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  There was a huge TV in the front room, though, and a leather settee, which Rob hoped would keep Benny happy for a little while longer.

  Benny didn’t like to be out of his comfort zone, and truth be told, Rob was worried. He’d had no intention of getting Benny involved in any of this. But Marlo had insisted it was the easiest way to get Ruby Watson where they wanted her without being watched by any prying eyes.

  When Rob walked into the kitchen, he saw Marlo crouching over a large white container.

  “What’s that?” Rob asked as he tried to look over Marlo’s shoulder.

  Marlo slammed the lid on the white container and lifted it by a small metal handle before shoving it behind the bin.

  He grinned at Rob. “Patience is a virtue. All will be revealed in good time.”

  As Rob watched Marlo stand up and lean over a selection of mobile phones on the window sill, inspecting each one carefully, he felt a wave of dislike.

  He should have known better than going into business with Marlo. He had a feeling this whole thing was going to spiral into the most epic failure.

  “I hope you’ll be able to keep him under control from now on,” Marlo said mockingly, not bothering to turn around.

  “Don’t be too hard on him. Benny will be fine.”

  “Good. I’m not having a retard messing up my plans.”

  Rob felt an icy wave of fury flood his body. Through gritted teeth, he said, “That’s my brother you’re talking about.”

  The tone of Rob’s voice finally got Marlo to turn around.

  He smirked. “No offence, mate. I don’t know why you bother. It would drive me nuts having him hanging around all the time.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m not you, am I?” Rob said. He needed to get out of there and away from Marlo before he snapped. “I’m going to get some food for the girls and Benny. McDonald’s. Do you want anything?”

  Marlo nodded absentmindedly. He either didn’t know he’d upset Rob or he just didn’t care. Rob suspected it might be the latter.

  “Yeah, get me a Big Mac meal,” Marlo said. He picked up one of the phones that were set out in front of him on the windowsill and peered at it closely.

  Rob couldn’t resist asking, “Have you sent another text message?”

  Marlo put the phone back on the windowsill and turned around. He gave Rob a small smile. “I’m going to send one after lunch.”

  Rob nodded. That was good. The sooner this was over, the better as far as he was concerned.

  “How much are you going to ask for?”

  Marlo’s eyes were hooded, and he looked shifty. “I’m not going to ask for the money just yet.”

  Rob’s forehead prickled with sweat. What the hell was he playing at?

  “Why not?” Rob demanded.

  Marlo chuckled. “Don’t be so impatient. All in good time. I just thought we should have a little fun first.”

  Why had he trusted Marlo? This had to be the most stupid thing he’d ever done. Of course, he was going back on his word. It was Marlo. That was what he did. He should never have got involved in Marlo’s little plan, and now he’d got Benny wrapped up in it, too.

  He tried to control his anger and be persuasive. He knew Marlo was stubborn, and if he protested too much then Marlo would make life even more difficult for him and Benny.

  “Come on, Marlo. You promised me money. The rent is due, and I need the cash. Besides, we need to return the girls as soon as possible. I don’t like them being here. It makes me uncomfortable.”

  Marlo licked his lips. “You’ll get your money, Rob. Don’t worry about that. We’re just going to play a little game first.”

  Chapter 13

  The atmosphere in Wood Street Station was tense. Tyler had acquired a search warrant for Benny Morris’ address, but the search had yielded nothing to go on so far, and there was still no sign of Benny or his brother, Rob.

  DI Tyler led the search at the Morris brother’s address himself. The block of flats had front facing hallways, which were open to the elements. This created a number of problems. A resident had hung their washing outside, making it difficult for the officers to get past.

  They had a multitude of tools at their disposal to get inside the property, such as the Enforcer, a battering ram jokingly referred to as the big red key, and a specialised team, but Tyler was sure he didn’t need any of that. For one thing, there was no way to approach the flat without being seen, and a load of officers dressed in black tactical gear would soon attract people’s attention. He didn’t want to give Benny the fright of his life, causing him to panic and do something he might regret.

