here, not with those starving dogs around.’
Scott actually looked to where the mangy hounds were rooting through the garbage, as though they were a threat to the unconscious men. Then he came and helped me haul the older guy into the trailer. It was surprisingly spacious inside, and nothing like the caravans I’d holidayed in as a lad in North Wales. We laid him out on a bunk, made sure he was breathing, then went to wrestle the fat one inside as well. It wasn’t an easy task.
I was sweating by the time I sat down next to a counter in the kitchen area. ‘Could have saved us all a load of bother if you’d agreed to talk in the first place.’
Scott sat next to me, but his eyes were on the two sleeping beauties. ‘The boys ain’t gonna be happy when they wake up.’
‘The boys should thank me for not shooting them in the face,’ I said. ‘Good job I’m one of the good guys, eh?’
Scott glanced once more at his friends, then turned and rested his forearms on the counter. He clasped his hands. ‘What exactly was it you wanted to know?’
‘The circumstances behind Helena’s disappearance,’ I said.
‘You’re a detective, surely you’ve read all about it?’
I didn’t mention that I’d only learned about Helena last night, or that at the time I’d called him I’d been clutching at straws. ‘There’s a difference between what’s reported in the papers and what really happened.’
‘You think I had something to do with her going missing?’
‘No, Scott. If that was the case we wouldn’t be having this friendly chat.’
His gaze flicked back to his friends and I noticed his fingers entwine to stop them shaking. Good. I’d finally gained his full cooperation. I dropped the tough guy act, pulling from my pocket the various pieces I’d put together. I placed the photos of Jay and Nicole down, then the poster with Helena on it. Finally, I unfolded the clipping I’d taken from the newspaper last night and laid out Ellie Mansfield’s image beside the rest.
‘You notice anything about those pictures?’
Unfolding his hands, Scott touched the one of his wife, then his fingers did a slow dance over both Nicole and Ellie’s faces. ‘They look like they could be sisters,’ he admitted.
‘Not sisters,’ I corrected, ‘but the same woman at different ages.’
To prove my point, I lined them up: Ellie, Nicole and then Helena.
He pursed his lips, studied them again. ‘Yeah,’ he breathed quietly.
Then his gaze went to Jay Walker. He said, ‘I can see what conclusion you’re drawing from the disappearance of the others, but what about her?’
The term collateral damage went through my mind, but instead I said, ‘Wrong place, wrong time. I think she was taken because she just happened to be with Nicole.’
‘Who is the kid?’
‘Did you hear about the robbery-homicide a few days ago?’
‘The one at Peachy’s gas station? Yeah, but I thought everyone there died.’
‘So did everyone else. But then Ellie’s family came forward and said Ellie was accompanying the Corbin family. It looks like the girl was snatched by whoever murdered them.’
‘Jeez . . .’ Scott’s hands folded again, and there were tears in his eyes. I figured that with Nicole and now Ellie going missing it meant that Helena could have been used and discarded by her abductor, and I believed that Scott had came to the same conclusion.
I felt bad for forcing the idea on him, but the more I thought about it, the more weight it held.
‘Are you taking this idea to the cops?’
‘No,’ I admitted. ‘Not yet. It’s only a theory and I could be way off-track. The truth is I don’t know if any of it’s connected. That’s why I need to hear about how Helena disappeared.’
Scott surprised me by clicking his fingers. ‘Like that,’ he said. ‘One minute she was there, next she was gone.’
Our conversation, or perhaps the intrusion of the loud click, caused the stocky guy to stir. He groaned and placed a
Scott actually looked to where the mangy hounds were rooting through the garbage, as though they were a threat to the unconscious men. Then he came and helped me haul the older guy into the trailer. It was surprisingly spacious inside, and nothing like the caravans I’d holidayed in as a lad in North Wales. We laid him out on a bunk, made sure he was breathing, then went to wrestle the fat one inside as well. It wasn’t an easy task.
I was sweating by the time I sat down next to a counter in the kitchen area. ‘Could have saved us all a load of bother if you’d agreed to talk in the first place.’
Scott sat next to me, but his eyes were on the two sleeping beauties. ‘The boys ain’t gonna be happy when they wake up.’
‘The boys should thank me for not shooting them in the face,’ I said. ‘Good job I’m one of the good guys, eh?’
Scott glanced once more at his friends, then turned and rested his forearms on the counter. He clasped his hands. ‘What exactly was it you wanted to know?’
‘The circumstances behind Helena’s disappearance,’ I said.
‘You’re a detective, surely you’ve read all about it?’
I didn’t mention that I’d only learned about Helena last night, or that at the time I’d called him I’d been clutching at straws. ‘There’s a difference between what’s reported in the papers and what really happened.’
‘You think I had something to do with her going missing?’
‘No, Scott. If that was the case we wouldn’t be having this friendly chat.’
His gaze flicked back to his friends and I noticed his fingers entwine to stop them shaking. Good. I’d finally gained his full cooperation. I dropped the tough guy act, pulling from my pocket the various pieces I’d put together. I placed the photos of Jay and Nicole down, then the poster with Helena on it. Finally, I unfolded the clipping I’d taken from the newspaper last night and laid out Ellie Mansfield’s image beside the rest.
‘You notice anything about those pictures?’
Unfolding his hands, Scott touched the one of his wife, then his fingers did a slow dance over both Nicole and Ellie’s faces. ‘They look like they could be sisters,’ he admitted.
‘Not sisters,’ I corrected, ‘but the same woman at different ages.’
To prove my point, I lined them up: Ellie, Nicole and then Helena.
He pursed his lips, studied them again. ‘Yeah,’ he breathed quietly.
Then his gaze went to Jay Walker. He said, ‘I can see what conclusion you’re drawing from the disappearance of the others, but what about her?’
The term collateral damage went through my mind, but instead I said, ‘Wrong place, wrong time. I think she was taken because she just happened to be with Nicole.’
‘Who is the kid?’
‘Did you hear about the robbery-homicide a few days ago?’
‘The one at Peachy’s gas station? Yeah, but I thought everyone there died.’
‘So did everyone else. But then Ellie’s family came forward and said Ellie was accompanying the Corbin family. It looks like the girl was snatched by whoever murdered them.’
‘Jeez . . .’ Scott’s hands folded again, and there were tears in his eyes. I figured that with Nicole and now Ellie going missing it meant that Helena could have been used and discarded by her abductor, and I believed that Scott had came to the same conclusion.
I felt bad for forcing the idea on him, but the more I thought about it, the more weight it held.
‘Are you taking this idea to the cops?’
‘No,’ I admitted. ‘Not yet. It’s only a theory and I could be way off-track. The truth is I don’t know if any of it’s connected. That’s why I need to hear about how Helena disappeared.’
Scott surprised me by clicking his fingers. ‘Like that,’ he said. ‘One minute she was there, next she was gone.’
Our conversation, or perhaps the intrusion of the loud click, caused the stocky guy to stir. He groaned and placed a
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