Chapter 11
Boyd drove back to the station, followed by Lottie in her own car. He was annoyed but he’d had no choice but to attend work following the host of missed calls and texts from Kirby.
He punched the hands-free. He needed to ensure the collection from the Healy office and house of phones, laptops, computers and anything else that warranted analysis.
Everything was to be handed over to the tech team once it had been swabbed and logged.
Lottie was sitting in her car, on the phone too.
When he’d finished he went over and stood waiting.
Lottie made sure McKeown had enough uniforms to check the woods surrounding the Healy house and to canvass the neighbours. When she hung up with him, she got out of the car to join Boyd just as her mobile rang.
The woman on the other end was hysterical, and Lottie tried to soothe her using a calm voice. As calm as she could muster once she realised she was talking to Sadie Clarke.
‘Back up a minute, please, Sadie. Take a deep breath. What’s happened?’
‘It’s Lily.’
‘Lily? Your daughter?’
‘Yes! Oh my God, she’s gone. She’s missing. I can’t find her. Do something.’
Could Sadie be mistaken? ‘Sit tight. I’ll be there in five.’
She hung up and said to Boyd, ‘We need to get to Newtown Road, and fast.’
As he drove, she felt the emotional distance between them like a never-ending yawn, but she hadn’t the headspace to bridge that gap. She had a triple murder to investigate and possibly a missing child. A ball of anxiety took root in the pit of her stomach.
‘What if this is connected to the murders, Boyd?’
He kept his eyes on the road as he manoeuvred through the town traffic. ‘No point in speculating. First we need to determine if the child is actually missing. She might have found out her friend was murdered and—’
‘How?’
‘Online, or her mother told her after you left. Something like that is traumatic for anyone, let alone a child. She’s most likely hiding someplace Sadie hasn’t yet checked.’
‘I hope you’re right.’
‘I’m always right.’
She caught the side of his slight grin and it warmed her heart.
But of course he wasn’t right.
Sadie Clarke looked nothing like the woman Lottie had met earlier that morning. Her eyes were red-rimmed, hair wild, and she had scratched welts into her arms where she was continuously rubbing them.
‘I don’t know what to do,’ she wailed.
‘Have you called your husband?’ Lottie asked.
‘Thomas is useless in a crisis. He’d make things worse. And he’ll blame me.’
‘Do you honestly think he’d do that?’
‘Of course. I’m here. Lily was here. He’s at work. Ergo she was my responsibility. It was my decision not to send her to school. Oh Christ, is this to do with what happened over at Caroline’s?’
Lottie tensed. ‘Don’t fret. We’ll have a look around. Did you notice anything missing from her room?’
‘Like what?’
‘A rucksack, maybe some personal items?’
‘You think she ran away?’
Lottie thought she saw a flicker of hope flashing in Sadie’s eyes. Running away was better than what had happened to Lily’s friend, wasn’t it?
‘I don’t know. Detective Sergeant Boyd will search outside, and I’ll take a quick look around Lily’s room. Show me the way.’
Lottie took Sadie by the elbow, steering her towards the impressive staircase while nodding at Boyd to do as she’d said.
Upstairs, Sadie led her into the girl’s room.
It looked like a normal twelve-year-old’s bolthole.
Untidy but clean. Clothes in a heap on the floor.
Books higgledy-piggledy on a small bookcase.
A variety of teddies stuffed into a corner of the room as if Lily didn’t want to look at them but still couldn’t part with them.
An iPad peeked out from under the pillow.
‘I’ll need to have this examined.’ Lottie put on gloves and picked up the iPad.
‘Take whatever you need to help find her.’
‘Has she a phone?’
‘Yes. I don’t see it here.’
‘She may have it with her.’
‘It’s never far from her hand. But I’ve tried to call and text and there’s no reply. It’s a basic model. God, you have to find her.’
‘Tell me about Lily. She was close to Freya?’
‘Yes, though Lily was more grown up in her ways. She persuaded me to get her hair cut into a bob. Her father threw a wobbly when he saw it.’
‘Did he row with her?’
‘Kind of. Nothing physical. He shouted at her. But that never bothers Lily. She’d recently abandoned wearing her nice bright clothes, opting instead for black leggings and baggy T-shirts.’
‘She’s twelve?’
‘I realise it’s a bit young for rebellion, but I kind of liked that she was becoming her own person.’
Lottie smiled. ‘Wait till she’s sixteen.’
‘I know! It’s going to be mental.’ Then Sadie’s face darkened as she stood at the window. ‘Please God nothing’s happened to her.’
Joining her at the window, Lottie noticed Boyd exit the garage, and peer over a blue gate. Trees lined the outer perimeter, similar to the Healys’ house. Then again, they were on the outskirts of Ragmullin, practically in the countryside.
He turned and glanced upwards. He must have caught sight of her, because he shook his head slowly and made his way back inside.
Visually examining the room once more, Lottie asked, ‘Anything amiss, Sadie?’
‘Not that I can see. She wasn’t as neat as she used to be. Suppose that’s part of growing up. Oh Christ, she better walk back through the door soon. And before her father gets home.’
‘Does he get angry often?’
Sadie bit her lip and shook her head. ‘Thomas is a good man. He just cares too much.’
‘Cares about what exactly?’
‘About us. His family,’ she said softly, and ran her hand over her daughter’s dressing table, a sliver of dust stuck to her fingers.
Lottie could see no sign of a struggle or that anything untoward had occurred in the room, though that wasn’t to say it hadn’t. She sincerely hoped Lily was simply grieving for her friend somewhere familiar and safe. She guided Sadie down the stairs.
‘When did Lily find out about what happened to the Healys?’
‘I didn’t have time to tell her. She was gone when I came up here after you left. But she may have seen it online.’
In the stylish and tidy kitchen with its stark appliances and colourful tableware, Sadie read out Lily’s password and Lottie logged into the iPad. A few gaming apps, and another app Lottie didn’t recognise. ‘What’s that?’
‘It’s a messaging app. It’s linked to me, no one else. But she mainly uses her phone, where she has Snapchat.’
‘Isn’t she a bit young for that?’ Lottie wondered if it was age-protected.
‘Her classmates are all on it and it was a step too far to ban it. She’s a sensible girl and knows her own mind.’
I hope so, Lottie thought. ‘Have you checked with your friends and neighbours to see if she went to one of their houses?’
‘Not yet. God, I should have done that, but I panicked and phoned you.’
‘We’ll take care of it. Don’t worry. Has Lily done anything like this before?’
‘No. Never.’
‘When was the last time you saw her?’
‘When we came home from the party last night. She said she was wrecked and went to her room.’
‘Anything happen after that?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Any noise from upstairs?’
‘No.’
‘Did you hear her talking to anyone on her phone or tablet?’
‘No. The walls are solid, you’d hear nothing.’
‘Did you check on her before you went to bed?’
Sadie shook her head. ‘I feel guilty about that now. But she’d become so independent. God, I’m such a bad mother.’
‘You’re not, and you have nothing to feel guilty about.’ Lottie felt sorry for Sadie, but at the same time she suspected she wasn’t being totally truthful. ‘I’ll need a list of her friends and their phone numbers. And a recent photo of Lily.’
‘Sure.’
‘And get your husband to come home. It may turn out to be nothing other than a grieving child seeking headspace, but you need him here with you. I’ll send someone to take a full statement later.’
‘Have you to wait forty-eight hours? To look for her?’
‘Lily is a child, and we never wait when it comes to missing children.’
Sadie folded into a heap, crying into her hands, as the implication sank in.