  Then there was the evidence from the CCTV. Most of the cameras around the Towers Estate were down. As soon as they were repaired, somebody would smash them up again. This was mainly because of the drug dealers operating on the estate. The dealers didn’t want to be observed for obvious reasons. This meant security was lax, and in this day and age, modern policing relied heavily on surveillance equipment.

  Thankfully one of the cameras opposite the Morris brother’s block of flats was working. It showed Benny Morris and his brother leaving at seven a.m. and didn’t show them coming back. There was only one entrance to the flat, and since they lived on the third floor, Tyler thought it was very unlikely they would be able to climb high enough to access the balcony at the back of the flats, so he was confident they hadn’t returned.

  The attitudes of the residents living in the Towers Estate varied quite considerably, but the majority of people were sick and tired of the drugs on the estate. Others were perfectly happy for things to continue the way they were. But all the residents seemed to have one thing in common, Tyler noted, and that was an unwillingness to help the police.

  Officers had called at various flats in the immediate vicinity, and nobody admitted to seeing anyone of Ruby Watson’s or Lila George’s description that morning. In fact, most people wouldn’t even admit they knew Benny Morris or his brother Rob.

  The sheer size of Benny meant he wasn’t an easy guy to miss, so he knew the residents were holding back. But the CCTV evidence didn’t lie. Even if Benny Morris had been involved in the girl’s disappearance, he hadn’t brought them back here.

  The first thing he’d noticed when he entered the flat was that there was no smell other than that of old cooking and a whiff of some spray deodorant. That was one of the things as an experienced officer Tyler dreaded when he entered a property — the smell of decay, the smell of a dead body. And that definitely wasn’t the case here.

  The girls had only been taken that morning, and a quick look around the flat didn’t reveal anything to indicate a crime had taken place there. There was no blood, no obvious weapons, no drug paraphernalia and no stolen goods.

  They couldn’t rule anything out until they’d conducted a proper search, though. Tyler had taken a deep breath and left the other officers to it as he went outside.

  The block of flats wasn’t as tall as some of the others at only seven stories high. All around the blocks of flats towered above him, reaching to the sky and making him feel claustrophobic.

  He ran a hand through his grey hair and muttered a curse. His home life had been crap just recently and he had thrown himself into the job full force.

  He’d never had any desire to be a career copper. He’d fallen into doing the detective exams and progressed from there, being lucky to be in the right place at the right time when promotions rolled around. He’d always been one to take the easy way out, and he’d been pretty lucky through his career. This was his first big case as SIO. He’d been involved in others, of course, even headed up some enquiries, but this was different. The buck stopped with him and that was scary. If he screwed up, the life of two girls could be at stake.

  He’d hated watching the video that Collins had brought back from the community centre. To see those girls smiling, looking happy and then disappearing from view, swallowed up by the Towers Estate, made him feel sick.

  “Where d
id you go?” Tyler muttered.

  He stood there for a moment considering his next move. He needed to find Benny Morris. His gut told him, even if Benny wasn’t involved in the abduction, he would have information. And right now information was exactly what they needed.

  His mobile phone rang and he took a quick glance at the screen and saw it was DC Collins. He pressed answer and waited for Collins to speak.

  “I’ve gone through the cameras,” Collins said. “There’s no trace of them. They disappeared into the Towers Estate after we lost sight of them at Rose Hill Community Centre, but we’ve got no record of them coming out again. Of course, they could have come out in a vehicle, maybe on a bus?”

  Tyler almost smiled. “I hardly think they’ve gone out for the day on the bus, Collins. But vehicles are a possibility. Make sure you get the number plates of all the vans that left the Towers Estate. In fact, make that cars as well. They could have been put in the boot of a car or even on the back seat, so let’s get a copy of the license plates of every vehicle that left the Towers Estate between eight a.m. and—”

  “That’s a lot of cars,” Collins said.

