The Secret Child (DI Amy Winter #2)(35)
She jumped on board and was immediately hit by the stench of garlic hanging on someone’s breath. At the other end of the carriage, a scruffy man with more hair than he needed was playing an accordion. Not that you could call it music. Amy was tempted to pay him to stop.
She walked the length of the carriage, settling in a section void of noise and questionable odours. Like before, she used the journey time to think, her eyes dancing over her fellow travellers as she studied them.
Exiting Lambeth North station, she followed the signs to the Imperial War Museum. Her throat was dry and she eyed up the coffee stand. What she wouldn’t give for a drink. But refreshments would have to wait. Molly’s latest update had come in the form of a text. DCI Pike was unhappy with all the running around. There was a fine line between following a substantial lead and being made a fool out of – if they didn’t get anywhere on this leg of the journey, she was to return to the station. As Amy stood on the pavement, the screech of sirens on the busy road made her heart stall. When the police car flashed past, she checked for missed calls to ensure that there wasn’t another incident coming in for her team.
In cases such as these, it was easy to become blinkered, but she knew that, back at the station, her colleagues were fighting a rising tide of crime. She noted the presence of uniformed officers across the road. Were they here for her? It warmed her to feel part of such a big family and know they had her back if need be. Crossing at the traffic lights, she broke into a jog, continuing until she reached the tree-lined Lambeth Road. At the entrance to the Imperial War Museum, her phone began to buzz.
‘You’re running behind,’ Luka said.
‘You’d better give me something concrete.’ Amy’s patience was wearing thin. ‘If you don’t tell me where Ellen is, I’m returning to base.’
‘Have you ever been to the museum?’ Luka replied, ignoring her request. ‘I remember the day Dr Curtis brought me here. I could almost smell the trenches, hear the bombs whistling above my head. I felt this country was powerful. He talked about our studies being immortalised, his findings being used by scholars and students to come.’
Amy ground her teeth. ‘Luka, I’ve done as you asked. Now tell me where she is.’
Luka continued, ignoring her as she spoke over him. ‘I remember feeling a little frightened by the enormity of it all. Sometimes when Deborah explained the bigger words, I would catch a glimpse of concern in her eyes. I knew there was more to this study than the doctor was letting on.’ Pausing for breath, Luka forced himself to focus. ‘I need you to go to one more location.’
‘No. No more addresses. It ends here.’ Resting her hand on her hip, Amy stood firm. The mention of Deborah’s name added an authenticity to proceedings that put her on edge.
‘You’ll find Ellen near Oxford Street. It will take fifteen minutes on the tube and ten minutes to walk to her location. That’s twenty-five minutes – exactly the time she has left.’
‘Why should I believe you?’ Amy said, yet she found herself heading back to the tube station just the same. Her police radio beeped a point-to-point call from her shoulder harness. It was DCI Pike. She chose to ignore it, unwilling to take the risk of Pike calling the whole thing off. What choice did she have? Luka was their only link to Ellen. She could not walk away now.
‘If you don’t do as I say, this conversation will haunt you for the rest of your life. Now hurry, there’s no time to waste.’
It was true. She could hear the sincerity in his voice. This was a man who knew what it was like to be plagued by regret. As the call ended, Amy phoned Molly and relayed the latest instructions.
‘Ma’am Pike has asked you to call her as soon as you can,’ Molly replied. ‘She’s tried reaching you on the radio—’
‘I turned down the volume,’ Amy interrupted, having enough to focus on with Luka sending her halfway across London. ‘Listen, I want you to map the perimeter of Oxford Street. Start at the tube station then work outwards at a nine-minute walk at an average pace. Update Control with all the derelict buildings in the area – houses, empty shops, anywhere he could be hiding her. Tell Paddy we need a search team in but to keep a low profile.’ Did Luka want her to experience the bitter disappointment of finding Ellen dead? She couldn’t let that happen.
A text beeped through, along with an attachment. Taking a deep breath, Amy prepared herself for what lay ahead. It was Ellen, tears streaking her face as she pleaded with the camera phone. ‘Please come and get me,’ she cried, her chin wobbling as she spoke. Her childish whimper filtered into a space in Amy’s brain where it would play on a loop. Ellen was against a concrete wall from what Amy could make out, poor lighting casting a shadow on her face.
‘I want to go home. I want my mummy.’ Abruptly, the clip ended. Her adrenaline racing, Amy forwarded it to the team. She noticed the echo as the little girl spoke, the sound of traffic in the distance and the rumbling of heavy engines. Even during that tiny video clip, Amy had gathered a couple of clues. Ellen was in the city. Luka was telling the truth.
The team is on it as we speak, Molly texted. Take the tube to Oxford Circus. Good luck.
Amy whispered a silent prayer as she prepared to take the next train.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Swaying in the Underground train, Amy wondered if stress was intentionally factored into Luka’s games. Was Luka Volkov really orchestrating her movements? If so, were his claims about Dr Curtis true? She couldn’t help but feel a little sympathy for the boy who had come to England with such high hopes. But it offered no justification for his actions. If Luka had kidnapped Ellen and poisoned Nicole, then he was just as bad as the people at the institution. The latest hospital reports were hopeful – Nicole had fought for her life and was coming through the other side. But the pressure was on for Amy to bring her daughter home.