Page 6 of Little Children (Detective Kim Stone #22)
Five
The first thing Kim noticed when she entered DCI Miranda Walker’s office was that the woman looked tired.
Like mining towns, it had grown around an industry that was in decline.
Back in its heyday, people had travelled there for a week’s holiday.
The appearance of the cheap foreign holiday had impacted the place considerably, relegating it to a venue that serviced the stag and hen crowd and the day-trippers.
In addition to the problems Kim faced back home, this team had the added headache of thousands of tourists rocking up every weekend.
‘Take a seat, Inspector,’ Walker said, pointing to one of the easy chairs.
The chief left her place behind the desk and came to join her.
Kim guessed her to be mid-fifties; she had short salt-and-pepper hair, stylishly cut.
Although a little drawn, her face was lightly tanned and attractive.
She wore a pair of stud earrings – sapphires that matched the colour of her trouser suit.
‘Thank you for coming. DCI Woodward is an old friend.’
‘From training days, he said.’
The chief nodded. ‘He has my absolute trust, and I’m hoping I can extend that to you.’
‘Of course,’ Kim said. Respect wasn’t won automatically from her, but the seedlings were there for this woman.
She was a northern success story, according to the reports she’d read during the journey north.
Born to a drug-addicted mother, both she and her younger sister had been drug dependent on arrival.
Despite trying to keep the family together, Child Services had removed both children from the home when Miranda was eight and her sister was five. Thereafter followed a series of foster homes for both, until Miranda reached maturity and took control of her own life.
Kim suspected the woman’s childhood hadn’t been too far removed from her own.
She’d always felt that somehow she’d avoided the person she was supposed to be, that fate had set her up to be an aggressive, hateful, drug-fuelled person who’d die by overdose.
Fate had decreed that, but she had dodged it, and she felt this woman had too.
From the early cards they’d been dealt, they could both have been living very different lives.
‘Had your work cut out on that last case, eh?’ the chief asked.
Was there anyone who hadn’t watched their wild goose chase around the country? Kim wondered.
The chief held up her hand. ‘I don’t expect an answer. It was an impossible situation. You had no choice but to follow his instructions.’
Kim nodded her agreement.
A smile tugged at the woman’s mouth. ‘Although my favourite part, by far, was the press conference you gave. I’m guessing very little of what you said came from the press liaison office.’
‘I like to improvise.’
‘Good. You may need to be adaptable.’
‘Does anyone on the team know the second reason we’re here?’ Kim asked.
The chief shook her head. ‘And it needs to stay that way. I need to know where the calls have come from.’
‘And whether or not they’re valid?’ Kim asked.
‘Of course, but the source is the priority. If it’s a member or members of that team, I can’t risk their safety. I know that you know what I mean.’
Kim completely understood. It wasn’t beyond the realms of possibility for someone uncovered as a snitch to meet an untimely accident while out at a routine call.
‘And the investigation?’ Kim asked, wondering where her team fitted into that.
‘It’s been explained to you that manpower wise we’re at breaking point. Every member of CID is working flat out. Unfortunately, we can’t afford to ignore every other serious incident because we have two missing boys. Especially not this week.’
Kim waited.
‘I want Red and the team focussing on Noah, the boy who went missing last night. They already have the knowledge of the first boy, Lewis, and will be able to ascertain quicker if the two incidents are linked.’
‘Your suspicion?’
The chief opened her hands. ‘My hope that they’re not is dwindling by the minute, but there’s still a chance Noah is going to turn up somewhere safe and sound.’
Kim noted that she didn’t hold out the same hope for Lewis, who had now been missing for ten days.
‘In which case, wouldn’t we be expected to pack up our things and leave you to it?’ she asked.
‘I’d have to be creative in finding a reason for you to stay to dig into the complaints. Although, no offence, I’d rather we had Noah back and be sending you on your way.’
‘No offence taken.’
‘What I need from your team is to retrace everything on Lewis’s disappearance. It’s what my team would be doing if Noah hadn’t vanished too. You’ll have fresh eyes. Maybe there’s something we missed or where we should have gone deeper. I want these boys found.’
‘Of course. We’ll do everything we can to make that happen.’
The chief smiled. ‘I’m sure you’re keen to get started. Let me know if there’s anything you need. And if you have any problems with any members of my team be sure to?—’
‘Sort it out myself, marm, but thank you for the support,’ she said, heading towards the door.
Good of the DCI to offer, but Kim had never needed anyone to fight her battles.