FORTY-TWO
Symes pulled into the church car park at the end of Colley Lane, the road which held Colley Lane Junior School.
He had just a couple of minutes before hitting the perfect time to carry out the next part of his plan.
He jumped out of the car with the screwdriver already in his hand, went to the front of the car and unscrewed the number plate, then went to the back and did the same before throwing them both in the rear seat. He paused and decided to add one last obstacle to the identification process – he used the tip of the screwdriver to prise off the silver metal emblems and the make and model of the car.
A witness claiming they saw a small cream car wouldn’t exactly give the police a lot to go on. And witnesses were certainly going to see the car, he thought, getting back in and closing the door.
He’d given great thought to how he was going to get the second girl. Most parents would be extra vigilant after hearing the news that little Emma Bunting had been snatched, so trying to do the same again wasn’t going to work. Parents would be bundling their kids into their cars and homes as quickly as possible once they left the school grounds. As soon as they were no longer safe in large numbers, their radar for anything unusual would be on high alert.
He moved the car slowly to the church car park exit, poked the bonnet out and looked up the lane towards the school.
Perfect.
The road was in school collection chaos.
Parents were rushing on foot with other kids in tow and pushing prams. Cars were pulling in and pulling out all over the place, and small huddles of parents stood together while their kids played close by.
As he approached, he shook his head. There were lots of mums discussing the recent abduction while chattering away to each other but not actually watching their kids.
One little girl in particular caught his eye. She was a bit younger than he’d wanted, but her curly blonde hair reminded him of the one he’d lost. Her jacket was falling off her shoulder, and a painting was clutched in her little hand while she chased another girl around in circles.
He stopped the car in the middle of the road, jumped out and opened both doors. Then he grabbed the girl by the back of the neck and hauled her towards the car. Her scream attracted the attention of everyone around.
Their collective shock rendered them numb for just a second, which was long enough for him to throw her in the car.
‘Chloe…Chloe…Chloe…’ he heard amongst the cacophony of calls that all sounded at the same time. A petite woman was speeding towards him, screaming. She reached the door as it slammed shut.
Her fist beat on the windows as she continued to shout her daughter’s name.
‘Mummy…Mummy…’ the child cried.
Symes hit the accelerator and mounted the pavement opposite to avoid the traffic. Parents were pulling their children in all directions to get out of the way of the speeding car.
Using the pavement helped him to avoid the speed bumps that led all the way to the main road. The traffic lights at the crossroads were on his side, holding the traffic, enabling him to cross straight over into the Tanhouse Estate, which would take him to Oldnall Lane and then Wynall Lane and the country roads where he’d barely meet a soul.
Adrenaline was shooting through his body. Even the squealing and crying from the back seat wasn’t affecting him. He was pumped.
‘Mummy…Mummy…Mummy,’ the child cried between sobs.
‘Shut it or you’ll never see her again,’ he hissed.
He was sure there were people looking curiously through the window at the hysterical little girl crying in the back, but he didn’t care.
By the time the police attended the school, got details and put together any other reports, he would be long gone.
His stomach turned with excitement.
He finally had his two little girls.
FORTY-THREE
Kim was surprised to hear a baby crying as she knocked on the door of Zach and Gavin’s flat.
‘You know Leanne’s probably putting a call into the boss right now, eh, guv?’ Bryant asked.
Kim shrugged. ‘There’s barely room for us two in there, never mind—’