by Wonny Lea
‘The kid must have been terrified when some strange bloke bundled him into a bag and zipped it up,’ suggested Matt, and got the reaction he was looking for.
‘He knew who I was – well at least he knew me as Megan’s granddad, and I didn’t shove him into the bag in the way you’re saying it. I just suggested we could play a trick on his mother and he was happy to hide inside. I told you, I never hurt him, not at any time. It’s not my fault the boy is sick and it won’t be my fault if anything happens to him.’
Painter pulled himself up straight in his chair and looked straight ahead. He desperately wanted to ask if the boy had survived the night but dreaded the answer and for the moment no one on the other side of the table was going to put him out of his misery.
‘Where did you go when you left St Fagans?’ asked Martin.
‘I took Jason to my house.’
‘Was Susan Evans waiting for you there?’
‘Yes.’
Dan Painter was about to add something to his one word answer but his solicitor stopped him.
‘You only need answer the question as we agreed.’
‘In reality he needn’t say anything, as you and I both know, but it will benefit him later if we are able to say that he cooperated fully with the investigation,’ returned Martin.
The immaculately dressed solicitor sneered. ‘Believe that and you will believe anything.’ To his client he added, ‘Just stick to what we agreed.’
For no other reason than to annoy the solicitor Martin called a ten-minute break suggesting that there were things he needed to check.
Outside the interview room Matt questioned his boss. ‘Why the interruption?’
‘Don’t know really, maybe the over-indulgence of last night is catching up on me but whatever it is that pair is seriously getting on my nerves. Anyway let’s have a coffee and let them stew for ten minutes.’
The plans for coffee were put on hold as they heard a shout and both turned to face Sergeant Evans who was hurrying towards them.
‘There’s a message from DC Cook-Watts and I think it’ll mean a trip to the hospital for you.’ He noticed the concerned look on Martin’s face and hurriedly explained the position.
‘The boy is fine and according to Helen they are having difficulty keeping him in bed as he’s certainly bounced back to health – but that’s kids for you. His mother is not sure if he’s making up stories, if he is confused as a result of being so unwell, or if he is actually relating something that happened. It all needs unravelling and Helen needs some help.’
Martin nodded and was pleased to have something to do other than go back into the interview room. ‘Tell our friends in there that the interview will resume when we return from an urgent call to speak to Jason Barnes at the hospital. That will make them aware that Jason is still in the land of the living and one would expect that to be a relief, but I suspect the fact that we are going to talk to the boy may give Dan Painter something else to worry about.’
To avoid the hassle of parking at the hospital a squad car dropped them off and they made their way to one of the children’s wards. It seemed like nothing short of a miracle that a child who yesterday was fighting for his life was today sitting cross-legged on a bed in a side room of the busy ward.
Obviously re-hydration and intravenous antibiotics had saved the day but the real saviours had probably been Diane Evans and Mark Davies. If Diane hadn’t been hell-bent on looking for her sister the boy would still be on that bed and could have been found too late for even the miracles of modern-day medicine to be of any help.
Helen was deep in conversation with Jason and Tina was pacing around but smiled when she saw Martin and Matt.
‘As they say in the song “what a difference a day makes” and for me the difference is sitting there on the bed. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done. Helen has told me what happened to Jason and then as soon as he got better Jase gave us exactly the same story.’
Jason had noticed the two men who had entered his room and not surprisingly he was eyeing them with a high level of suspicion. His mother noticed her son’s concern and introduced the detectives as very good people and someone Jason could trust.
Martin did a ‘seriously grown-up’ handshake with the little boy and told him that everyone thought he was one of the bravest kids on the planet. This pleased Jason and he and Martin were soon chatting away like old friends.
‘My mum thinks I’m making up some stories and I’m not, mister, but some things I can’t quite remember.’
‘I’m not surprised,’ said Martin quietly. ‘You’ve had an amazing adventure, most of it not very nice, but if you start at the very beginning and tell me all about it, just as it happened then we may be able to help with some of the things that are still worrying you.’
‘It’s the lady – do you know what happened to the lady?’
Martin admitted that for the moment he didn’t but then eased Jason back to St Fagans and went step by step over the events that were now known from every angle.
‘It was fun getting into the big bag and I only did it to play a trick on my mum but I soon wanted to get out and it was really dark after I heard a bang, like I was shut in a dark cave.’
Tina sat at the side of the bed and took her son’s hand. ‘We have explained to Jason that the bang was probably the sound of a car boot being closed.’
‘It was so hot and dark and I felt sick and I shouted that it was OK and I would even eat Mum’s sandwiches – I just wanted to get out.’ Tears welled up in his eyes and his mother squeezed his hand. ‘I was bloody scared, mister.’ Unlike before Tina didn’t reprimand her son for swearing and there was no one in the room who didn’t think he had every reason to do so.
‘The worst part was the bumping around but then I started feeling sleepy and I just couldn’t keep my eyes open but I was scared to close them in case I wouldn’t ever wake up and never see my mother again.’
It was Tina’s turn to fill up with tears. Hers spilled down a face that held a mixture of love for her son and hatred for the man who had put him through such torment.
