Missing

by Charlie Gallagher

  ‘We’re walking up,’ he told her tersely.

  The steps were steep and numerous. His head felt light half way up and he had to pause for just a moment. He’d barely eaten and hadn’t slept for twenty-four hours and he was running purely on nervous energy. He had to keep pushing Alice in her lower back each time she stalled on the steps but at least she was making less noise. They got to the top and Shaun shoved her through the same gap in the fence he had used to approach Bobby Leonard.

  The conditions were identical to when he had last stepped onto the top of Langthorne’s viaduct: the same warming sun, the same breeze moving the few stoic weeds that had forced their way through the grey gravel. This time, however, the track was live, it buzzed and crackled and he pushed against the low wall, over which he could see the hundred-foot drop. His stomach twisted in a tense knot, a car passing underneath looked like a toy in the scale model of a town. He could see down at an angle where floral tributes lay against the brick base. He hadn’t noticed them when on the ground. He stopped at the point where he was pretty sure Bobby had stood for his last moments on this earth. The brickwork carried black layers of grime, but the words scratched into it looked fresh: where heaven ends. Alice was still in front of him. He pushed her to the ground and she went with no resistance, seemingly on her way down already. She twisted to get her back against the wall, her legs splayed open and her head rocked to the side. He thought her breathing sounded quieter after the initial panic of being forcibly taped and cuffed. His phone rang.

  ‘You made it.’

  Shaun felt confused: the voice was the same but it sounded different somehow, distant maybe.

  He had to concentrate to reply. He blinked a few times, his eyelids suddenly heavy. ‘I made it. So what now?’ He suddenly felt sick and folded to his right — away from Alice. Nothing came.

  ‘I think you know, Shaun. This has to end now.’

  ‘My . . . son . . .’ Shaun struggled with the words. He could hardly breathe properly. He leant on the wall on his elbows, staring out through eyes that were quickly losing their sharpness. He tried to stand back up. Far below, a silver Mercedes slipped out from a row of parked cars and moved towards him, disappearing under the viaduct.

  ‘Goodbye, Shaun.’

  Shaun felt numb, he’d lost the feeling in his legs and he dropped to his knees. He heard the phone hit the gravel. He leaned over to Alice and struggled to pull the tape from her mouth. Her lips had drained of their colour, her eyes shut. He tugged one of the gloves off to feel for a pulse, a clump of the white powder mixed with sweat fell to the ground and he peered at it. Fucking fentanyl!

  ‘Alice!’ he said, unable to stop himself from sniggering inanely as if fentanyl was the punch line to one of the best jokes he’d heard. ‘The bastard, eh?’ Then his eyes blurred further at the same time as a rumble in his head built like thunder. It had come on swiftly and it was getting closer. He tried to turn towards it but realised that he was falling forward and then his head met with something solid that was vaguely cold on his forehead and vibrated quickly against his cheek bone. And then everything was dark.

  Chapter 29

  Emily Ryker took a second before she knocked the door, a second to turn and take in the view from the very top of the North Downs. The green hills rolled away into the distance with the town of Langthorne some distance below, a grey square, like a scab, over an area of outstanding natural beauty.

  ‘Mrs Pato?’ Emily smiled and held up her warrant card for the woman to see.

  ‘Yes.’ Anna Pato stood in her doorway and seemed to be looking beyond Emily’s shoulder as if she might be expecting someone else.

  ‘Sorry to turn up out of the blue like this. Do you mind if I pop in for a quick chat?’

  Mrs Pato backed into her own house, her face a clear expression of shock. She had long, dark hair that fell in ringlets, and attractive brown eyes that were deep and surrounded by laughter lines. A number of wooden bangles clacked on her wrist as she gestured to her left. Emily walked into a large kitchen that also had a seating area. Mrs Pato leant on the benches and crossed her arms. ‘I’m, err, sorry if I took a while to answer the door. I was up the garden.’

  Emily could see the garden through the kitchen window. It was a long area of turf, broken up by a summerhouse half way up and flowerbeds that cut in from both sides in imaginative patterns. In the bright sunshine it was a blur of colour. ‘It’s a beautiful garden.’

