‘I’m Detective Sergeant Sian Mills. This is Detective Constable Finn Cotton from South Yorkshire Police.’
‘Come in,’ Amanda ushered them both into the house and quickly closed the door behind them.
All three stood in the cramped hallway. Sian looked at the walls and took in the framed pictures of a happy family smiling at her. There were coats hanging on the wall and shoes haphazardly placed at the bottom of the stairs. This was a lived-in family home.
‘Was it you who called the police?’ Sian asked.
‘Yes. It’s Mr and Mrs Armitage’s daughter, Keeley, who’s gone missing.’
‘Are they through there?’ Sian asked, pointing to what she assumed was the living room.
‘Yes. Linda’s in a bit of a state,’ she said in hushed tones. ‘Craig’s, well, he’s a bit more controlled.’
‘Ok. And you’re saying Keeley has been kidnapped?’
‘Well,’ Amanda leaned closer to Sian. She dropped her voice even lower. ‘That’s what Linda says. I’m not sure if I believe her.’
‘Right,’ Sian said, exchanging glances with Finn. ‘Let’s go and have a word with them.’
The living room wasn’t very large, and it was cluttered. The first thing Sian noticed was the giant bean bag in the corner. Jodie was sitting in it with Riley on her lap. He was wearing woollen mittens and a safety helmet. Linda was standing by the window, glaring out at the darkening street. She was biting her nails. Any hint of a noise, anything that caught her eye and she turned quickly towards it like a lion alert to its prey. On the sofa sat Craig. His face was expressionless. A large, solidly built man in his forties, he wore dirty jeans, an old sweater and a hi-vis waistcoat. There was a heavy atmosphere in the room, which was to be expected. Nobody spoke.
‘Linda, the police are here,’ Amanda said quietly as she ushered Sian and Finn into the room.
Sian proffered a sympathetic smile. ‘Mr and Mrs Armitage, hello. I’m DS Sian Mills. This is DC Finn Cotton. Is it all right if I sit down?’ There was no reply, so Sian perched herself on the edge of the sofa next to Craig. From her bag, she took out a thick form and a ballpoint pen. She tucked her red hair behind her ears and cleared her throat. ‘I won’t patronise you by saying I know how you’re feeling right now, because I don’t. However, I’m going to do everything possible to find your daughter.’
‘Then why aren’t you out there looking?’ Linda said. Her eyes were full of tears. There were dark circles beneath them, and she already had the look of a defeated mother who had given up all hope.
‘Linda, I need to know as much as possible about Keeley before I can get a team out looking for her. The more information you give me, the more likely we are to find her.’
‘Ask your questions,’ Craig said.
‘Thank you. Now, how long has Keeley been missing for?’
‘It was about four o’clock when I left her outside the Co-op,’ Jodie said from the corner of the room. Her voice was barely audible.
‘Is that the Co-op on Oldfield Road?’
Jodie nodded and Finn made a note in his pad.
Sian looked at her watch. It was half past five. ‘Have you called all her friends to see if she is with any of them?’
‘I did,’ Amanda chimed up. ‘Linda’s got her friends’ numbers in her phone. I called them all. Nobody has seen her since she left school.’
‘Which school is that?’
‘Mary Croft Primary School on Hopwood Lane.’
‘And have you contacted family members to see if she’s with any of them?’
Craig nodded. ‘She isn’t.’
‘Linda, what can you tell me about this phone call?’ Sian asked.
Linda tried to speak but her emotions wouldn’t allow it. Her bottom lip wobbled. When she opened her mouth, she choked and buckled. Craig jumped up and caught her. He towered over his wife and held her firmly against his chest.
Sian looked around the room. Bookshelves were full to bursting with paperbacks, DVDs and ornaments. Picture frames adorned the mantelpiece showing the children in various states of happiness.
Sian turned to Jodie. She decided to leave the matter of the phone call for a moment. ‘Jodie, what was Keeley wearing when you last saw her?’
Jodie wiped her left eye with her sleeve. ‘She was wearing her school uniform and a yellow jacket over the top. She had a pink backpack with her, too. It was a Frozen one.’
‘Is there a chance Keeley may have run away?’
‘No,’ Jodie answered.
