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“So we’re not much further ahead,” Gristhorpe opened.
“No, sir,” said A
“Anything else?”
“We’ve got a fair idea of Luke’s movements until five-thirty the day he disappeared.”
“Go ahead.”
A
“Did anyone notice anything unusual about his state of mind?” Gristhorpe asked.
“No. Everyone said he just seemed normal. Which, I guess, was pretty weird to start with. I mean, he wasn’t exactly a barrel of laughs.”
“And next?”
“The used-book shop on the market square.” A
“I know it,” said Gristhorpe. “What did he buy?”
“Crime and Punishment and Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.” Right up Gristhorpe’s alley, A
Gristhorpe whistled. “Pretty heavy going for a fifteen-year-old. What next?”
“That was it. He walked out of the market square CCTV range at half past five, and we haven’t found anyone who admits to seeing him since. Oh, and he was also seen talking to a group of lads in the square after coming out of the bookshop. It looked as if they were ragging him. One of them took the parcel of books from his hand and they tossed it around to one another while he flailed around trying to get it back.”
“What happened in the end?”
“One of them threw it to him and they went off laughing.”
“Classmates?”
“Yes. We’ve had a chat with them. At least DC Templeton has.”
“Nothing there, sir,” said Templeton. “They’ve all got alibis.”
“Which direction did he walk off in?” Gristhorpe asked.
“Down Market Street. South.”
Gristhorpe scratched his chin and frowned. “What do you make of it all, A
“I don’t know, sir. He’s been gone three nights now and nobody’s seen hide nor hair.”
“What about the Armitages?”
“Nothing.”
“Sure they’re telling you the truth?”
“They’ve no reason to lie now,” A
“Too late for that, now, isn’t it?” said DC Kevin Templeton. “I mean, wasn’t he supposed to come home yesterday?”
“Yes.”
“So what happened?” Gristhorpe asked.
“He’s probably dead, sir,” cut in DC Winsome Jackman.
“But why hasn’t the kidnapper gone for the money?”
“Because he knows we’re watching,” A
Nobody said anything; there was nothing they could say. A
“Unless…” A
“Aye, lass?”
“Well, a couple of things have puzzled me about all this right from the start.”
“I agree that as kidnappings go, it’s hardly conventional,” said Gristhorpe, “but go on.”
A
“Maybe the kidnapper didn’t get hold of him until Tuesday,” DC Templeton suggested.
“You mean he really did run away and just happened to get picked up by a kidnapper before he could go back?”
“It’s possible, isn’t it?”
“Too much of a coincidence, I’d say.”
“Coincidences do happen.”
“Sometimes, maybe.”
“Or the kidnapper might have been keeping an eye on Luke for a while, watching his movements, biding his time.”
“I’ll grant you that’s more likely,” said Gristhorpe. “A
“It still doesn’t explain the time delay between Luke’s not turning up at home Monday night and the ransom demand on Tuesday evening, sir. These people don’t usually like to waste time. If they snatched him on Monday, then they’d have rung the Armitages on Monday. Besides, that’s only the first thing that bothered me.”
“What’s next?” Gristhorpe asked.
“Well, Martin Armitage told me that when he asked to speak to Luke, the kidnapper wouldn’t let him, said Luke was somewhere else.”
“So?” said DC Templeton. “That’s perfectly likely, isn’t it?”
“But he was calling from Luke’s mobile,” A
“I still don’t see your point,” said Templeton. “Mobiles are mobile. You can take them anywhere. That’s what they’re for.”
A
“Could be where they’re keeping the lad is out of cell range,” suggested DC Rickerd.
“Possible,” A
“Good point, A
“Yes,” said A
“What about it?” asked Gristhorpe.
“It’s nowhere near enough.”
“But the Armitages aren’t as rich as people think they are,” argued Templeton.
“My point exactly, Kev. So they’re struggling to maintain Swainsdale Hall and whatever lifestyle they’ve become accustomed to. We know that now, since I talked to them, but it wasn’t common knowledge. As police, we’re privy to a lot of inside information. It’s our lifeblood. But if you kidnapped the son of a famous ex-model and a famous ex-footballer, living in a place like Swainsdale Hall, how much would you think they were worth? How much would you ask them for the life of their son? Ten thousand? Twenty thousand? Fifty? I’d go to a hundred, myself, or maybe a quarter of a million. Let them negotiate down a few thousand from there. I certainly wouldn’t start at ten.”
“So maybe the kidnapper knew they were on their uppers?” Templeton suggested. “Maybe it’s someone who knows the family?”
“Then why kidnap Luke at all? Why not go for someone who had more money?”