minutes later with a jug of water and some glasses. The tray rattled when she placed it on the floor next to the cage and left again before he could order her to do anything else.

  He unhooked the key and unlocked the door. The girls tightened their hold on each other when he stepped through the door with the pile of sandwiches. They were frozen in time, scared to move, until he’d deposited the water and was back on the other side of the bars once again. He smiled. “Eat and drink, little ones. You’ll need to keep your strength up for what lies ahead of you.” His evil laugh made the girls flinch. He left them to it and returned upstairs.

  “Satisfied?” Swift asked once the door to the cellar was shut and Blackbird had joined the other two at the table.

  “For now. I need to ask you a question, and I expect an honest answer.”

  “Go on. We’ve got nothing to hide,” Swift replied, gathering his girlfriend’s hand in his.

  “The Watsons’ house has been all over the news today. Did you have anything to do with that?”

  Magpie’s hand covered her mouth, and she sniggered. “Stroke of genius, right?”

  He shook his head in disgust. “Not. Why did you do it?”

  “We needed to cause a distraction to the police. It was the only thing we could come up with. Great, right?”

  “Bloody foolish if you ask me. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing on the way into work this morning. If anything, you’ve led the police to think this is some kind of vendetta against the parents, instead of Watson torching his own home. How the hell is that going to be a distraction to the police?”

  Magpie fell silent, and Swift glared at him. “You think you’re so fuckin’ smart and that you have all the damn answers, don’t ya?”

  “Let’s put it this way: I’m a darn sight smarter than the pair of you put together. That much is bloody evident. Now you’re talking about picking up another girl. I hope, for your sake, you plan out the abduction properly before attempting it. I’m out of here. I’ll drop by this evening if I have time.”

  “You’ll turn up whether you have the time or not. We’ve got a date this evening that we plan on keeping. Tickets to a concert.” Blackbird glared at him. “Don’t look at me like that. I booked them months ago, before we started this gig. You can sit here, keeping an eye on the kids for a change. It won’t hurt you to do your share. You’ve got off light so far.”

  “And what if I can’t make it?”

  Swift shrugged. “Ain’t our problem if you want to leave the kids alone for a few hours. I ain’t ferrying any guilt to the concert with us.”

  “I’ll be here.” He rose from his chair. “Watch what you’re doing and stop antagonising the police. They’re smarter than you think, especially the inspector in charge.”

  “You worry too much, man. Leave it to us. Be here at six. We need to leave by six fifteen.” Swift reached for Magpie’s hand and thrust it in the air. “In the meantime, we’ll snatch another kid this afternoon. We’re the A-Team, so you’ll need to feed an extra mouth tonight.”

  Blackbird shook his head and left the cottage, mixed feelings running through him. Annoyance and anger the most prevalent ones. The last thing he wanted or needed after a long day at work was to spend hours sitting in the cottage, alone.

 
; Except you won’t be alone. The girls, all four of them by then, would be there to keep him company. He smiled. Maybe it won’t be such a bad night after all!

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Donna and Graeme were both busy at their computers when Kayli and Dave walked into the incident room. “How are things going? Did you manage to circulate the artist’s drawing, Donna?”

  “I did, boss. Not had any response from anyone as yet. I’m going through the database, trying to find a possible match, but nothing has jumped out at me there, either.”

  “Damn. We could sure do with a break on this case. Keep trying.” Kayli grabbed a coffee and walked into her office. She dropped into her chair. After eating the sandwich they’d stopped off to buy, she got to work on the one chore aggravating her more than the lack of progress with the case: her paperwork, and she whisked through the brown envelopes in her in-tray, determined to get the job finished in record time.

  Halfway through the afternoon, her phone rang. It was the control centre. “Hello, DI Bright. I know you’re dealing with the child murder in the area. I thought this would be of interest to you.”

  “Go on, I’m all ears.”

  “We’re getting reports of a little girl being abducted from a children’s swing park, not far from the school where Jamillia Watson attended.”

