And, at first, the job too had seemed a dead end. Sure it was promotion, but most of the work seemed to involve low-level drugs and crime. Kings Lynn was yet to acquire its immigrant population and the town seemed inbred to the point of claustrophobia. Then, in 1997, a little girl called Lucy Downey was snatched from her bed in the middle of the night. Nelson can still see the curtains (pink with Disney princesses) blowing through the open window. He remembers Donna Grangers words: It was raining and the wind was blowing the curtains in. Is history really going to repeat itself? It had taken him ten years to solve the Lucy Downey case, if solve isnt too glib a word to choose. He knows that this failure still hangs over his reputation as a detective. And now he has another missing little girl, another grieving family, another potential child killer on the loose.
Its still raining. If Poppy is in the open somewhere, what sort of condition will she be in? He tries to remember the child in the playpen. Shed looked healthy enough but shes still a baby, completely dependent on adults. Ruth says that this dependency, peculiar to humans, is why our species developed its superior brainpower, but his own brain does not seem particularly powerful just at the moment. Its the low point of the night, three a.m., the time when the sick are most likely to die. For Nelson, its the waiting thats unbearable. He cant get a search warrant until the morning. The search teams will start again when the sun comes up, which will be in about an hours time. If he was sensible he would catch a couple of hours sleep but he cant sleep, not with a child missing out there in the dark and the rain.
He makes another coffee and tries to collect his wits. He mustnt let memories of the Lucy Downey case cloud his judgement on this one. Its not the same. Theres the note, for one thing. Somebody called The Childminder claims to have taken Poppy. Does this mean that they will, in fact, mind her? This is what he had said to Donna. Whoevers taken Poppy wants to look after her. Thats positive. It also means that theyve left a trail and were more likely to catch them. But is this true? Notes arent always helpful. The police in the Yorkshire Ripper case had been badly distracted by letters claiming to be from Jack. Nelson too has had his share of sinister notes and cryptic clues. The truth, as he knows to his cost, is rarely cryptic.
He had been surprised at how much he liked Donna Granger. He had expected her to be a typical middle-class having it all mother. Instead, shes a thin, ungainly woman with more than a trace of an estuary accent. She must have worked hard to achieve the perfect house and the perfect family. Nelson, like Judy, is not sure just how much the husband contributes to the process. Donna may be an absentee mother who needs a nanny to cope with a rare evening alone with her kids, but she loves her children. Nelson is sure of that.
And what about Justine Thomas? She may have an alibi but Nelson still cant forget the look on the nannys face when shed described Scooter as a grizzler. He remembers the little boy clinging to the young childminder. He wont go to you, Im afraid. The children certainly adore Justine. Is this normal? Is this healthy? He remembers the elderly lady, Auntie Amy, who occasionally used to make tea for his daughters when Michelle went back to work. They had liked Auntie Amy (Michelle makes sure that they still remember her birthday) but there had been no danger of them confusing the elderly figure at the kitchen stove with their real mother. But Justine is young enough to be the Granger childrens mother or, at the very least, an older sister. Does she feel that close to them? Does she want to be more than a mere employee?
And why does the link with Maddie disturb him so much? He had wanted to take care of Cathbads daughter, to protect her from the by-products of Delilahs hippyish upbringing (dubious squats, for example) and from her own crusading nature. Hes not quite sure why he felt this way. Maybe because Cathbad had once risked his life to save Katie. Maybe because he still feels bad about Scarlet. Maybe just because Maddies about the same age as his older daughters. And now he feels irrationally let down by her. Theres no reason why she shouldnt have been with Justine last night. She told him openly that they were friends. But it bothers him that Maddie knows both Liz Donaldson and Justine Thomas, two women who have recently been connected with the death of a child. Maybe three children, if you count Samuel and Isaac. And now another child with close links to Justine has gone missing. It could be a coincidence, but Nelson has learnt not to trust coincidence.
The phone rings. Its the search team. No sign of Poppy in any of the surrounding streets but there was one curious sighting. A man returning from the pub saw a short-haired woman pushing a pram in the vicinity of Chapel Road. It may be nothing but why would someone be taking a baby for a walk at ten oclock at night in the rain? Well appeal to the public in the morning, says Nelson. Someone else must have seen her. Hell organise door-to-door in the morning too. Get all units on the case.
