The Girl in the Rug (25 page)

And with that she set to work proving beyond any little
nagging doubts that Duncan may have still had at the back of his mind that she
loved him and, despite what the silly old fool might think, she fancied the
pants off him. 

‘He just seems to have taken a few steps backward,’ Maya was
saying to Helen as they were getting ready for bed, ‘gone inside himself
again…hiding something maybe.’

Helen was ready to drop, she had been in Redbank with Maggie
all day asking people if they had seen Tracy, then had gone back to help Simon
with the children. She hadn’t got home until after Abby had been put to bed by
Nonna, she had been fast asleep when Helen had looked in on her. Helen had
stayed beside her for a while just looking at her, how scared Tracy must be
right now wherever she was, worrying about her children and Simon. Helen said a
silent prayer that she would be found safe and well…and soon.

She looked at Maya, whose face was a picture of concern for
Andy. ‘Well why not bring him over again, and let’s try and get him to talk
about what’s bothering him…you never know he might find it easier to talk here
than at the home or at school.’

‘Yes, maybe you right Helen…he did seem to relax here…yes I
will ask, see if he wants to come.’

‘Bring him for tea again tomorrow,’ Helen said dozily,’ I
will be out most of the day, but I should be back by about four…we’ll get the
kids to bed early and have a talk to him.’

‘Please be careful tomorrow love, I don’t like that you will
be walking round ‘Buttercup,’ there are some nasty people there,’ Maya said
flinging her arm round Helen.

‘Don’t worry honey,’ Helen said sleepily, ‘there will be
quite a few of us…I’ll be fine…’ she yawned again, ‘oh…night love…sorry so
sleepy,’ she mumbled closing her eyes.

Maya lay awake listening to Helen’s gentle snores, poor
Helen she was so worried for her friend and with good reason. Maya was
seriously beginning to think that the police would be finding a body, if she
didn’t turn up within the next day or so. Oh god she hoped not, she couldn’t
imagine how Helen would deal with Tracy’s death…or indeed how any of the
witches would deal with it. She shook her head trying to dispel those awful
fears. Her thoughts, as always lately, turned back to Andy, she was sure that
something had happened to the boy. Once again he had retreated into his shell;
maybe she should speak to that lady again, the one that ran the house…Miss
Taylor that was her name. Well she would, but she’d try Andy again first…maybe
Helen was right, he might relax enough here to talk to them.

So the next afternoon, Andy once again came over to Helen’s
house for tea. As soon as he came in Helen knew that Maya was right to be
worried. There was a sort of stiffness about the boy that hadn’t been there
before. He was still just as polite and chatted to the children, but he had
shied away when Helen had gone to give him a hug, pulling his little arms to
his side as if he didn’t want any human contact…that was new.

So after tea and a rowdy game of Hungry Hippo’s, Lena took
the little ones, kicking and screaming, up to bed, Maya made Andy a cup of hot
chocolate, and they all sat at the kitchen table.

‘So how are you doing Andy?’ Helen began, ‘How are things at
the home?’

Andy sipped his drink and answered all their questions
politely without giving anything away except that is for the fact that Daniel
his roommate had disappeared.

‘When did he go Andy?’ Maya said.

‘Dunno,’ said Andy not meeting their eyes, ‘about a week or
so I suppose.’

‘Wasn’t that when that man was stabbed?’ Helen asked, ‘Did
Daniel have anything to do with that do you think…’

‘NO,’ shouted Andy making Helen and Maya jump, ‘It wasn’t
his fault, he was trying to protect me wasn’t he…and anyway old Tutt had it coming
he was horrible…’

Maya stood and put her arms round Andy. ‘Is ok Andy…is ok
sweetheart, we are not accusing Daniel of anything…we are just worried for you.
Why was Daniel protecting you from Mr Tutt, was he hurting you?’

Andy put his head down and Helen could see tears rolling
down his face, ‘Andy you can tell us anything you want to ok, we are not going
to push you to talk to us, but we would like to help you if we can. We have
both seen that you are worried about something, and I think it has to do with
this Mr Tutt…am I right?’

