Текст книги "Jessica Daniel: Think of the Children / Playing with Fire / Thicker Than Water"

Автор книги: Kerry Wilkinson

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Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 56 страниц)

19

Of all the things Jessica regretted in her life, the way she had treated Adam Compton was top of the list. They had gone out for a while and got on really well. She was his first proper girlfriend and he was one of the few people she could spend significant amounts of time with without wanting to cause them great harm.

A few years ago one of her friends had died but instead of using Adam as a shoulder to cry on, she had ignored him for weeks. If that wasn’t bad enough, she then took advantage of his emotional attachment to her, asking him to do something illegal on her behalf. He had not got into any trouble but anything between them had been lost and aside from an unanswered text message she had sent him, they’d had no contact since.

As the phone rang, Jessica wondered if he had changed his number. Perhaps he’d kept the same number but was refusing to answer because her name had appeared on his screen? Jessica took her mobile away from her ear ready to press the button to end the call when she heard a voice. ‘Hello?’

‘Adam?’

‘Yes.’

‘It’s Jessica.’

‘I know.’

There was an awkward silence as Jessica considered what to say. She had thought about making this call many times in the past but Adam made her promise never to contact him again. She was breaking that and didn’t know why.

‘I . . . How are you?’ she stammered.

There was another pause and she was about to ask if he was still there when Adam answered. ‘Why are you calling me, Jess?’

She felt a shiver go down her spine from the way he had said her name. It had taken her long enough to convince him to call her ‘Jess’ instead of ‘Jessica’. From nowhere there was a lump in her throat. She tried to speak but the words were stuck. She struggled to ask the question but swallowed hard before forcing the words out. ‘Can we meet?’

There was another pause, longer this time, but she could hear Adam breathing. Eventually he responded. ‘Where?’

‘The bar where we first went out? Next to the cinema in the centre?’

His reply was instant. ‘When?’

‘Now?’

‘Okay.’

Jessica took the phone away from her ear and saw the screen go black. She stared at it for a few moments, transfixed by the scrapes on the casing. It was as if someone else had made the call and arranged the meeting. She had no idea why she had called him, let alone planned to meet. And why had she said she would meet him now, when she was supposed to be working on the case?

Adrian’s mother snapped her back to reality as Jessica saw a flash of movement ahead and peered up to see the woman standing next to the car with the open doors, pointing her finger angrily in Jessica’s direction.

Jessica started the engine and pulled away, before stopping a few hundred metres down the street. With the speed and awkwardness of everything, she had arranged to meet Adam right away despite being in Chorley and having a rush-hour motorway to negotiate. She picked her phone up from the passenger seat and sent him a text message apologising and saying she was in Lancashire for work but that she would get there as soon as possible.

Jessica found being stuck in traffic jams frustrating enough at the best of times but when she actually had somewhere she wanted to be, it was excruciating. As the traffic crawled along the carriageway, she stayed as close to the bumper of the car in front as she possibly could, making sure no one could cut in front of her but then, when she wanted to change lanes, angrily berated anyone who wouldn’t slow down and let her in. She was fully aware her behaviour was irrational and inconsistent but she couldn’t care less.

The only amount of pleasure she took from the drive was when she was sitting in non-moving traffic and saw a man in the car in the next lane playing air-drums on his steering wheel. She couldn’t hear whatever music he was listening to but when he spotted her watching him, he sheepishly looked away and stopped waving his arms.

With liberal use of her car horn, a questionable interpretation of the laws regarding traffic lights, at least three petrified cyclists, and a lot of swearing, Jessica eventually parked in a space not far from the bar specifically marked for ‘permit holders only’. She figured that if anyone did clamp her car, she would show them her police identification and throw a few baseless threats around.

