‘Not in the slightest,’ Ruth said instantly.
All eyes turned to Chris.
He thought for a moment. ‘I don’t like to say it, but I don’t think I’d be surprised either.’
***
‘We need to find him,’ Matilda said, taking large strides back to the car. ‘Where does he live again?’ She fished in her pocket for the piece of paper with his address on it. ‘Pitsmoor. I’ll get a uniform to go round and pick him up. We’ll get a search warrant for his house too.’ She took her phone out of her inside jacket pocket. ‘Bloody battery’s gone. Scott, can I borrow your phone.’
‘Sure,’ he took it out and looked at the screen. ‘Oh.’
‘Something wrong?’
‘I’ve had a few missed calls and about a dozen texts from Sian.’
‘I didn’t hear it ring.’
‘No. I always have it on silent and the vibration thing stopped working. I’m due to upgrade next month so didn’t think it was worth getting fixed.’
He quickly scanned the texts then listened to the voicemails. ‘They’re asking if I know where you are. Sian says something’s come up and you’re needed straight away back at the station.’
Matilda looked at her watch. ‘I haven’t got time to go back there and get back here for four o’clock. Give her a ring, ask her what she wants.’
She got in the car behind the steering wheel and started the engine. ‘Ruth Harrison looked like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders,’ she commented while Scott waited for the call to connect.
‘Problems with her ex. He won’t leave her alone, apparently. Chris was asking the other night about how she goes about taking out an injunction against him.’
‘That bad?’
‘Must be.’
‘Men! I don’t know why people are so interested in having a partner. Life is much simpler with a box of Maltesers and a good book.’
Scott was about to reply when his call was answered. ‘It’s me. You’ve called several times. Anything wrong? … Yes, she’s here. Do you want to speak to her?’ He handed the phone to Matilda.
She listened for a while. Her face paled. Her eyes widened. She ended the call without saying anything.
‘What’s the matter? Has something happened? Has Keeley been found?’
‘No, but it sounds like Carl Meagan has.’
Matilda turned to look at Scott with a look of genuine happiness on her face.
Chapter 17
Ellen Devonport entered Riley’s bedroom with a mug of tea in her hand. Linda had been out of bed for less than half an hour and she was busy with a cordless vacuum cleaner. She’d woken just after lunch time and felt drained, tired, and sick. A quick shower hadn’t helped. There was so much she had to do.
‘I’ve made you a cup of tea,’ Ellen said.
Linda jumped, not realising there was anybody in the room with her. She turned around. ‘I bet you spend a great deal of your time making tea,’ she said, putting the vacuum cleaner down and taking the mug.
‘It’s part of the training course,’ she said with a smile. ‘How do you feel?’
She thought for a moment, both hands wrapped protectively around the mug. ‘Numb. I want to cry but I don’t think I have any tears left.’
‘I know it doesn’t sound like much, but we really are doing everything we can to find Keeley.’
‘I feel sick for going to see Sally Meagan like that. Do you think I should apologise?’
‘I’m sure she understands what you’re going through.’
‘Will you apologise for me?’
‘I’ll mention it to DCI Darke.’
‘I was horrible to her as well. I bet you all think I’m a complete cow.’
‘Not at all.’
Linda began tidying the room, putting toys away and folding up clothes. ‘Do you have kids?’
‘No.’
‘When you have children, you want to do everything to protect them from what’s happening in the world. You do your best, but you can’t wrap them in cotton wool forever.’
‘I think you’ve done a wonderful job with Jodie and Keeley. They’re model children. And Riley,’ Ellen turned to look at Riley in his bed. He was sitting up in the corner wearing his protective helmet so he wouldn’t bang his head against the bars. He was playing with a book made out of fabric, each page making a crinkling sound as he scrunched it up. ‘Well, he’s just lovely,’ she smiled.
‘I love him to pieces,’ Linda said quietly. ‘I blame myself for the way he is.’
‘Why?’
‘When I discovered I was pregnant, I was shocked. I didn’t want a third child; two was enough. It took me a long time to get used to the idea of three kids. When he was diagnosed with epilepsy, I blamed myself. It was my fault he was ill because I had thought such horrible things.’ Her voice began to crack.
‘That’s rubbish, Linda. You can’t manufacture an illness.’
‘The night he had the big seizure that caused him to stop breathing was the first night since he’d been born that I’d had a drink. Well, I’d had a few drinks actually. I woke up to go to the toilet; I’ve no idea what made me go and look in on him. He was so still. I thought he was dead.’ She put the mug down on the windowsill and went over to the bed. Riley looked up and held his arms out to her. She reached down and heaved him up. ‘He’s suffered for what I’ve done. I’m a bad mother.’
Ellen was on the brink of tears. ‘You’re not, Linda.’
‘And now Keeley’s been taken. They’re being punished because of me.’ She cried and held Riley close.
Ellen leaned out of the bedroom and called for Jodie. She appeared almost instantly. Ellen asked her to take Riley which she did without question. Ellen took Linda and led her into the kitchen where she sat her down at the table.
‘Linda, none of this is your fault. You love your children and you’re doing the best for them. You and Craig are wonderful parents. You’re not to blame. What happened to Riley is just … well, it’s nature. There’s nothing we can do about that. However, we can do a great deal for Keeley, and we will.’
Linda reached for the kitchen roll on the unit behind her, tore off a few pieces and wiped her eyes and blew her nose.
‘If I ask you a question, will you tell me the truth?’
‘Of course I will.’
‘What is the likelihood of you finding Keeley?’
‘I don’t know percentages, but I can tell you every police officer in Sheffield is working on this.’
‘But you don’t know where she is or who’s got her?’
‘Not right now we don’t, but we’re talking to so many people who know her or who were in the area at the time she disappeared. In this day and age, with all this technology, somebody will have seen something.’
‘I don’t know what I’d do without her. She’s always smiling. She always cheers me up when I’m feeling a bit low.’
‘Linda, can I ask you a few questions about the call from the kidnapper?’