  ‘What did you need to speak to me about? We don’t usually have the police up here.’

  ‘No, I can imagine. It’s about your daughter, Carol. When was the last time you spoke to her?’

  ‘Carol? Oh, about twenty minutes ago. Is there a problem?’

  Emily could do nothing to hide her surprise. ‘Twenty minutes ago?’

  ‘Yes, she was just making sure I was in. She’s on her way. I thought it was her at the door and that maybe she had lost her key. What is this all about? Is she in trouble?’

  ‘No!’ Emily stumbled a little, thinking fast. ‘She’s not in any trouble at all. She was reported missing is all — to us I mean. To the police. I err . . . I was coming up here to see what you might know about it. Seems you know a lot more than I anticipated! Are you sure it was Carol you spoke to?’

  ‘Well, yes.’ Mrs Pato clicked her fingers, her face contorting to a sort of half smile. ‘I bet it was Shaun. I bet he reported her missing. Am I right? She did tell me that something like this might happen.’

  ‘Shaun? I’m not sure who made the report, Mrs Pato. Who is Shaun and why would he report her missing?’

  Mrs Pato waved her hand dismissively. ‘Please, call me Anna. My daughter was married to a police officer — Shaun Carter. Do you know him?’

  ‘Shaun Carter . . . The name rings a bell.’

  ‘Well, anyway, their marriage went through a very bad patch — one they never recovered from. It seems Shaun felt the grass was greener elsewhere and he was having relations with another woman. Well, it all came out, as it always does, and Carol quite rightly threw him out on the street. He was all very sorry of course, and for a period I did think she might be softening to him — but it hasn’t happened. Well, Shaun, you see, he became a bit of a pain. He would turn up here as well as at her house saying that he wanted to talk to her, playing on the guilt of not living together as a family anymore and how it was damaging Tyler. I mean, the cheek of the man!’

  ‘How long ago was this?’

  ‘Well, ongoing really. He’s been giving her hell for a few months, she’s been under real pressure just trying to keep everyone happy and I think it was really starting to get to her. Then she met someone new. Nothing serious or anything, but just someone that she can spend some time with and maybe start enjoying her life again.’ Anna smiled warmly. ‘This new man runs his own business, he’s wealthy it would seem, very wealthy, and he’s been treating Carol very well. It was just a few dinners out to start with, a show or two, and he always liked to include Tyler. But this weekend he asked to take them away for a mini holiday. Well, Tyler you see, he’s a big football fan — loves Tottenham Hotspur and so Terry, well he got them all tickets for the game on Sunday afternoon. They made a bit of a weekend of it, went up on Friday.’

  ‘Terry? That’s the new man, is it?’

  ‘That’s right. He picked them up on Friday — from here, actually. Handsome man, genuine smile. Good teeth. I only said hello, but my Carol seems very happy and she’s not a bad judge — well, not generally.’

  ‘Do you know anything more about Terry? A surname or a contact number?’

  ‘I have a contact number. Their weekend didn’t get off to a very good start it would seem! Carol called me Friday evening on a number I didn’t recognise. Her phone had been stolen — she thinks she was pickpocketed on the train on the way up. I don’t think it made too much of a difference. I think she was actually quite relieved she wouldn’t have to lie if Shaun called. I don’t think she was looking forward to lying to him.’<
br />
  ‘Lying?’

  ‘Yes. You see football and Tottenham Hotspur, that’s something Tyler and his dad do. That’s kind of their thing and Shaun would be furious if he knew that the new man was taking Tyler up to watch a game. Obviously she will need to tell him about what’s going on — none of us want him to hear it from Tyler. But at least the weekend would have been uninterrupted. She wasn’t going to go, but I think she’s been so unhappy recently and under so much pressure that she just thought well, why not, you know? So I assume that Shaun has been his usual dramatic self, called Carol to find her mobile isn’t answering or is switched off or whatever and has called to report her missing.’

