Page 42 of Stolen Ones
‘No, no, hang on. That’s not right, it would have been ’99 when he paid for some dead trees to be removed and some new mature trees planted.’
‘And you’re sure that was ’99?’ Kim asked. Three years after Melody had disappeared.
‘Absolutely positive. He and his team were determined to get the job done before we hit the millennium.’
‘His team?’
‘Yeah, the guys who were here earlier.’
Kim felt the anxiety roll around her stomach. ‘Butler Building Limited?’
He nodded. ‘That’s why we’ve used them again now of our own accord, as they did such a good job before.’
‘So, twenty-two years ago Steven Harte brought in this same company to do some work?’
Roy nodded. ‘As I understand it, Jenson Butler works on all of Steven Harte’s projects.’
Twenty-Three
‘Okay, guys, I think we finally have our answer to the “why now” question,’ Kim said, sitting at the spare desk. A quick catch-up with the team and then in to talk to Steven Harte.
‘You think he knew this was coming?’ Penn asked, glancing at the screen.
‘Makes sense.’
‘Guv, do you think Steven Harte abducted Melody Jones and also has Grace Lennard?’ Bryant asked.
‘I do.’
‘But why not just wait until we came knocking?’ Stacey asked. ‘He’s got to have known we’d get to him eventually. Still doesn’t make sense to me.’
‘Stace, I know you’re struggling to see him as the bad guy,’ Penn said, ‘but you gotta come on board with—’
‘No, she doesn’t,’ Kim said. ‘Stick with your gut, Stace. He hasn’t admitted anything yet so we can’t get carried away. We need a dissenting voice to keep our viewpoint open and other options available. We can’t afford to focus on one lead only.’
Bryant put his hand in the air. ‘Er, so, Stace is getting paid to sit here and argue with you?’
‘Pretty much.’
‘Where was the advert for that one? I’d have had a go.’
Kim saw his point, but she needed Stacey’s objectivity to remain intact in case they were chasing the wrong tail. Her gut told her that Steven Harte was in this up to his eyebrows, but without solid evidence or a full confession, there was little she could do at this point.
‘Boss, I think we may have another one,’ Stacey said, looking away from her screen.
‘Another what?’ Kim asked as her heart leaped into her mouth. Another abduction? Another bone site?
‘Another Suzie,’ Stacey said, clicking furiously.
‘What?’ Kim said, placing her coffee back on the desk.
‘I went back a couple more years. An eight-year-old girl named Libby Turner disappeared in ’92. Two years before Suzie and four years before Melody Jones. Taken from an estate in Chester. No one saw a thing and guess what?’
‘She came back?’ Kim asked hopefully.
Stacey nodded. ‘Yep, one year later she’s found a quarter mile away from a police station, unharmed.’ Stacey frowned as she continued reading. ‘Libby went straight into the social care system.’
‘Did they think her family was involved in the abduction?’
