The Missing Children

by M A Comley

  Kayli braced herself for the unveiling and felt Dave tense beside her. Naomi removed the sheet. Kayli’s eyes widened, and she heard Dave gulp noisily.

  “Fuck! Why?” Dave muttered.

  “Stand over there if it’s too much, Dave. I can handle it, I think.” Kayli was trying to protect him, but in doing so, was putting all the onus on herself to deal with the atrocity. The child was covered in bruises, and there was a thick rope around her neck. She looked above her head and then over at Naomi, who was nodding.

  “Yes, she was hanging from the beam when we got here.”

  Tears misted her eyes. “Who found her? Do we know?”

  Naomi pointed to an elderly man sitting on a large pile of rubble behind her. “He did. He was walking his dog last night, and the dog came into the building and started barking. I take it you didn’t get a call then?”

  “Obviously. Otherwise, I would have attended the scene at the time. Why is he still here?”

  “I’ve tried to persuade him to go home, but he’s saying that his legs are refusing to work, and he wants to stay here with the child.”

  “What? How strange. I need to have a word with him.”

  Naomi caught her arm. “Let me finish telling you what I’ve discovered before you rush off. I need to get going.”

  “Sorry, I’m all ears, hon. Dave, go and have a word with the old man, see if he needs any assistance, an ambulance or something.”

  Dave nodded and set off. Naomi shouted after him, “I’ve already asked.”

  “Sorry, I wasn’t suggesting you hadn’t, of course you would have. Bloody hell, Naomi, who could do this? Do you think it’s connected to the Watson case?”

  “My instinct is telling me yes. My team are continuing to hunt for some form of DNA, but it could take them days to come up with anything.”

  Kayli glanced down at the child’s naked body again. “Evidence of intercourse?”

  “Upon first glance, yes. I’ll know more later. That was sitting alongside the body.”

  Kayli followed Naomi’s pointed finger to the evidence bag containing a thick stick. “Bloody unthinkable!” Kayli shook her head in disgust. “How long has she likely been here? Any idea?”

  “Maybe a day or two. Hard to give a definite estimation, sorry. Look, I’ve got to get going. I wanted you to see the scene for yourself. Sorry, you’re going to have to clear up the mess and break the news to yet another traumatised family. Let me know if I can help. I’ll send you the results of the PM in the next day or so. Good luck—you’re going to bloody need it with this one.”

  “Thanks, Naomi. I’ll snag a photo with my phone and try to find a match with the missing persons database when we return to the station. I need to help this old-timer get home first.”

  As Naomi left, Kayli walked towards the old man. Dave was on his haunches alongside him, petting the man’s dog, who was lying patiently beside his master. “Hello, sir. I’m very sorry that you’ve had to witness this dreadful incident, but we truly appreciate you placing the call.”

  He glanced up at her and scrubbed at his colourless cheek. “I couldn’t leave her here alone, still can’t leave her. I feel responsible in some way, daft as it may seem. Maybe if I’d taken Lucky out for his walk an hour or so earlier, I could have prevented her death.”

  Kayli bent down and touched his hand. “Sir, that wouldn’t have happened. The pathologist believes the little girl died possibly twenty-four to forty-eight hours ago.” She straightened up and smiled. “Come on, let’s take you home. There’s nothing more either of us can do here.”

  Kayli motioned for Dave to join her, and between them, they raised the man to his feet. Lucky stood up too and followed them to the car. Kayli opened the back door and helped Dave ease the man into the backseat. His dog jumped onto the seat beside him.

  “Is Lucky all right sitting on your seat? I haven’t got his blanket with me.”

  “Yes, he’s fine. Where are we going, sir?”

  “Can you drop me at my sister’s place? Not sure I could face going home to dwell on things in an empty house.”

  “Sure. What’s the address?”

  Fortunately, Dave knew the location when the man reeled off the address. It was within a five-minute drive of their location. When they arrived, Dave helped the man from the vehicle and walked him up the path to the quaint cottage. An old lady opened the door and immediately covered her mouth with her hand. Then Dave disappeared into the house for a few minutes before he returned to the car.

