Blood Money (11 page)

‘It could even be an inside job,’ Sharp surmised. ‘Two of the girls are temporary agency staff.’

‘I don’t think any of the girls here are up to it. Samantha, the deputy, seems the most experienced of them and she was clearly panicked. The others just look too young to front it out. But we’re doing the usual background checks, using CRB records as a starting point.’

‘Somebody could have got to them.’

Mariner turned to Knox. ‘You’ve spent some time with Christie. She’s given us the best description of the woman.’

Knox was doubtful. ‘She seemed genuinely eager to help. But did you notice that bruising?’

‘The mark on her face?’

‘She’s in an abusive relationship. I mean, she didn’t come out and say it, but she didn’t deny it either, so I did a check on her boyfriend, Jimmy Bond.’

‘And?’

‘He’s on our books. Three years ago he was convicted of tax fraud. He runs some kind of garage and vehicle distribution business.’

‘Okay, well it’s hardly an obvious link but there’s a financial element there so it’s something else to keep an eye on. It’s another possible motive.’

‘That someone’s in this for financial gain?’

‘Could be, in which case we can expect a phone call at any time.’

‘But why this nursery, this child? Is it likely to be that lucrative?’

‘I agree,’ said Sharp. ‘The nursery is an independent business. If someone wanted to make serious money out of this surely it would be better to hit one of the larger chains of nurseries.’

‘So there may be a personal element too,’ said Mariner. ‘Tell us more about Marcella Turner; is there any way she could have orchestrated the snatch, as a way of demonstrating that children aren’t safe in day care provision?’

Sharp turned down her mouth. ‘It’s way beyond the scale of her normal protests, but that’s not to say she wouldn’t. It would be an interesting stunt and perhaps born of frustration. It would make people sit up and take notice. We certainly need to keep a watch on anyone who’s involved, even on the periphery, which brings us to the parents. How do you think they’re handling it?’ Sharp addressed her question to Millie.

‘They’re beside themselves with worry, which is about what you’d expect.’

‘Their home life is not as happy as it might be,’ Mariner said. Suddenly everyone was interested.

‘It’s a second relationship,’ Millie said, ‘but that doesn’t necessarily mean—’

Mariner shook his head, slowly. ‘No it’s more than that. There’s tension with his ex and the children from his first marriage. Emotions were running so high when they were mentioned I could practically feel it. Klinnemann told me; his wife didn’t even know he was having the affair with Emma O’Brien until Jessica was on the way.’

‘Oops.’

‘His two adult kids didn’t think much of the development either. The son - Paul - has gone AWOL,’ Mariner said. ‘I’d like to track him down.’

‘So maybe it’s not the nursery that’s under attack, but the Klinnemanns.’

‘Anyone else get a sense that money is tight too?’ Mariner asked. ‘A couple of times during our initial conversation Emma O’Brien mentioned economising - with the crèche place and by staying overnight with friends.’

‘Setting up a second family doesn’t come cheap, and she’s not back working regularly yet.’

‘It seems to me that we could do with a bit more background on the Klinnemanns,’ Sharp said.

‘I’ll give Cambridgeshire police a call, ma’am,’ Mariner said.

‘And we’ll get the press conference done.’

‘On the plus side, none of the options we’ve discussed would lead us to believe that Jessica would be deliberately harmed in any way. She might be working alone or with an accomplice, but we just have to hope her abductor has the skill, instinct and inclination to look after her properly.’

All the time they’d been speaking, Mariner had been scribbling on the whiteboard, creating an image that resembled a spider with far more legs sprouting from it than was biologically possible. So many avenues to follow up, while at the same time the clock was ticking, challenging them to get to baby Jessica before any harm could come to her. Alongside the diagram had been put a map of the immediate area, but so far it was blank. They had not a clue yet where Jessica had been taken.

While the rest of the team went off to pursue some of those avenues, Mariner remained with DCI Sharp and PC Khatoon to plan the press conference.

‘How do you intend to play it?’ Sharp asked.

