Missing

by Jay Nadal

  Jackie perched herself on the arm of the brown sofa. She bit her bottom lip nervously as she ran a hand through her bleached blonde hair. It was cropped close to her scalp on one side and hung long on the other side. Her bright red lipstick and piercing blue eyes jumped out from her pale anaemic-looking complexion. She was a thin woman, with a narrow face, and a sharp beak of a nose to match.

  Scott glanced around the cluttered lounge. The sofas clashed with the green carpet. The DVD cases either side of the decorative fireplace overflowed with DVDs. Potted plants lined the windowsill, blocking out some of the natural light, which darkened the tone of the room.

  “What’s happened to Linda?” She searched their eyes for answers as a silence hung between them.

  “Do you know Linda well?”

  Jackie shrugged. “Well enough. She is my neighbour and my friend. She won’t dump her kids with anyone.”

  Scott produced a small evidence bag with Linda Allen’s driving licence. “Is this the person who lives across the road? Who you know as Linda Allen?”

  Jackie’s eyes narrowed as she focused on the small pink card. She nodded once in confirmation.

  “And when was the last time you saw her?”

  “Sunday,” the woman replied, a hint of frustration in her tone.

  “What time would that have been?”

  Jackie sighed. “Afternoon I guess. I did her hair for her, and then she dropped off the kids before heading out for a date. Look, are you going to tell me what is going on?”

  Helen had been making notes up until now but took over the conversation. Her voice was softer and more sympathetic. “We’ve discovered the body of a woman, and we believe it might be Linda Allen. A handbag was found nearby, and this driving licence was in the purse. We can’t be certain it’s Linda for sure, but we suspect it to be the case.”

  A mixture of surprise and fear flooded her senses. Jackie’s face fell faster than a corpse in cement boots. In that instant her skin greyed, her mouth hung with lips slightly parted, and her eyes widened as far as they could stretch.

  Helen went over and sat beside her and held Jackie’s trembling hand.

  “What happened to her?”

  “We are unsure at the moment. She was discovered this morning.”

  Jackie gasped in shock, her eyes misting at the thought of her friend. A cascade of guilt flowed over her as she thought of cursing Linda.

  “Can you tell us any more about the date?” Helen asked softly.

  “She didn’t really say anything. She said she’d met him online and was looking forward to a fun night. She didn’t mention his name, and I didn’t ask.”

  “Had she met him before?”

  Jackie shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. She wanted to make a great first impression. So, I did her hair for her.”

  “Do you know the website? Or where she was meeting him?”

  Jackie didn’t answer but just stared at the floor unable to take in the news.

  “What about her kids?” she asked, flicking her head back in the direction of the kitchen.

  “We’ll contact social services, and they’ll take care of them. They start by contacting the next of kin.”

  Jackie offered the smallest of sarcastic laughs. “Good luck with that. I don’t think she and her mum get on too well…How did she die?”

  Scott and Helen exchanged the briefest of glances. “I’m afraid I can’t discuss the details of the case. It’s an ongoing investigation, but we suspect foul play,” Scott said.

  “Murdered…?”

  “We suspect so.”

  “I can’t believe it. She was so excited about the date. She had even bought red underwear because the fella she was meeting said he was into that.”

  “Where did she work?”

  “She worked for BoxK4, on the Hyde Business Park. She handled phone calls for them. Customer agent or something. I can’t remember the exact title.”

  “Had she been seeing anyone from work?”

  “I don’t think so. But she did get on very well with the guy she’d met online. They seemed to connect, almost in a familiar kind of way.”

  “As if they knew each other already?” Scott probed.

  “I’m not sure about that. But they seemed to share similar interests, and it was as if he knew what she was thinking before she even said it sometimes. If she had been the suspicious type, she would have thought someone was stalking her because he knew her so well.”

  Scott could relate to that. His previous case involved a suspect who had stalked him. And it felt like an invasion of privacy, which left an uneasy feeling.

