The Girl in the Rug (10 page)

‘And so in conclusion we would like to ask anyone who may be
able to shed some light on how little Lucy Hunt ended up hidden in a rug in an
abandoned garage, to please come forward. This is a four year old girl we are
talking about, a child just starting out in life who certainly didn’t deserve
this terrible fate, so please think carefully and if you think you may know
anything… anything at all, please contact your local police station…thank you.’
DCI Bob Riley gathered his papers together and seemingly oblivious to the calls
from the press he stood and made his way out of the room.

Carla was just about to leave as well, when she spotted a
familiar face in amongst the crowd of reporters, she fought her way through the
crowd.

‘Linda,’ she said to the young reporter who looked up
hearing her name, ‘how are you?’ said Carla giving the girl a hug. ‘I haven’t
seen you for ages…what are you doing here I didn’t think this was your
province?’

‘Oh hi Carla,’ said Linda returning her hug, ‘yes well you
may be seeing a lot more of me in future, I’m on the crime desk now so…’

‘Oh that’s great hun…Ted would have been so proud. Have you
got time for a coffee?’

Linda smiled, ‘Actually that would be great, I must admit I
was hoping I would bump into you…I need to pick your brains.’ Carla looked
worried. ‘Oh don’t worry,’ laughed Linda, ‘I’m not going to get you into any
trouble I promise…although if you could give me a bit more on The Girl in the
Rug story…’ she laughed again at Carla’s cornered look.

‘Stop worrying Carla…trust me I’m a reporter.’

Twenty minutes later they were ensconced in the cosy corner
of a local café, two skinny latte’s in front of them.

They had caught up with all their news and Carla had just
finished telling her about her ten year old daughter Rosie’s latest hair
curling misdemeanours, when they came to a natural break in the conversation.

‘So,’ began Carla, ‘why do you need to pick my brains?’

Linda thought for a moment on how to broach the subject at
last deciding that she might as well just come out with it.

‘After Dad died,’ she began, ‘I started sorting through his
things with Auntie Kat and I came upon some papers that he had stored in his
spare room.’ Carla raised her eyebrows enquiringly but said nothing.

‘And after reading through some of them it soon became
obvious that he was working on something…on his own I mean, in his own time…’

‘What sort of thing?’ interrupted Carla puzzled.

‘Well it seems he had got it into his head that there was a
very active paedophile ring working in and around Redbank and Kenley,’ Carla
started to speak but Linda carried on. ‘He seemed to think that some of the
care homes in the area may have been used by them…that some of the people
running these homes are involved. He’s named names Carla and some of people
that he’s named…well you might be surprised.’

Carla didn’t say a word for a moment, ‘I didn’t know Linda,
why didn’t he tell me he was doing this?’

‘I can only assume that he was going to tell you, once he
had enough evidence to do something about it. At the moment from what I can
see, it’s just a list of times and dates with the occasional question mark next
to some names and a few photos.’

‘What is it you want from me?’ asked Carla, ‘You must see
that if this is just a speculation on Ted’s part there’s not a lot I can do to
take it any further…’

‘But you can’t just ignore it Carla…what if Dad had stumbled
on something…what if the care homes ARE being used by these depraved man…can
you just walk away from this without at least checking it out surely…’

‘Hold your horses love,’ interrupted Carla, ‘all you’ve told
me so far is that Ted had some idea that some paedophile ring is active
locally. I have no proof to take to my DCI, do you really think that he is
going to give me the go ahead to check this out without any proof just a bunch
of names and dates. It just doesn’t work like that I’m afraid…especially at the
moment when all our resources are being focused of finding the killer of Lucy
Hunt…’

‘So what you’re saying is that if you had some concrete
evidence you could start looking into it?’ said Linda eagerly.

‘Well no that’s not actually what I said…’ began Carla.

‘So if I can get you something…something that you can take
to your DCI you’ll investigate?’ Linda asked again, looking at Carla
expectantly.

‘Well I suppose…but this could be really dangerous Linda,
especially if as you say some of these men are public figures…these people
aren’t going to let you start poking around without a fight you know,’ said
Carla. ‘I don’t think you should try and do this on your own…I know, why don’t
you hold on, just until we’ve got this latest case sorted then maybe I’ll have
some time to go through it with you.’

‘I can’t do that Carla…’ said Linda shaking her head, ‘if
what my Dad says is right, there are children in these homes right now that are
being abused…I can’t live with myself knowing that’s going on…can you?’

