by Ian Martyn
‘Good.’
‘Sir?’
‘I’d be more worried if you weren’t. Struggling means questioning everything and that’s what we’ve got to do. Then when we’ve eliminated everything that doesn’t fit, whatever’s left, no matter how improbable, must be the answer, right?’
‘If you say so, sir.’
Kirby had to admit that despite the conclusions his subconscious had come to while he was asleep, his conscious coppering mind persisted in trying to suggest more normal explanations. His conscious and subconscious were still arguing as he sped along the A1 dual carriageway past Stannington and on to the Morpeth bypass. Eventually he told them both to shut up.
Heading past the slip road down into Morpeth always evoked memories. It was where Jeanie had loved to go to do a “bit of shopping”. She wasn’t one for the big centres; said she could wander around them for hours and never find what she wanted. She’d always drag him into the small department store Rutherfords, where “if he was good” she’d buy him a coffee. He never quite figured out how she could go in for a jacket or a skirt and come out with a cushion or table mats. Sometimes he’d leave her mooching about while he wandered around the town or along the river.
‘You alright, sir?’
‘Sorry?’
‘Just you looked miles away.’
‘Yes, something like that, Constable.’
Kirby opened the window, breathed in the fresh air, pushed the memories aside and turned his attention to the scenery he never tired of.
‘Beautiful isn’t it, Constable?’
Shirley glanced across to the purple of the Simonside hills in the distance. ‘Guess so. Although I’m more of a city girl.’
Kirby sat up straighter as he sucked in another breath. ‘Take my advice, put on a pair of boots and get out there. Clears the mind.’
‘I’ll take your word for it, sir.’
Fifteen minutes later, just past the Hog’s Head Inn, Kirby pulled off the A1 and made his way to Alnwick police station; a rather stern-looking brick building with, he thought, pretentions of grandeur. Just what a police station should look like, in his opinion.
Inside, the desk sergeant looked up from his crossword and greeted him. ‘Morning, sir. Welcome back.’
‘Thank you, Sergeant. This is Constable Barker. I believe you have our missing girl, or at least you think you have?’
The sergeant put down his pen and coughed. ‘Er yes, sir, we’re sure this time.’
‘So who found her?’
‘Well, sir, it was Constable Cuthbertson. Or at least he collected her.’
‘Uh huh, and is the constable in?’
The sergeant pointed to a door a few metres along. ‘In there, sir. Should be making me a coffee.’
Kirby and Shirley entered the small kitchen area to see a tall constable with his back to them and the sound of a spoon clinking in a mug. ‘Morning, Constable.’
Constable Cuthbertson turned around, holding a mug of steaming coffee. Kirby took it from him. ‘Thank you Constable, very kind. I’m sure Constable Barker here would love one as well.’
Shirley grinned. ‘Thanks.’
‘Right, sir,’ Cuthbertson said before turning back and getting two more mugs from the draining board.
Bright lad, Kirby thought. Didn’t miss a beat. ‘So you found her then?’
‘Sarah?’ Cuthbertson said as he let the kettle boil again and spooned in the coffee.
‘Yes, Sarah.’
‘Well, it was actually my aunt who found her, sir. The girl was wandering along outside her cottage in Craster at six in the morning. And seeing as she was looking lost and in just jeans and a T-shirt with no shoes on an’ all, and Auntie Pauline being a decent sort, she invited her in to warm up like. Said she could see there was no harm in her.’
‘Good for her. Then she called you.’
‘Sir.’
‘So which direction was she coming from?’
Cuthbertson handed Shirley a coffee. ‘The castle, or at least that’s what Auntie Pauline thought. Her cottage is at that end of the village, you see.’
Kirby nodded. ‘And have you interviewed her?’
‘No, sir. Thought I’d leave that to you.’
Of course you did, Kirby thought. Not the sort of report you want to write. He studied the constable who maintained a look of innocent helpfulness under the inspector’s gaze. Well done, Constable, you’ll go far. ‘So where is she?’
‘Second room on the left, sir.’
‘Thank you. Now I expect the sergeant will want his coffee.’
‘Er, yes, sir. Thank you, sir.’