  “He’ll be fine. He’s shook up, but his sister promised to look after him.”

  “Good, let’s go.”

  When they arrived at the station, Dave headed back to the incident room, and Kayli made her way to the Missing Persons Department.

  “Hi, Barb. It’s me again. I’ve just been at the scene of yet another child’s murder. The thing is, I don’t recognise the girl from the photos we looked through the last time we searched the database. Maybe I’m wrong, though.” Kayli showed the woman the picture of the girl on her phone.

  Barbara flinched and gasped. “Poor child. Let’s see what we can find. Maybe we should extend the search area, see if she shows up then?”

  Kayli pulled up a chair and nodded. “Sounds like a good idea to me. Sorry for shocking you like that. I didn’t really think.”

  “You might be used to seeing dead bodies every day. That happens to be my first one, of a child anyway. Makes me sick to the stomach. Callous shits whoever did this to her.”

  “Agreed. We really haven’t got any further with the other case we’re working on, but looks like this one might be connected. We won’t know more until the result of the PM comes in.”

  Barbara hit a few keys on her keyboard, and the search began. It took thirty minutes for them to find a possible match.

  “I’m not sure, are you?” Kayli asked, trying to visualise the girl’s face without the coloured patches of bruising.

  “I’m pretty sure that’s her. If there was any doubt, I would have continued with the search.”

  “Okay, can you print it off for me? I want to look at it from a different angle.”

  The printer spewed out the single sheet of paper. Barbara fetched it and handed it to Kayli. Together they analysed the pictures, turning them at different angles, before the pair of them were satisfied they had found the right girl.

  Barbara then pulled up the girl’s file and wrote down her address and phone number, plus the details of the officer in charge of the case. Armed with the information, Kayli thanked Barbara for her help and ran up the flight of stairs to the incident room. “I’ve got her ID. Sophie Hall. Graeme, will you add her name and that of Belinda Wainwright to the whiteboard, please?”

  Graeme’s chair screeched on the floor as he stood up. “Will do, boss.”

  “I need a coffee, then I’m going to ring the detective dealing with Sophie’s case.”

  Kayli took her cup into the office, let out a large breath, and dialled the detective’s number. “Detective Lomas, this is DI Kayli Bright of the Avon and Somerset Constabulary.”

  “Hello, ma’am. What can I do for you?”

  “You’re dealing with a missing persons case, I believe. Sophie Hall.”

  “That’s right. Don’t tell me you’ve found her?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. A member of the public found her hanging in a warehouse. I don’t wish to step on your toes, but I’d like to inform the parents myself, as well as interview them. I’m investigating another child murder on my patch and think the two crimes might be connected.”

  “Damn, I had a feeling this would be the outcome. Be my guest. I’d be lost as to what to say to them anyway.”

  “I appreciate that, thanks.” Kayli ended the call and walked around the room to compose herself for the second call she had to make. She detested having to deliver bad news—every serving officer did—but it was part of the job. Picking up the phone, she punched in the numbers slowly. A woman’s faint voi
ce answered after the third ring.

  “Hello, is that Mrs. Hall?”

  “It is.”

  “This is DI Kayli Bright from the Avon and Somerset Constabulary.”

  The woman gasped. “Have you found my Sophie?”

  “I’d like to come and see you if that’s possible. Are you free now?”

  “Yes. Please, just tell me. Have you found her?”

  Kayli sighed heavily. “Can you arrange for your husband to be there too?”

  “You have found her, haven’t you? Please, don’t make me wait. I have to know.”

  “I’m sorry. The last thing I want to do is build your hopes up. I’d rather not say this over the phone but... it’s not good news. I could be there in half an hour.”

  The woman screamed. Kayli held the phone away from her ear, but it was too late. She suspected she’d already suffered slight damage to her eardrum, but it was nothing compared to what Mrs. Hall was about to go through.

