Page 123 of Guilty Mothers
‘I’ve got two potential locations, boss. Following Stacey’s suggestion that our killer will want to make a statement at a place that means something, we have two local sites associated with pageants during our time frame. There was a community hall in Netherton that hosted some of the smaller pageants. The building is gone, but the land is still vacant.’
‘And the other?’
‘A civic hall in Wordsley that hosted the bigger events. The building is still there but derelict.’
‘Did they have to be in opposite directions?’ Kim asked, knowing that wasn’t Penn’s fault. ‘Okay, people, which one?’
‘Wordsley,’ they all said together.
‘Agreed. Penn, get yourself to Netherton just in case and let me know when you get there,’ she said before ending the call.
Bryant was already heading away from the kerb.
Even if they’d called it right that their killer was intent on using a meaningful location, she now had to wonder if they’d chosen the right one.
If not, Leona Carter was as good as dead.
EIGHTY-THREE
Bryant took a left at The Cat and headed away from Wordsley High Street. The remains of the civic hall were located on the edge of the town before it gave way to the countryside beyond. It was one of those forgotten buildings that had been sold to a developer, but the planning permission for seven houses had been denied.
The subject of the eyesore came up now and again in newspaper articles or local Facebook groups, but no one seemed to know of any further plans, and the building fell further into disrepair every year. The owner no longer valued it enough to add fencing or other prohibitive measures, and it had been subjected to abuse by squatters, homeless people and vermin.
They drove straight into the car park. Kim immediately spotted the back end of a vehicle tucked around the side of the building. Thank God they’d called it right. There was no reason for anyone else to be here.
They jumped out of the car as a second vehicle sped into the car park. The headlights temporarily blinded them.
‘What the—?’ Kim stopped speaking as the occupant got out. ‘Bobbi, what the hell?’
‘I followed you. Where’s my mom?’ she asked, heading towards the building.
Bryant grabbed her arm. ‘You can’t go in there.’
‘Get your hands off me,’ she growled.
‘Shut up,’ Kim hissed. ‘They’ll hear you.’
She didn’t have time for this. ‘Bryant, keep her out of the way.’
Bobbi’s arrival meant that Bryant was now busy babysitting and she would be forced to go into the building alone.
‘Oh, bloody great,’ Kim said as the first spots of a shower began to fall. When the hell was it going to stop raining?
‘Just let me go,’ Bobbi cried.
‘You’re not helping this situation one bit,’ Kim snapped.
Bobbi tried to pull away from Bryant, but he held her firm.
‘It’s my mom,’ she cried as the tears rolled down her face. ‘I just want to help.’
Kim regarded her for a further few seconds as something clicked into place in her brain.
Then she sprinted towards the door.
EIGHTY-FOUR
Most of the building exterior had been vandalised. Graffiti plastered the walls, and there was no clear path through it which avoided the debris of glass and brick underfoot. Kim knew this would once have been the foyer to the event space and that the double doors ahead led to a hall that had once had a dividing curtain for smaller events.