Taken Chapter 3

Chapter 3


She was starting to feel sick. All concept of time had escaped her. How long has she been here? Ten hours? Twelve? Or maybe somewhere as short as two. In her mind she was still desperately trying to remember her last memory in the hope she might be able to figure out who had done this and why? It had to be something to do with her father. She was, after all only a child she had no enemy’s that she could think of, well none who were capable of doing this at least. Her mind flashed back to her own life she thought of her mother. She had been the most caring and affectionate mother in the world. Anna had blamed her dad for her mother’s suicide but for fear of losing both her parents, and of suffering the same treatment she had not said anything. Her father had always been a drinker, which had sometimes led to the violent beatings her mother had taken. Recently however Anna had noticed the lingering smell of whisky was even stronger in the house and her father was becoming more and more angry and sometimes violent. Even though he had never hit Anna he had come close this had broken down their already strained relationship into nothing more that polite hello’s and extremely limited conversation, yes the two loved each other but could no longer put it into words. However sat in the partially lit cage as she was now all she wanted was to see a familiar face whether that be her fathers, Danny’s or the man who worked at the local shop she didn’t care.  As the banging in the background continued still loudly echoing in the rusty old metal container Anna contemplated that this would probably make a good questioning technique for the army to use she had to stay focused on something, anything. Why had no one come to check the container? Did anyone ever check them? If so when? Was she going to die in here? Any minute she was expecting to wake up and realize that this whole thing was just a terrible nightmare invented by her delusional brain. She was starting to get desperate if she could just get her legs out maybe she could make some noise to alert someone. As she wriggled her feet pulling at the rope her upper body and arms caught and made her already gaping wounds sore and bleed again. Why was no one coming? For the first time she slumped forward in the chair and cried. Something inside her had given up and broken she knew no one was looking no one was coming. She was going to die here alone, cold and lonely.
         Back at the Kennel however some forty miles away someone was looking and looking hard. DI Bowlenn had just found out that Anna indeed did have a boyfriend. After a lot of persuading Anna’s one and only friend Lewis had opened up to James and told him Anna’s deepest secret. Now in the car on the way to the Herald Estate James contemplated just how similar his own life compared to that of the child he was investigating. That drove him more than any other case had to help her and find her.          
Number 46 Park Road was in the heart of the Herald Estate full of scum who would rob you for 10p if they could. James reluctantly parked his car on the main road just outside the Estate and decided to walk the half a mile to the boys’ house. James did not understand the female of the species at the best of times but why on earth would a girl like Anna with all her good grades and luxury house ever want to do with someone who lived in the looming concrete giant that was the Herald Estate? Of course he knew without thinking what Danny wanted a nice little rich girl on his arm as a trophy who could ask daddy for money when he needed it.
         He knocked on the faded black painted door with its chipped paint and waited for a response. Are you Danny Miller?
“What’s it to you, you a cop?” The boy spat with such hatred James had never seen in a child.
ÒI need to speak with you about Anna Criter.” As soon as the girls name was mentioned the boys face changed instantly it froze with panic and fear.
“What’s happened is she ok?” He stammered. For the first time James inspected the boy he was very good looking and well dressed, the waft of perfumed air emanating from his flat suggested he kept himself looking good and smelling good. Maybe he did care about the girl. 
         After being given coffee by Danny the pair sat down in the spotless living room not a spec of dust or dirt to be seen.
“Do you live here with your parents?” James asked.
“No council put me here when I turned sixteen, it was a dump when I got it no furniture or anything but I have tried to sort it out.” James was impressed here was a seventeen year old boy living in a spotless house upon reading his PNC sheet James expected to walk into a grubby flat with fag butts and beer cans everywhere. In fact what he walked into was a spotless and well decorated flat. The living room had two brand new top of the range leather sofa’s in and a huge Television with x-box and Nintendo Wii games neatly stacked on either side. There were pictures of what appeared to be the boy’s family hanging on the beige and brown walls and a classy chandelier hung above their heads. On the window sill James spotted a single photograph that took his interest immediately. Anna and Danny both sat in a park somewhere the pair both smiling and happy.
“Have you been together long?”
Ò A little under two years, what has happened to her is she ok? Can I see her? Is it her father? What has he done now? I knew I should have pushed harder for her too live with me.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa her father? What has he got to do with this?” James replied a little confused.
“What you don’t know?” Danny spat in reply looking a little shocked. For the next hour Danny regaled James with every detail Anna had ever told him about her so called caring father.
“And she told you all this?”
“Every detail she wouldn’t lie to me, you know she self harms? I’ve been trying to help her to stop but things in her life are so bad I don’t know what to do” with that this ‘hard man’ broke down in tears. It was clear to James that this man, no boy loved Anna and would do anything to get her back into his arms. How ever James’ gut instinct often proved to be wrong so he trod carefully.
         Back at the Kennel the team were feeling tired and demoralized. They all knew that the first three days were the critical ones in finding any kidnap victim. They were now nearly twenty hours in and no new leads had been thrown up after interviewing friends, family and the girl’s boyfriend. A long list of cases were being drawn up some stretching back nearly twenty years that Mr. Criter had been involved in and being cross checked against another equally long list of those who had been released from prison recently and could hold a grudge against the family.
         DI Bowlenn entered the office and called for quiet. He then explained in detail what Danny had told him no less that twenty minutes previously
           “Could the girl not have just run away from home then sir?” asked one of the brothers.
“It’s a possibility however I don’t think its a likely one she is obviously close to her boyfriend and I don’t think she would have left without telling him, and before you say it no I don’t think he is covering for her.” James noticed a phone ringing in his office and quickly drew his speech to an end. It was the lab confirming that nothing out of place was found at the house. It was a blow he desperately needed some thing anything.