The little boy still kept his head down, but he nodded.

‘Why don’t you tell us what happened Andy…we might be able
to help,’ Helen said gently.

Andy said nothing, just sat with his head bowed but it was
obvious that he was seriously upset about something…Helen and Maya waited for
him to break the silence.

‘He was hurting this boy,’ Andy whispered at last, ‘in the
shed…I followed him out there to tell him that I didn’t want to do anymore
parties…but when I got to the shed…I saw,’ Andy lifted a tear stained face to
the two women. ‘He was hurting him…you know, doing things to him…bad things,’
he finished on a whisper.

Maya looked at Helen shocked to the core, ‘Do you mean he
was hitting him Andy?’ Maya asked needing to hear it from him.

Andy shook his head, ‘He had his trousers down,’ he said his
face flaming, ‘he was doing stuff…you know…dirty stuff.’

Helen’s face took on an almost purple hue she was so shocked
and angry. ‘That bastard!’ she swore, ‘well he definitely deserved all he
got…but hang on a minute Andy you said Daniel was protecting you…did that awful
man touch you?’

‘No…yes, but Daniel stopped him; Tutt saw me looking through
the window and he chased me, and when he got me he tried to…you know. But then
Daniel stabbed him so he couldn’t…he saved me, and now he’s run away,’ Andy
finished on a sob.

Maya held Andy closer to her, ‘Oh you poor boy…I am so glad
that Daniel stabbed this man…I would stab him too if I could. Well he will not
be hurting you anymore Andy I promise, we will tell the police and…’

‘NO,’ Andy shouted again, ‘no I can’t tell them anything…’
he was sobbing now, ‘I mustn’t tell…he’ll come and get Mum if I tell…cut her
eyes out…please don’t make me tell them.’ He was pulling at Maya’s hands
pleading with her, Maya who was crying herself by now shrugged her shoulders at
Helen, she didn’t know what to do.

Helen came and took hold of Andy’s hands and looked him in
the eye, ‘Andy who is going to come and get you…Mr Tutt will be in jail, he
won’t be able to hurt you or your mum…’

‘Nooo not him…Nellie, Nellie said if ever I told, he would
come back and cut Mum’s eyes out…so I haven’t said anything…ever.’

Helen was looking bewildered now, ‘Hang on, so was this
Nellie hurting you as well darling…does he work at the home too?’

Andy shook his head, ‘No he used to come to see Mum…we
always hated it when he came cus he was horrible to Mum. Then he killed Amish
and we saw it…and then he thought I’d told the police...but I never, I swear I
never said a word.’ Andy’s look of desperation was awful to see, ‘But it didn’t
matter he still came…and he cut Mum’s face, there was blood everywhere and then
I don’t know what happened but he threw Lucy and she must have hit her head or
something…cus she was dead.’ Andy really broke down at this point and sobbed in
Maya’s arms. Helen and Maya shared a shocked look over his head.

‘She was dead…I tried to make her wake up, I thought if I
shook her…but she didn’t ever wake up, and Turk he wrapped her up in the old
rug,’ Andy gulped down another sob, ‘and they took her away…I never saw her
again after that…’ his little shoulders were shaking as he wept.

‘Oh poor baby…poor baby,’ Maya cooed rocking him in her
arms. ‘Is alright now darling…is alright Maya is not going to let anything bad
happen to you ever again…I promise you…I promise you.’

It took a while before Andy was calm enough to continue.
‘And Nellie, he said before they took her that if I ever told anyone he’d come
back and cut Mum…so you mustn’t tell anyone,’ he turned to Maya desperately,
‘promise…promise me please.’

Maya didn’t know what to say, she knew that she had to tell
someone about what was going on at the home, and if this Nellie was threatening
Andy’s mum then the police should be told about that as well surely. She looked
at Helen who shook her head and took Andy’s hands once more.