Taking extra care on the paths which were beginning to frost over, Jessica walked the short distance and spotted Adam straight away. He still had shoulder-length black hair, neatly tucked away from his face. He had let his stubble grow out and was sporting a dark clipped beard. He looked up as she entered, catching her gaze. His large brown eyes were darker than she remembered but he looked smart in a pair of jeans, T-shirt and black blazer. He didn’t exactly smile but he didn’t look angry or upset either. As she strolled towards him, Jessica became self-conscious about the black suit she was wearing. She had gone straight from the funeral to Rachel and then Adrian’s house without changing. She tried to think of something clever to say but the best she could manage was a rather weak, ‘Do you want a drink?’

Adam pointed to the cappuccino in front of him. ‘I’m okay.’

Jessica tried to smile as she offered another feeble reply. ‘I’ll be right back.’

She went to the bar and ordered herself a soft drink, conscious of the fact she was driving. The bar wasn’t very busy, with a couple of sofas occupied, while some of the stools in the front window had people on them. After being served, she returned to sit opposite Adam at the table. There were only two seats but the setting was more cosy than cramped. She could feel him watching her as she placed her drink carefully on the table.

When she was in the chair, Jessica looked up to meet his eyes. ‘Hi.’

There was a half-smile on his face. ‘Hi.’

She held out her hand for him to shake. ‘I’m Jessica – but prefer to be called Jess by people I like.’

He shook her hand. ‘Hi, Jess, I’m Adam.’

Jessica continued to meet his eyes. ‘I’m sorry about this suit and everything, I’ve come from a funeral.’

Adam’s face broke into a bigger grin. ‘I figured it was either that or you’d become a grandma since I last knew you.’

Jessica laughed. ‘Oi, sod off, Mr “I look like a rock star with my long hair, retro T-shirt, designer stubble and jacket”.’

Adam laughed and finally broke eye contact. ‘It’s good to see you.’

From giggling, Jessica felt the lump in her throat again. She blinked quickly to avoid any tears seeping out. ‘I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.’

The words hung in the air. She couldn’t have added anything else even if she’d wanted to as she fought to stop herself from tearing up. Adam watched her. There was a long pause but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Instead they looked at each other and she told him with her eyes how sorry she was. He didn’t have to say anything verbally because his eyes replied, ‘Let’s forget it and start again.’

From nearly crying, Jessica burst out laughing. ‘Don’t turn around now otherwise it’ll be obvious but give it a few seconds, then look at the guy who just sat down on that stool in the window behind you.’ Adam grinned, before dropping a napkin to the side of his chair, bending down to pick it up and looking directly behind him.

He turned back around and started laughing too. ‘What is he wearing on his head?’

‘I think it’s a cross between a tea cosy and a glove. It’s made of wool but it’s got those finger bits pointing upwards and it fits around his head.’

‘Why would you go out in public like that?’ Adam asked, smiling.

Jessica giggled. ‘I don’t know, why would you go out in public with black bum fluff stuck to your chin?’

Adam fingered his beard. ‘Oi, you’re one to talk, what’s with the grazes?’

She looked at her hands. ‘I fell over a kerb because it was frosty. I think you’re the only person in the city who doesn’t already know.’

There was another pause as they eyed each other. ‘I’ve been thinking about you,’ Adam said suddenly, blurting it out without thinking.

Jessica watched him but he didn’t try to take it back. ‘How come?’

‘Lots of reasons, Grandma, she died three months ago—’ Adam was still speaking but Jessica interrupted.

‘Pat? Oh God, I’m so sorry.’ The woman had brought him up as his parents both died when he was young. Despite being in his early thirties, Adam shared a house with her.

‘It’s okay, she didn’t suffer,’ Adam replied reassuringly. ‘She was ill for a while so in the end it was no surprise. She kept saying I should call you. I never told her what happened but she’d mention it at least once every couple of weeks. She really took to you. She’d just casually drop it into conversation like, “I wonder what that Jessica is up to nowadays?” and so on.’

Jessica couldn’t help but smile, though she felt awful about the time that had gone by. ‘She was pretty cool.’

