TAKEN
Lisa Stone

Copyright

Published by HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 2020

Copyright © Lisa Stone 2020

Cover design by Caroline Young © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2020

Cover photograph © Shutterstock.com

Lisa Stone asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780008378820

Ebook Edition © July 2020 ISBN: 9780008378837

Version: 2020-07-24

Dedication

A big thank-you to my readers for all your wonderful comments and reviews. They are much appreciated.

Thank you to my editors, Kathryn and Holly, my literary agent, Andrew, and all the team at HarperCollins.

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty-One

Chapter Forty-Two

Chapter Forty-Three

Chapter Forty-Four

Chapter Forty-Five

Chapter Forty-Six

Chapter Forty-Seven

Chapter Forty-Eight

Chapter Forty-Nine

Suggested topics for reading-group discussion

Keep Reading …

About the Author

Books by Lisa Stone

About the Publisher

ONE

It was not a safe place for a young girl.

Colin Weaver looked through the window of his third-floor flat at the children’s play area below. She was there, as she was most nights after school. Leila Smith, eight years old, alone and vulnerable. He had a good view from up here, apart from the dirt on the outside of the glass, which he couldn’t clean. Tenants could no longer open their windows wide enough to clean the outside since the council had fitted cable restrictors after a child had fallen from the seventh floor and died.

Sad, indeed, but shouldn’t the parents have been keeping watch on their child?

That was the problem with parents today, Colin thought, not for the first time, as he watched Leila gently rocking on the swing. Too many absent fathers and self-centred mothers oblivious to the needs of their children. Not like his mother, he reflected grimly. She’d wanted to know exactly where he was and what he was doing every minute of the day, until he couldn’t stand it any longer and had left ten years ago, aged thirty-eight.

As he watched Leila the sun began to set behind the block of high-rise flats, its shadow falling across the play area and casting another corridor of gloom. As if there wasn’t enough gloom here already: grey tower blocks and rooftops, cables strung between pylons, unemployment, and the steady rumble of the city line reminding residents that a better life lay a train ride away. Children used the play area on the Hawthorn Estate during daylight hours. It was a small oasis of fun, laughter and innocence in an otherwise bleak and depressing landscape. But once darkness fell it was a different matter and most children knew they had to return home straight away.

Apart from Leila.

She was there long after the other children had gone, because her mother didn’t give a damn.

As Colin watched, the sun continued its descent until darkness fell. The only child left in the play area was Leila. Her mother, Kelsey Smith, had never told her she needed to be home so she was safe and warm. She didn’t care, and Colin knew it was doubtful she even noticed when her child was missing, since she was so often off her head on drink and drugs or entertaining clients. That was Kelsey. Nearly everyone on the estate knew about Kelsey and that she wasn’t fit to be a mother. If something happened to her child, it would be her fault.

Leila was still gently rocking on the swing, her silhouette just visible in the small light coming from the lamplight, dimmed by the council to save electricity. Rocking herself was probably the only comfort the poor child had, for there’d be none at home, Colin thought bitterly. She was pretty, with dark hair and big round eyes, but those eyes had seen more than they should for a child her age, which gave her a hard, streetwise look. Colin found this very sad. Children should be innocent for as long as possible.

Leila and her prostitute mother lived in the flat directly above Colin’s. He had to listen to their comings and goings, so he knew when they were in or out, when Kelsey was entertaining clients and when Leila was left home alone. He heard her crying and her mother losing her temper and shouting at her for not cleaning the flat, shopping or cooking. The child was only eight, for Christ’s sake! That bloody mother needed to be taught a lesson.

To his shame, Colin had fancied Kelsey when she’d first moved in, before he’d found out what she was really like. Now he was disgusted with her and with himself for making such a gross error of judgement. The woman was all tits and tattoos, flashing her eyes with a come-on expression at every bloke she passed. It was probably her tactics that had fooled him at the start, he thought. He’d be the first to admit he was ignorant when it came to women, shy, having only his mother as an example. But then he’d come to his senses and realized what she was like and felt sorry for the child.

What the social services were doing leaving Leila with her mother Colin had no idea. Her older kids, four in all, had been taken into care and then adopted years ago. Probably for the best, he thought. She’d told him this when she’d first moved in, and that she was being given another chance with Leila because she was clean – off booze, drugs and the game. That was laughable! It didn’t take much to see she was lying, and the situation couldn’t be allowed to continue. Kelsey’s sister, Sharon, agreed. He’d seen her going into the flat and had stopped her and voiced his concerns. They’d agreed Leila needed help, and fast. But what to do for the best?

Leaving the light off in his living room so he couldn’t be seen from outside, Colin kept watch on the play area. Leila continued to gently work the swing in the gloom as two teenage lads rode in on their mountain bikes. Aged about thirteen, they were known on the estate for selling drugs for their rich dealer. Kelsey bought her stuff from them. Colin knew that residents had largely given up on calling the police. It was a waste of time and created bad feelings, as the mothers of the boys lived on the estate too, as did most of their customers. If the police were called, the lads were usually tipped off and had long gone by the time they arrived, pedalling at speed down the alleyways that linked the estate, where the police car couldn’t go. He’d watched it happen from his window. It was a game to them, although the one having the biggest laugh would be the dealer who was making big money out of these runts.

The lads took up their usual place in front of the row of sheds where the bins were kept, standing astride their bikes so they could clear off quickly if necessary. A man appeared from the shadows, hoodie up, money at the ready. The deal was done in seconds and he hurried off again. A minute later the next customer arrived and then the next, a steady procession of druggies desperate for their next fix. It was no place for a child, Colin thought again, his anger and concern growing. Most of the customers ignored Leila, but a few didn’t and she was forced to fend off their unwanted attention as best she could.

Colin had seen enough. Grabbing his keys from the table and stuffing them into his pocket, he left the flat. It was time to act.

TWO

Kelsey heard the front door of the flat below slam shut. The walls, ceilings and floors were so thin you could almost hear someone having a shit. She guessed most of her neighbours could hear the goings-on in her flat, but what the hell. That was her business. In the small light coming from the hall Kelsey looked at the man lying next to her in bed, whose name she couldn’t remember, if she ever knew it. He was proving difficult to get rid of and had become angry and aggressive when she’d told him it was time to go.

She’d managed to pacify him with more rough sex and thankfully he’d fallen asleep and was now flat on his back, snoring like a pig. But she still had the problem of getting rid of him. Just because they paid, some clients thought they could do what they wanted, which they could within reason – consenting adults and all that – but it didn’t mean they could stay for as long as they wanted. Once the job was done and their time was up, she couldn’t get rid of them fast enough. Some took liberties. A few guys just wanted to talk after having sex, which was a pain but manageable. But the big blokes – alpha males – could easily become abusive if they didn’t get their way. Too much testosterone, Kelsey thought. Fine for getting it up, but not so good for putting it away and going home. This one would need some help.

Careful not to disturb him, Kelsey slipped quietly from the bed. He grunted and turned over but stayed asleep. He’d overrun his time by nearly an hour, so she was entitled to some overtime pay, she decided. Picking up his trousers from where he’d thrown them on the floor, she carefully slid out his wallet and removed two twenty-pound notes. There were three left so hopefully he wouldn’t notice two were missing until he was long gone. Added to the sixty pounds he’d already paid her, she now had a hundred quid, which was plenty to buy some more coke and something to eat. She was craving both. Starving, shivering, her head throbbed and she felt cold, exhausted and anxious, a sure sign she was withdrawing and needed another fix. The lads, Mike and Jason, would be in the play area dealing by now. She’d get some stuff and then buy fish and chips. But first she needed to get rid of the pig in her bed.

After carefully returning his wallet to the pocket of his trousers, Kelsey pulled on her jeans and T-shirt and crept from the bedroom. She needed Leila’s help to send this one on his way. She didn’t want to risk another beating. Leila was good at getting rid of unwanted guests – she had perfected her act, and it hadn’t failed them yet. On cue from her mother, Leila would pull off her top and run screaming into the bedroom, pointing at the man and shouting that he’d raped her, closely followed by Kelsey, phone in hand, threatening to take a photo and expose him online as a paedophile. It was a hoot and it always worked. The guys couldn’t get out of the flat quick enough, and she and Leila had a laugh after. But where the hell was the child?

‘Leila? Are you here?’ Kelsey whispered in the hall.

She hadn’t heard her come in, but that wasn’t surprising given the noise the pig had been making with his groaning and expletives. Funny what some guys cried out as they came. She had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing sometimes.

Kelsey flicked on the light switch in Leila’s bedroom, but she wasn’t in there. Used clothes, discarded crisp and biscuit packets and general mess lay everywhere. Left where they had fallen. Like mother, like daughter, Kelsey thought, and opened the living-room door. Sometimes the kid fell asleep on the sofa watching television, but the television was off and she clearly wasn’t in here. Just more mess. Pizza boxes, fizzy-drink bottles and empty cans of beer – hers, not Leila’s. She supposed they’d have to make an effort and clear up before the social worker’s next visit, which must be due soon.

It seemed Leila hadn’t come home yet, which, although not unusual, was a pain. The pig still had to be got rid of, and Kelsey was feeling increasingly unwell from the effects of drug withdrawal and no food. Cold, irritable and running out of patience, she decided it was time for plan B. Unplugging her phone from where it had been charging in the kitchen, she held it to her ear and then ran into her bedroom, flicking on the light switch as she entered.

‘Get up! Quick!’ she shouted, panic-stricken, shaking the pig awake. ‘You have to go! Now. My partner’s found out you’re here. He’s on his way with six of his mates! They’re armed with chainsaws and machetes. You don’t stand a chance!’

Wide awake in an instant, he was straight out of bed and frantically struggling into his clothes. ‘How long have I got?’ he panted.

‘Five minutes max. Run for your life!’ Kelsey shouted. ‘Finish dressing as you go!’

Trousers on, he grabbed his sweatshirt, socks and trainers and fled the room. Kelsey opened the front door and watched him go – running along the corridor and dressing as he went, then disappearing down the stairwell. Returning inside, she laughed as she crossed to the living-room window and looked down onto the estate. A few seconds later the pig appeared, jumped into his car and drove off.

Now to find the kid and buy some coke, although not necessarily in that order.

With the hundred pounds held tightly in her hand, Kelsey left the flat. The lift was on an upper floor so she used the stairs, which as usual stank of stale piss and disinfectant. It was cold even here and she realized she should have worn her jacket, but she wouldn’t be long. Reaching the exit, she half expected to find Leila hanging out with some of the older girls from the estate and sharing a smoke, but she couldn’t see her.

‘You seen Leila?’ she asked them.

‘Nah,’ came a reply.

‘Leila?’ she called as she headed towards the play area. ‘Leila? Can you hear me?’

The kid was often hanging around the estate, although she knew she wasn’t supposed to because some nosy parker was sure to see her and phone the social services again. Worst of the bunch was that Mrs Goodman. ‘Gawping Goodman’ Kelsey had nicknamed her, because she was always watching – gawping. She lived in a ground-floor maisonette on the other side of the play area and didn’t miss a thing. She took pride in taking in local kids, giving them a meal, then phoning social services and reporting their parents for neglect. Bitch. Leila had been there plenty of times, although Kelsey wished she hadn’t.

