Val McDermid - The Vanishing Point

‘Shit,’ Nick said. ‘So we really should be looking on this side of the Atlantic. At people who know Jimmy and Stephanie.’

Charlie spoke slowly, considering her words. ‘It’s interesting that Stephanie didn’t recognise him. If it was someone she knew well, she might have recognised his build, his gait, his gestures, whether she saw his face or not. So maybe not someone she knows.’

‘They’d have to know something about Stephanie, though. They’d have to know about her leg always setting off the metal detectors. And their holiday plans.’

‘That’s true. But whoever took Jimmy, he’s had friendly contact with him and probably recently. The boy’s at school now, isn’t he? You might want to check out classroom assistants, teachers, caretakers. Anyone who could have built a relationship of trust with Jimmy.’

Nick scribbled a note to remind himself of the line of inquiry. ‘But if it’s someone like that, why wait till the kid’s in America? Why not do it over here, where it would presumably be easier? This was an audacious kidnap, Charlie. A lot could have gone wrong.’

‘I know. That was my other point. Whoever did this has got planning skills and a lot of nerve. But to go back to what you said – why America? It’s a good question.’ She gave a short, sharp sigh. ‘I don’t know the answer, but maybe it’s something quite simple. The kidnapper might only be acting as an agent for the person who really wants Jimmy. And maybe that person is in America.’

As usual, talking to Charlie opened all sorts of possibilities. ‘So I should start with anyone who could have got alongside Jimmy recently?’

‘Either that or someone who has a long-standing relationship with the kid. Family?’

‘I don’t think there are connections there. Not from what Stephanie’s said. Both parents are dead. His paternal grandparents want nothing to do with him, though I need to check out whether that’s still the case. Cultural sensitivities and shit, you know?’

‘That can be a bitch,’ Charlie said. ‘And not very susceptible to reason. What about his mother’s family?’

‘Scarlett made a fetish of not letting them have anything to do with Jimmy. Granny’s a drunk and auntie’s a junkie. According to Stephanie, they got lawyered up when Scarlett died because they thought there was money attached to Jimmy. As soon as they found out Scarlett had left her entire estate to charity and that Jimmy was, in financial terms, nothing but a burden, you couldn’t see them for dust. They haven’t got the financial or the intellectual resources to mount something like this, even if they wanted the kid. There’s another auntie, Leanne, but she lives in Spain and Stephanie’s not seen her or heard from her since Scarlett died. She’s made no attempt to stay in touch with the kid.’

‘So you’re ruling out the mother’s family. And the father’s family are long shots. What about staff?’

‘What do you mean, “staff”? Stephanie doesn’t have staff. She’s a writer, not a movie star.’ Nick couldn’t help a spurt of amusement rising in him in spite of the situation.

‘I know it sounds mad, but I don’t have another word for what I mean. Cleaner. Childminder. Little man who does stuff. People who come to the house or people whose house Jimmy goes to.’

Nick made another note. ‘He doesn’t have a childminder. Stephanie picks him up from school. She’s changed her working habits to accommodate him. She says he’s had so much upheaval in his life, he deserves some stability. Now when she’s doing the interviews for a book she only makes herself available from ten till two.’ He smiled in affectionate memory. ‘She says she wishes she’d thought of it years ago.’

‘OK. What about a cleaner?’

Nick pulled a face. ‘I know she’s got one, but I think she comes when Jimmy’s at school.’

‘Babysitter?’

‘Emily. She’s Stephanie’s agent’s daughter. I really don’t think she’s someone we should be worried about.’

‘Probably not. You said the boy’s five?’

‘That’s right.’

‘Was there anybody who consistently took care of him when Scarlett was still alive? Because he’d probably still have a strong enough memory of her to trust her.’

Nick thought back to when he’d been introduced to what had struck him at the time as a chaotic household. He’d gradually realised it was anything but. ‘The person who held everything together was Marina. She was housekeeper, child-minder, cook. Without her, everything would have fallen apart. But she’s well out of the picture.’

‘Why do you say that?’

‘Scarlett left all her money to a charitable foundation that supports an orphanage in Romania. According to Stephanie, when she knew she was dying, Scarlett sent Marina back to Romania, where she’s from, to be the foundation’s representative at the orphanage. Basically, to run the place properly. Scarlett wanted somebody who knew how things work over there, but who wasn’t dependent on keeping in with the locals for her wages.’

‘And you know she’s still there?’ Charlie asked.

Nick made yet another note. His list was starting to look horrible. ‘I can check. But why would she get involved with something like this?’

‘Maybe she misses Jimmy. If she took care of him for the first four years of his life, it would have been a wrench to leave him. Maybe she didn’t have a high opinion of Stephanie’s childcare skills. You need to look at her, Nick. She’s someone that Jimmy would trust unquestioningly. If she could have found a way to get alongside him, she could have introduced him to the man who took him. It would have been easy for her to groom him.’

‘It seems a bit far-fetched,’ he complained.

‘This whole scenario is far-fetched,’ Charlie said. ‘It’s so public. Too many things could have gone wrong. It’s very bold.’

‘That’s why I was leaning towards Pete Matthews before I spoke to you,’ Nick said. ‘He’s a bully, he’s a stalker, he’s a control freak. He’s organised and he’s plausible.’

‘How well did he know Jimmy?’

‘I’m not sure. I think the boy was pretty young when Stephanie dumped Pete. But the guy’s a stalker, he might have found a way to get to know him.’

‘That’s true. I wouldn’t rule him out. But don’t lose sight of the other possibilities.’

Nick sighed. ‘If this is what you come up with off the top of your head, I’m not sure I’ve got the strength for a more considered response.’

Charlie chuckled. ‘Don’t hold your breath. There may not be much more.’

‘Before you go – what do you think this kidnap’s all about? Is it someone who wants Jimmy for himself, or is it going to come down to ransom?’

The line went silent. He knew she was thinking and he endured what felt like a long pause. ‘I don’t think this is about money. Because there is no money. There’s an intelligence at work here, and if a big payday was what they were after, there are a lot more promising targets than Jimmy. And that’s a good thing.’

‘Why do you say that? If it’s Jimmy they’re after, he might be gone for good.’

‘I appreciate that. But the chances are he’ll be kept alive. And that’s better than the alternative, don’t you think?’

23

Nothing was pleasant or easy when it came to dealing with Joshu. Every encounter with him or his lawyers was bruising and tiresome. I don’t know how Scarlett would have got through it without Leanne and me. We were the punchbags, the sounding boards, the support system. Marina did the practical stuff, but for everything else, Scarlett turned to the pair of us. We were her safety valve. On the days when she was off recording the TV show, she used up every ounce of energy maintaining Public Scarlett. Often when she came home, all she wanted to do was cuddle up on the sofa with a slumbering Jimmy, watch crap TV and drink Prosecco. But there were other times when she wanted to rant, and that was OK with us too. Leanne occasionally went out on the town. ‘Brave Scarlett’, she was these days, which was a definite improvement on the Scarlett Harlot.