Adam smiled. He seemed sad but not emotional. ‘You’re privileged, you know what she was like around other people – no social graces and all. The fact she actually liked someone was different in itself. About a year ago, I’d taken her to this cafe in the city. There was a girl about twenty or so in there who had tattoos all the way up her arm. Nan started going on wondering why people would spoil their bodies and so on. I was trying to keep her quiet and change the subject but she was having none of it. She was talking really loudly and just went, “I don’t get it”, before starting all over again. In the end the poor girl left.’

‘What were the tattoos like?’

‘Oh, they were bloody awful but you don’t say that, do you? Especially not to a stranger.’

Jessica laughed. Even though she didn’t know the woman that well, she had seen just how little tact Adam’s grandmother had. It wasn’t necessarily deliberate but the woman had been at the age where she had spent a life of biting her tongue and couldn’t be bothered any longer.

‘I’m sorry I couldn’t be there at the end,’ Jessica said.

Adam shrugged an acknowledgement. ‘How’s everything with you?’

‘Same as ever, really. Cases with no leads, bosses who don’t appreciate me, not enough money, too many takeaways, car falling apart.’

Adam was laughing. ‘Look at the state of us, we’re both in our thirties.’

It was something consistently in Jessica’s thoughts. ‘The problem with being thirty-odd is that you still feel eighteen,’ she said. ‘To anyone else, you’re that sensible – or not – thirty-something who has got a proper job and responsibilities and so on but, in your head, you’re still just a crazy eighteen-year-old ready to take on the world.’

Adam was nodding in agreement. ‘There was this new woman who started at work the other week. It was the week after her fortieth birthday. I caught myself looking at her and thinking, “Oh, she’s only a few years older than me”, then I thought, “Bloody hell, she’s only a few years older than me”. It’s scary.’

‘You’re telling me. There’s this woman I work with, Izzy. She’s brilliant but she’s like a proper adult. We’re about the same age but she’s married with a house and savings and a kid on the way. Meanwhile, I’m still slobbing around and living off takeaway curries. Do you remember Dave? We went to that pub quiz that time?’

‘The spiky-haired guy?’

‘Yeah, him. Even he’s got a proper girlfriend and is settling down now. I just can’t get over being halfway between thirty and forty. When you’re a kid, you look at your parents and teachers and just assume they know what it’s like to be an adult. You think that when you get there, it’ll just come together. But it doesn’t, well, it hasn’t for me anyway. Sometimes I feel like I’m still trying it on when I order a beer, as if I’m trying to get served when I’m underage.’

‘Growing up is shit.’

‘Yeah, it is. I was talking to Izzy a few days ago and she was telling me about having to buy a car seat before she has the baby so she can take it home from the hospital and I was thinking, “What age have you got to be before you start thinking sensibly like that?”’

‘You’re not thinking of having a baby, are you?’

‘No, I . . .’ Jessica tailed off. A thought had occurred to her and she was trying to run through the day’s events in her mind.

‘Jess?’

‘Sorry, no . . . I’m not after a baby. I just . . . thought of something.’

‘Something important?’

‘I don’t know.’ Jessica finished her drink in one final gulp. Because of the lump she’d had in her throat and the dryness in her mouth, she’d been sipping it throughout the conversation. ‘Look, I’m really sorry but I’m going to have to go. I think it is important. I’m not trying to run away.’

Adam met her eyes and smiled. ‘It’s okay.’

‘Can we do something again?’

‘Definitely.’

‘I’ll call you, or message you or something – soon. I’ve got loads going on at work but I don’t want you to think I’m ignoring you . . . again.’

Jessica stared into his eyes, imploring him to believe her. The crinkles around his mouth as he smiled told her that he did. ‘Whenever you’re free.’

Adam stood and she followed his lead. He held his arms out and she stepped close, allowing him to hug her. She had held back the tears for the entire evening but Jessica was suddenly engulfed by them. Responding immediately, Adam pulled her closer, cupping the back of her head and allowing her to cry on his shoulder. Any display of affection, let alone crying in public, would usually have been something Jessica avoided at all costs. But in a small bar in the middle of the city she had lived in for ten years, she knew she was experiencing the most intimate moment of her life.

