Little Boy Lost Page 11

  She decided not to let him know that his boss had passed on confidential information about him to DCS Nash. She feared it would undermine his ability to do a good job, especially if he learned that she had also been made aware of it.

  As she listened to him talk about the contents of the case file, it struck her that he didn’t sound or act like a man who was keeping a shocking secret. His demeanour was self-assured and business-like, and there was no hint of the weight he was carrying on his shoulders.

  He handed Anna photos of the suspects, Neville Quinlan and Gavin Pope, and said, ‘These can go up on the evidence board, ma’am. I’ve got a hard copy of Quinlan’s criminal record, but Pope doesn’t have one. The threats he made against Mark Rossi only got him a caution. Plus, there are statements made by the people who saw Jacob before he walked out of school on Monday afternoon.’

  Minutes later Anna introduced Benning to the others and noted that she had never seen her team looking so tense and sombre.

  ‘Let me begin by stating what must be pretty obvious to you all,’ she said. ‘This investigation is going to present us with a real challenge. We’re working with far fewer people than we normally have, and we’ve got to do our jobs while out there London is literally burning.

  ‘In addition, you’ll know by now that this is no longer a misper case. Jacob Rossi died from smoke inhalation while chained to a wall in the cellar of a derelict pub that used to be called The Falconer’s Arms. We have not one, but two objectives: we need to find who put him in that place, and who set fire to the building, causing him to die.

  ‘To start with we’ll concentrate our efforts on who abducted Jacob and held him captive between Monday afternoon and today. The only way we’ll get to the rioter who threw the petrol bomb into the pub is if someone comes forward with a name or names. Unfortunately we don’t have CCTV of the incident and all that local witnesses saw was a mob of mostly masked youths descending on the building. It’s also worth pointing out that whoever did start the fire almost certainly doesn’t know that someone died in it because it hasn’t yet been made public. And the same goes for whoever left him down there. They might not yet know about the blaze.’

  ‘So there’s a chance they’ll return to the building at some point to check on the boy,’ DC Niven said from a seat at the front.

  Anna gestured for Walker to respond and he pointed out that DC Sweeny and a uniformed officer would be spending the night in an unmarked car across the road from the building.

  ‘Tomorrow we’ll see if we can set up a surveillance operation in one of the houses opposite the entrance,’ Walker said. ‘But it won’t be of any use if those responsible turned up earlier today and saw the fire for themselves, or if they learn about it once the news breaks about how and where Jacob died.’

  Anna then described the scene inside the pub cellar, using a pen to point to the photos on the whiteboard.

  ‘Evidence recovery will be problematic because of fire and water damage,’ she said. ‘But forensics have Jacob’s clothes and shoes in their possession, along with the chain and manacles used to secure him to the wall. We should know soon if they’ve found any prints or DNA traces on them. When Jacob disappeared he had his mobile and wallet with him, but they haven’t yet been recovered. The phone’s signal was lost soon after he vanished.’

  She relayed the observations of the forensic pathologist who attended the scene and then handed over to Benning to present the details of the missing person’s investigation. He drew attention to the photos of Neville Quinlan and Gavin Pope and explained why they were suspects.

  ‘Quinlan is still our prime suspect,’ he said. ‘Since his release from prison two years ago he’s been living in a flat just over a mile away from Jacob’s school. DCI Tate and I were there a short time ago and he’s still insisting that he knows nothing about the abduction. We’re not convinced he’s telling the truth, though. As you’ll hear shortly the riots hampered our investigation, so we need to catch up on inquiries that haven’t yet been made, including having a closer look at his alibi, finding out who he mixes with, and arranging for CSIs to sweep his flat and car. Before leaving my office to come here I put in another call to forensics, but they need chasing.’

  Benning then told the team that Gavin Pope had been questioned about Jacob’s disappearance because Mark Rossi had brought his name up. ‘Pope used to work for a TV production company run by Rossi’s stepdad,’ Benning said. ‘But it went belly-up and his colleagues lost their jobs and their pensions. They resented the fact that Mark’s career continued to thrive while they struggled. Pope also reckoned that Rossi didn’t do enough to help them even though he was in a position to do so, and confronted Rossi about it at an awards event two months ago. He was drunk and told Rossi that he and the others would eventually get their own back on him.

  ‘Pope denies involvement in the abduction, but there’s nobody to corroborate his alibi that he was at home by himself on Monday. He’s given us the names of the other eleven people who he claims have it in for Rossi. I’m afraid we didn’t get around to talking to them.’

  ‘But they aren’t the only ones who Mark Rossi has upset,’ Anna said. ‘It seems he’s pissed off a lot of people by boasting online about his luxury life. I had a quick look at his Facebook and Twitter pages and he’s been bombarded with abusive comments. These will have to be looked at and a view taken as to whether any of them constitute a serious threat to him and his family. We can’t rule out the possibility that a complete stranger developed a hatred for Rossi online and decided to punish him by kidnapping his only son. And since the boy was held captive for so long it might be that a ransom demand was going to follow.’