  “Give me the details.” She unhooked her coat from the back of the chair and shouted for Dave to join her.

  He appeared in the doorway, a frown pulling at his forehead. “Boss?”

  “Get ready to head out. We’ve got a child abduction case just being reported. I’m getting the details now.”

  “Shit! Okay, I’m ready to go when you are.” He left the room.

  The officer gave Kayli the location and wished her luck, then she ended the call.

  “Damn, here we go again. Graeme, I’m not sure of the area where the park is. It’s Cornwall Crescent. Find out what CCTV is in operation in that area and get me the footage ASAP. Let’s strike quickly with this one, okay?”

  “Yes, boss.” He picked up his phone and punched in a number.

  Kayli and Dave rushed down the stairs and got in Dave’s car, as he insisted that he should drive.

  Her pulse rate escalated the closer they got to the scene. “Why? Bloody hell, in broad daylight too. What is wrong with these people? It’s as if they enjoy taking risks.”

  “Or take pleasure in winding us up,” Dave added glumly.

  “Either way, I’d say they’re going to chance their arm too often, and hopefully, that will be their undoing. Broad bloody daylight! That’s unheard of, right?”

  “Not come across anything like it before, boss. Do we know how old the child is? Dare I ask even, because I’m guessing it’s below school age, given the time of day?”

  “Yep, you’d be right. She’s three.”

  Dave struck the steering wheel several times. Each hit was accompanied by a different expletive.

  Kayli rubbed his arm to comfort him. “I feel the same way, mate. Something needs to start going our way in this case and soon. Who knows how many frigging kids they’re going to abduct if we don’t catch the bastards.”

  “We need to get every officer in this city watching out for these guys. That’s the only way we’re going to catch them.”

  “And tell them what? To be on the lookout for a white van? It would be different if we had a registration number, but we haven’t.”

  “We do have something in our favour: the abductor’s picture. Maybe it’s time we called on the media and started using them to circulate it for us? Someone in this city must have a name for her.”

  “You read my mind. I was hoping to hold that card up my sleeve for a while, until Donna had completed her search of the database, but these guys have just forced our hand. I thought if we mentioned it through the media too soon that she and her accomplice, either singular or plural, would go underground, but needs must now. That’s assuming she’s working alongside someone. That’s another thing we’re unsure about.”

  “She has to be. Samantha said she thrust Jamillia in a van and barely closed the door before it took off. She had to have a getaway driver ready and waiting for her.”

  Kayli tutted. “You’re right, I’d forgotten all about that. Still, I’m not getting the feeling that we’re closing in on these tyrants yet. Let’s hope something good comes of the CCTV footage, if there is any.”

  Dave parked the car in the first available slot, and they ran across the road and into the park. The area had been cordoned off already. Kayli flashed her warrant card and dipped under the tape. At the far end, past all the swings, slides and roundabouts, were two women and a child. One of the women, a petite blonde, was crying and shouting at the uniformed female officer talking to her. The officer looked in their direction. She excused herself from the frantic woman and walked towards them.

  “What have we got, PC Vincent?”

  The officer pointed over her shoulder with her pen in the mother’s direction. “The two women were talking while the kids played on the equipment. The brunette, whose daughter is safe, told me that they presumed the kids were playing together, but when little Jenny came running back without Belinda Wainwright, the women started to panic. They were searching the area high and low, thinking Belinda was playing hide-and-seek, when Jenny said that a nice lady gave Belinda a teddy bear to play with. That’s when the penny dropped and panic set in. The mother called 999 right away.”

  “Thanks. We’ll have a quick word with them now.” Kayli smiled as she closed the gap between them. “I’m so sorry this has happened. Constable Vincent has filled me in. Did you see anyone hanging around the park before your daughter was taken, Mrs. Wainwright?”

  “It’s miss. Please, you have to find her. She’s all I’ve got.”

  Kayli smiled at the other woman. “Did you notice anyone?”

