Ellie felt a stab of grief. ‘How do you feel about that?’
He put his chin on his hand. ‘I think Miss Quicke’s like a guardian angel to Rose, because Rose was like a guardian angel to Miss Quicke when she was alive. They sort of pair off, in my mind.’ He narrowed his eyes at Ellie. ‘Rose is coming to the end of this life, isn’t she?’
Ellie felt her heart thump. Should she prevaricate? ‘What makes you think that?’
‘The thought came into my mind one day. I don’t want to think it, but I find I can’t send it back.’ He gave a long, long sigh, and stood up in one lithe movement, without touching the floor or reaching for a chair. Ah, the fluidity of youth! ‘Cup of tea? Claire threw away our old tea-bags, but I see you’ve got some more. I’ve missed double art at school, but that’s no skin off my nose. If it had been double maths, now … I don’t think I’d have wanted to miss that.’
Wednesday, early evening
Supper time had been and gone. Vera had rung to say she couldn’t make it that evening, as Dan wanted her to do something or other, and was that all right? Vera didn’t seem to know that Mikey had missed a couple of lessons at school, and Ellie didn’t enlighten her.
There’d been no sign of Claire. Hurray.
Rose picked at her supper, but was in good spirits. ‘Now, Ellie; I don’t want you bothering the doctor about me. I’m just fine. Aches and pains not nearly as bad as usual, and the bowel’s working all right. What I don’t want is being pushed and pulled about and being given dozens of pills to take every day which aren’t going to make a mite of difference. I don’t want to be sent for hospital appointments and wait around for hours on uncomfortable chairs only to be told what we all know, which is that the old heart is worn out. I want you to promise me that you won’t ring the doctor.’
Ellie sighed. The doctor had indeed told her that there was nothing more they could do for Rose. ‘So long as you don’t have any pain.’
‘I shall go into a home the moment I become a nuisance.’
‘You’ll never be a nuisance. You’re family.’
‘You can’t cope on your own. We need someone living in to look after you, as well as keep an eye on me.’
‘I’ve asked Maria to find someone.’
‘I trust her. I don’t trust Claire. Can you get that nice solicitor friend of yours who likes my Victoria sponges to come round one day soon, so that I can make another will?’
‘I’ll ask him.’
‘Good.’ Rose nodded off.
As Ellie got to her feet to clear the table, Rose started back into consciousness, saying, ‘You be careful now, Ellie. Miss Quicke’s been watching that Claire and says you mustn’t trust her an inch.’
‘I’ll remember.’
The phone rang. Ellie went to answer it, trying to work out if this might or might not be Thomas. He rang whenever he could, but Ellie didn’t think this was one of his free times. It wasn’t Thomas.
It was Lesley, her friend in the police. ‘You were right, Ellie. I can’t think how you do it. Though it may mean nothing.’
Ellie took a moment to realize what Lesley was talking about. ‘Ah. Another schoolgirl went missing about the time Claire left her job at the supermarket?’
‘I’m not sure there’s any connection. Claire left the supermarket in May, and it was well into June before a local girl disappeared. She wasn’t like Gail. Pretty but pale, if you know what I mean. Just turned sixteen. She was still at school and didn’t work at the supermarket, so there was no call to connect her with Claire. In fact, nobody has ever linked her to the supermarket or to Claire, and I can’t see any reason why they should do so. The girl was still at school and planned to go on to do her A levels. The only possible link was that she sometimes waited at the bus stop near the supermarket. She left school one day in the company of one of her friends. They separated at the bus stop. Jenna – that was her name, Jenna – said she needed to buy a new biro before she got on the bus home, because hers had run out that day. She didn’t need to go into the supermarket to buy it. There is a small parade of shops not far off, but none of the shopkeepers remember serving her. She didn’t arrive home. She just disappeared.’
‘The police were called in?’
‘Of course. Not our lot. Different part of the borough. No trace. Eight months ago, last November, her body turned up in some scrub at the side of a canal bridge.’