Kirby opened the door, allowing Shirley to enter first, to find Sarah sitting, facing a wall. On her feet, looking a little out of place on someone of Sarah’s age, were a pair of blue, what he believed were called “mules”, complete with pink feathery pompoms, no doubt donated by Auntie Pauline. Sarah didn’t turn or show any other indication that she knew they were there. It was as if she were watching something no one else could see. Given how this case was developing, it wouldn’t have surprised Kirby if she was.
Kirby sat opposite. ‘Hello, Sarah. I’m Inspector Kirby and this is Constable Barker.’
Sarah’s eyes flickered across their faces for a second before losing focus again. So at least she knows we’re here. Kirby nodded towards Shirley, hoping the constable would seem less threatening to the young girl.
Shirley smiled. ‘So, Sarah, you were at the castle?’
‘Castle.’ Sarah said in a flat voice devoid of any intonation.
‘Yes, Dunstanburgh.’
‘Dunstanburgh.’
Shirley glanced at Kirby, who shrugged. ‘Do you remember how you got there?’
‘Dunstanburgh.’
‘Yes, Dunstanburgh.’
Sarah’s eyes focused for a second and a faint smile touched her lips. ‘Nice lady gave me a bacon sandwich.’
‘Yes, that was nice of her. Now can we get back to the castle, Sarah?.’
‘Dunstanburgh.’
‘Yes. How did you get there?’
‘Men.’
Perhaps we’re getting somewhere.
Shirley leaned forward a little. ‘Now…’
‘Big men, beards, big beards, beer.’
‘They got you drunk?’
‘Big men, big beards. Smoke, smell.’
‘And they took you to the castle?’
‘Dunstanburgh. Hurt my eyes.’
‘They hurt your eyes?’
‘Dunstanburgh.’
‘Yes, Sarah, Dunstanburgh.’
‘Dunstanburgh.’
Perhaps they weren’t getting anywhere. Kirby put a hand on Shirley’s arm. ‘I think we’d better get you home, Sarah,’ he said.
He turned to Shirley. ‘Let’s arrange for a car to pick you up when we get to the hospital and then you can take a little trip up to the castle.’
‘Me, sir?’
‘Yes, Constable, I know, two excursions in one day. How exciting is that?’
‘What am I looking for?’
‘Anything, Constable. Have good poke around. Should be a nice day. A little walk, fresh air and all that.’
‘If you say so, sir. Personally, I always thought fresh air a little overrated, especially when it contains water.’
Shirley stood and placed a gentle hand on Sarah’s arm. ‘Come on, let’s get moving shall we?’ Sarah stood and let Shirley guide her out of the station and into the back of the car. On his way out, Kirby stopped at the desk.
‘Sir?’
‘Give the folks up at Dunstanburgh a call, will you, and tell them to keep it shut for the day.’
‘Dunstanburgh?’
‘Yes, you know, the castle, big thing made of stone. I don’t want the public trampling all over it until we’ve had a chance to poke around.’
‘Yes sir.’ The sergeant said, making a note on his pad. ‘Castle… made… of… stone,’ he muttered as he wrote.
Kirby i
gnored the ritual desk sergeant sarcasm. ‘Oh, and see if you can spare a constable to go over there and make sure no one goes inside until…. No, tell you what…’ He turned to Shirley. ‘Why don’t you go over there now and have a poke around, see what you can find? Perhaps talk to the lady who found her. I’m sure they can spare Constable Cuthbertson to give you a lift and then bring you back into town.’ He raised an expectant eyebrow at the desk sergeant.
‘Sir.’
On the way back, Sarah gazed out of the window, saying nothing, clearly back to seeing things no one else could see, Kirby thought as he glanced at her in the mirror. What are you seeing, Sarah? What did you see? He guessed she was back in Dunstanburgh, at least whenever she was asked a question that’s how she answered, ‘Dunstanburgh’. Except for one occasion, just as they passed over the river Coquet, when he noticed her smile. ‘Not alone,’ she said.
‘Remembered something, Sarah?’
‘Dunstanburgh.’
Kirby radioed ahead to say he was taking Sarah to the Freeman hospital and could they let Mr Cooper know.
