Briefing has thrown up a few new lines of enquiry. C and L seem to have a lot of money worries. L asked Sally Meagan for 50k ransom money but was turned down. Could K’s kidnap have been a ploy to get money gone wrong? Try and do some digging.
Ellen Devonport was in the kitchen of the Armitage home in Acorn Drive making tea for everyone when she felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket. She froze when she read the text from Matilda. Was it possible Craig and Linda had manufactured Keeley’s kidnap for money and the whole thing had gone terribly wrong? Ellen’s first thought was that she wouldn’t be surprised. The disturbing fact was that the majority of people murdered were killed by a relative or someone they knew and trusted. What troubled Ellen was, if that was the case here, how could Craig and Linda be so cold as to act the grieving parents when they knew what had happened to their daughter?
Ellen composed herself. She finished making the tea and put the mugs on the tray to take into the living room. She walked slowly out of the kitchen, her hands shaking slightly.
In the living room, Jodie was curled up on the sofa next to her father who had his arm around her and was staring into space. Linda was in the armchair. She looked physically and mentally drained. Riley was in a large bean bag, his glassy eyes darting around the room.
‘Would anybody like anything to eat?’ Ellen asked quietly as she placed the tray on the coffee table.
Nobody replied.
‘I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.’
She edged out of the room, closing the door firmly behind her. There was a dark atmosphere in the living room. She hoped to God it was genuine. What would happen to Jodie and Riley if their parents were arrested for Keeley’s murder?
Ellen headed for the dining room. On the night Keeley went missing, Linda had been frantically looking through the drawers in the dresser for bank statements to see how they’d manage to pull together the fifty-thousand-pound ransom money. Ellen wanted to get a closer look at the statements. How financially solvent were they and what did they spend their money on?
The house was deathly silent. The only noise came from the dishwasher and the hum of the fridge. She was sure she’d hear anyone leave the living room. She opened the cupboard of the pine dresser and pulled out the red folder that contained the bank statements. Everything was neatly arranged: joint current account, two savings accounts, accounts for the children, mortgage statements and credit card statements. A quick look at the current account told Ellen they had more money going out each month than they had coming in. They dipped in an out of their overdraft on a monthly basis, yet still managed to transfer a few hundred to their savings accounts each month. How was that possible? They had six credit cards, all of them with high credit limits and each card was almost at its limit. They paid the minimum amount required each month.
Ellen went back to the bank statements and cast her eye quickly down the list of payments. Supermarkets and Amazon featured heavily, which wasn’t surprising, but the amounts were. Around two hundred pounds was spent each week in the supermarket. Was that necessary for a family of five? Some of the amounts to Amazon were small, a tenner here, twenty pounds there, occasionally around a hundred, but they all mounted up to a great deal of money – money they didn’t physically have.
Would fifty thousand pounds have been enough to lower the debts they’d accumulated? Ellen didn’t think so. It would pay off a couple of credit cards and the overdraft, but unless they changed their spending ways, it wouldn’t be long before another fifty grand was needed.
She put the red folder back in the drawer and pulled a buff cardboard file out. It was thick and filled with letters. The first was from a local firm of solicitors Ellen hadn’t heard of. It was a demand on behalf of a building contractor for alterations to the house going back two years. The letter threatened legal action unless the debt of three thousand eight hundred pounds wasn’t settled within thirty days. There was nothing in the file to show if the amount had been paid.
Ellen looked over her shoulder to make sure she wasn’t being watched or that no one had crept up on her. She took her phone out of her back pocket and took a photo of the letter. It came out blurred as she couldn’t keep her hands still.
Another letter from a different firm of solicitors demanded payment of four thousand two hundred and fifty-six pounds for a landscape gardener who had designed the back garden to make it more accessible for Riley. Again, there was no evidence to show if this had been paid or not. Ellen took another photo. Craig had told her he’d done the garden himself. What was the reason for telling such a pointless lie?
The file was full of similar letters. Final demands, threats of court action and enforced bankruptcy. How had they got into such a financial mess? Ellen could understand them wanting to do the best for their children, but not to the point of financial ruin where the only solution was fake-kidnapping your own daughter.
She heard a noise from the living room. She stuffed the letter back in the folder, threw it into the cupboard and slammed the door closed.
She stood up and ran into the kitchen, breathless.
‘Hello. How are you feeling?’ she asked Craig.
‘Numb,’ was all he could say. He looked ready to drop.
‘Would you like something to eat? A sandwich maybe?’
‘I don’t know what I want.’
Ellen went over to him, put her arm around his shoulders and guided him to the table. She pulled out a chair and sat him down. She squatted in front of him and placed her hands on his lap.
‘Craig, I won’t pretend to know what you’re going through right now, but I’m guessing you feel like you’re in hell. I’m here for you to talk to, about absolutely anything. If there’s something you want to get off your chest, you can tell me. I’m not here to judge or take sides. I’m here purely for you.’
‘I … I …’ he choked. His mind was obviously wanting him to say something, but his mouth wouldn’t allow it.
‘What is it? What do you want to say?’ Ellen pleaded.
‘Dad?’
They both turned to see Jodie standing in the doorway to the kitchen.
‘What’s going on?’ Jodie asked.
‘Your dad’s upset, Jodie. I was trying to get him to share his feelings. It’s not helpful to keep things bottled up.’ Ellen stood up. ‘Is there anything I can get you, Jodie? A sandwich?’
Jodie ignored her. She went over to her father and sat on his knee, burying her head in his chest. Craig put his arms firmly around her and held her close, stroking her hair.
Ellen turned back to the sink. It was sparkling and shiny from her over-cleaning it, but it didn’t stop her from picking up the Flash and squirting the draining board once again. How much longer was she expected to stay in this house? She knew the role of Family Liaison Officer was not an easy one, but Ellen was physically chilled to the bone in the company of this family. She frowned as she thought. On jobs like this, Ellen was full of sympathy for the grieving parents, but in this case, she couldn’t warm to Linda or Craig. She felt great sadness for Keeley and Riley and it pained her to see Jodie’s lost childhood, but why were the parents causing her such consternation?
Ellen looked up. Dark clouds loomed over the city and the light in the kitchen turned the window into a mirror. She could see Craig and Jodie’s reflection reversed behind her. Jodie was curled up on her father’s lap, more like a toddler than a teenager. Her eyes were closed, a faint smile playing on her lips. She was comforted. They were seeking solace in each other in a traumatic time. So why was a cold shiver running up Ellen’s spine?