‘What makes her think that?’
Cullen noticed the woman across the carriage glancing across at him, so he moved off to the vestibule area, out of earshot.
‘A gut feeling,’ he said, now standing between carriages. Fortunately the space was vacant apart from him.
‘No more than that?’
‘She suspects Natalie’s ex-boyfriend has something to do with it.’
‘Why?’
‘Because he’s a controlling, nasty piece of work. And Amy thinks he might have been violent towards Natalie, shortly before their relationship ended.’
‘She thinks he might have been violent.’
‘Bruises on Natalie’s arm. Natalie denied it, but Amy has put two and two together.’
‘I’m still confused about why you were in Bristol. Especially if Natalie went missing in London.’ There was silence on the other end of the line while Beswick thought through something. ‘Oh, you haven’t, have you, Boss?’
‘I went to see the ex,’ Cullen said.
He could picture Beswick shaking his head.
‘I wasn’t too heavy,’ Cullen added, feeling defensive in front of his more experienced, if less senior, colleague.
‘Permission to speak frankly,’ Beswick said.
‘Of course. Always.’
‘You’re off duty. Not just off duty, but on a leave of absence at the request of your senior officer. Can you imagine just how livid Maggie Ferguson is going to be if she finds out you’re undertaking your own investigation?’
‘It’s not an investigation,’ Cullen replied. Even as the words emerged from his mouth, his brain had already dismissed them as a poor excuse. What was he doing, if it wasn’t investigating?
‘You went to speak to the ex-boyfriend, to question him?’
‘Informally.’
‘Did you tell him who you were?’
‘Yes.’
‘You told him you’re a detective with the British Transport Police and then questioned him?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then you’re undertaking police business, Boss. You know that.’
Cullen ran a hand across his face, on one level regretting calling Beswick and letting him know what had been going on. But their relationship and trust ran deep, and it was for the best that he got Beswick’s input. It was like a sense check. ‘I hear what you’re saying, I really do.’
‘Sorry, I don’t mean to be harsh. I know you’re just trying to help Amy. But I like you a lot, as a friend and as a DCI. And I don’t want to see you get in deep trouble because you’re not thinking properly.’
‘I am thinking properly.’
‘I don’t think you are.’
Cullen leant back against the wall. ‘Amy asked for my help, and I didn’t feel able to refuse.’
Beswick chuckled. ‘Boss, I’ve got daughters too, remember? When my daughters ask for help, I always give it.’
‘Maybe you’re right,’ Cullen conceded. ‘I went too far, talking to Jack.’
‘Did you find out anything from him that makes you think Amy’s friend is in danger?’
‘Unfortunately not. Although I confirmed Amy’s judgement that the guy is a nasty piece of work.’
‘Maybe her friend – Natalie, is it? – has just gone to ground for some reason. Perhaps to escape this ex-boyfriend, if he was being physical with her?’
Cullen agreed. It was something he had definitely considered.
‘Any other leads?’
‘I thought you were warning me against carrying out my own investigations?’
‘Not necessarily.’
‘Meaning?’
‘Meaning that I didn’t say you shouldn’t investigate this. Like I said, if it was one of my daughters, then I’m sure I’d be doing the same right now. I just meant to be careful. If Ferguson gets wind of this, you’ll be for the proverbial high jump, even if she currently thinks the sun shines out of your backside. You know what a stickler she is for following orders.’
‘She won’t find out,’ Cullen said, already thinking that Beswick was right, and that if he were going to pursue further lines of enquiry he would need to be very careful if he didn’t want to risk his job.
‘Are you sure she won’t?’
‘Why, you’re not going to tell her, are you?’ Cullen joked. ‘You looking for some hush money?’
Beswick snorted. ‘I could do with some. I was thinking more about the ex-boyfriend. He might contact the force, and it wouldn’t take long for things to get back to the Super.’
‘He won’t,’ Cullen replied with confidence. ‘Jack won’t be wanting to speak to the police.’
‘As long as you didn’t give him any reason to.’
‘Of course not.’
‘Anyone else you’ve questioned?’