Knowing that the session was going to take time Martin waited a few minutes before asking Jason what he remembered next.
‘The lady was there when I woke up and so was Mr Painter. I didn’t know that was his name ’cos I just knew he was Megan’s granddad but Mum says his name’s Mr Painter. We were in the caravan.’
Martin and Matt exchanged glances and Tina caught the look of surprise on their faces. ‘This is where I think Jason has got hold of the wrong end of the stick and things have got a bit muddled in his mind.’
Quite unexpectedly Jason got angry and shouted at his mother. ‘Stop saying that, stop saying I got it wrong about the caravan. It was just like the one we stayed in when we went on holiday with your friend Carol. I know you say I was only little and I can’t remember it but I can – I can.’
Tina shook her head and it was Martin who re-engaged with Jason.
‘Tell me what it was like.’
‘Dirty.’
‘And the one you stayed in with Carol, was that dirty?’
‘No, course it wasn’t.’
‘So this wasn’t the same caravan?’
‘No.’
‘Apart from being dirty how else was it different?’
Jason thought for a moment. ‘It was quiet and you couldn’t hear the sea. In Carol’s caravan we used to fall asleep listening to the waves, didn’t we Mum?’
He looked at his mother who confirmed what was being said and expressed surprise that Jason remembered things so clearly.
‘OK,’ said Martin. ‘I totally believe that Mr Painter took you to a caravan but I have a bit of a problem because he says he took you to his house.’
Jason shrugged and Martin attempted to find out more about the caravan.
‘So it was dirty and quiet and not by the seaside, but did you sometimes hear cars or trains or even aeroplanes?’
‘N
o.’
‘Perhaps it was in the country,’ suggested Matt. ‘Did you hear any animal sounds like cows or sheep or horses – anything at all that will help us know where you were taken?’
‘No.’
‘But you are absolutely certain it was a caravan?’
‘He said he believed me,’ mumbled Jason looking from Matt to Martin.
‘Yes, I do,’ confirmed the DCI. ‘What happened when you got to the caravan?’
‘I don’t remember going there, I just remember waking up on one of those seats that you can make into a bed. I was too hot and didn’t want to be wrapped in a blanket but my arms wouldn’t work properly and I couldn’t get it off me.
‘I didn’t like it there and I didn’t feel very well and I don’t really want to remember about it.’
Jason’s bottom lip began to quiver and his mother sat on the bed next to him and persuaded him with a cuddle.
‘Look, Jase, you’ve been very brave and we’re all very proud of you, but if you just try and tell us what happened these policemen will be able to sort things out so that the people who have done wrong will be punished. Will you try?’
Slowly Jason told Martin as much as he could remember. ‘The lady wasn’t very nice, you know, and she said lots of very naughty words and she shouted all the time. She called Mr Painter Dan and I think her name was Susan but I didn’t speak to her. She kept getting angry at me because I wanted my mum and then she got really angry when I kicked the table over and spilt her drink.
‘I didn’t mean to do it – the table only had one leg and that was all wonky. She wasn’t only mad at me, she didn’t like Mr Painter either and they had a fight.’
‘Do you mean they were quarrelling or did they actually hurt one another?’ quizzed Martin.
‘This is one of the bits I don’t want to remember,’ answered Jason. ‘They were really fighting and afterwards she was lying on the floor and she looked like someone very ugly.’ Jason closed his eyes as if he didn’t want to see the things he was remembering, but unfortunately there was a very real need to find out more.
‘We’ve nearly finished,’ coaxed Martin. ‘If you could just explain what you mean when you say she looked like someone very ugly.’
Jason thought hard. ‘She didn’t move. She didn’t shout like before. Her eyes poked out and her lips looked like she’d been eating blackberries or she’d been stung by a wasp or something.’
‘This is my last question, Jason, and then I’ll leave you in peace. Did you see what happened to Susan after that?’
Jason shook his head. ‘I don’t know if I saw the lady after that. I don’t remember. Could be I went back to sleep.
‘You have been brilliant, young man,’ said Martin as he said his goodbyes. ‘You deserve a medal and I’m sure your mother is very proud of you.’
‘You bet!’ was the response from Tina, and as she sat on the bed next to Jason she looked as if she would never let him out of her sight again.
The three officers congregated in the corridor outside Jason’s room and Helen filled the senior officers in on what had happened prior to her asking for them to attend.
‘It was every time Jason spoke about the lady, as he called her, that he got really agitated and I knew there was something going on in his little head. His mother has been tremendous and determined to help him get things off his chest but we seemed to be reaching a point beyond which he couldn’t, or maybe it was more that he wouldn’t, remember.’
‘Bloody hell, I’m not surprised. He’s just a kid and it sounds to me as if he witnessed Susan Evans being murdered. I don’t think he realises that yet but it makes sense. Why else would she have disappeared?’ Matt let rip on what he thought of Dan Painter and hoped that Jason would never have to find out that the man was his father.
They agreed that Helen should stay at the hospital and if appropriate get more information from Jason.