  Anna ran through the various scenarios in respect of the possible motives and opened it all up for discussion. Once she was convinced that all the officers were briefed and ready to go, she assigned tasks, starting with detectives Khan and Mortimer, who she sent to Camberwell to assist with the door-to-door inquiries.

  ‘Try to find out if anyone saw activity on the premises during the past few weeks,’ she said. ‘The perp’s car or van must have been parked round the back of the building where there’s a high wall between the pub car park and the side of a block of flats. And there’s only one open gate in and out of the forecourt, so the chances are a vehicle would have been seen arriving and leaving.’

  She asked DS Prescott to check the names on the list that Rossi had provided and to find out where each of them was on Monday, then decide who needed to be questioned.

  ‘While you do that, DI Benning and I will visit Pope. He lives in Richmond so hopefully we won’t have to drive through any riot areas.’

  The rest of the team were given jobs to do that included chasing down CCTV footage in Camberwell, digging up more information on Neville Quinlan, and finding out when forensics would be able to visit his flat.

  ‘I’m mindful of the fact that the riots are placing an unbearable burden on the Met’s resources,’ she said. ‘There’s a limit to what can be done and I’m sure we’ve gone way beyond that already. So we can expect every step of the way to be a struggle. And, be warned, the pressure will only build once the media gets wind of it. The story ties into the riots so they’ll be all over it, and us.’

  Anna then looked at her watch before inviting more questions, of which there were many. After another fifteen minutes she drew the meeting to a close and asked one of the admin staff to type up a list of the action points for circulation.

  She then told Benning they would drive to Richmond in a pool car.

  ‘There’s something I have to do first,’ she said, and went to her office to get her coat and thumb out a text to Tom.

  Things are really hectic, hon, so I won’t call in case you’re both in bed. I hope all is well and thank you again for taking care of my baby. It’s so good to know that I don’t have to worry about her.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  ‘Are you fucking deaf or what? I asked you a question.’


  ‘Leave her be, Wesley. Can’t you see she’s in shock?’

  ‘So what? I still don’t understand why you had to stop and pick her up.’

  ‘I told you. If I’d left her in the road she would have been trampled on, and probably killed. And I couldn’t let that happen. I’ve got a sister about her age.’

  ‘So now you can tell your little sis that her brother Ryan is a superhero. That’s pathetic, man.’

  ‘Oh, come off it. You’re acting like it’s a big deal. And you’re forgetting she’s not the enemy. The coppers are. This kid was out there with the rest of us. I’m guessing she got separated from her mates or family. All we have to do is leave her here.’

  Chloe could hear every word because they were standing right in front of her. She could also see their faces through the tears that clouded her vision.

  She was sitting on the floor with her back against a wall inside a small gift shop that had been wrecked. There was enough light coming from somewhere to show up the stuff scattered across the floor and all the damage to the display cases and shelving units. The front door had been smashed in, along with most of the glass in the window. Through it she could see that a fire was raging close by, but she couldn’t tell if it was a car that had been set alight or another shop across the road. People were running past in both directions and there was still a lot of noise outside.

  She remembered clearly how she’d ended up here and why she was hurting all over. Every time she closed her eyes she felt as though she were back in the stampede. In the chaos she had twisted her ankle and fallen onto her face, which was why her chin was so painful. Someone stamped on her outstretched right arm and whoever it was swore at her, but didn’t stop.

  That was when the sound of her own screams filled her head and she began to feel weird and dizzy. She remembered being lifted off the ground suddenly by a man who kept telling her to stop crying. She could only just hear his voice above the shouting, the sirens, and the crackling roar of a helicopter.

  As he carried her into the shop, she realised that he wasn’t by himself. There were two of them and she heard them saying how much they hated the police and how great it was to have seen a copper get shot.

  That was why she wasn’t responding to their questions about who she was and why she was by herself. She was scared they would hurt her if she let slip that her mum was a detective.

  Both were young black men wearing dark coats and hoods. The one named Wesley had a mean face and a loud, angry voice. Ryan was the one with the sister who had stopped to help her. He had a kinder face and a softer voice, and his compassion reminded her of the woman who had helped her earlier after she was hit by the motorbike.

  Ryan knelt down beside her now and touched her arm.

  ‘I can’t help you any more if you won’t speak to me,’ he said. ‘But I get it because I can see that you’re scared of us, and I don’t blame you. You’re far too young to be out by yourself on a night like this.’

  Chloe was sobbing and shaking, but she was also hoping that this man Ryan would tell her that he would take her to a safe place even though he was one of the people causing all the trouble.

  Instead, he stood up, and said, ‘You’ll be safe here at the back of the shop until things quieten down. Then go out and find your way home. And try not to fall over again.’

  His pal gave him a pat on the back. ‘Well that’s your good deed for the day, bro. Now let’s get back out there before we miss all the fun.’

  A rush of panic propelled Chloe to her feet and helped her find her voice.

  ‘Please don’t leave me,’ she screamed. ‘I can’t …’

  But she never got to finish the sentence because at that moment a bottle with a flame coming out of it flew through the shop window. It hit the floor just in front of the two men and exploded on impact. Flames shot up, and it was Ryan who couldn’t move away quickly enough.

