‘How long were you locked up in here?’
‘A few days and nights. He said it was my punishment, but then he said he’d kicked her out and she wouldn’t be back, so we were alright again.’
‘Did the same thing happen when Jamail was here?’
She nodded. ‘I got no right to argue with him. I mean, he looks after me. I got no job or nothin’. I was always scared I’d be found and taken back to Liverpool.’
‘Were you with him when he met Jamail?’
‘No, he just brung her back one night. She was alright to start with, but she’d never clean the kitchen the way he liked it, and she messed up his CDs, so...’
‘Wait a second. Did you get locked up in here again?’
‘She said it was me that left the grease in the frying pan, but I never done that. We had a fight and so he promised to get rid of her, like Trudie.’
‘You didn’t answer my question, Amanda, did you get locked in here when he said he would get rid of Jamail?’
‘Yeah, but I got a box of Krispy Kreme donuts.’
Jack leaned back as she lit another cigarette. ‘On the nights both Trudie and Jamail were told to leave, did you hear anything? Maybe an argument, or shouting, or even screaming?’
‘No, just his music. He always had it on loud and then it was back to normal, just the two of us.’
‘So, they just left? What about their belongings? Did they leave anything behind?’
‘Not really, and anything they did we tossed into the bins or into the clothes and shoes recycling bins in the Sainsbury’s car park. Oh, apart from her socks; Jamail left a pair of thick socks, and I got them on now. My bed socks.’
Jack picked up the chair and placed it against the wall. He went over to the rope-handled chest and bent to open it. It contained coils of rope, reels of duct tape, screwdrivers, hammers and paint strippers. There were also some oil-stained rags, two sets of headphones, and a tape player. He examined the hammer, which was very clean. The screwdriver had been sharpened and had a lethal razor-sharp edge.
‘Whose tools are these?’
‘They belonged to Rodney’s dad; he used them to repair things.’
Jack decided that they should have the tools checked for any bloodstains, although he doubted they would find any. They looked very clean, as though they had never been used. He decided he had questioned Amanda for long enough. He walked out of the room, leaving the door ajar.
Laura was searching behind the cabinet in the hall.
‘Find anything?’
‘Nope, nothing — and I’ve shifted anything that could be moved.’
‘Did you search the sleeping bag?’
‘Yes, the entire room. I even took out all the pans and tins from the kitchen cupboards, and searched them thoroughly, but there’s nothing. One odd thing I found, which I’ve photographed, though: two gallon containers of bleach, and some wire-cleaning brushes. Did you get anything out of Amanda?’
‘Yeah. I want us to take the tools that are in the chest in her room back with us, to get forensics to check them over.’
Laura pushed the cabinet back into place as Jack made a final search, lifting what carpets he could, testing floorboards and looking up to the ceiling to see if there were any access points to some sort of storage space.
Laura filled two large evidence bags with bedlinen and all the tools, as Jack carried out the computer. He then instructed Laura to fetch the sleeping bag as it might have evidence of the other girls inside it. There was a loud screech from Amanda as Laura got her out of the sleeping bag and rolled it up before walking out, with Amanda yelling abuse behind her. Jack almost dropped the computer as he heard footsteps descending the basement steps, followed by voices. He hurried into the hall to join Laura.
The front door opened, and Harold Miller looked shocked to see them. He then explained that he had just collected Rodney. He held up a small holdall bag as if by way of an explanation. ‘Joyce sorted out his bail for him, and...’
Before Jack could say anything, Rodney Middleton walked in, all smiles. Even though he had seen photographs of him, Jack was still taken aback.
Rodney was slender but muscular, wearing a denim jacket, white t-shirt and jeans. He was also good-looking, with his thick, curly hair cropped close to his head. He had an angular face with amber brown eyes and perfect teeth and seemed both youthful and yet mature at the same time.
Rodney was carrying two bags of food shopping and carefully put them down on the floor.
‘I am Detective Sergeant Jack Warr, and I am here with a search warrant,’ Jack told him.
Middleton nodded affably. ‘Yes, Mrs Delaney said you were down here, and Amanda...’
There was a screech as Amanda came running down the hall and did a flying jump into Rodney’s arms, curling her skinny legs around him. She kissed him, clinging to him like a little monkey, showing off the dirty pink bed socks.
Middleton gently pushed her away. ‘That’s enough now... go and put the groceries in the kitchen for me, sweetie, there’s a good girl.’
Amanda picked up the two bags and hurried down the hallway into the kitchen. Harold was still hovering by the front door.
‘If it’s alright I should be off. Joyce will be needing me. It was nice to see you again detective, and...’
He nodded towards Laura who was standing pressed against the wall holding the evidence bags. Harold handed Middleton the holdall, clearly eager to leave.
‘Can you just wait one second, Harold?’ Middleton said. ‘We should have a look over the search warrant. Is that alright with you, Detective Warr?’
Jack felt very uneasy as he took out the warrant and handed it over. Middleton smiled again and suggested they go and sit down in comfort. They trouped into the lounge, Harold sitting next to Middleton, as they looked over the search warrant.
‘I will need to take in your computer, Mr Middleton, and we have also removed some tools.’
‘What do you want them for?’
‘We’re just investigating a possible connection to some missing girls.’
Rodney frowned and looked puzzled.
‘Girls, plural? I mean, I know Amanda was reported missing, but she’s here of her own free will and she’s almost eighteen years old. Is that your problem?’
To Jack, Middleton seemed almost over-confident, appearing to be very relaxed and completely at ease with the situation.
‘You can search wherever you want,’ Middleton said breezily. ‘I have nothing to hide. I’ve been held awaiting trial for some time, but I am sure you must be aware of that, so I’ve not been home since I was arrested.’
‘I appreciate your cooperation, Mr Middleton, but we were just about to leave.’
‘Why are you taking my computer? I mean, what do you expect to find? Is it legal, Harold?’
Harold frowned. ‘Yes, it is.’
‘What have I done that gives them the right to take it?’
Jack responded. ‘I just explained to you, Mr Middleton, I am investigating the whereabouts of certain missing girls and I believe that you may be implicated in their disappearance.’
‘What missing girls?’
‘I am not prepared to discuss it any further with you right now, but l may require you to come to the station to answer some questions.’
‘Why don’t you ask me now?’
Jack glanced at Laura, who stepped forwards.
‘Thank you for your time, Mr Middleton. This is an ongoing enquiry that may not actually involve you, and we need to continue our investigations before we ask you any questions.’
Middleton shrugged and smiled again. ‘OK, just take whatever you need. Do you want my computer password? It’ll save you wasting time trying to get into it. It’s my date of birth. All you’ll find on there are games, and my internet search history is mostly for Amazon purchases and looking up some further education courses. Oh, and there’ll be some medical searches, plus I think my probation diary dates are on there.’