I hope not, Addis told him, making it sound like a threat. Lets hope your confidence in him isnt misplaced.
Like I told you in the beginning, sir, Corrigan has special qualities. In the field, hes one of the best Ive ever seen and Ive seen some good ones.
Good, Addis replied. Then once its confirmed the boy is actually missing I suggest we get the media in and tell them how confident we are of bringing the investigation to a swift conclusion. Some good publicity for the Metropolitan Police would be very useful right now.
Publicity? Featherstone asked, his voice riddled with concern. Dont you think its too soon for publicity? Maybe we should give Corrigan and his team a little breathing space for-
Breathing space? Addis asked mockingly. Thats a luxury we dont have in the Metropolitan Police. Not any more. This is a results-orientated business, and Corrigan has been brought here to deliver those results. He has until tomorrow, then Im briefing the press.
Featherstone heard the line go dead, leaving the echo of Addiss words sinking into his consciousness. A results-orientated business. Is that what they were now a business? He looked down at his magazine, open at a page showing a sleek thirty-two-footer, and his dreams of retirement and yachts faded as abruptly as his conversation with Addis had concluded.
For Gods sake, Sean, he muttered under his breath, dont fuck this one up or Addis will have both our heads mounted on his office wall and its not like well be the first either. Shaking the unpleasant thought from his head, he went back to reading his magazine.
Sally and Sean arrived back at Room 714 to the chaotic scene of a dozen or more detectives unpacking cardboard boxes containing everything from personal belongings to keyboards and phones theyd commandeered from their old office back at Peckham. The chaos they created was matched by the noise levels as they universally moaned and groaned about being moved, the size of their new office and the lack of power-points. At the centre of the discontent was Donnelly, conducting the orchestra of rebellion, his voice easily heard above the din as he searched for the strategically best placed desk. He wasted no time speaking his mind as soon as he saw Sally and Sean enter. This place is worse than Peckham, he called to them. You couldnt swing a cat in here, and have you seen the size of the queue in the canteen? All I wanted was a cup of tea.
Not out here, Sean told him, his eyes resting on the box Donnelly was holding. You share the larger side office with Sally. The smaller one is mine.
Excuse me? he asked. I need to be out here, keeping an eye on this lot. You may be the circus ringmaster, guvnor, but Im the lion tamer round here.
You said it yourself, Sean reminded him. Theres not enough room out here for everyone so you get to share with Sally. Donnelly was about to continue the argument when Sean silenced him and everyone else in the shambolic room. Listen up, he shouted. His voice seem to freeze everyone where they stood, the sound of the guvnor shouting rare enough to draw their immediate attention. I know this isnt ideal and wed all like a few days to get sorted and settled, but thats not going to be the case, Im afraid.
Meaning what? Donnelly asked.
Meaning weve just been given a new case.
You must be joking! Donnelly said above the rising murmurs of disbelief. We cant take on a new case were in it up to our necks with this bloody move. Theres not even a single computer up and running. We cant deal with a new murder investigation yet.
Its not a murder, Sean told them, its a missing person.
Not again, Donnelly complained.
It didnt take long for our last missing person case to turn into a murder investigation, remember? We have a four-year-old boy disappeared overnight from his home in Hampstead. His mother discovered he was missing earlier this morning. No signs of forced entry, but hes definitely gone.
Has the house been checked by a Special Search Team yet? Donnelly asked.
No, Sean admitted.
Well then, the boys not gone anywhere. Hes got himself a secret hiding place, thats all. Special Search Team will find him soon enough.
I dont think so. Sean locked eyes with him. However, youre right the house needs to be searched properly. We have to be absolutely sure. He looked across to DC Ashley Goodwin, a tall, fit, black detective in his late twenties. Ashley, sort out a search team and a dog unit and get the house checked. If the boys alive and hiding, great. If his bodys been hidden in the house then I want it found.
No problem, Goodwin answered, plugging in the phone he was holding and immediately starting to make calls.
Dave, Sean turned to Donnelly, take Paulo and whoever else you need and get started on the door-to-door, but keep it local and as quiet as you can we dont want to start a parental panic across North London. Donnelly didnt reply; resigned to his fate, he simply reached for his jacket and indicated for Paulo to do the same. Alan, find out which Forensic Support Team cover Hampstead for Major Inquiries and get them to examine the house. DC Alan Jesson, tall and slim, nodded as he scribbled notes. Maggie, I need you to go Family Liaison on this one.