‘Not yet. I did pull in a favour from Anthony Braddock though.’
‘How so?’
‘He let us look at the CCTV from Paddington.’
‘Us?’
‘Amy door-stepped me yesterday, travelled from Bristol because she was so concerned about Natalie.’
‘And Anthony agreed to let you look?’
‘As a favour, yes. I felt bad asking him, to be honest. But he actually seemed to enjoy showing us the new equipment.’
‘Well, he is a bit of a tech nerd. I assume it didn’t turn up anything.’
‘Nothing. We looked for a good couple of hours. But as far as we could tell, Natalie didn’t get her scheduled train back to Bristol. She was booked on the eight thirty-five.’
‘Did you check the onboard footage too?’
‘No. Not yet, anyway. We just checked the cameras on the main concourse. I didn’t feel as though I could ask too much of Anthony. And to be fair, I think the onboard cameras wouldn’t be much use, unless we got really lucky. There’s eleven carriages to check, and with those new high-backed seats, it’s not easy to spot people once they’ve sat down.’
‘Understood. You haven’t pushed for a missing person’s alert?’
‘It wouldn’t get anywhere at the moment, not for at least another day. You know what it’s like now, it just wouldn’t meet the criteria.’
‘Unless there’s a clearer reason to believe that Natalie is in danger.’
‘Which is why I went to Bristol.’
‘So who’s next on the hit list?’
‘Natalie was in London to take part in a recruitment weekend for a company called Brand New. The last text message that Amy believes was from Natalie mentioned something about the weekend not going well. To be honest, it’s the only lead I’ve got. Apart from a long list of friends and acquaintances that Natalie might have contacted or be staying with.’
‘Brand New. Never heard of them.’
‘They’re a cool branding company.’
‘That would be why then. Whenever I hear the word “branding” cows come to mind.’
‘Indeed.’
‘Do you need any help? I could call a few of the names on your list, if you like.’
Cullen nearly said yes, but then he thought that even that small favour would implicate his friend, if he were to be caught working while on leave. ‘It’s okay, Tony, thanks for the offer, but I’ll handle this myself.’
‘Thanks,’ Beswick said. ‘I know what you’re doing. But the offer is still open, if you change your mind.’
19
Previous Saturday morning
NATALIE WAS WOKEN by the ringing phone. She turned over, still tired from her late-night adventures, and checked her watch. It was half past six precisely.
‘Hello?’
‘It’s Sir Kenneth.’
She sat up in bed, startled by the surprise of speaking to Sir Kenneth New, and feeling very self-conscious that she wasn’t dressed, even though of course he couldn’t see her.
‘Oh, hi, hello, Sir Kenneth.’ She pulled the bedsheets around her.
‘I’d like you to be down in the piano room for eight am sharp. I’ll be there to tell y
ou the plans for the day. Please don’t be late. You don’t need to bring anything, apart from yourself and a willingness to go the extra mile. At Brand New, we are looking for the extra special, the person who rises above the crowd, and I hope that will be you. Don’t let me down!’
Natalie felt lost for words. Was Sir Kenneth really telling her that he hoped she would get the job? She thought back to how the group had teased her the night before about favouritism. She hadn’t believed it for a second, but after what he had just said, maybe there was something in it. ‘I won’t let you down,’ she managed to say. ‘I’ll do my best.’
‘Eight am sharp,’ he repeated. And then the line went dead.
Buzzing from the phone call, Natalie felt energised as she stepped into the shower. She thought back to the events in the night. The excursion with Russell, the hidden door, secret staircase and secluded study with its opening roof: it all seemed like something from a fanciful dream. But it had been real. She mused on how she had felt when Russell had suddenly moved in for the kiss. A part of her had wanted it. Yet she’d been right to resist the temptation. It felt too soon after Jack – and she’d only just met this guy. Plus the situation was not ideal at all.
She’d definitely done the right thing.
But the question was, would she take him up on his offer and call him?
She thought not. Russell wasn’t really her type.
NATALIE DRESSED and headed downstairs for breakfast, wondering whether Russell would be there.