Carla put her head in her hands and sat like that for a
while, eventually she lifted her head up and looked at Linda, ‘No…you’re right
I can’t, ok Linda leave it with me. Don’t you do anything without telling me
though, there may be a way we can look into this. After all Ted was a good
policeman…one of the best, and if he thought something was going on then…well I
should trust his judgment shouldn’t I?’

Linda smiled tearfully at Carla. ‘He wasn’t the sort to get
his knickers in a twist over nothing that’s for sure…and he must have been
really sure about this to have spent so much time on it…’

‘Ok, ok you’ve convinced me…don’t over play your hand,’
Carla said laughing. ‘Can you email me what you have and I’ll go through it
when I get home…’

They both looked up when the door to the café was suddenly
thrown open and a huge dripping umbrella came through the door followed by an
irate Frank.

‘At last!’ he said shaking out the umbrella all over the two
girls who both shouted in protest, he gave them an unrepentant smile. ‘I have
been looking everywhere for you Carla, the DCI needs to speak to you, Kathy
Hunt has been released by the hospital and is being brought to the station for
questioning so…’ he stopped when he finally recognised who the rather attractive
girl was sitting opposite Carla.

‘Bloody hell Connelly, how the hell are you?’ he said
enveloping Linda in a wet hug, ‘What are you doing here?’

Linda held up her press badge. ‘I was here for the press
release, so what was that you were saying about Kathy Hunt…is she in the frame
for her daughter’s murder then?’

Frank groaned, ‘Bloody hell, don’t you put that in the
papers…no she is just helping us with our enquiries that’s all. I mean it
Connelly if you write one word I’ll…’

‘It’s called the freedom of the press Frank…suck it up,’
said Linda getting her coat. She turned to Carla, ‘I’ll send those things over
as soon as I get home Carla…thank you…see ya Frank, look out for your name in
tomorrow’s Gazette won’t you,’ she teased, laughing as she went out into the
rain.

Frank watched her appreciatively as she left the café, then
he turned back to Carla, ‘What was that all about?’ he asked as Carla started
to get her things together, ‘what things has she got for you?’

‘I’m not sure yet Frank, just some stuff Ted was working
on,’ said Carla mysteriously. ‘I’ll let you know once I’ve seen it myself.’

‘But…’

‘No I’m not ready to talk about it yet,’ Carla said sharply.
‘It may be nothing, I’ll let you know. Now let’s get this over with…where have
they put her?’

‘She’s in a holding cell at the moment, screaming about her
rights and wanting a lawyer. I’ve phoned the duty solicitors, they’re sending
someone, should have arrived by the time we get back,’ said Frank a touch
sulkily.

Carla smiled to herself, in many ways Frank was still a
little boy.

She elbowed him in the ribs, ‘Do you want to have first
crack at the fragrant Kathy,’ she said smiling, ‘you never know she might
respond better to the notorious Frank Hill charm…I mean what hope do we poor
girls have against such a power as that.’

Frank brow lightened, ‘Too fucking right,’ he said with a
laugh.

Kathy Hunt who hadn’t had a drink or a cigarette for at
least twenty four hours was suffering; she looked pale and clammy and her hands
were shaking uncontrollably as she sat opposite Carla and Frank in the
interview room.

Carla looked at the woman dispassionately; she looked so
much older than her thirty one years, much older in fact than Carla who was
nearly ten years older. Her skin was sallow and her eyes sunken, her lips had
formed a sort of pursed expression they were so wrinkled…all the smoking, Carla
supposed, and her teeth, the few that were left, were yellowed and chipped. She
looked extremely nervous, glancing anxiously at her solicitor at each question,
and for the most part keeping her lips tightly shut and her eyes down.

‘Right Kathy,’ Frank tried again wearily after what seemed
like hours later. ‘Let’s just cut to the chase shall we…it’s obvious from the
amount of blood in your living room that there was some sort of fight in there,
it’s plain to see that you were hurt and that at some point Lucy was
injured…badly injured. So why did you tell the school that Lucy was staying
with her auntie…unless of course you knew Lucy was dead at that point and you
were trying to hide the fact.’

‘I ain’t saying nuffin,’ said Kathy giving Frank a baleful
stare, ‘you ain’t got nuffin on me.’

