A DCI Anna Tate Crime Thriller

Anna led Ruth to the cafeteria and pulled out a chair for her at one of the tables. Then she looked around, spotted a WPC, and called her over.

‘This is Mrs Ruth Brady,’ Anna said to the officer. ‘She’s the mother of one of the children and I’d like you to stay with her for a while. Her husband will be here shortly.’

‘Of course, ma’am. There’s someone behind the counter making tea so shall I go and fetch her one?’

‘That’s a good idea. Thank you.’

Anna turned back to Ruth, who was drying her eyes with the hanky, and said, ‘I’m expecting the other parents to start turning up now and I’m going to arrange for you all to move into a room where I can keep you up to date with progress and answer your questions. Would that be OK?’

Ruth looked up and nodded.

‘If you’re wondering why my husband was cross with me on the phone, it’s because Liam wasn’t meant to be coming here today,’ she said. ‘Ethan bought us tickets for the Shrek Adventure, but then shortly after he left for work this morning I got invited to a lunch meeting in connection with my work as a freelance journalist. I felt it was important so I agreed to go and brought Liam here.’ Her eyes filled with tears once more. ‘It’s my fault that he’s been taken. If only I hadn’t been so selfish.’

‘You shouldn’t blame yourself, Mrs Brady,’ Anna said. ‘You weren’t to know that this would happen.’

‘Well, that’s not going to stop me feeling responsible. I put myself before Liam and now I have no idea where he is and what’s happening to him.’

‘You need to remain positive,’ Anna said. ‘We’ll be throwing all our resources into this investigation. Every police officer in London is on the lookout for the children and the men who took them.’

Ruth shook her head, clearly unconvinced.

‘I have more reason than the other mothers to be concerned,’ she said. ‘My son is not well. He has cystic fibrosis. If he doesn’t get his medication he’ll become very ill, very fast.’

Anna tried to review in her head what she knew about cystic fibrosis. Her limited understanding of the disease came from reading magazines in which sufferers explained how it had affected their lives.

‘A bag with his medication inside is kept in the nursery,’ Ruth said. ‘But I rather doubt that the kidnappers were told about it before they took him away.’

‘I’ll ask Sarah Ramsay about that,’ Anna said. ‘I’m going to speak to her now along with the two teachers who were here with her.’

Ruth frowned. ‘Why only two teachers? There were three here when I dropped Liam off. Emma, Tasha and Paige.’

‘Tasha is on her way to hospital.’

‘Oh Jesus. Is she badly hurt?’

Anna nodded. ‘She’s suffered a serious head injury, but she’s receiving the best possible care now.’

The WPC returned then with a steaming mug of tea which she placed on the table in front of Ruth.

‘Get that down you,’ Anna said. ‘I’ll be back in a few minutes. In the meantime, if there’s anything you need, just ask the officer here.’

Anna turned to go but Ruth reached out and grabbed the bottom of her jacket.

‘I’ve just remembered something,’ Ruth said. ‘It’s something I saw when I dropped Liam off.’

Anna looked down at her. ‘And what was that, Mrs Brady?’

‘A minibus. I saw a minibus. It was parked at the kerb in front of the nursery when I arrived. I parked my own car right behind it.’

‘Was it there when you left?’

Ruth thought about it and nodded. ‘It was. Definitely.’

‘Did you see if there was anyone inside?’

Ruth shook her head. ‘No, I didn’t. The windows were tinted. That struck me as unusual.’

‘Had you seen the vehicle there before?’

‘I don’t know for certain. The nursery occasionally arranges for the children to go on short visits such as to the park, and they get taken in buses similar to that one.’

‘And how big was it?’

‘I would say big enough for about a dozen people.’

Anna experienced a surge of adrenalin. She was willing to bet that the minibus Ruth saw was the one used by the kidnappers, and that this was a significant lead.

She got Ruth to describe the vehicle in more detail and then phoned the information straight through to central control.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Anna spent the next ten minutes soliciting updates from members of her team, including DI Walker who had some bad news to impart.

