It didn’t take them long to reach their home, but they were dismayed to see the car was gone.
‘We’re too late,’ Ryan said, stopping several houses away from their own.
‘Maybe the policeman saw her take it. D’you think we should ask him?’
‘I don’t know, we were supposed to stay at the bed and breakfast place until the police came back to question us.’
‘They didn’t actually say that, they said they’d question us again today. It’s not as if we’re under arrest or anything.’ Emma could see Ryan wasn’t convinced. ‘OK, if you want to be a scaredy cat stay here and I’ll go ask him.’
Emma strode towards the policeman. ‘I’m looking for my mother,’ she said, smiling up at him, ‘and I wondered if she’d come back and taken the car. It was parked here last night.’
‘Yes, miss. A woman drove off in it about five minutes ago. She headed that way.’ He nodded in the direction of Clepington Road.
‘Thank you, officer.’ Emma smiled at him again, before returning to where Ryan stood shuffling his feet.
‘She’s gone.’
‘What do we do now?’
‘Look for her of course.’
‘But where do we start?’
Where indeed, thought Emma. But she wouldn’t rest until she found her mother and knew she was safe.
* * * *
Noise in the office was part of everyday life, voices talking and laughing, chair legs scraping along the floor, hurrying feet, the jangle of phones, the gurgle of the coffee machine dispensing its sludge, even Kate issuing her orders – so the sudden silence once the team left, jangled Bill’s nerves. Everyone had something to do, apart from him. He walked the length of the room and stood in front of the whiteboard, noting the new details that had been added.
The bed and breakfast establishment where the Carnegie family had been placed was one of the good ones and he was glad of that, knowing Diane’s fetish for cleanliness. However, he couldn’t help wondering how she had settled, and how all this was affecting her. It would be worse when they arrested Emma, and that would only be a matter of time. Diane would need support and Bill wasn’t sure whether Ryan would be up to it.
He wandered back to his desk and sat down, but he was restless and couldn’t sit still. He wanted to be out following the investigation, but Kate had shackled him to the office and he didn’t like it. He moved papers round on his desk, lined up his pens and pencils, played with the computer mouse, and pondered whether he should defy her and go. However, there had been an edge to her voice that made him wary.
He hadn’t smoked for over two years but the sudden urge for a fag was irresistible. He glared at the line of pencils, chose one roughly the size of a cigarette, stuck the end in his mouth and sucked. The taste of wood and lead stuck to his tongue, no replacement for the smoke he desired, and he crunched his teeth on it in disgust.
The sound of Kate’s office door opening made him look up, and he listened to the clack of her heels as she walked towards him. He laid the pencil he’d been chewing on the desk.
‘The psychologist wasn’t much help, although she more or less confirmed your theory about MPD. Says she can’t assess Emma without a referral from the GP, or a court order.’
‘The PF could ask for a court report.’ Bill discreetly removed a piece of wood stuck to his tongue.
‘We’d have to arrest her first. And who do we arrest? Emma or Jade? I’ll need to think about it. Meantime there’s something I want you to see. Get your jacket.’
* * * *
The park bench was wet but Diane didn’t feel it, nor did she feel the coldness of the wind whipping the edges of her coat. She had driven here in a daze to this place she had always come to with Jade, Emma and Ryan. It was a place with happy memories, a place where they had been a family. She could remember their squeals of delight as they tackled the equipment in the adventure playground, and after they tired of that she’d run races with them on the grassy area overlooked by Camperdown House, but without fail they had always ended up here beside the pond.
Today the water in the pond was grey, not blue as she remembered it, and the surface was choppy with ripples. But it didn’t matter, this was a place of peace, a place where she could think. And she had so much to think about. Her brain ached with it.
One of her family had attacked Bill Murphy, of that she was certain. Someone let him into their home and tried to murder him, maybe they had murdered him, because she didn’t know if he was alive or dead. A tear coursed down her cheek. She’d liked him, and she thought he liked her. There had been something in his eyes, and it was more than concern. But if he were alive, how could she face him, when someone from her family had tried to kill him.
