Gone Astray (37 page)

‘I thought you were going to the hospital?’ he said.

A shrug followed, but no explanation. They asked again what he was doing.

‘I came out for some air after the treatment session and I thought I saw some movement inside the pool house,’ he lied.

‘Really? Oh God. That’s all we need.’

But before the figure could reach the glass door at the front of the pool house, he sprang forward and pressed the blade to their neck.

‘Don’t move or I’ll cut you . . . just like you cut Rosie.’

Lesley raised her head and yawned. She’d dozed off with her cheek resting against the blanket covering Mack’s bed and as she rubbed her skin she could feel the
creases it had left. Mack was sleeping too, his face whiter than the cotton pillow his head rested against. But his breathing was regular now and the oxygen mask he’d needed in the ambulance
had been removed.

Lesley watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he slept. A tube inserted into the back of his hand silently pumped fluids into his weakened body from an IV drip positioned next to the
bed. Mack wasn’t just exhausted, his doctors said; he was severely dehydrated too. Had he drunk much water in the last few days, they’d asked? She didn’t know, was her honest
answer. Drinking water, remembering to eat, trying to sleep – those things had all been irrelevant to her since Tuesday and to Mack too, or he wouldn’t have ended up in a side room off
a packed ward at their local hospital.

Rosie would be so upset to see her dad like this, she thought as she gently traced her fingertips over the back of his hand. When this was all over, she vowed, when Rosie was home and Mack was
better, they’d go away, just the three of them. Instead of resenting the money, she’d bloody well make herself enjoy it. They’d go to Australia and go diving on the Great Barrier
Reef. Or maybe to the Far East: Mack had always said he wanted to go to Tokyo to see if it was as crazy as it looked on TV and in films. As she rhythmically stroked his hand, Lesley added more
destinations to their itinerary: a stop-off in Los Angeles to see the Hollywood sign; sightseeing in New York; a cruise around the Caribbean. Then back to Europe, to Rome, a city she’d always
wanted to visit; Milan, to take Rosie shopping; followed by Moscow, because someone from Mack’s old office went once and said it was a beautiful city. Last would be a long holiday somewhere
hot, like the Maldives, where they’d lie in hammocks, sip cocktails and pretend none of this had happened.

She grew more excited as she ticked the destinations off one by one, until the sound of people talking outside the door dragged her back into the present. She rested her head back on
Mack’s bed in despair. She wanted to rewind to the weekend when her only worry had been whether to have chicken or fish for dinner. Her grief at Rosie going missing manifested as a physical
ache, like her body was being stamped on repeatedly. Tomorrow was Saturday and Rosie would have been gone for four days. It felt like a lifetime already.

There was a gentle knock on the door and it opened to reveal Belmar.

‘Have you got a minute?’ he said.

Lesley leapt to her feet and flew around the end of the bed to the door.

‘What is it? You’ve got that look on your face. It’s bad news, isn’t it?’

Glancing at Mack asleep on the bed, Belmar shut the door quietly behind him.

‘Maggie just called. We’re making an arrest in connection with Rosie’s disappearance.’

‘Who?’

‘Edward Sinclair, one of the security guards who works for Umbra.’

Lesley gasped. ‘Really? Does . . . does that mean you know where Rosie is?’

‘Not yet, but hopefully we’ll have some news when he’s questioned.’

‘But he must’ve said something! Haven’t you asked him?’

Belmar spoke stiffly, as though he’d been coached in what to say.

‘As soon as there’s a development you’ll be the first to know. I’m going to wait outside for an update from the station as I can’t use my phone in here. Will you be
okay on your own for a bit longer, until Maggie’s back?’

‘I don’t have a bloody choice, do I?’ she snapped, then immediately regretted it. ‘I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t take it out on you. It’s just that I
thought you’d find my daughter before you caught who did it.’

‘We need to question him to determine his involvement.’

Belmar’s police handbook babble was starting to annoy her.

‘Fine, just go,’ she sighed. ‘I’ll wait here.’

He gave a half-smile then ducked out of the room. Lesley turned to her husband’s inert form on the bed.

‘Did you hear that, Mack? They’ve arrested someone. That’s got to be good news, hasn’t it?’