‘Sweetheart we have to tell someone don’t you see…’ she
broke of as Andy let out a great wail of misery. ‘Andy calm down…listen to me
for a moment darling, I have a friend who is a policewoman and if you tell her
what you’ve just told us then I promise…I promise Andy that she will make sure
your mum is kept safe. She is a nice kind lady and she wouldn’t want to see
anyone get hurt ok?’

Andy didn’t answer, just sat and sniffed for a few minutes
then he said, ‘Ok…but she must promise to keep Mum safe too…or I won’t tell her
anything.’

‘Good boy Andy,’ Helen said squeezing his hand, but
something was still puzzling her. ‘Andy,’ she began again, ‘what did you mean
you didn’t want to go to anymore of Mr Tutt’s parties?’

For a minute Andy looked scared again and Helen wasn’t sure
if he was going to tell her, but then he seemed to make up his mind, and little
bit by little bit he told them everything. About going in the van with Mr Tutt
late at night, the big room with all the food and sweets and the men and what
they had done.

Helen and Maya found it hard to listen to what Andy was
telling them and not to react. They found it hard to believe that such things
had been going on right under Miss Taylor’s nose without her knowing anything
about it and their first instinct was to go round to Marshall Street and have
it out with the woman. But after a while common sense prevailed and they
decided instead to phone Carla and let the police deal with it. It was hard when
the time came to drop Andy back at the home, Maya particularly would have
preferred to have kept him with them but they had no choice, he was still in
the care of the state and Marshall Street was his home for the time being. But
Maya made Andy promise that if anything else happened he was to ring her
immediately and she would come and get him. He wasn’t worried he had said, Mr
Tutt was in hospital and anyway mum would be getting him any day to take him
home to live with her, and then everything would be fine.

Maya felt heartbroken for the little boy, she had heard from
Brenda Massey that Kathy Hunt had disappeared off the radar…no one had seen her
for days despite that fact that she was meant to report to the police station
once a day as part of her bail conditions. It seemed that she had decided to
get as far away as she could, without a thought for Andy or the charges hanging
over her head. Poor little Andy was in for another huge disappointment if he
was relying on his mum to rescue him.

‘Ok people listen up,’ Carla said to the group of officers
gathered in the incident room, ‘We now have two women that have disappeared
within the last three days, Linda Connelly, some of you might recognise her,
she is Ted’s daughter, and now works as a reporter for the South East Gazette.
She was watching a house in Smithem Lane, which incidentally belongs to the
Robinson brothers, her car has been found and so has her camera so we can only
assume that she was disturbed whilst on the job so to speak. The last message
on her phone was to DS Hill, telling him that she was at the house. We have
sent the film from her camera to forensics and Frank should be back soon with
that so maybe we will find out why she was taken.

‘Tracy Burton has been missing now for over seventy two
hours, there has been no activity on her credit cards or ATM machines and she
didn’t have her mobile with her. The white van that was spotted on the CCTV
footage driving slowly past the common at the approximate time of her disappearance,
has been traced back to…guess who…the Robinson’s, and of course we also now
know that the man driving the van was none other than our friend Elliot Dentch
or Nellie as he likes to be known. So today as soon as I get a call from DCI
Riley with a warrant we will be searching the house and the builder’s yard for
any signs of the girls.

‘DC Hopkins, DC Gamble and WPC Perkins I want you to carry
on with the door to door on ‘Buttercup’, if Nellie is involved he may well have
talked to some of his old mates. Garth Hungerford might be worth a visit, he
used to hang around with Nellie and Turk…and Turk’s girlfriend…what’s her
name…’

‘Paula Crocker Ma’am,’ said Mandy.

‘Yeh Paula Crocker…she might be willing to talk after what
Nellie did to her boyfriend so…’

Carla broke off as Frank came into the room, he was carrying
a large brown envelope and gave Carla such an intense look that she frowned
questioningly at him, but he just jerked his head towards her office and then
made his way there.