‘The recorder for the outside security camera has been removed along with the hard drive,’ he said. ‘It was kept in a cupboard in the office so it wouldn’t have been difficult to find. All they had to do was unplug it.’

‘Shit,’ Anna said.

It was a serious blow but not a complete surprise. The gang would have spotted the camera at the entrance and taken steps to ensure the tape of them showing up did not get into the hands of the police.

Another detective told her that a mobile incident van had arrived and was being positioned outside on the forecourt. Once it was set up they’d be able to receive feeds from central control and monitor footage from CCTV cameras. It would enable them to carry out essential tasks without having to return to base.

Anna also learned that a police forensic artist was on his way over to produce computer-generated e-fits of the three kidnappers. She was keen to get these out to the media as soon as possible, along with the description of the minibus. Every minute that passed gave the bastards time to cover their tracks and go to ground.

Sarah Ramsay and the two teachers were waiting in one of the community centre’s four meeting rooms when Anna eventually got back to them. They were sitting around a table along with an MIT detective named Bellingham who’d been eliciting information from them about the children who’d been taken.

The teachers’ names were Emma Stevens and Paige Quinlan. Anna had to remind herself which one was which. Paige was the one with lank, shoulder-length brown hair and a porcelain complexion. She was wearing a wedding ring and what might be considered too much make-up for a day shift at a nursery. Emma was the smallest of the three women at about five two. She had compact features and short fair hair and wasn’t wearing any jewellery. Anna had already ascertained that she was divorced, thirty years old, and living by herself.

It was Sarah who spoke first, asking if there was any news on Tasha Norris.

‘All I know is that she arrived at the hospital and is in surgery,’ Anna said. ‘I’m told she has a depressed cranial fracture with internal bleeding. Her husband should be there by now.’

‘We’re all praying for her,’ Emma said. ‘It was horrible what that man did to her.’

Anna could tell from their faces how desperately concerned they were for their colleague. And they had good reason to be. By all accounts the twenty-three-year-old teacher was in a bad way and the surgeons were fighting to save her life.

Anna then took a seat and apologised for keeping them waiting.

‘A lot’s been happening,’ she said, and went on to tell them that it was believed the children had been taken away in a grey minibus that had been parked on the road outside in front of the nursery.

‘It was Mrs Ruth Brady who saw it when she dropped her son Liam off,’ she said. ‘She arrived here just a few minutes ago and told me that the bus had tinted windows so she couldn’t see inside. But we’re assuming it was the vehicle used by the kidnappers.’ Anna looked at Sarah, adding, ‘Mrs Brady said that you sometimes use minibuses to take the children out. Did you arrange for one to be here this morning? And does this particular vehicle sound familiar?’

Sarah shook her head. ‘We didn’t book a bus for today and we have an arrangement with a local firm called Cresta Transport. We use them exclusively and they only have dark blue buses.’

‘Did any of you see the bus outside?’ Anna asked.

The three women shook their heads in unison.

‘We were all here by seven thirty,’ Sarah said. ‘There’s a lot of preparation work we have to do before the morning session begins. I’m sure that if it had been outside we would have seen it.’

‘My officers have already established that there are no traffic cameras in Peabody Street,’ Anna said. ‘But there are plenty in this area so I’m confident that we’ll soon have footage of the grey minibus and hopefully be able to track its movements across London.’

‘What about our own security camera?’ Emma asked. ‘Those men should be on tape.’

‘Unfortunately they took the digital recorder that was in the office,’ Anna said. ‘For that reason I need you to provide us with more detailed descriptions. A computer artist will be here shortly and I’d appreciate it if you would help him work up e-fit images of the men. At the same time you’ll need to provide us with fingerprint and DNA samples. Our forensic team will be examining every surface in the nursery in the hope that the men left traces of themselves behind.’

Anna could tell that Emma and Paige were struggling to hold it together. Their eyes were red and puffy and they were finding it hard to focus. Sarah, on the other hand, appeared to have recovered from the initial shock. She had wiped the trails of mascara from her cheeks and tidied up her hair. And it seemed like she was trying hard to keep a lid on her emotions.