Ellie sat down, with care. ‘Dead?’
‘Dead. Now this was some time after Claire left the area. I can’t think there can be any tie-in. One strange thing: the body was found wearing a niqab.’
‘A what?’
‘She was naked except for the full black robe which Muslim women sometimes wear. Head to toe. Complete with headscarf and face mask. You can’t see anything except the hands and the eyes when they wear the lot. It made it difficult to identify her at first.’
‘You mean that Jenna had converted to Islam and this was why she disappeared? That she went undercover, so to speak?’
‘It’s a working hypothesis, but no one locally would confess to having had any contact with her, and that includes the people at the mosque. So it can’t have been an official conversion.’
Here was a turn up for the books. ‘How long had she been dead when she was found?’
‘Not long. About a day. She was alive and living somewhere, probably in a Muslim household, until the day before she died.’
‘Natural causes? Was she pregnant?’
‘Strangled. And yes, she was four months pregnant. We have the DNA of the foetus; father unknown.’
So she’d been impregnated almost as soon as she disappeared. ‘You say she was naked under the niqab?’
‘The current theory is that she went off willingly enough with some bold spark of a Muslim, lived secretly as his woman, and then there was a quarrel about something – possibly the pregnancy? Possibly he didn’t want a girl whom he’d picked off the streets to bear his child? For whatever reason, instead of divorcing her or turning her out into the world again, he killed her.’
‘It could be that his family let her live with them, but objected to the pregnancy?’
‘It could, but the police couldn’t find any Muslim family who admitted to knowing her, or hearing about her.’
‘Naked,’ said Ellie, not quite sure why this was important, but thinking that it was. ‘Ah, to avoid your being able to trace her by her clothing?’
‘Possibly. The police up there were thorough. They contacted everyone they could think of, put up posters, the lot. Nothing. Eventually, they had to move on to other cases. I repeat, I can’t see how Claire can have been involved. How have you been getting on with her, anyway?’
‘I threw her out of the house this afternoon. I suppose she’ll go back to the Vision people, wherever they may happen to be. I’m sorry if you wanted me to keep her here for you, but I couldn’t take her trying to convert me any longer.’
‘Convert you? Her?’
‘She tried. The woman’s barking mad!’
Lesley laughed. ‘Clinically mad?’
‘How should I know? Yes, I imagine she might well … No, I shouldn’t say that. But she’s been brainwashed by these people and believes … But that isn’t a crime, is it? Brain-washing people? Or is it?’
‘Oh, you …!’ Lesley wasn’t taking Ellie seriously. ‘Anyway, there’s nothing to suggest that—’
‘Lesley, it may be me who’s going round the twist, but would you do something else for me? Would you check to see if any other girl’s body has turned up recently, naked except for a niqab?’
‘What!’
‘Yes, I know. It sounds ridiculous. But would you?’
‘You’re thinking that Gail might have gone the same route?’
‘I don’t know. But, as someone said, the thought popped into my head, and I can’t get rid of it.’
Lesley was quiet for a moment. ‘Ellie, if you’re right, it doesn’t bear thinking about. You’re pointing
the finger at the Muslim community, who are on the whole pretty law-abiding. Yes, they sometimes flout immigration or food hygiene regulations, or get caught up in the drugs trade, but where their womenfolk are concerned, many of them are still bound by cultural ties to Islam. I know that if they choose to live here, they should abide by our laws, but I don’t think it’s practical to think that their attitude to women is going to change overnight, because it isn’t. The older people in particular still think in terms of their family’s laws and customs. Suggesting that one of their young bucks has been going round kidnapping white girls and forcing them to wear the niqab is not going to go down well.’
‘Even if that is what’s been happening?’
‘If we asked around, they’d deny it. Possibly, they might investigate for themselves, but they wouldn’t necessarily share their findings with the police.’
‘Is that what you think happened after the body was discovered? That police enquiries caused them to search for a family who might have been harbouring the girl? And, even if they found out where she’d been living, they didn’t inform the authorities?’
