“I know that place. Tell her we’re on our way and to meet us there with the keys.”
Ten minutes later, they arrive at the old phone exchange and the female police officer, PC Underwood and her colleague PC Frank Edwards are standing by the front door.
“I didn’t want to go in just in case of forensics.”
“Well done, but no time for that. Be careful if you see anything.”
She and PC Edwards lead the way in followed by Eden and Tracy. They spread out and start searching. After a couple of minutes, there is a shout from PC Underwood from the first floor.
“Sir, I think I’ve found something up here.”
The two detectives, rush up the stairs.
“There’s a video camera, a recording device of some sort and a pair of binoculars. He’s been watching someone or something. What’s in that building opposite?”
Eden uses the binoculars. He can see people in forensic suits crawling around. “Crikey. It’s the old vehicle repair garage where the girls’ bodies were discovered. He must have witnessed it. Maybe he recorded who did it. Get the video camera over to the tech team and have them go through it frame by frame.
“He was watching them. That’s what he was on about when I spoke to him on the phone yesterday. He said he would phone back at four today and tell us where the kidnappers would be at five. It looks like something went wrong and the girls were killed earlier.
PC Underwood turns to Eden. “There’s something else here, sir. It’s a notebook with times and observations he’s made of the events in the factory. The last few entries read: Ugly man says boss is coming at five o’clock. Maybe I can rescue the girls and take them to Mitcham’s.”
“Who the fuck is Mitcham’s?”
“It’s not a ‘who’ sir,” says PC Underwood. “It was a furniture store. It closed down a couple of years ago. It’s been empty ever since.”
“I’m not sure what we’ll find there but we need to check it out.”
Eden’s phone rings.
Tracy and the officers listen in to the call.
Eden seems excited about something. He smiles then gasps. “Are you serious? You’re sure about that?”
He ends the call then turns to the women. “That was head of the forensics team. The burned bodies they found. They are not the girls. Both bodies are male. That means there is a chance the girls could still be alive. Maybe that’s what he meant by ‘I didn’t tell them where the girls are.’ We need to go and check out this furniture place right away.”
The police arrive and after a phone call from the chief constable they are given permission to use a forced entry. The front doors are broken open. The alarm goes off but the police will deal with that later. The entire shop is searched but they find nothing.
PC Underwood goes up to the first floor and checks around but still finds nothing. Looking out of the window at the rear she notices the courtyard and how tidy it is in comparison to the rest of the building.
She walks downstairs and finds Eden.
“Sir, it may be nothing but the courtyard at the back–”
Eden interrupts. “Courtyard. What courtyard?”
You can see it from upstairs. There’s a courtyard, and some steps down to a doorway. I thought it was part of the shop?”
“Has anyone seen a door leading out to a courtyard at the back?”
“No, there’s only the storeroom with a tall shelf unit.”
“Move the shelf unit.”
They see the door as soon as the unit has been moved. There is no key in the lock. PC Underwood notices a key on the floor. She picks it up and tries the lock. The key turns.
She walks into the courtyard and down the concrete steps leading to the basement door. She notices it is metal lined.
She tries the handle, but finds it locked.
She shouts out, “Police, hello, anyone there?”
Nothing. She tries once more. “Hello, this is the police. Anyone in there?”
It’s a female voice. “Hello. Yes, we’re here.”
“Is there a key in there?”
“No. He took it with him when he locked us in. We can’t get out.”
“Stand back. We’ll get you out.”
One of the male officers returns with a door battering ram from his patrol car.
It takes eight hits before the door gives way. The male officer stands aside. PC Underwood walks inside.
“No need to be alarmed. We’re the police. I’m Police Constable Underwood. You’re safe now. Is anyone else here?”
“No, we’re alone. Someone brought us here. A man. He locked us in and left. But he said he would be coming back.”
“Okay. We need to get you checked over by the doctor and then we can take you home to your parents. In the meantime, we will let them know we have you and that you’re safe.”
Chapter Sixty-One
The police doctor has checked the girls over and has detected a drug in their systems.
Leona tells him, “We haven’t taken any drugs. It must have been put in the pizza we were given for lunch.”
He advises them as far as he can tell the effects have almost worn off. They will be fine in an hour or so. No reason they cannot go home.
It has only been forty minutes but seems like their mother has been hugging them for hours.
Everyone jumps as the phone rings.
The police still have their equipment set up.
Francis picks it up.
“Hello.”
“Hi, it’s Miles Tyler. I’ve just seen the TV appeal. I’m sorry to trouble you. It must be a difficult time but I just wanted to say if there’s anything I can do to help then–”
Francis cuts him off.
“Hang on a sec.”
He turns to Erica.
“It’s Miles Tyler.”
She takes the cordless phone from Francis and walks into the kitchen.
Five minutes later, she hangs up.
“Terry. It’s Miles. I need some new photos of the Mitten twins. There is a huge story