‘I don’t get the caravan bit, but I do believe the boy when he says that’s where he was taken. If Dan Painter did kill Susan Evans it wouldn’t have been something he planned to do. He had the tickets for them both to jet off to Mexico so it sounds as if they had a violent quarrel and something went very wrong.’
Martin continued to think out loud. ‘My guess is that the caravan was the original destination and would probably have been the place where we were directed to find the boy – always supposing that Painter did intend to keep that part of the bargain.
‘If he and Susan Evans fought and she ended up dead then I can see that he would have to change his plans and maybe that’s when he took Jason back to his house, where we actually found him.
‘Come on, Matt, let’s get back to that interview we left. I’m looking forward to it now and can’t wait to see Painter’s reaction when we mention caravans and murder.’
Chapter Fourteen
Confession
It was almost eleven o’clock when a squad car picked up DCI Phelps and DS Pryor in the grounds of the University Hospital of Wales. The press conference concerning the kidnapping was arranged for the hour and they were going to be late. Ideally Martin would have liked to postpone his date with the media until after he had re-interviewed Dan Painter, but there was no chance of that.
Matt radioed ahead to say there would be a slight delay to the agreed start and grinned to himself as he imagined how well that news would be received by the waiting press. He thought longingly of the cup of coffee that he and his boss had almost had before getting the call to go to the hospital. The bottles of water that were always provided on the front table in the conference room didn’t seem as appealing but they would have to do for now.
As expected there was a general air of impatience as Martin took the centre seat and immediately spoke into the microphone.
‘I’m sorry to have kept you waiting but we have just returned from the University Hospital and I am delighted to be able to tell you that Jason Barnes is making a very good recovery.’
There were the expected spontaneous interruptions.
‘Did the bastard hurt the boy?’
‘Was he assaulted?’
‘Is it true that the kidnapper is a friend of the family?’
‘Where was he found?’
Martin tapped hard on the side of the microphone, ‘If you give me a chance I will put you in the picture and then you can ask your questions.
‘First of all I want to say a very big thank you on behalf of the police and especially from Jason’s mother, Tina Barnes. The teachers and parents from Holly Road School were brilliant, as were the staff of St Fagans Museum. Their security cameras made it possible for us to quickly identify the car that was used in this wicked crime and a series of events led us to finding Jason at the home of Mr Daniel Painter.
‘He is currently under arrest. We also want to contact a Ms Susan Evans, who may know something about the kidnapping. So far we have been unable to locate Ms Evans and we have some information that gives us reason to be concerned about her safety.’
There was nothing more that Martin could say for a minute or two as questions and comments were shouted from all corners of the room. He had learned from experience to ignore this type of outburst, and true to form the room settled down spontaneously and he continued.
‘There is really nothing more I can tell you at this moment in time but you have my word that as soon as we find Susan Evans we will share that information with you. Now, as promised at the beginning I am happy to take a few relevant questions.’
Although the gathering at a press conference always resembled a mass of people wrapped up in pieces of technology there was in fact some sort of unwritten order and it didn’t surprise Martin when a woman with a fashionable sleek bob, dressed in a dark green suit and cream high-neck sweater, was allowed to take centre stage.
Laura Cummings was the woman behind a face that most of the audience had seen on local television. She and Martin had crossed swords a few times in the past but she was generally polite a
nd always well briefed.
‘A good outcome for the boy and his mother, DCI Phelps, and we are all grateful for that. You left out a number of facts regarding the relationship between Tina Barnes and Dan Painter – or maybe you are unaware of it?’
‘I have spoken to Mike Barnes, Tina’s father, and he told us that before Tina left home she and Painter had a lot of time for one another. What he actually said was that his daughter “had the hots” for his friend Dan and did little to hide it.’
Martin swore under his breath and regretted the direction that Ms Cummings was taking her colleagues. He had visions of newspaper headlines screaming that Jason had been kidnapped by his estranged father and it would not be the way for the little boy to find out.
Suddenly Martin felt very claustrophobic and did what he had to do to bring the press conference to an end. He wouldn’t endear himself to Laura Cummings but that wasn’t his biggest concern.
‘I said I would answer relevant questions, not go on fishing trips based on information from a man who has been out of touch with his daughter for many years and has never even met his grandson. You will be informed of any new information but for now that’s it as I have work to do.’
One cup of coffee led to another and was joined by a couple of ham rolls before Martin and Matt had summoned up the strength for what they suspected would be a lengthy interview with Painter.
They walked into the interview room and Matt fiddled with the tape recorder whilst Martin half-listened to a series of complaints from the posh solicitor. In his view his client had not been given sufficient information regarding the charges he faced and it was unacceptable that they had been kept waiting with no explanation about what was happening.
‘I have urgent business which means I must leave here by one o’clock at the latest, and so we will have to be finished by then.’ He checked his watch as he spoke and without waiting for a response took the seat next to his client.
‘We will be finished when I say we’re finished, but if you can get your client to cooperate and answer my questions you may get your wish on the timescale. That’s down to you. DS Pryor, will you do the introductions for the tape please?’
