Read Online Never Coming Home by Evonne Wareham - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Evonne Wareham
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daughter.’
‘If you’ve met Luanne, then I guess you’ll know why that was.’ Bobby waited. Slim fingers twisted themselves into a knot in the woman’s lap. ‘Is this going to help find what happened to my granddaughter?’
‘I can’t say, ma’am, but if I find anything, I’ll be sure to let you know.’
Mrs Kettle sat still for a moment. ‘I suppose – if I’ve told the police, I may as well tell you. I should never have agreed to what Luanne wanted – ’ She closed her eyes, let out a breath, opened them. ‘This is hard to say, but it’s the truth. My daughter is an unfit mother. When Jake was around, my son-in-law, Sally Ann’s father, things weren’t so bad. But when he left … Luanne said she wanted her freedom. Needed to find herself.’ The words were bitter. ‘Didn’t want to be bothered with a growing girl. Sally Ann lived here with me for four years. Then, early last spring, Luanne came for her. Said she’d met someone, wanted to be a family again. He was supposed to make a home for them. Luanne said he was a good man, able to provide for them, wanted to meet his Luanne’s little girl.’
Pain flashed across the woman’s face. ‘Grandparents don’t have much say, Mr Hoag, not when a mother wants to take her child, but Luanne – she had to have her chance to be a real mother, and I had to give it to her. I still think that.’
She paused, swallowed, began again. ‘Sally Ann was excited. She wanted to go with her mom. I told her though, if she ever needed me, she was to call and I’d come get her. Gave her the change, for the phone. End of September last year, we had a big storm and a power outage. Phone lines went down, too.’
Mrs Kettle looked away. The fingers spasmed again. ‘I had no reason to think that my granddaughter would have tried to get in touch with me when the line was out. I’d spoken to her just the day before. She said everything was okay, but she sounded –’ The woman hesitated. ‘There was just something, you know? So I rang Luanne. Turns out the number she’d given me for their new home was some bar in Atlanta. She wasn’t living in the city, as I thought. When I finally tracked her down, in that trailer park, she was drunk – and alone. My granddaughter had been missing for a week.’
‘You think Sally Ann tried to reach you and when she couldn’t get through she set out on her own, to come here?’
‘I’m sure of it.’ The grey eyes were awash now, with an anguish Bobby couldn’t begin to measure. ‘She was coming to me, and someone took her. To do …’ Her voice jarred. She stared at Bobby. ‘Sometimes I find myself praying, Mr Hoag. Praying that my granddaughter isn’t alive any more.’
‘So, looks like the child was on her way to Lynchburg when she ran into Elmore’s girlfriend.’ Devlin rammed the mobile phone closer to his ear, to cut out the noise of the airport announcements. ‘You backtracking on that? See where they hooked up? Good. There was something else too, about the accident report. We really need to get a look at it. Can you – ’ He tipped his head away from the phone, to listen, cursing softly. ‘They just called our flight. Yeah our . Yeah flight . Uh! You too buddy. I’ll e-mail you once we land. Keep digging.’
The phone was at the top of the house. It rang for a long time, the sound echoing in the empty room.
When it was finally answered: ‘Kaz Elmore has arrived in Florence.’
Silence, then a breath. ‘Is she going to find anything there?’
‘It’s possible.’
‘Do what you have to do.’ The command was curt. ‘I have something else for you also. Her uncle, Philip, the policeman. Is he becoming a problem?’
‘He might.’
‘Then deal with it.’
‘You know I’m not in London?’
‘If you can’t do it yourself, get someone. Reliable. I don’t want any fuck ups.’
‘I will do it. Personally. But there will be a delay with the other.’ A soft
‘If you’ve met Luanne, then I guess you’ll know why that was.’ Bobby waited. Slim fingers twisted themselves into a knot in the woman’s lap. ‘Is this going to help find what happened to my granddaughter?’
‘I can’t say, ma’am, but if I find anything, I’ll be sure to let you know.’
Mrs Kettle sat still for a moment. ‘I suppose – if I’ve told the police, I may as well tell you. I should never have agreed to what Luanne wanted – ’ She closed her eyes, let out a breath, opened them. ‘This is hard to say, but it’s the truth. My daughter is an unfit mother. When Jake was around, my son-in-law, Sally Ann’s father, things weren’t so bad. But when he left … Luanne said she wanted her freedom. Needed to find herself.’ The words were bitter. ‘Didn’t want to be bothered with a growing girl. Sally Ann lived here with me for four years. Then, early last spring, Luanne came for her. Said she’d met someone, wanted to be a family again. He was supposed to make a home for them. Luanne said he was a good man, able to provide for them, wanted to meet his Luanne’s little girl.’
Pain flashed across the woman’s face. ‘Grandparents don’t have much say, Mr Hoag, not when a mother wants to take her child, but Luanne – she had to have her chance to be a real mother, and I had to give it to her. I still think that.’
She paused, swallowed, began again. ‘Sally Ann was excited. She wanted to go with her mom. I told her though, if she ever needed me, she was to call and I’d come get her. Gave her the change, for the phone. End of September last year, we had a big storm and a power outage. Phone lines went down, too.’
Mrs Kettle looked away. The fingers spasmed again. ‘I had no reason to think that my granddaughter would have tried to get in touch with me when the line was out. I’d spoken to her just the day before. She said everything was okay, but she sounded –’ The woman hesitated. ‘There was just something, you know? So I rang Luanne. Turns out the number she’d given me for their new home was some bar in Atlanta. She wasn’t living in the city, as I thought. When I finally tracked her down, in that trailer park, she was drunk – and alone. My granddaughter had been missing for a week.’
‘You think Sally Ann tried to reach you and when she couldn’t get through she set out on her own, to come here?’
‘I’m sure of it.’ The grey eyes were awash now, with an anguish Bobby couldn’t begin to measure. ‘She was coming to me, and someone took her. To do …’ Her voice jarred. She stared at Bobby. ‘Sometimes I find myself praying, Mr Hoag. Praying that my granddaughter isn’t alive any more.’
‘So, looks like the child was on her way to Lynchburg when she ran into Elmore’s girlfriend.’ Devlin rammed the mobile phone closer to his ear, to cut out the noise of the airport announcements. ‘You backtracking on that? See where they hooked up? Good. There was something else too, about the accident report. We really need to get a look at it. Can you – ’ He tipped his head away from the phone, to listen, cursing softly. ‘They just called our flight. Yeah our . Yeah flight . Uh! You too buddy. I’ll e-mail you once we land. Keep digging.’
The phone was at the top of the house. It rang for a long time, the sound echoing in the empty room.
When it was finally answered: ‘Kaz Elmore has arrived in Florence.’
Silence, then a breath. ‘Is she going to find anything there?’
‘It’s possible.’
‘Do what you have to do.’ The command was curt. ‘I have something else for you also. Her uncle, Philip, the policeman. Is he becoming a problem?’
‘He might.’
‘Then deal with it.’
‘You know I’m not in London?’
‘If you can’t do it yourself, get someone. Reliable. I don’t want any fuck ups.’
‘I will do it. Personally. But there will be a delay with the other.’ A soft
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