When they arrived Mr Cooper, a doctor and a nurse were waiting for them.
fifteen
Mr Cooper rushed over and pulled Sarah to him. Sarah allowed herself to be hugged, but didn’t hug him back. ‘Where’ve you been, darling? We’ve been so worried about you.’
Sarah stared into the middle distance. ‘Dunstanburgh.’
‘Dunstanburgh? What about Dunstanburgh, Sarah? Did they hurt you?’
‘Dunstanburgh.’
‘Mr Cooper,’ Kirby said, interrupting on the grounds that he felt this could go on for some time.
Cooper turned his head towards Kirby while still holding on to Sarah, who remained passive in his arms. ‘Is she hurt? What’s she told you? What’s wrong with her?’
Kirby raised a hand. ‘Please, Mr Cooper, it seems Sarah’s not saying much at the moment. He took Cooper’s arm. ‘Why don’t we let the doctors have a look at her? We don’t believe she’s been physically harmed, but they’ll just make sure.’ Cooper glanced across at the nurse, who smiled in return. He nodded, then relinquished his hold on Sarah.
The nurse stepped forward and put an arm around Sarah’s shoulders. ‘Why don’t you come with me and we can make you comfortable?’ She led a passive Sarah into the hospital with Cooper following a few steps behind. Kirby touched the doctor’s arm, who being well-versed in these things, hung back.
‘What do you think?’
‘Traumatised, shock, at first guess. As you say, nothing physical, but we’ll have a good look at her just to be sure.’
The inspector handed the doctor one of his cards. ‘And can you let me know if she says anything peculiar, anything funny?’
‘Funny?’
‘As in strange.’
‘Strange?’
‘Yes,’ Kirby said, tapping the card the doctor was now holding away from his body in the tips of a finger and thumb as if it might self-combust. ‘Don’t worry, you’ll know when you hear it.’
The nurse guided Sarah into a single room and the doctor followed.
Kirby stopped at the door. ‘Mr Cooper, why don’t we leave them to it? And perhaps I could ask you a few questions?’
Cooper glanced at the doctor.
‘She’ll be fine with us, Mr Cooper.’
Kirby led him back down the corridor to a small visitors’ waiting room he’d spotted.
‘Why was she in Dunstanburgh?’ Cooper asked as Kirby closed the door. ‘How did you find her? Who took her there?’
Kirby held up both hands to stop the wave of questions. ‘Why don’t we sit down and I’ll try to answer some of your questions, and then you can answer some of mine.’
‘But I don’t know anything. It makes no sense to me.’
Kirby smiled. ‘No perhaps not, but please humour me. I’m a policeman, asking questions is what we do. And sometimes people know things without knowing they know things, if you get what I mean?’
‘If you say so.’
They sat near the window. Cooper perched on the edge of the seat and played with his wedding ring.
‘You still wear it?’ Kirby said, pointing to Cooper’s left hand.
Cooper stopped fiddling and looked down at the ring as if he hadn’t realised what he was doing. ‘Yes, I… what has that got to do with anything? I thought it this was about my daughter?’
Kirby smiled in apology. ‘Nothing, I’m sorry. You’re quite right. I have a daughter about the same age, so I can imagine a little of how you might feel.’ He gave Cooper a brief account of how Sarah was found by “Auntie” Pauline and what little Sarah had told them. ‘So you see, we’re presuming she was at or in the castle because of where she was found and the direction she was coming from. And of course the fact that she keeps saying Dunstanburgh.’
‘Did she say anything else?’
‘She mentioned men with beards. Oh, and smoke and beer.’
‘What? She was in a pub? The beards, do you think it was a group of bikers?’
Kirby shook his head. ‘No, I don’t think so.’
‘It makes no sense.’
‘I know. Let’s give her time. See what else she might remember.’
‘But she was abducted?’
Kirby hesitated. ‘We don’t know that. It’s possible she made her own way there and then something happened that has led to her being confused. Is there any reason she might have gone to the castle or the area? Do you have any relatives around there, or someone she knows?’
Cooper shook his head. ‘No, I’ve no relatives there. Mine are all from Durham.’
