Lost Girls

by K Leitch

  ‘Will do,’ said Dorothy as she made her way back upstairs.

  Carla found Frank and filled him in on what Dorothy had found. ‘Bloody hell Carla,’ he said, ‘this is getting a bit ridiculous, how many more people are there that are connected to this girl, and are they all going to end up dead?’

  ‘Well we don’t know that Imogen is dead yet do we?’ Frank just raised his eyebrows at her. ‘OK, OK I know it’s not looking too good at the moment,’ Carla said. ‘I need to find the Sheenans, I’ve got a feeling that they might be mixed up in this somehow….’

  ‘Still no one at home?’ Frank asked.

  ‘No,’ said Carla despondently, ‘I’ve had Midge watching their house for a couple of days now and they still haven’t shown up….’

  She broke off as Frank’s mobile rang; Frank went outside to answer it so Carla went back into the living room to talk to the two granddaughters again. A couple of minutes later Frank came in and gestured for her to come back out into the hall.

  ‘That was Mandy,’ he said as soon as the living room door was closed behind her. ‘They’ve got something on the cameras on Redbank road at the junction with St Marks Square, so I’m going back to have a look.’

  ‘Ok I might as well come back as well; I don’t think we’re going to get much more from the family. I’ll meet you back there.’

  She took her leave of the family, asking them to pass on the message to Luke that she needed to speak to him and then headed back to the station.

  Mandy and Frank were gathered round the monitors in Mandy’s office watching the grainy black and white footage of the cars passing along the Redbank road.

  At 9.47 pm on the night that Brenda was killed, a dark coloured Aston Martin Vantage turned off the main road into St Marks Square. It appeared again leaving the Square at 10.36. The car was registered to Luke Wiseman, and, when the image was cleaned up, the man himself could clearly be seen driving the car.

  CHAPTER 58 - CAULDRON MEETING

  ‘I haven’t got a clue Tracy,’ Helen was saying, ‘maybe Carla can give us some idea when she gets here. All I know is that Imogen has disappeared, which is a bloody nightmare because now we don’t know whether the thing is going ahead or not. I mean do we postpone until she’s feeling better, or do we just cancel altogether?’

  ‘I suppose I can understand it,’ Tracy said nodding sagely as she put another cheesy wotsit into her mouth. ‘She’s had so much to put up with over the last few weeks, but still it does seem a bit strange doesn’t it, to do a flit right before the play. The same play that she has been so involved in and which she said should go ahead, despite her husband being murdered. Maybe she’s finally flipped.’

  ‘Well who could blame her if she has,’ Helen said pouring out a glass of wine for each of them. ‘Did you get hold of Maggs?’ she asked.

  ‘Yep,’ Tracy said nodding, ‘she said she might be a bit late, she’s got to put Jukie to bed, Dom’s got a late meeting so she’s coming as soon as he gets home…couldn’t get hold of Carla though, I sent her a text.’

  ‘She must be up to her eyes at the moment,’ Helen said. ‘What with Albie’s murder and that skeleton and I heard some woman was killed over in Redbank last week….’

  ‘Bloody hell,’ Tracy said, ‘it’s like “Midsummer Murders” round here at the moment, what’s going on? Ooh look there’s Maggie.’

  She stood up and waved to get Maggie’s attention, Maggie smiled and waved back and then indicated that she was just getting a drink and talking to Duncan. She bustled over a couple of minutes later.

  ‘Hello my darlings, sorry I’m so late,’ she said pulling a chair over from another table. ‘Had to look after Jukie, Dom had a meeting with a construction company today in Cheltenham, so the poor darling had to rush back from that so that I could come out….’

  ‘And where is the child’s mother can I ask?’ Tracy said indignantly. ‘Why should you and Dom be rushing about all over the place, surely this is her responsibility?’

  Maggie pulled a face, ‘Apparently,’ she said dragging out the word, ‘Maylee is at a hairdressing convention in Brighton this week, learning about some amazing new products that can help even the most amazing coiffure last longer.’

  ‘Ha!’ said Tracy, ‘More like learning about some new techniques to make bloody Luke Wiseman last longer. I’m sorry Maggie but the girl is a selfish cow.’

