Their Lost Daughters (DI Jackman & DS Evans #2)(18)
His wife gave a sad smile. ‘And look where it’s got us. We love her with all our hearts, but she’s turning into a nightmare.’ Ellen Clarkson was too thin, and looked like someone who didn’t sleep enough.
‘We are not dealing with it particularly well,’ added her husband wearily.
Jackman felt for them. He had no children of his own, but he often looked after his seven-year-old nephew, Robert. There were times when he was certain the boy must be an alien, a being from a planet that bore no resemblance to the one he lived on, but he loved him.
They took the names of friends, and places Toni frequented. Jackman was mostly interested in a recently ditched boyfriend called Ethan Barley. Hurt, rejected or angry, he may have been looking for payback.
‘What sort of boy is Ethan Barley?’ he asked.
‘He’s the son of the vicar of Fendyke Village, a student, and a bit of a rebel. We met him once and weren’t very impressed.’ Clarkson looked at his wife.
Ellen nodded. ‘Not our cup of tea. I got the impression that he was born at the wrong time. He was very passionate about causes.’
‘We commented at the time that he should have been leading the miners’ strike, or distributing copies of Che Guevara’s manual on guerrilla warfare.’ Neil Clarkson shrugged. ‘Not that he was a thug or anything like that. He clearly came from a decent home and his manners were surprisingly good for such a driven young man.’
Marie asked about Toni. Was she easily led? Impressionable? Her parents both laughed at that one. Apparently Toni would argue about anything, including the weather, let alone be persuaded to do something she didn’t want to.
Jackman was just about to bring the meeting to a close when his phone rang. He made an excuse and went to the hallway to answer it.
‘Sir? It’s Rosie here. I’m in the A&E department of Saltern General Hospital. I thought you should know that a teenage girl has been admitted, and she’s in quite a bad way.’
‘Rosie? How come you’re at the hospital? And what makes you think it’s our missing girl?’
‘I overheard a call come in about a youngster found wandering around on the outskirts of one of the fen villages. She had no ID on her and she was well out of it. Then I remembered what the sarge told me, about you checking out another missing girl from the Harlan Marsh area. I decided to come down and take a look for myself. Can you give me a description of the girl you are looking for?’
Jackman glanced at his notebook. ‘Brunette, shoulder-length hair, slim, brown eyes, and wearing a yellow skinny T-shirt and boot-cut jeans.’
‘Then I think you should get over here ASAP.’
‘I’m with her parents right now.’ Jackman bit his lip. ‘You say she’s in a state. Can you clarify that, before I frighten the life out of her family?’
‘Battered and bruised. Possible broken ribs. Nothing immediately life-threatening, although she’s pretty unstable. The medics are working on the supposition that she’s taken, or been given, a drug of some kind.’
Jackman thought of Shauna. ‘What? A hallucinogen, or a Rohypnol-type drug?’
‘They don’t know yet, it’s too early to say, although thankfully there are no signs of sexual interference.’
‘That’s one blessing. Now, Rosie, are you sure enough about the description to allow me to bring the parents to the hospital?’
‘It’s close enough, sir. I’m almost certain. The clothes, the hair colour and her build all seem to tally, but please don’t get their hopes up, just in case I’ve found a lookalike.’
Back in the lounge, Jackman carefully rephrased what DC Rosie McElderry had just told him. ‘Now this may have nothing to do with Toni, but I do need one or both of you to come with us. And please forgive us if this turns out to be another girl, and not your daughter.’
Husband and wife both jumped to their feet. ‘We’ll take our own car, Inspector Jackman. We’ll follow you.’ Marie travelled with them.
Gary with Jackman discussed the case as they sped towards the hospital.
‘Looks like the lass finally came up against someone tougher and nastier than she expected,’ mused Gary. ‘You can only push your luck so far before it runs out.’ He glanced worriedly at Jackman. ‘There’s something else you should know, sir. For the past year, we’ve been trying to trace an underground drinking club. Sounds innocuous, but it’s far from that. Someone is supplying underage youngsters with alcohol and God knows what else. It seems that the kids get in free and get free drinks as long as they party themselves silly, and socialise with the paying members.’
A wave of nausea hit Jackman. ‘Socialise?’
Gary’s face drew into a dark frown. ‘Mmm, we’re not sure exactly what form that takes, and no one is prepared to talk about it. Whoever runs it is damned clever. They’ve been one jump ahead of us for months.’
‘So why can’t you locate the venue?’
‘That’s the clever part, sir. It moves around. We suspect that members are sent a text with a time and location just a few hours before it kicks off, a bit like the old acid-house parties?’ Gary shook his head. ‘We’ve been close, but so far we’ve discovered zilch. And hell, wouldn’t I like to get my hands on the men behind it!’