  “I’m aware of that, thank you,” Tyler said sarcastically, and then wished he hadn’t snapped at Collins. He was known among the other officers as being a bit of a curmudgeon, even someone who was willing to cut corners occasionally, but now he was in a position of authority, he should make sure he was worthy. He should be leading by example not making pithy comments.

  Still, he wasn’t about to apologise. He didn’t do apologies.

  “Just try your best, Collins. We know they came into the estate, so we’ve got two options. Either they went out in a vehicle, or they’re still here.”

  Tyler looked around at the numerous tower blocks and felt his heart sink. It would mean a door-to-door enquiry among residents who really weren’t interested in helping, but he couldn’t think of a better way to do it.

  After he hung up on Collins, he dialled Mackinnon’s number.

  “Jack, I need you to meet me at Drake House. We need to give the Watsons an update. I’ll meet you there. Then after that we’ll have to go to the George’s. I want to check up on the family liaison officer, Glenn Calvert. I think he is relatively new at this, so I want to make sure he is feeling comfortable with his role.”

  * * *

  Half an hour later, Mackinnon met Tyler in the lobby of Drake House and noticed how much greyer Tyler looked. It wasn’t just his hair. He wore a grey suit with a grey tie and he reminded Mackinnon of the old Spitting Image puppet of John Major.

  “What’s the latest? Mackinnon asked as he approached.

  “The team is still searching the flat, but it doesn’t look like we’re going to find anything. I think we have hit a dead end, but I would feel a lot better if we could speak to Benny.”

  Mackinnon nodded. “When I showed the Watsons the still from the CCTV to see if they recognised Benny Morris or Lila George, they were incredibly upset and angry, and Peter Watson isn’t going to be happy that we haven’t managed to speak to Benny yet.”

  DI Tyler sighed as they headed towards the lift. “Let’s hope we find him soon. Even if he is the gentle giant Diane and Eddie wanted you to believe, I still think he’s involved somehow.”

  “Have the team managed to dig up any more information on either family’s background?”

  Tyler shook his head, and as they stepped out of the lift into the marble lobby of the penthouse floor, he said, “Bits and pieces. We’ll have a full update at the briefing.”

  During an investigation like this, it was important to speak to the parents regularly, and also important not to fob them off with a lower ranked officer. They needed to speak to the person in charge of the team. It was Tyler’s job to reassure them the police were doing everything they could, although it seemed as though they were up against an impossible task right now.

  Tyler looked tense and on edge as they approached the Watsons’ front door.

  “It’s a difficult case,” Mackinnon said. “But the DCI knew you could handle it.”

  Tyler scoffed and rolled his eyes. He didn’t do sentimental, but despite his reaction, Mackinnon knew he appreciated the support.

  Mackinnon raised his hand to ring the doorbell when there was an almighty roar from inside the apartment.

  Adrenaline flooded his system as the door flew open.

  Chapter 14

  Rob waited in line at McDonald’s, jangling the change in his pocket. The place was packed as was usual for lunchtime. He bit down on the inside of his mouth. How could they call this fast food when they were taking forever to serve each customer?

  He was eager to get back to the basement flat. He didn’t trust Marlo for one second. The sly bugger would probably take advantage of Rob’s absence. He wouldn’t put it past him to send the text message on his own before Rob got back. Marlo liked to be in control and prove to others he was the one in charge.

  The past few hours had revealed a lot about Marlo’s character. He probably didn’t even care about the money. The whole thing was like some kind of crazy power trip for him.

  He’d been unnecessarily violent with the girls when they confronted them in Celandine Gardens. Rob had been worried he was really going to hurt them, but since they’d got them back to the flat Marlo had left them alone.

  He had noticed Marlo staring down at Lila when she lay on the floor of the van. Her top had been pushed up, and Marlo’s gaze focused on her exposed skin. The look on Marlo’s face had made Rob feel sick. Now, he tried to push that image away.