‘I’d like you to take me through again precisely what happened,’ Anna said. ‘But first tell me about the children. I know that Liam Brady has cystic fibrosis. But is he the only one of the nine with a serious condition?’

Sarah nodded. ‘He is. And I’m sorry I didn’t think to mention that earlier. I should have.’

‘His mother told me about the bag with his medication inside. Where do you keep it?’

‘In the first aid cupboard in the kitchen,’ Sarah said.

‘And I don’t suppose the kidnappers would have known about it?’

Sarah shrugged. ‘I don’t see how. We never got the opportunity to tell them because we had no idea what was going to happen.’

Anna made a note on her pad and said, ‘Now is it correct that there are usually more than nine children here?’

Sarah said it was, adding, ‘It’s the summer break so lots of families are away on holiday.’

‘So if there had been more kids here today then just three men would presumably have struggled to take them away.’

‘I suppose so,’ Sarah answered. ‘Even nine children can be quite a handful. Especially given that the boys and girls here this morning are little extroverts. And they were all in a playful mood, so as long as the men didn’t shout at them or appear threatening they would probably have gone with them without a fuss.’

Anna was surprised. ‘Really?’

Sarah nodded. ‘Those men would only have had to say to the kids that they were going for a ride to somewhere special. They might even have given them sweets. That’s all it would have taken to win their trust. After all, we’re talking about children aged between three and five.’

Anna then repeated a question she had asked earlier – whether the women had recognised any of the men. The answer from all three was an emphatic no.

‘So you’re all sure that they had never been inside the nursery before?’

‘We’re positive,’ Paige said. ‘We’d remember.’

‘You told me the men were white and wearing suits,’ Anna said, as she consulted her notes. ‘Two were in their twenties or thirties and one quite a bit older, perhaps in his fifties.’

‘That’s right,’ Sarah said.

‘OK, so now let’s go through it again. You were all in the playroom and about to tell the children a story when the doorbell rang.’

‘I went to answer it,’ Sarah said. ‘The men were standing outside. I could see them through the glass doors. I spoke to them through the intercom and asked them who they were and what they wanted. At that point all three held up identity cards and the older guy said he was Detective Inspector Roger Milton from Rotherhithe CID. He was the only one of them to speak and he had a South London accent. He introduced the others as DS Willis and DC Moore and said he needed to talk to the proprietor Sarah Ramsay about a private matter.’

‘So he didn’t know that was you,’ Anna said.

‘Apparently not. He said they wouldn’t keep me long so, like a fool, I opened the doors. I know it was a stupid thing to do. I should have called the police station to confirm that they were who they said they were but I was caught off-guard and I didn’t think. I was curious and I should have been suspicious.’

‘So what happened then?’

‘As soon as the doors were open all three of them burst in and at the same time produced pistols from under their jackets. They warned me that if I moved or screamed they would shoot me.’

Anna looked at her notes again.

‘You told me earlier that this man Milton then asked you how many children and staff were in.’

‘That’s correct.’

‘And then he told you to walk back into the playroom and to herd the children into one of the smaller rooms so that he could speak to you and the teachers.’

‘They put their guns back under their jackets and made me act as though nothing was wrong,’ Sarah said. ‘I had to tell Emma, Paige and Tasha that they were police officers and wanted to talk to us without the children being present.’

‘We thought it was strange,’ Emma said. ‘But the fact is they looked like policemen and so we thought we ought to comply. I ushered the kids into the Quiet Room and one of the younger men went inside with them.’

‘That was when they whipped out their guns,’ Paige said. ‘It was terrifying. The one calling himself Milton said that if we didn’t do as we were told he would shoot Sarah in the head and then start picking off the children. So we felt we had no choice.’

‘So what did Tasha do?’ Anna asked.

‘She didn’t do anything until we were inside the storeroom,’ Sarah said. ‘Milton took a plastic bag from his pocket and told us to put our mobile phones inside it. I did and so did Emma. Paige didn’t have hers with her and as the guy was telling her to turn around Tasha leapt at him.

