Ruth took it on board. ‘Tina is very upset. She’s been through a terrible ordeal and she misses her sister very much.’
‘And what about Granny? How is she?’
‘Naturally, she’s upset, too. But none of this is her fault.’
‘Yes it bloody is,’ Penny snarled. ‘Her and Tina, they did this.’
Ruth reacted quickly. ‘Right, folks, that’s enough. Show’s over.’ She herded Penny and Derek back into the kitchen, leaving the television reporter, the crew, and the crowd of onlookers outside the house.
‘What were you thinking?’ snapped Derek. ‘Ruth told us, present a united front, a family pulling together in the face of tragedy.’
‘I didn’t lie!’ Penny yelled. ‘They are to blame!’
‘It won’t help anyone if you two fall out,’ said Ruth. ‘Simmer down, both of you. I know you’re under a lot of stress, but you have to hold it together.’
‘I know, Ruth, I’m sorry.’ Derek sat down at the kitchen table, head in hands. ‘Nobody knows what to do. What to expect. I mean, what are the chances of us finding Annie safe and well and bringing her home?’
Slim and getting slimmer with each hour that passes
, thought Ruth.
‘I’ll put the kettle on,’ she said.
***
‘I want you to watch this, Sarah,’ the man said.
‘I’m not Sarah. I’m Annie.’
‘Look.’ He pressed a button and Penny and Derek appeared on the television screen, along with another woman that Annie didn’t recognise. ‘Watch.’
Annie didn’t need to be told: she was glued to the screen, reached out her fingers to touch her mum and dad. The sound was turned down, but Annie knew they would be talking about her, knew they would be worried.
‘Look at those people,’ the man was saying. ‘They have no sense of duty. They let their precious little girls go out alone, at night, and they can’t even make an effort to look decent and respectable when the world is watching.’ He paused the image and Annie looked closely: her dad was dishevelled, his hair needed brushing, and her mum wore no make-up and her clothes looked like they’d been slept in. They looked exhausted. ‘How can they take care of you when they can’t take care of themselves? They don’t deserve you. That’s why God led you to me, Sarah.’
‘Annie.’
He took her gently by the arms and turned her to face him. ‘No, child, not any more. “Annie” was a sad, lonely, neglected little girl with parents who didn’t care. Look at them.’ He turned her to the screen. ‘And listen.’ He hit play and turned up the volume.
‘Yes it bloody is!’
Penny snarled from the television.
‘Her and Tina, they did this.’
Annie began to cry.
‘See? That’s what they think of you. They don’t want you back. They don’t love you.’
‘They do,’ Annie whispered. ‘I know they do.’
‘No, child. They’re glad you’re gone. You were a burden, Sarah.’
‘I’m not Sarah!’ Annie shouted. ‘It’s a stupid name, I don’t like it!’
‘What would you like to be called?’
‘Annie! I’m Annie!’
‘No, child, not any more. You can pick a nice name from a book I have. If you like, we can pick one together.’
‘Annie!’
‘No, not “Annie”. You can choose a name from the book with me or you can be Sarah, like I’d planned, but you aren’t Annie anymore; Annie’s gone for good. You’re our daughter now. You’re safe and loved, watched over by God, and we won’t ever let you out on your own to be taken away from us. Not ever.’
***
‘I’ve just heard,’ said Ruth. ‘There’s something useful on the CCTV from the Metro station.’
‘Have they got him?’ asked Penny.
‘They’ve got part of a number plate and the make and model of the car. There’s no clear image of the driver, but the girls can be seen quite plainly getting into the back seat of the vehicle.’
‘Is that enough?’ asked Derek. ‘Enough to get him?’
‘It’ll narrow it down to a list of people who’ll each get a visit from a police officer. How long it takes to contact them all will depend on the size of the list, and we may need to use other police forces, depending on where in the country those people are.’
‘Surely you just need to check the local ones?’
Ruth shook her head. ‘We’ll check them all. Besides, Tina said the man sounded “posh”. That suggests his accent might not be local, which might mean he’s from out of the area. Heworth is pretty central, not too far from either the A19 or the A1. He could have come from anywhere.’
