by Anne Bone
She left the room then, ensuring that she walked with determination; she didn’t want any cameras to show how she was actually feeling, which was as though something had just drained her battery. She went straight to the ladies where she shut the door of a cubicle and sat down on the loo. She put her head in her hands, and felt herself shaking. Surely there wasn’t a connection and they hadn’t got it so wrong about Mary? If they had, how was she going to live with it?
She had accepted Tim’s offer to stay at his place, and they left the station later that evening to travel the short distance to his home, a detached four bedroom sandstone house. She was impressed by its size and the secluded garden at the front that protected the property from being overlooked.
He showed her to her room, a large square room that was comfortably furnished with a double bed. The room had a large sash window that looked out over the back garden which, from what she could see in the darkness, was quite extensive. She closed the curtains that she recognised as a Laura Ashley design, and turned to check out the rest of the room. It was tranquil and she quickly unpacked her bag, hanging her clothes in the empty wardrobe. Tim was hovering outside the room and when she appeared asked whether she needed anything. ‘I could do with a shower, if that would be okay?’ She told him.
‘No problems; have a bath if you prefer, there is plenty of hot water. The bathroom’s over here.’ He opened a door to reveal a large bathroom, with a separate shower and a roll top bath.
‘Oh, that looks inviting,’ she replied, ‘if you don’t mind perhaps I will.’
He left her then to run a bath, shouting that he would get something out of the freezer to stick in the microwave. She enjoyed the soak, and felt some of the tension slowly leave her body. When she finished she put her pyjamas and dressing gown on, and made her way downstairs to join Tim who was dishing up a curry from two metal containers. ‘That better?’ he asked. She nodded, sitting down on one of the six chairs that surrounded a pine table. ‘I would offer you a glass of wine, but better not in case you have to go out again.’ Tim knew how easy it would be to enjoy a relaxing drink after work, but when you were the SIO on such a big job you had to stay alert and be ready to respond at a moment’s notice. You were lucky to get any sleep and he realised that apart from a couple of short power naps, he hadn’t slept for thirty-six hours. If he had a drink now it would floor him, so he poured two glasses of fresh orange.
‘You have a lovely home, Tim. It’s huge and it has a lovely feel to it.’
‘That’s Sophie’s influence, she loved this house and even when she was really ill she enjoyed pottering, especially out in the garden. It’s been hard to keep it going without her, but even though I’m rattling around in here, I love it too.’
They ate the curry in a silent companionship, and when they finished he cleared the plates away and placed them in the dishwasher. ‘Do you want to watch the news before you turn in? I am bushed, but like to see what’s going on in the world before crashing out.’
‘I wouldn’t mind, just to see how they have reported the case. There wasn’t much on the six o’clock one, but the press officer said that she hoped the piece would be longer on the late news.’
They retired to the large lounge where he turned on the gas fire to add some warmth. She sat on one of the two large squashy sofas, curling her legs underneath her. What a lovely room she thought, so relaxing. He turned on the television and flicked the channels until he found the national news. The newscaster was just making the announcement about the small Moray town where a child had gone missing. The report showed the police searching and then panned in on the face of Pam, she was being interviewed in her house.
The camera was focused on Pam as she dabbed her eyes, and looking into the camera she said, ‘Somebody’s got my Shona, I know. Please let her go whoever you are. I canna live without her. The police should be doing more, find her before the same thing happens as that other lass, Mary.’ She broke down howling and the camera faded out to turn to the piece that Jane had recorded – her plea for help from the public.
They looked at each other and then Jane asked, ‘What do you think of that? Pam letting them in the house will mean she will be inundated with them now. Not what we would have advised. No sign of Danny though.’
‘Oh well,’ Tim said, ‘I suppose each to their own and all that. I’m off to bed, help yourself to anything you need. There is a phone extension in your room, and they know where you are, so if they need you just answer it. I am technically not on duty tonight so it shouldn’t be for me if it rings.’
Jane thanked him, ‘I am whacked too, so am going to try and get some sleep. To be honest, my brain is wired so not sure whether I will manage.’
As she reached out to hit the alarm snooze button the following morning she was surprised that she had needed to. She had slept well, much better than she could have hoped. She looked at the clock, five-thirty, pulled the covers back, found her dressing gown and made her way to the bathroom. The power shower woke her fully up and she didn’t take long to dry herself and dress. As she was going down the stairs she smelt the coffee.
Tim was up, wearing his dressing gown, his silver-flecked hair ruffled from sleep. ‘Good morning, there is toast and cereal if you want. How do you take your coffee again?’
‘Just a little milk please. I didn’t think you would be up so early.’
‘I usually wake at six, but I woke a bit earlier. It’s strange to have someone else in the house.’ He saw the look on her face and went on to clarify, ‘It’s a good strange, don’t worry. Anyway, did you manage to sleep?’ he enquired as he poured coffee from a glass jug he had taken from the coffee maker.
‘Yes, surprisingly I did.’ She accepted the mug of coffee and then sat at the table where she helped herself to a bowl of muesli. ‘I will just finish this and head into the station,’ she told him.