‘It’s a theory.’
Ellie wasn’t happy about it. ‘It still doesn’t make sense. Surely, they wouldn’t want to cover up for someone who killed a pregnant woman? And why would any man want to do that? I don’t understand.’
‘Perhaps …’ Lesley was hesitant. ‘Perhaps if she was his bit on the side, and he was already married to someone his family approved of … and his legitimate wife found out … but in that case, he could just have turned her out on the streets. Oh, I don’t know.’
‘Neither do I. It’s a can of worms.’
Lesley sighed. ‘It’s not our case to worry about. There really is nothing to link your Claire with Jenna’s disappearance, and my boss is hardly likely to go looking for a connection. He’s keen on race relations, has been on all the courses. He turns out for all the multicultural activities and gets his picture in the paper. He supports integration, and he goes on and on about not upsetting anyone who doesn’t think exactly the same way in the indigenous population. He knows the Race Relations Act by heart. He’s a bleeding heart when it comes to poor, oppressed immigrants—’
Ellie didn’t care for Lesley’s boss. ‘It’s only skin deep, isn’t it? For public consumption.’
‘Ellie, sometimes you’re so sharp that—’
‘I’ll cut myself. I know. What you mean is that he’ll soft pedal anything which looks as if it might reflect badly on the Muslim community.’
Silence. A reluctant: ‘Yes.’
‘Jenna’s death did not occur in his territory, so he doesn’t have to think about it.’
‘That’s right. And he’s not the only one.’
‘You think enquiries about Jenna’s death were not pursued as stringently as they would have been if she weren’t wearing a niqab?’
‘I can’t answer that.’
‘Coming back to our own particular mystery, if Gail was killed soon after she disappeared, would her body have been found by now?’
‘Yes, of course. If an unclaimed body is found anywhere in the country, we check to see if they’re on the Missing Persons list.’
‘Gail hasn’t turned up though.’
‘Why should she? A couple of days after she disappeared, she rang to say she was off enjoying herself. I interviewed the mother, remember, and I’m not at all surprised the girl wanted some excitement in her life. Television mad, that one. With beer and cigarettes on the side.’
‘I know, but … Jenna was kept alive for five months after she disappeared. It’s five months since Gail went missing. No, I do realize she disappeared of her own accord and … No, I agree that there’s absolutely nothing to indicate that the two cases are linked, but I have a horrid itchy feeling at the back of my mind about this. You really haven’t any Jane Does – corpses without identification – who might turn out to be Gail? Do you think you could check for me one last time?’
Lesley sighed and put the phone down. So did Ellie.
The phone rang again. This time it was Thomas, and they had a most satisfactory conversation.
EIGHT
Thursday morning
Ellie woke to a fresh-looking morning. She had found her bible – which had dropped down under the bed – and she managed to read a few verses before she made herself get up. She tended to skip the ‘Oh, Woe is Me!’ bits and look for the ‘Don’t be Afraid!’ words, but what was wrong with that, especially if it helped her to face whatever the day had in store?
It had rained again in the night, but not too much. Her fingers itched to get out into the garden, to weed and dead-head and tie up the sweet peas, which she’d planted around some trellis, and which had fallen away from their support.
It was Thursday, and this morning she would have to sit through the usual business meeting, but as soon as that was over, she’d be out there. How pleasant it was to look out on green grass and a deep herbaceous border and shrubs, almost all of which she’d planted herself. She was tempted to don an old T-shirt and cotton skirt suitable for gardening, but with a sigh pulled on a formal blouse and a tailored skirt. As she was the head of the trust fund, she felt she ought to dress accordingly. Kate, her finance director, and Stewart would undoubtedly be wearing suits, and so would her secretary.
Breakfast was a bit of a rush because she’d slept late, but there was still time to settle Rose into her big chair in the kitchen, to make coffee and break open a packet of biscuits before the meeting. She checked the dining room to make sure Anna and Amy had put the big table back together again, which they had. A bluebottle buzzed. She fetched the fly spray and zizzed it. Or, had it escaped? Annoying. She’d have another go at it later.
