Mummy's Little Girl Page 8

  'Lucy can you tell me how she found out about her grandfather, Sheila said that it was through you?'

  'It was a miracle, I had been helping her to go onto these websites, you know 'friends unite' that sort of thing, and I just happened to mention that I had known a girl once who had taken in a young girl to lodge with her, and to look after the kids and clean the house…unpaid labour really. Anyway this girl, Vanessa, she was a bit of a mystery because she just disappeared one day…I mean literally disappeared. She dropped the kids off to school as usual and that was the last anyone saw of her…but the thing that got me thinking was that it was all round about the same time that a tiny newborn baby girl was found outside the hospital wrapped in a filthy blanket…obviously that baby was Louise… so we started putting two and two together and it all just fitted.

  'Sandra, that's who she lodged with, had a sister Julie who had been good friends with this Vanessa, and had even put her in touch with Sandra when, for some reason Vanessa became desperate to leave home. By all accounts the dad was a nasty piece of work, so I expect that if she had got herself into a bit of bother if you know what I mean she would have been terrified to tell him, so she just ran away. Poor child…she was only about 15 by all accounts…still just a baby herself.'

  'So how did she trace the dad to Redbank?'

  'Julie had lived close to the family for most of her life and so she was able to put her in touch with Faye, Vanessa's sister.'

  Carla's head shot up, 'She's got a sister…still living?'

  'Oh yes darling, she was the one who told us about her dad going into the retirement home.'

  'Right, let me get this straight, your friend Julie told Louise that this Vanessa had lodged with her sister until she gave birth to a baby (Louise) which she had then dumped on the steps of the hospital and then just disappeared… why didn't she just go back home, if she was scared about being pregnant why not go home after she'd left the baby?'

  'Well she might have done, we don't know about that, maybe they sent her away again…whatever happened neither Sandra or Julie ever heard of Vanessa again. Sandra had her own theories though from what I heard, she seemed to think Vanessa ran off with her boyfriend, Frank his name was, 'cus he disappeared at the same time and she seemed to think that Vanessa had been carrying on with him, she had no idea of her being pregnant though.'

  'So it may not have been this Vanessa who left the baby outside the hospital, she may simply have run off with the boyfriend.' Carla felt depressed, she was going round in circles here.

  'Yes, but despite what Sandra had said, Louise was convinced that this Vanessa was her mother, so she started trying to track down the father, her grandfather, to see if he could give her any more information. He ignored the letters at first but she just kept on until a two or three months ago she started getting replies from him, horrible letters calling her all the names under the sun…terrible terrible language…bastard whore and unnatural c.u.n.t…' she spelt the word out in a whisper.

  'Awful things, Louise was so upset, he refused to see her…she was all for going up to the home to confront him, when all of a sudden, about six weeks ago she gets an email that's even better 'cus it's from the mother herself. Well she was over the moon, wouldn't be put off…we were all saying for her to be cautious make sure it really was who she said she was. I was really worried because she was just so excited she wouldn't listen to a single negative comment, like why would she all of a sudden get in touch. I mean she must have known Louise was trying to get in touch from the old man so why did she wait so long before contacting her…it didn't add up.

  Anyway it didn't matter what we said she was going to go, and then she started getting texts from Vanessa, arranging times and places…well you can imagine…I have never seen anyone so excited about anything…' Lucy's voice started to tremble. 'You should have seen her happy face when she left…she came into the kitchen to show off her new dress and shoes…never thought I'd never see her again…that poor, poor child…I wish…'

  Carla waited while Lucy pulled herself together.

  'I will need you to give me all those names and addresses Lucy, Sandra's and Julie's, oh and the sister’s if you have it, thank you. You have been extremely helpful, if you remember anything can you give me a call, I'll leave you my card.' She handed a card to Lucy who looked at her tearfully.

  'Please find out who did this, inspector. She may have been a bit of a handful but she was a sweet child at heart, she just wanted to find her mum, if she had managed to do that who knows how things might have turned out for her.'

