‘I don’t know, Steven. I just don’t know,’ sobbed Sue. ‘The police are here and the men in the village are all out looking for her. Luckily it’s Saturday and they’re not all at work.’
The woman from the coffee shop appeared again and said, ‘It’s getting cold.’
Steven waved her away again and said to Sue, ‘I’m on my way.’
He took two one-pound coins from his pocket and quickly entered the shop to throw them down on the table, attracting more shakes of the head and black looks before rushing out and getting into his car. Right now, Jenny was the only thing in the world that mattered: her safety took precedence over absolutely everything else. He started heading towards town but just as far as the nearest turn off to the outer city bypass. He then raced round the dual carriageway to the Lothianburn exit of the bypass and then joined the main road leading to the southwest.
He was thankful for the power of the police vehicle he was driving when it enabled him to accelerate past slow moving traffic with comparative ease on a road that was not amenable to overtaking at the best of times. Even so, he still attracted a deal of angry horn blowing when he forced the issue on a number of occasions, causing on-coming traffic to brake or take avoiding action. After thirty miles or so he was able to leave the twisting trunk road and join the main dual carriageway south. He was topping a hundred and ten miles an hour when a police patrol car latched on to his tail and turned on its lights. Steven maintained his speed and the police car dropped away as the officers got the result of their computer check on the vehicle’s ownership.
Steven tried telling himself that there was no point in driving so fast. It wasn’t going to make any difference whether he took two hours or three to get to Glenvane. Everything that could be done was already being done but something inside him wanted to be at the spot where Jenny was last seen and wanted him to get there as quickly as possible. He needed to feel near her. Apart from that, driving fast demanded intense concentration and helped him stop lingering on the nightmare thoughts that insisted on speculating over what might have happened to Jenny.
Some still got through however. ‘Your kid didn’t wander off on her own, Dunbar… she wouldn’t do that, she’s much too sensible… she was taken… she was taken by some weirdo who’d been hiding in the bushes watching the kids play, waiting his chance… some nutcase who likes pretty little girls under five years old… and you know what that means don’t you? Not many come back from that scenario, do they? In a few days time they’ll find her broken little body lying in some ditch about twenty miles from where she was lifted. The guy who finds her will say he thought it was a doll lying there; they always do… What else do you expect? That she’ll come home licking an ice cream cone and apologising for having got lost in the park? Get real, man! Face facts!’
Steven suddenly realised he wasn’t going to get past the Volvo he was overtaking before an oncoming lorry reached them. He rammed on the brakes and swerved in behind the Volvo just in the nick of time. He caught a glimpse of the red-faced lorry driver mouthing obscenities at him as he passed, horn blaring out Dopplered disapproval. The Volvo driver slowly shook his head as if pitying the shortcomings of his fellow man as Steven pulled out again and roared past, this time muttering, ‘Smug bastard.’
Steven took his foot off the accelerator and let the car decelerate into the village of Glenvane on the overrun. He pulled up outside the house and sat for a moment or two in silence, hands resting on the wheel, head resting on his chest, just letting the silence embrace him and calm his nerves. The metallic contraction noises coming from the cooling engine seemed soothing. After a couple of minutes he felt ready.
Sue came out to meet him as he walked up the path. She flung her arms round him and said, ‘My God, you must have flown down.’
‘What’s happening?’ he asked.
‘No news yet. The menfolk are all out searching and the police are treating it as a major incident. They’ve set up headquarters in the village to co-ordinate the search.’
Steven winced inwardly at the term, ‘major incident’. It was a phrase he associated with murder investigations. ‘Christ, Sue!’ he exclaimed. ‘I don’t know what to say. I’ve never felt so helpless in my life.’
‘I know,’ said Sue, hugging him again. ‘I feel the same.’
‘Are your kids here?’
‘They’re upstairs.’
‘Can I see them?’
Sue looked doubtful. ‘Are you sure that’s a good idea? They’ve already been questioned by us and then by the police. They’re pretty upset. I think the simple truth is that they just don’t know anything more than they’ve said. Jenny went into the bushes to get the ball and that was the last they saw of her.’
‘I’ll be gentle,’ Steven assured her. ‘I’d just like to talk with them for a few minutes. There just might be something they’ll remember.’
Sue agreed reluctantly and led the way upstairs. She opened the door at the head of the stairs and said softly, ‘Uncle Steven is here.’
Steven went into the room and made a heroic attempt at a smile as he saw the two of them, sitting on the floor among their toys. ‘Hi kids,’ he said gently as he squatted down beside them. ‘What are you up to?’
‘Has Jenny come back yet?’ asked Robin.
‘Not yet. We have to find her. I know other people have been asking you all sorts of questions but I’d like it if we could talk about what happened at the park this morning. All right?’
Robin nodded and his younger sister looked up at him with an uncertain half grin, as if unsure what her response should be.
‘You were playing with a ball?’
‘It went in the bushes. I didn’t mean it to. I kicked it and it just did and Jenny went to get it and she didn’t come back.’
‘Who else was in the park at the time, Robin?’
Robin shrugged and looked doubtful.
‘Anyone?’
Another shrug and a half negative response.
‘You don’t remember?’
‘Big boys.’
‘Big boys were in the park? Where in the park, Robin? What were they doing?’
‘On the other side, playing cricket.’
‘All the big boys were playing cricket at the other side of the park, well away from where you were playing?’
Robin gave a slow, deliberate nod.
‘None of them came near you and the girls?’
A shake of the head.
‘You’re sure? Both of you?’
‘Sure,’ said Robin. His sister nodded.
‘Good, you’re being a big help. How about adults? Were there any grown-ups in the park?’
‘Maybe one… or two.’
‘Doggies,’ added Robin’s sister.
‘They had dogs with them?’
‘Trixie and… Leroy,’ said Robin.
Steven took the fact that the children knew the dogs’ names as an indication that the adults with them were locals. After a bit more questioning Steven accepted that the people in the park comprised some older boys playing cricket and two adults from the village out walking their dogs. No one had approached the children.
‘How about cars? Were there any cars near you while you were playing with the ball?’ he asked.
Robin looked down at the floor and said, ‘Mummy said not to play near the road.’
‘Of course not,’ said Steven, but he noticed Robin’s sister giving him a sideways glance. Sue noticed it too. ‘There’s something you’re not telling us, isn’t there?’ she said.
Robin looked daggers at his sister and she in turn looked unsure.
‘Come on now, out with it. No one is going to get into trouble if you just tell us the truth. Mary, what happened?’
‘Mary looked at Robin and mumbled, ‘Robin hit the car.’
Sue turned to Robin who was still hanging his head and looking down at the floor. ‘You hit a car with the ball, Robin? What car? Tell me about it.’