‘Leila? Where are you?’ Kelsey called. There was no reply, so she had to assume she’d wandered off the estate, which Kelsey had told her not to do. She’d come back when she was ready. The little madam was strong-willed, but she could take care of herself. It briefly crossed Kelsey’s mind to knock on Goodman’s door to see if Leila was there, but she decided equally quickly she wouldn’t give the old cow the satisfaction of another lecture and phoning social services. Four kids taken from her was enough. She needed to keep Leila; she was all she had.

Kelsey continued to where Jason and Mike stood laughing and sharing a joint with some other lads.

‘Hello, boys,’ she said, joining them. ‘What have you got for me tonight?’

‘How about a nice big cock to suck?’ Kevin Bates, one of the older lads and a local thug, quipped. The others guffawed.

‘Well, that rules you out,’ Kelsey returned, equally sharply. ‘I hear you were at the back of the queue when they gave out cocks and brains.’

The others laughed again.

‘Fuck you,’ Bates snapped, immediately angry.

‘Hey, Kev,’ one of the other lads said, ‘yours must be the only cock in Coleshaw she hasn’t sucked.’

‘Very funny,’ Kelsey replied, and concentrated on Jason who was still grinning. ‘How much a gram?’

‘Forty-five, same as last night,’ he said. ‘It’s good stuff.’

‘It better be at that price. Give me two grams.’

Kelsey handed over ninety pounds, turned and was about to walk away when Kevin Bates blocked her path.

‘You’re too old for me,’ he snarled in her face, ‘but that daughter of yours …’

He didn’t get any further. Kelsey slapped his face hard. She heard the sound of her palm on his cheek, felt the sting of flesh on flesh, and knew straight away she shouldn’t have done that. But she was withdrawing fast – her body ached and she wasn’t thinking straight.

The others had fallen silent. Bates was staring at her, eyes cold and hard. ‘You’ll be sorry you did that, slag,’ he snarled, spitting in her face, and pushed her.

Kelsey staggered, regained her balance and, stepping around him, hurried back towards her flat, praying he would just let it go. Kevin Bates was a nasty piece of work, as were his family. No one crossed them, not if they knew what was good for them. The silence behind her erupted into laughter and one of the lads shouted, ‘How much for a mother-and-daughter double act?’

Kelsey’s eyes filled. She would never have wished this life on her daughter. Never in a million years. Perhaps the child would be better off without her – adopted like her older kids, or living with her sister, Sharon. Sharon had offered enough times, but if Leila went, what would she have left to live for? Nothing. There’d be no reason to carry on. The rest of her life was shit. Leila was the only reason she got out of bed. Perhaps she should really try to turn over a new leaf and get clean like she’d told the social services and her sister.

Once in her flat, Kelsey took the half-drunk bottle of vodka from the kitchen and settled on the sofa with the coke. If it was good stuff like Jason had said then one gram should last all evening and she could save the other for tomorrow. She always bought extra when she had the money. She was sensible like that.

Taking a swig of vodka, she set to work on the coke, rubbing some on her gums and then snorting it for immediate effect. A few seconds later, her mind and body relaxed as the alcohol and coke took effect. Any thoughts of hunger went, as did those of missing Leila. Another few snorts of coke and swigs of vodka and Kelsey had forgotten most things from the real world and was floating high on a cloud of euphoria, confidence and opportunity, where anything and everything seemed possible.

THREE

Strange, unsettling dreams, noises, sensations and raised voices floated into Kelsey’s thoughts. She heard distant footsteps in the corridor outside and doors opening and closing. She dreamt she heard Leila laughing, possibly at her, which made her sad, and a man’s voice that seemed familiar, though she couldn’t place it. Her eyes shot open and suddenly she was awake. She was lying on her side on the threadbare sofa, her mouth bone dry and craving something sweet.

Shit. She’d overdone it again. ‘Leila!’ she shouted. ‘Get me a drink of water, will ya?’

There was no reply. The flat was quiet and the only light seemed to be coming from the lamp she’d left on in the living room. There was no bulb in the main light, as it had blown ages ago and she’d never got around to replacing it.

God, she felt rough. She really shouldn’t have drunk all that vodka with the coke. The bottle was empty and the coke had been strong stuff as Jason had said. She’d only used a gram, and with the vodka her life had become OK for a few hours, but now she felt awful.

What time was it? She groped for her phone and found it on the floor. 3.20. How time passed when you were having fun, she thought bitterly. Leila would be asleep, having let herself in with her key and put herself to bed. She’d have to get her own bloody drink of water – in a minute, though, when the room had stopped swaying and she could stand without falling over.

Scrolling down her phone, she saw the last text message she’d read was sent at 10.05 p.m., so she’d been out for over five hours. Well-deserved respite after the shitty day she’d had yesterday, she thought: two clients not showing, one not paying and then that pig taking advantage of her. Well, she’d shown him! He’d paid her for overtime. She smiled to herself, then gingerly turned onto her back and read the other messages. One was from a regular client, Alan, who visited her during his lunchtime while Leila was at school, asking if she was free today. He always paid well, never wanted extras, gave her a tip and left on time, so today was already promising to be better.

Time to get up, she thought. Dropping her phone on the sofa, Kelsey lowered her feet and then hauled herself upright and slowly stood. Her head spun and it took a moment for her to get her balance. No, she really shouldn’t have had that vodka as well as the coke. She walked unsteadily into the kitchen, which was off the living room. It was still a mess! The kid hadn’t touched it. Typical! She must have come in late and gone straight to bed.

Kelsey leant against the sink and poured herself a glass of water, drank it straight down and then peeled off a couple of biscuits from the open packet on the drainer and ate those. Her stomach cramped from lack of food. Now the vodka and coke were wearing off she felt hungry and sick. Perhaps the kid had left something for her to eat. She did sometimes if she’d been to the fish-and-chip shop or the Burgers-For-All café on the main road. She bought extra for her mother and left it in the oven for her. Leila was good like that, taking care of her. But when Kelsey opened the oven door she saw it was empty and stone cold. With a stab of guilt, Kelsey wondered if Leila hadn’t had enough money to buy food. Hopefully she’d had the sense not to go to Goodman’s again for something to eat.

Kelsey drank a second glass of water and then badly needed a piss. By the light of the lamp she went slowly down the hall. Leila’s bedroom door was open, which was odd. She always closed it when she came in. She liked her privacy, and if there was a stranger in the house she bolted the door too. Kelsey had fitted the bolt herself to keep her daughter safe when she had clients in.

She stepped into Leila’s bedroom and in the half-light couldn’t see a lump in the bed. She flicked on the main light. The bed covers were thrown back and the bed was empty. Where the hell was she? ‘Leila!’ she cried, an edge of panic in her voice. Perhaps she was asleep in Kelsey’s bed, although she’d never done that before.

Kelsey took the couple of steps down the hall to her own bedroom and switched on the light. Her bed was empty too, and just as she’d left it after getting the pig out: crumpled and with the bottom sheet spotted with her blood. But where was Leila? Ridiculously, Kelsey crossed to the wardrobe to see if Leila was in there. Sometimes, when it was just the two of them, she hid in there as a game and then jumped out to scare her mother, but not at 3.30 a.m. She opened the wardrobe door to find it empty apart from Kelsey’s miserable selection of clothes.

‘Leila!’ she called again. ‘Where the hell are you?’ The only room she hadn’t looked in was the bathroom and she needed a piss more than ever now.

Opening the bathroom door, she pulled on the light cord. It was obvious straight away Leila wasn’t in there, and from the look of it she hadn’t used the bathroom the previous evening. There was no towel or face flannel dumped in the bath and her toothbrush was dry. What the hell was the kid playing at?

Kelsey took a piss, the warm stream of urine giving her some relief. Once she’d finished, she checked the kid’s bedroom again and then the living room, as if by magic Leila might suddenly have reappeared. There was nowhere else in the flat she could be. Had she been back at all yesterday after she’d left for school in the morning? Kelsey wondered. She couldn’t remember but didn’t think so. There was no sign of food having been eaten and her school bag wasn’t here. So where the hell was she?

Kelsey picked up her phone and checked the texts again. There were no new messages and anyway Leila didn’t have a phone of her own. According to the school, kids her age weren’t old enough to have phones. Kelsey had gone along with it because she needed to do what the school said, as they sent a report to the social services every term – not just about Leila, but about Kelsey’s parenting skills: things like if Leila was on time and looked clean, with her hair brushed. Well, this just showed how much they knew! Her daughter was missing and she had no way of contacting her! She should have followed her gut instinct and given Leila a phone. She could have kept it in her bag for emergency use only, although deep down Kelsey knew the temptation to show her friends or text in class would have been too great.

As the last of the numbing effect of the coke and vodka completely disappeared it was replaced by the depressing realization that her daughter hadn’t come home, and instead of getting into bed Kelsey was now going to have to go out and look for her. How thoughtless was that!

Annoyed and irritated, Kelsey picked up her leather jacket from the clutter on the floor of the living room, tucked her keys and phone into her pocket and left the flat with a feeling of self-righteousness. This was what good mothers did if their kids were missing, wasn’t it? Go out on a cold night and look for them. Even so, she didn’t think she’d be telling the social worker what had happened.

It was freezing; a frost had settled and she could see her breath in the air. Leila wouldn’t be outside in this for sure. She hated the cold and was always complaining her coat wasn’t warm enough. Perhaps she was staying the night at a friend’s house. That’s what kids her age did, Kelsey thought. They had sleepovers, although Leila had never been invited to one before, and if she was sleeping at a friend’s house why hadn’t the parents phoned to let Kelsey know? Perhaps Leila had pretended she’d told her and was now teaching her a lesson for being a crap mother. Yes, that fitted. It seemed a reasonable assumption. Had she known who her daughter’s friends were she could have phoned them and checked Leila was there. But she didn’t have a clue who her daughter associated with or even if she had any friends. The kid just got on with her life as she had to.

Kelsey continued across the estate, which was poorly lit and now eerily quiet in the early hours of the morning. She was still half-expecting Leila to suddenly appear, perhaps having been watching her from one of the flats. She looked up at the windows she passed for any sign of a child looking out, but nearly all the flats were in darkness, and no face appeared. A police siren sounded in the distance and a lone dog barked. The cold was seeping through her clothes and into her bones, making her miserable and her teeth chatter.

Suddenly she needed to crap. That was the trouble with coke: it gave you the squits that couldn’t be ignored. Ducking behind a wall where the refuse bins were kept, Kelsey squatted down, did her business, then took a tissue from her jacket pocket and wiped her bum. Straightening, she zipped up her jeans and continued to search the estate for her daughter.

Kelsey had known all along that at some point she was going to have to knock on Gawping Goodman’s door. If Leila wasn’t there, Goodman would probably know where to find her. Her maisonette looked straight onto the play area where the kids gathered. Goodman spent most of her waking hours looking out, and she knew better than most of the parents on the estate where their kids were and what they were up to. If the police came looking for someone or if there’d been an incident on the estate, they usually asked Goodman if she had any information, and she was always pleased to assist. When a teenage girl fell pregnant, which they did quite regularly around here, Goodman knew first, and who the father was, long before anyone else did, even the girl’s mother. As well as being the eyes of the estate, she was also its ears. The kids seemed to confide in her, probably because there was no one at home to listen to their problems. Granny Goodman, the kids called her, while the adults – resenting but needing her help – called her plenty of other things.

