Page 101 of Guilty Mothers
‘We’re a few miles south of Birmingham.’
‘How could you know anything about Rebecca?’
Stacey left the question unanswered and posed one of her own. ‘I understand Rebecca was just a few months old when she was abducted.’
‘That’s correct. She was almost four months.’
Stacey heard the crack in her voice. This woman felt the pain as if it had happened yesterday.
Her heart ached.
‘And you’ve had no contact, no calls, no ransom demands in that time?’
‘Nothing. We don’t know a thing about what happened to her.’
Stacey could tell that she was fighting back the tears and felt awful for resurrecting her pain, especially if it was for nothing.
‘Officer, please end my misery and tell me what’s going on. There’s no scenario you can give me that hasn’t gone through my mind, and it would be a blessing just to know.’
‘We have an incident down here that might shed light on what happened to your daughter.’
The sharp intake of breath was followed by a sob. ‘Please, tell me anything. Whatever it is, tell me.’
‘Mrs Anderson, I have one final question. Did Rebecca have any distinguishing features on her body like a birthmark or something identifiable?’ Stacey crossed her fingers and closed her eyes, praying for the right answer.
‘A mole,’ the woman said, and Stacey almost gasped with relief, but she kept herself in check.
‘Where?’
‘Her left shoulder. I’d kiss it every time I bathed her.’
Stacey desperately wanted to blurt out the truth. She opened her mouth, but the woman beat her to it.
‘You’ve found her, haven’t you? You’ve found my little girl. You’re telling me she’s dead. Just tell me.’
‘I don’t want to say any more over the phone.’
‘Just tell me what happened to her. Did she suffer? Please, just give me that. I’ve waited twenty-five years.’
‘I think it’s best if we speak in person. The situation isn’t that simple. Is there anyone that can bring you here to see us?’
‘My son. He’ll bring me. But can I ask one thing? Will we need to identify the body?’
‘That won’t be necessary, Mrs Anderson.’
‘I’m going to get closure, aren’t I? It’s over.’
‘Yes, Mrs Anderson. The wait is definitely over,’ Stacey said before ending the call.
She would have loved to say more, but right now they had no idea how Katie was going to react to the news.
Mrs Anderson would soon be on her way, and Stacey had no clue if they were giving her a daughter or a stranger who wanted nothing to do with her.
She took a moment to compose herself before making her next call.
Toyah answered the call on the second ring. Her voice was thick and gruff, as though she’d just finished having a good old cry. Stacey instantly felt guilty for her suspicions and would make this as painless as possible. The girl was barely two days into the loss of her mother.
‘Hi, Toyah, I’m DC Stacey Wood, a member of DI Stone’s team. Have you got a minute to talk?’