‘Right…so we all know what we’re doing…those not going to
‘Buttercup’ be prepared to move…as soon as I hear from DCI Riley we will be
heading out ok…oh except you Wendy,’ Carla turned to WPC Hailsham with an
apologetic smile, ‘can you give Sheila a hand to go through all the reported
sightings…we’ve been inundated with them since DCI Riley went on the
radio…sorry love,’ Carla finished as Wendy’s shoulders sank with
disappointment. ‘But it’s just as important as door to door and there may be
something there that will help us find these girls, and let’s face it we need
as much help as we can get ,’ she quipped as she followed Frank into the
office.

Frank was sitting at her desk; in front of him spread out
all over the desk were the photos from Linda’s camera. Carla picked up one; it
showed a little girl of about four or five, in just her knickers, bending over
and touching her toes whilst a man, whom Carla recognised as a leading light in
the local government, took a picture of her from behind. Carla shook her head
as she picked up another, this time a man had a naked child bent over his knee
his hands were on the little boy’s bottom. One by one each picture told a
story; silently, grimly, Carla looked at them all. She recognised many of the
men in the pictures, there were several so called upstanding members of the
community including a local magistrate and the Mayor. But then she came to a
photograph that made her gasp with shock, it was a man with a little girl on
his lap, she must have been about five or six, she was naked and the man had
his fingers between her legs. The girl’s face was a picture of confused misery
but that wasn’t what had made Carla gasp, she had been shocked to the core
because the man in the picture was none other than DCI Riley!

‘Oh my god…that fucking prick…fucking hell…what the hell do
we do now Frank?’ Carla whispered.

‘We arrest the bastard for child molestation that’s what,’
said Frank fiercely. ‘We arrest all of them…and we make them tell us where
Linda is…because one of these fucking perverts knows what’s happened to her…and
to Tracy probably.’ He got up and walked round the office running his hands
through his hair distractedly. ‘This is all linked Carla…it’s got to be, we
bring these men in and we won’t even need a bloody warrant to search the house
or whereever we want…’

‘Yes but what about Riley…what do we do about him…I can’t
just go and arrest him…’

‘Why the fuck not!’ Frank shouted, ‘we have all the evidence
we need don’t we? I’d like to see him try and get out of this one; Linda’s got
him as clear as day fingering that little girl, he may have got away with it
years ago, but not this time…’

‘What do you mean…did you know he’d done it before, why
didn’t you tell someone?’

Frank realised he’d said too much, ‘Oh it was years ago…I
was just a little lad, I didn’t even know it was him really until I saw this
picture, then it all came back to me. Anyway that’s neither here nor there, we
need to be acting on this Carla and fast, every moment we stand around talking
about it Linda and Tracy are god knows where…we have to find them!’

Carla thought for a moment, wanting to press Frank further
but knowing he was right, they needed to act fast. ‘I’m going to take these to
Rebecca Drew; she’s in the building today for a press conference…she’ll know
what to do.’ And with that she gathered up all the pictures and as fast as she
could, made her way up to the next floor, where she knew Detective
Superintendant Drew was waiting to do a press conference.

Embarrassingly the Superintendant was talking to DCI Riley
when Carla arrived at the press room, but she smiled when she saw Carla and
made her way over to her.

‘Carla…long time no see, how are you?’ she asked.

‘Oh up to my eyes as always,’ Carla said with a smile.

‘Yes I heard about Tracy going missing…any news on that?’

‘Well we are making a sort of progress Ma’am…in fact I
wondered if I might have a word with you in private,’ Carla said giving her a
look.

‘Of course…but don’t you want DCI Riley in on the
conversation?’ she asked with raised eyebrows.

Carla shook her head and lowered her voice, ‘No
Ma’am…definitely not, you’ll see why if you will just give me a moment of your
time.’

Rebecca Drew simply nodded and followed Carla into an empty
office where, once she had made sure the door was locked, Carla showed her all
the photos and explained the evidence that they had collected and what she
would like to do about it.