Kelsey continued along the perimeter road that ran all around the edge of the estate and saw no one. Feeling she’d done everything she could, she retraced her steps. As she approached the play area she was sure she could smell the dump she’d taken earlier lingering in the cold night air. Goodman’s maisonette was in darkness and her curtains were closed, but as usual the porch light was on. The old bat made a point of leaving it on every night, telling the kids it was a light in their darkness, a beacon of hope for them to come to, or some such rubbish.

Kelsey stared at the doorbell, reluctant to press it. She was sure to get a lecture before the witch told her where Leila was. She didn’t think she could stomach it right now. She was tired, cold and hungry and she needed to find Leila and get into bed. With a small flash of hope she checked her phone again, but there were no new messages. The time showed 4 a.m. She glanced up at her own flat on the other side of the play area – the lights were on as she’d left them. She wondered if Leila could have returned in her absence, but realistically the chances of that were slim. And if she had returned, she would have used the landline to call her to find out where she was. Kelsey either had to press Gawping Goodman’s doorbell and listen to her lecture, or tell her sister or the police that she couldn’t find Leila. She didn’t fancy doing either. Sharon would be even more angry and holier-than-thou than the last time, and the police were sure to notify the social services, who would take Leila away from her. Leila had a habit of disappearing, but she always turned up eventually.

Shivering from the cold and with mounting nausea, Kelsey pressed the doorbell. A Big Ben chime rang pretentiously in the hall. She waited but not for long. The net curtain in the window beside the door twitched and Goodman peered out. She must have been awake.

‘Open up,’ Kelsey mouthed, pointing at the door. ‘I need to talk to you.’

Goodman rolled her eyes disapprovingly and let the curtain drop. A moment later the door chain rattled, a bolt slid and the door opened. Goodman, wearing a floral fleece dressing gown buttoned up to her neck and with her grey hair clipped down for the night, didn’t try to hide her censorious expression. Kelsey forced herself to stay calm and not give her a mouthful. She needed her help.

‘Yes?’ the old bat asked. ‘What do you want at this time of night, Kelsey?’

‘Is Leila with you?’

‘No, she isn’t. Children rarely stay overnight. Their parents come to collect them eventually.’

‘Do you know where she is?’

‘No.’

‘Did you see her yesterday?’

‘Yes, in the evening when she should have been at home.’ Here we go, Kelsey thought. Just stay calm. ‘You never learn, do you, Kelsey? God was kind enough to bless you with children. And you have wasted his precious gift. Women like you don’t deserve kids. If I had my way, I’d—’

It was too much for Kelsey in her fragile state. ‘Will you shut the fuck up and tell me where Leila is? I’m not feeling well and I’m worried about her.’

‘Really?’ Goodman asked cynically.

‘Yes, really.’

‘And you honestly can’t remember where she is?’

‘No. Sorry. It seems to have slipped my mind,’ Kelsey snapped sarcastically

‘Your bloke took her. Well, I assume that’s who he was.’

‘My bloke? What are you talking about?’ Kelsey stared at her.

‘Your new fancy man, latest boyfriend, client, whatever you call him. He came to the play area around six-fifteen and took her. Just as well, otherwise the poor child would have been there all night for all you care.’

Kelsey continued to stare at her, trying to make sense of what she was being told.

‘A man took my Leila?’ she asked, shivering.

‘And you can’t remember!’

‘Who was he?’

‘I don’t know. I can’t be expected to keep track of all your fancy men.’

‘He’s not my fancy man!’ Kelsey exploded. ‘Will you stop saying that! You’re doing my head in. I didn’t send anyone to collect Leila.’

Mrs Goodman held Kelsey’s gaze. ‘You wouldn’t know even if you had. You’re so out of it most of the time. I can’t help you and I’m getting cold standing here. Go home. I’m sure your daughter is being looked after by him. Goodnight.’ The door closed.

FOUR

Pulling her jacket closer around her to keep out the cold, Kelsey headed back across the dark, deserted play area towards her flat. Leila had gone with a man – her boyfriend, the old witch had said – but Kelsey didn’t have a boyfriend. She hadn’t sent anyone to collect Leila, she was sure of it. Or was she? Goodman knew most things and the old cow was usually right. Kelsey knew her own mind was so messed up from years of drink and drug abuse that she forgot stuff all the time. But could she really have forgotten that she’d asked someone to fetch Leila from the play area? Was it possible? Yes, her brain was in such a state, she had to admit it was.

As Kelsey walked, she struggled to think back, but once she’d started on the coke and vodka her mind had become blank. That was the point of it – to block out her miserable life and make things seem better for a while. She remembered she had vaguely heard a man’s voice in the distance and Leila laughing, but it was all indistinct, like in a dream. She hated to admit it, but Gawping Goodman was probably right. Hopefully Leila had now returned to their flat or was being looked after by the man who’d collected her. But who was he? Certainly not Leila’s father. He’d disappeared as soon as she’d told him she was pregnant. And hadn’t she searched the flat before she’d come out? Perhaps she hadn’t searched it properly.

The lift doors clanged shut, reverberating down the empty corridor, and the lift began to rise with a harsh grating noise. A printed notice inside the lift asked residents not to use the lift late at night or early in the morning as it woke others, but there was no way Kelsey was going to climb three flights of stairs in her state. Exhausted, with her head throbbing and feeling sick, she just needed to get into her bed. The lift juddered to a halt and the doors opened. For a moment as she went down the corridor towards her flat she wondered why she’d been out at all, then she remembered.

‘Leila?’ she called as she let herself into her flat. ‘Are you here?’

Silence. She checked her bedroom, then Leila’s room, then the bathroom and living room. There was no one here. No man and no Leila, so the old witch Goodman was wrong! Now what? She hadn’t a clue. She wondered if she should be really worried as Leila was still missing, but she didn’t think it was necessary just yet. Goodman had said a man had taken her, but it had to be someone Leila knew because she would never have gone off with a stranger. She was too streetwise and savvy for that.

But where was she? Who knew Kelsey well enough to do her a favour like that? Their immediate neighbours were both single mothers. Brooke Adams, who lived in the flat to the right of hers, had helped her out in the past, but she’d said she wouldn’t do it again and had told Kelsey to get herself sorted before it was too late.

Kelsey flopped on the sofa and tried to think of someone who might have collected Leila from the play area and could now be looking after her. No one came to mind. Bone weary – it was now 4.30 a.m. – she rested her head back on the sofa and closed her eyes. She could really have done with a smoke, but she didn’t have anything apart from the remaining gram of coke and she was saving that for later. If she used it now, she’d have nothing to look forward to. She’d save it for as long as she could.

But what to do about Leila? Perhaps the man who was looking after her would return her soon. Or maybe he would take her directly to school in the morning. That’s what Brooke had done. She’d seen Leila alone in the play area, collected her, and then pushed a note through Kelsey’s door to say Leila was there with her and that she’d give her breakfast and take her to school with her own kids the following morning. No one had been any the wiser, but after that Brooke had said enough was enough and that she wouldn’t do it again. Next time, she’d said, she’d report her to the social services for neglect.

Kelsey sat upright with a jolt. Of course. That’s what had happened! She should have realized sooner. She wasn’t so daft after all. Brooke had seen Leila in the play area and had reported her to the social services. The man who’d taken Leila was their social worker, Peter Harris. That’s why Leila had gone with him: she knew him. Too fucking well – from all his visits, the interfering git. But this was solvable.

Peter had taken Leila and put her with a foster carer for the night like they’d done with her other kids when they’d been living with her. By tomorrow she’d have to come up with an excuse for Leila being out late on the estate. She’d phone Peter as soon as the office opened at 9 a.m. and go on the attack. Blast him for taking Leila without telling her and all the worry he’d caused her. She’d threaten to report him, for she knew that not even a social worker could take a child without informing the parents. He wouldn’t want more aggravation from her, and Leila would be sent home. Problem sorted, Kelsey now felt she could stop worrying and go to bed.

What the hell was that? Ringing? She’d only just dropped off to sleep. Was it the doorbell or her phone making that bloody noise? It couldn’t be her client, Alan, already, could it? What was the time?

Kelsey struggled up in bed as her phone stopped ringing and bleeped with a text message. She reached for her leather jacket, which was dumped on the floor where she’d left it, and took out her phone. There was a missed call and a text telling her she had a voicemail message. The time on her phone showed 9.30 a.m. Drat. She’d overslept. She’d intended to phone the social services at 9.00 but she hadn’t yet come up with a reason for Leila being out so late. Best wait until she’d had a strong black coffee to get her brain into gear, she thought.

Getting out of bed, Kelsey pulled on her jumper over her bra and pants and padded barefoot to the kitchen, retrieving the voicemail message as she went.

‘Mrs Smith, it’s the school secretary here. Leila isn’t in school. Can you phone us and confirm she is unwell? Otherwise we’ll have to mark it as an unauthorized absence.’

Kelsey stopped where she was and replayed the message, thinking she might have misheard. But she hadn’t. Leila wasn’t in school. That was strange. In the past the foster carer had taken her children to school unless they were ill or had played up and refused to go. Whatever. The social worker should have told her – the parent – Leila was in care.

Five minutes and a cup of black coffee later, Kelsey sat on the sofa and called Peter Harris’s office number. The caffeine had given her the boost she needed, and, fired up and aware of her rights, she was ready for a fight.

‘Peter Harris, children’s services,’ he said, answering straight away.

‘It’s Kelsey Smith here.’

‘Hello, Kelsey. How are you doing?’

‘I was doing all right until you stuck your nosy beak in. Lots of kids play out. I’ve told you before I can see Leila from my flat window so I can keep an eye on her.’

‘Kelsey, can you calm down and tell me what’s happened?’ Peter said in a conciliatory tone that infuriated Kelsey even more.

‘You stuck your bleeding nose in and took my Leila! That’s what’s happened! I’ve been doing all right until now. You’d no business taking her without telling me. I want her back with an apology or I’m reporting you.’

There was a moment’s pause before he said, ‘Kelsey, I haven’t seen Leila since I visited you both four weeks ago. Are you saying you don’t know where she is?’

Kelsey went cold. She’d been certain he’d taken Leila and put her with a foster carer. ‘Of course I know where she is,’ she said, and cut the call.

If Peter Harris hadn’t taken Leila then who the hell had? Suddenly Kelsey was very worried, very worried indeed.

FIVE

Leila was scared. What had started off yesterday as a sort of game wasn’t fun any more. She was thinking she really shouldn’t have gone along with it. But he’d been so nice at the start – kind and caring. He’d said he was worried about her and told her she was pretty. Her mother called her plain. He’d said a young girl like her shouldn’t be out all by herself after dark. It wasn’t safe and it was very wrong of her mother not to look after her properly, which Leila sort of knew. He’d said he would take care of her and together they’d teach her mother a lesson. He’d given her chocolates – really posh ones with soft centres – and told her he’d bought her a beautiful doll and it was waiting for her in his flat. It wasn’t like she was going with a stranger – she would never have done that. She knew him, so did her mother, which made it OK.

His flat was warm and tidy – not like hers – and to begin with it had all felt really cosy and nice. He’d talked to her about the bad life she’d led with her mother and how he could put it right. She deserved much better, he’d said: pretty clothes, good food, holidays and a visit to Disneyland, all of which he’d promised would happen if she did as he said.

