Don't Let Me Go (50 page)

‘Probably straight after that,’ he replied, glancing at his watch. ‘Have you eaten?’

Her stomach churned at the mere thought of it.

‘Send out for some sandwiches,’ he said to Kim, and taking Charlotte’s hand he drew her out of earshot. ‘I’m going to talk to Jolyon now,’ he said quietly, ‘but I promise, everything’s going fine.’

‘When are you going to take over?’ she asked.

‘There’s no need for me to yet. Jolyon’s more than capable of handling the cross-examinations, and he’ll carry on with them unless something happens with the police that we’re not expecting.’

‘Such as?’

‘I can’t answer that until, or unless it happens, but they’re not supposed to spring any surprises on us so I’m really not worried.’

‘And if you’re not, I shouldn’t be either?’ she responded, trying to tease.

‘Precisely,’ and squeezing her hand more tightly he disappeared back into the depths of the court.

It didn’t take long after the lunch break for the mood of the court to start shifting. Whereas an air of curiosity and settling into proceedings had been prevalent before, a sense of suspicion and unease began descending as it became evident that Charlotte herself had made the 999 call alerting the police to an incident at the Wades’ home on North Hill.

‘And at what time did this call come in?’ Kentley asked the officer who’d been first on the scene.

‘Just after seven in the evening,’ he replied, his round, puppyish face radiating as much youth as honesty.

‘By which time Ms Nicholls had already removed the child from the house?’ Kentley suggested.

‘I can only assume so, as there was no sign of the child when I arrived.’

‘When did you find out that it was Ms Nicholls who’d made the call?’

‘The following day, after Detective Constable Fields interviewed her.’

‘Ms Nicholls admitted to raising the alarm?’

‘That’s right.’

‘But she made no mention of the child when she rang?’

‘Not that I’m aware of.’

‘Did she make the call from the house?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Do you know if she ever told anyone why she was at the house that night? We’re accepting that she was?’ This question was directed towards Anthony, who simply gave a nod.

Kentley turned back to the constable.

‘I think DC Fields will be better able to answer the question,’ came the reply.

‘Of course. Did you interview Ms Nicholls at any time yourself?’

‘No.’

After turning a page Kentley moved on. ‘Can you tell us what happened when you arrived at the house that night?’

‘All the lights were on and the front door was open. As I got out of the car a man came running towards me shouting that he couldn’t find his daughter.’

‘This man you later learned was Brian Wade?’

‘Yes. He was distraught. He kept urging me to find his little girl. I tried to calm him down, but he insisted that she’d gone and he needed to find her. I asked when he’d last seen her and he became confused. So I asked where his wife was, or the mother of the child. At that point he clutched his hands to his head and started to wail. I led him inside, aware that he was telling me his wife had killed herself, but I assumed it was something that had happened a while ago. Then he took me into the kitchen and I immediately radioed for backup.’

‘His wife was there?’

‘Yes. She’d been stabbed and Mr Wade was insistent that she’d done it herself. It was only later, after he’d been taken to the station, that he admitted he’d stabbed her.’

‘I see. Did he at any time claim to have seen Ms Nicholls at the house that night?’

‘He never mentioned her to me.’

‘Did the search for the child begin right away?’

‘Yes, it did.’

‘OK, thank you Officer Pollock. You’ve been most helpful.’

To Charlotte’s surprise Jolyon didn’t get up to cross; nor did he question the two uniformed officers who followed Pollock on to the stand. However, neither of them seemed to add much to what Pollock had said, and if Anthony, or Jolyon, had felt that something needed to be challenged she was sure they’d never have let it pass. Nevertheless, she could tell that the jury were unsettled by what they’d heard, and when the detectives were called in turn to the stand no one could escape the fact that a far more sinister picture was emerging.

It didn’t surprise her that the most damning evidence of all came from DCI Gould; she’d seen his statement so knew what to expect. However, hearing him describing to the court how she’d lied, cheated and stolen her way to motherhood was soon unnerving her badly.

‘Tell me, how many times did you interview Ms Nicholls during the search for the child?’ Kentley wanted to know.

‘In all a dozen,’ Gould replied, his superior rank seeming to ooze from every pore.

