Taken, page 3
part #6 of DI Kayli Bright Series
“It would. Are you sure you won’t get into trouble with your boss?”
“Five minutes won’t hurt. If he says anything because a customer has complained, I’ll just tell him I had to nip to the loo.”
“Sounds feasible. I don’t suppose anyone takes that kind of thing into consideration when they’re doing the rotas, do they?”
“Nope, you can say that again.” She smiled at a teenage boy who placed a few bags of sweets on the counter. “Someone’s got a sweet tooth.”
“They’re for all the family. Mum gave me a fiver to fetch them. I hope I’ve got enough,” the lad replied, his cheeks flushing.
“You should have, let’s see.” Phyllis scanned the goods and said, “Okay, you just about scraped through. Four ninety-five.”
The boy chuckled. “At least Mum will have five pence change.” He paid the money, gathered the confectionery and left the shop.
“Kids of today, eh? No one gives a damn about their teeth any more.”
“That’s true enough. Still, it’s keeping the dentists in business.”
The final customer walked up to the counter. The woman greeted them and put her basket of groceries down.
Phyllis whizzed through the shopping. “That’s twenty pounds and fifteen pence.”
“Good job I only wanted a few things, eh?” the customer replied with a tut.
“Always the way. People come in for a specific item and leave with a basket of goodies.”
The woman paid, and Phyllis closed the door after her.
She heaved out a sigh. “It’s tough keeping a smile on your face when you know deep down that something’s amiss.”
Kayli rubbed the top of her arm. “You’re doing well. Do you want to go somewhere else, out back maybe in case another customer turns up?”
“Good idea. I need to show you the CCTV footage which has caused all my anxiety anyway.”
“Excellent stuff. If it backs up your qualms then it’s really something we should be looking into. Do you know the woman?”
Phyllis showed her through to a small office at the rear of the building. “I’ve seen her in here a few times. I think she must be local.”
Kayli kept quiet for now about the other call the station had received from the woman’s concerned husband.
Phyllis pulled out a chair for each of them and set up the CD to view the footage. The picture was one of the clearest Kayli had seen over the years. She thanked her lucky stars for that.
“This is it. She walked through the door and bumped into this youth, knocked his beers out of his arms. The woman apologised instantly, but it wasn’t enough for him. He shouted at her, calling her all the vile names under the sun. Poor woman didn’t know what to do or say in return.”
“How terrible. Didn’t any of the other shoppers try to intervene?”
“No. I feel ashamed for not having a go at him. It’s just that these days you never know what people’s reactions will be, do you? You hear of so many stabbings. Well, I’m just saying that I’d rather keep out of that sort of thing. I apologised to her once he’d left the shop. She was a little shaken up but assured me she would be fine.”
“Okay. He sounds a right charmer. So, what happened next?”
“Well, the woman left. I saw her go to the cashpoint outside and then around to the car park at the rear. I served a customer in between and then when I looked out of the window again, I saw the woman driving off with two people in her car.”
“Two people? Could it have been her family?”
“No. In the front passenger seat was the youth she’d bumped into. He appeared to be giving her directions.”
“I see. Right, that sounds strange. And the other passenger?”
“I didn’t get a good look at them—they seemed small, though. It could have been a younger youth or perhaps a woman. Sorry, that’s as much as I can tell you about her or him. Don’t you think it’s odd? Her giving the lad a lift after the way he spoke to her, I mean?”
“Very odd. I don’t suppose you have any cameras in your car park, do you?”
The woman gasped. “Bloody hell, I never thought about that. Yes, let me swap cameras, if I can remember how to do it. I’ve never had to search the exterior camera before.”
“That’s okay, take your time. It’ll be beneficial to the case if you do have any evidence.”
“I’ll do my very best. Let’s see now. This button here, that should do it.” She pressed a button, and the camera switched to the car park.
Kayli patted Phyllis on the arm. “Well done, you.”
Phyllis beamed, obviously chuffed with her effort. “Rewind it here and let’s see what we’ve got.”
They watched numerous cars come and go for the next five minutes, and then Phyllis jabbed at the button to pause the picture. “This is her car. See, there are three people inside.”
“Can you rewind it a little bit?”
Phyllis did just that, and they both watched the incident play out in front of them. “Oh God, she must have been terrified. Do you think they’ve kidnapped her?”
Kayli ran a hand over her face. “It seems that way to me. It was a woman in the car, she appeared from behind the skip over there.”
“Do you think they intentionally targeted the woman?”
“Maybe, who can tell? Jesus, their intent is clear, though. Why hit her in the back like that? The poor woman didn’t stand a chance. Can you fast forward it, possibly pick up the plate number for me?” If she can’t then I’ll go ask the woman’s husband.
“There. Shall I freeze it?”
“Thanks, I’ve got it.” Kayli jotted down the registration of the vehicle. Her heart raced. She needed to make sure she had all the information to hand before she left the shop. Can you give me a copy?”
Phyllis pulled a face. “I wouldn’t know how to do that. You’ll have to come back and have a word with my boss, sorry.”
