Gone (21 page)

‘What?’ she said, staring at him like
he
was the piece of shit in this situation.

‘Tell me what you told Jenny. About Emma.’

Stacey screwed her face up. ‘I never said nothing about Emma.’

Lucas snorted a laugh and let go of her. ‘Lying little cunt,’ he said and started to walk away. He’d find Jenny and teach her a lesson she wouldn’t soon forget.

‘What’d she say, like?’ Stacey shouted after him.

Lucas walked back to her and she swayed on her heels. ‘You wanna be careful who you knock about with, love,’ Lucas said. ‘She’s been telling lies. Said you told her Emma had an abortion. That you saw her.’

‘Oh, that,’ Stacey said, her face like a shrug. ‘No, that’s true. I thought you were on about something else.’

Lucas felt his anger surge again.

‘She was with that fella from the drug clinic. Proper weirdo, he is.’

Lucas turned, slamming the door into the wall as he left. And now he was waiting. Someone was locking the door to the clinic. Not Ben, some fat woman. So where was he? Lucas looked up and down the street and saw him walking out of the alley that ran behind the clinic. He must’ve been locking up the back. The fat woman disappeared down the street and Ben dug about in his pockets for keys. Lucas moved quickly, hood covering his face. It wasn’t quite dark yet, the streets not quite empty.

Ben looked up as Lucas came up behind him but he wasn’t fast enough to respond to the punch in the gut. He buckled and Lucas grabbed him, dragging him into the alley.

‘Where’s Emma?’ Lucas said and threw Ben to the ground. Ben tried to tell him he didn’t know her and Lucas slammed his fist into his face. ‘Where is she?’ he said again, his fists tight around the collars of Ben’s jacket.

‘I don’t know,’ Ben said, shaking.

Lucas pressed Ben into the pavement, hands now around his neck. ‘I know what you did,’ he said.

The sound of the glass bottle smashing at the other end of the alley made them both look up and Lucas loosened his grip. A group of kids threw another, laughing as it shattered into pieces. Ben wriggled away from Lucas and started running. Lucas was almost on him when he saw the cop car parked across the road. He slowed down and watched as Ben crossed the street. Lucas turned the other way, glancing over his shoulder before he walked around the corner. Ben walked straight past the police car, didn’t even pause.

Lucas considered going back, finishing what he started. But he knew he’d get another chance. He’d find Ben again.

Chapter 46

16 December 2010

Louise sat on the settee, her arms hugging her knees. The TV was playing to itself in the corner but she couldn’t recall anything that had been on in the last few hours. She’d barely slept. Adam had looked worried when he left that morning but she’d just said she didn’t feel too good again. That was true. He’d offered to stay but it was half-hearted. He had to go on a trip with the students. An overnight stay in Leeds. He denied it but he’d been looking forward to it.

Part of her hadn’t wanted him to go but the other part felt relief. What if the police showed up again? What if he’d seen them? Maybe she should just go, leave. He’d be better off without her anyway.

She looked at the Christmas card she’d received. It was from Karen, who worked in the local shop. That was about as far as her social circle went. She didn’t let people in. Didn’t make friends. There was only Adam she was close to and in reality he was a million miles away. He knew nothing about her. She wondered how much longer it could last.

She knew she should just go. Leave before the police came knocking again and she’d have to tell Adam everything. How could she look at him and tell him she’d lied? Tell him what she’d done? She wished it would all go away but she knew it would catch up with her eventually. She’d always known that.

The phone rang, making her jump. She checked the caller ID before answering, taking a breath, ready to get into character.

‘Hello,’ she said. ‘Aren’t you supposed to be herding teenagers around Leeds?’

‘Yes. But this is more important. I was thinking maybe we could go out tomorrow night. Maybe to Al Forno’s or somewhere like that.’

‘Won’t it be full of work Christmas parties?’ The thought of going out, being surrounded by people, made her sick.

‘I suppose,’ he said. ‘Well, maybe I could pick something up on the way home, something fancy.’

‘Fancy?’ She forced a laugh. ‘Like what? Caviar? Oysters? The fanciest we ever get is burgers made with actual beef.’

‘All right,’ he said. ‘I’ll surprise you. I
can
do fancy, you know. I’ll swing by the shops on the way home. I should be back by lunchtime.’

‘Okay,’ she said. ‘See you tomorrow.’

She hung up and squeezed her eyes tightly shut, trying not to cry. That was why she hadn’t left. Why she hadn’t kept running. He was always so sweet, always trying to make things better for her. And what did he get in return? A liar. A fake. A criminal.

Chapter 47

16 December 2010

Lucas stared out of the window as the streets whizzed by in a blur. Hearing McIlroy saying Jenny’s name had been like a punch in the gut. He didn’t know why Freeman was suddenly looking at Jenny, but it made him nervous. He needed to stay ahead of the game.

He stepped off the bus and looked up and down the street. He remembered the area fairly well. Things hadn’t changed much. He just hoped Jenny’s parents still lived in the same shitty house.

He started walking, checking the numbers on the houses. He remembered coming here all those years ago, helping Jenny nick her parents’ stuff. Driving her back to Blyth where she became a permanent pain in his arse. Thankfully he’d had the sense to stay in the car, out of the way. Didn’t want Mr and Mrs Taylor identifying him to the cops.

Lucas walked up to the door and rang the bell. He wanted to know what Freeman had told them, if anything. Find out what they knew about their daughter.

Angie Taylor answered the door and stopped short. She looked at Lucas. Lucas looked at her chest. ‘Mrs Taylor?’ he said.