But when she hadn’t liked the dinner he’d cooked and asked for chicken nuggets and chips instead, he’d got moody and raised his voice, which frightened her. ‘You can’t keep eating that muck! It’s bad for you,’ he’d yelled. ‘From now on you’ll eat proper meals, the ones I give you, and you’ll be grateful.’ She’d gone quiet and said she wanted to go home, so he’d apologized and said it was early days yet, and he had a lot to learn.

Now Leila sat on the bed and held Buttons, her teddy bear, very tightly to her chest. Colin had gone out this morning and left her locked in the bedroom. He’d told her it was very important she kept quiet and that no one must find her here or she’d be in very big trouble. That the social services would take her away like they had her older half-brothers and -sisters and she’d never see her mother again.

She believed him, but she hated being locked in. It was like at home when she had to lock herself in her bedroom when her mother brought men back, so they didn’t hurt her. They hurt her mother and would hurt her too if they got a chance, her mother told her. She tried to be out when her mother had men in, but that wasn’t always possible, so she slid the bolt her mother had fitted on her bedroom door. But that bolt was on the inside of the door, so she could open it if she wanted to. This one was on the outside, so she was locked in. Trapped. Colin had bolted the door when he’d left for work and said he would unlock it when he returned. It was for her own good, he said, but it didn’t feel like it.

Anxious and sad, Leila propped herself on the pillow and picked at the loose threads of the bedspread. It was an old-fashioned bedspread like the ones at Granny Goodman’s. The furniture in the room was old too, and so was the bed. It creaked every time she’d turned over in the night and the pillow smelt of old people. Perhaps someone had died here, she thought with a shudder, and threw the pillow on the floor. It narrowly missed the potty. She’d already had to do a wee in it once, although she hadn’t wanted to. Potties were for babies and she was a big girl, as her mother kept telling her. She’d held on to her wee for as long as she dared, until she’d been bursting and her stomach had ached. Then she’d been so desperate she’d missed the potty and some of her wee had gone on the floor. She hoped Colin wouldn’t be angry like her mother was when she made a mess. There wasn’t anything in the room to mop it up with.

Leila was hungry but the sandwich he’d left for her smelt horrible. Salmon and cucumber. Yuck. She pushed it off the bed and its contents spilled over the floor. She’d eaten the crisps he’d left and drunk the juice, but she was still hungry. If she’d been at school she would have been given a school dinner, and if she’d been at home she could have gone to the chip shop. Her mother didn’t care what she ate, not like Colin. He seemed to fuss over food and what he called ‘good hygiene practice’, which involved him repeatedly washing his hands, the work surface in the kitchen and the chopping board. She’d had to wash her hands too before she ate.

He’d left her puzzles, games and books to keep her amused while he was out at work, but they too were now scattered across the floor. She’d tried to do a puzzle but had quickly lost patience and given up, and she never read books or played games. She watched television when she was at home and the hours whizzed by, but now time was dragging. She wondered what her class was doing at school. She didn’t like school but at least the time passed quickly there and she wasn’t locked in and had a hot meal – food she liked.

With mounting frustration and anger, Leila picked up the doll Colin had bought her and threw it on the floor with the other stuff. It landed head down with a nasty crunch, its china face shattering. Leila stared, horrified. Colin had said it was expensive and he’d chosen it especially for her. She’d have to lie and say it was an accident. It was no loss to her. She hadn’t liked it anyway. She loved Buttons, her teddy bear. She talked to him and told him things she couldn’t tell anyone else. Buttons went with her everywhere. She’d had him for as long as she could remember and called him Buttons because he had two rows of buttons on his coat that she liked to undo and do up again.

Suddenly the doorbell rang and she froze. Had someone heard the doll smashing on the floor? Keep calm, she told herself. She knew what to do if someone came to the door. Colin had shown her and made her practice, reminding her of the consequences if she didn’t do as he said. Now this was for real! The doorbell rang again. Grabbing Buttons by the arm, Leila slid quietly from the bed and then climbed into the storage compartment beneath it. She drew the sliding door to and kept very still and quiet. Colin had said no one else had keys to his flat, so hiding was a precautionary measure to keep her safe. She was to do this whenever anyone came to the door, whether he was in or not.

But it was dark and cramped in the strange compartment beneath the bed and Leila didn’t like it. She began counting off the seconds as Colin had told her. ‘Count to sixty, that’s a minute,’ he’d said. ‘If it’s all quiet and the caller doesn’t ring again, it means they’re likely to have gone and you can get out. But don’t make any noise just in case.’

She counted steadily to sixty, then carefully slid open the compartment door, clambered out, stood still and listened like he’d told her to. Suddenly she was startled as the bell rang again. She stood still, wondering if she should return to the cupboard beneath the bed, but then she heard footsteps going along the corridor in the direction of the lift. Thank goodness. She breathed a sigh of relief. Colin would be proud of her.

Leila sat on the bed and thought of her mother in the flat above. What was she doing? She’d heard movements earlier, about an hour after Colin had gone. Did her mother know she wasn’t at school? And if so, was she worried she was missing? Probably not. From what Colin and Granny Goodman had told her she had a very bad mother, negligent and selfish, and she would be better off without her. But it wasn’t as simple as that. She loved her mother despite all the wrong things she did, and she hoped this would teach her a lesson to take better care of her in the future. Locked alone in this strange room, and having to hide from callers, Leila thought she might be better off at home. But that wasn’t an option now.

SIX

‘Sharon, it’s me, Kelsey.’

‘I know who you are,’ Kelsey’s sister, Sharon, replied curtly. ‘I’m at work. What do you want?’

‘I’m sorry to bother you,’ Kelsey said, her voice tight. ‘But I’ve got a problem.’

‘So what’s new? I can’t talk now. I’ll phone you this evening as soon as I’m home.’

‘I don’t think it can wait that long.’

‘Why not?’ Sharon sighed. ‘What’s happened now?’

‘It’s Leila, I’m not sure where she is.’

‘What do you mean, you’re not sure where she is? She’s either at school or at home with you, isn’t she?’

‘That’s the thing. She’s not here and she’s not at school.’

A pause, then: ‘Just a minute, I’ll have to go out of the office to talk. I hope this isn’t another wild goose chase. After all, Leila has run away before.’

‘No, I don’t think it is.’

Kelsey heard muffled voices in the background and her sister’s stiletto heels clipping purposefully across the office floor as she made her way out. She knew she was a pain in her sister’s arse, but there was no one else she could turn to. Sharon had helped her out before, and although she’d be angry, she’d know what to do. She always did.

‘Well?’ Sharon demanded, coming back on the phone. ‘Hurry up, Kelsey, it’s freezing out here, and I’ve stacks of work on my desk.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Kelsey said, acutely aware of her own inferiority. ‘The thing is, I let Leila play out last night, perhaps a bit later than I should, but you know how it is.’ She heard her sister sigh. ‘It got late so I went to get her, but I couldn’t find her, and that nosy cow Goodman said the social worker had taken her, but when I phoned him he said he hadn’t, and she’s not in school.’

‘Just a minute,’ Sharon said. ‘Let me get this straight. Mrs Goodman told you a social worker had taken Leila, but he says he didn’t?’

‘Sort of. Goodman said a man took Leila, so I thought it must be the social worker because she doesn’t know any other men, but it’s not him.’

‘This was when?’

‘Yesterday evening.’

‘And you haven’t seen Leila since?’

‘No.’

‘So, what have the police said?’

‘Well, that’s the thing, I haven’t told them yet. I wanted to speak to you first.’

‘Jesus, Kelsey! Are you telling me that Leila has been missing all night and you haven’t reported it to the police yet? She’s eight years old! She could be anywhere! What’s the matter with you?’

‘I’m sorry. I thought she would come back like she did before.’

‘And she’s definitely not at school?’

‘The secretary left a message on my phone.’

‘Call the police now. The chances are she’s run off again and will come back, but better to be safe than sorry. I’ll try to get the rest of the day off work and come over, but phone me if she returns.’

‘I will. Thank you. I’m sorry for being a pain.’

‘I know.’

SEVEN

Detective Constable Beth Mayes parked the police car where they would be able to see it from Kelsey’s flat window. The last time they’d left the car unattended on the estate they’d come back to find all the windscreen wipers snapped off and PIGS GRUNT sprayed in red gloss paint along both sides of the car. Beth turned to her colleague, DC Matt Davis. ‘Gently does it with Kelsey,’ she said. ‘She’s had a hard life.’

‘So her kid has to suffer too,’ Matt sighed. ‘Leila is probably back with her mother now, sitting in filth but watching television, just like the last time.’

‘But if she’s not then we need to treat it with the same priority we would any other missing eight-year-old.’

But they both knew that wasn’t going to happen. A child who suddenly vanished with no history of running away would be prioritized as high risk and all available police resources would be deployed straight away. But that was expensive, and given Leila’s history of disappearing and then reappearing, they would be exploring other avenues as well.

‘I spoke to their social worker,’ Beth said as they entered the lift. ‘He thought Kelsey had been doing OK.’

Matt took a sharp breath. ‘Really? And what planet is he on?’

‘Kelsey knows how to play the system,’ Beth said. ‘She will have told him what he wanted to hear, and social services are underfunded and stretched to the limit.’

‘Just like us then!’ Matt returned.

The lift juddered to a halt and they stepped out. As they approached Kelsey’s flat, number 417, the door suddenly opened and a man came out – short, partially bald and almost cowering in his wish not to be seen.

‘Hello,’ Matt said, stepping into his path and flashing his ID. ‘You’ve just come from Kelsey Smith’s flat?’

‘Yes, why? What do you want?’ he replied nervously, clearly wanting to be on his way.

‘Can I have your name, please?’ Matt asked.

‘Alan.’

‘Alan what?’

‘Stevens.’

‘Are you a friend of Kelsey’s?’

‘Sort of. Why?’

‘She’s reported her child missing,’ Beth said.

‘Oh. She didn’t mention it to me.’

‘Any idea where she could be?’ Matt asked.

‘No, of course not. The kid’s usually at school when I visit.’

‘How well do you know Kelsey?’ Beth asked.

‘Not very. I see her for an hour every so often.’ His cheeks flushed red.

‘We may need to talk to you again,’ Matt said, taking out his notebook and pen. ‘Full name and contact details, please.’

‘Do I have to?’ Alan asked Beth. ‘My wife doesn’t know I’m here.’

‘Naughty boy,’ Matt said.

‘If we do need to call you, we will be discreet,’ Beth reassured him, and waited as he reluctantly gave his full name, address and mobile number to Matt. ‘Thank you.’

‘Goodbye, Alan,’ Matt said, watching him scuttle off to the lift. Then to Beth, ‘Unbelievable! Her kid is missing and she’s still having punters in.’

‘I know.’ Beth shook her head.

The door to Kelsey’s flat had remained open and Kelsey now came out. ‘I thought I heard voices. Have you found Leila?’

‘Not yet,’ Beth replied. ‘Let’s go inside and we’ll have a chat and take a few details.’

‘But I told the woman on the phone everything I know. You should be out looking for Leila, not talking to me.’

‘We are looking for her,’ Beth said. ‘But it will help if you can give us some background information. You know the routine by now.’

Kelsey sighed, and led the way into her flat.

‘You didn’t bring Alan in here then?’ Matt said dryly, surveying the mess in the living room

‘None of your business,’ Kelsey replied. ‘I’ve still got to earn a living.’