As she waited for Belmar to return, she couldn’t keep still. Flitting between the chair, window and door, she tried to remember which of the guards Edward Sinclair was. She couldn’t
remember talking to him or seeing him at the house, but then Mack dealt with all the security issues.

She checked the time again, but the hands on her watch had barely moved since the last time she’d looked.

‘I’ll go crazy if I wait in here,’ she told her sleeping husband. ‘I’m going to get some fresh air.’ She leaned over him. The nurses had removed his glasses
and there was a small red indent either side of his nose where the frames pressed into his flesh. She gently kissed each mark, then the tip of his nose, and then his lips. He didn’t stir.

It was only when she was outside the front entrance that she remembered Kathryn was being treated at the hospital too. She debated what to do for a moment then went back
inside. Even though Maggie said she wasn’t to talk to Kathryn or the rest of her family, her injuries had sounded bad and, despite the bullying allegation, she still wanted to see how she
was.

She made a beeline for the information desk.

‘I need to find out about a patient who’s being treated here,’ Lesley told the smartly dressed, middle-aged man sitting behind the desk. He smiled but told her in a rich,
mellifluous West Indian accent that he couldn’t give out confidential patient information unless she was a relative.

‘I’m a friend of the family,’ she implored. ‘I just want to know that she’s okay. She came in last night.’

He gave her a sympathetic smile. ‘I wish I could tell you, but they’d have my hide.’

‘Can’t you make an exception? She’s my daughter’s best friend and, well, my daughter . . .’ she faltered. ‘The thing is, my daughter’s gone missing. My
husband is in the hospital too, because he collapsed. He’s on ward 3A. You can check if you want. His name is Mack . . . Mack Kinnock.’

She hadn’t meant to divulge so much but the man’s face emanated kindness in such a way that she couldn’t help herself.

He leaned over the desk and dropped his voice.

‘Are you the lady with the young girl that’s gone astray in Haxton?’

She flinched. ‘Yes, I’m her mother.’

‘Oh, ma’am, I am so sorry,’ he said. ‘I hope you get her home soon.’

‘So do I,’ she said, trying not to cry.

He tilted his head to one side. ‘What did you say her friend’s name was?’

‘I didn’t—’

‘Tell me what it is.’ He winked and nodded down at the desk, where his other hand already hovered over his keyboard.

‘Thank you,’ she said, overwhelmed with gratitude. ‘It’s Kathryn Stockton. Kathryn with a K and a Y.’

His fingers flew over the keys. ‘She’s on the second floor. Ward 2F. Don’t tell them I sent you.’

‘I won’t, I promise. You’ve been so kind.’

‘If my little girl was missing, I hope someone would do the same for me. You take care now, ma’am.’

As she said goodbye and turned away from the desk, Lesley frowned. A vaguely familiar-looking woman with cropped dark hair was walking towards her, her face taut with apprehension. She suddenly
realized who it was. The last person she expected to see.

‘What the hell are you doing here? Haven’t you done enough?’ she burst out.

Suzy Breed gathered herself and took a deep breath.

‘I know this is the worst time to do this, but you need to know the truth about me and Mack. Right now.’

The incident room had fallen silent again now Umpire and the others had departed. The few officers who stayed behind were hunched over at their desks, eyes trained on their
computer screens. Maggie didn’t know any of them to talk to, but that was often the case when an SIO was brought in from another part of the county to run a Major Crime Inquiry, as Umpire
was, and had their own team to work alongside local Force CID officers like Maggie, Steve, Renshaw and Nathan.

She decided it was time to head back to the hospital and gathered her coat and bag. On her way to the lift she paused to get a drink of water from the dispenser and shivered as the ice-cold
liquid it supplied set her teeth on edge. She was gulping down her third cupful when she saw Steve barrelling down the office towards her, beaming widely.

‘That’s not the face of a man who’s just told his boss he screwed up,’ she said shrewdly.

‘I need to talk to you. Come on,’ he said.

She followed him to the lift.

‘Steve, what’s going on? Have you told Umpire yet about seeing the suspect on Tuesday?’

‘I might not have to. I’ll tell you everything once we’re outside.’ He pushed the button on the panel to take the lift to the ground floor.

‘I’ve got to get back to the hospital.’

‘Just hear me out.’

He led her into the car park at the rear of the station. As they stepped outside onto the tarmac, it was drizzling again. Maggie briefly raised her face to meet it, enjoying the coolness against
her flushed cheeks. Then she turned to her friend.

