Clough rose and walked round to Georges side as Charlie stalked angrily out of the door, all raw-boned clumsiness and outrage. Hes not got the gumption, he said.
Maybe not, George said. The two men walked out in Charlies wake, pausing on the threshold as the youth set off down the Scardale road. George stared after Charlie, wondering. Then he cleared his throat. Ill be heading home now. Ill be back before first light in the morning. Youre in charge, at least of CID, till then.
Clough laughed. It seemed to die in a puff of white breath in the oppressive night air. Me and Cragg, sir, eh? Thatll give the villains something to think about. Was there any line of inquiry in particular you wanted us to pursue?
Whoever took Alison must have got her out of the dale somehow, George said, almost thinking aloud. He couldnt have carried her for long, not a normally developed thirteen-year-old girl. If he took her down the Scarlaston valley into Denderdale, hed have had to hike about four miles before he got to a road. But if he brought her up here to the Longnor road, its probably only about a mile and a half as the crow flies. Why dont you and Cragg do a door-to-door in Longnor this evening, see if anybody noticed a vehicle parked by the side of the road near the Scardale turn?
Right you are, sir. Ill just find DC Cragg and well get to it.
George returned to the incident room and arranged for the tracker dogs to work Denderdale the following morning, spent half an hour in Buxton Police Station filling out requisition forms for the forensic lab on the evidence from the spinney and Alisons hairbrush, then finally set off for home.
The villagers would just have to wait till tomorrow.
7
Thursday, 12th December 1963. 8.06 p.m.
George couldnt remember ever closing his front door with a greater sense of relief. Before he could even take off his hat, the door to the living room opened and Anne was there, taking the three short steps into his arms. Its great to be home, he sighed, drinking in the musky smell of her hair, conscious too that hed not washed since the previous morning.
You work too hard, she scolded gently. Youll do nobody any favours if you work yourself into the ground. Come on through, theres a fire on and it wont take me five minutes to warm up the casserole. She moved back from his embrace and looked critically at him. You look worn out. Its a hot bath and bed for you as soon as youve finished your tea.
Id rather have the bath first, if the waters hot.
And so you shall. Ive had the immersion on. I was going to have a bath myself, but youd better take the water. You get yourself undressed and Ill run the bath. She shooed him upstairs ahead of her.
Half an hour later, he was in his dressing gown at the kitchen table, wolfing down a generous helping of beef and carrot stew accompanied by a plate of bread and butter. Sorry theres no spuds, Anne apologized. I thought bread and butter would be quicker and I knew youd need something as soon as you got in. You never eat properly when youre working.
Mmm, he grunted through a mouthful of food.
Have you found her, then, your missing girl? Is that why youre home?
The food in his mouth seemed to congeal into an indigestible lump. George forced it down his gullet. It felt like swallowing a hairball the size of a golf ball. No, he said, staring down at his plate. And I dont think shell be alive when we do.
Annes face paled. But thats awful, George. How can you be sure?
He shook his head and sighed. I cant be sure. But we know she didnt go off of her own free will. Dont ask me how, but we know. Shes not from the kind of family where shed be kidnapped for a ransom. And people who steal children generally dont keep them alive for long. So my guess is shes already dead. And if shes not, she will be before we can find her, because weve got absolutely nothing to go on. The villagers act like were the enemy instead of on their side, and the landscape is so difficult to search properly it feels like even thats conspiring against us. He pushed his plate away and reached for Annes cigarettes.
Thats terrible, she said. How can her mother begin to cope with it?
Shes a strong woman, Ruth Hawkin. I suppose if you grow up in a place where life is as hard as it is in Scardale, you learn to bend rather than break. But I dont know how shes holding together. She lost her first husband in a farming accident seven years ago, and now this. The new husbands not a lot of use either. One of those selfish beggars who see everything in terms of how its going to affect them.
What? You mean a man? Anne teased.
Very funny. Im not like that. I dont expect my tea on the table when I walk through the door, you know. You dont have to wait on me.
Youd soon get fed up if it wasnt.
