Blood Money Read Online Free PDF Page B

off, uncertainly.
    ‘Unless what?’
    ‘I know that sometimes people hold the door open for each other. We ask parents not to do that, but it’s just good manners isn’t it?’
    ‘So if they chose the right moment, someone could get into the nursery without ringing the bell and without having to explain themselves to a member of staff.’
    ‘Well, it shouldn’t happen like that but—’
    ‘And once they’re in the building they are free to go anywhere?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘So potentially, someone could have just walked into the nursery off the street without anyone on the staff being any the wiser.’
    ‘It shouldn’t—’ she began again.
    ‘ Could they?’
    ‘Yes,’ she admitted, becoming increasingly rattled.
    ‘And they could just take a child without anyone noticing? ’ Mariner couldn’t quite believe that.
    ‘No, the children are never left unattended.’
    ‘But I don’t understand.’ Mariner was floundering. ‘That means that someone must have seen the abductor take Jessica.’ He allowed himself a moment of optimism. Maybe this wasn’t as bad as it had first appeared, and they would at least get a decent description.
    ‘She did, but she assumed it was Jessica’s mummy.’
    Mariner was flummoxed again. ‘Didn’t she know Jessica’s mother?’
    ‘Jessica was a crèche baby,’ Samantha said as if that explained everything. Realising that it didn’t, she went on: ‘In main nursery the staff do get to know the parents quite well, because the children have been coming here regularly for a long time. We haven’t had any new children for several months. But we also have an arrangement with the hospital to provide a daily crèche for professionals who attend conferences at the medical school, and for visiting consultants. Most of those children just come here for a day or maybe two and that’s it, although we have a handful of regular users. The children are booked in advance, so that we can plan the right staffing levels.’
    ‘And Jessica was a crèche baby, so she’d never been here before,’ said Mariner finally beginning to grasp the situation.
    ‘It was a complete one-off.’
    ‘So the staff didn’t know her mother. Isn’t that a bit of a risk?’
    ‘Everyone who comes into the crèche is meant to sign the visitor’s book when they come in and go out—’
    Again that magic phrase ‘meant to’. ‘And in practice?’
    ‘It doesn’t always happen. If parents are in a hurry—’
    Mariner still couldn’t make sense of it. ‘But surely the staff would have seen Jessica’s mother when she dropped the baby off this morning. Wouldn’t they expect the same person to pick her up?’
    ‘Miss O’Brien brought Jessica in early. The crèche staff work a nine till five, so any children being left earlier than that are received by Mrs Barratt. It happens sometimes.’
    ‘So up until she came to collect Jessica, the staff in the room had never met Miss O’Brien.’
    ‘That’s right.’
    ‘And the only person who had met Jessica’s mother - Mrs Barratt - wasn’t here. So anyone could come in and announce themselves as Jessica’s mother and the staff wouldn’t know any different.’
    Samantha was beginning to lose her cool. ‘It wouldn’t usually happen, because Mrs Barratt would be here. And parents are supposed to sign the book and staff are meant to ask for identification—’
    ‘Except we’ve already established that your security systems aren’t exactly what we’d call watertight, are they?’
    ‘No.’ Samantha’s flimsy veneer of confidence had all but dissolved. She looked about to cry and for the second time that day Mariner saw a young woman overwhelmed by expectations.
    There was a light knock on the door. Charlie Glover peered in and, catching Mariner’s eye, gave the faintest shake of the head. Baby Jessica was definitely gone. But then, Mariner knew that now anyway. A member of staff had stood by and watched it happen. The priority now was to get a good