She tried hard to think of Ryan and Emma. Which one of them was capable of this? But no matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t imagine either of them doing it.
There was only one thing for it, she would have to find out if Bill Murphy had survived the attack, and if he had, she would ask him who did it.
Chapter Fifty-Two
The large white forensics van was parked at the edge of the wood. Kate drew up behind it and rammed the brake on. She got out of the car and gestured to Bill to follow her.
‘Why are we here?’ Bill swung the car door open and levered himself out of the passenger seat.
He had spent the journey trying to puzzle out what Kate was up to, but he hadn’t wanted to prod, and she hadn’t been forthcoming. Now they had arrived he was even more puzzled, considering she had instructed him to have no more involvement with the Carnegie case.
‘I want your opinion on the remains we found.’
She strode round the front of the white van and out of sight.
Bill slammed the car door shut. The house looked the same as it had when they’d interviewed Patricia Carnegie, but there was no sign of her today. It had a deserted feel, except for the policeman on guard at the door, and the car parked on the gravel area. The grass bordering it was a churned up mess of mud, the only signs of last night’s activity. He should have been part of the search and rescue, but Emma Carnegie had put paid to that.
He walked round the van and stood on the edge of the wood. The trees, clustering closely together, with their branches weighed down by last night’s rain, added to the darkness beneath the canopy of leaves, giving it an eerie feel. Bill shivered, imagining what it would feel like to be lost in there.
There was no visible path between the trees and Bill stared into the gloom, reluctant to set foot in this alien territory. Give him the tenements and the sink estates any day, he was out of his depth here.
Kate hadn’t hesitated though, she’d plunged into the wood without a second thought, and he felt too embarrassed not to follow her. Sounds of her moving among the trees drifted back to him, although he couldn’t see her.
Taking a deep breath he stepped off the grass and into the wood and followed the sounds.
The ground felt different under the trees. It had a spongy feel and his feet kept sinking into the moss. It was no longer raining, it had stopped sometime during the night, but the ground was still soggy and the trees dripped. Bill stumbled on and was soaked through by the time he reached the shed.
One white-clad figure was examining the ground outside, and inside were two others in white boiler suits. One of them bent over the wooden chest at the rear wall of the shed and pointed something out to Kate.
Bill joined them. ‘What was it you wanted my opinion on?’
‘I wanted you to view the remains before they’re taken away for forensic examination,’ Kate said. ‘The skeleton is as we found it, and seems to have been arranged with care. There are fragments of her clothing and a necklace round the neck. I’m not sure but I think we may have found the missing Carnegie girl.’
Bill knelt down and stared at the small sized skeleton arranged on the red velvet cushion. The clothes looked like part of a school uniform, and the necklace was coral. He rummaged in his
pocket for his iPhone and snapped a photograph of the necklace.
‘I think you may be right,’ he said, returning the phone to his pocket.
‘Diane Carnegie told me she gave each twin a necklace on their eleventh birthday. Jade was given a jade necklace and Emma got a coral one. Diane Carnegie is the only person who can confirm if this was Emma’s necklace.’
‘If it is,’ Kate said, ‘that means the body could be that of Emma Carnegie, not Jade, and the girl we think of as Emma is actually Jade.’
‘On the other hand, the girls were known to swap identities from time to time, to confuse their teachers.’
Kate’s shoulders slumped. ‘There’s nothing easy about this case, and it’s not getting any better.’
The white-clad SOCO who had been quiet up to now, leaned over and said, ‘I’ll get an evidence bag for the necklace. It won’t be needed for the forensic examination of the body.’
He went over to his crime scene kit box, selected an evidence bag, returned to the body and gently removed the coral necklace. He bagged it and handed it to Kate.
‘Thanks,’ she said, and stood up. ‘I reckon we need to get Diane Carnegie to look at this. We’ll do it when the Carnegie family are brought in for questioning.’