‘I’ve got meetings all day, but if you need any help just give me a ring. I will cook tonight, so just let me know when you leave the station.’
‘Thanks very much Tim, I appreciate it, and I must say this is a much better deal than staying in a B&B.’
It didn’t take long to drive to the station, and when she arrived she went straight into the room that had been set up as the incident room. It was quiet as the day shift had not long come on duty. She spoke to the Detective Sergeant who was sifting through a pile of reports. ‘What’s the latest?’ she asked him.
‘Mam, we have had a good response from the public. I have just tasked a couple of the lads to go and take some details from a couple of callers. There is one interesting call: someone has reported seeing a blue Land Rover sitting in the layby, close to the footpath by the woods. The witness saw it twice, once two days before and on the day of Shona’s disappearance.’
‘Did they get the registration?’ she asked him.
‘Sadly, no, nor did she see the driver, but at least it gives us a start. We’re going to follow this up and see whether anyone else spotted it. Apart from that, there are at least thirty calls from the press trying to get to speak to you. We haven’t a lot to go on.’
‘Okay, well let’s hope that the Land Rover is a lead. I will speak to the press officer and get her to inform the press that we are interested in tracing a blue Land Rover.’
Chapter 31
Aberdeen
Beth Paton had watched the late news with growing concern that another child had gone missing. She felt sick, and watched the mother being interviewed. When she heard the reporter refer to Mary’s case, she wondered how Jenni was taking it. She would give her time to have her breakfast and then drive over to see her.
She noted that Jane Lewis was involved in this case as well, so, knowing Jane, she would tell the parents about her and the Trust. She would be more than happy to drive the seventy miles to visit the family. Another family who were just starting out on the journey; she prayed that theirs would be short, and they would find the child safe and well soon. In the meantime,
she also knew how this would impact on her friend Jenni, especially hearing her daughter’s name being reported on the national news. It would likely throw her right back.
Jenni hadn’t watched the tv the night before. She and Marcus had started to watch a movie on the video recorder, something they enjoyed doing since they returned from their time away.
They were still getting used to being together every day. It was, in Jenni’s eyes, wonderful to be with him, to know that every night they would curl up together in their king size bed, and wake up every morning to open the blinds to see what like a day it was. Every morning it was a different canvas: the sea changed daily and skies would reflect an array of colours; and she never tired of watching the landscape. At night they could hear the waves crashing onto the rocks, even when it was at its calmest. She hadn’t realised that it would sound much louder that she imagined. But, whatever the weather, it put on a show for them.
This morning they had risen and Marcus had been first up, he was off to Edinburgh for the day to attend a meeting. So he needed to get showered, dressed and have a quick breakfast before he set out. They had started getting into the routine of listening to the radio in the morning, and it was while Jenni was buttering her toast that she heard about Shona going missing. Her heart stopped, and she felt her appetite disintegrate, so she pushed the plate away from her. Marcus had also heard the statement, and he too stopped eating and listened. He watched Jenni and reached out over the table to take her hand.
They listened to the report and to the inevitable, as the newscaster connected Mary’s case to this missing child. The press seemed to do this without concern about how it would impact on other families. She expected it and tried to prepare, but when the words flew from the radio, she found her heartbeat increase, and felt the trickle of sweat run down her back. She looked at Marcus, they didn’t need words, but both were thinking, here we go again.
Marcus decided that he would cancel his meeting; he had made a pledge to her, that he would be beside her in the future whenever she needed him. While this would never make up for all the times when he had failed her in the past, he was determined that he wouldn’t fail her ever again.
‘It’s alright,’ she told him, ‘I will just go and spend the morning painting. You go ahead with your meeting.’
‘If you think I would be able to focus on a discussion about merging with the Edinburgh distribution firm while this is going on, then forget it sweetie.’ He got up and moved to sit beside her, so that he could place his arm around her and hug her. ‘I made a promise to you that whatever happened I would be beside you, and I think that this current situation warrants that.’ He went off to phone Joan to ask her to phone the company who had shown an interest in buying the distribution end of his business and to rearrange the appointment for next week.
They heard the car draw up outside in the drive and Marcus went to the window to see who it was. They didn’t have a lot of visitors, and he was slightly anxious that the press would sniff them out and start to invade their privacy. He was relieved to see Beth getting out of the car and went to the door to welcome her. He must admit he had found her involvement with them invaluable, and never in a month of Sundays would he have believed that he would need the support of a charity.
‘Hello Beth, come away in,’ he looked at her pensive face and reassured her, ‘we heard about the missing child on the radio this morning.’ He ushered her into the house and closed the door, signalling that Jenni was in the kitchen.
Jenni was pleased to see her friend and got up and met her in the middle of the kitchen where they hugged. ‘Oh Beth, how awful, another family having to go through this,’ she stood back a little so she could look directly into her friends eyes. ‘It’s not connected though, is it?’