‘What’s with all this cloak-and-dagger stuff?’

‘I managed to get another look at the CCTV from Tuesday morning while you were talking to Ballboy,’ he confided. ‘I still can’t tell whether Sinclair and the suspect were
arguing, but I did get the licence plate for the Peugeot he was driving. I ran it through the system and the registered owner is a woman living in Mansell and – get this – the electoral
register says there’s a man living at the same address. It must be him.’

‘Steve, that’s brilliant. Umpire’s on his way to arrest Sinclair now at the Umbra office in Haxton. Ring him and tell him.’

‘Not yet. I want to do some more digging first. I need to sort this out without telling Ballboy I missed the suspect first time round.’

‘Steve, you can’t do that, Rosie’s life’s at stake. Umpire needs to know now. You know that.’

He tried to argue but Maggie wouldn’t back down.

‘Look, you made a mistake with the CCTV but you’ll make things a million times worse for yourself if you go off on some reckless chase on your own. Umpire needs to know who the
suspect is right now.’

He sighed. ‘You’re always right, aren’t you?’

Maggie grinned. ‘Of course. I can’t believe it’s taken you this long to realize.’

Steve tugged his phone out of his suit pocket with one hand and flipped open his notebook with the other. As he scrolled for Umpire’s number, Maggie caught sight of the name written on the
page and gasped. She reached out to still his arm.

‘That’s not the woman whose car it is?’

‘Yes. Lisa Charleston,’ Steve read from his notes. ‘Lives at 4 Shelby House, Hawthorn Close, Mansell.’

‘Oh, fuck.’ Maggie groaned.

Steve looked at her, alarmed.

‘Christ, you don’t know her, do you?’

‘In a manner of speaking. She’s the woman Rob left Lou for.’

‘What happened to telling the DCI everything and not going off on a reckless chase on your own?’ Steve grumbled as he shifted in the driver’s seat, the light
grey fabric of his suit trousers, shiny from over-wear, pulling tightly across his thighs as he tried to get comfortable. He kept the engine ticking over as they parked outside the gym.

‘I have to talk to Rob first,’ she beseeched. ‘He’s still technically married to Lou and he’s Mae’s dad and the boys’ stepdad. He’s
family.’

‘Umpire’s not going to be happy if he finds out.’

‘But we already know Rob isn’t our suspect. He’s six foot two, which is at least four inches taller than the bloke pictured in the garage queue and in the paper
today.’

‘That doesn’t mean he’s not involved, Maggie.’

‘No, it doesn’t. But I know Rob and, while he’s an idiot, I know he wouldn’t hurt anyone, least of all a fifteen-year-old girl. I’d stake my job on it.’

That was enough to convince Steve.

‘Okay. You speak to him first. Show him the pictures of the suspect and find out if he knows who was driving Lisa’s car on Tuesday.’

‘You don’t want to come in with me?’

‘Like you said, it’s family. It’s probably better if you speak to him alone. I’ll wait here.’

As Maggie climbed out of the car, she received a text from Belmar.

‘He’s asking when I’m getting back to the hospital,’ she told Steve.

‘Tell him you’ll be half an hour. This shouldn’t take that long.’

She found Rob on a rowing machine, grunting loudly as the seat slid back and forth. She put her foot on the frame to stop his momentum.

‘I need to talk to you about Lisa,’ she said.

‘What about her?’

‘Not in here.’

Maggie led him to a quiet corner in reception where they couldn’t be overheard.

‘What’s going on, Maggie?’ he said worriedly.

She told him about Lisa’s car being spotted in Burr Way on the day Rosie Kinnock went missing.

‘That’s bollocks. It must be a mistake. Why would she be in Haxton?’

‘Where is she, Rob? We need to talk to her.’

‘I told you, she’s visiting a friend in Manchester.’

‘Still? When did you last speak to her?’

‘I dunno,’ he said sulkily.

She began to lose patience.

‘Rob, this is serious. Lisa’s car has been seen near the scene of a serious crime. Is there anyone else she allows to drive it?’

‘Only me, and I’ve not been anywhere near Haxton.’

She decided to show him the photograph of the suspect in M&S with Lesley. Using the Google app on her phone, she found it on the website of the newspaper it had been published in.