20

After saying goodbye to Adam, Jessica phoned DCI Cole. With all the tension regarding who was in charge, it wasn’t a time to start doing things on her own. The chief inspector listened to her theory, acknowledged it could be something important, then said he would meet her at the station.

The pair worked together in near silence, doing tasks that would usually be assigned to people more junior. Given how fragile she felt after her encounter with Adam, it was exactly what Jessica needed to make her switch on again. Before they could act, it was essential they made sure their facts were correct. The more they checked and re-checked the information they had, the bigger the buzz Jessica felt building inside. By the time they were as certain as they could be that she might be right, it was almost midnight and the chief inspector felt it was too late in the day to act decisively and, more importantly, safely. Officers were dispatched to keep watch overnight while everything was put in place so they could move in the morning.

Jessica had another largely sleepless night – but this time it wasn’t due to Caroline or her own insecurities. She felt excited at what the next morning might bring, the butterflies she had felt as Adam held her still lingering too.

By the time she arrived at the station the next morning, everything was in place. The officers who had been on watch overnight hadn’t reported anything untoward which meant that if Jessica was right, Lloyd Corless could be back with his mother within hours.

Desperate for a result, Cole said the chief superintendent had agreed to Jessica being able to do things her way, which was something that surprised the pair of them.

With a team of officers within a few hundred metres, Jessica knocked on Sharon Corless’s front door. One of the first things she had checked the previous evening was all the background information on Adrian’s mother. When no one answered, she banged loudly again. One of the officers who had been watching the property the previous night insisted he had seen the woman inside and no one had left. Just as Jessica was about to turn around, the door opened a small crack and she could see the mouth and eyes of the woman who had shouted at her the previous day. Before Jessica could speak, the door was opened a little further.

‘What are you doing here?’ Sharon demanded angrily, her eyes as ferocious as the previous day.

‘I’d like to ask you a few questions about your missing grandson,’ Jessica said as politely as she could.

‘What do you want to know?’

‘Can I come in?’

‘Why?’

‘Because it’s cold out here and it would probably be best if we do this inside.’ Jessica kept a level tone as the woman stared at her. Lloyd Corless’s grandmother looked as if she was weighing up what to do before pulling the door open for Jessica to step through.

Jessica had already run through with both Cole and Reynolds what she was going to say, assuming she was allowed inside. She allowed herself to be led through to a pristinely clean kitchen. Light spilled through the window, gleaming off the white worktops. There were two stools at a high table and Jessica sat on one, although the other woman didn’t follow, standing with her arms crossed. Her outfit was marginally better than the curtain-like dress she’d had on the previous day but she was still wearing a shapeless black blouse that looked enormous.

‘What do you want then?’ Sharon asked. Her tone wasn’t angry, more impatient.

‘Just a bit of a chat. I was wondering how you get on with your grandchildren?’

‘Fine.’

‘Adrian is your only child, yes? So Lloyd and Marcus are your only grandchildren?’

Sharon narrowed her eyes, glaring at Jessica, who already knew the answers before asking the questions. ‘That’s right,’ the woman said after a short pause.

‘And how often do you see them?’

‘Maybe once a month? I visit them at my son’s house.’

‘How do you feel about that?’

Sharon was clearly trying to play along with Jessica’s questions while also keeping a temper that seemed close to boiling point. Her voice was beginning to tremble. ‘Why are you asking?’

‘No particular reason, it’s just a question. Is there a problem?’

‘No, it’s just . . . what do you expect me to say? Of course I’d like to see them more.’

‘When was the last time you saw Marcus?’

The woman hesitated for a moment, thinking. ‘Three weeks ago at the weekend, we all went shopping for Christmas presents.’

‘What about Lloyd?’