‘Dad, can I go to Hilary’s?’ Tina materialised beside her father, the ever-present bunny toy clasped tightly in her arms.
Derek looked first to Penny, then to Ruth. ‘Yes, of course, love, if you want to.’ He stood up. ‘Come on, I’ll drive you.’
‘Let me do that,’ said Ruth. ‘Why don’t you two get your heads down, you look done in.’
***
‘She hates me,’ said Tina, as Ruth pulled away from the kerb.
‘Who?’
‘Mum. It’s all my fault and Annie was her favourite anyway. She really hates me now.’
‘I’m sure that’s not true, Tina. Your mum and dad are under a lot of pressure. That makes people say and do things they wouldn’t normally say and do, and that they don’t even mean. You feel it, too, don’t you?’
Tina nodded. ‘I feel all funny inside. My tummy feels heavy and buzzy. All I can think about is Annie.’ She grasped the bunny’s ears tightly. ‘Will they find her?’ she asked Ruth.
‘I hope so.’
‘We had such a good time at the concert. It’s not fair. It shouldn’t have all gone wrong like that.’ She sucked in a lungful of air and hiccupped out a sob. ‘If only I hadn’t bought those T-shirts, we could have got a taxi. Or if I’d watched the time, we could have left earlier. Or if I’d taken more money. Or rang Mum and Dad. Or just got in a taxi then asked Gran to pay when we got there … I’d have still been in trouble, but Annie wouldn’t have been taken away.’
‘Shh, pet, you can’t think like that. You could drive yourself mad with all the “what ifs” and “might have beens”. You can’t blame yourself for that man being what he was. Any decent man would have taken you two girls home. He’s the bad one, Tina, not you.’
‘Do you think Mum will ever forgive me?’
‘I’m sure she already has. She’s tired and upset and worried about Annie. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you, but she knows you’re safe now, doesn’t she? And that’s what matters to her.’
Tina wound the bunny’s ears round and round her fingers, over and over again, eyes on the toy.
‘It’ll be okay. You’ll see,’ said Ruth, pulling into the kerb.
‘I hope so,’ Tina replied in a small voice.
‘Trust me.’
Hilary spilled out of the front door and ran toward the car, waving.
‘Now, you go and have fun with your friend. Call me when you want to come home, you hear?’
Tina nodded, already halfway out of the car.
***
When Ruth got back to the house, Derek and Penny were rowing at full volume. The police constable on the door looked distinctly uncomfortable, but the press were enjoying the show.
‘Clear off,’ Ruth shouted, as she locked her car and headed for the path. ‘I want them out of here,’ she said to the uniformed officer. Then louder, so the reporters could hear: ‘And arrest them if you have to.’ She turned her back on them, muttered ‘Fucking vultures,’ as she went into the house.
Derek and Penny were toe to toe, at each other’s throats, red-faced and shouting. Ruth took one look, then went into the kitchen and put the kettle on. She made a pot of tea and raided the cupboards for biscuits, then went back through to the sitting room. The volume had decreased, but the bickering continued.
Ruth had loved her dad. He taught her all sorts of things her mother disapproved of, such as how to gut a fish, climb a tree, and whistle. She put her fingers in her mouth and blew, and the resulting ear-piercing shriek got Derek and Penny’s full attention.
They turned to face her. ‘Ruth! When did you …?’ Derek asked, as it registered that Ruth was in the house.
‘Come through to the kitchen, please,’ she said, then turned and led the way. They followed her and sat down at the table while Ruth poured tea for them all.
‘Now,’ she said. ‘What on earth was that all about?’
Derek and Penny looked at each other. Their mouths worked, but neither said anything. Finally, they both spoke together.
‘Nothing,’ said Penny.
‘I don’t know,’ said Derek.
‘Look, I know you’re feeling the pressure, but I need you two to be strong, to be a team. And so do your girls.’