‘But she wasn’t fast enough. He managed to step back and hit her with the butt of his gun. Not once but three times. She collapsed on the floor and he backed out of the room and locked the door behind him. We were all screaming and shouting and trying to revive Tasha. After about ten minutes I realised she had her mobile phone in her jeans pocket so I used it to call the emergency service.’

Anna was satisfied that their story was consistent with the one they had told earlier. It was far more detailed now, though, and raised many more questions.

Were the guns the men used real or fake?

Had the children happily trooped out of the nursery and got on the bus believing they were in for a special treat?

Had one or more of the men visited the nursery before today to check the interior layout?

Or had they received information from someone who was familiar with it – someone such as a parent or even a member of staff?

This last question was an uncomfortable one and filled Anna with a shuddering sense of unease.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Ruth had been joined by three other mothers and two fathers who had rushed straight to Peabody Street after being told what had happened to their children.

They were gathered in the community centre cafeteria where a bald detective inspector named Walker had told them that his boss, DCI Anna Tate, would soon provide them with an update. But this had done nothing to quell their distress and anger.

Daniel Neville’s mum Belinda was so anxious that she’d vomited on the floor. And Grace Tenant’s dad Kenneth had threatened to punch a uniformed officer who told him he couldn’t go next door into the nursery.

Ruth was beside herself with worry and only half aware of what was going on around her. Her voice was hoarse from crying and there was a lead weight in her chest.

Every time she closed her eyes she saw Liam’s face, and tears began to form, while at the same time various disturbing scenarios played out in her mind.

What if Liam and the others had been snatched by child sex traffickers who were going to smuggle them out of the country? Or maybe the three kidnappers were part of an abhorrent paedophile ring based in London that preyed on young, defenceless kids.

She also feared that Liam and his friends might be the latest victims of ruthless terrorists who planned to kill them in order to draw attention to their ghastly cause.

These days the news was full of so many despicable crimes that nothing could be ruled out. Only a month ago the papers were dominated by the story of a married couple in Leeds who had allowed men to have sex with their six-year-old daughter in return for cash. And about a year ago there was an armed siege at a nursery school in Paris where fifteen children were held hostage for eleven hours by a Somalian man with a rifle. He was eventually shot and killed by commandos who stormed the building and released the children. It turned out his aim had been to get back at the French government for refusing to grant him asylum.

Ruth was desperate to know why Liam had been taken. She could imagine that by now he’d be asking for his mummy. And if he got upset he would get into an awful state and struggle to breathe. His cystic fibrosis was a life-threatening curse. His daily regimen included tablets to loosen the mucus in his lungs and keep his airways clear. And then there were the enzyme supplements, which replaced those his pancreas failed to make.

Usually the drugs were administered by the nursery staff and Ruth ensured that the bag she left with them was replenished on a regular basis. But Liam wouldn’t be able to tell his captors what he needed to keep him alive. And since he had never once had to do without his medication for a whole day, Ruth didn’t know how quickly his condition would deteriorate. It was a frightening thought, and the sense of hopelessness she felt was paralysing.

By the time Ethan turned up, Ruth was smothered in a dark blanket of despair. She couldn’t think straight, and her brain was starting to blur at the edges.

Her husband was escorted into the community centre along with two other sets of parents who had arrived at the same time.

He’d come straight from work but had discarded his suit jacket and tie, and his white shirt hung over his belt. His face was taut with tension and his skin sheened with perspiration.

As soon as he spotted Ruth he rushed straight to her and the relief she felt was overwhelming. He put his arms around her and pulled her close, and she sobbed into his shoulder.

‘I got here as quickly as I could,’ he said. ‘Is there any more news?’

She continued to sob, and when she didn’t respond to his question Ethan eased her gently away from him.

‘You need to speak to me, Ruth,’ he said, his voice clipped. ‘Have the police found out where Liam is?’

Ruth swallowed hard and sucked air through her teeth. Her mind was turning somersaults and she could hear the blood thundering in her ears.

‘No, they haven’t,’ she said eventually, wiping at her eyes. ‘The officer in charge is going to update us soon. They’ve been waiting for more parents to get here.’

