The Missing Children

by M A Comley

  “Hmm... Possibly. We could look into that side of things. Right now, I think we should rein our emotions in and consider our next move carefully. The last thing I want to do is charge over there and scare her into doing something terrible with the other missing children, if she has them. My take is she’s in cahoots with the boyfriend. We need to find out his name and delve into his background.”

  “What about asking her neighbours, see if they can give us any more details to go on? Perhaps they can tell us what vehicle he drives. It would be a start, right?”

  Kayli drove to Michele’s neighbourhood with mixed emotions, buoyed that they at last had a name to go on, yet also terrified that a teenage girl, not a woman as they first thought, could be as heartless and brutal as her. Kayli’s concern for the missing children heightened during the journey.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  After questioning the neighbours, Kayli and Dave combatted the heavy flow of traffic and arrived back at the station around three.

  Kayli brought the team up to date swiftly. “Only one of the neighbours could remember the boyfriend and that he drove a white van. I think we’re definitely on the right lines now. Michele hasn’t been seen at her address for a day or two, according to the same neighbour. He didn’t ring the station last night when he recognised her image because he was worried she would retaliate. He says she’s a mouthy cow, and yet Sophie’s parents said she was a lovely girl.”

  “So why the change of heart?” Donna asked.

  “Maybe us showing up on his doorstep jabbed at his conscience. I told him we were dealing with two cases where young children had been murdered.”

  “Something else came to mind while you were out, boss.”

  “Go on, Donna.”

  “Have you contacted the Watsons recently? I can’t remember if you’ve shown them Michele’s image or not?”

  “I haven’t—you’re spot on. I’ll give Kelvin a call. If the family are out of hospital, I’ll ask him to come in and see me. Actually, the neighbour’s reaction still rankles me. I think we should set up a surveillance on Michele’s flat. Any volunteers?”

  Graeme raised his hand. “I don’t mind. Lindy said she’s going out with the girls this evening anyway.”

  Kayli’s stomach twisted. Graeme’s girlfriend, Lindy, was Kayli’s best friend, yet she hadn’t been invited to join her. A sign that I’ve neglected my friends of late, what with all the hassle at home. I need to get back out there socialising again before I become staid and old. “That reminds me... I need to give Lindy a call to catch up.”

  He nodded. “She mentioned the other day that you hadn’t been in touch. I’ll tell her you’re thinking of her. What if Michele turns up at the house?”

  “Don’t approach her. We just need to keep her under observation for now. Neither of the neighbours mentioned seeing anyone else going in the house, only Michele and this boyfriend of hers. We need to find out where they’re hiding the kids first before we pick her up.”

  “Want me to get over there now, boss?”

  “If you don’t mind. Can you pull an all-nighter and report back here first thing, Graeme?”

  “Sure. No problem.”

  “Right, I have a call to make. Several, in fact.” Kayli marched into her office and closed the door. She searched for Kelvin’s number and punched it into her phone. He answered the call virtually straight away. “Kelvin, it’s DI Bright, just ringing up to see how everyone is.”

  “Oh, hi. We’re fine. All out of hospital now. Staying in a hotel until we can start cleaning up the house. The insurers are refusing to pay out because it was an arson attack. We can’t stay in a hotel indefinitely; the cost is exorbitant.”

  “What about family members? Your brother’s place, perhaps?”

  “I’d rather not. I’ll take care of my family in my own way, Inspector.”

  “Okay, I was wondering, as you’re out of hospital, if you could drop by the station to see me. Today, if possible. I realise it’s short notice.”

  “I could be there within the hour. I have some spare time before my shift starts this evening. I’m just twiddling my thumbs here anyway.”

  “Great. I’ll see you then. Thanks, Kelvin.” Kayli disconnected the call and immediately dialled Naomi’s number.

  “What can I do for you, Kayli?”

  “Is it too early for you to give me an assessment on the PM you carried out on the child discovered today. I have a name for you, by the way. Sophie Hall.”

