‘Trouble from her ex-boyfriend?’
‘No, from the men, whoever they were.’
‘Okay, Mrs Collins. You did the right thing to call us. Do you live near?’
‘Not very. Hornsey. I was coming here today to go to the Christmas fête with them. That’s why is seems odd that she’s not here.’ Ebony nodded. She was looking at the streak of congealed blood in Jackson’s hair.
‘We’ll need to take you and the boy somewhere while we examine your daughter’s flat.’
‘Can’t I just go in and get some more clothes for Jackson?’ Tracy asked. ‘I only managed to get this suit for him because it was on top of the buggy.’
‘Sorry, Mrs Collins.’ Ebony stopped her. ‘It’s not possible at the moment.’ Tracy took out a tissue from her bag to wipe Jackson’s face. He squirmed from her as she tried to tidy him up.
‘I wouldn’t worry about that, Mrs Collins. Take him as he is and we’ll arrange things later. We’ll tidy him up when we get him back to yours.’ Ebony was making a mental note to take Tracy’s fingerprints as she’d obviously been in as far as the hallway. She’d need to send her clothes away for analysis as well.
‘Oh… yes.’ She looked a little confused but then looked down at Jackson and smiled reassuringly. ‘But how long before we can go in and get his things? Obviously we can’t manage without them?’
Ebony shook her head apologetically.
‘Sorry but we’re going to have stay out of the flat while the forensic team look at everything. We’re doing everything we can to find out what’s happened, Mrs Collins. We’ll give you and your grandson a lift home. I presume you will be looking after him? We’ll take a full statement from you then.’ Tracy blinked at Ebony for a few seconds. Jackson stood patiently watching Tracy’s face.
‘It will be all right, Jackson. Nanny will look after you till Mummy comes back.’
Ebony whispered to Carter: ‘There’s blood in the boy’s hair.’
Carter glanced across at Jackson. ‘When we get to her place, bring in the forensics kit from the car and take a sample. Shall we go, Mrs Collins?’ He turned to Tracy, who looked like she was waiting for someone to wake her up from a nightmare.
‘Thanks for your help.’ Carter addressed the half a dozen neighbours who had come out to take part in the drama. ‘Please wait here for a few more minutes while your statements are taken.’ Carter turned to the two police officers. ‘Then you’re finished here.’
Tracy led Jackson away by the hand and followed Carter past the neighbours and down the stairs.
‘Mrs Collins? The dog?’ one of the officers called out to them as they walked away.
Tracy stopped. ‘What about the dog?’
She was about to say: I don’t think so, when she looked at Jackson’s face and realized she had no choice. She turned back to pick up Scruffy’s lead.
‘Of course. Come on, Scruffy.’
As they drove to Tracy’s house, Tracy sat in the back seat with Jackson and Scruffy. She stared out at the traffic and Jackson held on to her hand. It took them forty minutes to get through the traffic and pull up outside Tracy’s flat; it was the bottom half of a town house in a residential street in Hornsey near a busy main road.
‘Please take your shoes off at the door.’
Tracy turned to them as she unlocked the front door, stepped inside and set Jackson down. She looked exasperated as she watched Scruffy saunter in past her as if he owned the place.
Ebony took off her shoes reluctantly; she had odd socks on and one of the socks was missing a big toe. She looked at Carter’s feet – there were polo ponies galloping across his socks. Ebony tried to hide her feet with the hem of her trousers. She would put socks onto her Christmas list if she had one.
Ebony had in her hands the forensics kit that she’d brought with her from the car.
Tracy led the way into the flat. The place was overdone, fussy, with dried flowers and photo frames. Lots of white-painted French-style bric-a-brac.
Carter steered Tracy into the lounge and lowered his voice out of earshot of Jackson. ‘Did you see your daughter regularly, Mrs Collins?
Tracy shook her head. ‘I had only met her a few times. I hadn’t seen her for a few days. We were just beginning to build up a relationship. You see, I gave her up for adoption when she was born. I was fifteen at the time.’
‘When was the last time you saw her?’
‘I was babysitting for her on Monday when those three men burst in and threatened me and Jackson. Do you think they came back?’
‘Do you know what they wanted?’
‘No. They turned the place upside down searching for something, I don’t know what. Didn’t find out.’
‘Were they looking for Danielle?’
‘No. Manson. Someone called Manson. Danielle said it was Niall Manson, Jackson’s dad. She said that he must have given her address. He’s a – you know…?’ She whispered. ‘A drug dealer… and that’s why she’d left him in the first place.’
‘Did she seem very worried about it?’
‘No. If I’m honest, that’s what shocked me. I thought to myself – she just thinks that’s normal. She said she’d speak to him. She didn’t seem that bothered, or maybe she wasn’t showing it. She didn’t like me knowing about that side of her life. But she phoned and apologized a few days later and asked me to come to the Christmas fête in the park today.’
‘Would you recognize the three men again, Mrs Collins?’
‘Yes I would – they were covered in tattoos and piercings. Terrible teeth. It was awful.’ Tracy shook her head. She was looking at him wide-eyed. ‘I seriously wondered whether I should see Danielle again. I thought about it, you know… it’s not a world I know about – drug dealers and gangs. They pushed me against the wall, frightened the life out of poor little Jackson.’
Ebony went into the kitchen with Jackson and opened up the forensics kit on the kitchen worktop. She looked around the immaculate room with its colour scheme of black and white with bold red kettle and toaster.
Jackson was watching everything Tracy did. Scruffy had come into the kitchen too and he was sniffing out the corners of the room in search of crumbs.
Carter looked at the photos on the wall of the lounge. Tracy looked young in them, she was getting married, on holiday. She was happy and smiling. There were no recent ones.
‘I think he wants water,’ Ebony called from the kitchen, looking at Scruffy. ‘He’s panting a lot. Shall I find a container from the cupboard?’
‘I’m coming,’ answered Tracy. ‘I’ll find one.’
Tracy came in and stopped as she looked at Ebony and the forensics kit being opened on her worktop.
‘I hope you don’t mind,’ said Ebony, seeing the scowl again. ‘I need to take your fingerprints and a couple of swabs from you and Jackson and then I’ll need the clothes you’re wearing please.’ Tracy shook her head although she kept the worried expression as she pulled open cupboards and began looking for a bowl for Scruffy.
‘What for?’
‘Just to check for fibres and things that might help us understand what happened in the flat. And, as you have handled Jackson, we need yours too. I’ll get someone to bring some clothes over for Jackson. Maybe you’ve got a T-shirt and jumper he can wear for now?’
‘Yes. Yes, of course.’
Tracy pulled out a stack of freezer containers, pulled one off the top and filled it. Scruffy splashed water on the tiles as he drank. She lifted the bowl and placed kitchen paper beneath it. Carter was in the other room talking to Jackson, who had wandered from the kitchen. He flicked through the TV channels and found something that seemed to settle him. Then he rang Sandford out of earshot.