  Maggie smiled ruefully, ‘Well I know that sweetheart but until my darling son figures that out for himself, I will support him all the way and if that means looking after Jukie then that’s what I’ll do…actually it is no hardship to look after Jukie he’s an angel. Anyway enough of that, I have some news….’

  Helen and Tracy looked at her expectantly.

  ‘Jools went for her twenty week scan yesterday….’

  ‘Oh my God, did she find out what she’s having, oh please don’t tell me she told them she didn’t want to know…I hate that….’

  ‘Actually Tracy, if you’ll just let me get a word in,’ Maggie said shaking her head, ‘she did want to know and….’ Maggie looked at Tracy with a teasing smile.

  ‘Oh come on Maggie don’t leave us hanging,’ Tracy said after a moment.

  ‘Oh alright then…she’s having a little girl!’ Maggie finished punching her fist in the air in jubilation. After having two boys herself Maggie had been secretly hoping for a granddaughter.

  Tracy jumped up and ran round to hug Maggie, ‘Oh I’m so happy for you love, a little girl how wonderful, has she got any names yet? Was everything ok?’

  ‘Bloody hell love, give me a chance,’ laughed Maggie as she emerged from Helen’s hug. ‘I know Jools had a couple of names in the back of her mind, but she’s being quite tight lipped about that for now. And yes everything looks fine, she’s a bit further on than she thought but only by a couple of weeks, so it shouldn’t make too much difference or at least I hope it won’t…the wedding’s so close to her due date.’

  ‘Ooops, we may have the bride giving birth at the altar,’ Helen laughed, ‘ha ha can you imagine, Reverend Sinclair wouldn’t know where to look.’

  ‘Well at least we’d have the W.I. there to step up to the mark,’ Maggie laughed, ‘Hester Binworthy would be in her element, telling Reverend Sinclair to boil some water, while she frantically knits a shawl and mittens set….’

  ‘Oh and Martha would be telling Jools to stop her winging, “sure an’ it’s as easy as shelling peas me girl”,’ added Tracy in a dreadful Irish accent that had them all giggling again and things were getting seriously out of hand before, thankfully, they were saved by Maggie’s phone ringing.

  It was Carla.

  ‘Oh hi love,’ Maggie said, calming down. ‘Oh…OK…OK, no sorry I haven’t got a clue I’m afraid. Well she’s meant to be at some hair convention thing in Brighton but…ummm…I think she said The Grand, yes I’m sure she did because I remember saying “ooh nice” to her. Well I can’t promise he’ll be there though…oh ok…ok love… yes OK I’ll tell them…bye.’

  She finished the call and looked up into two pairs of enquiring eyes. ‘That was Carla,’ she said, ‘she can’t make it and apparently she needs to find Luke Wiseman as soon as possible, so she was asking me where Maylee had said she was staying in Brighton so….’

  Helen and Tracy both took sips of their drinks and said nothing.

  Helen changed the subject, ‘Oh I forgot to tell you, Livy Bray came up trumps, she’s found our man and she’s persuaded him to come to the opening night. Just a shame it now looks as if the play’s going to have to be cancelled anyway….’

  ‘What?’ asked Maggie, ‘Why is it being cancelled, I thought Imogen was forging ahead with it despite Albie’s death?’

  Helen went on to explain about Imogen going missing. ‘So you see we’re a bit up in the air at the moment. We can’t exactly carry on with the play without either of the hosts being there can we?’ she said.

  ‘But where’s she gone, surely she’ll be back
in time for the play?’

  ‘Well between you and me,’ Helen said looking over her shoulder as if she thought someone was listening. ‘The police were up there for ages the other day and I saw Dorothy Smiles, you know who heads up the forensics team…well you have to wonder don’t you, why would she be there if the police weren’t suspicious about something….’

  ‘I wonder if that’s why Carla needs to find Luke…maybe he’s killed her! Oh my God that’s got to be it, Luke’s finally had enough of her nagging and done away with her!’ Tracy said dramatically.

  ‘Oh for crying out loud Tracy,’ Maggie said laughing, ‘you should take up writing crime novels darling, you’d clean up…’ she broke off smiling as Duncan came over.

  ‘Well hello again you sexy man,’ she said reaching up to give him a kiss, he seemed a bit preoccupied.

  ‘What’s up love?’ Maggie asked him.