‘No she bloody hasn’t,’ Linda exploded, pulling herself out of her husband’s embrace. ‘She’s been kidnapped. Somebody has taken her.’ She wiped her eyes. ‘The phone rang. I answered. A man said he’d taken my daughter and wanted fifty thousand pounds. He said he’d call back in twenty-four hours and the line went dead.’
Finn was scribbling frantically in his notebook. ‘What time was the call?’ He asked without looking up.
Linda looked to Amanda.
‘It was a little after four,’ she said. ‘Maybe ten past.’
‘Was it definitely a man’s voice?’ Sian asked.
‘I … yes. I think so.’
‘You think?’
‘It was … deep. Low.’
‘Did you recognise it?’
‘No.’
Sian turned to look at Finn who raised an eyebrow before scribbling back into his notebook.
‘You don’t believe me, do you?’ Linda said. ‘Why would I make something like that up?’
‘Linda, nobody is doubting you. I’m just trying to get all the facts,’ Sian said in as soothing a tone as she could. ‘Now, has Keeley ever gone missing before?’
‘No she hasn’t,’ Linda snapped again. ‘She has no reason to go missing. Look,’ she ran her fingers through her hair, pulling at it hard. ‘She hasn’t run away. She isn’t with friends. She isn’t in the habit of just taking off without telling us. She’s nine years old for crying out loud. Some sick bastard has taken my daughter now will you do what you’re paid to do, and fucking find her,’ Linda screamed.
Craig grabbed his wife again and pulled her towards him. ‘I think she might need to have a lie down,’ he said.
Amanda opened the living room door, and everyone watched as Craig practically carried Linda out of the room. Even Riley had stopped fidgeting and was glaring at his mother.
‘Jodie, does your sister have a mobile phone?’ Sian asked.
‘No. She wants one, but Dad says she’s too young.’
‘Do you have a recent photo of Keeley we can use?’
‘There’s the school one above the fireplace, but it was taken earlier this year. She’s wearing her uniform in it.’
Sian went over to the mantelpiece and picked up the cheap silver frame. Keeley, wearing her blue cardigan and white polo shirt was beaming to the camera. Her wavy blonde hair was tied back in a neat ponytail. Her complexion was smooth and clear, her eyes a brilliant blue. Sian found herself smiling slightly as she gazed into the little girl’s eyes.
‘She wouldn’t run away,’ Jodie said. Her voice was broken as she tried to act the grown-up in the absence of her parents. ‘Things aren’t easy around here with Riley. We all muck in and help. She wouldn’t do anything to add more worry.’
Sian looked down at Riley then back at Jodie. She nodded. ‘I understand. We will find her, Jodie.’
The door opened and Craig sheepishly entered the living room. ‘I’m so sorry about that.’
‘There’s no need to apologise,’ Sian said. ‘This is an extraordinary situation you’re in. Now, I’m going to go back to the station, and we’ll formulate a plan to find Keeley. However, if she has been kidnapped, it’s just possible they may be watching the house. I’m going to have a Family Liaison Officer come out and spend the night here in case they make contact and to answer any questions you may have. I’m going to take this photo of Keeley,’ Sian said, showing the framed picture. ‘But I’ll make sure you get it back. Now, Craig, I need you to sign this giving your consent for us to contact your local GP, dentist and Keeley’s school. This is purely to help us gather as much information as we can to find Keeley. It also gives us consent to pass on information about Keeley to relevant media organisations should we need to put out a missing persons alert.’
She handed him the form and her pen. He scribbled where shown and handed it back.
‘You will find her, won’t you?’ He asked, his voice level.
‘We will absolutely do everything possible. I promise you,’ she said, looking directly into his eyes.
Sian nodded to Finn and they left the living room. It wasn’t until they were outside the house that they both visibly relaxed.
‘Oh my God,’ Finn said as they made their way to the car. ‘That poor family. Do you know what it reminded me of?’
‘I know what you’re going to say and I’d rather you didn’t,’ she said as she climbed in behind the wheel.
‘Do you think it’s possible it’s the same people?’ Finn asked, putting on his seatbelt.
Sian sat in silence and thought for a while. ‘Nobody knows what happened to Carl Meagan. We don’t know if he’s dead or alive. However, the kidnappers didn’t get their ransom money. From their point of view, it was a failed kidnapping.’
‘Maybe they’ve learned from their mistakes and are having another go.’
‘Shit. I need to talk to Matilda before this gets out.’