When the Evil Waits by M Lee (top fiction books of all time txt) 📕

to show you some footage and I would like you to tell me who is on the tape. Do you understand? For the record, I am now going to show Daniel Carsley a video on my laptop.’

On the way down to the children’s home, Chrissy had quickly edited the footage from the ATM just to show the time when David was in front of the ATM, cutting out the later footage of the white car.

Ridpath pressed play and Daniel leant forward to look closely. ‘That’s Dave. Where did you get this?’

‘Are you sure it’s David Carsley?’

‘I know my own brother. Where did you get it?’

Ridpath ignored the question. ‘Would you like to see it again to be sure?’

Daniel nodded.

‘I am now showing the witness the same footage again.’

Daniel leant even further forward. ‘That’s my brother. He’s wearing the same clothes as the day…’

His voice trailed off as he realised where the footage came from.

Ridpath pushed on, not wanting to lose momentum. ‘I’m now going to show a second piece of footage, marked as item 2. Dan, do you recognise the car in this tape?’

Ridpath pressed play, revealing the footage from the tram taken on the day David’s body was found.

Daniel shook his head. ‘We don’t have a car in Manchester. Dad doesn’t know how to drive. Mum drove all the time when we were in Scotland.’

‘You don’t recognise it?’

‘Nah, never seen it before. Why? What is it?’

Ridpath continued. ‘One last question and then we’ll be finished.’ He pressed a key on the laptop and a picture came up. ‘These are Dave’s briefs. You told the police earlier he was wearing them on the day he disappeared.’

‘Yeah, I remember seeing them.’

‘The police found them in your house, earlier today. How could they be in the house if he was wearing them?’

Daniel’s eyes moved left and right as he considered the question. ‘He must have taken them off.’

‘Why would he take them off?’

‘Dad.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Dad was always telling Dave off for not changing his underwear, but there was never any clean ones. We used to take them off and hide them to wash later ourselves. Same with our socks. Dad never had the time.’

‘Did you see him take them off?’

‘Why would I watch my brother get changed?’

‘I mean, did you know he had taken them off?’

‘No.’ He turned to Ruby Grimes. ‘Can I go now?’

The social worker looked at Ridpath who nodded his head, saying, ‘The interview ends at 7.40 p.m. on 9 August.’ He waved at Chrissy to stop the taping. ‘Just one more thing, Dan, before you go.’ Ridpath took a deep breath. ‘I have to tell you your dad, Michael Carsley, may be charged with murder this evening.’

‘Murder? Why? Who did he kill?’

Ridpath took another breath. ‘He may be charged with the murder of your brother, David Carsley.’

‘But that’s impossible. Dad loved Dave.’ Pain was etched on his face. ‘You’ve got it wrong, Dad would never hurt Dave. Dad was at home all the time.’

‘I think we should go now, Dan.’ Ruby Grimes took his arm and gently stood the boy up.

‘You’re wrong, Dad would never hurt Dave.’

‘I think you’re right, Dan, that’s why we’re going to do our best to make sure your dad is not charged.’

‘I don’t believe you, I don’t believe you!’ He was struggling now as Ruby Grimes tried to take him out of the room. ‘You’re lying, you’re all lying. The police are liars.’

The door opened and another social worker rushed in to help Ruby. Together, they managed to usher Daniel out and up the stairs.

All the time he was shouting. ‘You’re lying, you’re all lying! My da wouldnae hurt Dave. You polis are lying, you’re all liars.’

Chapter 71

They could still hear the boy shouting and screaming as he was carried upstairs until the sound was gradually swallowed up by the thick walls.

Inside the room, nobody said anything.

Ridpath picked up his mobile phone and rang Claire Trent. ‘Daniel has confirmed the boy in the ATM footage is the murder victim, David Carsley.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘We have the confirmation on tape.’

‘Right.’ A pause followed by, ‘The underwear, did you confirm that David Carsley took them off himself?’

‘Daniel didn’t see him taking his underwear off, but he said they used to do it all the time. Their dad didn’t wash them often enough so they did it themselves.’

‘Right.’

‘We also showed Daniel footage of the white car. He didn’t recognise it, said he hadn’t seen it before.’

‘OK.’

‘What’s going to happen?’

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, before Claire Trent spoke again. ‘I am going to order Paul Turnbull to release Michael Carsley pending further enquiries.’

‘Thank you, boss. Can I tell the social worker?’

‘Yes, he will be released this evening.’

Ridpath smiled, giving a thumbs-up to Chrissy and Emily Parkinson. ‘Great, I’ll let them know.’

‘I wouldn’t be too happy, Ridpath.’

‘Why, boss? It’s great news.’

‘It means we have a child-killer out there who, according to the criminal profiler, is going to strike again – and, after two weeks, we don’t have a clue who it is. We will have a team briefing tomorrow morning at eight a.m. Be there.’

The phone went dead in Ridpath’s hand.

Chapter 72

Molly Wright was typing furiously on her laptop. The police had given her a wonderful opportunity. Releasing Michael Carsley after interviewing him for over a day was a godsend.

The gloves were off now.

She could kick Trent and Turnbull and Ridpath and all the rest of them from here to Southern Cemetery.

Her source had told her they were scrambling. Desperately trying to find new angles to investigate. After more than two weeks they had nothing.

No suspects.

No leads.

No lines of enquiry.

All they had was a white car that may or may not have been involved in the abduction.

Pathetic.

She checked over what she had written. The tone was just right; a mixture of restrained fury and articulate sadness.

The editor would lap it up and come crawling on his belly for seconds. With a bit of luck, she could keep this going