Missing

by Charlie Gallagher

  ‘I’ll finish making your coffee.’

  ‘And then you can go.’ Her voice hardened.

  George flicked the kettle back on and turned to face Sharon. A young boy appeared from the bottom of the stairs, he paced in without a word and stood next to his grandmother. She wrapped an arm around his waist.

  ‘Of course. If that’s what you want.’

  ‘Of course it is!’ Sharon snapped. ‘That’s all I’ve wanted all day. I just want to be left alone. I want to be safe in my own home and I want to be left alone. And I don’t want to be asked any more questions. All day, all people have done is ask me questions. I don’t know the answers. I don’t know what you people want me to say.’

  George took up the empty seat opposite where she held her head in her hands. She lifted her eyes to meet his.

  ‘I’ll tell you what, Sharon, call me different, but I don’t want anything from you. I’m not here to ask any questions. I only came here to make sure you were all right. I’ll just make you that coffee and then I’ll be here if you want to ask me any questions. How about that?’

  ‘I don’t want to ask any questions. There’s nothing I need to know. Nothing I want to know. Bobby’s gone, I know that. What more is there?’

  ‘Then I’ll leave.’ George stood back up to the kettle. ‘Before I came here, I was debriefing the officer who was up with Bobby. He was the last person to talk to him. He feels awful, really bad about the whole thing. He told me what they were talking about. Bobby talked about you two, about his daughter. And about the people that made him do this. He said you wouldn’t talk to us, Bobby did. Not straight away at least. He said we’d have to wait until you got angry. He said you’re formidable when you’re angry.’ George moved the coffee in front of Sharon.

  ‘Like I said, I’m not here to ask you any questions Sharon, but you have this opportunity now to ask me anything.’

  ‘I’ve told you, I don’t want to know anything.’

  ‘Because you’re scared?’

  ‘Wouldn’t you be?’ Sharon suddenly became aware of herself. She spoke to the boy, ‘Connor, love, why don’t you go back up on your console for now. I’ll come up and see you when the police have gone. There won’t be any more noises. The policeman said it was an accident.’

  ‘Was it an accident, nan?’ The boy looked despairingly at Sharon. She met him with watery eyes and ran her fingers through his fringe.

  George answered for her. ‘A heavy lorry drove past. It ran over a stone and flicked it up through your window. We’ve checked it all out and we know that’s what happened. It’s a one in a million chance, little mate.’ He smiled reassuringly. ‘I don’t reckon it could ever happen again.’

  The boy met his gaze for just a second before he was back on his nan.

  ‘Watcha playing? On the console I mean?’ George asked.

  ‘Fifa.’ Connor replied.

  ‘Good choice! I always play as Millwall. They’re the best.’

  ‘Millwall! No they ain’t! I always play as Chelsea.’

  ‘I thought you supported Millwall? There’s a flag on the wall in there?’

  The boy broke into a smile. ‘It’s my granddad’s. But, yeah, I support them. But they’re rubbish on Fifa.’

  ‘I see. Maybe I can come over and play you sometime. I used to be good at the football games.’

  The boy nodded at his nan. She managed a weak smile and he left back up the stairs.

  ‘He’s doing well.’ George said.

  ‘He has no idea. In a few days, when he starts realising that his granddad is never coming back, we’ll see how well he is doing then.’

  ‘I’m so sorry, Sharon. I can’t imagine how difficult this has all been for you. You might have just had the worst day I have ever heard of.’

  ‘You might be right.’

  ‘I’m not here to make it worse either. If you want me to go I’ll go. I get the feeling you’re not the shy type, Sharon. If ever you wanted to swear at a police officer, to tell one to piss right off, now’s your chance! I wouldn’t blame you — I wouldn’t even hold it against you. But I don’t want to leave you while you’re scared. That wouldn’t be right.’

  Sharon’s smile was now more genuine. ‘There’s still some water in that kettle. You can make yourself a tea?’

  ‘Very kind.’

  ‘Sarge.’ A male voice cut across. Sharon dipped her head again, her smile falling away.