  Chloe screamed, a shrill wail of terror, and then pushed herself back against the wall from where she watched as first his trousers caught alight and then his coat. Within seconds his whole body was engulfed in flames and he was screaming as he threw himself onto the floor and rolled around in an effort to put them out.

  Wesley tried to help him, but he couldn’t get close enough, and when he realised his own sleeve was alight, he jumped back so that he could struggle out of his coat.

  By this time the flames had spread quickly through the shop, thanks to the mess on the floor and all the gifts that were made of wood, paper and cardboard.

  Chloe started to gag and cough as smoke and intense heat consumed her. She tried to cry out but it proved impossible because of the fumes that clogged up her lungs.

  She saw that Ryan was no longer moving, and his body was being devoured by the flames. She could see no way out for herself and she thought that she was going to die too.

  And she almost certainly would have if Wesley hadn’t suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the wall.

  ‘Come with me,’ he shouted above the fierce crackling of the flames. ‘There must be another way out.’

  And he was right.

  There was a door behind the counter that she hadn’t spotted and it led to a short corridor. At the end of the corridor there was another door. It was locked, so Wesley had to let go of her arm in order to kick it open.

  Moments later the two of them stumbled out into the night, leaving behind a man whose name would later appear on the list of those who died in the riots.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Presenter: ‘This is the BBC news at eleven o’clock … and sadly we have to report that three people are now known to have died in the riots. One was a police officer who has passed away in hospital after he was shot during street clashes in Vauxhall. And a shopkeeper was killed when he was struck on the head by a brick as he confronted looters in Greenwich.

  ‘According to as yet unconfirmed reports the latest victim is a boy who perished in a fire that swept through a derelict pub in Camberwell. Scotland Yard say the blaze was caused by a petrol bomb that was thrown into the building by rioters. We hope to have more on that story later.

  ‘Meanwhile, there are ugly scenes elsewhere in the capital tonight. Our reporter Anthony Desmond is in Oxford Street.’

  Reporter: ‘The rioters have been targeting shops and stores here in London’s West End since much earlier this evening. They’ve caused extensive damage and a number of arrests have been made. Just half an hour ago I witnessed an attack on a police car as it pulled up outside a shop that was being ransacked. Fortunately, the two officers inside escaped without injury. But in nearby Regent Street a man was stabbed in the arm when he was set on by a group of youths. More from me later.’

  Presenter: ‘We have reporters at various locations around London and we’ll be bringing you updates throughout the night. But first we’ve been given a dedicated hotline number for those worried about friends and relatives who they fear have been caught up in the riots …’

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Anna’s hopes of a trouble-free journey to Richmond were dashed within minutes of leaving MIT headquarters.

  She made the mistake of taking the obvious route through Putney, and discovered too late that part of it had been turned into a raging inferno of cars and vans.

  Mounted police were being deployed to beat back a mob of manic youths wearing military-style balaclavas.

  So for the second time that evening Anna was forced to make a detour to avoid getting caught up in it.

  ‘Surely it’s time the army was brought in to help,’ Benning said. ‘At this rate the whole fucking city will be flattened by morning.’

  Anna too was becoming increasingly alarmed. She was no longer confident that the Met would be able to bring the disturbances under control without help. Too many people were jumping on the bandwagon. There were those with an axe to grind who saw it as a way to vent their anger and frustration. Those who viewed it as a bit of fun. And those who were
getting off on the sense of power they were able to wield.

  It was clear to Anna now that what was happening was a seismic event that was going to be costly in terms of both lives and money. It would also have serious implications for the future of law enforcement, community relations and crisis management in the capital, and beyond.

  The pool car was equipped with a police radio, and the number of ‘urgent assistance’ calls they were hearing was staggering. Officers all over the city were being threatened and attacked, and there were now reports that rioters had even turned their attention to Buckingham Palace.

  ‘It’s like a blinking war zone,’ Benning said, which was exactly how DCS Nash had described it when he called Anna at home earlier.

  Was that really only a matter of hours ago? she wondered. So much had happened since then. She’d stood over a dead boy chained to a wall in a cellar. She’d interviewed a vile paedophile. And she’d encountered scenes of carnage that had made her blood run cold.

  It was frightening to think that the night was still so young.

  *

  The streets of Richmond were busy but calm, which came as an immense relief to the two detectives.

  Benning directed Anna to Gavin Pope’s house, a mid-terrace property close to the famous Royal Park.

  ‘When I interviewed him he didn’t try to hide his sheer contempt for Mark Rossi,’ Benning said. ‘He described the guy as being very different to the clean-cut family man image that he likes to project of himself.’

  ‘Did you ask him to explain what he meant by that?’

  ‘Of course, but his response was vague, like he didn’t want to be drawn on it. He just said he’d worked on various programmes with the man over five years and the more he got to know him the less he liked him.’

  ‘There are two sides to every story,’ Anna said, as she parked the car in front of the house. ‘So maybe Rossi wasn’t too fond of him either.’