Deadly Lies by Ann Girdharry (book recommendations .TXT) 📗

start on the children’s bedrooms. No, she should wait for a better time to tell him. You’re stalling, Silver, she said to herself. You’re scared to open up. You’ve spent too long living like a damn clam.

She followed Tom up the stairs. Emily’s bedroom was decked out in pale blue and lilacs, and Lisa’s was decorated in pink.

‘What are we looking for?’ Ruby asked.

‘Anything which seems odd or out of place, or something missing which you’d expect to be there. Perhaps something hidden from the parents. Looking will also give us an idea about the children. If we come into communication with them, what link can we make with them quickly? It’s little details which can make a life or death difference. Let’s start with Emily.’

Emily was into horses. There were horse posters and horse ornaments. They found riding gear and photographs of Emily at the stables.

They systematically searched the drawers of an enormous lilac dresser.

‘There was a twin of this one at the Hardmans’ house,’ Tom said.

They checked through the books on the shelf. Emily liked clothes. Or perhaps it was Alice who liked to buy them, because the child had more pretty tops and skirts and dresses than any child could wear. It was at the bottom of a box stuffed full of horse magazines where Tom found the surprise.

‘Come and look at this.’

It was made of red silk. Tom tipped the camisole top onto the floor. It was a slinky sexy item and out of place in a little girl’s room. There was no mistaking it as women’s lingerie of the seductive kind.

‘What size would you say this was?’ he asked.

Ruby tipped her head on one side. ‘I’d guess a ten.’

‘You think it would fit Alice?’

‘I think she’s a couple of sizes bigger than that.’

‘That’s what I thought, and Natalie must be larger too.’

Ruby could see Tom blushing. Given how women were always so attracted to him it was odd Tom was embarrassed. He found it hard to meet her eyes. Using a gloved hand, Tom tipped the camisole into an evidence bag.

‘You think it’s important?’ she asked.

‘Everything is important. It might be nothing and it might be something. Who does it belong to? And what is it doing here? Why did Emily hide it?’

They moved into Lisa’s bedroom. Lisa’s room was full of cuddly toys. A bunch of them were on the bed and others were arranged on a long shelf. Some of the animals had secret compartments and zippered pouches only they didn’t find anything of interest tucked inside.

‘It was Lisa’s teddy bear which the intruder slashed,’ Ruby said. ‘She would have found it very disturbing. Children this age believe their toys are alive.’

‘Really? So the abductor killed the teddy?’

‘Mutilated it more like and I’m not joking. Lisa is four, so part of her knows it’s not true it’s alive except there’s another part of her which believes it is. A child’s imagination is one of their driving forces. And he didn’t only kill the bear, he slashed its stomach open. Since Alice told us Lisa brought it to her grandparents, it’s likely one of her favourites.’

‘Right. That sounds serious.’

‘And it was in the middle of the night when dreams can get mixed up with reality, which would have made it worse. It would have been terrifying for her.’

‘Got it. You think there might have been something hidden inside?’

‘Either that or, like Grant thought, he did it deliberately to frighten them.’

They didn’t find anything more of interest and Ruby noticed how Tom was careful to put things back as they had found them.

‘The parents will want to come here,’ he explained, ‘especially the mother, and I don’t want her to feel it’s been disturbed, that wouldn’t be right. It’s going to be a place of comfort for the parents.’

Underneath his professional veneer Tom really was a surprisingly sensitive soul. It made Ruby like him even more. Come on, Silver, say something. She bit her lip but her words dried up. If you like him let him know. Aren’t you ever going to give the poor guy a hint?

‘What’s up?’ Tom asked.

‘Oh nothing, I was thinking about the camisole,’ she lied. ‘Should we show it to the parents?’

‘Not yet. We need to check with Grant and it will be up to the boss.’

An ear-splitting scream cut through the air. Ruby’s knees threatened to buckle and every hair on her arms stood on end. It was Alice. Deep in her gut Ruby knew it was the sound a mother makes when they find their child is–

Tom sprinted for the stairs and Ruby clutched the furniture and then followed behind. Oh God, please no, don’t let the children be–

Alice was on the lounge floor curled up in a ball.

‘What’s happened?’ Tom demanded.

Jack was trying to prise something from Alice’s hands and the more he tried, the more she screamed.

‘Get off her,’ Joan said, ‘leave her alone.’

Jack didn’t.

‘Please stop, sir,’ Tom said and he took Jack’s arm.

Jack seemed to come to his senses and Ruby was horrified to see he was in tears. Alice stopped screaming.

The constable who was usually on duty at the front door explained. ‘I’m sorry, detective. I was opening the post in front of the parents like DCI Grant asked me to and then Mrs Glover started screaming.’

The constable was wearing protective gloves and she pointed to a brown envelope lying on the floor. ‘It was sent by special delivery.’

Ruby stared at the envelope. What had been inside? Was it a body part Alice was clutching? Please no. Ruby swallowed and gently put her hand on Alice’s back. ‘It’s all right, Mrs Glover.’ Except it wasn’t, was it.

‘Please step back, sir,’ Tom said. ‘Leave your wife alone.’

Tom had to drag Jack away and Ruby got down on the carpet and spoke close to Alice’s ear.

‘Please Alice. We need to know what you got in the mail. Can you show me? I’m not going to take it away from you I promise.’

Alice’s reaction had been instinctive