Snatched (11 page)

Julie Ford’s flat was on the third floor of a crumbling block in Cheetham Hill – a fair few miles from the Fitton estate in Rusholme, which probably explained why none of Sue’s neighbours had known her. Getting no answer when she knocked, Jay had tried the flat next door, hoping that the tenants might know where Julie was, or have a phone number where she could be reached.

The neighbour hadn’t been able to help Jay with any of that, but she
had
told her that, every Friday without fail for the last seven or eight months, Julie and her friend had been in the habit of bringing men home at all hours of the morning – and making a hell of a lot of noise about it. But
last
night there had been none of the usual commotion, and the neighbour had managed to sleep through the night undisturbed – an unusual enough occurrence for her to think it worth mentioning.

Getting the same story from the neighbours on the other side, Jay began to suspect that something sinister might be going on. Because if Sue had done the same thing every Friday for months, then surely it couldn’t be a coincidence that she should suddenly break that pattern on the exact night that her daughter disappeared.

But did that mean that Sue had done something to Nicky, Jay wondered, and gone out as usual that night knowing that the neighbours would see her, only to slip back in a short time later and start the fire to destroy the evidence – maybe even throwing the brick that had been found in the debris through her own window, in order to make it look as if someone with a grudge had done it?

But if that were the case, then Nicky’s body would have been found at the scene. And even if Sue had changed her mind and dragged it out before the fire brigade got there, she’d have had a hell of a time getting rid of it without somebody seeing her – even with her friend’s help. They could hardly have dragged it along the streets looking for a safe place to dump it. They would have needed a vehicle – which neither of them had.

But Terry Day did. And when the fire started, it would have been parked up behind the factory where he was working. No one around to see if an ex with a spare key came along and ‘borrowed’ it for half an hour.

Reaching the doors now, Jay pressed the buzzer, just as Terry called out to her.

Still on the bench, his heart was pounding and he could feel the sweat literally pouring off him. She’d said that she would come to see him when she had news about Nicky, so did this mean that they had found her? And if so, was she alive or dead?

Peering at Terry, not immediately recognising him because he looked so much fresher than he had the night before, Jay frowned when she realised it was him. Considering his son had only just come round, she’d have thought that he’d have been more concerned about spending time with him than feeding his nicotine addiction.

‘Is everything all right?’ she asked, walking quickly over to him now. ‘Connor is awake, isn’t he? The nurse just rang to say he was.’

Relieved that she wasn’t here to give him bad news, Terry nodded, and said, ‘They reckon he’s okay, but they’re just taking the tube out to have a proper look down his throat. That’s why I’m out here,’ he added guiltily. ‘The doctor told me it’d be best not to watch.’

Agreeing that it was probably for the best, Jay said, ‘I’d like to talk to him, if that’s okay? See if he can tell us anything.’

Saying, ‘Yeah, course, I’ll take you,’ Terry waved her towards the doors.

The nurse was just coming out of Connor’s room when they got there. Barely glancing at Jay, she gave Terry a warm smile.

‘It’s all done, and he’s had a little drink, but his throat will be sore for a while, so Doctor’s given him something for the pain. He’ll probably start to get drowsy again fairly soon, but, all in all, everything’s looking good, so you can relax.’

‘Do you think he’s up to talking?’ Jay asked.

‘He should be okay,’ the nurse told her. ‘But you’ll have to keep it to an absolute minimum. No more than five minutes.’

Thanking her, amused that Terry hadn’t seemed to notice the adoring way the nurse had been looking at him, Jay followed him into Connor’s room.

Connor’s huge dark eyes seemed to be engulfing his entire face as he gazed out from beneath the covers. Ruffling his hair and squeezing his shoulder – the best he could manage for a show of affection in front of a stranger – Terry said, ‘This lady’s from the police, and she wants to have a quick word about the fire.’

Hearing the word ‘police’, Connor’s eyes widened even more, and his skinny little chest began to heave. Guessing wrongly that it was the mention of the fire which had freaked him out, Jay gave him a reassuring smile and walked around the bed to sit on the chair and get more on his level.