“No need for you to apologise, Phyllis. I’ll return in the morning. I want to thank you for placing the call in the first place. You were right to think something wasn’t right. I’m going to leave now and see if we can track down the vehicle before they get too far.”
“It’s been a couple of hours already. There’s no telling where they could be by now.”
Kayli rose from her seat, and the pair of them left the office and went back into the shop. Phyllis opened the front door again and apologised for keeping the two customers waiting. They brushed past Kayli, seemingly annoyed.
Phyllis shrugged. “It’s okay. I don’t care what people think of me. I was doing my duty, helping you out. I’ll have a word with the boss in the morning, get him to sort out the footage for you. That’s the best I can do for now, Inspector.”
“It’s good enough for me. You’re amazing, thank you for all your help. Try not to lose sleep over the incident. We’ll get them.”
“I hope you do.”
Kayli left the shop and immediately put a call in to the station. “Ray, it’s DI Bright. You were right to be concerned. I’ve just viewed CCTV footage of the woman being abducted by two youths. Tell me you’ve got an alert out on her car?”
“First thing I did, ma’am. I figured if I was in the wrong, all that would happen was I’d end up with egg on my face.”
“Good man. The couple seem a nasty pair, at least the male does. He hit the woman in the lower back.”
“The bastard.”
“Exactly. I’m not looking forward to visiting the husband. Wanted to touch base with you first to ensure an alert had been actioned. I fear for this woman’s safety, Ray.”
“Poor woman. I wonder why they’ve taken her.”
“Well, I’d hazard a guess that as she took money from the cashpoint, maybe it’s about money. Who can tell at this stage?”
“Want me to track her card details down for you? They might try and use it at another cashpoint.”
“Nice to see you’re on the ball, Ray. Do that. I’m going to see the husband now, not that I’ll be able to tell him much.”
“Good luck, ma’am.”
“Thanks.” She ended the call and slipped into her vehicle. Before she drove off, she scanned the car park, looking for clues, then she rang Ray back and asked him to put a call in to SOCO to get someone over there.
Leaving the car park, she travelled to the family home. The husband was eager to see her and pulled the door open as she walked up the path. The front garden was covered in grey slate, the odd shrub dotted around just to break up the starkness.
“Hello, sir. Are you Andy?”
“Yes, what news do you have about my wife?”
“I’m DI Kayli Bright. Shall we go inside?”
“Sorry, yes, come through. I’ve sent the children up to their rooms.” He led her through the house into a lounge at the rear. A huge cream fabric corner sofa dominated the room along with an equally huge TV screen. “Take a seat.”
Kayli sat at one end of the couch while Andy chose the other. He teetered on the edge, his elbows on his thighs. Kayli could tell how agitated he was, which warned her to proceed with caution.
“What news do you have?” he asked impatiently.
“I’ve just come from the Co-op, and yes, your wife visited the store earlier.”
“Okay. In that case, why hasn’t she returned home? Has something happened to her?”
“I asked the assistant at the shop to show me the CCTV footage of an incident that she called the station to report.”
“Involving Jaime? What kind of incident?” He raked his hand through his short black hair. “Oh God, is she all right?”
“Please, Andy, I need you to remain calm.”
“Oh no! What’s that supposed to mean?”
Kayli tried to reassure him with a smile and a light tone to her voice. “On the tape was an incident involving Jaime and a youth at the store.”
“What? Shit! What type of incident? If he’s laid a hand on her…I’ll kill him.”
“I appreciate how upset you are, but that type of talk isn’t going to help.”
His head dipped, and he mumbled an apology.
“The incident was a fairly innocuous one. Jaime bumped into him as she entered the store and knocked the beers he was holding out of his arms. The man became aggressive and shouted at her, called her several vile names, according to the shop assistant.”
“What? And no one stepped in to help her?”
“No. To be fair, I don’t think people had the chance to respond as it all died down within a few seconds.”
“If that’s the case then where’s the issue, and where the hell is my wife?”
“The assistant rang the station just before you did. Something didn’t sit right with her.”
“About the incident at the shop?”
“Yes and no. In between serving other customers, she said she glanced up and saw your wife’s car leaving the shop’s car park.”
“And? If she left there, why hasn’t she come home? None of this is making any sense to me. What are you getting at, Inspector?”
“I have to inform you that the CCTV footage showed another incident which took place in the car park at the rear of the shop.” She paused to gather her thoughts. “It would appear that your wife was confronted by two youths…”
“Please, get to the point, Inspector. Is my wife safe or not? I can’t take this any more.” He left his seat and paced the floor, his frustration clear to see.
“Andy, sit down, please.”
He dropped onto the couch again. “Tell me!”
“One of the youths struck your wife.”
“Oh no. Is she in hospital? Is she okay?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t know whether she’s all right or not. You see, the youths got in the car with your wife, and they drove off.”
He was up on his feet again within seconds. “What? Why are you here and not out there searching for them? You come here and tell me my wife has been abducted and…” He buried his head in his hands, clearly mortified.
The door eased open, and a teenage girl poked her head into the room. “Dad, what’s wrong?”