  “Glad you’ve managed to identify her. Have the parents been informed?”

  Kayli sighed. “Yes. I’ve told them you’ll be in touch once you’ve completed your examination.”

  “Thanks. As with the Watson girl, there was no significant DNA found at the scene.”

  “That’s a shame, although I’m pretty confident we can link the crimes, as we’ve identified at least one of the suspects, possibly two of them, in common between the two cases. Not sure how much they’re involved at this stage or if they’re the main players.”

  “You’re not making much sense. Want to run that past me again?” Naomi said.

  “Okay, a witness at Jamillia’s school worked with a sketch artist and came up with the image of a young woman. Yesterday, a three-year-old girl was snatched from a play area close to Jamillia’s school. When Dave knocked on a few doors in the area to see if anyone had seen the incident, he showed the picture of the young woman, and the witness positively identified her. In both incidences, a white van was used to transport the victims. Last night, I managed to persuade the media to run the image of both the abducted little girl and the image of the young woman. Today, I found out that the woman’s name is Michele Granger. She was Sophie’s babysitter.”

  “Wow, you have been busy. Babysitter? How deplorable! You think you can trust people with your kids, and they turn around and do this.”

  “I know. It doesn’t bear thinking about. If I had kids, I don’t think I’d ever trust anyone else with their care.”

  “So, you’d have them around your neck twenty-four-seven? I think you’d soon change your mind about that, Kayli, after a day or two.”

  Kayli sniggered. “Okay, maybe you’re right. Anyway, it’s pure speculation right now, but we also believe Michele has a boyfriend who owns a white van. We have nothing more regarding that at this point. It’s more than we had yesterday. I have Kelvin Watson coming in to see me this afternoon, and I’m hoping there’s a connection there also. We just need to find this Michele. Hopefully, she’ll lead us to where they’re holding the missing children—if the others are still alive, that is.”

  “You need me to try and place either of the suspects at the scene in that case, I take it?”

  “Exactly. How, I’m not sure. You said there was no DNA at either scene, right?”

  “There might not have been DNA, but I found a partial footprint in the warehouse. It’s a start. If we can identify the boyfriend, we can match the footprint, which will place him at the crime scene.”

  “Any idea when Jamillia’s funeral is going to be?”

  “No. The parents came to see her. I’ve asked if we can hold on to her for a week or so just in case anything else crops up. They were happy... maybe that was a bad choice of words. They agreed, said it would give them time to make all the arrangements. Weren’t they involved in an arson attack?”

  “Yep. They haven’t had the easiest of times lately.”

  “Right, if there’s nothing else, I’ll finish typing up the PM report and send it through to you by the end of the day. I can revisit both girls’ bodies tomorrow. At the moment, I have no PMs lined up. Of course, that could change overnight.”

  “That’s brilliant. Thanks, Naomi. Speak to you soon if I stumble across anything else.”

  “Ditto, Kayli. Bye for now.”

  Kayli spent the next hour going over every minor detail they had to do with the case before the desk sergeant rang to inform her that Kelvin Watson was waiting in the recepti
on area. She flew down the stairs like a woman possessed, slowing down to compose herself when she was close to the bottom. She breezed into the reception area and shook Kelvin’s hand. “So nice to see you again. Glad your wife and daughter are both fit and well after your horrendous ordeal. Let’s find a quiet room.”

  “Happy to help out where I can. You know that, Inspector.”

  Kayli called across the room. “Sergeant, is Interview Room One free?”

  “It is, ma’am. Do you need any assistance?” The sergeant meant if she required a member of his staff to sit in on the interview.

  “Not this time, thanks all the same.”

  She led the way down the narrow corridor, opened the door, and motioned for Kelvin to step inside the room ahead of her. He pulled out a chair and watched as she closed the door then joined him at the table, his eyes never leaving hers.

  “Have I done something wrong, Inspector?”