He wasn’t.
There were only two people in the small dining room, sitting together at a far side table: Samantha and Ben. Ben smiled as Samantha beckoned Natalie over. As she took a seat next to them, she replayed Russell’s words about not being able to trust anyone in here and also remembered his suspicions that Samantha was behind the sinister notes. She shook off the thought.
‘Sleep well?’ Samantha asked.
‘Yes, really well, thanks,’ Natalie lied. In truth, she’d struggled to settle after returning to her room. The events of the night had unsettled her and her mind had raced until the early hours.
‘That’s good,’ Samantha said, snapping off a piece of toast with her impossibly white teeth, before washing it down with a sip of tea. ‘Ben here didn’t sleep too well, did you?’
Ben shook his head. ‘Awful.’
‘He thought he could hear voices from behind the walls,’ Samantha chuckled. She raised an eyebrow at Natalie.
Natalie looked across at Ben, who stifled a yawn. ‘Voices?’ She wondered, with some panic, whether he’d heard Russell and herself climbing the staircase – maybe it had run behind his bedroom. But she was sure they hadn’t spoken.
Ben shrugged. ‘I could hear voices. A man and a woman, I think. But they were muffled. I thought at first it was coming from next door, but I put my ear to the wall, and then a cup, and I couldn’t make out what they were saying. It went on for a while though.’
Natalie felt herself flush. Maybe it had been their voices coming from the top-floor study, somehow making their way into Ben’s room, perhaps through a ventilation shaft or along the pipework.
‘Ben thinks it might have been the ghosts of Lord and Lady Sinclair,’ Samantha teased, smiling mischievously at Natalie and then Ben himself.
Now it was Ben’s turn to go red. ‘I… I don’t.’
‘I blame myself,’ Samantha said, taking another bite of her toast. ‘After you’d gone to bed, I told Ben all the gory details about the Sinclair murders.’
‘Oh,’ Natalie said. ‘I feel like it’s my fault then. Sorry, Ben.’
‘It’s okay, really.’ He waved it away, slurping his black coffee. ‘Honestly, I’m usually up for a good ghost story. They don’t affect me. But last night, with those voices, after the alcohol, it was spooky.’
‘What was spooky?’
They turned as Penny approached the table. She looked really tired.
‘Oh, Ben got spooked by the Sinclair ghosts,’ Samantha said.
‘Me too!’ Penny said, taking a seat. ‘I was awake for hours, scared to death.’
‘Did you hear any voices?’ Ben asked.
‘No, should I have?’
‘It’s okay,’ Ben said. ‘Just checking.’
‘Well, it looks like Russell Cave was very successful last night,’ Samantha noted. ‘You’ve got to hand it to him.’
‘How do you mean?’ Natalie asked.
‘Isn’t it obvious? He spun a tale to unsettle the group, and it worked! You don’t think so?’ Samantha added, obviously seeing that Natalie wasn’t convinced.
‘Maybe.’
‘It’s a pretty low trick,’ Penny said.
‘If that’s what he was trying to do,’ Natalie said.
‘Of course that’s what he was trying to do,’ Samantha said. ‘He put the frighteners on you all.’
‘Not you, though?’ Ben said.
‘No, not me,’ Samantha replied. ‘I had a wonderful sleep.’
Ben yawned again, this time setting off Penny.
‘So you don’t think the story is true?’ Natalie said.
‘I don’t know whether it’s true or not, but I wasn’t going to let it get to me,’ Samantha replied.
The conversation paused as a waiter appeared and took Natalie’s and Penny’s orders.
Just as the waiter was leaving, Krishna appeared at the doorway. He made his way cheerfully over to their table.
‘Hello, guys,’ he beamed. ‘You all ready for a busy day?’
The group nodded.
‘You know,’ he continued, ‘I slept like a baby last night. And I’m now full of energy, ready for the fight.’
‘Good for you,’ Ben muttered.
Krishna frowned. ‘Pardon?’
‘I said, that’s good.’ Ben forced a smile. ‘I’m very happy for you.’
