Page 7 of Little Children

‘Just practising, guv,’ he said with a smirk.

Penn and Stacey tried to hide their amusement and failed.

‘Right, about the case,’ Kim said, shaking her head.

‘The second disappearance has hit the wires,’ Stacey said. ‘And they’re already getting some heat from the press.’

‘Luckily not our problem,’ Kim said. She’d had enough press attention on the last case and was of course still getting it from one reporter in particular. She shook away all thoughts of him and the name he’d mentioned.

‘First boy is a local lad named Lewis Stevens, twelve years old. Last seen on Friday the eighteenth in Coral Island,’ Stacey said, reading from her phone.

‘Where?’ Kim asked. She was dismayed to see all three of her colleagues show surprise.

‘You don’t know?’ Penn asked.

‘Let’s assume that if it doesn’t sell dog food or motorcycle parts, I’m unlikely to know.’

‘It’s a massive arcade on the front on the Golden Mile.’

Kim waited. She had, at least, heard of that.

‘It’s more than an arcade though,’ Stacey offered. ‘Last time I went, there were two restaurants, a café, a chip shop, a train ride, games for kids, fruit machines and I think a casino.’

‘Kids can easily get lost round there, guv. I think it has four or five entrances,’ Bryant added.

‘Was he with parents?’ Kim asked.

‘They’re not mentioned in any of the news reports,’ Stacey said.

‘And yesterday?’ Kim asked.

‘Eleven-year-old Noah Reid went missing from South Pier, opposite the Pleasure Beach. Got nothing else yet other than description and clothing.’

‘Is he local too?’ Kim asked.

Stacey nodded.

‘Okay,’ she said, pushing back her chair. ‘Let’s get to it. Over to the station and we’ll do hotel check-in later.’

‘Just one question, boss,’ Stacey said, reaching for her satchel.

‘Yep.’

‘Are they gonna be pleased to see us?’

Kim gave thought to the question for a few seconds. She put herself in their position and wondered how she’d feel having a team of strangers foisted upon them while trying to navigate a major investigation. She was pretty sure it would prompt a heated debate in Woody’s office, but not every senior investigating officer reacted like her, and she didn’t want to put her team on the defensive before they’d even met the new squad.

‘Not sure, Stace, but I guess we’re about to find out.’

Four

It was almost three when they pulled onto the car park of Blackpool Police Headquarters.

The building was located close to the South Shore, and you couldn’t miss it as you entered the town. It was a three-storey glass building beneath a white frame that clamped over it like some kind of transformer part that had been clicked into place. A couple of raised planter beds attempted to soften the area on approach.

They stepped through the door, and Kim noted the glass theme continued throughout. If the architect had been hoping to convey transparency, it was both clunky and obvious.

Bryant approached the front desk. The guy behind it made a quick call, smiled at something said on the other end and then hung up. He said something to Bryant before nodding towards a set of doors.