‘Well, whatever has happened, the approach we should adopt is the sympathetic one. We need the abductor on our side,’ Mariner began. ‘At the moment we have no way of telling why this baby has been abducted, but what we don’t want is to panic this woman or anyone she may be working with into abandoning Jessica. The baby wouldn’t survive more than a few days alone. We try to make contact with the abductor, but we start from the angle that all we want is to know that Jessica is safe, and we try to convey the anguish Jessica’s parents are going through. She needs to see them as real people and understand that we won’t be judgemental but sympathetic.’

‘What about the Klinnemanns?’ Millie asked.

‘Let’s have them there, but not speaking yet. We’ll do a further appeal if nothing comes of this.’ He couldn’t shake the thought that in so many of these appeals the guilty party had turned out to be one of those sitting alongside the police. ‘I’d better go and smarten myself up.’

 

Millie went to talk to Emma O’Brien and Peter Klinnemann about what would be happening. While she was doing that, Mariner went to splash water over his face in an effort to wake himself up a bit. Back in his office he put on a clean shirt, kept for just such an occasion as this, and was straightening his tie in the reflection from the window when Millie walked in. ‘Very nice, sir,’ she said, grinning, and Mariner had a flashback to the occasion a couple of years earlier when he and Millie had worked together on the disappearance of a young Asian girl. It, too, had been an emotionally charged time and on one memorable evening they had ended up in bed at her flat.

Mostly the incident went unspoken between them, a brief, impulsive episode, but she never quite let him forget it. Mariner caught sight of her ring. For the last six months Millie had been engaged to a man her parents had ‘found’ for her, something she’d always sworn she would resist. ‘But he’s actually okay,’ she’d confided to Mariner shortly after she and her intended had met. Turned out he was more than okay.

The train of thought reminded Mariner that he should try again to speak to Anna, but there really wasn’t time before the conference.

Minutes later, under the glare of the pressroom spotlights, Mariner flanked DCI Sharp as she read out a prepared statement, looking directly into the camera and appealing to Jessica’s abductor. She was good, thought Mariner. And Emma O’Brien alongside them needed no coaching to look suitably distraught. She wept intermittently throughout. Peter Klinnemann remained composed, his arm around his partner, but Mariner could see the milky gleam of his knuckles as he clutched her hand.

The efit compiled with Christie’s help was flashed on to the screen while Mariner gave a more detailed description of Jessica’s abductor, omitting a couple of details so that they could rule out the hoax calls that would inevitably result, and giving the phone number of the incident room. He appealed to the public to come forward if they noticed any sudden new additions to the families of friends or neighbours, or anyone acting suspiciously. The whole performance would be broadcast on local and national evening news. As Millie ushered the Klinnemanns out of the pressroom, he and Sharp then took questions.

‘DCI Sharp, this has happened very close to the maternity hospital. Do you see a parallel with the Naomi Carr case?’

‘It’s just one of many possibilities we’re exploring.’

But as the Klinnemanns were exiting through the side door, another of the journalists called after them: ‘Mr Klinnemann, am I correct in thinking that you are the same Peter Klinnemann who works for Hamilton Sciences? And if so do you think this could be the work of animal rights activists?’

The question took them all by surprise, horror spreading like a domino effect across their faces. Someone had either made a huge unfounded assumption or had thoroughly done his homework. Judging from the look on Klinnemann’s face it was the latter. Before Klinnemann could say anything, Mariner cut in with the standard reply: ‘At this early stage we’re not ruling out anything.’ His eyes locked with DCI Sharp’s. Christ, if that journalist was right then it took this case to a whole new level.

After he’d finished his stint in the pressroom Mariner went to see the Klinnemanns. Millie was approaching from the opposite direction.

‘You’ve got them in somewhere?’ Mariner asked.

‘The Cedar Wood Hotel.’

‘Good.’ It was a couple of minutes drive away, and discreet. The Klinnemanns would need a break from the press attention. As Mariner and Millie drew nearer to the room they heard raised voices.

‘If this is down to them, I’ll never forgive you!’ Emma O’Brien shrieked. As Mariner tapped on the door, the voices ceased abruptly and Mariner went in to see Klinnemann and Emma O’Brien both on their feet, just inches apart, Emma O’Brien leaning in aggressively towards Klinnemann. Seeing the police officers her whole body seemed to deflate as the adrenaline subsided, and she looked shattered.