Justine Thomas has short hair, he remembers.
By the time the team come in at seven, Nelson has already been back to Chapel Road. Donna and Patrick were still awake, sitting like grey ghosts in their state-of-the-art kitchen. The search team was in the garden again, raking through flower beds, dredging the lily pond, taking up the decking. The climbing frame loomed out of the early morning mist looking sinister, like a scaffold.
Why are they still searching here? asked Patrick. Shes probably miles away by now.
We need to be sure that weve checked thoroughly, said Nelson. Its just possible that she may have wandered into the garden. The back doors were open.
She could never reach the handle, said Donna. Her eyes filled with tears again. She was just wearing her little nightie, she says. The one with the Dalmatians on it. Shell be frozen.
Its summer, said Patrick. But the day was cold after the nights rain. Lets hope shes still able to feel the cold, thought Nelson. But he didnt share this depressing thought. He left, assuring the parents that one of his team would be back in a few hours.
Can you send the policewoman from last night? asked Donna. I liked her.
Giving thanks for Judys empathetic qualities, Nelson promised that DS Johnson would be with them as soon as possible.
Nelson also visited the man who saw the woman pushing a pram. Woken at six, bleary-eyed (either from the early start or the night in the pub) the man was a poor witness. Yes, he was pretty sure it was a woman. She had short hair and was wearing trousers but you can just tell, cant you? Did she seem in a hurry? She was walking fast but it was pissing down … raining hard. He was walking quickly himself. He hadnt taken the car (virtuously) because he knew he was going to have a few drinks. How many drinks? A couple of pints. Maybe three. Perhaps four. What about the pram? Was it one of those old-fashioned ones with a hood? No, more like a pushchair. A buggy then? Yes, a buggy with big wheels. Colour? He couldnt remember. It was dark, after all. Nelson had checked with the Grangers, remembering seeing Poppy in her pushchair, that day with Justine. Poppys pushchair (a state-of-the-art affair, a Range Rover for toddlers) was still in its usual place, in the utility room. Nothing else was missing.
He holds a briefing at seven. The team are alert, despite their lack of sleep. Everyone is keen to get on with the job. Nelson dispatches Judy and Tanya back to Chapel Road. Tim is given the job of dealing with the media. He will appear on local radio and TV, asking for the publics help in finding Poppy (or Baby Poppy as she will inevitably be known). He will also mention the sighting of the woman with the pushchair. Clough looks slightly mutinous but Nelson knows that hes made the right choice. Tim is articulate and handsome, people respond well to him. Whitcliffe will also be pleased to see Tim representing the force because, in his words, he represents our ethnic inclusivity.
Come on Cloughie, says Nelson. Youre with me. Nelson notices that Clough brightens at this news. Probably thinks that being with the boss means the chance of action.
Armed with his search warrant, Nelson drives to Justines flat. He too is feeling better at the prospect of action. The rain has stopped and he allows himself the hope that Poppy might be alive somewhere. Perhaps even now shes gurgling happily in Justines arms. But Justine was out at a nightclub last night says another, more pessimistic, voice. Would she have left Poppy alone in her flat? And if Justine doesnt have Poppy, where the hell is she?
Justine lives in a flat over a shop in the Vancouver Centre. The shops arent open yet, which means that Nelson and Clough are able to make a fairly discreet entrance, parking at the back amongst the bins and old cardboard boxes. Nelson bangs on the door. Police! Open up!
Theres a scuffling noise and the door opens an inch. What do you want? Nelson recognises Justines voice. She sounds scared.
Ive got a warrant to search these premises. Dont make me force an entry.
The door opens. Justine stands there wearing a t-shirt and knickers. Her hair is standing on end and she looks bleary-eyed.
I dont understand. Is this about Poppy? Have you found her yet?
Nelson notices Maddie standing in the background. She too is wearing a t-shirt and infinitesimal shorts. Nelson glances at Clough and is pleased to see that his expression is strictly professional.
Ive got a warrant to search your flat, Nelson repeats.
Oh my God. Justine stares at him. You think Ive taken her. And she starts to laugh hysterically. Maddie puts an arm round her shoulders, glaring at Nelson.