Beth shot Matt a warning glance. She’d worked with him before and they got on well, but subtlety wasn’t his strong point, which was why she usually led the questioning in sensitive cases such as these.

‘Is there anyone else in the flat?’ Beth asked, moving clutter off the sofa so she could sit down.

‘No. Just me.’

Matt positioned himself by the window so he could see their car. Kelsey looked dreadful, Beth thought – worse than she had the last time she’d seen her, when neighbours had reported a domestic incident.

‘Can I make you a cup of tea?’ Beth offered.

‘Nah, I just want you to find Leila,’ Kelsey said pitifully. ‘I’m sure something bad has happened to her this time.’

‘What makes you say that?’ Beth asked. ‘I mean, she has gone missing before.’

‘But not for this long, and this time she’s gone off with a man. I don’t know who he is.’

‘OK. Let’s start from the beginning,’ Beth said, taking out her notebook and pen. ‘When was the last time you saw Leila?’

‘Yesterday, I think.’

‘When yesterday?’

‘Morning, I think.’

‘But you’re not sure?’

‘No.’ Kelsey rubbed her finger over her forehead, leaving an impression on her dry skin. ‘The thing is, if I’m asleep Leila knows to get herself off to school, so I don’t always see her in the morning.’

‘Was she in school yesterday?’

‘I think so.’

‘She was,’ Matt replied. ‘I checked.’

‘So if you’re not sure you saw her in the morning, when did you last see her?’

‘The evening before, I guess. Yes, I’m sure she was in all evening and so was I.’

Beth made a note while thinking that an eight-year-old should be in every evening, especially in winter when it was cold and dark out. ‘And how did Leila seem the last time you saw her?’

‘OK, I guess.’

‘Was she happy or did she seem quiet? Maybe worried about something?’

Kelsey shrugged. ‘She seemed normal to me.’

‘Talk me through the last time you saw Leila,’ Beth said.

‘The little buggers!’ Matt shouted and opened the window. ‘Clear off! Or I’ll be straight down to arrest the lot of you!’

Beth returned her attention to Kelsey, who was clearly struggling to remember. ‘I think Leila went to school yesterday as normal but didn’t come home. She likes to play out, so I wasn’t worried to start with.’

‘Where were you?’ Beth asked.

‘Here. I had a client in if you must know, so it was better Leila stayed away from the flat.’

‘OK,’ Beth said non-judgementally. ‘What time were you expecting Leila home?’

Kelsey shrugged. ‘When it suited her, I guess, but not ever so late.’

‘Five o’clock? Six? Seven? Later?’ Beth prompted.

‘Yeah, I guess around seven.’

‘But you’re not sure?’ Matt put in.

‘No. The thing is, I lose track of time and I don’t always remember things right.’

‘Were you using yesterday?’ Matt asked.

Kelsey looked at Beth as she replied. ‘A bit. I’d had a bad day, so I needed something. I remember now. I went down to buy some stuff as soon as the lads were there. So it would have been around seven o’clock. I asked them if they’d seen Leila, but they hadn’t.’

‘Then what?’ Beth asked as she wrote.

‘I came back here.’

‘And?’ Beth prompted.

‘I used some stuff, had a glass of vodka, then I must have crashed out around ten. I had a rough night. I dreamt I heard Leila laughing and a man’s voice that sounded familiar, but when I woke she still wasn’t here. That’s when I got worried and went out looking for her. It was very cold.’

‘So what time was that?’ Beth asked, glancing up from writing.

‘Four o’clock,’ Kelsey admitted quietly.

‘Four in the morning?’ Beth asked, unable to hide her shock. Kelsey nodded. ‘You didn’t think to call the police then?’

‘No, I thought Leila was staying out to punish me.’

‘Why would she do that?’ Matt asked, keeping one eye on their car below.

‘Because I’m a crap mother,’ Kelsey snapped, ‘as you well know.’

Beth felt sorry for her. However lacking Kelsey was, she hadn’t intended her life to be like this. There were so many on the estate like her struggling with addiction. ‘So at four o’clock this morning you went out looking for Leila. Where?’

‘Around the estate. I walked all round the ring road. I couldn’t see her, so I knocked on Goodman’s door. You know, that old bat whose home overlooks the play area. She doesn’t miss a thing.’

Beth nodded. She knew Mrs Goodman. ‘Did you speak to her?’

‘Yeah. She was in her dressing gown, but she answered the door pretty quickly, so I guessed she was already up. She gave me a lecture and then said she’d seen Leila in the play area go off with a man a little after six. I wasn’t worried to begin with. I knew Leila wouldn’t go with a stranger, so I guessed Brooke had reported me to the social services like she’d threatened, and it was our social worker, Peter Harris, who’d taken her. But when I phoned him this morning he said he hadn’t seen Leila.’

‘We’ve spoken to Peter Harris,’ Beth said. ‘Who’s Brooke?’

‘My neighbour, Brooke Adams.’

Beth nodded as she made a note and then looked up. ‘Can you think of anywhere Leila might have gone?’

‘Nah, that’s the thing. If Leila isn’t in school and our social worker hasn’t taken her, I don’t know where she can be. I found her on the estate before. I wondered if she could be at a friend’s house.’

‘We’ll be speaking to the school again,’ Beth said. ‘Do you know the names of her friends?’

Kelsey shook her head.

‘What was Leila wearing?’

‘Her school uniform, I guess. I didn’t see her leave, but she must have it on. It’s not here.’

‘Has she taken anything else with her? Clothes, money, her hairbrush, toothbrush?’

‘I don’t think so.’

‘Have you checked?’

‘Not really.’

‘We’ll have a look together in a moment,’ Beth said sensitively. ‘We’ll need to have a look around anyway.’

‘She’s not here,’ Kelsey said.

‘I know, but we need to see for ourselves. Then, once we’ve finished here, DC Davis and I will speak to Mrs Goodman and other neighbours. A lot of flats overlook the children’s play area so hopefully others will have seen Leila and may even know where she is. We’ll also talk to the lads you bought from last night. They might have seen or heard something. Mike Doherty and Jason O’Leary, was it?’ It was their patch.

‘Yeah. That ugly bastard Kevin Bates was there too, giving me grief. He said nasty things about Leila.’ All these lads were known to the police.

‘What did Kevin Bates say?’ Beth asked as she wrote.

‘That I was too old for him but Leila wasn’t. I don’t think he meant anything by it – he’s not like that – he was just being his usual nasty self.’

‘We’ll speak to him,’ Beth said. ‘But try not to worry. I’m sure Leila will turn up soon. She usually does.’

Kelsey shrugged despondently. ‘That kid gives me a lot of trouble, but I do miss her.’

‘I’m sure you do,’ Beth said. ‘Let’s have a look around the flat now then.’

‘I’ll stay here and keep an eye on the car,’ Matt said.

Beth checked the kitchen first, opening and closing the cupboard doors, as Kelsey looked on. Then she went down the hall to Leila’s bedroom. Beth knew the layout of the flat from being here before. As well as Leila going missing in the past, neighbours had reported disturbances coming from Kelsey’s flat. Kelsey seemed to attract trouble like a magnet. It really was no place for a kid.

Leila’s room was in just as much of a mess as the rest of the flat and Beth had to step over the rubbish on the floor. Crisp and biscuit packets, empty cartons of Pot Noodles, fizzy-drink cans and other stuff that should have been thrown away, all left where they had fallen. As Kelsey watched, Beth opened Leila’s wardrobe door, but apart from a broken child’s scooter dumped in the bottom, it was empty. The few clothes Leila possessed seemed to be scattered on the floor and bed.

‘Was she wearing a coat over her school uniform?’ Beth asked.

‘She must have, it’s not here. It’s a navy zip-up jacket.’

‘And her school bag?’

‘Yes, she must have that too.’

Beth’s thoughts flashed back to her own mother, who had lovingly seen her off to school at the door every morning with a hug and a kiss even when she was a teenager. This poor child just had to get on with it.

To the right of the wardrobe was a small chest of drawers. Beth pulled open the top drawer. It was crammed full of packets of sweets and chocolate novelties, doubtless stolen. The second drawer contained packets of unopened biscuits and three new ladies’ watches.

‘Well, I can’t keep tabs on her the whole time,’ Kelsey said defensively.

Beth didn’t comment. They could check out the watches another time. Completing the missing persons’ procedure was their first priority. The bottom drawer contained a torn colouring book, a small packet of crayons and a couple of broken plastic dolls, their limbs separated from their bodies. It was a sad reflection of the poor kid’s life, Beth thought – stealing, squirrelling away food, with a nodding glance at childhood.

‘What shoes was she wearing?’ Beth asked.

‘Black trainers, same as usual. That’s the only pair that fit her.’

‘Has she taken her nightwear?’

‘No, it’s there.’

‘So apart from her school uniform, coat, trainers and school bag, you can’t see anything else missing?’ Beth asked, turning to Kelsey.

But Kelsey was preoccupied, pulling the covers off the bed, checking under the pillow and on the floor, looking for something. ‘Her teddy bear, Buttons, isn’t here,’ she said anxiously.

‘Perhaps Leila took it to school with her.’

‘Nah, they’re not allowed toys in school.’

‘Could it be in one of the other rooms?’ Beth asked. The flat was in such a state you’d be hard pushed to find anything.

‘No. Leila always kept it on her bed. She can’t go to sleep without it.’

‘Let’s check in the other rooms anyway,’ Beth said, taking the missing bear seriously. If Leila had taken the bear with her, it suggested that her leaving had been premeditated, which raised the search to a whole new level. She could be miles away by now. ‘What does the bear look like?’

‘It’s about this big,’ Kelsey said, moving her hands apart, ‘and it has a red coat with lots of buttons on it.’

‘Matt!’ Beth called as they crossed the hall to Kelsey’s bedroom. ‘Can you have a look in the living room for a teddy bear wearing a red coat?’

‘Will do,’ he returned.

Beth found that Kelsey’s bedroom was much tidier than the other rooms – possibly, she thought, because this was the only room the clients saw. Kelsey straightened the duvet as Beth checked in the wardrobe and then under the bed.

‘There’s no bear in here,’ Matt called from the living room. ‘In fact, there aren’t any toys at all.’

‘Thank you,’ Beth replied, then said to Kelsey, ‘So we’ll assume Leila has the bear with her when we put out her missing-person appeal.’

‘But it doesn’t make sense,’ Kelsey said, rubbing her forehead again. ‘Leila would never have taken it to school because she’d know it would be confiscated until the end of the day. She must have come back for it, but when? And then what happened?’

‘That’s exactly what we’re hoping to find out,’ Beth said.

EIGHT

‘We’ll speak to Mrs Goodman first, then go to the school, and on to see Bates,’ Beth said as she and Matt returned to their car. ‘Perhaps the children in Leila’s class know something. Kelsey is adamant that Leila must have returned to the flat at some point and taken her teddy bear. Leila may have confided in a friend at school what she was up to.’

‘But if Leila was planning to run away, surely she would have taken other things too – clothes and money? She’s pretty savvy and would know a bear wasn’t going to get her very far.’

‘Matt, she’s eight years old. Kids her age don’t think like that. She will have homed in on her most treasured possession, especially if she was short of time. Kelsey says Leila always sleeps with the bear. It’s comforting for her. It would have been her main priority.’