  “Not that I’m aware of, Kelvin. Have you?”

  Holding her gaze, he shook his head. “It’s just that you’ve always come to the house to see me. Granted, that’s a little difficult at this moment in time, but you get my drift.”

  “Honestly, there is nothing for you to worry about. I just thought under the circumstances this would be a better meeting place than your hotel room.”

  He snorted. “You’re not wrong there. Living on top of each other in a fifteen-foot-square room leaves a lot to be desired. It’s like a tornado struck, and we’re still picking up the pieces.” His smile faded. “I suppose it has in one way. We miss Jamillia so much. I think it’ll be even worse when we finally get back home after the clean-up has finished.”

  “How are you going to manage the clean-up with no assistance from your insurers?”

  “We’ll get there. The staff at work have been brilliant. They’ve agreed to chip in with their time in between shifts, plus Lorella’s workmates have said they’ll lend a hand when they can too. We’re truly blessed to be surrounded by loving and caring people. Not sure how we would have coped otherwise. Sorry, I’ve prattled on enough. Can we get to the point of this visit?”

  Kayli withdrew a copy of Michele’s image and placed it on the table in front of him.

  His head jutted forward, and with wide eyes, he glanced up at her. “What about her?”

  “Do you know her? I’m guessing by your reaction that you do.”

  “Yes, I know her. Michele Granger. What about her, Inspector?” He thrust the paper away from him.

  “Well, one of your neighbours gave me the impression that she thinks there is something going on between the two of you—is there?” His elbows landed on the table with a thud and he covered his face with his hands. “Kelvin, it would be better if you didn’t lie to me. Is it fact or fiction?”

  “It was a one-off. I don’t know why I did it.”

  Kayli felt let down by this man—a man she was desperately trying to help. “When did it happen? Where?”

  “At the house, a few months ago. It was when Lorella was on a night out with the girls. I nipped back to the house during one of my shifts. I’d forgotten some paperwork for my boss. I entered the house, popped my head in the lounge to tell Michele why I was there, and ran upstairs. When I came down again, I opened the lounge door to find her standing naked in the middle of the room, dancing. I asked her what she was playing at, and she sauntered over to me and began undressing me.”

  “And you didn’t stop her?”

  “I was mesmerised by the tautness of her body and the thought of having sex with her.”

  “Wow, is that all it took for you to be unfaithful to Lorella? Is your wife aware of your affair?”

  He slammed a clenched fist onto the table. “It was not an affair, and no, Lorella isn’t aware of the incident. I’d rather you not tell her, either. It was a mistake. The worst mistake I’ve ever made. It hurts my heart and my head whenever I relive the events of that day. It was ten minutes—that’s all, Inspector. You have to believe me.”

  “Ten minutes or ten hours, it amounts to the same thing, Kelvin. You cheated on your wife.”

  “I know, and I have regretted it every day since.”

  “I have the feeling that regret is about to multiply tenfold when you hear what I have to tell you.”

  “I don’t understand. What’s going on?”

  “I take it you didn’t see the local news bulletin last night?”

  “No. I worked last night. You’re aware of my shift hours. Why? What did I miss?”

  “A plea for anyone who knows this young woman to come forward, along with a picture of a three-year-old girl we believe she abducted yesterday.”

  He flung himself back in his chair and linked the fingers of both hands on top of his head. “Are you serious?”

  Kayli leaned forward in her chair and narrowed her eyes. “I’ve never been more bloody serious in my life, Mr. Watson. Now, tell me what you know about the woman you had ten-minute sex with behind your wife’s back.”

  His hands slipped down and covered his face, trying to hide his sobs. Her heart went out to him for a second or two until she reprimanded herself. If it wasn’t for this man’s selfish actions his daughter probably would be alive today. Fortunately, she wasn’t cold-hearted enough to voice her opinion out loud, given the emotional turmoil he was putting himself through.

  “What have I done?” he repeated several times.