Not again, guvnor, DC Maggie ONeil pleaded in her Birmingham accent.
Sorry, but I need someone with experience to keep an eye on the family and report anything out of the ordinary.
Donnellys ears pricked up. Are the family suspects?
Too early to say yes too early to say no, Sean answered, but if it turns out they arent involved then someone came to their house, got in and took the boy all without breaking a single door or window. And whats more, they locked up behind themselves.
Then they must have had keys, Goodwin deduced.
Possibly. Sean frowned, picturing the front door and its four locks. But if they didnt, then they must have somehow come through the locked door and secured it behind them when they left.
Why not a window? DC Fiona Cahill asked.
Because I checked the windows, Sean answered. Theres no way they can be shut properly and locked from the outside, leaving only the front door as a possibility.
What about the back door if there is one? Cahill continued, undaunted.
There is, Sean explained, but it was secured with old-fashioned bolts, top and bottom. You cant do those up from outside.
The office felt silent as the detectives pondered the puzzle.
Then they must have had keys, Goodwin deduced.
Possibly. Sean frowned, picturing the front door and its four locks. But if they didnt, then they must have somehow come through the locked door and secured it behind them when they left.
Why not a window? DC Fiona Cahill asked.
Because I checked the windows, Sean answered. Theres no way they can be shut properly and locked from the outside, leaving only the front door as a possibility.
What about the back door if there is one? Cahill continued, undaunted.
There is, Sean explained, but it was secured with old-fashioned bolts, top and bottom. You cant do those up from outside.
The office felt silent as the detectives pondered the puzzle.
So what does this mean? Donnelly finally asked. What are we looking for?
We discount nothing yet, Sean warned them, but if he was taken by a stranger then its safe to assume he could have been taken by a known sex offender or someone whos gravitating towards it.
Then why not just snatch a child off the street? ONeil asked.
I dont know, Sean admitted. Perhaps because they thought it was too dangerous.
More dangerous than breaking into someones house in the middle of the night? Zukov queried, disbelief evident in his voice.
Were just exploring possibilities here, Sean reminded them, but if someone did go through the front door then its possible they picked the locks.
Picked the locks? Donnelly asked disbelievingly. Criminals smart enough to pick locks are about as rare as hens teeth.
And thats exactly what Im banking on, Sean told him. Thats our advantage. Sally, have the surrounding stations search their intelligence records for anyone with previous for using lock-picking to commit residential burglaries. If by some miracle you get more than a few, look for those who also have previous for sexual assault ideally on children, but any type of sexual assault makes them a suspect. If you get no joy then check the local Sex Offenders Registers and see if anything takes your fancy.
No problem, Sally assured him.
OK, good, Sean told his assembled team. Now you all know what you need to be getting on with, so lets get this show on the road. Dave-
Aye, guvnor?
Get HOLMES up and running ASAP make it a priority. Were gonna have a lot of names and information coming our way soon. Without the database we cant cross-reference a damn thing, and thats when well miss things important things.
It will be done, Donnelly promised.
As soon as anyone has anything, let me know Ill be in my office for the next few hours making the usual endless phone calls and God knows what else, so dust off the cobwebs, people, and lets get on with it. Remember, a four-year-old boy is apparently missing and if we dont find him no one will.
3
George Bridgeman sat on the bed in the room where hed woken up cuddling his teddy a floppy grey and pink elephant he called Ellie that had been his constant companion since the day he was born. He looked around the strange room the man had brought him to in the middle of the night, his wonderment at the myriad of toys that surrounded him only matched by his fear at being seemingly alone in an unfamiliar house. On the opposite side of the room he could see another childs bed, but the covers remained unruffled and pristine, the stuffed toys untouched.
George dropped his bare feet carefully over the side of the bed, fearful of what might be hiding underneath, and padded towards the empty bed, still clad in the pyjamas his mother had dressed him in only the night before. As he drew closer to the tempting toys, he was distracted by sounds coming from somewhere deeper in the house voices, a man and a woman talking deep, muffled voices he couldnt understand. Instinctively he looked for a window, but the only source of natural light came from the two skylights high in the ceiling, impossible to reach even if he wanted to, and escape wasnt yet on his mind. Why would he want to escape from the things the man had promised?