  “She only wanted fun. She wanted some company, and excitement in her life. Between working and juggling two young kids, she deserved a break. But this…Did she suffer?”

  “No,” Scott lied. “She didn’t give you a name? Told you what he looked like? Or the car he drove or where he worked? Anything at all about him?”

  “No. No. I told you, she said fuck all. She didn’t tell me, and I didn’t ask. Yeah, I’m a nosey cow. But she’d been on a few dates before. And I gave up asking.”

  “She had been in previous relationships. Can you tell me about them?” Scott asked.

  “There’s not much to tell. She’d had a few online dates, but nothing came of them. They were more like one-nightstands if you know what I mean. She enjoyed her sex. So, I guess it suited her well. She was knocking about with a married fella at one point, but she never told me who it was.”

  “Anyone else?”

  “Then she had another boyfriend, but he was a tosser. She was married once, but he was a bit handy with his fists, if you know what I mean.” Her eyes travelled between Scott and Helen, who both nodded their understanding.

  “This led to her going online?”

  “Yeah. And she got loads of replies. I got the impression there were more men on these sites than women. She was bombarded with replies. Some right weirdos, who sent pictures of their cocks. She was upfront about it and told blokes that she had kids. That weeded out some of the replies, but a few stuck around.”

  “After she left on Sunday, you didn’t hear from her again?”

  “No. I kept looking out of the window hoping I’d see her car back on the drive. I tried her phone dozens of times, but it went to voicemail. I was getting frantic. I thought I was only looking after the kids for an evening.”

  Helen leant in, “I know this is a difficult thing to ask of you, but we need someone who knew her to identify the body. The sooner we can do that, the sooner we can confirm that it was Linda.”

  Jackie shuddered at the thought. “Jesus fucking Christ, do I have to?”

  “You don’t have to. But it would help our investigation, and someone needs to do it. It won’t take long, and one of us will be with you all the time.”

  Jackie nodded, even though uncertainty reflected in her body language as she wrapped her arms round her chest.

  Scott stood and walked over towards the window, staring out onto the quiet street. “We also need to identify her next of kin.”

  “Well, I guess you could say it was her mother, but good luck in getting through to her. They don’t see eye to eye.”

  “Who else?”

  “You’ve got John Richards. That’s her ex. He’s Shannon’s dad. He’s the one handy with his fists.”

  “And the reason she left?”

  Jackie didn’t answer. “Then she was with Andrei Dalca, her boyfriend.”

  “Father of the baby?”

  Jackie shook her head, confusion etched in the worry lines on her brow. “Not as far as I know. But to be honest it got complicated after that. I think she was having an affair with a married man, and little Leo was the outcome. Dalca found out about it and kicked the relationship into touch.”

  “Who was the married man?”

  Jackie shrugged one shoulder. “Your guess is as good as mine, unless you’re Mystic Meg.”

  “Where can we find Dalca and Richard
s?”

  “Dalca works at that big DIY warehouse on the Hollingbury retail estate. I’m not sure where he lives. He seems to move about. Richards on the other hand, the fucking drunken bastard, he’ll be anywhere he can sit in silence and drink beer all day long. So good luck on finding him. Personally, I think he lies low, so he doesn’t have to pay for Shannon.”

  Scott made a few notes in his notepad before asking a final few questions. “And what’s the situation with her mum?”

  “Dad was a drunk who just fucked off. He was told he had cirrhosis of the liver one day, disappeared the next. Linda and her mum got on okay until little Leo came along. Her mum just flipped when she found out about Linda having an affair with a married man. Something wasn’t quite right there.”

  10

  Scott and Helen waited around for another hour after visiting Jackie Cartwright. With the recent discovery of the purse and some keys, Scott was confident the keys would allow them access to Linda Allen’s house. Matt’s team had completed a forensic analysis of the keys and sent them with a constable.

