‘Can I have a lift?’
‘Of course.’ Gina smiled sympathetically. She could see that Ms Abidar was scared of what might happen. If Omar was a killer, he was dangerous. If he was a witness, one known to the murderer, he was in as much danger as Taylor was. ‘We’ll put every resource we have into finding your son.’
FORTY-THREE
‘Guv, that’s all sorted. Officers are still driving by Whittle’s and the Braddocks’s house. I wish we weren’t so understaffed, we could keep someone posted there all day but given the staffing and overtime funding issues we have at the moment, it’s not possible. They have Omar’s description so are on the lookout and his mother is giving a statement now.’ Wyre put her hair into a ponytail, low at the nape of her neck.
Gina turned into Redditch High School, parking in the tight visitor space. ‘Great. The boy has to turn up soon. As long as we’re keeping an eye on Annabel’s house, we can hope that he turns up there or our officer spots the car. Right, let’s speak to Miss Teller. See if we can find out more about Whittle, then we have to get to the boatyard.’
As they entered the high school reception a woman smiled. ‘You must be from the police. I’ll give Miss Teller a call.’
‘Thank you.’ Gina sat next to Wyre on one of the padded seats that had been lined up next to a window. She gazed out at the gaggle of teenage girls all dressed in netball bibs, carrying balls.
‘Hi,’ the petite blonde woman said as she entered. ‘I’m Anita Teller.’
‘Can we go somewhere more private?’ The receptionist was peering over the desk.
‘Of course.’ Anita Teller led them both to an empty classroom. ‘Here should be fine. Take a seat.’
Gina smiled. ‘May we call you Anita?’
‘Please do.’ The woman pressed her lips together and grimaced. ‘It’s been a long time since I had anything to do with Tom.’ Anita nervously ran her hands over her skirt.
‘I know this is hard for you—’
‘Look, I really wanted to forget him and move on. I’m with someone now and I have three children. I love my family and I really don’t want to dredge up the past. I’ve never mentioned Tom to my partner, let alone told him what happened. All I wanted to do was start again when I left the school in Moseley. I wanted to forget everything and move on. It’s not like I could win against a man like him.’
‘A man like him?’ Gina wanted to press her further.
‘Yes. He’s all round nasty. He really is. To think that I once thought I loved him.’ She shook her head and placed her hands neatly in her lap where she began to twiddle her fingers.
‘There have been other accusations against Tom Whittle. Your testimony would really help those women. We are also investigating the disappearance of another woman and Tom is on the run. You could help us bring this woman home to her daughter, who loves and misses her. She’s a mother, like you. Her little girl is five.’
Anita expelled a breath. ‘He’s kidnapped someone?’
‘At the moment we’re saying our victim is missing and Tom’s name has come up in our enquiries. We have evidence to prove that he was involved with her somehow. I know this is hard, but we really need your help.’
‘I’ve been watching the news. It’s Annabel Braddock, isn’t it? Before you ask, I don’t know her. I saw she was a teacher so we’ve all been talking about her at the school. Was Tom working there too?’
Gina nodded. ‘I’d appreciate it if you didn’t discuss the case as we’re dealing with sensitive information and we don’t want to jeopardise the investigation. Our primary aim is to find Tom Whittle in the hope that he leads us to Annabel, or helps us to obtain information about her whereabouts.’
Anita sat back and the plastic chair creaked.
‘Can you tell us how you know Tom Whittle, how you met him and what happened?’ Wyre said as she smiled sympathetically and started to make notes.
‘I was twenty-three and a newly qualified teacher. He’d already been teaching for two terms at Moseley before I started. He was handsome and likeable. Within weeks he’d asked me out on a date and I really enjoyed his company. He was fun, funny even. He loved animals and he really loved his job and working with the kids. I think that’s why I was drawn to him. Soon things got more serious and he wanted us to move in together but I wasn’t ready. I’d barely lived on my own and I was enjoying my own space but he wasn’t happy, saying that if I loved him, I’d want to be with him all the time. In the end, I moved into his and gave up the tenancy on my apartment even though it just felt wrong.’ Anita stared at the wall behind Gina.
‘What happened after that?’
She looked back at Gina and Wyre. ‘It was all fine for a while but then, nothing I ever did was good enough. Slowly all his little jibes about how I was too messy or I didn’t clean up properly, eroded my confidence. I could see what he was doing. Suddenly, I was no longer going out with friends or even seeing my parents or my sister. It was all about him or he got angry. Anyway, I had enough and left him but we worked at the same school so I had to see him every day.’
‘Did you tell anyone?’
‘No, I didn’t want to make a fuss. I thought he’d soon get over me. We hadn’t been together for too long. Time passed and I dated another guy this once. We met in a pub. Tom must have been watching as I got bombarded with texts asking me who he was and calling me a slut. That’s when I realised he’d been watching me. I’d go home and close my curtains so he couldn’t see in. I’d double-check that I’d locked my place up. I became scared to go out at night, just in case he was around and watching. It might sound like I was being a bit extreme but he had an intensity about him that scared me. He’s obsessive and controlling. He did it in a way that I barely noticed, starting off small with things like, “Your friends have let you down. I don’t know why you give them the time of day. They don’t really like you that much or they wouldn’t have cancelled. I love you, not like them.” It was the little things. Like I said, I could see it but it was of no comfort after I moved into my own place.’
‘What happened after that?’
‘There was an incident. He locked us both in the changing rooms when they weren’t being used. He pushed me up against the wall, saying that we were meant to be together and that I was his. Before I knew it, he had my skirt up and he…’ Anita fanned her face and wiped a tear away.