‘What about her mother?’
‘Marianne, no. I’ve no idea, she never said.’ Cooper ran a hand through his hair and glanced out of the window before taking a deep breath, calming the agitation Kirby could sense rising in him. ‘I told you she didn’t reveal anything about her past. So Sarah couldn’t have had anything to do with them.’
‘My apologies, Mr Cooper, I have to ask these things.’
Cooper nodded. ‘I’m sorry. It’s just Marianne… anyway Sarah knows nothing about any family Marianne might have. Neither of us do.’
‘Yes, quite. So there’s no reason for her to go there?’
Cooper sat back and shook his head. ‘No, other than she always loved the place as a child.’
‘Really?’
Cooper smiled. ‘Yes, it was her favourite place to go for a picnic. We’d park in Craster then walk along the headland. She’d always run on ahead, couldn’t wait to get to the castle. I even took out membership every year. You couldn’t drag her away. You know, young girls and castles, fairy princesses and all that. She always did have a vivid imagination about such things. Then one day she just stopped wanting to go.’
‘Oh, when?’
‘She’d have been about thirteen, fourteen. One day she just announced she didn’t need to go any more. I suppose it’s all part of growing up. The dolls go away and make-up starts appearing, that sort of thing. In the end I think I missed it more than she did. You know, daddy’s little girl and all that.’
Kirby nodded. ‘Yes, I know all about that. And she’s been herself recently?’
‘How do you mean?’
‘You’ve not noticed anything different in her, change of mood?’ he shrugged. ‘Anything that struck you as odd about her?’
Cooper pursed his lips as he thought and then shook his head. ‘Nothing really. I think she’s happy. Her and Susie are good friends. I haven’t seen much of her lately; she seems to be working hard. I’ve taken her out for the odd meal and she’s been chatty, loving her course. She did break up with a boyfriend not long ago.’
‘Roger.’
‘That’s right, Roger. I never met him. But she didn’t seem too bothered by it. You don’t think…’
Kirby shook his head. ‘No, we’ve no reason to believe this is anything to do with him.’
‘Oh good. Then I’m sorry, Inspector, I don’t think ther
e’s much else I can tell you.’
‘No, that’s been helpful, thank you,’ Kirby said. ‘Well, if you do think of anything…’
Kirby glanced in Sarah’s room as he made his way out of the hospital. She was lying on the bed in a hospital gown and the doctor was poised with a syringe in his hand. Kirby shuddered, even though he didn’t consider himself squeamish. He could watch those fly-on-the-wall hospital documentaries without flinching and he’d seen a few dead bodies in his time. But when it came to needles or just the thought of needles, it made the ends of his fingers go numb. As he paused, Sarah turned her head in his direction. ‘So what have you seen, Sarah?’ he wondered. ‘What do you know that you can’t tell us, or aren’t willing to tell us perhaps?’ She smiled. It was a smile that made him shudder in the same way the thought of needles did. It was a smile that didn’t belong on the face of a young girl.
Back in the car park, Kirby decided it was time to visit Harold again.
sixteen
Shirley followed Constable Cuthbertson out of the station to the car.
‘I’m Colin, by the way,’ Cuthbertson said after he’d negotiated the streets of Alnwick and they were heading for the coast road.
‘Shirley.’
‘So what’s he like then, Shirley?’ Colin asked.
‘Who?’ Shirley said, playing dumb as she watched the countryside from the car window. Living around Newcastle you could almost forget this side of Northumberland existed; fields, woods, hills, rivers. She’d heard it was the least populated county in England, but that didn’t mean anything until you left the city. Maybe the inspector was right. It did sort of call to you to get out there, feel the grass under your feet, smell the flowers, stand in a cow pat and all that. She turned back to Colin and smiled. ‘Sorry. Yeah, he’s alright. Sarky at times, but then he’s an inspector. Bit of a loner sometimes as well, not a great mixer. Perhaps why he gets some of the weirder cases.’
‘Like what?’
Shirley told him about the Lily Johnson case.
‘Oh yeah, Medussa. I saw that in the Journal. Bet the top brass loved that one. You on that?’