‘Oh, thank you.’
Krishna just stood there for a few seconds, watching the group. There were no spare chairs at the table.
‘Anyway,’ he added, ‘best of luck today, guys!’
He turned and headed for the table near the door.
Penny watched him go. ‘Wonder why he’s so happy?’
Ben and Samantha grinned conspiratorially at one another.
Penny noticed. ‘What is it?’
‘He’s probably still buzzing from that wake-up call from Sir Kenneth,’ Samantha said. She looked in turn at Penny and Natalie. ‘You got the calls too, right?’
‘Yeah,’ Penny said, ‘but how…’
‘It was a recording,’ Ben explained. ‘The message from Sir Kenneth, it wasn’t really him. Well, it was him, but I mean, it wasn’t live.’
‘And it wasn’t personal to you,’ Samantha added.
‘So you’re not really his favourite,’ Ben said, in mock pity.
‘And that goes for Mr Smiley Pants over there.’ Samantha put up a hand as Krishna smiled across at the four of them. ‘He really thinks it was real,’ she said.
‘So did I,’ Natalie frowned, feeling a little bit silly now. But then, why would anyone suspect that it hadn’t been Sir Kenneth himself, there and then, on the other end of the line?
‘How did you work it out?’ Penny asked.
‘It didn’t feel right,’ Samantha said. ‘As soon as he started speaking, it just felt a bit wrong. I can’t really explain it.’
‘Are you sure,’ Natalie said, ‘that it was a recording?’
Samantha nodded. ‘You received the call dead on six thirty?’
Natalie nodded.
‘Well, so did I. And so did Ben. And you, Penny?’
Penny also nodded.
‘And so did Krishna over there, you can bet. Did Sir Kenneth say your name in the call?’
Natalie thought back. ‘No, he didn’t.’
‘Me neither,’ Penny said, ‘as far as I can remember.’
‘Because it was a generic recording,’ Samantha said. ‘The reception must have an automated system that can ring up many
numbers simultaneously, and play a pre-recorded message. They had it set to six thirty, loaded with the message from Sir Kenneth, trying to make us think that we were receiving a personal wake-up call from the man himself.’
‘And that we were all his favourite,’ Ben added.
‘But why would they do that?’ Penny asked. ‘Why play a recording, pretending that he’d said you were his favourite?’
Ben tapped his head. ‘They’re messing with us.’
‘Well, I think it’s weird,’ Penny said. ‘And I don’t like it. I might say something to Tabitha.’
‘I wouldn’t,’ Samantha advised. ‘Just keep quiet, let it slide. Unless you want to be ejected from the premises.’
‘I still don’t get why they would do it,’ Natalie said.
Samantha shrugged. ‘Maybe they’re looking to see whether we’d talk to one another about it, and figure out what was going on.’
‘What, you mean testing whether we’d work as a team?’ Natalie said.
‘Something like that,’ Samantha replied. ‘It’s just a theory. But look at Krishna over there. He’s not going to be telling anybody, that’s for sure. He’s very happy knowing what he thinks he knows.’
‘And you’re not going to tell him?’ Natalie said.
‘Maybe later, depending on how annoying he gets,’ she laughed.
They turned as Krishna was joined at the other table by Susie and Matthew. Russell was the only one of the eight who still hadn’t appeared.
Probably got a sore head, Natalie thought, after all that high-end whiskey.
‘You know much about Matthew?’ Samantha enquired, eyeing the city trader with interest.
‘Had a quick chat with him last night,’ Ben said. ‘Works for UGT doing foreign currency trading.’
Samantha shook her head. ‘I don’t really understand why he’d want to go into the branding industry.’
‘Said he fancied a change,’ Ben said. ‘He’s been doing that role since graduating, and wanted to try something new.’
‘Brand new,’ Samantha joked. ‘What I don’t understand is how on earth did he get selected for this? Eight people out of all those entries, and he’s one of them – someone with no background whatsoever in branding or marketing. It just doesn’t make sense to me.’ She looked around the table. ‘Any theories?’
Long Gone Page 11