‘I haven’t spoken to Jane Lewis yet, she’ll be up in Elgin no doubt. Now remember how the press jump to conclusions before anything is known. But I realise how hard this is going to be Jenni, it will bring everything up to the surface again.’ She followed Jenni through the large airy hallway into the bright kitchen that this morning was full of light as the autumn sun shone through the large windows.
Marcus asked whether she would like a coffee, and she nodded to him over Jenni’s shoulder. The trip to Thailand seemed to have done him some good as well. He looked younger, and more vibrant, his tan certainly suited him and gave him a very healthy look. Jenni looked well too, but she always seemed to have a veil of sadness that surrounded her, it implied that she was slightly frail and vulnerable. She hoped that this was not going to set her back as she had been doing so well recently.
The three sat around the table, drank coffee and talked about what they might do to offer some support to the family. Beth, of course, was committed to doing so, but Jenni and Marcus felt they too would wish to help in any way they could. They didn’t want to intrude, but if the family wanted them to, then they would speak to them.
When Beth left an hour later, she was more hopeful and reassured that Jenni was in a different place than she was a few months ago. Her mood was more stable and she seemed to have found some reason to continue to live. She was happy to see her now living in this marvellous house, and to be able to live openly with Marcus, whom she had warmed to over the last few months. It had taken time to get to know him and to see him change. His age was something she found hard to get her head round at first, him being so much older than Jenni, but she realised that he loved her very deeply. It was obvious when you were with them how much they cared for each other. He had mellowed over the past few months; he had lost the hardness that seemed to penetrate his being. He seemed as though he was less concerned with being the big business man, and had become softer, warmer and more considerate. She recalled how he had been a bit standoffish when she had first met him, but now he was even asking whether he could assist in fundraising for the Trust.
*******
The incident room was busy with lots of calls still coming in. Offers of help were flooding the switchboard; the local community were horrified that this child had gone missing. Jane Lewis was sifting through the call reports, analysing whether there were any patterns being reflected in the information that was being collated. She couldn’t find any that would give her a hope that they had a clear lead. They were still trying to trace the Land Rover. They had been hopeful that someone may have also seen it parked in the layby and, if so, could recall the registration, or even a part of a registration which would be helpful. At this point all they knew was that it was blue. They had managed to get an imprint of a tyre. They were informed that this was the type that could be on a vehicle similar to Land Rovers, but then it could match other cars too, so that wasn’t much help, unless they located the vehicle and found it was a perfect match.
They had gathered more information to build a profile about Shona. Her teacher had been able to provide a more accurate description of how the child presented. She was indeed a child who had a feisty side, would not think twice about answering back and showed no fear of adults. She was protective towards her younger sister, and more than once staff had to intervene in the playground to stop Shona taking things into her own hand if she thought someone was picking on her sister. “A little fireball” was the way her teacher described her, her voice was always the loudest in the class and, at times, she needed to be reminded more than once to behave. She wasn’t the brightest star in the class by any means, she would struggle with writing and reading, and homework was rarely completed. The head teacher advised that her brothers had also attended the primary school before they had gone to the academy, and so she had experience of Mr and Mrs Cameron who, in her opinion, lacked interest in their children’s education. The only time she had met the father was at one of the nativity plays that the girls had been in. It had been a surprise to her that the man had been connected with the children, as the well-turned-out man had tried hard to present himself well. He had clearly made an attempt to ensure that he was dressed well, and was courteous towar
ds the teachers, and both Shona and Kerry had been delighted to see him at the show.
The mother was a different character altogether. She had been the one who had attended the school on a number of occasions over the years, notably, when summoned to discuss one of the children’s behaviour. To be fair, the head teacher had explained, this was more when the boys were at the school, and only once in connection with Shona. This had been about two months ago when Shona had sworn, using particularly vulgar language, at the PE instructor when she refused to follow an instruction. She had reacted badly when she was challenged about this, and kicked the teacher as she ran out of the class. This clearly required a letter home, with a request that a parent attend to discuss. Pam appeared guns blazing, refusing to discuss, but deflected the whole incident by alleging that the PE teacher had been bullying her child. There was a right carry on with her balling and shouting the odds and the head teacher had asked her to leave, and warned that if she continued to be abusive then the police would be called. This had quietened her down and she was informed in no uncertain terms that behaviour such as Shona had demonstrated would not be tolerated, and neither would they tolerate hers.
After she had left, the staff had discussed the incident and felt sorry for Shona. With a mother like that how could they expect anything different. It was a shame, they had reflected, that if this was what the mother was like at the school, they could only imagine what the child had to cope with when at home.
It was the end of the first day, and Jane was feeling that horrible sense of frustration that seeps into you when you are treading water. They hadn’t come up with anything solid, they had checked all the local sexual offenders, but nothing appeared to highlight that any of them had any part in the disappearance. Jane sensed the mood of the incident team fall, and tried hard to motivate them so that they kept their energies focused on continuing the search. She knew time was running out; it was now over twenty-four hours since Shona had been reported missing, and this was not a good sign. They hadn’t got any sighting again, and she couldn’t help recalling this same scenario just thirteen months ago.