  ‘Yeah, you okay?’

  ‘We’re done, Sarge. We’ve done a good area search — there’s no one about. I’ll seize the brick and a glass sample for forensics. We got pictures of the damage. I’ve arranged for a marked car to be parked outside.’ He addressed Sharon directly: ‘It won’t have anyone in it, ma’am, but it’s a proven technique. It’ll keep people away.’

  Sharon looked questioningly at George who smiled broadly. ‘Think of it as like a police scarecrow. This is how bad the cuts have got, see? We can also get a mannequin in a police hat, holding a truncheon if you think it will help? We can paint a very stern look on its face.’ They both chuckled.

  ‘Well, I feel a lot safer,’ Sharon said to the uniformed officer. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Well, good. I’ll give boarding-up a call, Sarge, to secure that window. Do you need us to wait around for it or will you be staying? They’re normally here within half an hour.’

  ‘That’s okay, I’ll wait. I can’t guarantee Sharon here won’t kick me out sooner than that, but I can sit in my car.’

  ‘You’re all right,’ Sharon said.

  The uniformed officers left. Sharon waited for the front door to be pushed closed. George used the excuse of swigging at his tea to get Sharon talking first.

  ‘Did he talk about me really?’

  ‘Of course he did. He has nothing but admiration for you, Sharon. He was talking about how difficult things have been. This family has had its challenges, seems you’ve risen to every one of them.’

  ‘I’ve had to. I just feel so exhausted. I’ve had enough.’

  ‘There’s nothing more tiring than having to keep getting back up, Sharon. That I know.’

  ‘Got to, ain’t I? For him.’ She gestured at the stairs.

  ‘Family’s the only thing worth knackering yourself out for if you ask me.’

  ‘I reckon you’re right too. He was a good man you know, was Bobby. And he just wanted to see us happy. Me and the little man.’

  ‘Connor seems like a good kid.’

  ‘He’s had a hell of a life. We lost his mum — terrible thing that was. She was killed by an animal of a man. He used to ply her with drugs so she would pretty much do what he wanted. She was just a plaything to him. But she was so much more than that, so much better. He wouldn’t have Connor around. She accepted that, we wouldn’t see her much at all then when I did see her she’d lost weight and all self-respect. She ended up your typical junkie. We did what we could but it got her bad.’

  ‘I know how it can get them. I see it all the time.’

  ‘I bet you do.’

  ‘It’s different when it’s one of your own.’

  ‘It is. I mean we all have our battles. Me and Bobby have always liked a drink most days. Never so it got in the way. We cut right down when Connor came to stay.’

  ‘Kids change everything.’

  ‘Do you have children, Sergeant?’

  ‘I have a little girl. Similar age to Connor. And call me George.’

  ‘I’ve never been so terrified, you know. When they grabbed us today, when they pointed that gun at Connor. They were pointing it at me too, but I didn’t care. I was just terrified they were going to hurt Connor.’

  ‘They didn’t though, right?’

  ‘They didn’t no. Not Connor, not me either. Not physically. They pushed us around a bit — I got a kick so we went where they wanted. They hurt other people though — they hurt them bad. They drove that car right through the window . . .’ Sharon tailed off, her voice breaking. She lifted her hand to cover
her mouth. ‘People were screaming out, it was panic at first but then it was pain. People were hurt. They got trapped under the car and knocked down. They killed people, George, and why? To get to us!’ Sharon lost her composure completely. Her head fell forward and George laid his palm flat over her hand on the table. He leant in close so he could talk softly into her ear. She smelt sickly sweet up close, like day-old alcohol and cigarettes.

  ‘It’s okay, Sharon. It’s okay. You’re away from them now. You’re safe.’

  ‘He said that if Bobby did as they said we’d be fine. They said he was a good man and we had nothing to fear. I was praying, George. I was praying that he just did what they wanted him to do. I know he can be a stubborn old bastard — he doesn’t like being told what to do. All I wanted was for him to listen and to do it. I didn’t realise they were going to make him do himself in! I didn’t know.’