  ‘Oh, only the bane of my life playing up again,’ he said shaking his head. ‘I’ve just had sister Agnetta on the phone again, complaining that Martha has set up some sort of gambling cartel on her ward.’ Maggie, Helen and Tracy burst out laughing.

  ‘It’s no laughing matter,’ Duncan said smiling despite himself. ‘She’s been putting bets on for half the geriatric ward. I had a go at her about it yesterday when I went to visit, I caught her on the phone to her bookie putting ten pound on “Jessamy’s boy” at twenty to one.’ The girls were giggling like mad now and Duncan was finding it hard not to laugh himself. ‘I tried to tell her off about it, but she just waved me away and said I was a “fecking idiot… and sure it was a good horse, it had a leg on each corner, so it did!”

  CHAPTER 59 - CARLA

  The print found on the photograph of Missy Gattoré discovered under Imogen’s bed, had come up trumps. It belonged to John Sheenan. Sheenan had been arrested for taking part in a demonstration against capitalism which got out of hand, in London ten years earlier. He was released without being charged but his prints had been taken and put on file. Carla was elated, this was the first real breakthrough that they had had in this case. She had an All Ports Warning put out on both Rebecca and John Sheenan and she had applied for, and been granted, a warrant to search their home. Surely now they would start to make some progress.

  They entered the Sheenan’s house early next morning and it certainly seemed that the pair had left for good.

  The house was tidy and there were empty hangers in the wardrobes in both bedrooms. The drawers had been emptied and the fridge had been cleaned out. In fact it was all very clean and tidy and whatever Carla had expected to find, it looked as if she was going to be disappointed again.

  The house was tiny, with two small rooms downstairs with a bathroom on the end of the kitchen and equally small bedrooms upstairs. Outside was a strip of garden which was pretty overgrown, there was a dilapidated shed at the far end. The only piece of luck so far was that the bins had not yet been taken so Carla got her team to start sorting through the rubbish. It didn’t take too long before things began to surface. There were some photo copies of the same photo of Missy Gattoré that was found in Imogen’s room and some of another girl; Carla presumed she was Una Flannery. And then they hit the jackpot, a dark grey duffle coat had been stuffed into one of the bins, it had a tear in the sleeve as if it had been caught on a nail. Carla bagged it up for forensics to take a look at it.

  Midge came into the kitchen while Carla was labelling the bag with the coat. ‘We’ve found something Ma’am,’ he said. Carla followed him down to the old shed; just inside the door was a roll of blue plastic sheeting, identical to the sheeting that had covered the floor beneath Albie Wiseman.

  ‘We’ve got them,’ Carla said with a satisfied smile, the smile soon faded though as she realised that she had no idea where John and Rebecca Sheenan had gone. ‘Right we need to find these two, they are extremely dangerous and I’m sure they are intending to kill again. We need to circulate some images of them. Sam can you get hold of Janey who deals with the media, we need to get some TV airtime as soon as it can be arranged.’

  Carla headed back to the station, no sooner had she walked through the door when WPC Sheila Davis nabbed her. ‘There’s a Jacob Gattoré trying to get hold of you Ma’am, he says it really important. He’s left a number….’

  ‘OK thanks love I’ll give him a ring,’ Carla said taking off her coat.

  ‘Mr Gattoré? It’s DI Carla Right here, I heard you were trying to get hold of me?’ she said into her phone a minute later.

  ‘Oh thank God, I didn’t know who else to call,’ Jacob Gattoré said with a sigh of relief, he sounded really shaken up.

  ‘What’s going on Jacob?’ Carla asked again.

  ‘I got this letter, no name on it just writing, cut out letters you know from a magazine or something. It says…”JUSTICE HAS BEEN DONE” and then there’s a list of names, some of them I don’t recognise but one of them is Jonas Silco and it’s got Oliver Hanley and Ingrid Delaney on there.’

  ‘Ok Jacob, we need to see this letter. Do you have any idea who could have sent this to you?’

  ‘No Ma’am…not a clue,’ Jacob said.

  ‘Do you still have the envelope? Is there a post mark on it?’

  There was a pause as Jacob fetched the envelope, ‘Yes it’s got a Redbank post mark…do you think this could be the man that killed Jonas?’

  ‘Well that’s certainly a possibility,’ Carla said. ‘Look I’m going to send one of my team to pick up that letter, they’ll be with you in about an hour or so ok?’