  If Jackie’s house was cluttered, Linda’s was worse. Toys and board games were stacked up in one corner of the lounge. The room was in dire need of a lick of paint. Spots of floorboard peeked through the threadbare carpet. The sofa cushions had sunk, imprinted with the shape of several rear ends. Several empty bottles of wine and just as many glasses sat gathered together on the small table to one side of the sofa. Scott wondered if she’d been drinking alone or with company. Forensics would confirm that.

  A distinct and unpleasant odour lingered in the air. Damn disgusting…toddler nappies. He scrunched his nose and continued looking around.

  An Xbox and several controllers lay strewn across the floor close to the TV. Washed baby clothes covered every square inch of space on two clothes horses that sat beneath the window. From the smell, it was evident the room hadn’t been aired in many days.

  He went from room to room, finding no evidence of a disturbance. The general untidiness resulted from a lack of care and attention, rather than the consequences of violence. The messy theme continued through to the kitchen. Dirty plates filled the sink, open cereal packets collected on the table where they had last been used, and discarded rubbish overflowed from the kitchen bin.

  Upstairs was no different. The children’s bedrooms had clothes thrown across the floor, toys discarded where they were used, and their beds unmade. One thing that caught his attention was the difference in quality of the items in Leo’s room compared to Shannon’s. Shannon’s bedding appeared to be cheap and gaudy, her furniture tatty, and her clothes were from cheap and cheerful Primark. Leo’s room puzzled him. The room had new furniture, a strong and robust cot, and judging by the few labels that he had checked, items of clothing brought from John Lewis.

  Linda’s room resembled an adult version of Shannon’s. An ironing board set up in a corner had a basket of washing ready to be ironed. It served as a temporary resting point for a large bag of make-up, the contents strewn across its surface. Several outfits were laid out on the bed as if waiting to be tried on. Scott assumed Linda had been considering which to wear on Sunday. Various items of underwear lay scattered across a bed, several with shop tags on.

  An empty shoebox piqued Scott’s attention. The end of the box label identified its contents as a pair of black patent peep-toe heeled shoes, with ankle strap fastenings and a slim stiletto heel. Scott searched around on the floor, and in the wardrobes looking for shoes that matched the label and decided that she must’ve worn them for her date. That her body was discovered without the shoes ramped up his curiosity.

  Helen inspected the small chest of drawers by her bed only to discover a pink vibrator, condoms and a pair of handcuffs. As she continued her search, the second drawer revealed several sheets of photocopied images of Linda in various stages of undress posing provocatively.

  Scott and Helen pulled out as the SOCOs arrived.

  “You’re trying to embarrass me, aren’t you?”

  Abby spun in her seat and smiled warmly at Scott. She rose and gave him a friendly hug.

  “It looks like you caught the sun,” Scott remarked. “Judging from your tan, you had some decent winter sunshine.”

  “Yes, it was decent most days. There was the odd cloudy day, but we had sunshine and temperatures into the late teens and early twenties. You didn’t tell me that El Faro had its own little microclimate. Sharon and Sean told me that the weather was like that nearly all year round.”

  Abby followed Scott to his office and filled him in on the holiday as he unpacked his briefcase and fired up his computer.

  Scott was desperate to ask the one question that had sat heavily with him since Abby had left but was scared to ask. He’d just seen her, and deliberately held back.

  “Did the kids have a good time?”

  Abby smiled from ear-to-ear, in a way which Scott had not seen. It was a gushing smile, bathed in happiness and contentment. A smile that took away all the worry lines and creases that often left her looking embattled, weary and old. She nodded enthusiastically and rolled her eyes towards the ceiling.

  “They loved it. It’s such a laid-back lifestyle over there. No one in a hurry to do anything. We went out to eat a few evenings, and as typical Brits, we went out at seven p.m. and the restaurants were empty. We would leave at nine p.m., and the Spaniards were just arriving. The kids loved the whale-shaped pool on the complex. They were in and out constantly; the cold didn’t seem to bother them. I’ve never seen them look so happy.”

  “Truth be told, standing here now, I’ve never seen you look so happy.”