George conceded with a shrug and a smile. Youre probably right. Us men get used to you women taking care of us. But if our child ever went missing, I dont think Id be demanding my tea before my wife went out looking for her.
He did that?
According to one witness. He shook his head. I shouldnt be telling you this.
Who am I going to tell? The only people I know here are other coppers wives. And theyve not exactly taken me to their bosom. The ones my age are all lower ranks wives so they dont trust me, especially since Im a qualified teacher and none of them have ever done anything more challenging than working in a shop or an office. And the officers wives are all older than me and treat me like Im a silly girl. So you can be sure Im not going to be gossiping about your case, George, Anne said with an edge of acerbity.
Im sorry. I know its not been easy for you to make new friends here. He reached out to grip her hand in his.
I dont know how Id go on if I lost a child. Almost unconsciously, her free hand slipped to her stomach.
Georges eyes narrowed. Is there something youre not telling me? he asked sharply.
Annes fair skin flushed scarlet. I dont know, George. Its just thatwell, my monthly visitors overdue. A week overdue. SoIm sorry, love, I didnt mean to say anything till I was sure, what with it being a missing child case youre on. But yes, I think I might be expecting.
A slow smile spread across Georges face as her words sank in. Really? Im going to be a dad?
It could be a false alarm. But Ive never been late before. She looked almost apprehensive.
George jumped to his feet and swung her out of her chair, spinning her around in a whirl of joy. Its wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. They staggered to a halt and he kissed her hard and passionately. I love you, Mrs Bennett.
And I love you too, Mr Bennett.
He pulled her close, burying his face in her hair. A child. His child. All he had to do now was figure out how to manage what had been beyond every parent since Adam and Eve: how to keep it safe.
Up to that point, Alison Carter had been an important case to Detective Inspector George Bennett. Now it had symbolic importance. Now it was a crusade.
Up to that point, Alison Carter had been an important case to Detective Inspector George Bennett. Now it had symbolic importance. Now it was a crusade.
In Scardale, the mood was as brooding as the limestone crags surrounding the dale. Charlie Lomass experience at the hands of the police had flashed round the village as fast as the news of Alisons disappearance. While the women checked anxiously and regularly that their children were all in bed asleep, the men had congregated in the kitchen of Bankside Cottage, where Ruth and her daughter had lived until her marriage to Hawkin.
Terry Lomas, Charlies father, chewed the stem of his pipe and grumbled about the police. Theyve got no right to treat our Charlie like a criminal, he said.
Charlies older brother John scowled. Theyve got no idea whats happened to our Alison. Theyre just making an example of Charlie so it looks like theyre doing something.
Theyre not going to let it go at that, though, are they? Charlies uncle Robert said. Theyll go through us one by one if they get no change out of Charlie. That Bennett bloke, hes got a bee in his bonnet about Alison, you can tell.
But thats a good thing, isnt it? Ray Carter chipped in. It means hes going to do a proper job. Hes not going to settle till hes got an answer.
Thats fine if its the right answer, Terry said.
Aye, Robert said pensively. But how do we make sure he doesnt get distracted from what he should be doing because hes too busy persecuting the likes of young Charlie? The lads not tough, we all know that. Theyll be putting words in his mouth. For all we know, if they cant get the right man, theyll decide to have Charlie anyway and to hell with it.
Theres two roads we can go, Jack Lomas said. We can stonewall them. Tell them nothing, except what we need to cover Charlies back all ways. Theyll soon realize theyll have to find another scapegoat then. Or we can bend over backwards to help them. Maybe that way theyll realize that looking at the people who cared about our Alison isnt going to find the lass or whoever took her.
There was a long silence in the kitchen, punctuated by Terry sucking on his pipe. Eventually, old Robert Lomas spoke. Happen we can do both.
Without George, the work went on. The searchers had given up for the day, but in the incident room, uniformed officers made plans for the following day. Already, they had accepted offers from the local Territorial Army volunteers and the RAF cadets to join the hunt at the weekend. Nobody was voicing their thoughts, but everyone was pessimistic. That didnt mean they wouldnt cover every inch of Derbyshire if they had to.
