Luke Delaney - The Toy Taker

‘I never can work out the difference,’ Allen admitted with a smile before moving on. ‘And your telephone number? Home number will be fine.’

‘Sure — it’s 0207 151 3728. Do you want the email address too?’

‘No. No. I’m not much of a one for email. I’m sure I’ll be able to get hold of you if you win. Nassington Road’s so close I could always drop it in to you.’

‘Always best to call first,’ the mother told him. ‘We’re out and about a lot.’

‘I’m sure you are, although I’ve never seen you in here before — are you new to the area?’

‘No,’ she answered casually. ‘We’ve lived here for a few years now.’

‘And what a wonderful place to live,’ Allen replied, ‘although one always has to guard against break-ins in an area like this.’

‘I’m sorry, I don’t …’ the mother began, a little confused.

‘A wealthy area such as this will always attract an unsavoury element, I’m afraid. It pays to have a good security system, don’t you agree?’

‘I suppose so. My husband takes care of all that. He’s very security conscious — state-of-the-art this, state-of-the-art-that. I can hardly step out of the bedroom without setting something off.’

‘I see,’ he told her. ‘Well, has anything caught your eye today?’

‘Er, we’ll have a think about it and maybe pop back later,’ the mother told him, ignoring the five-year-old tugging at her coat, trying to pull her in the direction of the Parisian doll.

‘Of course,’ he replied with a forced smile, opening the door for the tangled jumble of legs and arms that left the shop looking like a single, multi-limbed creature. ‘Have a nice day,’ he told them, closing the door on the mother’s struggle and instantly turning to Sean. ‘Are you looking for anything in particular, sir?’

Sean looked long and hard into his eyes for the first time — the eyes of Samuel Hargrave’s killer, and the abductor of at least three other young children. He made the effort to swallow his loathing and sorrow for the man, but he couldn’t manage a smile as he looked into Allen’s dead eyes — like the glass eyes of the dolls and figures that stared lifelessly down on their impending duel. He desperately wanted to arrest him without waiting another second — handcuff him to a radiator and run through the house looking for the missing children. But he needed to speak to Allen first, to be absolutely sure that this was the man he’d been searching for — to wash away any last lingering doubts at the end of an investigation that had been plagued by so many.

‘Not really,’ Sean told him. ‘I was just looking for something for the kids.’

‘Boys or girls, sir?’

‘Two girls,’ Sean answered, instantly regretting bringing any truth about himself into the charade. ‘Six and three.’

‘Is it a special occasion?’

‘No. We’ve just moved into the area and I was hoping to buy them a little house-warming present, you know.’

‘Of course. Maybe you could tell me what sort of things they like?’

‘Just normal girls’ stuff — dolls and dresses.’

‘Perhaps these then,’ Allen suggested, sweeping his hand to take in the porcelain-faced dolls. ‘I’m sure they would look quite at home in your girls’ new bedrooms.’

‘Maybe.’ Sean could tell Allen was trying hard to conceal his contempt at his lack of appreciation for the beautiful dolls. If this had been any other toyshop on any other day he’d have bought his girls the dolls in a heartbeat.

‘What road did you say you’d moved into?’ Allen changed the subject.

‘Cannon Place,’ Sean volunteered, using the name he’d memorized on the way from Mornington Crescent.

‘A beautiful street,’ Allen told him. ‘Very expensive nowadays, I would imagine.’

‘I got a good bonus,’ Sean lied.

‘Ahh. Another banker.’ Sean just shrugged. ‘Seems the whole area’s been overtaken by bankers and traders, whatever that is. Eastern European, most of them.’

‘Is that a bad thing?’ Sean asked.

‘No. Except it drives the house prices to levels that no normal people, no normal families can afford.’

‘Good for you,’ Sean told him, looking around the shop as if he was admiring its potential value, taking in the door behind the counter that he assumed would lead upstairs to the rest of the house, ‘if you own this place.’

‘I do,’ Allen almost snapped at him. ‘I’ve lived here for years.’

‘Then you know the area well?’

‘Of course.’

‘And what about Highgate and Primrose Hill? Mornington Crescent?’

‘Well,’ Allen staggered a little, his lifeless eyes narrowing with fear and suspicion, ‘I know them a little, but Hampstead is my home.’

Sean let the oppression hang in the air before speaking again. ‘Well, I’d better get going — give the nanny a break from the kids.’

‘The nanny?’

‘Yeah,’ Sean told him casually. ‘My wife’s at the gym and then lunch with her friends, then no doubt a bit of shopping. You know how women are.’

‘Quite,’ Allen lied.

‘I’ve got the guy from the alarm company coming sometime this afternoon, so I might as well give the nanny a couple of hours off before her late shift.’

‘Alarm?’ Allen asked, his eyes opening wider.

‘Yeah. New house — old alarm system. I’m getting it upgraded. Can’t be too careful. Like I heard you telling that woman who was just in here — areas like Hampstead can be targets. Should be sorted in a few days.’

‘Indeed.’

‘So, anyway — I was wondering if you have any electronic games — computer games, that sort of thing? Something to keep the kids busy, and not to mention quiet?’

‘Computer games?’

‘Yeah. Anything, so long as it means I don’t have to play with them.’

Allen cleared his throat before speaking. ‘No. No, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have anything like that. Perhaps you’d like to bring your girls to the shop, so they can choose for themselves? It’s always a pleasure to meet young children. You could bring them this afternoon, after your alarm man’s been. I’ll still be open.’

‘Maybe.’

‘And while you’re here, perhaps you’d like to enter our competition?’

‘What do I win?’

‘I would let your children choose the prize for themselves.’

‘Which children?’

‘I … your children, of course.’

‘But what about … the other children? Don’t they get to choose?’

‘I … I don’t understand. If you’re referring to the other children who enter the competition, then of course, they get to …’

‘That’s not what I mean,’ Sean stopped him, slipping his warrant card from his coat pocket and letting it fall open for Allen to see. ‘Detective Inspector Corrigan — Special- Metropolitan Police.’

‘I … I don’t understand. You said you were a banker.’

‘You understand, Mr Allen — Douglas Allen. That is your name, isn’t it?’ Sean watched as Allen took a couple of steps backwards. ‘There’s nowhere to go, Douglas. It’s over. I know you took them.’

‘No, I … I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘That’s not true, Douglas. We both know that’s not true. I need to make sure the children are all right. I need to see if you’ve hurt them.’

‘I … I would never hurt them,’ Allen told him, glancing from side to side, as if an escape route might suddenly open up for him. ‘I wanted to protect them — to give them a better life. It’s God’s will.’

‘Jesus Christ,’ Sean accused him. ‘You did this because you thought God told you to? You did this in the name of God?’

‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them,’ he breathlessly tried to explain, ‘for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’