  “We need to get past this quickly, Kelvin. This girl is on the loose and has another innocent child within her grasp. Tell me what you know about Michele.”

  He inhaled a large breath to compose himself and wiped his eyes on his jacket sleeve. “Not much I can tell you, really.”

  “Try! There must be something. How did she become your babysitter?”

  “I spotted a card in the newsagent’s window. Lorella had recently said that she wanted more freedom, and with me working the night shift... well, I couldn’t look after the kids myself. Lorella was a bit of a party-goer before we hooked up. She was missing the clubbing scene, and even though she loved the kids, she said she wanted to get out more. I arranged for Michele to come round to see us. It was a joint decision to take her on, but I still feel responsible for suggesting her in the first place. We thought she was an ideal candidate for the job, as she was enrolled in a childcare course at the local uni. At least that’s what she told us during the interview.”

  Kayli scribbled down the information in her notebook. “Anything else? Did she talk about her boyfriend at all?”

  “I wasn’t aware that she had one at the time. My God, do you think she abducted Jamillia out of some kind of revenge? She wanted us to do it again, but I refused.”

  “We’re not sure. The teaching assistant at the school worked with the sketch artist and came up with that.” Kayli pointed at the drawing lying between them. “We believe she’s not only responsible for abducting and killing Jamillia, but also another girl whose body was found in a warehouse yesterday.”

  “Are you saying she’s some kind of serial killer?”

  “Maybe. My take is that she might be part of a paedophile ring, but I’ve yet to discover the evidence to prove that. At this stage, we’re assuming that the boyfriend is involved as it would appear his van has been used in a couple of the cases as a getaway vehicle.”

  He shook his head. “Why? Why choose innocent kids?”

  “It’s what these types of predators do, Kelvin. They use people who are unsuspecting to infiltrate the families—then bang! As Michele is so young, I believe there is probably another person higher up dictating her every move. Either that or she’s more twisted than we’re giving her credit for. Either way, we need to stop her from taking more children. Three more children have been reported missing in the area and we think she might have them. Did she ever mention another address that she uses?”

  “No. She’s never discussed details of her address with me. I only ever had her phone number. This is unbelievable. What the hell am I going to te
ll Lorella? First, she’ll be mortified, and then she’ll want to go round there and beat the crap out of her. Jesus, what a mess! To think that animal wormed her way into our affections only to have one intention in mind. That poor child... a three-year-old, you say? I don’t even want to bloody imagine what these people will consider doing to her.” He retched but managed to hold back from being sick.

  “Are you all right, Kelvin?”

  “Sick to my stomach. Not sure I’ll ever be all right again, if you must know. Why pick on me and my family?”

  “You answered the advert. Can you tell me the name of the newsagent?”

  “No point. I was in there the other day and read the cards in the window. Hers wasn’t there.”

  “At least that’s one thing. It also raises another question, of why she’s stopped advertising. I’d still like the address of the newsagent.” She offered him her notebook, and he jotted down the address then slid it back to her.

  “Can I go now?”

  Kayli smiled. “Yes, go home. Make sure you give your wife and Marcia a hug when you get home. We should never forget how precious life is. I know it’s going to be difficult, but you need to put this behind you and focus on Lorella and Marcia from this day forward. I’m not saying forget about Jamillia, just that there is no point feeling guilty about the situation. It won’t accomplish anything in the long run.”

  “Thank you. Not sure I agree with the guilt bit. I think that is going to live with me for a long time.”

  After Kayli saw him off, she walked slowly up the stairs to the incident room, contemplating what their next move should be.

  Donna turned to look at her when she entered the door. “Boss, I think I have something.”

  Kayli rushed towards her, hopefulness surging through her like a tidal wave. “What’s that, Donna?”

  “I was going through the calls that came in after the TV appeal, and this one caught my eye.” She thrust a slip of paper at Kayli.

  Reading the note, she frowned thoughtfully. “Someone thinks they saw her at a concert? Does that seem right to you?”