Deadly Lies

of my mind and I didn’t tell them about it, so no. And Ronnie was their priority.’
Excellent. He would get it photographed and have swabs taken.
‘I want to have your arm inspected and I’ll get that kicked off as soon as possible. And we’re going to need recent photographs of Emily and Lisa and information about what they were wearing.’
‘I’ve got photographs on my phone, and the children were in their sleepover pyjamas. Ronnie spoils those girls silly and they’ve got special pyjamas. Emily’s have yellow elephants on them and Lisa’s have little p-pink fairies.’
Searching through her phone, she started crying. ‘It’s terrible. I can’t think about it or I won’t be able to hold it together. When my daughter hears she’ll go to pieces. How am I going to tell Alice her children are gone?’
‘My team are locating the children’s parents,’ Grant said. ‘Leave that to me.’
Breaking the news would not be a pleasant task but the good thing about being the one to do it was Grant would have the opportunity of scrutinising the parents’ reactions.
Joan Hardman bit her lip as she showed Grant a picture of two adorable blonde children. They were hugging each other and smiling and Emily had a front tooth missing.
‘This was taken last week. We went out for t-tea and cake.’
There was a box of tissues on the front seat and he passed it to her. ‘Once we’ve finished with your arm, you’ll be free to go to your husband.’
A uniformed officer hustled over when Grant beckoned and Joan Hardman was led away. Grant turned his attention to the activity near the house.
‘Right,’ he said to himself. ‘Let’s see what the crime scene can tell us about the perp. Let’s see what mistakes you’ve made, you bastard.’
Grant shouted for Delaney and his DS was soon at his side. Delaney swiped at the screen of his phone and Grant stared at the high-resolution photographs of the inside of the house.
‘Well done,’ Grant said. ‘Quick work is exactly what we need. Give me the rundown.’
‘Here’s what you should know, boss.’ Delaney pointed to the first photograph. ‘This is the back door which goes out to the garden.’
‘And?’
‘It leads into the kitchen. It seems our perpetrator came in here and he went out the front. The important thing is, the back door wasn’t forced.’
Grant grabbed the screen. ‘You’re sure?’
‘Certain. The Crime Scene Manager and I are in agreement.’
‘No sign of forced entry? That means the door wasn’t locked or he had a key,’ Grant said.
If it hadn’t been locked had it been left open by accident? Or deliberately? And if the perpetrator had a key, how did they get it?
Grant called over his shoulder to a uniformed constable. ‘Bring Mrs Hardman to me before she leaves for the hospital please. I need to speak to her again.’
Delaney swiped to a second photograph. ‘This is the other important one.’
It was a red handprint smeared on a white wall.
‘They found this at the bottom of the stairs.’
Grant squinted. ‘From the size I’m guessing it’s from Emily or Lisa. What did the SOCOs say?’
‘They thought so too.’
‘It’s blood,’ Grant said. Did it mean one of the children was injured? A potential injury to a kidnap victim was the last thing they needed, especially when the children were so young.
‘The SOCOs confirm it’s definitely blood. Whose is another matter.’
‘Shit. I want to know as a priority if this blood comes from one of the children. Delaney, contact the hospital to find out if Ronnie was bleeding. Joan had a bite mark on her arm though I don’t think it bled and she said she was bitten outside. Which means this print is either the perpetrator’s blood, or Ronnie’s, or from the children.’
Mrs Hardman didn’t mention a weapon, so how had someone been injured?
‘Mrs Hardman told me she threw a vase,’ Grant said. ‘Could someone have been cut by a shard? Check it out with the SOCOs. It smashed against the wall next to the front door after the abductor got out. Ask the SOCOs about the shatter pattern and see if there’s a possibility it caused someone to bleed on the stairs.’
It seemed unlikely because the vase would have fallen after everyone passed the stairs, but Grant wanted the opinion of the experts.
‘Good work, Delaney,’ Grant said, and he meant it. Delaney had flagged up the two most significant elements of the crime scene. His DS’s clear thinking had bought them valuable time and it was more proof of Delaney’s talent. Delaney could go far.
Diane was coming back and she brought Joan Hardman with her.
‘You want to know about the doors, Inspector Grant?’ Joan said. ‘Why? That’s my husband’s domain. Ronnie takes care of locking them and he checks front and back and the lounge patio windows every evening before he comes upstairs.’
‘And did he do the same last night?’
‘Of course. Ronnie doesn’t leave things like that to chance.’
‘It’s very important. Do you know for certain he did? And what about a burglar alarm? I see you have one installed and it didn’t go off.’
Joan hesitated. ‘I didn’t see him do his nightly check if that’s what you mean yet I know my husband, and Ronnie was thorough and systematic. There’s no way he would have forgotten to lock up, especially not with the grandchildren in the house. As for the alarm system, it went off once by accident and frightened the grandchildren so much they always ask Ronnie to disable it and h-he’s such a softie with them…’ Joan swallowed and dabbed at her eyes, ‘…he agrees. Every time they’re here, against all reason, he turns it off.’
Grant made sure he gave no reaction because he was here for the facts, not to blame people. So, the alarm had been conveniently disabled. Who might know this and use it to their advantage?
Delaney was a few steps away talking on the phone.
‘I just checked with the hospital and they say Ronnie Hardman had no bleeding,’ Delaney said.
Grant was running through