  Carla patted her arm, 'I'll do my best Lucy…um Sheila said I could see her room, could you show me where it is?'

  'Oh sure thing honey, come this way.'

  Carla followed Lucy up a very grand staircase and along another winding corridor until she reached a door covered in drawings and stickers with one prominent handmade sign which said 'Louise's room, all you bastards keep out'. Carla opened the door and went into the room which was very much as you would expect a teenager's room to be. Clothes piled everywhere; posters and photos on the wall, several A4 writing pads with assorted scribbles and doodles on them, an old cup, which had once contained goodness knows what, on the small table near the window, next to the precious laptop.

  Carla took out a large evidence bag and placed the laptop in it, then began properly looking round the small room. A picture next to the bed showed Louise sticking two fingers up at whoever was taking the photo, but she was laughing as she did so. 'A pretty girl,' thought Carla sadly, she took the picture down and put it with the laptop. In a drawer under the table she found old newspaper clippings from 16 years earlier. The sad story of a tiny baby left outside the hospital. “The tiny bundle was discovered when an off duty nurse heard her pathetic cries. Goodness knows how long she had lain there in a sports bag wrapped in nothing but an old blanket. Doctors at the hospital say that it is important to find the mother as she may be suffering from the after-effects of such a traumatic birth. Apparently the mother had wrapped the baby, along with the afterbirth, in a blanket and left her only minutes after giving birth, they are very concerned for her welfare and urge her to come forward. The baby has been given the name Louise by the nurses, and is now being looked after by foster carers.”

  Carla found a few more newspaper clippings; she gathered them all together to take back to the station. The note pads and any other personal things that might be important were bagged up too.

  After about an hour later and loaded up with sealed bags, she made her way back downstairs and into the kitchen. The room was a bustling place now, with kids of all ages sitting at the long table tucking into some delicious sort of curry thing that Lucy had been making earlier. Lucy was chatting with them as she ate her own food, she looked up as Carla came in.

  'You get all you need honey?' she went to stand but Carla motioned her to sit.

  'Thank you Lucy, yes I think I'm done for now. My sergeant will be back to pick up anything else and maybe to talk to some of the kids…there was one thing though, we haven't been able to find her mobile, you said she had one.'

  'Oh god yes she had one alright, could never get the girl off it, but I suppose she took it with her, she never went anywhere without it…and she had the directions on it anyway…you know to meet Vanessa, in some town she said, Redbank I think.'

  'What sort of phone was it, did you have the number for it?'

  'Oh I can't tell one from another, it was a new one I know that, one of those fancy ones that does everything except wipe your bum but I couldn't tell you which one… I didn't have her new number but Sheila will probably have it…um…Darcy do you know what phone Louise had?'

  She spoke to a tall sulky looking girl who was sitting at the end of the table.

  'iphone,' she said not looking up from her meal.

  'Oh yes that's right, I remember her telling me about it…iphone that was it.'

  'How could she afford one of those?' asked Carla surprised
, they certainly don't come cheap.

  Lucy looked bewildered, but it was Darcy that answered, 'Got given it didn't she, says her mum sent it to her, not that I believe her like, she's nicked it ain’t she?'

  'Darcy! That's enough, Louise is dead so you can keep your nasty thoughts to yourself young lady,' shouted Lucy.

  'I ain’t saying nuffing nasty I just said she nicked it, come on Lucy she was always nicking fings…she was fucking good at it,' Darcy said with half a smile.

  'I'm not really bothered whether she stole that phone or not Darcy, I just need to find out who she was going to meet, did she give you her new number?' Darcy just shook her head not bothering to look up from her food. Carla sighed, 'Was there anyone here that she was particularly friendly with, that she would have given her number to?'

  'Nah,' said Darcy sulkily. 'She was a right moody cow, kept herself to herself, only person she spoke to properly was Lucy, and if she didn't give it to her…' she shrugged her shoulders and went back to her dinner.

  Carla got up and started to leave the room.