Beth started the car and pulled away. Although Doris Goodman’s flat was only on the other side of the play area – a two-minute walk – it made sense to keep the car close. School finished soon and teenagers unleashed from a day of having to do as they were told liked nothing better than to vent their frustration on a police car.

‘From the timescale Kelsey gave us,’ Beth continued, ‘Leila must have returned to the flat and taken the bear between ten o’clock on Tuesday evening and four this morning while Kelsey was asleep. Either that or she returned to the flat while her mother was out looking for her, but I don’t think that’s likely. It would suggest Leila was close by all that time, watching her mother and waiting for the opportunity. A child of her age wouldn’t have that sort of patience.’

‘I don’t know much about kids,’ Matt said.

‘No,’ Beth agreed and threw him a look. ‘So for now we’ll go with the assumption that Leila returned to the flat between ten and four while Kelsey slept, which means she was still in the area.’

‘Unless the bear vanished ages ago and Kelsey just didn’t notice, like she didn’t notice when her daughter was missing,’ Matt said.

‘It’s quite possible,’ Beth conceded.

Doris Goodman’s clean and recently painted front door opened even before Beth had finished parking. It was one of the few properties on the estate that had been bought by the tenant and was therefore privately owned and maintained. ‘She doesn’t miss much, does she?’ Matt said.

‘Hopefully not. At present she’s all we have, and the last person we know to have seen Leila.’

‘Good afternoon, Mrs Goodman,’ Matt said as he and Beth crossed the narrow strip of grass that separated her maisonette from the road.

‘I’ve been expecting you.’

‘Have you?’ Beth asked, mildly surprised.

‘I assume you’re here about the break-in at number fifteen. Unfortunately I can’t be of much help. I heard the glass break but that was all. I didn’t see anything.’

‘Uniform will be dealing with that,’ Matt said. ‘We’ll pass on what you said. We’re actually here about Leila Smith.’

‘Oh really?’ Mrs Goodman looked surprised.

‘Can we come in?’ Beth asked. Most residents on the estate wouldn’t be seen dead talking to the police and couldn’t get them inside quickly enough, but Doris revelled in it. She liked everyone to know what a good relationship she had with the local police and that if anyone crossed her, they’d feel the full force of the law. It seemed to work, for despite her maisonette being on the ground floor, it had never been burgled, unlike many on the Hawthorn Estate.

Beth and Matt followed Doris into her living room. It was at the front of the property and reserved for adult guests only. As usual it was spotlessly clean and meticulously tidy: scatter cushions were aligned on the sofa, the glass-topped coffee table gleamed and dozens of china ornaments sparkled in the display cabinet. The children she made meals for weren’t allowed in this room but ate and played in the kitchen-diner at the rear, where there was a dining table, chairs and beanbags. Matt and Beth had seen the rest of the property when they’d had to search it last year. Another kid had run off and her father was adamant Mrs Goodman was harbouring her, which she wasn’t.

Matt took the armchair by the window so he could watch their car.

‘Leila Smith is missing,’ Beth said, sitting at one end of the sofa as Mrs Goodman sat at the other. ‘We’ve just come from seeing her mother, Kelsey. It appears you were the last person to see Leila.’

‘So she really is missing?’ Doris asked, clearly shocked.

‘It would seem so. Did you doubt it then?’ Beth asked, opening her notebook.

‘I assumed she would be back by now. She’s never gone missing for this long before.’

‘No. Kelsey said you saw Leila in the play area yesterday evening and that she left with a man.’

‘Yes. It would have been around six. I assumed it was her mother’s boyfriend or a client and she couldn’t be bothered to collect her daughter herself.’ She pursed her lips in disapproval.

‘Have you ever seen this man before?’ Beth asked.

‘No.’

‘Can you give us a description?’

‘He was of average height and build and was wearing a coat. Sorry, it was dark, and I didn’t really take much notice.’

‘Approximate age?’ Beth asked. Doris shook her head. ‘Was he in his twenties? Thirties? Fifties or older?’

‘Early fifties I would say, but I’m not sure.’

‘Was he wearing a hat, scarf or gloves?’ Beth tried, making a note of what Doris had said.

‘I don’t think so.’

‘Was he carrying anything?’

‘Not as far as I could see, but it was dark. The lighting there is very poor. It’s something the council needs to address.’ She fidgeted with the cuffs on her cardigan as Beth wrote.

‘Did Leila appear to go with the man willingly or was she reluctant?’

‘He said a few words to her and she went off – happily, I thought.’

‘In which direction?’

‘I don’t know, I just saw them leave the play area.’

Beth nodded. ‘How long was Leila in the play area for?’

‘She arrived at the end of school just after three-thirty, as she often does, and was there until that man took her at six-ish. It was cold and I went out a few times and asked her if she wanted to come in and have something to eat. She said she wasn’t allowed to. Her mother had told her that if she did, I’d phone the social services and she’d be put into care. That’s what I call selfish, and I’m not the only one who thinks that around here.’

‘What was Leila doing all that time she was in the play area?’ Beth asked as Matt flicked the net curtain for a better view of their car.

‘Same as usual,’ Doris replied. ‘Rocking on the swing, sitting on the roundabout, talking to the older lads. I worry Leila will end up like some of the others here: pregnant at fifteen.’

‘Did Leila have anything with her?’

‘Just her school bag. You know, one of those reading folders with the school’s logo on it. All the kids from the school seem to have one.’

‘She wasn’t carrying a teddy bear?’ Beth asked.

‘Not that I could see. Why?’

‘It’s missing.’

‘Perhaps it was in her school bag.’

‘It’s too big.’ Beth paused. ‘You said you assumed the man who took Leila was known to Kelsey, and that she’d sent him to collect Leila. Has she ever done that before?’

Doris thought for a moment. ‘No, not as far as I can remember.’

‘So why would you think that was the case yesterday evening?’ Beth asked, puzzled. Matt looked at her.

Doris Goodman seemed to falter and took a moment to reply. ‘I’m not sure, really. It was just something that crossed my mind.’

‘Interesting,’ Matt said. ‘I wonder why you’d make that assumption rather than being worried that Leila had gone off with a complete stranger.’

‘I suppose because Leila was smiling as if she knew the man. If she’d been reluctant to go with him, I would have obviously been worried and called the police immediately.’

‘Yes, of course,’ Beth said as she finished writing. ‘Thank you.’

‘Will that be all?’ Doris Goodman asked. ‘Only I have to go out shortly.’

‘Yes, for now. If you do remember anything else, please call us straight away.’

‘I will.’ Doris stood and saw them out.

The door closed quickly behind them.

‘I think she’s losing her touch,’ Matt said as they returned to the car. ‘She could see the emblem on Leila’s school folder and that she was smiling, but she can’t give a description of the guy beyond average height and build.’

‘In fairness to her it was dark,’ Beth replied. ‘But at least her account confirms what Kelsey told us. And it seems Leila knew her abductor.’

‘Or he used the ploy of telling her he was a friend of her mother’s and she’d sent him to collect her,’ Matt suggested.

‘Yes, indeed,’ Beth agreed as they got into the car. ‘Next stop the school, then check the sex offenders’ register for those living in the area, including Kelsey’s client, Alan Stevens.’

‘I’ll update the boss,’ Matt said. ‘Uniform will need to start knocking on doors.’ He glanced up at the rows of windows overlooking the play area as Beth started the car. ‘Someone in those flats must surely have seen Leila leave with that guy.’

‘Let’s hope so,’ Beth said. ‘We haven’t got much to go on at present.’

NINE

Colin could smell excrement as soon as he walked into his flat. The stench was unmistakable, and it wasn’t coming from dog shit on his shoe. Dropping the carrier bags of groceries in the hall, he unlocked the bedroom door.

‘Jesus! Couldn’t you have waited until I got back and used the bathroom?’ The smell was overpowering.

‘No!’ Leila shouted angrily. ‘I had to go and there was no toilet paper. I hate being shut in here. I want to go home now! I don’t want to play any more.’

She was off the bed in a second and running towards the door. He grabbed her just in time and held her fast as she struggled and lashed out, surprisingly strong for a child. ‘I want to go home!’ she cried.

He put his hand over her mouth. ‘Shut up. You can’t go home. Your mother doesn’t want you.’

She bit his hand.

‘Ouch, you little cow!’ He went to slap her face, but she pulled out of reach.

Still struggling, she began to scream and he clamped his hand over her mouth again. ‘Shut up!’ he hissed. ‘Someone will hear you.’

She kept struggling, then suddenly she went floppy. He took his hand from her mouth and she gasped for breath. ‘I couldn’t breathe, you idiot!’

‘So don’t scream.’ Perhaps he’d overdone it. She’d gone very pale. ‘Sit on the bed and take a few deep breaths,’ he said more gently.

He guided her to the bed and waited until her breathing eased and the colour returned to her cheeks. Cupping her chin with his fingers he raised her head so she was looking directly up at him. ‘Leila, you need to learn to do as I say. It’s for your own good. Do you understand?’ She stared back at him, wide-eyed and fearful. ‘You’re not living with your mother now. You’ve been saved from that life, it’s ended, but we need a few ground rules here. Are you listening to me?’

She managed a small nod.

‘Good. No kicking, screaming or biting,’ he said. ‘Only animals bite. You will do as I say while I am acting as your parent. I am all you have for now. Consider yourself lucky you have this chance of a new start. In future you will use the bathroom before I go to work and then again when I come home. Understood?’

‘But what if I can’t wait?’ Leila asked, her voice slight.

‘You’re a big girl, you can wait. It’s not nice for me to come home and find this disgusting mess, so it won’t happen again.’

Leila gave another small nod. ‘Excellent. Good girl. You will empty the potty. Clean it well. I made a mistake in buying that. But I am learning about looking after children, just as you are learning what it is to have a responsible parent. Once the potty is clean, you can clear up the mess in this room. I don’t want to come home and find it like this again.’

‘What’s my mummy doing?’ Leila asked in the same small voice.

‘I’ve no idea. Why would you want to know that?’

‘I heard her crying before you came in.’

He glanced up at the ceiling. It was quiet up there now, but if Leila had heard her mother then it was possible Kelsey could hear Leila.

‘You didn’t make any noise while I was out, did you?’ he asked with a stab of fear. ‘I warned you what would happen if you did.’

‘No, but someone came to your door so I hid under the bed like you told me to.’

His lips curled into a smile. ‘Good girl, you’ve done well. But how did that doll get broken?’ His gaze went to the smashed doll and his smiled vanished.

‘I dropped it by accident,’ Leila stammered.

‘Are you sure? You wouldn’t tell me a lie, would you?’

‘No. Really.’

‘And you didn’t make a noise all day?’

Leila shook her head.

‘Good. Because if you do make a noise, I’ll have to tape your mouth shut and tie you up each time I leave the flat, and that wouldn’t be very nice for either of us, would it?’

‘No.’ Her voice trembled.

‘Excellent. Now off you go. Empty that potty and then clear up in here while I make us dinner.’

Leila obediently went to the potty. ‘Careful you don’t slop it,’ he called after her. ‘Or you’ll have more cleaning to do.’

He followed her out of the bedroom and, as she went into the bathroom, he turned the key in the front door and put the key into his trouser pocket. Just in case she had any more thoughts about leaving. He wasn’t sure he could trust her any more. Picking up the carrier bags, he went through to the kitchen and began unpacking the groceries. The toilet flushed and then he heard water running as Leila washed out the potty. He’d give it a good clean with disinfectant later to make sure. He couldn’t stand the thought of dirt or germs.