  ‘How did he know where I lived? You don’t think he’ll be coming for me next do you?’ Jacob asked nervously.

  ‘No Jacob I don’t,’ Carla said reassuringly, ‘I think who ever this is, they thought you might want to know that they’ve dished out their own sort of justice on the people whose names were on the list. Can you read out the names for me?’

  ‘Yeh, it’s Father Seamus Leary, Alfred Sheenan, Sister Frances, Jonas Silco, Oliver Hanley, Ingrid Delaney and Agnes Cray. Like I said I recognise Silco, Delaney and Hanley but I don’t know who the others are….’

  ‘No…well we need to find out as well, thank you so much for calling me Jacob you’ve been a great help.’

  Frank put his head round the door, ‘We’ve just picked up Luke Wiseman, he was on the A23 just outside Brighton, they’re bringing him in now if you want to sit in.’

  ‘Thanks Frank, I’ve just had a bit of a breakthrough myself,’ she said with a smile and went on to tell him about Gattoré’s call.

  ‘I am going to have to get Mandy to check out all these names ASAP, Alfred Sheenan is obviously the stepfather and I’m guessing Sister Frances is a nun, and we know who Agnes Cray is. We need to find them before the Sheenan’s get to them! This pretty much confirms that we’re not going to find Imogen alive though doesn’t it,’ Carla finished with a rueful shake of her head as she went to fill in Mandy on what she needed her to do, she called WPC Sheila Davis in to help her.

  ‘It’s vital that we find these people as quickly as possible Mandy, I have no idea whether the Sheenans have already got to them, we need to find them first, so do your best ok?’

  By the time Carla got down to interview room 2, Luke Wiseman had been cooling his heels in there for a while.

  ‘He‘s an arrogant sod isn’t he?’ Frank said before they went into the room. ‘Calm as you like, doesn’t want a solicitor…he’s got nothing to hide he says.’

  ‘Well he might not be so calm when we show him the CCTV footage,’ Carla said with a smirk.

  Luke Wiseman sat with his back against the wall, one arm resting along the chair back. He looked relaxed and gave Carla one of his devastating smiles as she walked in.

  ‘DI Right,’ he said, ‘what a pleasant surprise, perhaps you could enlighten me as to why I have been brought here.’

  Carla sat down next to Frank and opened the manila folder that she had brought in with her, she smiled at Luke but said nothing, this was Frank’s
interview.

  ‘Mr Wiseman,’ Frank began; he put a picture of Brenda Marsh in front of Luke. ‘Do you know this woman?’

  Luke looked surprised for a moment, then his face relaxed into its usual slightly bored expression. ‘Well there’s probably no point in saying I don’t know her is there? I’m sure you lot have been very thorough in looking into my father’s affairs, this is Brenda Marsh, she and my father were an item for years, as I’m sure you know.’

  ‘And how well do you know Brenda, Luke?’ Frank asked.

  Luke curled his lip, ‘Not as well as she would like that’s for sure,’ he said sardonically.

  ‘So you don’t like her?’ Carla spoke for the first time.

  Luke turned and looked at her, ‘She is a devious, money grabbing, sexual predator, Detective Inspector, so no I don’t like her. She played my father for a fool most of the time, he bought her that house and paid for her upkeep but I know that she hasn’t always been…um exclusive to my father shall we say.’

  ‘How do you know that Luke?’ Carla asked again.

  ‘Well she’s tried it on with me many times over the years and I’m sure if you ask my brother he’ll tell you the same…look why are you asking me about her, do you think she might have had something to do with Dad’s death?’ Luke asked running his hands through his hair in an agitated way.

  ‘Brenda Marsh was found dead in her house a couple of days ago, she’d been beaten so severely that she died from her injuries,’ Frank said, pulling out another photo, this one of a beaten and bloody Brenda, he put it on the table in front of Luke.

  ‘Oh my God,’ Luke exclaimed picking up the photo and looking at it. ‘Shit…who would do that?’ he looked up at Frank, ‘Now hang on a minute, you don’t think I had anything to do with it do you?’ he asked shaking his head.

  Frank didn’t answer him. He pulled out another couple of images, the grainy black and white stills taken from the camera showing Luke driving his Aston Martin into Brenda’s road on the night of the murder, he laid them on the table for Luke to see.