Up in Longnor, Clough and Cragg were awash with tea but starved of leads. Theyd agreed to call it a night at half past nine, a farming community being earlier abed than the townies in Buxton. Just before close of play, Clough struck lucky. An elderly couple had been coming home from Christmas shopping in Leek and theyd noticed a Land Rover parked on the grass at the side of the Methodist Chapel. Just before five, it was, the husband said definitely.
What made you notice it? Clough asked.
We attend the chapel, he said. Normally, its only the minister who parks there. The rest of us leave our cars on the verge. Anybody local knows that.
Do you think the driver parked off the road to avoid being noticed?
I suppose so. He wasnt to know that was the one parking place that would make him conspicuous, was he?
Clough nodded. Did you see the driver?
Both shook their heads. It was dark, the wife pointed out. It didnt have any lights on. And we were past it in moments.
Was there anything you did notice about the Land Rover? Was it long wheelbase or short wheelbase? What colour was it? Was it a fixed top or a canvas one? Any letters or numbers from the registration? Clough probed.
Again, they shook their heads dubiously. We werent paying much attention, to be honest, the husband said. We were talking about the fatstock show. Chap from Longnor took one of the top prizes and wed been invited to join him for a drink in Leek. I think half the village was going to be there. But we decided to come home. My wife wanted to get the decorations up.
Clough glanced around at the home-made paper chains and the artificial Christmas tree complete with its pathetic string of fairy lights and a garland of tinsel that looked as if the dog had been chewing it since Christmas past. I can see why, he said, deadpan.
I always like to get them done the day of the fatstock show, the woman said proudly. Then we feel like Christmas is coming, dont we, Father?
We do, Doris, yes. So you see, Sergeant, our minds werent really on the Land Rover at all.
Clough got to his feet and smiled. Never mind, he said. At least you noticed it was there. Thats more than anybody else in the village did.
Too busy celebrating Alec Grundys heifers, the man said sagely.
Clough thanked them again and left, rendezvousing with Cragg in the local pub. Hed never believed that the rule about not drinking on duty need be strictly applied, especially on night shift. Like high-grade oil to an engine, a couple of drinks always made his mind run more smoothly. Over a pint of Marstons Pedigree, he told Cragg what hed heard.
Thats great, Cragg enthused. Professorll like that.
Clough pulled a face. Up to a point. Hell like the fact weve got a pair of witnesses who saw a Land Rover parked where locals knew not to park. Hell like the fact that this unusual piece of parking happened around the same time Alison disappeared. Then Clough explained what he thought George wouldnt like.
Bugger, Cragg said.
Aye. Clough took two inches off his pint in a single swallow. Bugger.
Friday, 13th December 1963. 5.35 a.m.
George walked into Buxton Police Station through the front office to find a uniformed constable attaching festive bells of honeycomb paper to the wall with drawing pins. Very jolly, he grunted. Sergeant Lucas here?
You might just catch him, sir. He said he was going to the canteen for a bacon sandwich. First break hes had all night, sir.
The red bells higher than the green one, George said on his way out.
The PC glared at the door as it swung shut.
George found Bob Lucas munching a bacon sandwich and staring glumly at the morning papers. Seen this, sir? he greeted him, pushing the Daily News across the table. George picked it up and began to read.
Daily News, Friday, 13th December 1963, p.5
MISSING GIRL: IS THERE A LINK? Dogs in manhunt for Alison By Daily News Reporter
Police yesterday refused to rule out a link between missing schoolgirl Alison Carter, 13, and two similar disappearances less than thirty miles away within the last six months.
There are striking similarities between the three cases, and detectives spoke privately of the need to consider whether a joint task force should be set up among the three police forces investigating the cases.
The latest manhunt centres round Alison Carter, who vanished from the remote Derbyshire hamlet of Scardale on Wednesday. She had taken her collie, Shep, for a walk after school, but when she failed to return home, her mother, Mrs Ruth Hawkin, alerted local police at Buxton.