‘And was she helpful?’

‘She always appeared to be.’

‘But you know now that she consistently lied?’

‘Yes.’

‘Where did these interviews take place?’

‘Some were at her home, others at the station.’

‘So is it your belief that while you were at her home talking to her she had the child secreted away somewhere upstairs perhaps, in . . . what? A cupboard, an attic . . .’

‘Leading,’ Jolyon cut in.

‘Where do you assume the child was when you were at the defendant’s home?’ Kentley rephrased.

‘At the time I didn’t assume she was in the house at all. Now I believe she must have been upstairs, perhaps in a cupboard, or maybe the attic.’

‘With, presumably, strict instructions to stay silent?’

‘Presumably.’

Flowers in the Attic.

‘And what do you think happened to the child while Ms Nicholls was at the police station? Was anyone there to take care of her?’

‘Not that I’m aware of. I didn’t see anyone else at the house while I was coming and going, until Ms Nicholls’s mother arrived from New Zealand, which was about a week after the child had disappeared.’

‘So during that week, as far as you know, whenever Ms Nicholls came to the station to help with inquiries she was leaving the child –
the child you were looking for
– in the house alone?’

‘As far as I know, that’s correct.’

‘And the child was three years old?’

‘That’s right.’

Kentley gave that a moment to sink in, before saying, ‘How long, on average, would you say Ms Nicholls was away from the house during these visits to the station?’

‘Anything up to three or four hours.’

Charlotte winced at the murmured shock from the gallery.

‘And did Ms Nicholls suggest to you at any time that the child might be safe?’ Kentley asked.

‘No, never.’

‘Can you tell us the sort of things she did say to you concerning the child?’

‘That she was very worried about her. That she was as sickened as the rest of us by the father’s abuse . . .’

‘Which had become public by now?’

‘Indeed.’

‘How did it become public?’

‘Ms Nicholls had video footage of the abuse on her computer, which she emailed to us at the station.’

‘And do you know how she came by this footage?’

‘Apparently it was sent to her by Erica Wade, the child’s mother.’

‘I see. And when did Ms Nicholls forward it to you?’

‘The day after the child supposedly went missing.’

‘Do you know how long she’d had the footage before she sent it to you?’

‘I’m afraid I don’t.’

‘So it could have been a few days, a week, perhaps even longer?’

‘The witness has already said he doesn’t know,’ Jolyon jumped in.

Directing a meaningful look Kentley’s way, the judge nodded for him to continue.

‘Presumably there are dates on Ms Nicholls’s computer to show when she first received the footage?’ Kentley pressed on.

‘If there were I doubt they’re there now,’ Gould replied. ‘You see, as the child’s social worker, we never suspected her, so her computer wasn’t seized.’

A massive mistake,
was how Anthony had described that,
to add to all their other massive mistakes,
and how could anyone disagree? However, Kentley was more interested in the dates than the bungling.

‘So you have no idea how long she might have been holding on to this footage?’ he asked.

‘None.’

‘My Lady,’ Jolyon protested.

‘Yes, quite,’ she responded. ‘Mr Kentley, please move on.’

Nodding agreeably, Kentley said, ‘During the time you were conducting the search for Chloe, was Ms Nicholls aware it was happening?’

‘She was.’

‘So she understood how concerned you and your fellow officers were for the child’s safety?’

‘She did.’

‘Was she also aware of how involved the public became in the search?’

‘Yes, she was.’

‘Did she ever express an opinion on it?’

‘I think she said once or twice that it was lovely to see how much people cared.’

‘Did she appear at all concerned by the fact that so many people were giving up their time to find a child she knew was perfectly safe?’

‘Not that I ever saw.’

‘Did she on any occasion join in the search?’

‘No.’

‘Did you find that surprising?’

‘Not really. The press were giving her quite a hard time, making it difficult for her to go anywhere without being accused of not doing her job properly.’

Kentley turned to the jury, his face as expressive as the words he left unspoken: that the press had been right, she had indeed failed to carry out her professional obligations.

‘One final question, DCI Gould,’ he said, turning back again. ‘Can you give us an idea how much this unnecessary search ended up costing the taxpayer?’

