Page 9 of Stolen Ones

‘You wouldn’t have done the same thing with Laura when she was a kid?’ she asked of his only daughter.

‘She’s here for the week, and if you want the truth, I don’t want to let her go back,’ he said, proving her point. Laura had been working away, putting her midwifery degree to good use, for almost eighteen months, and Bryant still felt safer when she was under his roof.

It was a natural reaction, and she couldn’t blame them for rushing to ensure their children’s safety. The shit parking was another matter. Cars had pulled up onto the pavement and were spilling out onto the main road.

The two of them wound their way on foot to the front door, which was opened by a harassed-looking girl in her late teens. Uniformed officers were trying to keep order, but they were dealing with parents who wanted access to their children.

After checking their IDs, the girl guided them through a warren of rooms, all filled with parents exchanging anxious looks while holding tightly to their children.

Kim noted that the age range seemed to span pre-school toddlers to pre-teens.

‘They’re all in here,’ the girl said, opening the door marked ‘Office’.

Inside was Inspector Plant, a woman in her early fifties and a younger woman wearing a nurse’s uniform beneath a light summer jacket. Her expression and pallor needed no introduction.

Kim introduced herself and her partner just as Inspector Plant began edging towards the door. He looked to her for confirmation. She nodded. He was eager to go and check on his team, who would be conducting the initial search of the area and carrying out door-to-door checks.

‘Andrea Newhouse, owner,’ said the woman from behind the desk. ‘And this is Claire Lennard, Grace’s mother.’

Kim nodded at them both as she took a seat. She could feel the trembling of the woman beside her. Kim guessed she was feeling a mixture of despair, anguish but also hope that Grace was going to turn up safe and sound any minute now. Kim had that same hope, but after her earlier exchange with Steven Harte the hope was diminishing with every passing minute.

‘Can you tell us exactly what happened, Ms Newhouse?’

‘Yes, it was just after lunch. Around twoo’clock some of the staff were settling the little ones down for a nap. The older ones were making their way outside. They’re planting a herb garden at the top of the yard. The fire alarm went off. Everyone headed for the designated meeting point: the shed by the back fence, away from the building. There was a roll call. Everyone was present and accounted for. We did a search of the premises. The fire service attended to do a check. They put it down to a blip in the app we all have on our phones that control the intruder and smoke alarms. They reset the system, declared us safe and left. The kids were all milling around, chatting about all the excitement, when Deana noticed the back gate had been left open by the firefighters. She alerted all staff and took another roll call and that’s when we found that Grace was missing.’

‘Did you check the immediate area?’

The woman nodded. Of course she had. Any decent day-care business had procedures in place.

‘Myself and two colleagues searched the streets behind the property while another staff member called the police.’

‘What was the exact time of the second roll call?’ Kim asked.

‘Two thirty-eight,’ she said as Bryant noted the times in his notebook.

Grace had been gone for almost three hours.

‘So, she might still be wandering around, lost, might she?’ Claire Lennard asked hopefully. She stood. ‘I should be out looking…’

‘Please sit down, Ms Lennard,’ Kim said, placing a steadying hand on the woman’s arm. ‘There are officers out searching for Grace right now.’

Kim knew that every available officer had been called to the area. They would already be knocking doors and checking gardens.

‘I know you want to be out there trying to find her, but we need you here right now.’

She nodded and sat back down.

‘Is there anyone at home?’

Claire shook her head.

‘How far is it and could Grace make her way back?’

‘It’s about four miles away, in Sedgley, but I don’t think…’

‘Kids are cleverer than we think. Can you call a neighbour and ask them to keep watch on the house until we get someone there to check properly?’

‘Yes, yes, of course,’ she said, taking out her phone.