Page 55 of Then She Vanished

‘Shall we check out the car park? I know PC Ahmed is on duty – I could call the station and request that he meets us there?’

Biting her bottom lip, Gina decided that was the best plan. Why waste time fretting about her own situation when she could actually be doing something to help Elissa or the girl in the photo.

She swallowed. It might even be her last ever case given what was happening to her. ‘I’m on my way.’

Twenty minutes later, Gina pulled up. There were no other cars in the car park, until Jacob pulled in behind her, followed by a police car. They parked near the entrance and got out, holding their torches in front of them. Gina grabbed her own torch and met them in the middle of the car park.

‘Let’s have a look around the perimeter; see if we can find any evidence of her being here. Do we know the name of the missing girl’s mother?’

Jacob nodded. ‘Ruth Pritchard.’

‘It’s odd that she called about something so important and then hung up. Let’s take a look around.’ Gina walked along the back, and just to the other side of the trees she saw a small blue Citroen. ‘What does Ruth Pritchard drive?’

‘A Citroen C3 Plus.’

‘It’s back here.’ The other two headed towards the car. Gina carried on looking along the trees at the back and began flashing her torch across the grit. A line drawn in the tiny stones caught her attention. It looked thick, too thick to be a tyre mark; more like someone being dragged across the car park.

A flash of something on the grassy bank made her turn her head and stare until it returned. She took a few steps forward and shone her torch at it.

Reaching out, she parted the entangled branches and gasped.

‘Guv, it looks like there’s blood over here on a couple of supermarket loyalty cards with her name on them.’

‘I’ve found a card wallet.’ Gina pulled on a pair of latex gloves and gently picked up the brown leather wallet and opened it. ‘It’s Ruth Pritchard’s. Her driving licence and bank cards are in it, and there’s blood smeared across it. Something has happened to Ruth Pritchard. The kidnapper failed earlier when he tried to take Keeley Moore and now the mother of a missing girl has been taken. Get a team down here – forensics, officers, dogs, the lot.’

THIRTY-FIVE

After leaving a team of CSIs at the car park, Gina, Jacob and PC Ahmed arrived at Hollyhock Crescent. Lights began to come on and curtains twitched. A man came out of the house directly opposite and stood in his doorway. Gina grabbed her torch again, leaving Jacob and PC Ahmed to discuss the door to doors and to check if anyone who came out had seen anything.

Stepping up to the window left of the front door, Gina peered through and could see a dining room. The window on the other side of the house showed a long living room. A tartan snuggle blanket half lay over the sofa and the footstool.

She held her hand up to Jacob and pointed to the side path, and he put a thumbs up to her. Following the slabs around, they led to a gate. She popped her torch under her arms and slipped on a pair of gloves before opening the unlocked gate. The garden was in total darkness and there wasn’t a light on in the house at all. She continued forward and flashed her torch through the kitchen window.

A chill ran through her as she saw a chess piece on the table.

A white queen.

Hurrying back around, she called Jacob over. PC Ahmed left him to cross the road and talk to the man.

‘Have you spotted something?’ Jacob asked.

‘A chess piece on the kitchen table. The kidnapper’s calling card. He has her. Somehow he must have lured her to the car park. Despatch said she was in the middle of telling them about her daughter who had disappeared, then she hung up on them. Reading between the lines, I think the kidnapper has used her daughter’s disappearance to get to her.’

Jacob breathed out slowly. ‘We should see if any of the neighbours are up for talking.’

Nodding, Gina followed him back towards the drive. She had to get into the house. ‘Wait, we don’t know if Ruth Pritchard has made her way back without her car somehow. She might be in that house and hurt. Can you call PC Ahmed back over?’

He nodded and hurried over the road.

She crept towards the letterbox and peered in. She could see the slightest of outlines and it looked like a sideboard. Jacob and PC Ahmed ran back to her and PC Ahmed spoke. ‘Guv, the man over the road is her ex-husband. He has a key to the house because he used to live there with her, and he said he’s been really worried about her lately.’

‘Ask him to bring it. It’s either use the key or we have to use the battering ram. She might be hurt in there. We know someone is bleeding as we found blood on her wallet and cards. If she’s not here, maybe there’s some clue in the house as to where she might be. Our priority is locating her and knowing she is safe.’

Jacob pressed his lips together before speaking. ‘I’ve just got word back from the scene. Dogs have arrived, but they haven’t found Ruth.’

With that, Jacob went back over the road. She watched him explaining to the man what they were going to do. The man went back into his house and came out with a set of keys and they walked back to Gina.

Gina took the keys and turned them in the lock. Jacob waited behind her to go in as the man waited on the drive. ‘Ruth, it’s the police. Call out if you’re in here.’

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