‘What about Patricia Carnegie?’ Bill nodded towards the house as they left the wood.
‘As soon as we hear what Megan has to say I’ll be issuing a warrant for her arrest, but I’ll get the local officers to bring her in.’
* * * *
Diane had no idea how long she sat on the park bench, watching the ripples of water on the pond, her thoughts going round and round in circles and always coming to the same conclusion.
The dampness from the bench had seeped through her coat, her hands and feet were frozen, and her body was chilled. She struggled up, aware her limbs were stiff and aching, and hobbled back to the car.
Her fingers were numb and it took a few minutes to unlock the car and ease herself into the driving seat. Then she couldn’t start the car until her shivering stopped. But eventually she drove off, heading for Dundee Police Headquarters. Someone would be able to tell her what had happened to Bill Murphy.
The parking area was full, but she managed to squeeze into a tiny space at the top, partially blocking the vehicle next to her. She switched off the engine then slumped back in the seat, biting her lips and wringing her hands, reluctant to leave the car.
Panic overwhelmed her. She could hardly breathe. What if he was dead?
But she’d watched them put him in the ambulance last night and his head hadn’t been covered. Surely that meant he wasn’t dead. And if he wasn’t dead, what did that mean for her family? And did she really want to find out? But maybe he was dead. He could have died at the hospital or on the way there.
Her fingers reached for her hair and she pulled it. She didn’t want him to be dead. She liked him, and she thought he liked her. But what did that matter when her family were at risk.
She groaned and pulled her head down onto the steering wheel, tugging and pulling at her hair. Her thoughts were whirling again, so fast she couldn’t think straight.
‘Oh, God,’ she said, ‘tell me what to do.’
* * * *
Bill slumped into his chair. He wasn’t feeling his normal bouncy self, probably the drugs working their way out of his system.
Sue laid her coffee cup on the desk and looked over to him. ‘You feeling OK?’
His head felt too heavy for his shoulders, but he risked a nod. ‘Disorientated, that’s all.’
‘Hmm.’
It was evident Sue didn’t believe him, but she returned to writing what Bill guessed was her report on Megan’s interview. He had a problem with paperwork but Sue liked to keep on top of it.
Kate strode over to Sue’s desk. ‘Did you manage to interview Megan?’
Sue grinned. ‘I had to do battle with her mother and one of the doctors first,’ she said. ‘But Megan seemed recovered and was able to give me the details. I’ve written it up for you.’ She gestured to the paper on her desk. ‘It’s in longhand, I’m afraid, haven’t had time to put it into the computer yet.’
Kate picked up the piece of paper and started reading. ‘Did she say anything about Patricia Carnegie?’
‘She said a woman let her out of the shed and told her to run in the opposite direction to the house, but unfortunately she couldn’t see her face and didn’t think she could identify her.’
‘Damn,’ Kate said. ‘I don’t think that will be enough for the PF to authorize an arrest, and if I run with it without her approval I’ll get my fingers slapped again.’
Bill hid a grin. He’d have been tempted to arrest Patricia Carnegie anyway, although he agreed with Kate, the PF would probably refuse to prosecute her.
The phone rang. Kate and Sue were still discussing the report so Bill picked up the receiver.
‘Someone at reception wanting to talk to Bill Murphy.’
‘It’s Bill here. What’s it about?’
‘Sorry, don’t know. She wouldn’t give her name or anything, but she looks pretty distressed.’
‘OK, I’ll come down.’
Bill left the room, muttering to Kate. ‘Someone at reception. I’ll take it.’
Kate nodded, and Bill hurried out of the room before she asked who it was. In any case he didn’t know, although he thought it might be Diane.
‘Well, where is she?’ Bill asked when he got to reception.
‘Outside.’ The officer nodded at the doors. ‘After she asked for you, she ran off.’
Bill hurried outside and stood at the top of the steps surveying the parked cars. It only took him a moment to spot Diane, walking with her head down and shoulders slumped.