  ‘You couldn’t have known, Sharon. I know you would never want him to do that.’

  Sharon sat back up and dabbed at her eyes. ‘There was two of them. One stayed with us most of the time but he kept going into another room where the other one was. Every time he came back from there he would say that Bobby was doing well. They must have been talking to him on the phone in there. They got us food. they asked what we wanted and Connor said that he liked McDonalds. They got us some and we’d only just finished it. And then — just like that — the other man came in and he threw me a mobile phone. He told me where we was. He said I had to count to a thousand. Then he said I could call the police. He said he would be counting too, and if I called the police or left the house before he had got to one thousand he would shoot us both. He had a big rifle thing — said he had trained as a sniper. We counted to one thousand together, taking it real slow. Then I called the police and we just waited. I didn’t want to leave that house, I thought he would be waiting for us out the front, like it was some sort of game. A sport.’

  ‘You did well, Sharon. I don’t think anyone could have done better. In those situations you just have to do what you can to stay alive. You and Connor walked away.’

  ‘I was so happy when I saw your lot. But the man with the big rifle said not to tell you anything about them. He told me we had to go home. He said we would be offered somewhere safe to go, but I had to insist on going home. Do you think it was so they would know where we are?’

  ‘They want you frightened, Sharon. Their hold over you depends on it. They want you frightened so you don’t speak to the police. Personally, I think they’re done with you now, but you have to do what you think is best to keep you both safe.’

  ‘I can’t move. I came back like they told me too. I thought that Connor could have some sort of normality too. They offered us a hotel a good distance from here but I didn’t want to take him away from all his mates. This is a funny old place to live, you know. That brick through the window could just as well be one of the locals getting the hump with all the police attention. They must think I’m talking to you. I ain’t no grass, but I’ve had nothing but coppers coming to and fro here.’

  ‘Could be, Sharon. But this isn’t like squealing up some local for dealing a bit of green, though, is it? I can still make a few calls and get you both into a hotel. I’ll make sure it’s more local than you were offered, maybe just the next town but somewhere they won’t know?’

  ‘I appreciate the offer. But we’re staying here. We’ve been here nearly twenty years and I ain’t ever run away from nothing. I’m not about to start now.’

  George grinned. ‘You don’t strike me as the running sort. You’re sure though, Sharon? Connor will be okay. He can take Fifa with him. It would be a bit of an adventure.’

  ‘I think we’ve had enough of them for one day, George.’

  ‘Fair point.’ George scribbled his telephone number on a piece of paper. ‘I’ll leave this here. For anything you need.’

  * * *

  ‘Late finish?’

  Shaun jumped at the sound of the voice. Jess stepped out from the shadows of the front entrance to his building. He had ignored a couple of her calls earlier in the evening. He had intended on calling her back. It was 11 p.m. She was dressed in her navy-blue work trousers and a black fleece. She must have finished her late shift and come straight over.

  ‘You could say that,’ Shaun said. ‘Sorry I didn’t get back to you, it’s been a manic one.’

  ‘Don’t worry.’

  ‘Everything okay?’

  ‘Yeah. I was just worried about you.’

  ‘That’s not like you!’

  They both chuckled but it was strained. Shaun used his key to open the door. A sensor detected his movement and light flooded the hall. ‘I’ll put the kettle on, then.’

  Shaun’s cat immediately provided a trip hazard as he pushed through his front door. It was on the top floor, views overlooking a park in Canterbury’s city centre. It was a small flat in a good area. — the best option after the breakdown of his marriage.

  ‘How did it go then?’ Jess folded her arms and leant on the units in his kitchen.

  ‘How did what go?’

  ‘Did he jump?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘Shit! I’m sorry Shaun. Did you see it?’

  ‘Yeah, I saw it.’

  ‘These people. It’s so selfish. They don’t care about the people that have to clear up after them — or the people they leave behind.’

  ‘They don’t. They’re not in the right state of mind to think like that, I guess. I hope I never understand how that feels.’

  ‘You okay?’

