‘There’s one last thing, Mr Rajavi. We sent in a forensic team to try to find any evidence relating to the perpetrators of this crime, and in the course of their investigation we asked Jo if it would be okay to search certain areas of the house. One of those areas was your study.’
Tom was watching Ash carefully to see how he reacted, but he didn’t seem shocked or particularly worried.
‘The two who took me didn’t go upstairs,’ he said. ‘They never went further than the hall.’
‘We know that, but we were looking for evidence of anyone who had perhaps been threatening you. Had you received any threats?’
Ash shook his head, but Tom noticed that his eyes slid away for a second or two.
‘We were also looking to see if there was evidence that you were implicated in the crime.’
His eyes opened wide. ‘Me? Why would I have been involved?’
‘We have to look at everything and everyone who may have had something to gain by taking Millie.’
Ash looked bewildered, and Tom decided not to pursue his possible motives at this point.
‘One thing of interest was the unregistered mobile you keep in your desk drawer. We wondered why you had it, as according to records it only seems to have communicated with one other number. Can you explain that?’
Ash looked surprised, but Tom couldn’t tell if he was faking it. His face was distorted by swelling and stitches, and it wasn’t easy to read his expression.
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. What phone? I have a mobile – which I did leave in my study, that’s true. But it’s not unregistered.’
‘Yes, we have that phone, and we’ve accessed its history.’ For a moment, despite his facial injuries, Tom could see a flicker of worry in Ash’s eyes. ‘Jo seemed concerned that despite your policy of sharing passcodes, you appeared to have changed yours.’
Ash swallowed, and Tom knew there was – or had been – something on that phone that Ash hadn’t wanted Jo to see.
‘I changed it because I leave it around at work, and I thought someone had found out what the code was – maybe seen me enter it, or something. I caught one of the nurses taking selfies on it. I meant to tell Jo the new password – I just forgot.’
A good excuse, Tom thought, but not true. No code was needed to access the camera on Ash’s mobile.
‘So, back to this burner phone then. Are you saying you know nothing about it?’
Ash seemed to find it easier to answer this question.
‘Absolutely. I had no idea it was there. I’ve never bought an unregistered phone in my life. I wouldn’t know where to get one from.’
It wasn’t exactly difficult to find out, but Tom let that go.
‘Can you think of anyone who might want to hurt you, Jo or Millie – anyone related to your personal life, work, anyone at all?’
Ash was quiet for a moment, then slowly shook his head.
‘What are you doing to find her?’ he asked.
‘We’re following a number of lines of inquiry, but I need you to think of anything you can that might be helpful to us.’
‘Just find her,’ he said, dropping his head and pinching the bridge of his nose.
Thanking Ash for his time, Tom and Becky stood up.
‘A police officer will be keeping guard outside your room,’ Tom said. ‘If a ransom demand is going to be made, it’s unlikely but not impossible that they might try to get to you here. If anyone tries to communicate with you about Millie, please be sure to alert the officer.’
Tom and Becky left the room and closed the door behind them, heading to the sister’s office, where Jo was waiting.
‘What did you make of all that?’ Tom asked.
‘I’m sure there’s something he’s not telling us, and that makes me angry. He’s lying about the passcode on his bloody phone, for one thing. The daughter he’s supposed to adore is still out there, and he should tell us every single thing he can think of.’ With a low growl of frustration, Becky shoved her hands into her pockets and stopped. She turned towards Tom. ‘Before we get back to Jo, have you ruled out his involvement?’
‘Unless everything he’s told us is a pack of lies, I doubt he was the man in O’Hanlon’s bedroom. It’s not impossible – there was plenty of time for someone to drive him from there to the middle of Cadishead Moss. But why do that? And would he really bash his face up and nearly kill himself? I don’t think so. It doesn’t put Tessa O’Hanlon in the clear, though. We don’t know if she’s implicated in some other way, or whether the kidnappers are using her home to keep watch over Jo’s.’
‘If they are, would they leave her unguarded?’ Becky asked. ‘There’s no evidence of anyone else being there now – the audio feeds would have picked up movement or conversation. On the other hand, if whoever he was has gone, he’s managed to do so without using either exit, so he has to have gone over the fence. And that suggests that O’Hanlon didn’t want anyone to know he’d been there. Surely she has to be top of our list for questioning? A man in her bedroom, possibly Arab, looking at the house, not wanting to be seen? And then she lies about it?’
Tom shook his head. ‘I don’t know what her game is. I’ll check in with Sandie Burford – see if anything else is happening there. For now, I think we have to let Jo see her partner. Maybe he’ll tell her stuff that he hasn’t told us. He’ll see how much this is tearing her apart, and whatever he’s hiding, let’s hope she can convince him to share it with us.’
40
There still hasn’t been a ransom demand. It’s nearly eighteen hours since they were taken, and Tom and Becky now seem to think that Ash and Millie may have been abducted for some other reason. I’ve given up trying to guess what that might be.
I know that if a young child is taken, the usual reasons for the abduction are unthinkable. But the fact that they took Ash too has always reassured me that this has to be something different. Now all I know is that they have my daughter, and she’s all alone with them.
I wish they would ask for money. I would sell my soul for Millie. They could have everything. I would steal for them, beg for money from everyone I know – and at least if it’s a ransom I know they’re just after money and not my child.
Becky is with me as I walk towards the private room they have given Ash.
‘I’m sorry, Jo, but I’m going to have to come in with you,’ she says. ‘I’ll stay in the background, but Ash may remember something when he talks to you, and I need to pick up on every little thing he says. I do hope you understand.’
‘You can bring the whole of Greater Manchester Police in if it helps find Millie, Becky. I really don’t care.’
‘Okay.’ She touches my hand briefly to show she understands, then holds out an arm, indicating that I should go in ahead of her.
I take a deep breath and push the door open. Ash is lying with his eyes closed, and he looks pale. His skin – usually a lovely dark caramel colour – looks yellow, and he has stitches and bruises on his forehead. I don’t want to wake him, but he must sense that I’m in the room because he turns his head towards me. His eyes flicker open and fill with tears that trickle down his face.