  He had enough problems, and he had to put Benny first.

  Benny was his responsibility. Rob should never have got him involved because now everything was screwed up.

  Rob glared angrily at the people in the queue in front of him. They were all so concerned about getting their burgers and fries and had no idea what was going on just under their noses.

  If he hadn’t needed cash so badly, he would never have done a deal with Marlo. Instinctively, he had known Marlo was a man to be avoided. He’d met him a few months ago, through a mate at a pub. He’d known Marlo had a reputation for being a complete psycho, but Rob had assumed people had exaggerated. It wasn’t unheard of for people to create rumours to add weight to their reputation. But now it seemed as though Rob should have listened to those rumours when he had a chance. Marlo was a devious bastard.

  He hoped Benny was doing all right. If he had any sense, he would be doing exactly as Rob told him — staying in the front room, watching the TV and staying out of Marlo’s way. He thought he could trust Benny to do as he was told, especially as he had promised him McDonald’s.

  Rob smiled. It wasn’t easy supporting Benny. He was a big lad and it cost a huge amount to keep him in food, but in many ways, Benny was still like a little boy.

  Rob had promised their mother just before she died that he would take good care of Benny. He had taken that promise very seriously. He’d even moved Benny out of his sheltered accommodation and into his own flat. That probably hadn’t been the wisest choice because now he was responsible for Benny’s every move. He felt guilty if he went out without him, and he had cut Benny off from the limited number of friends he’d had in the sheltered accommodation. He couldn’t send him back now, though. It would look like a rejection.

  As the queue shuffled forward, Rob glanced to his right and saw two PCSOs standing in the line next to his. He sucked in a breath and froze. Were they here looking for him?

  Rob didn’t know what to do for the best. They weren’t looking at him. Maybe they were just here for lunch like everybody else. It had to be just a coincidence.

  He took his hands out of the pockets of his jeans and looked around to see if the exit was clear. He decided to wait it out. If he turned around and rushed out, they might notice something was up.

  “Oi,” a voice said behind him. “If you’re not ready to order, you’d better get out of my way.”

  Rob turned
and saw a skinny bird behind him, carrying a snotty nosed toddler on one hip and pushing a baby in a pram in front of her.

  “Go right ahead, love. I wouldn’t want to get in the way of you and your Big Mac.”

  The woman looked startled. “You cheeky sod!”

  But Rob wasn’t paying her any attention. He was watching the PCSOs, who were moving forward in the queue just like everybody else.

  It’s fine, he reassured himself. Everything was going to be fine. Then he stepped up to the counter and placed his order.

  Chapter 15

  Kelly Johnson opened the door for Tyler and Mackinnon. Her face was pale, and her eyes were wide as she looked up at Tyler and said, “I’m so sorry, sir.”

  Before Tyler could answer her, there was another roar of outrage from inside the apartment.

  Peter Watson was standing in the centre of the living area. The sun streamed through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows behind him. He turned as he saw Tyler and Mackinnon walking towards him. His hair was standing on end as though he had been clutching at it with his hands.

  When they reached him, he looked up at them. His face was red, and the corner of his mouth was splattered with spittle.

  “She’s gone,” he said.

  He was clutching a piece of paper in his hand.

  “Ruby?” Tyler asked.

  Peter Watson shook his head. “No, my wife!” He took two steps towards them and held out the piece of paper. It was a note written by Claire Watson.

  “They sent her another message, and she’s gone.”

  Mackinnon read the note over Tyler’s shoulder.

  I’m sorry. I have to do this alone or they will kill Ruby. I have to do as they ask.

  Tyler’s head snapped up. “Where’s the phone?”

  Peter Watson shook his head. He was no longer filled with fury. He looked lost and vulnerable. “She must have taken it with her. I can’t find it anywhere.”