  ‘I’m fine. I think he was always going to go, I don’t take these things personally.’

  ‘But you must have been talking to him for hours? Was he up there all this time and then he just decided to jump?’

  ‘No. He jumped bang on 4 p.m. I don’t know why, but that seemed like an important time to him.’

  ‘You can’t have been doing paperwork all this time?’

  ‘No. There were some bits to do as you can imagine. Then I went round Carol’s house. I haven’t heard from her or Tyler all day. I’m starting to get worried about it.’

  ‘That’s not unusual, is it? Was she in?’ Jess’s tone now carried an edge. It always did when Shaun talked about his ex-wife.

  ‘No. No sign of life. House in darkness. Phone rings out.’

  ‘She’s probably playing her games again.’

  ‘Probably.’

  ‘Did you go back to work after?’

  ‘Yes. There was a kidnap job here in Canterbury. I was hanging around to see if they were going to call a negotiator. I didn’t want to book off just to get called back in again.’

  ‘A kidnap! I thought Sunday was the day of rest.’

  ‘It appears the criminal element were not aware. I wasn’t needed in the end anyway.’

  ‘Did it get resolved okay?’

  Shaun hesitated. He considered telling her everything he knew. He was desperate to share it with someone else and he knew the pressure of keeping it to himself was affecting his behaviour.

  ‘It got resolved. There’s more work to do, but not for me. The investigation team took over and I did what I could to help.’

  ‘Anything come of this intelligence you had around that lorry?’

  ‘The lorry? Oh, I didn’t really do much with it. That’s someone else’s problem.’

  ‘Are your lot doing some sort of enforcement on them?’

  ‘I don’t know what the plan is, but I checked the ANPR system before I knocked off and it left already.’

  ‘What did?’

  ‘The lorry. It spent half an hour, tops, in the UK before it was back at the port, waiting for the next boat out.’

  ‘Oh really? So they dropped whatever they had and then went straight back. I assume you didn’t want the drivers then?’

  ‘I didn’t personally, Jess. Like I told you, I don’t know what the interest was in that lorry or anyone connected to it. It may well be a small part in a bigg
er puzzle. They might have let them run this time in anticipation of them coming back for the enforcement phase.’

  ‘And you don’t know when that might be or what they were dropping off?’

  ‘I told you I didn’t’

  ‘You did. But, like I said to you on the phone, I’ve had those sorts of calls before from the police. Holding information back like we don’t matter down there.’

  ‘Jess . . . Jesus! I told you everything I knew. I wasn’t calling so you missed out on a good job. I was calling so you didn’t get hurt.’

  ‘So you said.’

  ‘Is that not enough?’

  ‘I don’t like being part of someone else’s game is all.’

  ‘Your wellbeing isn’t a game to me, Jess. I’ve had a long, shit day. If you only came over here to lecture me about inter-agency intelligence then perhaps you could save it for another day. I need to get some sleep — I have to be back in early tomorrow.’

  ‘What do you mean? You’re off tomorrow. We were doing breakfast before I go on lates.’

  Shaun had forgotten they had plans. ‘I can’t make it. I have got to go in now. I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you, though, yeah?’

  ‘Don’t bother, Shaun.’ Jess pushed away from the unit and made for the door. ‘I’ll see you around. You just let me know when it suits you, yeah?’

  Shaun remained still. He heard Jess scuffling to get her shoes back on and the front door slam. He didn’t have the energy to chase her and argue. He would make it up to her, but it could wait.

  His phone vibrated on the kitchen bench. George Elms appeared on the screen. Shaun was suddenly aware of how drained he felt.

  ‘George.’

  ‘Hey. I’ve just come away from Sharon’s’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Bobby Leonard’s other half.’

  ‘Yes? Is she still not talking?’

  ‘She talked to me. She just needed some assurance. She doesn’t feel safe at home so I was able to tap into that.’

  ‘Is there still a threat there?’

  ‘I don’t think so, no. I think she’s done her bit for these people and they couldn’t care less about her anymore.’

  ‘And? Did you get anything relevant?’