Perhaps he was expecting too much of the child, Colin wondered as he began preparing dinner. It was early days for both of them. They had a lot of adjusting to do and he should try to be more patient and understanding. Once they’d eaten, they’d feel better. Roast chicken, potatoes and fresh vegetables – a proper meal, like the ones his father used to cook for him. But unlike his father he wouldn’t force Leila to eat every last scrap – even the fat and gristle on the meat, which had made him gag.

Once they’d eaten, they would play the games he’d bought specially: Scrabble, cards and Cluedo. They’d have fun. He could picture it. Unlike in his home where there’d been no games or laughter, just routine and discipline. As an only child, most of his free time had been spent in his bedroom playing by himself. In his imaginary games he cast himself as the hero rescuing lost and lonely children. And now he was doing it in real life. The irony didn’t escape him. To finish the evening, he’d read Leila a bedtime story and tuck her into bed. The perfect ending to what eventually would become another perfect day.

Strange the way things worked out, he thought as he placed the meal in the oven. Who would have ever guessed that at his age he’d find a partner and have a family!

TEN

‘You should eat something,’ Sharon said with a sigh, placing the tray on her sister’s lap. ‘It used to be your favourite. Cream of tomato soup with bread in it.’

‘It’s not food I need,’ Kelsey said wretchedly. ‘I need something to help me get through this.’ Her fingers shook as she steadied the tray.

‘You’re not using while I’m here,’ Sharon said sharply. ‘You know my views on drugs. And supposing the police look in again later like they told you they would and find you’re off your head. That would end any chance of you keeping Leila.’

‘I’ve had my last chance and I blew it,’ Kelsey said wretchedly. ‘When they find Leila she’ll go straight into care and then be adopted like my other kids, and that will be the last I’ll see of her.’

‘You don’t know that for certain,’ Sharon said. ‘You can’t be held responsible for a man taking Leila away.’

‘Oh, come off if,’ Kelsey snapped. ‘Get real. I left Leila in the play area all evening and didn’t realize she was missing until fucking four o’clock this morning! Then what do I do? I go back to bed and don’t report her missing for another six hours! Nice of you to be on my side, sis, but it’s not helping. This really is the end of the road for me being a mother. And I don’t want this soup either.’ She put the tray on the floor. ‘All I wanted was to have a family and give my kids what we didn’t have. But I’ve made a complete fuck-up of it. You’ve got a career, your own house and car.’

‘But no children,’ Sharon pointed out.

‘You didn’t want any, did you? I mean, I know you’ve offered to take Leila in the past, but that’s just you being nice, isn’t it?’

‘To be honest, after what our step-father did to you I was too wary to let any man close enough to start a proper relationship, let alone have kids with them,’ Sharon said.

‘Clearly I wasn’t,’ Kelsey replied cynically, with a humourless laugh. ‘I had the men and kids easy enough, but then I needed drugs to shut out the past.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Sharon said, touching her sister’s arm. ‘I know we agreed not to talk about it, but I do feel responsible. I always have. It’s a massive burden for me to carry because I know deep down you must resent me. You put up with his abuse for all those years so he would leave me alone.’

‘Of course I don’t resent you, you daft cow. You were my little sister. Mum didn’t want to know what was going on and there was no one else to take care of us. You’d have done the same for me.’

There was silence before Sharon said, ‘And now I can repay you. I have the feeling this is going to turn out better than you think.’

‘I doubt it,’ Kelsey said. ‘It’s going to take more than your wishful thinking to bring Leila back and wipe out everything I’ve done wrong. Where do you think she could be?’

‘I don’t know, but I’m certain she won’t come to any harm.’

A knock sounded on the door and Sharon stood to answer it.

‘If it’s one of my clients, tell them I’m not open for business right now,’ Kelsey called after her.

She heard the door open and then a male voice say, ‘DC Matt Davis and Beth Mayes.’

‘I’m Kelsey’s sister. Any news?’ Sharon asked. ‘Come in.’

They appeared in the living room.

‘Sorry, we’ve interrupted your meal,’ Beth said, seeing the bowl of soup on the tray. Matt positioned himself by the window. ‘I take it Leila hasn’t been in touch?’ Beth asked.

‘No, and she hasn’t got a phone. The school saw to that!’

‘She could have got a friend to call you,’ Beth suggested.

‘Well, she hasn’t.’

‘Won’t you sit down?’ Sharon asked, making room on a chair.

‘Thank you. We won’t stay for long,’ Beth replied. ‘I just wanted to give you an update. And to let you know we’re doing everything we can to find Leila.’

Kelsey snorted with derision while Sharon said a polite ‘Thank you’.

‘We’ve spoken to Miss Baker, the Head of Leila’s school,’ Beth continued. ‘If Leila hasn’t been found by tomorrow, she will address the whole school in assembly, and explain that Leila is missing and if anyone knows where she might be or has seen her to tell a teacher.’

‘I hope that old bat of a Head is feeling guilty,’ Kelsey snapped. ‘If she’d let Leila have a phone in school none of this would have happened.’

‘Sshh,’ Sharon silenced her sister.

‘Well, it’s true,’ Kelsey retaliated.

‘We’ve got officers knocking on doors all over the estate,’ Beth continued. ‘Many of the flats overlook the play area so it’s likely someone else saw Leila leave with the man, apart from Mrs Goodman. Unfortunately her description wasn’t that detailed.’

‘What did she say?’ Sharon asked.

‘Only that the man who took Leila was of average height and build and wearing a coat. However, the important part is that Leila appeared to know him. Can you think of anyone it could be?’ Beth asked, looking at both sisters.

‘No,’ Sharon said, ‘but I don’t know many people around here.’

‘He might not be from here,’ Matt put in.

‘I don’t know any of my sister’s friends,’ Sharon corrected. ‘And that description could fit thousands of men.’

Beth concentrated on Kelsey. ‘What about you? Can you think of someone who might fit that description?’

Kelsey shook her head. ‘Like Sharon says, it could be anyone.’

‘We’ll need a list of your clients with their contact details,’ Beth said to Kelsey.

‘You’ve gotta be kidding me!’

‘No. We’re working on the assumption that the man Leila went with was someone she knew, so it’s important you’re honest. We’re especially interested in the men who visited you here at the flat so very likely know you have a child, maybe have even met Leila.’

‘I don’t keep the blokes’ names and addresses,’ Kelsey said. ‘I’m lucky if they give me a first name.’

‘So how do they get in contact with you?’ Beth asked.

‘They text my mobile,’ she said.

‘So can you provide us with a list of their phone numbers?’

Kelsey looked sceptical.

‘Yes, we will,’ Sharon said. ‘I’ll see to it.’

‘Thank you,’ Beth said. ‘We won’t contact them yet. Most missing persons are found within forty-eight hours, but if Leila isn’t found tomorrow, we’ll escalate the search. We’ll put out a missing person’s appeal on the news with a description of what she was wearing and the missing teddy bear. We’ll use her recent school photograph – Miss Baker gave us a copy. I assume the bear hasn’t turned up?’

Kelsey shook her head.

‘We’re going to speak to Mike Doherty and Jason O’Leary shortly and see what they know. Are you staying with your sister?’ Beth asked Sharon.

‘Just for the evening, then I have to go home. I work full-time, but Kelsey knows she can call me whenever she wants.’

Beth nodded and looked at Kelsey. ‘Would you like a family liaison officer to stay with you for support?’

Kelsey stifled a laugh. ‘A copper staying in my flat! That’ll be good for business.’

Sharon rolled her eyes and sighed.

‘It’s something you can think about,’ Beth said evenly. ‘Here’s my card.’ She handed it to Kelsey. ‘Call or text me if you think of anything that might help.’

‘We will,’ Sharon said, taking the card from her sister. ‘Thank you for your time.’

As Sharon saw the officers out, Kelsey checked her phone, then pushed the tray of food out of reach with her foot. It was even more unappetizing now it was cold. The remaining gram of coke hidden in the bathroom was far more appealing: a small break from an otherwise shit life. But before she could have the coke, she’d have to get rid of her sister.

ELEVEN

On leaving Kelsey’s flat, Beth and Matt took the stairs, as the lift was stuck at the top floor. ‘Probably jammed open by vandals again,’ Beth said as they continued to walk down.

As they passed the corridor of the second floor they saw a uniformed officer knocking on residents’ doors. Seven in the evening was generally a good time to find people in, as those who were employed had usually returned from work and those with kids were home for the evening.

They nodded hello to the officer as they went by but didn’t speak. He was talking to a woman who’d just answered her door. They’d be told straight away if anything significant came to light, otherwise they’d be updated at the daily management meeting in the morning.

One of the lights in the stairwell wasn’t working, adding another layer of gloom to the flats. Outside it wasn’t any better. The estate was shrouded in a dank November mist.

‘Now to have a chat with Mike Doherty and Jason O’Leary,’ Matt said.

They were in their usual place on the other side of the play area, out of view from the entrance to the flats and the road but visible from the higher-level flats. Matt had seen them from Kelsey’s window. Their regulars knew where to find them. ‘We’ll leave the car here so we have the element of surprise,’ he added.

‘Agreed,’ Beth said.

Instead of walking in a straight line across the play area where their approach would be seen, Matt and Beth took the path that led to the left and came in behind the sheds housing the bins, in front of which Jason and Mike were dealing. The mist also helped conceal their arrival and, Jason and Mike, facing away and busy dealing, didn’t look round and see them until it was too late.

‘Gotcha,’ Matt said, grabbing Jason, the larger of the two, and forcing him into an arm lock up against the wall. ‘Shouldn’t you be at home doing your homework?’

Beth similarly forced Mike up against the wall. The other lads scattered and an approaching punter saw what was happening and turned and fled.

‘Get off, you’re hurting me,’ Jason groaned.

‘Sorry,’ Matt said, keeping on the pressure. ‘Would you like to empty your pockets or shall I?’

‘I’ll do it! Just get the fuck off me! You’re gonna break me bleeding arm.’

Matt released the pressure and turned Jason around so they were face to face, keeping his hands on his shoulders in case he tried to make a run for it.

‘Have you got anything on you?’ Beth asked Mike.

‘Nah.’

‘You won’t mind if I take a look then.’ She patted him down and took several packets of white powder out of his pockets. Matt was removing more drugs and a roll of bank notes from Jason’s pockets.

‘Why do you keep picking on us?’ Jason moaned. ‘The boss is gonna kill us this time.’

‘Nothing personal,’ Matt said. ‘It’s just that you’re on our patch and we don’t like what you do.’

‘Can I go now?’ Jason asked as Matt bagged up the drugs and money to take to the police station. ‘I promise I won’t do it again.’

Mike sniggered.

‘So you think it’s funny?’ Beth asked.

‘You know the procedure,’ Matt said, his hands still on Jason’s shoulders. ‘I’ll caution you and then we’ll take you to the police station and call your parents. But before we go, what do you know about Leila Smith’s disappearance?’

‘Nothing,’ Jason said with bravado.

‘What about you?’ Beth asked, turning Mike around to face her.

‘I don’t know nothing about anything,’ he replied.

‘Very true,’ Matt said dryly. ‘But you were both here last night around the time Leila went missing. You must have seen something – possibly saw her leaving with someone.’