  She was holding her daughter tightly and shook her head. “No, we didn’t see anyone.”

  “We shouldn’t have been talking. We should have been keeping an eye on our daughters. It’s the first time we’ve had to ourselves for weeks, and... this happened. Please bring my daughter back to me. I’m begging you. She’s only three. Oh God, I can’t bear to think of what that person will do to her.” She started to sob uncontrollably. Her friend slung an arm around her shoulder, but she shrugged it off.

  “Can we give you a lift home, Miss Wainwright?” Kayli said, unsure what else she could say to put the woman’s mind at rest.

  Dave coughed to gain Kayli’s attention. “Boss, do you want me to start knocking on the doors, see if any of the homeowners saw anything?”

  “Yes, you do that. Do something, for Christ’s sake,” Miss Wainwright said, drying her eyes with a tissue.

  “Thanks, Dave. I’ll stay here. Report back to me the minute you hear anything useful.”

  Kayli watched her partner rush across the street to the houses opposite. “We’ve got an alert out for your daughter. I know it’s easier said than done, but please try and remain calm. I’m sure we’ll get your daughter back to you quickly.”

  “How? Do you know who has taken her?”

  Miss Wainwright’s friend, who informed them she was called Sandy Thomas, frowned. “Hey, aren’t you the one dealing with that murder case? I saw your picture on TV, on the news, didn’t I?”

  “Yes. That’s right. I’m not saying the two cases are connected, but it’s also not something we’re willing to rule out at this point.”

  “Murder case... nooo!” Miss Wainwright howled before she collapsed to the ground.

  Kayli swept down to see if the woman was okay. She was out cold. “Ring for an ambulance,” she ordered PC Vincent, who immediately actioned the request on her radio.

  “They’re on their way.”

  In the distance, Kayli saw Dave run across the road and gather speed as he came towards them. “It was the white van. The old man was looking out the window. I showed him the picture of the suspect, and he can’t b
e sure, but he thinks she was the one who led the little girl away and put her in the van. The van left soon after. I asked him if it drove away fast. He said no, at normal speed. Nice and casual.”

  “Excuse me,” Sandy interrupted. “Are you saying you know who has Belinda?”

  Kayli motioned for the officer to take care of the woman lying on the ground and stood up. “We believe so. Another witness worked with a sketch artist. She told us that a woman showed up at a school to pick up one of the pupils. Unfortunately, we’ve yet to identify the woman.”

  “That’s not right, surely. How or why would a woman be involved in this?” the lady asked.

  Kayli shook her head. “It’s still a mystery to us.”

  Sirens wailed in the adjoining street and it wasn’t long before an ambulance pulled up at the gates to the park. Two paramedics, a male and a female, rushed towards them.

  Constable Vincent filled the crew in while Kayli took down the woman’s particulars. “I’ll need Miss Wainwright’s address too. Do you know if she has any next of kin we can contact?”

  Sandy was unsure if Miss Wainwright had any family living locally or not.

  “Not to worry. Constable Vincent, are you free to go to the hospital with the ladies?”

  Sandy shook her head. “I can’t go to the hospital. I hate to run out on her in her time of need, but I have to pick up my boy from school. He’s due out in twenty minutes. I’m sorry.”

  “No problem. I can go with Miss Wainwright, ma’am. It would be my pleasure,” PC Vincent said with a smile.

  Kayli handed Sandy a business card then nodded appreciatively at the constable and asked, “Keep me informed of Miss Wainwright’s progress, will you?”

  “I will, ma’am,” PC Vincent said.

  “We’re going to head back to the station to get things rolling. My team are already looking into the CCTV footage in this area. We’ll do our best to find Belinda, I promise.”

  Sandy nodded. “I’m sure Rachel will be relieved to hear that. Please find her, for Rachel’s sake. She’s had a shit year so far what with her boyfriend running out on her after he cheated with her best friend. Men! They really are the pits.”