  A comfortable silence lingered between them as they stared at one another. No words needed to be said, but Abby’s eyes said nothing more than thank you.

  They made their way back over to the main floor for the team briefing. Abby had caught up with Mike earlier, so she knew the bare bones of the case.

  “Right, we need to start checking with the NCA. Look for any similar cases over the last two to three years. We should have a positive ID on the victim later today. Helen’s accompanying Jackie to the morgue, but from the evidence we’ve gathered, we know we’re dealing with the murder of Linda Allen.”

  “Cara confirmed it was strangulation rather than suffocation?” Abby asked.

  “Yes, in her opinion.”

  “So why the plastic bag taped around her head?”

  Scott stuffed his hands in his pockets as he did his usual walk around the incident board. “That’s something we’re not sure of now, Abby. Whether he wanted to suffocate her and panicked, or whether it wasn’t quick enough for him. It’s anyone’s guess.”

  “I’ve just checked her social media profiles,” Mike added. “Nothing jumps out at the moment. Just lots of pictures of her kids, the usual mummy thing.”

  “Whilst you’re at it, Mike, can you check her banking records, social security, and look for friends, boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, her ex-husband, family and work colleagues? Jackie Cartwright, her neighbour, said she worked at BoxK4. Can you find out a bit more about them, and who owns it?”

  Mike offered an affirmative nod. “I’ll check PNC, to see if she’s had any run-ins, or bother.”

  Scott perched on the edge of one desk whilst several ideas raced through his mind. “Whilst you’re checking banking records, Mike, can you check to see if any payments went out for anything that might resemble a dating service? Jackie said she had put her profile on a dating website and had met people through it. Most of these sites will leave a breadcrumb trail. Let’s see if we can narrow down where she may have met her date.”

  Helen jumped in. “Guv, the search teams are still scouring the area. They believe they’ve discovered her phone. It matches the description that Jackie had given us. A Samsung S5 Gold. It’s with forensics. They will download its contents for us.”

  Scott thanked Helen for the update. The discovery of Linda’s phone was one thing that Scott could cross off his mental c
hecklist. Its absence had bothered him ever since her handbag had been found. His early hypothesis was that it had either been dropped or discarded.

  Abby crunched over the facts as she absorbed the different elements being thrown about around her.

  “Guv, she was dressed up to go out. Jackie said that Linda had bought a new top, a silver skirt, fresh underwear and new shoes. I just wonder if she was set up and invited out?”

  “To be raped and then murdered?”

  Abby’s eyes widened as she shrugged. “It’s plausible. She was found partially dressed. But her knickers, skirt and shoes are missing. She must have been driven up there, or driven herself there, because of its remoteness, so either those items are in her car, the car of the perpetrator, or they were kept as souvenirs?”

  It was a fair point, and one he had already considered. The missing items needed to be found. He would go begging bowl in hand to Meadows and ask for extra resources. If those items were discovered, valuable forensic evidence would help to progress the case. The silver duct tape used to secure the bag over her head was already undergoing extensive forensic analysis with a company that Matt used in Cambridge.

  Matt had informed Scott that duct tape had three constituents: a polymeric backing, an adhesive, and fabric reinforcement (scrim) between the backing and adhesive. Extensive analysis would be conducted on the composition and physical construction of the sample. Matt went onto confirm that scientists would then examine the tape sample for different traces, such as finger marks and human biological traces.

  They considered a few more options before a call came through to confirm that uniformed officers had located a Vauxhall Corsa, its index confirmed that the vehicle belonged to Linda Allen. The car had been discovered in The Greys Pub car park in Southover Street. Scott had asked the officers to seal off the area until he arrived and requested scientific services to attend the scene.

  11

  Southover Street boasted a narrow road with a long, steep incline. Close to the university buildings with easy access into town, it was popular with students who found cheap multi-occupancy accommodation. It was a street where you needed a healthy set of lungs, and a strong resolve to make it to the top.