She wondered why the dining table had ever been taken apart by … what were their names? Dolores and something. Ah, it was because the Vision people had planned to redecorate the room, wasn’t it? Oh well. A shrug. Stewart had seen them off, hadn’t he?
The sun was shining. If they whizzed through the agenda at the business meeting, they could probably be through in an hour. She had no intention of making up her mind about a grant to the Vision people in a hurry. She’d hear what Kate had to advise and suggest they make some more enquiries before coming to any decision. And probably let it slide …
Vera popped in for a moment, looking very smart in her work outfit of black and white. She’d brought a punnet of ripe cherries for Ellie and Rose, picked that morning from her garden. She was in a hurry, saying she’d try to get back later that day as Ellie would probably want to place an order for a delivery of food on the computer, and she’d do it for her.
Then there was peace and quiet.
Ellie hesitated. Could she slip out to the garden for ten minutes …? But no, here came her secretary, Pat, voluble about her holiday, wanting to show Ellie some pictures of her nephew, and not all that keen to settle down to work …
And Stewart, frowning, looking at his watch, saying there was an awful lot on the agenda …
Kate whizzed in last of all, still talking on her smartphone, getting her laptop up and running even before she’d finished her phone call.
Ellie brought in the coffee while Stewart and Pat dealt out paperwork and turned on their own laptops. Ellie had forgotten the sugar, and by the time she got back from the kitchen with it, the other three were already eyes down and muttering to one another.
Ellie seated herself. ‘Lovely to be back. Now, how’s things?’
Kate flicked through papers. ‘Why can’t we have the agenda on our laptops? I’m in a hurry today …’
She always was. Kate was financial adviser to a growing number of important clients.
‘… so I’d like to take the application from the Vision church first.’
Stewart frowned. ‘There may be a problem. I’ve come across some information which may influence our—’
‘What information?’ asked Kate, flicking through her papers. ‘I don’t have anything
here which—’
‘My wife tells me that one of her cleaners believes that—’
‘Hearsay.’ Ellie had to say it. ‘Kate, it’s only hearsay, but it’s caused me to ask my friend in the police to enquire whether or not there may be something in it.’
The doorbell rang. Insistently. Someone was leaning on it. Only one person rang the bell like that. Mistress Impatience. Ellie’s daughter, Diana.
‘What?’ Stewart recognized the way the bell had been rung, too. ‘Why …?’
Ellie said, ‘I’ll go.’ And did. Knowing exactly what had brought Diana to their house that morning. Thursday mornings were always kept for trust business. The agenda this morning was bound to include the Vision’s application for funds, and Diana would want it turned down.
‘Mother, you took your time!’ Diana swept through the hall, in a hurry, also on her smartphone, also carrying her laptop. ‘I hope you haven’t started yet.’
Ellie didn’t even bother to ask what Diana wanted. In any case, her daughter was already marching into the dining room. They really ought to stop calling it ‘the dining room’, since it was rarely used for the purpose of eating.
Diana pulled out a chair, without being asked to take a seat. ‘Before you start, yes, I am here on business pertaining to the trust, and it is vitally important that I tell you the sort of people who are trying to get you to give them—’
The doorbell rang again. One sharp burst of sound. Before Ellie could attend to it, she heard the sound of a key being turned in the lock. In marched Pastor Ambrose with Claire the Tearful close behind him. After them came the cleaners, Dolores and Liddy, looking as if they wished themselves elsewhere. Liddy had her hand pressed to the side of her face, which looked swollen. Toothache? Poor child.
Ellie took a step back. ‘How on earth did you get in?’
Ambrose smiled, the forgiving smile of an adult explaining what ought to be obvious to a somewhat backward child. ‘Claire always has a copy made of her house keys, in case she mislays one. In this case, we felt it important that we attend the meeting which is to set the Vision on its way into the future.’
Murder by Suspicion Page 10
