In Safe Hands: A D.C.I Anna Tate thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat

Ruth felt the detective’s arm around her waist and then she was gently urged along the pavement to the community centre, a building she had seen many times but had never set foot in before.

She walked quickly, autopilot taking over, while at the same time her mind flooded with images of Liam. She saw him as he was this morning, dressed in his favourite Superman T-shirt and baggy denim jeans with the drawstring waistband.

She recalled how she had kissed him goodbye and told him that either mummy or daddy would pick him up later. And she remembered how excited he’d been as he rushed across the playroom to join his little pal Daniel.

But then Ruth remembered something else. She remembered that today she was supposed to have taken Liam to the Shrek Adventure on the South Bank. But she had decided not to because she’d elected to meet up with a magazine editor instead. A hot spike of guilt sliced through her chest.

CHAPTER SIX (#ulink_2a2e68fe-1691-54bc-be37-fcc452fef475)

Anna’s heart ached for Ruth Brady. The poor mother’s anguish brought it home to her just how traumatic this case was going to be.

Ruth was only the first of the frantic parents who would be turning up demanding answers. It was likely that they all lived within a short distance of Peabody Street and had enrolled their children in the nursery so that they could go to work or pursue other interests. They couldn’t possibly have imagined that something like this would ever happen.

Ruth was clearly finding it hard to handle the news. Her breath was now ragged and distorted, her eyes dull with shock. It was as though she had fallen into an almost trance-like state.

But as they approached the entrance to the community centre her mobile phone rang and it jolted the woman out of herself. She stopped to rummage frantically through her leather handbag that hung on a long strap over her right shoulder.

When she found it she glanced at the caller ID and said, ‘Oh God, it’s my husband. I tried to phone him on the way here.’

She answered it and started to speak, but was obviously interrupted as she stopped mid-sentence to listen to what the person on the other end of the line had to say.

Anna could hear a raised voice but she couldn’t make out the words. Ruth reacted by clenching her eyes shut and gritting her teeth.

After a moment her eyes snapped open and she yelled into the phone.

‘Look, I know and I’m sorry, Ethan. But they’ve all been taken. Liam is gone. Our baby’s gone, and I’m scared we’ll never see him again.’

Her words gave way to uncontrollable sobs, and Anna reached out to grab the phone when it looked like it was going to slip through Ruth’s fingers onto the ground.

She raised it to her own ear and said, ‘I’m DCI Tate, Mr Brady. Your wife is with me and she’ll be looked after. But I suggest you get over here as quickly as you can. We’ll be in the community centre next door to the nursery.’

‘I’m on my way,’ Ethan Brady said. ‘But can you please tell me what you know?’

‘Not over the phone, Mr Brady. It will have to wait until you get here.’

Anna hung up and held onto the phone because Ruth was still crying, with her head now in her hands.

She pulled a hanky from her pocket and gave it to her, and then she tried to console her by gently rubbing her back.

It was several minutes before Ruth managed to stop crying and as soon as she did Anna handed her back her phone and ushered her into the community centre.

They entered a spacious reception area that was swarming with police officers, some in high-vis jackets.

There was a small cafeteria to the right and straight ahead an open door revealed a large hall with some rows of seating and a makeshift stage.

Anna led Ruth to the cafeteria and pulled out a chair for her at one of the tables. Then she looked around, spotted a WPC, and called her over.

‘This is Mrs Ruth Brady,’ Anna said to the officer. ‘She’s the mother of one of the children and I’d like you to stay with her for a while. Her husband will be here shortly.’

‘Of course, ma’am. There’s someone behind the counter making tea so shall I go and fetch her one?’

‘That’s a good idea. Thank you.’

Anna turned back to Ruth, who was drying her eyes with the hanky, and said, ‘I’m expecting the other parents to start turning up now and I’m going to arrange for you all to move into a room where I can keep you up to date with progress and answer your questions. Would that be OK?’

Ruth looked up and nodded.

‘If you’re wondering why my husband was cross with me on the phone, it’s because Liam wasn’t meant to be coming here today,’ she said. ‘Ethan bought us tickets for the Shrek Adventure, but then shortly after he left for work this morning I got invited to a lunch meeting in connection with my work as a freelance journalist. I felt it was important so I agreed to go and brought Liam here.’ Her eyes filled with tears once more. ‘It’s my fault that he’s been taken. If only I hadn’t been so selfish.’

‘You shouldn’t blame yourself, Mrs Brady,’ Anna said. ‘You weren’t to know that this would happen.’

‘Well, that’s not going to stop me feeling responsible. I put myself before Liam and now I have no idea where he is and what’s happening to him.’

‘You need to remain positive,’ Anna said. ‘We’ll be throwing all our resources into this investigation. Every police officer in London is on the lookout for the children and the men who took them.’

Ruth shook her head, clearly unconvinced.

‘I have more reason than the other mothers to be concerned,’ she said. ‘My son is not well. He has cystic fibrosis. If he doesn’t get his medication he’ll become very ill, very fast.’

Anna tried to review in her head what she knew about cystic fibrosis. Her limited understanding of the disease came from reading magazines in which sufferers explained how it had affected their lives.

‘A bag with his medication inside is kept in the nursery,’ Ruth said. ‘But I rather doubt that the kidnappers were told about it before they took him away.’

‘I’ll ask Sarah Ramsay about that,’ Anna said. ‘I’m going to speak to her now along with the two teachers who were here with her.’

Ruth frowned. ‘Why only two teachers? There were three here when I dropped Liam off. Emma, Tasha and Paige.’

‘Tasha is on her way to hospital.’

‘Oh Jesus. Is she badly hurt?’

Anna nodded. ‘She’s suffered a serious head injury, but she’s receiving the best possible care now.’

The WPC returned then with a steaming mug of tea which she placed on the table in front of Ruth.

‘Get that down you,’ Anna said. ‘I’ll be back in a few minutes. In the meantime, if there’s anything you need, just ask the officer here.’

Anna turned to go but Ruth reached out and grabbed the bottom of her jacket.

‘I’ve just remembered something,’ Ruth said. ‘It’s something I saw when I dropped Liam off.’

Anna looked down at her. ‘And what was that, Mrs Brady?’

‘A minibus. I saw a minibus. It was parked at the kerb in front of the nursery when I arrived. I parked my own car right behind it.’

‘Was it there when you left?’

Ruth thought about it and nodded. ‘It was. Definitely.’