Mother Be The Judge (9 page)

'What we find changes what we become."

Peter Morville

2
nd
January 2009

09:00 hours

"Good morning, an eleven year old girl has gone missing from Elisworth in West London."

Jocasta heard her hometown mentioned on the morning news. She stopped the ironing she had been doing so she could listen more closely to what had happened.

"Savannah West has been missing, it is believed, since around midnight on New Year's Eve."

Jocasta gasped when she saw the picture of little Savannah come onto the screen. She knew this little girl, it was the one who lived just around the corner and played often in the playground outside their flat.

"Adrian" she called, "Adrian, come and see this."

"What?" Adrian asked as he walked into the room.

"A little girl has gone missing, look it's Savannah. You know her don't you?" Jocasta watched Adrian move towards the television and touch the picture on the screen. He then went to sit on the sofa, looking intently at the unfurling report in front of him.

"Savannah was last seen at her home on New Year's Eve, wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans, black puffer jacket and grey UGG boots. Her mother and step-father have been questioned and intend to start a search from their home estate, the Fern Bridge estate in Elisworth. It is hoped that people from the local area will volunteer to help search for Savannah. People are asked to visit their local news website for more information."

Adrian jumped up from the sofa. "I'm going to help them look for her." He announced.

"Why Adrian," Jocasta asked, "Don't you have to go to work today?"

"Yeah but mum, she's missing. Everybody should help, even you; get your coat and we will go and find out what's going on."

Thrilled by the prospect of spending time with Adrian, even if it was in the direst of circumstances, Jocasta immediately got her coat. She saw Adrian return to his bedroom, leaving his door open. She took that as an invitation to follow him into the room and went in to find him looking at his computer. He appeared to be deleting something as after pressing a few buttons his screen went blank. Adrian looked up to see Jocasta looking over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" he snapped at her. "You shouldn't be in here."

"I just thought you were coming with me. Sorry Adrian, I wasn't being nosey, what are you doing anyway?" Jocasta edged forward to see if she could get a better look at what was on Adrian's computer.

"Just looking for the News about Savannah; I want to know where they are searching for her." Adrian brought up a 'Local News' web page and clicked on a link which took him to information about where a search for Savannah was being conducted.

"They are meeting at the Community Centre at 10 o'clock," said Adrian, "Come on, let's get down there."

Jocasta hadn't seen Adrian so animated for a very long time. She was proud of him. It was nice to see he cared that Savannah was missing and she was pleased Adrian was making such an effort.

They met with a large group of people. Jocasta recognised Savannah's parents from the News report and a lot of faces that she had seen about the estate before. A policeman with a loud hailer stood up on a block of concrete; Jocasta recognised him as the policeman who often patrolled the streets of Elisworth.

The officer waved his arms to get everybody's attention. People eventually stopped their individual conversations and turned towards the officer on the makeshift podium.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen, I am PC Mann from Olinsbury police station. Thank you all for coming here today. There are leaflets being handed out, please pass them out to each other. They have Savannah's picture on so you all know what she looks like. Now we would like you all to split up and go down every street, every alleyway, into every park and playground. Search bushes, bins, sheds and anywhere else you can think of. Savannah has been missing for more than twenty four hours now. She will be cold and hungry. Let's do what we can to get her home to her parents."

A few people began to clap but quickly stopped when others threw them incredulous looks. PC Mann switched on his loud hailer again.

"Oh just quickly, sorry," he said. "If you find Savannah, please call me on the number on the leaflet or call one of the officers listed on there. Right let's go."

Jocasta grabbed Adrian's elbow. "Where are we going to look for her Adrian?" she asked him.

"I'm not going with you mum, you walk too slowly." Said Adrian; much to Jocasta's dismay.

"But Adrian..."

"No mum, you should follow those people over there. They are going around the estate. I'm going with this group; they are going to the allotments."

Jocasta was upset that Adrian didn't want to walk with her. She had only agreed to go with him because it might mean they would spend some time together and now she had to traipse around the estate with people who never acknowledged her, to look for a girl she didn't really care about, although she did hope that they found her quickly, Eastenders was on tonight and she really wanted to know what was going to happen to Roxy who had just been driven into a frozen lake.

-x-

Adrian wasn't panicking about Savannah being found. He knew her body would come to light at some stage and decided he would like to be in control of when that might be. When he saw the expected News reports on the television, it pleased him that the Wests had jumped on the media bandwagon and had decided to hold their own search rather than allow the police to do their job.

Knowing where he had hidden Savannah's body, Adrian knew he needed to be on the search team which went over to the allotments, so on reaching the crowd; he kept his ears open to ensure he knew which groups were going where. He didn't want to be distracted by his mother wittering on in his ear so made sure he directed her to another search team.

When his group of searchers - which included Savannah's step-father - set off, Adrian was at the front, leading the group at a brisk pace. Whilst walking along the streets to get to the allotments, Adrian made a big show of looking in hedges and calling Savannah's name. The groups were followed by several media companies all hoping to be present when Savannah was found alive or dead.

About fifteen minutes later, Adrian's group entered the rusted gates of the allotment. Adrian had been speaking to Mike, who told Adrian he had been called by countless newspapers and was currently sorting out a deal to sell his story. He told Adrian that even if Savannah was found alive he still stood to make at least ten thousand pounds out of it. Adrian was actually disgusted by Mike's attitude towards Savannah's situation. He realised he actually thought a lot more of Savannah than her own family. He decided he had probably done her a favour and saved her from a life spent in misery.