  'Ok thanks Lucy, if you can think of anything else that you think might be of help you've got my number. My sergeant will be coming tomorrow, Darcy he may need to speak to you. Until then thanks very much you've been a great help.' As she left the room Carla heard Darcy saying, 'What the fuck does he want to speak to me for, I don't know nuffing about that stroppy little cow, she got what was coming to her …'

  'Get out of this kitchen Darcy Mendip…I won't share my meal with a spiteful little viper like you!'

  Carla heard no more, she popped her head round Sheila's door.

  'Oh Sheila, Lucy said you might have Louise's new phone number?' Sheila just looked at her blankly, 'No sorry I wasn't aware that she had a new phone, I've only got the number of the one she had when she arrived here two years ago but of course I can give you that,' she rummaged around in her desk for a few minutes and then produced an enormous book and gave Carla the number. Carla jotted it down in her notebook frowning slightly. 'There is just one thing that's troubling me Sheila,' she said as she went to leave, 'Why was a young girl, apparently in the care of the state, allowed to go traipsing off around the country meeting up with goodness knows whom goodness knows where without even leaving a contact number?'

  Sheila's face took on a defensive look.

  'Well for one thing she was 16, we actually had no authority over her anymore, she was due to be leaving Ashcombe house in a few months once she'd found work, and secondly there was no way of stopping Louise once she got an idea into her head I can tell you…although we all tried, told her it was a bad idea…but as I said…' she raised her shoulders in a belligerent gesture of resignation.

  Carla just sighed and shook her head in disbelief, 'Well thank you for your help anyway, I'll let you know if I need to speak to you again.'

  Carla felt furious as she pulled the car out of the drive and started the journey home, 'In bloody state care, I wouldn't trust that lot to take care of my hamster,' she fumed for at least five miles, then she started thinking about all that she had heard today, it was obvious that she needed to find that phone, she had a feeling that much would be revealed when she did, and surely it wasn't just another coincidence that the girl that Louise thought was her mother was called Vanessa.

  CHAPTER 25 - TRACY

  'Only another 3 days of trying to avoid Simon,' thought Tracy, as she once again hid out in her office catching up on important work.

  She'd tried to work with him the day after their 'Kiss' in The Bull car park but she had almost gone cross eyed from trying to avoid looking him in the eye.

  Simon on the other hand seemed to have no problem, he had breezed in looking as if butter wouldn't melt, he'd even given her a conspiratorial wink when Juno happened to mention how tired she was looking, and she'd had enough. He had made it pretty clear that the Kiss had been a spur of the moment thing which he didn't want her to take seriously so she wouldn't.

  'Anyway he will be gone in a couple of days and that will be that,' she said to herself for the hundredth time, 'water under the bridge…no more to be said on the subject.'

  So she had holed herself up in the little office going through the agenda for parents evening which was to be held early next week, and trying to find cover for bloody Richard who was still off sick.

  Richard was the deputy head and he also took the kids for computer science, it had taken a lot of juggling to cover his classes and he still hadn't given any indication when he was coming back. Mr Gratton (the Head) had asked Tracy to try him again and find out what the situation was, Tracy made a face, Richard was not a popular member of staff, he was rather prissy and tended not to listen to anyone else's point of view (up his own arse as Juno would say) and he was no more popular with the kids, although this had probably more to do with his physical shortcomings than anything else. He was a funny looking man, very short and thin with beady little eyes and a not very successful beard and he had the tendency to walk in a very fast mincing way which the kids obviously had to copy and take the mickey out of. Tracy rang his number…still no answer, surely if he was that ill he'd be at home, Tracy decided to call in on her way home from work, that'll catch him out she thought.

  'Are you hiding from me?' Tracy nearly jumped out of her skin; Simon appeared at the door.

  'Will you stop creeping up on me, clear your throat or cough or something, my heart can't take much more!' she snapped. 'And to answer your question, no, I'm not hiding from you I am just very busy today.'