‘No,’ Jason said. ‘Didn’t see a thing.’

‘Neither did I.’ Mike nodded in agreement.

‘And what about Kevin Bates?’ Matt asked, his hands still firmly on Jason’s shoulders.

‘Who?’ Jason asked, feigning ignorance.

‘He had a run-in with Kelsey last night,’ Matt said.

‘Did he? Wouldn’t know. Didn’t see anything,’ Jason returned.

‘Nah. That’s right,’ Mike agreed. ‘We didn’t.’

‘Do you know where Bates is now?’ Matt asked.

‘At home, doing his school work,’ Jason replied cockily. Mike sniggered again.

‘Got more sense than you two then,’ Beth said. ‘You’re off for an uncomfortable night in the police cell.’ She began cautioning Mike as Matt did the same with Jason. ‘You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.’

TWELVE

As Mike Doherty and Jason O’Leary were being arrested, Colin sat in his flat, disillusioned and deep in thought, an unread newspaper on his lap. The kid was hard work, he had to admit. Far more demanding than he’d ever imagined a kid of her age could be, especially a girl. He’d assumed Leila would be grateful for a warm home and decent meals – somewhere she was safe and well looked after. Not so. She was sulky and uncooperative, and complained about everything: having to clear up, not being able to watch television, not liking the dinner he’d made. She’d refused point blank to help him wash the dishes or play the games he’d bought specially for her.

He felt hurt after all the trouble he’d gone to and had told her so – that he’d looked forward to the two of them sitting together like father and daughter and playing a game. She’d laughed, which had made him angry, so he’d grabbed her by the arm and shouted that she was an ungrateful brat and it was little wonder her mother didn’t want her. She’d started to cry then, and he had felt bad. It brought back unhappy memories of the times his father had hit him and made him cry.

He’d tried to make it up to her and went to give her a cuddle, but she’d pulled away and called him a pervert. That had made him even more angry – some of the kids on the estate called him a pervert – so he’d slapped her. Not hard, but enough to leave a red mark. She had to learn! That was the problem with children today. No discipline. Spare the rod and spoil the child had been his father’s motto, and he hadn’t spared Colin at all.

He’d sent Leila to her bedroom for a cooling-off period and to give him a chance to read the paper as he liked to do in the evening. But he couldn’t concentrate. He turned a page, then started as a knock sounded on his front door. A firm and insistent knock that expected a response. He glanced at his watch. It was seven-thirty. Who on earth could it be? He never had visitors, just salespeople trying to sell him something. Hopefully they would go away.

He kept very quiet and still, praying Leila wouldn’t make a noise. She knew what would happen if she did. There it was again. Another knock as firm as the first, then a female voice: ‘Police. I’d like to talk to you. You haven’t done anything wrong.’

His heart began drumming loudly and sweat pricked the back of his neck. What to do? The lights were on in his flat. He couldn’t just ignore them and sit it out.

He stood and took a couple of steps across the living room. The police – yes, it would make sense that they were knocking on all the residents’ doors, asking them what they knew. He’d seen them on the estate when he’d come back from work. If he didn’t answer they would come back later or another day when only Leila was in or wasn’t so quiet. Better to deal with it now.

He glanced around the living room, checking nothing of Leila’s was in view from the door, and went down the hall. ‘I’m coming!’ he called. ‘Just a minute, I was in the shower.’ Was his voice steady? He thought so.

He quietly opened Leila’s bedroom door. She was standing in the centre of the room, staring at him, petrified. ‘Don’t tie me up,’ she pleaded. ‘I won’t make a noise, I promise.’

‘So you know what to do when someone comes to the door. Come on, hurry up,’ he hissed.

Leila immediately dropped to her knees and scrambled under the bed, sliding the door of the storage compartment closed. He went over and adjusted the bed covers so they were over the doors. He picked up Leila’s teddy bear and nightwear and threw them in the wardrobe. If the police did come in, he’d say his niece stayed with him sometimes. With a final glance around he went quickly into the bathroom where he rubbed cold water into his hair to make it look as though he’d been in the shower. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Colin opened the front door.

‘Sorry to keep you waiting. I was having a shower. How can I help you?’ He smiled politely at the uniformed officer as she flashed her ID.

‘We’re making door-to-door inquiries in connection with Leila Smith. She’s eight years old and went missing yesterday evening. She lives in the flat above you.’

He shook his head. ‘Sorry, I don’t know her. I’m out all day at work.’

‘Were you in yesterday evening?’

He paused to think. ‘Yes, from about five-thirty.’

‘Your flat is one of those that directly overlooks the play area from where Leila went missing. Do you remember seeing a child there, maybe talking to older children? She was wearing her school uniform and carrying a school bag and possibly a teddy bear.’

He shook his head slowly as if trying to recall anything that might be of help. ‘Sorry, no. I didn’t see her. I close the blinds once it’s dark outside.’

The police officer nodded. ‘OK, thank you. If you do remember anything, please contact Coleshaw Police Station.’

‘I will. I hope you find her safe and well soon. It must be very upsetting for her mother.’

‘It is.’ The officer paused.

What now? Had he said something wrong?

‘So you know the child’s mother is a single parent?’

‘Not really,’ he said with only the briefest of hesitations. ‘I just made that assumption. They’re mostly single mothers around here, so I assumed she was too.’

The officer nodded, apparently accepting this. ‘Thank you for your time. If you do think of anything, please get in touch.’

‘I will.’

Colin closed the door and leant against it, his heart racing and his knees weak. It was a stupid mistake to make, one that could have easily given him away – mother instead of parents. Another slip like that might jeopardize everything. Take it as a warning, he told himself, and be more careful in future. You’ve planned this in detail; don’t mess it up now. Thankfully he’d had the presence of mind to think on his feet and deal with it. He waited by the door a few moments longer and when he heard the officer leave his neighbour’s flat and move on again, he opened Leila’s door.

‘You can come out now,’ he said, taking a step in.

The doors beneath the bed slowly slid open and Leila crawled out and stood. ‘They’re looking for me,’ she said. ‘I heard. You said Mummy didn’t want me any more, but I think she does. The police are looking for me. I hate you. I want to go home now.’

‘Not possible,’ Colin said. ‘As I’ve told you before.’

‘I won’t tell anyone I was here. I promise. I’ll just say I ran away like I did before. They’ll believe me.’

Her plaintive, whiny voice irritated Colin.

‘Forget it. You’re not going home now or ever. You are part of my plan. You are going to have a much better life far away from here, and so am I. You’ll have a proper two-parent family who will take care of you and teach you right from wrong. In the meantime, it would be better if you and I got along, so do as I say. Understand?’

Leila gave a small nod.

‘Good, now let’s play one of those games I bought for you, like a proper father and daughter.’

He saw a look of defiance briefly cross Leila’s face, but only for a moment and then she clearly thought better of it. She gave another small nod.

‘Excellent, good choice. You see how much easier it is for us both when you do as you’re told? You’ll learn in time. We don’t want you ending up like your mother, do we?’

THIRTEEN

In the flat above Colin’s, Kelsey had succeeded in getting rid of her sister and was now looking forward to the remaining gram of coke to help ease the pain of everything that was wrong in her life. Worryingly for her, it would be her last until she could work again, and at present there was sod all chance of that happening. She was sure that none of her regulars would visit the flat while the police were swarming all over the estate. And she could hardly go out and work her usual patch under the bridge on the canal in case she was spotted or the police came back to find her gone. Decent parents didn’t give blow jobs while their kid was missing; they stayed at home waiting anxiously for any news. But, of course, she wasn’t a decent parent, as she’d been told plenty of times. Did she have anything more to lose? Probably not.

Kelsey looked at the packet of white powder and savoured the moment. Snort, smoke, ingest or inject it? The choice was hers. If it was as good as the last one, she’d be out of it for hours. Welcome to oblivion. She couldn’t wait. She picked up the packet and began to open it carefully. Her phone, on the sofa beside her, bleeped with a text message. Probably Sharon checking on her again to make sure she wasn’t using. She’d only been gone half an hour and she’d already texted twice.

But no, as Kelsey looked at her phone she saw the text wasn’t from her sister. The caller’s number hadn’t been recognized by her phone, so it wasn’t in her list of contacts. But the message was clear and just what she needed. On my way up now. Hope you’re ready for me!

Wonderful, she thought. Money on its way. It must be a client; it couldn’t be anyone else. Clearly she’d forgotten she was seeing someone tonight – not surprising with the worry of Leila going missing. Slightly odd that he wasn’t in her contact list, though. Perhaps he’d got a new phone. He clearly knew who she was and where she lived and had braved the police on the estate to come and see her. Must be keen, she thought, and her spirits rose. They were usually generous when they were desperate, and a bonus would be if he’d brought some coke with him to share. Some of her regulars did.

The doorbell rang – a short, firm blast. Tucking the small bag of white powder behind a cushion – she wouldn’t be sharing hers – Kelsey stood and smoothed her clothes. She would have liked to have showered, changed and cleaned her teeth first. She knew good hygiene and sexy clothes were important to most of her clients, but there wasn’t time for that now.

Going quickly down the hall, she went into her bedroom and straightened the duvet. The old sheets were still on, stained with blood and semen from the pig’s visit, but with the lights down low and what her client had on his mind, hopefully he wouldn’t notice. The bell rang again and Kelsey peered through the security spyhole. As often happened, her visitor was out of view. If they stood to the side, they weren’t in range. Setting her face to a seductive smile, Kelsey began to open the door.

It didn’t get wider than a few inches before it was slammed back into her face. Her nose burst and she staggered sideways. A man came in, looming large above her. Shit! She was in trouble now. It was the pig, her last client, the one she’d stolen money from.

‘No husband or mates on their way?’ he growled, kicking the door shut behind him. Kelsey turned to run but he grabbed her by the hair. She cried out in pain. ‘I doubt you even have a husband. Who’d want you? Slut! But we’ll check the flat to make sure.’

He was a big bloke, built like a house, his face scarred from his boxing days. He dragged her by the hair in and out of the rooms, checking the flat was empty. Kelsey tried to follow his movements by bending her neck to ease the pressure on her scalp. She had to take little running steps to keep up and held her hair to stop it from coming out.

‘This place is filthy, like you,’ he spat.

‘Sorry.’

He paused as they entered Leila’s bedroom and did a double take. ‘So you have a child. The poor kid. Where is she now?’

‘Missing. The police are looking for her. They could come back at any time.’

‘Yeah, and I’m the tooth fairy.’ He dragged her into the living room and threw her on the floor.

‘Didn’t you see all the police cars as you came in?’ she asked in desperation.

‘Shut up!’ He kicked her in the stomach and she squealed in pain.

‘Make a fool of me, would you? Forty quid you stole from me. Where is it?’

‘I haven’t got it, honest. You can check my purse.’

He grinned malevolently. ‘No need. You’re going to pay it back in kind, and with interest. It may take a while, and I like rough sex as you already know. But this is going to be rougher than you could ever imagine. I hope you’re up to it, but then again I’m not bothered if you’re not.’

Forcing Kelsey to her knees, he pulled the leather belt from his trousers and bound her arms tightly behind her back. He stood in front of her – legs slightly apart – and unzipped his trousers. ‘Payback time. Open wide. Deep throat.’ She gagged and tried to pull away, but he held her fast. ‘No one gets the better of me,’ he said. ‘As you’re about to find out.’

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