‘Don’t worry, I won’t keep you too long,’ she said. ‘But I just want to ask a couple of questions about what happened last night, if that’s okay?’

Connor didn’t even try to open his mouth, and several long moments of silence passed before Terry decided to answer for him.

‘Course it is,’ he said, giving Connor’s shoulder another squeeze. ‘The nurse says he’s been really brave already, so I’m sure he won’t mind talking to a pretty lady like . . .’ Trailing off, Terry blushed and dipped his gaze, sure that she’d think he was flirting with her – which he wasn’t.

Ignoring the slip, Jay kept her focus on Connor, asking, ‘Do you remember what happened, Connor?’

Terrified that he was in trouble, that they had found out that it was him who’d started the fire and were going to send him to the home for naughty boys that his mum was always threatening to send him to if he was bad, Connor squeezed his eyes shut.

‘You must have been scared when the electric went off,’ Jay persisted gently, working on the assumption that he’d still been awake at that point, given that the neighbour had recounted hearing him crying when the house was already in darkness. ‘I bet Nicky made you feel better, though, didn’t she?’

Still getting no answer, Jay decided to take a more direct approach. She didn’t like to put words into people’s mouths, but this was serious enough to warrant it.

‘Is that why she went out, Connor?’ she asked gently. ‘To try and find your mum, to get some money for the electric? Or was she hurt by the brick that was thrown through the window?’

Tears were rolling down Connor’s cheeks now. Nicky hadn’t been there when the electric went off, but he couldn’t tell the policewoman that, because then they’d be angry with Nicky and lock her up in the bad girls’ home. But everything was fuzzy after that; all he could remember was waking up and coughing really bad because the room was full of smoke, and trying to get down the stairs. Then nothing till he woke up in here.

‘He must be tired,’ Terry said apologetically. ‘Maybe you’d best leave it till he’s properly awake.’

Nodding, Jay stood up. Giving the little boy one last smile, she said, ‘I’ll come back to see you when you’re feeling a bit better. And don’t worry, everything will be fine.’

‘Sorry about that,’ Terry said when they were back out in the corridor. ‘He’s usually got more to say for himself. But I’ll have a go when you’ve gone; see if he’ll talk to me.’

‘Okay, well, that’s my mobile number,’ Jay said, taking a card out of her pocket and handing it to him. ‘Call me if he tells you anything. And it doesn’t matter how small or insignificant you might think it is. He’s the last one who saw Nicky, so whatever he remembers it’s got to help.’

Nodding, Terry slipped the card into his back pocket. His voice low now, he said, ‘What you said in there just now – is that what you think might have happened? That Nicky went out to get money for the electric?’

‘I don’t know,’ Jay admitted. ‘We
do
know that the electric had run out before the fire started, so I’m hoping that might be why she wasn’t there when the crew went in.’

‘And the brick. You don’t think it hit her as well, do you?’

‘It’s a possibility, if she was in the bed with Connor at the time,’ Jay told him. ‘But I really don’t think it’s wise to jump to conclusions until we’ve heard what Connor’s got to say.’

Nodding, Terry said, ‘Yeah, I know.’ Then, folding his arms, he said, ‘I, er, meant to ask if you’ve found his mam yet? Only he’s bound to start asking for her now he’s awake, and I don’t know what to say.’

Telling him that Sue’s phone was still switched off, and that nobody had seen or heard from her, Jay decided not to mention that she’d been to Julie’s flat because then she’d have to explain that the women hadn’t been seen there either. And if Terry put two and two together and came to the same conclusions that she herself had reached about Sue’s possible involvement in the fire, God only knew what he’d do if he got to his wife before she did.

Going back into the room when she had gone, Terry sighed when he saw that Connor was fast asleep again. Checking his mobile only to find that he still had no messages or missed calls from Leanne, he sat down and gazed at his son, praying that he wouldn’t be asleep for too long this time, because there were loads of questions he needed to ask him.

Goldie’s party was in full swing when Leanne arrived. She’d been ready for hours before setting off, but she’d wanted to get there late in order to make as big an entrance as possible.