He ran down the steps and along the pavement until he caught up with her, but she seemed oblivious to him.
‘Diane,’ he said, hoping she would stop, but she kept on walking.
‘Stop, Diane. I need to speak to you.’ He reached out, grasped her arm and turned her to face him. She looked even more haggard than usual. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her eyes seemed to have sunk into her head. He could feel her pain and wanted to pull her into his arms and hug her, until all the hurt she was feeling went away. But he knew he couldn’t do that, not yet anyway, and maybe never.
‘Thank goodness, you’re alive,’ she whispered. ‘I am sorry, it’s all my fault.’
He gave her a small shake, ‘It’s not your fault. It could never be your fault.’
He stood for a moment, looking into her eyes. ‘You asked to see me.’
‘I wanted to know you were safe.’ She looked away from him. ‘It should never have happened and it’s all my fault.’
‘I told you before, it’s not your fault. You can’t be held responsible for what someone else does.’
‘Tell me one thing.’ Diane hesitated, her eyes bleak. ‘Which of my children was it?’
‘You’re shivering,’ Bill said, ‘we’ll talk in the car, out of this cold wind.’
Once they were seated in the car, Diane looked at him. ‘You didn’t answer my question. I want to know which one of them was responsible for . . . ’ her voice tailed off.
Bill reached over and grasped her hand. ‘Emma,’ he said, ‘although she changed and I started to think she might be Jade.’
‘Oh!’ Diane stared out of the windscreen, but her eyes shone with tears and Bill was sure she wasn’t seeing anything.
‘It won’t be long before Emma is arrested.’ His hand tightened on hers. ‘It’s inevitable.’
‘But you said it might not be Emma,’ she paused, ‘I always said Jade had returned.’
‘But you don’t want it to be Jade either.’
‘No,’ she said. ‘I don’t want it to be any of my children.’ She pulled her hand from his grasp and raised it to her face. The tears were falling now, and she brushed at them with the back of her hand.
Bill hesitated before he spoke again, unwilling to add t
o her heartbreak, but he couldn’t put it off any longer.
‘Whether it was Emma or Jade, I don’t know, but we’re not talking about two people here.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘We’ve found the remains of a body, which we’re pretty sure is your daughter, although we still have to wait for forensics to confirm it.’
Diane moaned and shrank back in her seat, giving the impression she’d grown smaller.
‘I have something I want you to look at.’ Bill took his iPhone out of his pocket. ‘I took a photograph of this and I wanted to know if you recognize it.’
He switched the display on, found the photograph he was looking for, and held it out to her.
Diane stared at the picture of the coral necklace, then took the phone from him and cradled it to her breast, hunching over it and crying.
‘Where did you find her?’
‘The remains were in a cabin trunk, in a shed on Patricia Carnegie’s property. We think your ex-husband was responsible.’
‘Bloody Paul. I always suspected he knew more than he was telling.’
‘I need you to tell me if you recognize it, Diane.’ Bill cringed, feeling like a complete bastard.
‘It’s Emma’s necklace.’ Diane’s face showed the depths of her misery and confusion. ‘But how can that be? It was Jade who went missing, not Emma.’
‘I don’t know. All I know is that this necklace was round her neck.’
‘When they do the forensic testing, will they be able to tell who it is?’
‘They’ll do DNA, so they’ll be able to confirm the identity. But Emma and Jade are identical twins so they share the same DNA. I don’t know if they’ll be able to distinguish between them.’
‘I see.’ She sat up straight in the seat and handed him his phone. ‘You’ve told me all I wanted to know, please leave me now. I need to go home.’
‘I’ll drive you.’
‘No, I need to be on my own now.’
Bill got out of the car and watched her drive off. Worry nagged at him, and he hoped she wouldn’t do anything rash. However, there was nothing more he could do. He hunched his shoulders and returned to the office.
Missing Believed Dead Page 27