  ‘So Tyler is with her?’

  ‘Yes. I spoke to him on the phone too. He was quite insistent on telling me how Tottenham Hotspurs won and what the score was. It means nothing to me, you understand, but I try and act delighted for him. He’s only ten!’

  ‘And they are both on their way here now?’

  ‘Yes. I believe Terry is dropping them off. So you can have it from all three of them if you need to. There really is no need for any police concern. I’m just sorry you appear to have wasted your time coming out today.’

  ‘Terry’s coming here too?’

  ‘Yes, they were getting in a taxi at the station.’ There was a knock at the door. Emily snapped her head towards it. Anna smiled. ‘Talk of the devil!’

  ‘Er . . . Anna . . .’ Emily wasn’t sure what she intended to say, but it didn’t matter anyway, Anna was already at the door. Soon she was pulling it open and explaining that the police were here. ‘You’ll never guess what that idiot Shaun has gone and done now!’

  A well-built man with shocking blue eyes against dark stubble was already stepping over the threshold. His gaze locked onto Emily as she stood in the kitchen. He wasn’t smiling. A young boy with dark hair squirmed to get past him.

  ‘Talk of the devil,’ Emily whispered to herself as she slipped her phone out of her pocket. She selected George Elms’s number and held the phone to her ear. The man brushed the other two women lightly aside. Three steps and he was on her. Emily backed away until she collided with a kitchen unit behind her.

  ‘George! They’re all here! Him too! Marybee, Crete Road—’ It was all she could manage before the phone was snatched from her hand.

  Chapter 30

  George pulled into Bradstow Road and saw the Vectra straight away. He accelerated towards it, parking across its front to block it in as best he could. It turned out there was no need — now he was close, he could see there was no one in it. The steps up to the viaduct were on the other side of the Vectra. He took them two at a time. At the top, a concrete path split two ways: one led into a housing estate and the other ran parallel with the viaduct. He jogged the path, back on himself until it ended at a steep bank that led up to the viaduct where a section of fence was damaged. He scrambled through and out onto the grey gravel. Straight off, he could see somebody. He thought it had to be Shaun. He was lying on his front, his head turned away and over the outside track, his arms by his side. George could hear the inside live rail buzzing. He had called up to ask for it to be turned off but they obviously hadn’t managed it yet. Sometimes it could take a while for messages to be passed through to the British Transport Police.

  ‘Shaun!’ George shouted. There was no movement. ‘Shaun! We need to talk.’ George considered the risks of both the live rail and the live trains and started making his way towards the prone figure. He checked his watch. It was thirty seconds to 4 p.m. He didn’t know the timetables well and couldn’t remember if the high-speed link to London was on the half hour or on the hour. The viaduct wasn’t as wide as he had imagined from the ground: two tracks — enough distance for two trains to pass, but the track looked close to the brick wall on both sides. If the viaduct had been built today, it would have been twice as wide. The track sat on grey shingle, which cambered away on each side to the blackened wall. He reckoned the side of the train must pass pretty damned close to that wall. He didn’t want to find out how close.

  George got nearer. ‘Shaun!’ Still no movement at all. Something was wrong. He was half way to Shaun and now he could see a second pair of legs, pointing directly out, finishing almost against the rail. These were attached to a girl, who was sitting up and likewise motionless. From the pictures he’d seen at her home, the girl was clearly Alice. There wasn’t a flicker from either of them. George heard a sound like a distant wind. The sound built and the ground started to agitate the gravel beneath his feet.

  Shit!