Ruth lifted her head to look at her husband’s face. She didn’t like what she saw. His jaw was tight and blood vessels bulged at his temples. He shifted his gaze away from her, as though unable to look her in the eyes.

‘I’m so sorry,’ she said. ‘I know that Liam wasn’t meant to be here today. And trust me, nothing you can say will make me feel any worse than I do right now.’

He turned back to her and spoke quietly, but not so quietly that those around them couldn’t hear. ‘So what was so important that you couldn’t spend the day with our son?’

‘I was invited to lunch with that magazine editor I told you about,’ she said. ‘I thought it would be an opportunity to secure some more work. I told Liam I’d take him to see Shrek another time.’

Ethan’s nostrils flared and he ran a hand across his forehead.

‘But now there might not be another time,’ he said. ‘Who knows what’s going to happen to our boy?’

Tears welled up in his eyes then and his face suddenly crumpled like a paper bag. Ruth hadn’t seen him cry since the doctor broke the news to them that Liam had cystic fibrosis. That was three years ago. Since then he had been a devoted father and had done everything possible to ensure that Liam enjoyed life despite his illness. He’d been overprotective for sure and had never given up searching for that elusive cure. He had even been talking recently about remortgaging the house to raise money for experimental treatment for CF that was being pioneered in the United States.

So Ruth could well appreciate how he felt now and she told herself that it was understandable that he would take it out on her. After all, she was to blame. If she hadn’t agreed to meet Howard Browning then she would be having fun with Liam right now instead of standing in a room surrounded by police officers and other distraught parents.

Ethan’s whole body was shaking as Ruth reached out and pulled him into an embrace.

‘We both have to stay strong,’ she said. ‘The police are doing everything they can. And that Detective Tate seems to be on top of things.’

As if on cue, Anna Tate emerged from one of the side rooms. Trailing behind her were Sarah Ramsay and the two teachers, Emma and Paige.

The sight of the nursery owner sent a rush of heat through Ruth’s body. She let go of Ethan and bolted across the room, her head filled with a fiery rage.

Sarah saw her coming and stopped walking. Ruth got to within a couple of feet of her and pointed an accusing finger.

‘It’s about bloody time you showed your face,’ she screamed. ‘We entrusted our children to your care. You were supposed to look after them. So why did you let those men walk in and take them away? If any harm comes to Liam I swear I will make sure you suffer.’

Ruth was about to lunge forward and strike Sarah when Detective Tate stepped between them, holding up her hands.

At the same time Ethan grabbed Ruth from behind and pulled her back.

‘Please calm down, Mrs Brady,’ the detective said. ‘This won’t help the situation.’

‘But she needs to know how I feel,’ Ruth shouted. ‘How we all feel. That woman and her staff undertook to keep our kids safe and they failed.’

Paige Quinlan stepped out from behind Sarah. ‘It wasn’t our fault, Ruth,’ she said. ‘The men had guns. They threatened to shoot us.’

‘That’s no excuse,’ Ruth responded. ‘You should have protected our kids, no matter what.’

Detective Tate came forward and placed a hand on Ruth’s shoulder.

‘I can understand that you’re angry and very worried, Mrs Brady,’ she said. ‘But this really isn’t the time or place to start attributing blame. We all need to focus one hundred per cent on getting the children back.’

For the second time that morning, it was the detective who took the wind out of Ruth’s sails. She felt her anger subside along with the pounding of her heart.

‘Look, I’m going to organise a room for you and the other parents so that I can fill you all in on what we’re doing,’ Tate said. ‘I also intend to assign a specific officer to each family. But you need to bear with me for a few more minutes.’

The detective then turned and motioned for Sarah and the teachers to follow her as she stepped away from the cafeteria.

Ruth felt Ethan’s hand on her back and when he spoke he sounded resigned rather than angry.

‘Come and sit down, Ruth. I want you to tell me everything you know about what happened.’

And so she sat on one of the chairs and told him what the detective had said to her earlier about the kidnapping. And as she spoke the other parents gathered round to listen.

But it all proved too much for Daniel’s mother, Belinda. She threw up again, only this time it went all over the table.