Page 28 of Little Children (Detective Kim Stone #22)

Twenty-Seven

Kim hadn’t expected to return to the home of Roderick Skidmore quite so soon, and she’d hoped to be carrying a warrant when she did. Unfortunately, she wasn’t in a position to carry out a full-scale search on the basis that he’d told her a lie.

He’d been at Coral Island at the exact same time as Lewis and had literally followed him through the door. He hadn’t legally done anything wrong by being in the same area, so why had he felt the need to lie about it?

That was the burning question on her lips as they pulled up at the wooden double gates.

Kim got out and pressed on the intercom.

No answer.

She pressed again, holding her finger on the button for a good ten seconds.

‘H-Hello…’ said a tentative female voice.

‘May we speak with Mr Skidmore?’

‘He’s not here,’ said the voice.

‘Can you let us in?’ Kim asked.

The gate began to slide open. She walked through the gap while Bryant waited for the opening process to complete so he could follow with the car.

A woman in her late fifties stepped out of the house dressed in plain black trousers, a sweatshirt and a cleaning smock top.

‘Is he home?’ Kim asked.

She shook her head. ‘He called and asked me to come and close up for him.’

‘Close up?’ Kim asked.

‘I clean for him three times a week, but my usual day is tomorrow. He said he was going on a business trip and that he’d forgotten to tell me.’

He’d forgotten to mention it to them earlier as well.

This wasn’t planned. It was only a few hours since they’d been here, and he’d shown no signs of being about to go away.

‘Did he say how long he’d be gone?’ Kim asked.

She shook her head. ‘Just said to maintain my usual routine,’ she said, showing them a single key with a gate fob attached.

‘Any idea where?’

‘Other business trips have involved Thailand. He has a place there.’

Yes, what self-respecting paedophile of considerable means didn’t have a hideaway in Thailand?

Despite its beauty, the country was one of the top five worst countries for child prostitution, along with Sri Lanka, Brazil, America and Canada.

She’d read that due to the hidden nature of the business, accurate figures were hard to come by, although it was estimated that in Thailand some thirty to forty thousand children were being exploited as prostitutes. Where else would the bastard have a holiday home?

‘And is this rare?’ Kim asked.

‘Not his trips. He goes once, maybe twice every month, but I normally know about it ahead of time.’

So, what had spooked him into leaving so suddenly? Had he suspected they were going to be paying him another visit?

‘How long have you worked for him?’ Kim asked.

Maybe it wouldn’t be a totally wasted journey if this woman could tell them more about Skidmore.

‘Four years.’

‘And you don’t mind…?’

‘Of course I mind, but I’ve got a kid with special needs. This way I don’t have to leave him for twelve hours a day to afford to take care of him.’

Obviously, the man paid well enough for her to put a pause on her principles. Kim couldn’t really judge her. She had bills to pay –and expensive ones by the sound of it.

‘My family don’t know though,’ she admitted, putting her hands in her pockets.

Yeah, it was nothing to shout about either.

But since she’d worked for him for four years, Skidmore had to have some kind of trust in her.

‘Have you ever seen or heard anything that makes you uncomfortable?’ Kim asked.

‘God, no, and if it wasn’t for the sex offenders’ register and those pictures on the wall, you’d never know that…’ She pulled a face. ‘You get my drift.’

‘Okay, thanks for your time,’ Kim said, turning away. Her questions were just going to have to wait.

‘No problem, but…’

‘What?’ Kim asked, turning back.

‘I shouldn’t really say, but there’s a cellar. He keeps it padlocked, and I never clean it. I don’t know what he does down there, but whatever it is, he doesn’t want anyone to see.’

‘Okay, thanks,’ Kim said, heading for the car as she took out her phone.

Red answered almost immediately.

‘We need a warrant,’ she said, getting into the car. In an ideal world, she would have applied for the search warrant herself, but this wasn’t her force, and all official channels had to be navigated by the home team.

‘For where?’ he asked.

‘The home of Roderick Skidmore. He’s got a secret room, and he’s done a runner. He’s looking?—’

‘I’m not wasting my time,’ Red said, cutting her off before she’d even told him the best bit.

She felt her features wrinkle in confusion. ‘Did you hear what I just said? He also followed Lewis into the arcade, and now he’s disappeared.’

‘I heard you. It’s not as compelling as you think it is. The man likes to play the poker games at the arcade, and having a locked room in your home isn’t a crime.’

Kim couldn’t believe what she was hearing. ‘Have you seen the artwork in his house? And I know you know about his conviction.’

‘I don’t need to see it to know it’s not going to be Impressionist masterpieces, but it still isn’t gonna get me to ask for a warrant. Leave it alone. He’s not our man,’ Red said before ending the call.

Kim stared at her phone in disbelief. A known paedophile who seemed familiar with both boys had been proven to be in the same area when the first of them went missingand that didn’t deserve immediate attention from the senior investigating officer?

Red’s refusal to obtain a warrant coupled with the gaping holes in the investigation were sounding alarm bells in her head. She was beginning to think that Detective Inspector Butler didn’t really want these young boys found at all.