‘We feel that all the events are linked in some way Ma’am,’
she said. ‘The Robinson’s certainly seem involved, just the fact that Elliot
Dentch is working as some sort of gofer for Freddy Robinson makes them shady in
my book. And it seems all too coincidental that he was in the vicinity when
Tracy went missing…and now of course Linda is missing as well and we know that
she was at the house taking these pictures. And then there’s the DCI…I need
your help Ma’am, I’m a bit out of my depth here…’

Superintendant Drew sat down and looked at the photograph
again, a worried frown on her face.

‘Bloody hell Carla you’ve opened a can of worms here haven’t
you…you do realise that we can’t prosecute any of these men just with these
picture don’t you. Their lawyers would tear you apart in court…’

‘Yes I realise that Ma’am, but I am hoping that when
confronted by the photographic evidence, we might be able to get some of them
to break and give us the evidence that we need to proceed.’

Rebecca Drew went over to the window saying nothing, Carla
waited.

‘Right, well you leave DCI Riley to me,’ she said at last,
‘and we’ll bring in the rest of them in, in a co-ordinated operation; it seems
to me that it’s vital that we get them all at the same time. Firstly to stop
them warning each other, but also if you think there may be a chance that Tracy
and Linda could be somewhere in that house then we need to have Freddy and
Gordon Robinson in a police cell being questioned, that will make it possible
to get CSI in to search the house if we have reason to believe a crime might
have been committed there. Make sure you impress upon your team the importance
of discretion on this one Carla…no one must know what’s going on until it’s too
late, DCI Riley particularly…’ Carla’s mobile rang.

Coincidentally it was Helen ringing to tell her all that
Andy had told her the day before.

‘Oh my god Helen…that poor little boy, will he talk to us do
you think?’ she asked after hearing Helen out.

‘I think he will Carla…he seems terrified though, of someone
called Nellie would you believe. This man seems to be the most evil
character…Andy say’s this Nellie was the one that killed his sister and he has
threatened to cut his mother’s eyes out if Andy says anything. I told him you
would make sure his mum was safe…I hope that was alright, I don’t think he
would have talked if I hadn’t promised that.’

‘Well I’ll do what I can Helen, but between you and me I
think Nellie has got bigger things to worry about than Andy’s mum. You’re right
he is the most awful man, and Andy has every right to be scared of him. We will
definitely warn Kathy Hunt that Andy will be talking to us, if we can find her
that is, she seems to have legged it. Anyway Hun, thank you so much for letting
me know about Andy, you couldn’t have phoned at a better time, his statement
will give us the evidence we need nail a few nasty bastards. I’ll arrange a
time to speak to him and to you and Maya if that’s ok…but I must go now
Hun…thanks again.’

Carla looked at Rebecca Drew with a smile on her face.
‘Looks like we may have some concrete evidence after all Ma’am,’ she said and
told her all about Andy and what he had told Helen and Maya.

‘Will he be a reliable witness do you think Carla?’

‘Well he may need careful handling Ma’am, but if we can get
him to tell us what he knows and maybe to identify some of these men than it
strengthens our case surely…and maybe he might be able to persuade some of the
other kids involved to come forward. We are looking for Daniel Rushton who went
missing after the caretaker was stabbed a couple of days ago, but with no luck
so far…it would be bloody useful if we could find him.’ Carla finished
collecting up all the photos, Rebecca Drew took one of the photos relevant to
DCI Riley before she could put it away, tucking it in her briefcase.

‘Let’s get this done then Carla…like I said I will deal with
the DCI, how long will it take for you to organise the other arrests?’

‘Give me a little time to ring round and drum up some man
power Ma’am, shall we say three thirty this afternoon?’

Rebecca Drew nodded, ‘Let me know if that changes…now I’d
better go and deal with this press conference and try and pretend that I
haven’t just seen one of my senior officers with his hands all over a baby
girl,’ she finished in disgust as she held the door open for Carla.