‘At the same time.’

Jessica kept her voice as calm as possible. ‘What type of things do you usually do when you see them? Do you go to Adrian’s house or do you have the children on your own?’

Sharon hesitated. ‘Adrian will usually either bring them here or he’ll take us all somewhere.’

‘You don’t take Marcus and Lloyd anywhere on your own?’

‘Definitely not.’ The woman stared at Jessica, who knew Sharon thought she had given the best answer to suit her cause when, in fact, it was the worst one she could have offered.

‘And you’ve not seen Lloyd since that time you went shopping?’ Jessica asked.

‘No, of course not.’

‘Are you sure?’

Sharon’s anger suddenly boiled over. Jessica had seen the bottom of the woman’s nostrils begin to flare as the conversation had gone on. ‘How dare you,’ she shouted, taking a step forward. Jessica didn’t flinch, remaining on the kitchen stool as the other woman stood over her. ‘What are you trying to say?’ She stared at Jessica, eyes wide with fury.

‘Do we really have to do this?’

‘Do what? I want you out. Now.’

Jessica didn’t move. ‘Yesterday when I was at your son’s house, you more or less chased me outside. Your car door was wide open because of the shopping but there was something else in there too.’ Sharon stared back at Jessica. Her body language was defiant but her eyes, full of rage moments before, told a different story. She started to say something but couldn’t get the words out properly.

‘Why do you need a child’s booster seat in your car, Mrs Corless?’ Jessica asked.

The woman stumbled over her words for a moment but seemed determined to keep an upper hand she didn’t have. ‘Why wouldn’t I?’

‘You said you don’t take the boys out on your own and your son did the driving or brought them to you. If that’s the case, why would you need a booster seat?’

‘I . . . I have them sometimes.’

‘Really? You told me you didn’t.’

‘Not often, just every now and then.’ The woman was talking quickly, her words blending together.

‘So you only have the boys “every now and then” but you keep a booster seat permanently in your front seat just in case?’

‘Yes, so what?’

‘Where do the boys sit when you have them on their own?’

‘What?’

Jessica knew she was right. ‘When you have them “every now and then”, where do the two boys sit in your car?’

‘I don’t know, in the back. One in the front, I guess.’

‘Who sits in the front?’

Sharon stared hard at Jessica but reached out to put a hand on the worktop. ‘I . . . Why does this matter?’

Jessica tried to calm the speed of her words. ‘If they both sit in the back, you wouldn’t have a booster seat in the front. If Marcus was in the front, he wouldn’t need one because he’s old enough and tall enough to sit on his own without one. So why does Lloyd get preference to sit in the front?’

‘Just . . . because . . .’

‘So the youngest brother gets to sit in the front every time and there’s never any arguments between them? Because that doesn’t sound like how eleven– and thirteen-year-old boys might act to me.’

Sharon weighed up Jessica’s words, knowing she didn’t have an answer. She replied in the way Jessica expected her to. ‘Out. I want you to leave. I know my rights, you can’t be in here without a warrant unless I invite you in. I’m uninviting you. I want you out. Now.’

The woman put a hand on the top of Jessica’s arm and motioned as if to pull her out of the seat. Jessica stood voluntarily but held firm.

‘Are you really sure you want to do this?’ she asked.

Sharon continued to pull on Jessica’s arm but with less force. ‘Do what? Leave now.’

Jessica sighed. ‘It’s not just about the seat. We know you don’t have any other children or grandchildren. We know you don’t have any other properties or anything else in your name. And we know – I know – you have Lloyd somewhere here. We can either do this the easy way and you tell me where you have him, or I can go outside and tell my colleagues at the bottom of the road to come along with the warrant we already have. We can do it whichever way you choose but it’s up to you. One way will look a lot worse when it gets to court.’

Sharon stopped tugging on Jessica’s arm. Her head was tilted to the side and she met the sergeant’s eyes. ‘Fine. Have a look for yourself. He’s not here.’