  The phone clattered onto a piece of furniture, and she heard Mrs. Hall sobbing on the other end. Kayli hung up and rushed through the incident room. “Dave, with me, quickly.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  The Halls’ home was a semi-detached house on the outskirts of a small Devonshire village just over the border. Kayli rang the bell and swallowed hard. Dave also swallowed noisily as he stood alongside her.

  A man in his early thirties opened the door. His eyes were red, evidence that he’d been crying.

  “Hello, Mr. Hall. I’m DI Bright, and this is my partner, DS Chaplin.”

  “You better come in. My wife is in the lounge, first on the left.”

  Kayli smiled at the man and walked past him and into the lounge. Mrs. Hall was sitting on the couch, a large black flat-coated retriever lying on the floor by her feet. The dog remained seated but looked in their direction when they entered the room.

  “Hello, Mrs. Hall. We spoke earlier.”

  “Yes. Take a seat.”

  Kayli and Dave sat down in the two easy chairs on one side of the room while Mr. Hall sat on the couch close to his wife. He gripped her hand in his.

  “I really didn’t want to break the news over the phone like that. I would have rather done it in person.”

  “I know I pushed you. I regret doing that now. Thank you for coming to see us so soon,” Mrs. Hall replied with a sniffle.

  “How did it happen?” Mr. Hall demanded.

  “A man walking his dog found your daughter’s body in a warehouse in Bristol.”

  His hand swept over his face as the couple glanced at each other. “What? Why there?”

  “We’ve yet to establish any facts regarding the case. What I can tell you is that we believe your daughter’s case is linked with another murder we’ve been dealing with for the past few weeks.”

  “Are you telling us that you have a suspect in mind?”

  “Not at this moment. We’re still conducting enquiries and gathering evidence.”

  “That statement doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence, Inspector.”

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Hall. Can you tell me about your daughter’s disappearance?”

  At that moment, the dog’s head lifted at the sound of a child crying.

  “I need to go. Billy needs me.” Mrs. Hall got to her feet, and the dog followed her out of the room.

  “We have a two-year-old son, who has been missing his sister. How the hell are we going to tell him that he’ll never see her again?” He swiped away a tear as it seeped onto his cheek.

  “I’m so sorry. I just don’t know what to say to that.”

  “It was a rhetorical question, Inspector.”

  “I know.” Kayli heaved out a huge sigh. “I’m so very sorry. I know my timing could be better, but I need to ask you some questions.”

  “If it’ll help capture the twisted shit who killed my daughter, then fire away. I’ll do what I can to answer. You asked how Sophie disappeared. Well, she was coming home from school. Our friend said that she would pick her up as I was on an airport run. I’m a cab driver. Sharon had an appointment at the doctors’ with the little one.”

  “I see. Did your friend forget to pick her up?”

  “No, she picked her up and took her back to her house, which is just around the corner. Sophie wanted to come home early. Claire told her she had to wait until I collected her, but when Claire was distracted, Sophie opened the front door and walked out. Claire was frantic when she realised what had happened. She was in the garden getting the washing in at the time. It wasn’t her fault; Sophie wasn’t the most patient child.” His head dipped, admonishing himself for speaking disrespectfully about his eldest child.

  “It’s okay. These things happen when you have children. It’s impossible to watch their every move twenty-four hours a day.”

  He lifted his head and wiped the tears on his sleeve. “I know, which is what I told Claire and Sharon. Anyway, we searched the streets for her for four hours solid. A few of my cabbie mates even lent a hand, but she’d vanished into thin air.”

  “Just covering all angles here. Has anyone contacted you with a ransom demand?”

  “No. We haven’t heard anything until you rang my wife. The detective dealing with the case said he would keep us informed. I rang him every few days—she’s been missing four weeks now—and I received the same reply. Nothing. No contact. No clues. Absolutely nothing at all.”

  “I’m sure he was doing his very best, and I can understand the detective’s frustrations. I spoke to him earlier. He was very upset to learn that Sophie’s body had been found.”

