The disappeared

I was working as a removal man this week, trying to make a few quid before Christmas.  The guy I work for, my friend has a contract with the local council and part of the job includes clearing accommodation of deceased who have no family. This week we emptied the flat of a woman, by the looks of the photo she's probably in her early 60's. Whilst I was sorting the bedroom I found this document in a folder. 

To whom it may concern,

Re: Katherine Hughes
Ref: LC-1 -799-399-290234

I am detective Inspector John Preston, I retired from the force a couple of years ago. I understand that this case still holds many unanswered questions, indeed I think about it regularly. Here is the basic information, please feel free to call me if you need to talk further.

Katherine Hughes was 19, she’d recently moved here to the university. Her friends describe her as happy go lucky and very caring. On Wednesday October 30th 2013 her car was found in this car park, unlocked with the keys in the ignition and the car’s radio was on high volume, tuned into classic fm. 

These are the facts I know.

On Monday 28th Katherine complains to her flatmates that her laptop had disappeared, she was cross because she claimed the laptop was in her bedroom and she wanted to know who had been into her bedroom. 

The following day she logs on to eBay on her mobile phone and makes an offer of £70 on a Dell laptop being sold locally. Within minutes the offer has been excepted. Today eBay has changed it’s policies, but you could back then leave a mobile number in the description. Katherine texts the seller and he replies almost instantly. He suggests that they meet later in a McDonald’s restaurant which is about ‘halfway’ he said. She agrees.

We know from cctv footage that Katherine arrives at the McDonalds at 6.50pm that evening. The place is busy and she goes through the drive through and buys a Coke and small fries. She parks in the corner of the car park and waits.

At 7.05pm she receives a call from the seller, we don’t know what was said, but 30 seconds after she hung up she receives a text with the post code for a car park. I’m guessing, but I think he told her he had engine trouble or something. Whatever he said, he must have sounded convincing and plausible, for her to leave she safe McDonalds car park and drive into the night, alone. 

The next part of the story comes from Katherines mobile phone service provider who were able to track her using the mobile towers that her phone pinged on her journey. Google maps tells us that she arrived her at 7.23pm then at 7.28pm the emergency services received this call from Katherine's phone.

Her phone was found by the wall, the screen cracked. To this day no one has seen or heard from her, no body has been found and although the case is officially still open, police just don’t have the man power to resume investigations, unless significant evidence comes to light.

Can I also tell you about Mark Harrison. 12 months after Katherine disappeared Mark Harrison was arrested and charged with aggravated burglary. He was caught in a student house, when the occupiers came home early and discovered him he pulled a large kitchen knife from his coat and threatened them. A brave, quick thinking young man managed to disarm him and hold him till police arrived. When officers searched Mark Harrison’s home they found a laptop, the same laptop (they think) that Katherine had left home to buy 12 months earlier. He denied any knowledge and with no new evidence the case will go back to sleep.

The dog walker who found Katherine’s car told me that as he walked over to the car the radio was playing Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor by Sergei Rachmaninoff.