  'Yeh right,' said Simon pointedly looking at the game of solitaire that Tracy had been playing on her computer, well when you've got a minute I'd like a word if that's ok with you?'

  'Well, as I said I AM extremely busy for most of today, I might be able to fit you in sometime tomorrow if that suits you,' said Tracy shuffling some papers and shifting a couple of pens around.

  'Oh for god's sake Tracy stop playing silly buggers, I for one think we need to clear the air about what happened the other night, so I'm staying at The Bull and I've been spending most of my evenings down in the bar so if you fancy a chat one evening that's where I'll be.' Without waiting for a reply Simon stalked off down the corridor.

  'Oh right, Mr I'm bigger than you so do as you're told, Burton, I'm just meant to run after you and meet you for a drink am I? Well if he thinks I'm going to turn up he's got another think coming,' said Tracy to herself fuming, even as she was mentally going through her wardrobe trying to pick out an outfit that would teach that arrogant bastard a lesson, if by chance she happened to bump into him in The Bull one evening.

  Tracy rushed through the rest of her tasks for the day and sped off home almost as soon as the bell rang for home time. She took a slight diversion on the way home so that she could knock on Richard Frampton's door and try and find out when he would be back at school.

  All the curtains were drawn in the tiny terraced cottage, and there was no sign of any lights coming through the glass in the front door. Tracy pulled on the antique bell cord and heard the bell ringing inside, there was no answer, maybe he was asleep she tried his mobile number; it went straight to voice mail.

  'Oh well I tried,' she thought and started back to her car when she spotted Richard's immaculate little car parked just a little way down the road, obviously wherever Richard was, he hadn't driven. Tracy shrugged her shoulders and started the short drive back to her own cottage smiling in anticipation of another sparring session with Simon…life was definitely getting interesting.

  CHAPTER 26 - September 26th 1995

  He says I'm disgusting.

  He is furious with me, he shakes me and shouts at me.

  Mum will think I'm disgusting too he says…she must never know it would bring shame down upon her and the whole family…he will sort it he says.

  'Just keep your fucking mouth shut and I'll think of something.'

  My friend Julie has a sister who says that I can stay with her for a while if I look after the chil
dren while she's at work…I will go away until it is out of me, then I can come back and everything will go back to normal.

  I've packed a bag, it's under my bed…I'm going tomorrow…after school.

  CHAPTER 27 - CARLA

  Richard Frampton was the subject of the day in Carla's office too. Carla was furious, she had only just been informed that nobody had been able to get in touch with the man since they had got his name on day one of this murder case. Frampton hadn't been answering his phone or his door and, despite being left several messages, he had failed to make contact. She had been informed by the school where he worked that he had been off sick for a couple of weeks and no one had spoken to him.

  'Shit, shit and buggerations,' thought Carla angrily, she had been so caught up in tracing Louise and finding out what her story was, that she may have just let an important witness slip away.

  Rebecca Drew, the new Chief Inspector, had already been in and bollocked them all, but Carla knew that this was down to her…she had to fix it. She spent the next hour or so trying to find out as much as she could about the man.

  No one seemed to have a good word to say about Frampton. He seemed to be a loner who wasn't popular with his work mates, didn't seem to socialise with anyone in the village and no one seemed to know much about what he did in his spare time. He had a passion for old toys she had found out from Mr Gatton, the headmaster at the school, and had on occasion gone to some of the bigger organised toy fairs to try and find things for his collection.

  'But he's never talked about it much,' he had said to her earlier, 'to be honest I don't know much about him, he is good at his job always punctual and conscientious, but I often wonder why he went in for teaching…doesn't seem to like it much. And the kids don't seem to warm to him much either if I'm honest… but it takes all sorts I suppose and like I said he's good at it, about the only time I ever see him animated when he's talking about computers, oh and photography, he's got some pretty impressive cameras, I seem to remember he likes to go walking so maybe he's into photographing the wildlife, that sort of stuff…never seen any of his pictures though so I don't know if he is any good at it, sorry I can't be of more help but like I said…none of us know him terribly well.'