Derek rubbed his eyes. ‘It’s the not knowing … but let’s face it, Ruth, whatever we’re going through, it pales into insignificance against whatever Annie’s coping with.’ He turned to his wife, covered her hand with his. ‘I’m sorry, love. I didn’t mean it, any of it. I’m just so …’
She nodded, gripped his hand tightly. ‘I know. Me, too.’
‘Is there any news?’ Derek asked Ruth.
‘Nothing, yet. Leads are being followed up and people are being spoken to. We will find this man, I promise you.’
‘Then we can bring Annie home.’
Ruth said nothing: she didn’t want to dent Penny’s optimism. When her mobile rang a few minutes later, the tension in the room was palpable, as was the disappointment when it turned out to be Hilary’s mum, saying that Tina was ready to come home. Ruth went to collect her, first warning Derek and Penny to keep cool heads.
***
‘You didn’t stay long,’ Ruth remarked to Tina when she had the little girl safely buckled into her seat.
Tina shrugged. ‘It didn’t feel right.’
‘You girls didn’t fall out, did you?’
Tina shook her head. ‘No, but I shouldn’t be enjoying myself when Annie’s missing.’
Ruth reached over and squeezed her hand. ‘It is still okay to do normal things, you know.’
Tina wound the bunny’s ears round and round her fingers. ‘Do you think Annie’s okay?’ She didn’t lift her head, just stared at the toy, kept winding the ears.
‘Well, we don’t know that she isn’t. That’s all we can say for sure right now.’
‘She’ll be scared, though.’
Ruth said nothing. There was no need, they both knew it to be true.
‘What if he kills her?’ Tina’s voice was little more than a whisper. ‘Ruth, what if Annie’s already dead?’
Ruth pulled over and parked.
‘Hilary’s brother said …’
Ruth unbuckled her seat belt so she could move closer to Tina. She put her arm around her shoulders and turned the girl’s face up to hers. ‘What did Hilary’s brother say?’
‘He said that Annie was probably in a freezer in somebody’s garage by now, all cut up.’ Tina started to sob.
‘Take no notice of stupid talk like that. Hilary’s brother sounds like an idiot,’ said Ruth, fuming inwardly.
‘He said I was like Judas. He said I betrayed Annie and condemned her to death when I ran away and left her, just like Judas did to Jesus. He said I’m stupid and selfish and I’ll go to Hell and burn forever.’
‘Oh, Tina, that’s not true. Don’t take any notice of him.’
‘That’s what his dad said. He smacked him and sent him up to his bedroom.’
Ruth said a silent hallelujah. ‘Well, then! Even his own dad knows he’s an idiot.’
‘But what if …?’
Ruth interrupted her. ‘No more “what ifs”, Tina. Let’s concentrate on the facts. Fact: we know what the car Annie was driven away in looks like. Fact: we have a list of people who own cars that fit the description and the bit of the number plate we saw on CCTV. Fact: we will find that car and that man.’
‘And Annie.’
‘Yes, and Annie. So listen, you,’ said Ruth, giving Tina a hug, ‘stick to the facts in future.’
Tina cheered up. ‘Just the facts, ma’am,’ she drawled in her best American accent.
‘You betcha. Just the facts.’
***
‘It’s God’s special day. Kneel, Sarah, and say his special prayer with me.’
‘Annie.’
‘Pray with me: Our Father …’
Annie joined in. ‘Who art in Heaven …’
***
Later that evening, Ruth sent one of the uniformed officers out for fish and chips for everyone. They hadn’t eaten properly since Tina had turned up in the early hours of the morning. They hadn’t slept, either, but there was nothing she could do about that. They ate in the kitchen, the small television set turned on so they could see the appeal they’d filmed earlier on the news. The first broadcast had been live, there was nothing that could be done about Penny’s outburst then. But later showings had edited out that part and focused purely on the message: a child was missing and her family were worried sick and wanted her back.
Ruth had checked in with her colleagues while the constable was picking up the food. ‘The appeal has had a brilliant response,’ she told the family. ‘The helpline has been really busy and the team’s got lots of stuff to be getting on with.’