Walden had befriended her with sweets when they’d started chatting on the bus. She might have become distracted, for example, by the offer of a free sample of cake or biscuit, lured away from the crowds on the main street.
She walked back up the street, pulling people into conversation about Lucy, describing her clothes, making her real for them. ‘You might have seen her around with her dad. She’s here most Saturdays. She goes to the day centre at the Woodyard. A lovely smile. She’s gone missing and her dad’s in a dreadful state. You can imagine.’
There was only one sighting of Lucy on her own. The owner of a gift shop, just across the street from where Maurice had been chatting to Pam, had seen her.
‘She was out on the pavement, looking in at the window display. It is lovely, though I say so myself. I waved to her and she waved back. It was quiet, nobody else in the shop. It’s that time of year, isn’t it, between Christmas and Easter. There’s always a bit of a lull. No, I didn’t see her talking to anyone.’ The woman was happy to chat. As she’d said, the shop was quiet. She must be bored.
‘You didn’t see anyone approaching her? Or looking in at the window at the same time as she was?’
The woman thought for a moment. ‘She turned away. I think someone tripped on the pavement and she turned around to watch, or to help. I didn’t see her after that.’
‘Did you see the person who tripped?’
‘Not really. Not in any detail. There was just a bit of a crowd suddenly, someone talked about calling an ambulance. You know how it is, when there’s a bit of a drama. People start staring. The shop door was open so I could hear a little bit of what was said.’
‘You didn’t go out to see what was going on?’ Because Jen thought this woman would want to see. If she was as bored as she seemed, she’d surely be curious.
‘No, I was just on my way to see if I could help when the phone rang at the back. A customer with an order. By the time I came into the shop again, everything was back to normal. The ambulance never turned up, so I suppose the person who fell hadn’t really hurt themselves.’
Jen swore in her head, using words that would have made even Ben blush. If the woman had been in a position to see, she would have made a great witness. Jen hoped the incident had been captured on CCTV. At least they’d know where to start looking.
‘You must have seen who fell, though? Was it a man or a woman?’
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t really see. By the time I’d got to the door, people were standing between me and the person lying on the pavement.’ She paused. ‘I think it was a man. I got a glimpse of jeans and trainers. But really I can’t be sure.’
‘Was Lucy still there then?’
‘Yes! She was there, on the edge of the group, watching. I saw her just before the phone rang.’
‘And when you got back into the shop?’
‘I told you. Everyone had gone then. Nobody was there.’
Back on the pavement, Jen had more questions for the passers-by. ‘Did you see someone fall earlier today? A woman with Down’s syndrome helping them up?’
But the incident had happened nearly two hours before and these were new shoppers just passing through. Jen questioned the assistants in the shops nearby. They hadn’t seen anyone fall.
* * *
In the police station, there was an air of confusion. Vulnerable adults were sometimes targeted by sexual predators, bullies, weak and pathetic people who needed to control. But those victims were usually alone, lonely, known to social services and the police because of their isolation and vulnerability. Christine Shapland and Lucy Braddick were well cared for; they lived with their families. Christine had not been raped or assaulted. There seemed no motive for either kidnap.
Matthew was back in Barnstaple. He’d left Maurice Braddick in the care of a neighbour. Now, he stood in front of the team, trying to make sense of it all. Jen listened from the back.
‘We know that Christine Shapland’s abductor asked her questions, lots of questions,’ Matthew said. ‘But that doesn’t help us much, because she couldn’t understand what he wanted. Or he freaked her out so much that she was too scared to listen properly. Perhaps that tells us he wasn’t