‘Yeah?’ She crossed her arms.

‘Hello. I was just wondering if I could talk to you about Jenny.’

‘Who’re you?’ Angie asked.

‘DC McIlroy,’ he said, sliding the ID back into his pocket before she could look too closely. ‘Can I come in?’ he asked and Angie stood up straight but didn’t move to let him in. ‘DS Freeman asked me to come.’

Lucas sat down in the unwelcoming home of the Taylors. They didn’t offer him anything, no tea or coffee, not a sausage, the stingy bastards. He sat forward in the cheap fabric armchair and looked between Angie and Malcolm.

‘Who did you say you were?’ Malcolm said, more to Angie than to Lucas.

‘Another copper. Here about Jenny,’ Angie told him.

‘Bob McIlroy.’ Lucas leaned closer to Malcolm, extending his hand. Malcolm looked down and hesitated before shaking.

‘We already told the other one we don’t know where she is,’ Angie said and lit up a cigarette, causing Malcolm to cough and give her a dirty look. Angie rolled her eyes and stood up, walking to the window which she opened barely a crack. She stood in front of it, still facing into the room, blowing smoke towards the two men. ‘You lot have as much idea as we do.’

‘Sure,’ Lucas said, trying not to smile. Obviously Freeman didn’t know a thing but he couldn’t just up and leave now. Besides, maybe they could fill in some blanks. ‘She ran away from home, correct, in ninety . . .’

‘Seven,’ Malcolm said.

‘Right. And then she was in Blyth for a few years. But then she dropped off the radar. She never contacted you again, after she left?’

‘Nope. Not a thing,’ Angie said. ‘For all we know, she’s dead. Overdosed on whatever shit she was taking.’

Malcolm gave his wife a look that could kill and Lucas wondered if he should just leave. ‘You don’t know that,’ Malcolm said, sadly. ‘She could’ve changed. Stopped all that.’

Angie finished her cigarette and opened the window further in order to throw the butt out. As she walked back to the settee she looked to her husband. ‘So why hasn’t she shown her face, then?’

‘Why would she come back here?’ Malcolm said, raising his voice. ‘Why would she come back to you?’

‘You think she would’ve come back? If she was okay, that is?’ Lucas asked.

Angie and Malcolm looked at each other, a moment of sadness before Angie caught herself. ‘I don’t think she’ll ever be okay.’ Angie crossed her arms and her fingers dug into her flesh, leaving a mark on already goose-pimpled skin.

Lucas waited a few moments before continuing. ‘Well, maybe the fact she’s disappeared from our radar is a good thing. Maybe she’s moved on. Found something better,’ he said, playing the good cop better than McIlroy ever could. He was about to stand, ready to go, when Angie spoke again.

‘We did look for her. Eventually,’ she said. ‘Told your mate that.’

It took a few seconds before Lucas noticed it was his line, and after a brief pause he leaned forward. ‘When was that again?’

‘Couple of years back. I was diagnosed with cancer. Wanted to see her,’ Malcolm said. ‘Hired a private investigator.’

‘But he didn’t find her?’

Angie and Malcolm looked at each other and Lucas saw a flash of anger in Malcolm’s eyes. He didn’t want to push too hard. But if there was any chance of finding out what he needed to know, he had to try.

‘Bloody cowboy,’ Malcolm said. ‘Paid him a fortune for him to piss about, driving around the country finding any old girl called Jenny Taylor. Some of them weren’t even the right age. One was a bloody pensioner, virtually.’

Angie looked like she was going to argue with that point but thought better of it. She turned her attention back to Lucas.

‘He wasn’t very good,’ she said. ‘But to be fair, he did find a few Jennys with the right date of birth. Just not our Jenny.’

‘Who was the investigator?’ Lucas asked.

Malcolm shook his head. ‘Johnny Bloody Cowboy,’ he said and Angie rolled her eyes.

‘He was called Lawrence. I can’t remember his first name,’ she said.

Lucas nodded. ‘How did you get hold of him? Did someone recommend him? The police?’

Malcolm snorted. ‘No one in their right mind would recommend that idiot. Least of all the police, if they were any good at their jobs.’

‘We never went to the police,’ Angie said. ‘It was too late by then. She’d been gone so long you lot wouldn’t have listened.’

Lucas caught the look out of the corner of his eye. In one brief second all the blame and hatred Malcolm seemed to have stored up was directed at his wife. It was her fault they hadn’t looked for Jenny sooner. Lucas almost smiled; they reminded him of his own parents. Lovely couple.

‘You still have his number?’ Lucas asked.

‘No,’ Angie said and Lucas wondered what was the point of coming. True, he knew that Freeman didn’t get anything from them, but then neither had he.

‘Show him the folder,’ Malcolm said.

Lucas watched as Angie stood and smoothed down her skirt. She walked over to a low cabinet and slid open a door, pulling out a flimsy folder. As she took her seat across from Lucas she opened the file and handed him the loose papers from inside. As he took them, a photo fluttered to the floor. Lucas bent and picked it up. It showed a young woman maybe in her early twenties, though it was hard to say. You could barely make out her features as the photo was taken from a distance.

Malcolm leaned over. ‘That’s what we were paying for,’ he said and slumped back into his chair.

Lucas looked back at the sheets of paper in his hand and his heart raced. Suddenly he was back in the game.

‘Did you show this to DS Freeman?’ Lucas asked, crossing his fingers and toes.

‘No,’ Angie said. ‘She never asked.’

Lucas nodded and his eyes skimmed the sheets of paper.

He knew he’d struck gold.

Chapter 48

16 December 2010