the haunted expression on his face was truly terrifying.
‘However bad it is, I need to see it,’ I said.
A moment later Palmer handed me the phone, and her face was stiff with shock. As soon as I started to read what the kidnapper had written I felt the darkness rise up inside me.
Sarah Mason … FYI I’ve taken your daughter as punishment for what you did to me. You’ll never touch or speak to her again. But you will see her grow up. That will be my way of making sure that your suffering does not diminish over time. I’ll send you photos and video clips on a regular basis. If I find out at any point that you’ve stopped looking at them, I’ll take it out on Molly. She will also suffer if you or the police make any of the images public through newspapers or on the television. Remember – I don’t love your child and I won’t hesitate to hurt her – or even kill her – if you give me cause.
Yours … Molly’s adoptive parent.
DCI Brennan
Detective Brennan arrived at Sarah’s flat thirty minutes after she received the second text from the kidnapper. The message with the attached document was forwarded to him by her ex-husband, and having read it through twice he’d concluded that it was one of the most disturbing things he’d seen during three decades on the force, and that was going some.
Whoever was behind it had to be some kind of monster; a monster with a serious grudge against Sarah Mason.
Brennan wondered what she could possibly have done to make the perp want to inflict such a painful and bizarre form of ‘punishment’. Did the perceived wrongdoing relate to an issue in her private life, or did it have something to do with her work as a police officer?
These were questions that would be central to the investigation, and it was crucial that they be answered quickly, so as not to waste time storming off in the wrong direction.
The life of an innocent child was at stake, and so too was the sanity of the child’s mother.
As soon as Brennan saw Sarah sitting on her sofa he realised that the shock had numbed her senses. She was staring at the wall opposite, her eyes wide and unblinking, her body rigid as a fence post. Her cheeks were streaked with mascara and her hands were clasped together in an anxious knot in her lap. She didn’t even turn towards him as he entered the living room, and he didn’t want to imagine what terrible thoughts were rushing through her mind.
His heart went out to her, and for a few moments he was lost for words. Sarah Mason wasn’t just another victim of crime. She was a valued member of his close-knit team and as such he felt protective towards her.
She was one of his brightest detectives, and she had never let him down, not even during those dark days after she split from her husband and discovered she was pregnant. She’d coped then with a quiet dignity, revealing an inner strength that had so impressed him he’d decided to promote her to detective inspector.
But getting divorced and giving birth were nothing compared with the terrifying ordeal that now confronted her.
Brennan had a flashback to the first time he saw her with Molly. She’d brought her into the office two months after she was born. Sarah had been so happy and proud and had clearly been ecstatic about being a mother.
The last time he saw Molly was at the staff children’s party at Christmas. He’d gone along with his own grandson who was just a few months older than Molly. Seeing the children now in his mind’s eye gave rise to a deep sense of foreboding that he tried desperately to keep out of his voice when he finally spoke.
‘I want you to know that the whole of the Met is on high alert, Sarah,’ he said. ‘I spoke to the Commissioner himself on the way here. He wants us to throw everything we’ve got into finding your daughter.’
She turned her head then and looked up at him. Her face was drawn and pallid and her eyes brimmed with bright, shiny tears. The fear and despair was coming off her in waves.
Brennan was about to reach forward and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but her ex-husband beat him to it. Adam Boyd moved swiftly from where he’d been perched on the arm of the sofa and sat beside her. He put an arm around her and pulled her close to him.
Brennan knew from what Sarah had told him that Adam was close to his daughter and saw her regularly. So he’d be in just as much pain as she was, even though he was doing a better job of not showing it. He’d met his fellow police officer a couple of times and he seemed nice enough, but his concern right now was for Sarah.
‘We’re working closely with the phone company,’ Brennan said. ‘With any luck we’ll soon have a fix on who’s behind this.’
But even as he said it he knew it was wishful thinking. The person who had taken Molly would make sure to cover his tracks. He’d know how to send a text message and an email that couldn’t be traced. It wasn’t rocket science, after all. The information on how to do it was freely available on the internet.
‘Is my mum OK?’ Sarah asked.
Brennan lowered himself onto the chair opposite her and nodded.
‘Your father’s with her at the hospital,’ he said. ‘There’s nothing physically wrong with her but she’s understandably shaken up and feeling guilty. She’ll soon be discharged. I gather her sister lives in Balham and that’s apparently where they’ll be spending the night because their house is now an active crime scene.’
‘Does she know about this latest message?’
‘Not yet.’
Sarah closed her eyes and pulled a face as though reacting to a sharp pain. Then she started rocking herself back and forth, her breathing hard and rapid.
At this point the family liaison officer, Sergeant Rachel Palmer, explained to Brennan that she had spoken to a police doctor who had agreed to come to the flat and prescribe medication for Sarah.
‘No one is putting me to sleep,’ Sarah snapped. ‘I have to stay awake in case there’s another message or even a phone call.’
‘But you need something to help with the shock,’ Adam said. ‘And it doesn’t mean you can’t stay awake.’
Brennan watched Adam rub his fingers across his scalp. The man’s lean, sharp-edged features were tight with tension, the cheeks marked with a hint of stubble.
Brennan had already spoken to Adam’s boss at the National Crime Agency to apprise him of the situation. DCI Mike Dunlop had described him as a solid detective and had offered to help with the investigation. Brennan was hoping he wouldn’t have to take him up on the offer, but if the last message was anything to go by they might need all the help they could get.
‘Sounds to me like their poor little mite has been snatched by some sick, twisted perv,’ Dunlop had said. ‘The fact that she’s the daughter of two coppers will make it big bloody news.’
Brennan knew that only too well. A media firestorm was brewing for sure. And dealing with it was going to be far from straightforward, given what the kidnapper had threatened.