As her son had done days before, she held her arms wide to tell Jessica she had nothing to hide.

For the first time since the previous night, Jessica felt a nervous twinge. She had been in control of the conversation until that point but Sharon’s steady stare suddenly put doubt into her mind. What if she was wrong? Was there something she had missed? Jessica tried to appear confident as she walked through from the kitchen into the living room with Sharon just behind her. The atmosphere had certainly changed and she could feel the woman hovering. Jessica didn’t have to do much exploration in the room to know there was no one there, not unless there was a hidden basement under the carpet. The rest of the ground floor was similarly inauspicious, everything tidily organised and offering nothing of interest. Sharon followed her around but said nothing.

Jessica knew she could ask the team waiting outside to enter at any moment. She wasn’t bluffing when she told the woman they had a warrant. But if she was wrong, it would look terrible for everyone involved, especially her. Jessica walked steadily up the carpeted stairs studying the photos on the walls above a bookshelf which had been built into the wall. The books were largely romance novels and even from skimming the spines, Jessica could see they were in alphabetical order.

At the top of the stairs was a door immediately on her left, another in front and two to her right. Sharon was hovering halfway up, watching. Jessica entered to her left but it was a bathroom, while the door in front led into a library of sorts, with hundreds, if not thousands of books arranged neatly along the walls. She tried to weigh up the dimensions of the house, wondering if there could be space for an extra room or large cupboard but everything appeared correct.

The first of the doors to her right opened into a bedroom that Jessica thought was likely Sharon’s own. There was a king-size bed neatly made with a clean white duvet on top. Jessica almost felt embarrassed for doing it but she crouched and looked under the bed but could see nothing. She checked the walk-in wardrobe but, aside from a dubious taste in clothes, there was nothing untoward. Jessica was beginning to get a sinking feeling in her stomach as she approached the final door. It was wedged open and without going inside, she could see that it was relatively clear. A single bed was pushed towards a back wall, a portable television was on a chest of drawers opposite. There was a cream-coloured carpet that Jessica felt strangely drawn to because of how bright it made the room look. The day was clear but cold and sunlight beamed through the window, illuminating the area. Jessica looked from the doorway, peering from one corner to the other, but couldn’t see anything out of place.

As she turned to look away, defeated, Jessica’s gaze fell upon an object on the floor holding the door open. It was a solid-looking dark weight, the type she’d used at school when they were learning about measurements. In her mind, Jessica was transported back to being young, holding the weights in her hand and thinking how heavy they were before balancing them on the scales as her teacher spoke about kilograms and pounds. She had half-turned towards the stairs but stopped to stare at the weight. Something about it didn’t seem quite right. The rest of the house was completely uncluttered with all the doors closed. For some reason, not only was this door open but there was an item on the floor.

Jessica stepped back towards the room, crouching to pick the weight up.

The door didn’t swing shut.

She could hear Sharon shuffling on the stairs. Jessica remembered a time when they had gone on a school trip to a local castle. One of her teachers had tried to measure how deep the moat was by tying a similar weight to a string. As the children sat in a circle and watched, the teacher had slowly lowered the object into the moat before offering a quick ‘oops’ and pulling out the string with no weight attached. Jessica still remembered the embarrassed look on the teacher’s face as she realised the piece of school property was in the process of sinking to the bottom.

Jessica knelt and cupped the weight in her hand, bobbing it up and down to feel how heavy it was. She glanced around the room before noticing a hatch on the ceiling, a round hook in the centre. She stood, still holding the weight, and walked over to the bed. The covers were hanging over the side, touching the floor but she pulled them back and reached underneath. As her hands gripped the cool metal of what was undoubtedly a ladder, Jessica knew she was right.

She pulled it out with a clang and looked up to see Sharon standing in the doorway. Any defiance in her face was gone as the two locked eyes. ‘Why did you do it?’ Jessica asked.

Sharon spoke quietly. ‘I just wanted to see him.’