Gina shivered and wrapped her arms around her body. ‘Yes, just cold. I was in the middle of a bath when you called. Nothing new there. I hope the mother’s okay. Did the paramedics give any indication as to the age of the baby?’
‘Yes, newborn and slightly premature looking. They won’t know any more until she’s been properly examined. I did notice a slight smell of diesel on the towel.’
‘Diesel, interesting,’ said Gina, gazing at the scene around her. Her bath was now a distant memory. ‘What a way to spend an evening.’
‘You’re telling me. Not that I’m complaining, but I had to break a date with Abigail, the one I was telling you about who works at the café in town.’ He paused. ‘Anyway, at least the baby’s getting the best possible treatment now. Our only objective is to find the mother and see if she’s okay. Sounds straightforward.’ Jacob wiped the rain off his face and swept his damp hair back.
‘Let’s hope so. I best start thinking about a press statement too, see if anyone’s seen or heard anything. I’ll go and ask our chap in there some questions. Can you get the items that the baby was wrapped in before the ambulance leaves? Bag and tag them, and send them to Keith in forensics. We need them to check for anything that might help us find the parents. Ask them to test for the usual – hair, blood and traces of anything else that may help. And diesel, too. You never know.’
‘Will do,’ DS Driscoll replied as he pulled his hood up and walked towards the ambulance.
The rain began to pelt as Gina stepped away from the canopy. She rushed towards Mrs Craneford’s house and knocked as she entered the slightly open door. She shuffled through the cluttered hall. ‘Hello. DI Harte,’ she said, almost knocking a pile of coats off a stand before entering the cluttered lounge. The electric fire radiated a cosy warmth and the flashing multicoloured Christmas lights added to the chaos of the room. An elderly man was sitting on the settee, staring at the wall.
‘Oh, Detective. This is Mr Thomas, the man I was telling you about who found the baby. Can I get you a cup of tea?’ the woman asked as she stepped backwards towards the kitchen.
‘I’m fine, thanks,’ Gina replied, sitting down beside the frail man. His hands trembled as he pulled the blanket over his shoulders.
‘My neighbours, Mark and Jean, will be wondering where I am. They do worry,’ the man said as he checked his watch.
Gina took out her phone. ‘Shall I call them for you?’ Albert nodded and replied with their home number. She called and explained that they were asking Albert a few questions and they would drop him to theirs shortly. ‘Jean said she’ll put your steak and kidney pudding in the microwave. Mr Thomas—’
‘Albert, you can call me Albert.’
Gina smiled and took out her notebook and pen. ‘Albert, tell me what happened in your own words.’
‘I came out of the Angel about seven thirty. It was rainy and horrible. Well, I crossed the road and headed alongside the houses towards the library. I stopped at the library for a look. It used to be Cleevesford Village Hall, you see. Lillian and I used to dance there. I wanted to think about those times. You understand?’ Gina nodded and smiled. ‘Only, when I stopped, I saw something and thought it was rubbish. I went to pick it up and realised then it was a baby. I managed to get this kind lady to open the door and she went out and tended to the baby thereon. Is the baby alright? It was so cold when I touched its head. Is it, you know…?’
‘The baby is receiving treatment now. You and Mrs Craneford did a good job.’
The man took a deep breath.
‘It’s hard to believe a mother could leave such a helpless little baby on its own,’ Mrs Craneford said as she bit her bottom lip. ‘I mean, if she didn’t want it, there are plenty of people who can’t have kids and—’
‘We don’t know this woman’s circumstances – that’s what we’re here to find out,’ Gina replied kindly. With her experience in child protection and domestic violence, she knew things weren’t always as clear-cut as people assumed. The mother may have been underage or abused, or might even be under some kind of threat. It was her job to unravel the mysteries and solve the case, and in her experience, jumping to conclusions wouldn’t help. Only the facts helped. She glanced at the frail man beside her. He looked down and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. ‘Here’s my number, should you remember anything else. I’ll get someone to drop you home.’ She called PC Smith who arrived within moments.
‘Thank you,’ Albert said, as he dropped the blanket onto the settee and left with the police officer.
Mrs Craneford smiled as she tapped her foot on the floor. Her daughter entered from the kitchen carrying a drink. The girl smiled and went upstairs.
‘Did you see anything or anyone suspicious when you went out to tend to the baby?’
‘No, I can’t say I did. The old man told me where it was and I found the little one straight away. I called you lot and held the baby until the paramedics came, hoping to keep it warm. It didn’t even cry,’ the woman replied, staring at the wall.
‘The baby’s in good hands. I’m sure your help paid off. Did you see anyone hanging around?’ Gina asked. She wondered if the mother had waited until someone found the baby. Maybe she had been standing at the end of the street or around the corner. Gina’s face began to glow from the fire’s warmth. Even her hair had stopped dripping.
‘No. There was no one in sight. Just me.’
‘If you remember anything else, please call,’ Gina said. She handed the woman her card and walked to the door.
‘Can you let me know how the baby is?’ Mrs Craneford said as she saw Gina out.
‘Yes, of course.’ As she left, the press release ran through her mind. An appeal for the safety of the mother and witnesses would be their best hope. She’d need to pass all the details to DCI Briggs so that he could get the information to the press before the morning news went out. Rain pelted down and the drains gurgled as they flooded. The ambulance splashed water over the pavement as the paramedics pulled away. Jacob Driscoll jogged towards her.
‘As requested, I’ve bagged and tagged all the garments for the lab,’ he said as he wiped his wet face and removed his latex gloves. ‘We’d best get back and process everything that’s happened. There appears to be no witnesses. We’ve asked everyone along this road – well, the ones who answered. I think we should get back. Oh, and one last thing – not good, I’m afraid. The CCTV hasn’t been on for over a year due to funding cuts. It’s just been left there as a deterrent.’
‘Damn.’ Gina wiped the rain from her face and watched as the lights in the houses started switching off and curtains were closed. All the action was over, leaving the public to go back to their books, television programmes and nice warm baths. She sloshed through the gutter towards her car. ‘I’ll see you back at the station,’ she called as she closed the door and started demisting the windscreen. She would find out to whom the baby belonged and how it arrived there. In her experience, the truth always found its way out. To start with, she’d organise the appeal. She released the handbrake and followed Jacob back to the station.
As she drove, she stared hard into the darkness of the street and imagined a figure. At the moment it had no face, it had no size, it wasn’t a woman or a man. Whoever placed the baby there had chosen carefully. The library entrance provided some shelter to protect the baby from the stormy weather. The road was densely populated and was crossed by passers-by with frequency. The figure would’ve been aware of this, and therefore they’d have left the baby quickly. Were they local? Was it a relief to leave the baby or was it the most heart-wrenching moment of their life? Was there violence involved?
Three