The group comprised of around six people if you didn't include the media who were happy to observe and report about the search rather than actually take part in it. Adrian turned to the group and began to direct them to different corners of the allotment, suggesting they all meet back at the gates once the search was completed. Adrian headed off in the direction of the stream which ran behind the allotments. He was followed by his new found friend Mike who was rolling yet another cigarette. Adrian called out, "Savannah." A few times, Mike lit the cigarette and kicked half-heartedly through the various vegetables which grew in plots around them. Adrian and Mike followed the stream until they reached the tunnel which went under the dual carriageway that ran past the allotment. The tunnel was heavy with vegetation and the stream was barely visible. "Come on," said Mike, "She won't be in there, she can't swim."

"I will go in and have a look though, you never know, we have to check everywhere." Adrian replied. He stepped down the shallow bank into the stream and made his way through the vegetation into the tunnel itself.

Mike, who was still of the mind-set that Savannah was alive and hiding in a friend's house somewhere stood and waited for Adrian to return. He exchanged pleasantries with the cameraman who had followed him and confirmed with them his belief of where and how they would find Savannah.

"Oh my fucking god," a cry came from inside the tunnel.

The cameraman immediately put his mobile video recorder up to his eye and pointed it in the direction of the tunnel where he had heard Adrian make that comment.

Mike and the cameraman heard the sounds of footsteps splashing in the stream and watched Adrian come out of the tunnel, carrying the grey and swollen body of a child in his arms; laid flat on its back with legs and arms dangling towards the ground. Long brown hair hung over the child's eyes obscuring its face.

Mike stepped forwards and moved the hair out of the way.

"It's her." he shouted. "It's Savannah, oh my God." He sank to the floor on his knees and began to cry.

The cameraman propped his camera in the crook of his arm and reached for his mobile phone. He rang the number on the leaflet after calling his reporter colleague. PC Mann answered and he said, "We've found her, she's dead. You need to come to the stream behind the allotment, now."

Adrian stepped out of the river and sat down on the grass, cradling Savannah in his arms. He waited for the police to arrive so he could deliver his angel into their arms.

-x-

Jocasta heard amongst her group that Savannah's dead body had been found. When she was told that it was at the allotment, her first thought was of Adrian as she knew he had been in the group which had gone to that area to conduct the search. Rather than return to the Community Centre as asked, Jocasta made her way to the allotment. She had to be sure that Adrian was ok.

When she arrived at the allotment it was teeming with police officers, men in white suits, cameramen and reporters. Countless vehicles were parked in the alleyway leading up to the gates and Jocasta carefully moved herself around them until she got to the rusted gates at the end of the alleyway. She was stopped by a young officer as she tried to go through them.

"I'm sorry Ma'am, you can't go in there," said the officer.

"My son was on the search party." Jocasta told him. "Please I have to see if he's ok."

"Ma'am I can't let you in there, we have a job to do and we don't want to contaminate the scene any more than is necessary. Let me find out where your son's gone, what's his name?"

"Adrian Brown."

The officer got onto his radio and quietly spoke into the receiver. He twiddled the knobs on the radio and then held it close to his ear, the crowds about him making it difficult for him to hear. After a brief conversation the officer turned back to Jocasta and said, "It seems as if it was your son who found her ma'am."

Jocasta gasped, she was shocked; poor Adrian, she thought, to have seen a dead body, he must be in a really bad way. "Well I really must go to him then, where is he now?" she asked.

"He's been taken back to Olinsbury police station so that he can make a statement. If you want to see him you will need to go there. Now please ma'am, you really do need to leave the scene."

"Yes ok, thank you." Jocasta turned away from the officer and tried to work out her best course of action. The only way she could think of getting to Adrian was by bus so she made her way back towards her estate and waited twenty minutes for a bus to come along. As she sat on the bus all she could think about was how Adrian must be feeling. She had never seen a dead body before, she could only imagine what that must be like and to see a dead child must be ten times worse in her estimation. She was concerned that this may psychologically affect Adrian and resolved to take him to the GP when they were able so she could get him some counselling. She wasn't going to let this spoil Adrian's life.

Jocasta was so consumed in her worry for Adrian, she barely gave little Savannah a thought. Not being directly related to her, Jocasta did not feel affected by Savannah's death. It was no different to how she felt when children were reported in the media. She was sad and found it despicable, yes, but it only warranted a thought when actually pushed in her face by the papers or the television. Her feelings about it disintegrated along with the newspapers the news was written on. This time, however, something had happened to her son and she was desperately worried about how he might be suffering.

Jocasta arrived at the police station and went straight to the front counter to ask after Adrian. A man in a grey suit came out of a door leading off the reception area and made his way towards her.

"Hello ma'am, I'm the investigating officer in this case, my name is Detective Inspector Turnbull." He held out his hand to shake Jocasta's and she obliged. She looked up and thought what a handsome man he was. Certainly a man who could turn her mind away from a situation - if only briefly - he was a silver fox just like Philip Schofield she thought. To add to this, he was tanned and had laughter lines around his eyes, the thing she noticed most about him though were the green eyes which gazed upon her. She had seen most colour eyes but none so vividly green as these, they looked as if they could see into her very soul. DI Turnbull gave a slight cough alerting Jocasta to the fact she still had hold of his hand and had been shaking it for longer than was required. She pulled her hand away.