Читать книгу In Safe Hands - J. P. Carter - Страница 14

Ruth had been joined by three other mothers and two fathers who had rushed straight to Peabody Street after being told what had happened to their children.

They were gathered in the community centre cafeteria where a bald detective inspector named Walker had told them that his boss, DCI Anna Tate, would soon provide them with an update. But this had done nothing to quell their distress and anger.

Daniel Neville’s mum Belinda was so anxious that she’d vomited on the floor. And Grace Tenant’s dad Kenneth had threatened to punch a uniformed officer who told him he couldn’t go next door into the nursery.

Ruth was beside herself with worry and only half aware of what was going on around her. Her voice was hoarse from crying and there was a lead weight in her chest.

Every time she closed her eyes she saw Liam’s face, and tears began to form, while at the same time various disturbing scenarios played out in her mind.

What if Liam and the others had been snatched by child sex traffickers who were going to smuggle them out of the country? Or maybe the three kidnappers were part of an abhorrent paedophile ring based in London that preyed on young, defenceless kids.

She also feared that Liam and his friends might be the latest victims of ruthless terrorists who planned to kill them in order to draw attention to their ghastly cause.

These days the news was full of so many despicable crimes that nothing could be ruled out. Only a month ago the papers were dominated by the story of a married couple in Leeds who had allowed men to have sex with their six-year-old daughter in return for cash. And about a year ago there was an armed siege at a nursery school in Paris where fifteen children were held hostage for eleven hours by a Somalian man with a rifle. He was eventually shot and killed by commandos who stormed the building and released the children. It turned out his aim had been to get back at the French government for refusing to grant him asylum.

Ruth was desperate to know why Liam had been taken. She could imagine that by now he’d be asking for his mummy. And if he got upset he would get into an awful state and struggle to breathe. His cystic fibrosis was a life-threatening curse. His daily regimen included tablets to loosen the mucus in his lungs and keep his airways clear. And then there were the enzyme supplements, which replaced those his pancreas failed to make.

Usually the drugs were administered by the nursery staff and Ruth ensured that the bag she left with them was replenished on a regular basis. But Liam wouldn’t be able to tell his captors what he needed to keep him alive. And since he had never once had to do without his medication for a whole day, Ruth didn’t know how quickly his condition would deteriorate. It was a frightening thought, and the sense of hopelessness she felt was paralysing.

By the time Ethan turned up, Ruth was smothered in a dark blanket of despair. She couldn’t think straight, and her brain was starting to blur at the edges.

Her husband was escorted into the community centre along with two other sets of parents who had arrived at the same time.

He’d come straight from work but had discarded his suit jacket and tie, and his white shirt hung over his belt. His face was taut with tension and his skin sheened with perspiration.

As soon as he spotted Ruth he rushed straight to her and the relief she felt was overwhelming. He put his arms around her and pulled her close, and she sobbed into his shoulder.

‘I got here as quickly as I could,’ he said. ‘Is there any more news?’

She continued to sob, and when she didn’t respond to his question Ethan eased her gently away from him.

‘You need to speak to me, Ruth,’ he said, his voice clipped. ‘Have the police found out where Liam is?’

Ruth swallowed hard and sucked air through her teeth. Her mind was turning somersaults and she could hear the blood thundering in her ears.

‘No, they haven’t,’ she said eventually, wiping at her eyes. ‘The officer in charge is going to update us soon. They’ve been waiting for more parents to get here.’

Ruth lifted her head to look at her husband’s face. She didn’t like what she saw. His jaw was tight and blood vessels bulged at his temples. He shifted his gaze away from her, as though unable to look her in the eyes.

‘I’m so sorry,’ she said. ‘I know that Liam wasn’t meant to be here today. And trust me, nothing you can say will make me feel any worse than I do right now.’

He turned back to her and spoke quietly, but not so quietly that those around them couldn’t hear. ‘So what was so important that you couldn’t spend the day with our son?’

‘I was invited to lunch with that magazine editor I told you about,’ she said. ‘I thought it would be an opportunity to secure some more work. I told Liam I’d take him to see Shrek another time.’

Ethan’s nostrils flared and he ran a hand across his forehead.

‘But now there might not be another time,’ he said. ‘Who knows what’s going to happen to our boy?’

Tears welled up in his eyes then and his face suddenly crumpled like a paper bag. Ruth hadn’t seen him cry since the doctor broke the news to them that Liam had cystic fibrosis. That was three years ago. Since then he had been a devoted father and had done everything possible to ensure that Liam enjoyed life despite his illness. He’d been overprotective for sure and had never given up searching for that elusive cure. He had even been talking recently about remortgaging the house to raise money for experimental treatment for CF that was being pioneered in the United States.

So Ruth could well appreciate how he felt now and she told herself that it was understandable that he would take it out on her. After all, she was to blame. If she hadn’t agreed to meet Howard Browning then she would be having fun with Liam right now instead of standing in a room surrounded by police officers and other distraught parents.

Ethan’s whole body was shaking as Ruth reached out and pulled him into an embrace.

‘We both have to stay strong,’ she said. ‘The police are doing everything they can. And that Detective Tate seems to be on top of things.’

As if on cue, Anna Tate emerged from one of the side rooms. Trailing behind her were Sarah Ramsay and the two teachers, Emma and Paige.

The sight of the nursery owner sent a rush of heat through Ruth’s body. She let go of Ethan and bolted across the room, her head filled with a fiery rage.

Sarah saw her coming and stopped walking. Ruth got to within a couple of feet of her and pointed an accusing finger.

‘It’s about bloody time you showed your face,’ she screamed. ‘We entrusted our children to your care. You were supposed to look after them. So why did you let those men walk in and take them away? If any harm comes to Liam I swear I will make sure you suffer.’

Ruth was about to lunge forward and strike Sarah when Detective Tate stepped between them, holding up her hands.

At the same time Ethan grabbed Ruth from behind and pulled her back.

‘Please calm down, Mrs Brady,’ the detective said. ‘This won’t help the situation.’

‘But she needs to know how I feel,’ Ruth shouted. ‘How we all feel. That woman and her staff undertook to keep our kids safe and they failed.’

Paige Quinlan stepped out from behind Sarah. ‘It wasn’t our fault, Ruth,’ she said. ‘The men had guns. They threatened to shoot us.’

‘That’s no excuse,’ Ruth responded. ‘You should have protected our kids, no matter what.’

Detective Tate came forward and placed a hand on Ruth’s shoulder.

‘I can understand that you’re angry and very worried, Mrs Brady,’ she said. ‘But this really isn’t the time or place to start attributing blame. We all need to focus one hundred per cent on getting the children back.’

For the second time that morning, it was the detective who took the wind out of Ruth’s sails. She felt her anger subside along with the pounding of her heart.

‘Look, I’m going to organise a room for you and the other parents so that I can fill you all in on what we’re doing,’ Tate said. ‘I also intend to assign a specific officer to each family. But you need to bear with me for a few more minutes.’

The detective then turned and motioned for Sarah and the teachers to follow her as she stepped away from the cafeteria.

Ruth felt Ethan’s hand on her back and when he spoke he sounded resigned rather than angry.

‘Come and sit down, Ruth. I want you to tell me everything you know about what happened.’

And so she sat on one of the chairs and told him what the detective had said to her earlier about the kidnapping. And as she spoke the other parents gathered round to listen.

But it all proved too much for Daniel’s mother, Belinda. She threw up again, only this time it went all over the table.