“Go to your room, Tori, now,” he shouted.
The girl’s eyes welled up. She swiftly glanced at Kayli then shot out of the room again.
“Please, Andy, don’t take it out on your children.”
“Don’t tell me what to do. You come in here and reveal that my wife is missing and expect me to behave normally? What’s wrong with you? Have you ever been in this situation before? I’m guessing you haven’t, otherwise you’d understand how useless I feel right now.”
“Yes, I’ve been in your situation before, and you’re right, the feeling of inadequacy is hard to comprehend, but you’re going to have to overcome that in order to survive this.”
He shrugged and held his arms up. “How can I do that? Did you get your loved one back?”
“Yes. I kept the faith, and it all came good in the end. Please, I’m here to help.”
“What use is it you being here? You should be out there searching for her. She won’t be able to cope with this situation. My wife isn’t one of these women who goes to a gym or works out at a martial arts class, she’s a housewife, plain and simple. And no, that isn’t me demeaning what she does. All I’m trying to say is, that she doesn’t possess any survival skills that might help her get through this.”
“Hopefully, she’ll dig into her reserves. And yes, I have people out there searching for your car now.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to insinuate that you weren’t trying to help. My God! I can’t believe this. Shit! What am I going to tell the children?”
“What ages are they, Andy?”
“Eleven and thirteen.”
“Then I would suggest telling them the truth; they’re old enough to understand. If you skirt around the truth it might cause problems between you,” Kayli suggested, putting herself in his children’s shoes.
“How? What do I say? How can I remain positive when Jaime is in the hands of these thugs? Why hit her, for fuck’s sake? She’s a kind and caring woman. Never says anything bad against anyone. Why would someone choose to kidnap her? Are they expecting some kind of ransom to be paid, is that it?”
“I don’t know what their motive is at this point.”
“Look around you. This place is mortgaged to the hilt, and there’s no way I could come up with ransom money, not unless we sold this place and declared ourselves homeless.”
“Let’s not think about that just yet. This could end today. For all we know, these youths might realise they’re in the wrong and release your wife.”
“And if they don’t? What then? Bloody hell, my mind is racing with all different scenarios and the outcome to each one of them is awful, too unbearable to think about.”
“It’s best if you don’t let your mind wander like that. We need to stick to the facts.”
“The fact is my wife has been abducted and neither of us knows why, Inspector.”
“I’m well aware of that, Andy. I need to ask if your wife has had any trouble lately. By that I mean, we need to ascertain if she knew these people or if this was a chance meeting.”
“No, if she has, she never mentioned it, and we generally tell each other everything. We have no secrets.”
“Okay. She hasn’t mentioned feeling that she was being watched at all? Anything along those lines? Either at home or at work perhaps?”
“Nope, I’ve already told you she’s a housewife. She goes to a few clubs during the week, Slimming World and a crafting club on a Wednesday afternoon, but that’s it. The rest of the time, she’s here at home, looking after all of us. She has the sweetest nature, and as far as I know she’s never fallen out with anyone. That’s why I’m struggling to think why these people have done this. Please, I just want her back. You need to get out there and look for her, not waste your time sitting here asking me dumb questions.”
Kayli stared at him and offered a weak smile. “I understand how frustrating this all is, but the dumb questions are a necessity, I’m afraid. There could be something in your wife’s past that has surfaced all of a sudden. Have you known each other long?”
“About twenty years. I think you’re barking up the wrong tree there, she would have told me if she’d had any problems in the past.”
“What about ex-boyfriends? Did she have many of those before she met you?”
“One or two. Don’t ask me to remember their names. They parted on good terms, if that’s going to be your next question.”
“It was. Okay, what about family members, do they live in the area?”
“Yes, her mother, father and sister all live within a few miles of here. Shit! I should ring them to let them know.”
“It might be an idea. I’ll need to drop by and see them today.”
“May I ask why?”
“To see if they can think of anyone who would do this to Jaime.”
“But all that’s saying is that you don’t trust me,” Andy snapped.
Kayli sighed. “Not at all. Past experience tells me that sometimes people keep secrets from their spouses but choose to confide in family members. Maybe something has occurred recently that Jaime was too ashamed to tell you about.”
He lowered his head and shook it. “Not at all. I know my wife inside and out—we have no secrets, Inspector. All you’ll be doing is wasting your time. Time you could be spending out on the road, searching for my beautiful wife. Sorry if that sounds harsh…”
“It doesn’t. I understand how you must be feeling, but I’m still going to need to speak to her family all the same.”
He thrust out of the chair and glared at her. “I think we’re done here. If you’re not prepared to listen to me then you’re no longer welcome in this house. I’d like you to leave now.”
Kayli totally understood his anxiety. Had she handled her visit the wrong way? She didn’t think so. In situations such as this, with family members in turmoil, there was no telling how people were going to react. She’d half expected it. It still pissed her off considering she’d come in to work on her day off to deal with the case.
“I’m sorry you feel that way. Can you give me Jaime’s parents’ address, please?”