The small flat was overflowing with people and there were more out on the balcony, dancing to the heavy Niche music that was pumping out through the open door as the strong scent of weed drifted through the air. Surrounded as soon as she walked in, Leanne found herself being hugged and kissed by friends she hadn’t seen since leaving school. Feeling as if she was right back where she belonged, she was soon boasting about her new flat, proudly describing all the new furniture, the flat-screen TV, and the amazing stereo.

When the lads from the Fitton Crew arrived half an hour later, she broke away from her girlfriends and rushed to greet them. Having been one of only three girls who’d ever been properly allowed into the gang when they were at school, she considered these lads amongst her oldest, dearest friends. With the exception of Zak Carlton, who’d been her actual boyfriend until he’d decided to cheat on her, but he didn’t appear to be with them, so that was okay.

‘Hey, babe,’ Lance Thompson drawled, a flash of gold glimmering out from his whiter than white teeth as he swept her up in an affectionate hug. ‘Didn’t know you were coming.’

‘What, stay away and miss seeing you?’ Leanne beamed. ‘Never!’

‘So, where you been hiding?’ Lance asked, putting her down at last and looking her over with approval.

‘Oh, you know, here and there,’ she said evasively. ‘Anyhow, never mind me, what have
you
been up to?’ Stepping back, she gave him the once-over he’d just given her. ‘You look fantastic. Have you been living at the gym, or what?’

‘Nah, man,’ he grinned. ‘’S all natural.’

‘You were never this buff at school,’ she teased, reaching out to give his newly developed muscles a squeeze – noting, with a little hint of pride, that they weren’t as solid as Terry’s.

‘And you were never this
hot
,’ Lance drawled, his eyes raking over her body. ‘Mmm
mmm
!’

‘Don’t you be getting fresh with me, Lance Thompson,’ Leanne scolded. ‘I’m not one of them pushover white gals you can sweet-talk out of her knickers, you know. Anyhow, shift and let me see the rest of them,’ she said then, pushing him out of the way to get to Jase Brittax.

Still cooler than cool, Jase slipped an arm around her waist and gave her a kiss, drawling, ‘Long time no see, babe. You’re looking good.’

‘So are you,’ she said, feeling a little tearful now as she hugged him. ‘You all are. I can’t believe how much you’ve changed.’

‘We’re the same old guys from way back,’ Lance laughed, putting a hand on her back and guiding her towards the couch. Jerking his head at the people who were already sitting there to move, he sat down and patted the cushion beside him, saying, ‘So, come on, tell us what’s been happening in Lee Land?’

Loving being the centre of attention, Leanne was soon telling them all about her wonderful new life, unaware that Zak had just walked in.

Getting himself a bottle of beer from the kitchen, Zak leaned in the doorway and watched as Leanne laughed and joked with his boys. He hadn’t seen her since he’d heard about her getting off with the old-man neighbour of hers, and that had vexed him, because he’d wanted to confront her and find out if she’d had the hots for the dude while she’d been seeing him. Goldie had told him that it hadn’t gone down like that, but he hadn’t known whether to believe her because girls would say anything to protect their friends. But now Leanne was here, looking better than ever and acting like she’d never been away, he didn’t know how he felt. But there was definitely anger in there somewhere.

Oblivious to the chill air blowing from Zak’s direction, Leanne was laughing at something Lance had just said when Kelly Greene suddenly appeared in front of her. Instantly irritated, because it seemed like she couldn’t get rid of the girl since she’d made the mistake of agreeing to let Kelly’s cousin Neela bring her to one of the karaoke parties, she peered coolly up at her and asked what she wanted.

‘Where’s that bitch Nicky?’ Kelly demanded.

‘What the fuck are you asking me for?’ Leanne snapped. ‘And what’s with the attitude?’

Blushing when the lads started sniggering, Kelly’s lips tightened. If anyone else had spoken to her like that she’d have kicked their head in. But Leanne was older than her, and probably harder. And, anyway, Kelly really liked her.

Making an effort to temper her tone now, aware that she’d probably been a bit too pushy, Kelly said, ‘Sorry. It’s just that I had the pigs round at mine last night, asking all sorts of questions.’

‘What’s that got to do with me?’ Leanne said, not even trying to pretend that she gave a toss.