Chapter 113

Chapter 113

Helen sprinted back up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Having found nothing in the basement, she was determined not to waste another second in this nasty place. She had been convinced that this was the girls' prison, because of Reynolds' past association with it, because it fell under the purview of James Peters at the local council, but clearly she had been wrong, letting her imagination run away with her. She had gambled and lost, with potentially profound consequences for Naomi Watson and Mia Davies. Following a blind hunch, she had wasted precious time, the one commodity they didn't have.

Willing herself to believe that all was not lost, she raced on, upping her speed. There were dozens of other properties on Charlie's long list of council properties that needed to be investigated. Helen couldn't hope to cover them all by herself, but in her mind's eye that was exactly what she wanted to do, bursting into boarded-up buildings, kicking down doors, until she eventually found the missing girls. She knew this was a hopeless fantasy, but she was desperate, riven with fears for their safety, convinced that she had messed up, that she had broken her promise to Sheila Watson, that she had failed.

Fighting back angry tears, Helen drove on, finally cresting the staircase, before sliding out into the corridor. Without breaking stride, she now changed direction, sprinting towards the front door, towards a bemused-looking Archie Reynolds loitering outside. She would have to leave him here, to offer explanations later, as there was no time for delay. She needed to get to the next location on their list ASAP, with no regard for the normal protocols. Tugging her radio from her pocket, she slid to a halt by the front door, pressing down hard on the call button. Breathless, agonized, she prepared to radio in, but as she brought the radio to her lips, she paused.

What was that noise? Lowering her radio, Helen scanned around the gloomy corridor, convinced she'd heard something. She darted a look at Archie, but he remained quiet, looking at her with an air of pure bewilderment. There it was again. This decrepit building had been as silent as the grave since she got here, only her own pointless activities disturbing the peace, but now she could definitely hear something. It wasn't a cry, nor a scream. It wasn't even someone appealing for help. No, it was a high-pitched, repetitive sound. A strange, metallic noise.

Tink, tink, tink.

There it was again. It didn't sound mechanical, and the uneven rhythm made it sound human rather than a defect in the building. But where was it coming from? Helen span round, desperately searching for signs of life, but found nothing. The corridors were empty, the building deserted, so where …?

Tink, tink, tink.

The sound seemed louder now, more desperate, drawing Helen's attention back to the basement stairwell. Hastening towards it, Helen suddenly found what she was looking for, a solid metal water pipe that led up from the basement before diverting away towards the street. Crouching down, Helen felt a shot of adrenaline surge through her – the sound was coming from the pipe, an insistent, repetitive rhythm, beaten out in desperation.

Was it possible that Naomi was here? That was she still alive ?