J. P. Carter - In Safe Hands

‘Look, I’m going to organise a room for you and the other parents so that I can fill you all in on what we’re doing,’ Tate said. ‘I also intend to assign a specific officer to each family. But you need to bear with me for a few more minutes.’

The detective then turned and motioned for Sarah and the teachers to follow her as she stepped away from the cafeteria.

Ruth felt Ethan’s hand on her back and when he spoke he sounded resigned rather than angry.

‘Come and sit down, Ruth. I want you to tell me everything you know about what happened.’

And so she sat on one of the chairs and told him what the detective had said to her earlier about the kidnapping. And as she spoke the other parents gathered round to listen.

But it all proved too much for Daniel’s mother, Belinda. She threw up again, only this time it went all over the table.

Anna could have asked the members of her team to deal with the parents while she got on with the investigation. But she chose not to, and not just because she knew from personal experience the hell they were going through.

She wanted to engage with them so that she could suss them out. After all, she couldn’t rule out the possibility that one or more of them was somehow involved in the abductions. It was unlikely but not impossible given that the kidnappers had seemed to know what to expect when they entered the nursery.

But first she had to make sure that Sarah, Emma and Paige were out of harm’s way. Ruth Brady wouldn’t be the only parent to point the finger of blame at them, and next time it might actually get physical.

DI Walker, her trusted wingman, was on hand to help her sort things out.

‘I’ve already arranged for one of the other meeting rooms to be made available,’ he said. ‘It’s on the other side of the hall. I’ll take them straight there and alert the techies.’

Anna thanked the three women for being so patient.

‘We’ll get your fingerprints and DNA samples and you can help us put together the e-fits,’ she said. Then she took Sarah to one side and told her that she needed to stay on the premises so that they could have another conversation.

‘There are questions I want to ask you about the nursery, Miss Ramsay,’ she said. ‘For instance, I’d like the names of everyone who has access to the building, including cleaners, workmen and other staff members not in today, plus former employees. Also, have you or any of the staff been threatened at any time? And is there anyone that you know of who has a grudge against you or the business? Perhaps you could start giving it some thought.’

Sarah didn’t react other than to nod and blow out her cheeks.

‘And don’t let what just happened get to you,’ Anna said. ‘Ruth and the other parents are in a fearful state and they need to vent their anger and frustration. Unfortunately you’re an easy target.’

‘I’m sure I’d feel exactly the same if I were in their position,’ Sarah said. Then she followed Walker and the others towards the hall.

Anna looked at her watch. It was approaching midday, which meant that almost three hours had passed since the children were taken. The kidnappers had had plenty of time to put distance between themselves and Peabody Street. Were they still in London? she wondered. Or had they fled the capital and driven to a pre-arranged secret location in the sticks?

She was pleased to see so many Met personnel on the scene. They were still arriving at the community centre – uniforms, civilian support staff, crime scene coordinators and computer technicians.

At the same time, things were happening outside. Several police helicopters had taken to the skies, ready to respond to a sighting or a tip-off from a member of the public. Beat coppers were on high alert and armed tactical teams were cruising the streets.

Meanwhile, counter-terrorism officers were searching for likely suspects on their watch lists, but the latest word from them was that they didn’t think this was the work of extremists.

Having the community centre right next door to the nursery was a godsend and Anna made a mental note to seek out and thank the management for letting them set up camp here.

She decided to see what progress was being made before going back to talk to the parents. After slipping outside she resisted the urge to light up a cigarette and headed for the mobile incident van on the forecourt.

The sun was still shining proudly in a clear blue sky and the temperature was continuing to rise.

There were more people on the street now, too. The Sky News team had been joined by crews from the BBC and ITV. The kidnapping had sparked a media frenzy, and Anna knew that soon she would have to mount a press conference and answer a barrage of questions.

The mobile incident van – or command centre as it was also known – was already operational. It was more like a small lorry than a van, and inside there was a desk, some chairs and a computer station with three screens.

An officer sat in front of the screens operating a keyboard, and DC Megan Sweeny from MIT stood behind him. She was a new addition to Anna’s team, having joined only a few months ago, but she had already made a big impression and seemed destined to rise swiftly through the ranks.

‘So what have you got for me, Megan?’ Anna asked her.

DC Sweeny grinned and pointed to one of the screens which showed a freeze-frame of a grey minibus.

‘We’re pretty sure that’s the vehicle we’re looking for, guv,’ she said. ‘It’s the first hit we’ve had from traffic cameras in the area. This particular camera is located in Manor Road, which is just half a mile from here. We can’t see inside the bus because of the tinted windows but we’ve managed to blow up and identify the registration. It turns out the bus was stolen a week ago from an industrial site in Greenwich.’

‘Bingo,’ Anna said. ‘You need to keep at it, though. I want to know where the fuck it’s going.’

‘Will do, guv.’

‘And I’m assuming this image is being circulated.’

‘Of course. The alert went out as soon as we got it.’

‘Well done, Megan. Let me know as soon as you get another hit.’

‘I’ve got something else for you, guv,’ she said, and picked up a sheet of paper from the desk. ‘Sarah Ramsay provided us with a list of the nine children but we’ve added to it. So now it includes the names of their parents and their addresses.’

Anna glanced at the sheet which included head-and-shoulder shots of the children.

Daniel Neville, aged 3 (parents Belinda and Wesley)

Liam Brady, aged 3 (parents Ruth and Ethan)

Grace Tenant, aged 4 (parents Laura and Kenneth)

Simone Green, aged 4 (parents Wendy and Phil – divorced)

Toby Chandler, aged 4 (parents Rebecca and James)

Abdul Ahmed, aged 4 (mother Melek – father deceased)

Justine Brooks, aged 4 (parents Rachel and William)

Molly Wilson, aged 5 (parents Janet and Ben – divorced)

Sahib Hussein, aged 5 (parents Sabina and Rafi)

Below was a list of addresses, all of them within a couple of miles of the nursery.

‘This is great, Megan,’ Anna said. ‘I want everyone involved in the case to have a copy. But don’t release it to the media until I say so.’

Anna then went in search of the crime scene manager for an update on the forensic sweep of the nursery. But on the way she was collared by an anxious-looking PC. He was with a thin, grey-haired woman who must have been in her late sixties or early seventies.

‘You need to speak to this lady, ma’am,’ he said. ‘Her name is Felicity Bradshaw and she lives on Peabody Street a few doors down from the nursery. She actually saw the children being taken away.’