‘I’m sorry to have put you through that,’ Mariner said, referring to the press conference and ignoring the tension in the air. ‘But it’s the most effective tool we’ve got for communicating with the abductor.’

‘We understand.’ Klinnemann swallowed hard, speaking for both of them.

‘We’ve booked a room for you at a local hotel, where you’ll be more comfortable. It’s out of the way so you should get some peace from the media. PC Khatoon will take you there. I realise it may not seem possible, but it will be a good idea if you can try to get some rest. If you wish we can arrange for the FME, our medical officer, to give you something—’

‘We don’t need anything,’ Peter Klinnemann said quietly, catching on immediately. ‘We just want you to find our baby daughter.’

‘Of course,’ said Mariner. ‘It goes without saying that we’ll keep you informed of any developments.’ God, he got sick of that phrase.

Taking her arm, Millie guided Emma O’Brien out of the room. Mariner moved to follow Peter Klinnemann, but he hung back until the two women had turned the corner, before rounding on Mariner. ‘How in the name of God did that reporter know about my work place?’ he demanded to know.

‘I’ve no idea,’ said Mariner, truthfully. ‘Perhaps your name—’

‘They have no reason to make that connection. One of your officers must have told them.’ Klinnemann was incensed.

‘I can assure you,’ Mariner said, coldly, ‘that none of my officers had even made the link themselves. And even if they had, they certainly would not have given out that kind of information without first speaking to me. I’m very sorry that it came up, but I’ve no way of knowing how the press found out.’

‘Then it must have been one of the nursery staff.’

‘I can’t speak for them of course. But it would have emerged sooner or later. I’m disappointed that you didn’t see fit to tell us right from the beginning. It’s another obvious line of enquiry and we might have lost valuable time. You must know how these people operate. They have whole networks of intelligence. It really would have helped if you were more open with us.’

‘I didn’t want to make Emma any more afraid than she is already. You know what lengths these people will go to, Inspector. They put the lives of animals above human lives. Can you imagine what this will do to her if she believes that one of those barbarians might have our daughter?’

‘I’m sorry the press found out, Mr Klinnemann, but our priority remains to recover Jessica safely.’

It seemed to bring him up short, the anger dissipating as quickly as it had flared. ‘It was a mistake. I apologise.’

‘It’s a difficult time,’ Mariner said, but they both let the understatement pass. ‘What exactly is the nature of your work?’

‘I’m researching into the effectiveness of a drug that treats Alzheimer’s disease.’

‘And it involves the use of live animals?’

‘Yes.’

While he had Klinnemann on his own it seemed a good opportunity to raise some other sensitive issues. Mariner steeled himself. ‘Mr Klinnemann this makes it more likely that, at some stage, we may be contacted by the abductor. Is there something about Jessica, some distinguishing feature that wouldn’t be commonly known, a mole or birthmark perhaps?’

Klinnemann rubbed a hand over his eyes. He was tired. ‘Yes, she has a
muttermal
, a . . .’ He sketched a round shape on the back of his hand.

‘A birthmark?’ Mariner guessed.

‘Yes, about one inch, but here,’ Klinnemann touched his neck, ‘underneath the hair.’

‘Also,’ Mariner went on, ‘we may need something like a lock of Jessica’s hair.’

‘Yes, I think—’ The significance of the request dawned on Klinnemann. ‘Oh my God.’

‘It’s routine,’ Mariner reassured him quickly. ‘Nothing more. It’s just easier to ask you now.’
Instead of leaving it until later when we need it
.

‘Yes, yes of course. I’ll see to it.’

 

‘What is Hamilton Sciences?’ Millie asked, coming back into the incident room after leaving the Klinnemanns at their hotel.

‘It’s a research centre that’s been a target for animal rights activists,’ Mariner filled her in. ‘It gets in the news all the time, thanks to them.’

‘That’s why it sounded so familiar.’

‘Yes, he told me the name of the company he worked for hours ago, but I didn’t make the connection. I wish to God I had.’

‘Didn’t they follow home some guy who worked there, and beat him up in front of his wife and kids?’ Knox asked.