‘Well that’s not quite true is it, you knowingly lied to the
school and to us about where Lucy was, and you covered up her death. Now
whether you killed or not, that in itself is a serious offence Kathy. And of
course it leads us to wonder why you would do that…if you had no part in her
death…why didn’t you just report it to the police?’

‘Look I neva touched that girl right?’ Kathy said
belligerently. ‘I thought she had gone to me sister’s didn’t I, run off like…I
didn’t know she was going to turn up dead did I?’

‘So let me get this straight,’ said Carla patiently, ‘are
you now saying that you thought Lucy had run away…to your sister’s?’

‘Yeh,’ said Kathy eagerly grasping at an explanation,
‘that’s what I thought. She was always grizzling that one, so I thought she’d
just had enough and taken off like.’

Carla and Frank looked at each other in disbelief at the
woman’s stupidity.

‘So you thought your four year old daughter had run off on
her own to visit your sister, who lived miles away in Chester and who, by the
way, died eighteen months ago. Come on Kathy,’ said Frank scathingly, ‘surely
even you can come up with something better than that.’

‘Well how was I to know me sister ‘ad died…we neva kept in
touch or nuffin. Anyway,’ she said angrily, ‘I didn’t fucking kill Luce right…I
don’t know what ‘appened to ‘er.’

Carla sighed; they had been at this for hours and they were
getting nowhere.

‘Right let’s go over it again shall we,’ Frank said in a
long suffering voice, ‘forensics have found blood at you flat. There was blood
which we now know belongs to you, found on the sofa and also on the floor next
to the sofa…but there was also a bigger pool of blood near to the window, and
on the coffee table, and that has been identified as belonging to Lucy. Also
there were a few strands of hair stuck in the blood…Lucy’s, so we know that
Lucy was hurt and hurt badly at some point…in your living room. So here’s what
I think happened ok Kathy,’ Frank paused for a moment, ‘I think you had had a
drink, and Lucy was playing up…grizzling or annoying you in some way and I
think you hit her,’ he held his hand up as Kathy began to protest her innocence
again. ‘Hang on Kathy, I don’t think you intended to kill her, just give her a
slap maybe to shut her up…but something happened she hit her head as she fell
or you caught her harder than you intended and she died. And then I think you
panicked and you got rid of her body and you told everyone that she’d gone to
stay at her aunties…how am I doing, is that what happened Kathy…was it just an
awful accident?’

Kathy sat quietly, head down her fingers frantically
fidgeting with her cigarette pack.

‘I’m right aren’t I Kathy…?’ began Frank.

‘NO…I didn’t fucking kill her…I wouldn’t she was my little
girl…I wouldn’t…’ Kathy began to cry, loud self pitying sobs, her head in her
hands.

‘Well I think we’ll leave it there for today Kathy,’ said
Carla getting up. ‘Maybe you need more time to think about what happened.’ And
with that she left the room, Frank following behind bewildered.

‘What the bloody hell, ‘Frank said angrily to Carla as soon
as they got outside, ‘I think she was cracking…a few more hours and we would
have had a confession I’m sure.’

‘Yes well I’m not sure she actually did kill Lucy, it
doesn’t feel right somehow,’ Carla answered thoughtfully. ‘I mean think about
it Frank, the woman is barely conscious most of the time, and ok yes she is a
nasty violent piece of work. But someone had to have wrapped the child’s body
in a rug and carried it over half a mile, can you see her doing that, she can
barely stand most of the time. Then they’d have had to broken into a locked up
garage and hid it in there…right at the very back mind, through all that junk
and old furniture. Then there’s the sexual interference, and let’s not forget
who that garage belongs to.’

‘Ok, well maybe she had help…someone, possibly Turk, helped
her dispose of the body. Although I can’t see why he would help her I mean…did
he even know the woman? Anyway we now know that the sexual stuff could have
happened anytime…even after she was dumped so…’

Dorothy had sent over the PM results the day before. It
seemed that the little girl’s vagina had been penetrated (Lucy’s hymen had been
ruptured), as well as her anus, which had been badly torn. But it looked like
the sexual interference had happened after her death, and unfortunately no
trace of the perpetrator had been left inside the body…so no DNA. Also because
of the amount of decomposition that had taken place, Dorothy could not say
conclusively that the bruises around Lucy’s neck were due to strangulation, it
was more likely that the injury to her head was what had killed her, so ghastly
as it seemed, it was altogether possible that someone had found the body of
that dead little girl and, for want of a better word, raped her.