Gould cleared his throat as he replied, ‘To date, just under two million pounds, but that doesn’t include the cost of bringing Ms Nicholls and the child back from New Zealand, or the investigation that’s followed.’

‘Goodness. I wonder how many police officers’ jobs could have been saved during this time of cutbacks and recession if that enormous sum of money had been directed their way? Thank you DCI Gould, I’m sure Mr Crane will have some questions for you now.’

Feeling every bit as ashamed as Kentley had intended her to feel, Charlotte watched Jolyon get to his feet. Though she’d half expected Anthony to conduct this cross, it didn’t seem he was going to, and she wondered if she should take heart from the fact that he didn’t feel that matters had become serious enough.

Yet.

‘Going back to the video footage that Mrs Wade sent to Ms Nicholls,’ Jolyon said, looking down at the notes in front of him. ‘Can we just be clear about this: you say you don’t know how long Ms Nicholls had the footage before she emailed it to the police. Is that correct?’

‘That’s correct.’

‘So she could have forwarded it immediately she received it?’

Gould didn’t reply.

‘Couldn’t she?’ Jolyon prompted.

‘Yes,’ came the reply.

‘Have you any reason to suppose she didn’t?’

‘Not . . . I guess not exactly, no.’

‘Did you ever check Mrs Wade’s computer to find out when she’d sent it to Ms Nicholls?’

Gould’s colour deepened. ‘I’m afraid I don’t have that information to hand,’ he replied.

Jolyon threw out his hands, as if asking whether there was no end to police incompetence. ‘Presumably it was checked, though,’ he prompted. ‘She’d been murdered, after all, so you’d want to find out what could have led to it.’

‘Her husband confessed,’ Gould reminded him. ‘Once that had happened there was no reason to look any further.’

‘But her daughter was missing,’ Jolyon cried incredulously. ‘Might there not have been some information on her computer to suggest where the child could be?’

There wasn’t much doubt heads would roll after this, Charlotte was reflecting, and one of them was likely to be Gould’s.

‘Again, I’m afraid I don’t have that information to hand,’ Gould said tightly.

Clearly unimpressed, Jolyon returned to his notes. ‘In retrospect, DCI Gould,’ he continued, ‘do you feel it was something of an oversight not to suspect Ms Nicholls’s involvement in the child’s disappearance?’

Gould flushed angrily. ‘How could I not, knowing what I know now?’ he retorted.

‘So you wouldn’t claim that all avenues were rigorously explored at the time they should have been?’

‘No, I wouldn’t.’

‘Would it be correct to say that the child might have been found earlier if they had been?’

‘I imagine so.’

‘And therefore the cost of the search would have been greatly reduced?’

Looking like he wanted to bang a fist on the bench, or even on Jolyon, Gould said, ‘Yes, that would be correct.’

‘So it could be said that lazy policing has as big a part to play in how these costs were arrived at as anything else?’

Gould seemed about to explode. ‘If you’re trying to suggest . . .’

‘That’ll be all, thank you,’ Jolyon interrupted, and with a glance at the jury he retook his seat.

Knowing, at least sensing, that any sympathy there might have been for her had still not materialised, Charlotte could only hope that her mother’s or Bob’s evidence would start to turn things around.

However, the fact that their lawyer, Larry Clark, consistently refused to let them answer questions on the grounds they were likely to incriminate themselves, and proceeded to do the same with Rick and Shelley, only seemed to make matters worse.

‘It’s not going well, is it?’ Charlotte said to Anthony when they were back at the flat that night.

‘Everything always looks bleak when the prosecution’s having their say,’ he replied, pushing a hand through his hair. He looked tired and strained and as though he’d like everyone to leave.

‘I wish I could have said more,’ Anna groaned. ‘I wanted to let them know how special you are, and how much better off Chloe was with us, but that blinking lawyer . . .’

‘He had to do his job,’ Anthony told her, ‘and with the mood the police are in they’re likely to arrest anyone as soon as look at them if they’re connected to this case.’

‘Was humiliating Gould really the right way to go?’ Charlotte asked, taking the drink Bob was passing her.