  George ran at the two figures. The noise was building and he didn’t have much time. He got to Shaun and grabbed him by the shoulders, his head was heavy, he leaked blood from above his eye. George heaved and Shaun’s torso fell awkwardly into Alice’s lap. She was still sat up behind him, her head slumped to the side. He grabbed her legs by the ankles as the gathering wind became a roar. A horn blared so loudly that it seemed to surge through his body like an electric shock. He pushed Alice’s legs flat against the wall and threw himself on top of both Shaun and Alice, hooking his right arm under Shaun’s torso and hanging his left arm over the low wall. The wind struck first; the train was moving so fast it was pushing a huge pocket of air with it that hit George in the back like a sucker punch and slammed his legs into the wall, his knees banging off the girl’s head. A split second later, the wind direction reversed like a rolling wave crashing on a beach and an invisible force nipped and tugged at him, beckoning him towards the gigantic wheels and the irresistible force of the train. The noise was terrific, the deep woomph as it passed now replaced by the squeal of metal wheels gripping metal rails. George had his eyes scrunched tightly shut but he could feel the beast passing inches from his head, each carriage taking its turn to roar in his ear. He could feel the heat as electricity sparked and fizzled and the air stank of scorched metal and fumes.

  And then it was gone.

  George pushed himself into a sitting position and groaned as panic was replaced by relief. He watched the rear end of the train shrink away and disappear, the mechanical clamour yielding gradually to the buzz of the live rail once more. He turned to Alice and felt hurriedly for a pulse. He couldn’t find one, but then his hands were shaking and his fingers numb. He put his cheek to her mouth; there was perhaps a light breath. A quick survey of Shaun revealed the same. He picked up his police radio and pressed the raised panic button. That would give him ten seconds of air time across the network. He tried to speak. He could only manage a moan and a feeble cry but he knew that would be enough. They would find him. He crawled a few yards to vomit.

  Chapter 31

  The firearms team had been nearby. Alice and Shaun were slipping into respiratory arrest and George watched as they were treated the only way they could be in the field. Both were stabbed in the outside quarter of the thigh with a Naloxone pen. It was essentially a very concentrated and very sudden dose of adrenalin and it was often very effective. Alice had taken two doses before they had seen any sign of recovery. But it had come. In Alice’s case it had improved her condition but she was far from out of the woods and George was glad to see the green overalls of two paramedics arriving at the top of the viaduct. Shaun was starting to respond to vocal instructions from the officers. Shaun managed a few words, one of them being ‘fentanyl’ and the medical men reacted by putting on additional masks and gloves and ordering the police officers away. The officers walked over to George.

  ‘You okay? You feel okay?’

  ‘I feel like I nearly got hit by a train.’ George managed a grin. ‘I’m okay.’

  ‘Did you touch them?’

  ‘I laid on top of them. It’s not how it sounds.’

  The officers didn’t smile back. ‘You need to get checked out. Looks like fentanyl poisoning. It’s normally fast acting but it doesn’t have to be. Do you feel lightheaded? Anything unusual?’

  ‘I feel fine. I’m okay.’

  ‘There’s another ambul
ance on its way. We’ll take you down to it and get you checked out, Sarge. This is some serious shit. Your man’s got some powder in his gloves and the paramedics reckon the girl got a hit from the tape that was on her mouth. She’s probably absorbed it through her gums. They’re very concerned about her.’

  ‘Good God, it’ll be enough to kill them. He needs them dead’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘I don’t know for sure. But I bet these two do. Can I talk to them? From a distance of course?’

  ‘They’re not making much sense. We’ll walk you down to the ambulance. They’re going to bring them down shortly. You might be able to talk to them then.’

  George could see that both Alice and Shaun had oxygen masks strapped to their faces. Shaun was sitting up but his eyes were glazed, his head rolling on his neck as if he was drunk. Alice was still lying flat, her eyes closed. He wouldn’t get anything out of them — for now, at least. He stood and walked with one of the officers, the other stayed to maintain the scene. George lifted his radio, turned the dial to turn up the local channel — and swore at the excited update coming through.

  * * *

  ‘Control, the van has now reacted and is making off! It was in Lane One, passing the slip for Capel and has made a last second manoeuvre. The van is now increasing speed towards the roundabout at the end of the slip. Stand by for direction of travel!’ PC Pete Hemingway released the button on the radio but kept it clamped to his mouth. PC Ellie Missen was at the wheel. The van suddenly showed brake lights and Ellie had to be evasive to prevent the marked BMW crashing into its rear.