  “I don’t blame him. Like I said, she just vanished. I don’t see what, if anything, could have been done differently. Maybe if a witness had come forward to say they had seen her being abducted... but they didn’t. My colleagues are still keeping their eyes open for her. They’ll be as devastated as we are to hear the news that she won’t be coming home.”

  “Did you see the news on TV last night, Mr. Hall?”

  “No. Did it mention you finding Sophie’s body?” he asked, frowning.

  Kayli took out her phone. “No. I instructed the media to put out a call for help in locating a three-year-old girl and the person we believe abducted her yesterday. I wondered if you knew this young woman.” She walked across the room and handed him her phone. He stared at the image then looked up at her with his mouth gaping and his eyes wide open. Kayli’s heart skipped several beats then hammered against her ribs. “Do you know this woman?”

  He pushed her aside as he rushed towards the door. “Sharon... Sharon, get down here, now!”

  Kayli stared at Dave. “Sir, do you know this girl?” Dave repeated Kayli’s question.

  “I need to clarify it with Sharon first. I think so.”

  His wife came thundering down the stairs, cradling her son in her arms. He was wrapped in a blue blanket and had tear-stained chubby cheeks. “What?”

  Mr. Hall held the phone up to her face. “It is her, isn’t it?”

  Mrs. Hall seemed puzzled for a moment before she responded. “Michele, yes, that’s her. Why?”

  Kayli’s tense shoulders sagged in relief. At last! A bloody name! “Michele what? How do you know her?”

  “It’s Michele Granger. She’s our babysitter.”

  Kayli was in shock. “How long have you known her?”

  Mr. Hall led his wife over to the couch and forced her to sit down beside him. “At least six months. Maybe more. Why?”

  “We believe that she abducted a three-year-old child yesterday. Plus, we also think she might be connected to another case we’re investigating.”

  “No. I don’t believe it.” Sharon shook her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe she would be guilty of such a thing. She’s a lovely girl.”

  “Can you give us her phone number and address? We need to have a chat with her if only to discount her from our enquiries.”

  “Of course. Mike, get me my phone. It’s in my handbag in the kitchen.”
/>   Her husband flew out of the room and returned seconds later, carrying her handbag.

  “I have my hands full. You’ll have to search for it,” she instructed her husband when he dangled the bag in front of her.

  Kayli took the bag from him. “I’ll get it.” She withdrew the phone and placed the bag on the floor by Sharon’s feet. “Here it is. Her number and her address.”

  Dave took down the details in his notebook.

  “How did you get in contact with her in the first place?” Kayli asked.

  “I spotted a notice in the local newsagent’s. Are you telling me that she killed Sophie?”

  “It’s pure conjecture at this time. We’ll know more once we’ve spoken to her. Please, do not contact her. No matter how tempted you might be. Leave us to deal with this, okay?”

  Mr. Hall’s eyes narrowed. “Okay, as much as I want to go round there and wring her bloody neck, I’ll refrain from doing so. Don’t let her get away with this, Inspector. My God, the parents of the three-year-old must be going out of their minds with worry. What a bitch! She always came across as a nice girl. Although I did catch her here once with her boyfriend in the house.”

  “You never told me that, Mike.”

  “Sorry, love. I nipped back one day—forgot my wallet—and they were at it on the couch. I was livid and kicked him out right away. Shit! Do you think that’s why she did it? Revenge?”

  Kayli shrugged. “We won’t know if or why she did this until we find her. Can you describe the boyfriend?”

  “He had longish blond hair, skinny. About my height: six-one. I can’t tell you anything more than that, sorry.”

  “It’s better than nothing. I’m sure it will help. Look, I want to thank you for taking the time to speak with us today. I’m truly sorry for your loss. We’ll head off and begin our investigation in earnest now that we can put a name to her face, thanks to your help.”

  “I hope you pick the bitch up soon, Inspector.”

  “So do I, Mr. Hall,” Kayli said, then she and Dave shook his hand at the front door and walked towards the car.

  “What now? Do you think there could be a link? Both fathers being cabbies, I mean?” Dave asked through gritted teeth.