Bunny Lake Is Missing Page #3

- Yes.

Hows the tooth feeling now?

- Better, thank you.

- Good.

I swear to God...

if only she's all right...

I'll never let her out of my sight again...

as long as I live.

You'll feel pretty silly

along about the time she's hitting 30.

It's all my fault.

I never should have left her here. Never.

Supt. Newhouse wants to talk to you now,

if you'll be so kind.

Just you, madam, at the moment, please.

What did you say to this teacher?

After you'd handed over your little girl.

You mean the one they call Daphne?

The one that they said went to the dentist?

Have you found her yet?

- I didn't say anything to her.

- How was that?

I didn't say anything because I didn't see

her. I didn't see the teachers, just the cook.

She said she'd keep an eye on Bunny.

It was only for five or 10 minutes.

I was late. So I left her there all alone,

with a baby half her age.

We found Daphne Musgrave.

- Where?

- At the dentist.

She says she never saw your child.

She says she went into the First Day room.

Isn't that what it's called?

At about 10:
05.

The cook told her there was a child there.

Two. Bunny and this baby.

Miss Daphne says

the cook said child. Singular.

She was quite definite about that.

Sure enough, when she went in,

there was a child. The baby.

So if you left Bunny in there at...

What time did you say?

Almost 9:
55.

Then it was during the next 10 minutes

that she went off.

Went off?

On her voyage of discovery.

But the window and front door were locked.

I'm sure I heard it lock behind me.

Lets go and see, shall we?

You must think I'm a terrible mother,

leaving her that way.

No, Mrs. Lake.

I don't know anything about you yet.

Andrews, see what you can learn

about this cook.

If you can't find her, send out a general call.

Very good, sir.

I must now, I suppose, enter the personality

of a four-year-old female child...

possessed with a conviction

forbidden doors are to be opened.

Yes, Bunny would feel like that

about forbidden doors.

I've been put in there, and I assume

my mother has gone off and left me.

Well, that's how it must have seemed

to a child.

Maybe I'd try this door.

Empty, obviously, at this hour.

Somewhere a hymn of nauseating banality

is being sung by the punctual children.

They were singing, yes.

So I cross the hall...

and office.

No joy there. And now...

the kitchen.

The cook was standing right there

when I talked to her.

- Is this junket?

- Yes.

I'm terribly fond of the stuff.

- Do you think theyd mind?

- Not from what the cook said about it.

That door. Was that door open or shut?

Shut, I think.

If she had wandered out this way,

she probably would have gone through it...

- and on to the great outside world beyond.

- But the cook would have stopped her.

Perhaps.

I think that covers the possibilities here.

Don't you worry, Mrs. Lake.

Even if she did wander out this way,

she can't have gone far.

Not in three hours, at most.

we'll circulate her description.

- She's not far away.

- Thank you.

- Have you got a snap?

- What?

This sort of thing.

Taken at Cromer Sands

on a dull August afternoon.

Almost useless for identification,

but it pleases Grandmother.

- A snapshot.

- That's right.

No, I don't have one. The photo albums,

most of our things havent arrived yet.

- Would your brother have one?

- Possibly, I'm not sure.

- All of your family are most elusive.

- Looking for me?

- Are you Mrs. Lakes brother?

- That's right.

- Steven Lake.

- Supt. Newhouse.

I was upstairs having another session

with Ada Ford.

Whos she?

Sort of the witch in residence.

You know what she told me?

This has happened before in this school,

only with two kids instead of one.

A teacher took them to the zoo

in Whipsnade without telling anybody.

- Did they find them?

- Yes.

Safe and sound. But the whole place

went crazy looking for them.

Wheres your husband?

You see, Superintendent,

my sisters husband...

I'm not married. I never was.

I see.

I hope the fact that

Bunny is illegitimate won't...

Of course it won't, Mrs... Miss Lake.

Although I assume

you do sometimes call yourself Mrs.

Only when it avoids confusion.

Miss is fine.

Have you a photograph of your niece?

Let me see.

- Excuse me, but isn't...

- No, that's me.

I'm so stupid. Of course I have a picture of

Bunny. It's in her passport at the apartment.

- My cars outside. Do you want me to get it?

- That would be very helpful.

I put your briefcase

in the top drawer of your desk.

Not a trace of the cook.

I've had them send out a general call.

Mr. Lake, this is Sgt. Andrews.

Go with Mr. Lake to his flat, will you?

Then you can bring him and a photograph

of the little girl back to the station.

- What about me?

- You can come to the station with me.

That's where we keep all the red tape.

The little tailor went snip, snip, snip.

Poor flies, cut right across the middle.

Her hair was... Her hair is blonde, like mine.

- Eyes?

- Blue.

Thank you, Mrs. Tulk. Weight?

31... No, thank you.

- 32 pounds, I guess.

- Height? Approximately, you understand.

Dark blue pinafore dress.

Dark blue double-breasted coat...

with brass buttons.

Speaks with an American accent...

and will answer to the name of Bunny Lake.

Message ends. Repeat message.

Attention called: Missing child.

Age:
4 years. Eyes: Blue.

Height:
3 feet, approximately.

Hair:
Blond, medium length.

Speaks with an American accent...

and will answer

to the name of Bunny Lake.

My father was a policeman.

Managed to get me into a university.

I think he rather wanted me to be a poet.

When I told him I wanted to be a policeman

like him, he was horrified.

You'll have no friends, he said.

No single decent human being

will want to speak to you from now on.

I must say he was perfectly right.

Mr. Newhouse, what are we doing here?

What are we doing about Bunny?

we're waiting for something to happen.

- Yes.

- Can I talk? Are you alone?

No, but go on.

Theres nothing here, sir.

Everything seems to have Been removed.

- Everything?

- Yes, sir.

All the childs possessions

seem to have gone.

- Very interesting.

- What shall we do neXt, sir?

Stay there, will you? Him, too.

we'll be along.

- And, Andrews.

- Yes, sir?

Don't move anything.

Not a thing. Understand?

Righto.

What would anybody want

with Bunny's things?

It's like a nightmare.

- Somebody must have broken in.

- The lock seems to be intact.

Can't see any sign of tampering.

All the childs things are missing:

Mug, bib, one bathrobe, pink...

one nightgown, slippers,

teddy bear, everything.

And the passport, of course.

But it was open when we got here.

Anybody couldve come in.

Yes, sir.

When we arrived, we only had to push it.

Was the door open when you left here?

I think so.

I did leave it open when I went upstairs...

with the groceries.

And I had to make two trips.

So I could have forgotten to lock it again.

- Has the child ever been here?

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