Page 61 of Little Children

‘Just one thing, Stace,’ he said as they made their way to the squad room. ‘If Moss says anything even remotely out of place, you tell me.’

‘Jeez, Bryant, I can?—’

‘I’m not pulling any kind of macho, misogynistic crap on you, or implying you can’t take care of yourself, but the man is a racist, sexist pig.’

‘Yeah, cos I’ve never come across one of those before,’ she said with a smile.

‘He’s on another level. I wouldn’t put anything past?—’

‘Okay,’ she said, cutting him off. ‘I’ll let you know.’

He breathed a sigh of relief as he opened the door into the squad room for Stacey to step through.

All eyes fixed on them. Bryant felt like they were the new kids in class.

‘Sorry, you got stuck with us,’ he said with what he hoped was a disarming smile. ‘The guv had an urgent case back home.’

Red waved for them to sit down. ‘No point in keeping everything separate with just the two of you.’

‘So, you think the two cases could be linked?’ Bryant asked pleasantly, taking a seat. Maybe what they’d uncovered yesterday had shocked some sense into them.

‘Not really, and the focus is still going to be on Noah, but if we come across anything compelling, we’ll consider it.’

Bryant mused that he’d simply traded one pig-headed boss for another; although, in fairness to his real boss, she was never arrogant enough to hinder an investigation rather than admit she was wrong. He wasn’t sure what could be more compelling than the facts they’d uncovered yesterday – but the guv had made it clear. Red was in charge.

‘Okay, quick update on Noah for those at the back. Noah Reid is eleven years old and was out with his parents on Sunday night for his birthday treat. Mum and Dad popped over to Wetherspoons to grab a table, leaving Noah to spend his last few pounds on South Pier. He should only have been a few minutes behind, so after twenty minutes Dad went looking, and after another hour of frantic searching, we got the call. CCTV at Spoons show the parents’ actions matching their account, and an attendant recalls seeing them all together at the basketball hoops earlier as they claimed, so they’ve been ruled out.’ He paused for breath. ‘So far we’ve interviewed over forty people and no one saw a child being manhandled. There’s no CCTV on the pier, and the properties across the road are too far away to have caught anything.

‘One report from a street vendor said there was some kind of electrical contractor van parked up on the pavement close by, which we’re looking into, and we’re still interviewing tram and bus drivers who might have been passing by at the time.’

So, this was how they conducted an investigation when they hadn’t made the assumption they were dealing with a runaway, Bryant thought. The time and effort being spent on Noah was in stark contrast to the attention given to Lewis.

‘I’m gonna mix things up today to get fresh eyes on the Noah case. Roy, you’re with DS Bryant.’

Bryant covered his internal groan with a nod. It was what he’d both dreaded and hoped for.

‘Wood, you’ll be given access to the current case files, so have a good look over everything. Walsh, you’re with me at the tram depot, and Dickinson and Gonk, keep chasing up the electrical contractors. Roy, take Bryant with you to interview the last couple of staff members on the pier.’

Everyone nodded their understanding.

‘Oh, and folks in dispatch know we’ve got extra pairs of hands, so don’t be surprised if you get a call trying to task you to other incidents. You know what trumps the case we’re working, so if you get any shit, just tell me.’

Red headed back to his desk, and everyone started to gather their stuff.

Roy was first on his feet, and Bryant followed.

He stole a quick glance at Stacey, who nodded that she was fine, before following Moss out the door.

What the hell was he going to find out today?

Thirty-Eight

NOAH

The straw was no more comfortable on his bare skin now than it had been the night before when he’d first been moved.

Mister had tied the blindfold and guided him wordlessly out of the house. He had understood why he’d been allowed to keep his shoes on when he felt the cool night air on his skin and gravel crunching beneath his feet.

‘Stay quiet,’ Mister had said. After less than a minute, he’d felt the surface beneath his feet change. He was now walking on concrete, and the air was warmer. There had been a smell that reminded him of when his mum had taken him to see the beach donkeys.