Dead Guilty

by Michelle Davies

  Clive and Mandy were predictably distraught after confirming it did match their daughter’s sarong. Maggie had taken a close-up of the label and Mandy had explained that she had been with Jade when she’d bought it in the Brent Cross branch of Accessorize. Maggie then spent the rest of the afternoon with them going back over the timeline of the morning Jade went missing. What struck her most was how quiet Clive was being, the talkative man she’d first met a few days ago now a subdued shell. They had Philip Pope to thank for that, according to Mandy, who was clearly peeved at her husband being led on a wild goose chase and getting all worked up in the process. ‘Make sure you keep telling him to stay away,’ she said.

  Maggie also spoke to Mason to see if he could remember anything more about the man who’d given him the chewing gum but, disappointingly, he had nothing to add to his original description.

  Afterwards, she’d returned to her own hotel, where she’d caught up briefly with Walker. There was no update from Shah or Paulson other than to say that Marta had put them in touch with her daughter, Camila, and they were due to be meeting with her later that evening. Marta had confirmed again in person that Johnnie had not been in Es Cana when he’d said he was and she had made a statement to that effect.

  Now, back in her room, Maggie stretched out on the bed, her tired body propped up on pillows and grateful for the cool, clean sheets. She needed to call Umpire to let him know it was looking increasingly likely she wouldn’t be home tomorrow, but first there was someone else she needed to speak to.

  ‘Lara’s phone,’ answered the male voice.

  ‘Oh,’ said Maggie, taken by surprise. ‘Is Lara available?’

  ‘No, this is her husband. Who is this?’

  Maggie was very aware Lara hadn’t told anyone, least of all her husband, what had happened to her in Saros and she must choose her words carefully.

  ‘I’m DC Maggie Neville with the Metropoli—’

  ‘Oh God, have you found her?’

  There was no mistaking the anguish in his voice. Maggie swung her legs off the bed, her pulse racing.

  ‘Mr Steadman, I’m ringing because I spoke to your wife about a matter last week and I have some more questions for her. Are you saying she’s gone missing?’

  ‘Yes. Well, no. She’s taken herself off and she won’t tell me where.’ He paused. ‘What matter?’

  ‘I’m afraid I can’t discuss that with you.’

  ‘Is she in trouble? Is that why she’s gone off and left me to cope with the kids? They’re so upset because I can’t tell them where she is or when she’ll be back.’

  ‘Your wife isn’t in trouble, no. Are you sure you don’t know where she is?’

  His response was icy. ‘Do you not think I would’ve found her if I knew where she was?’

  ‘Yes, of course, it was a silly thing to say,’ said Maggie, feeling foolish. ‘Do you have any means of getting in touch with her?’

  ‘She has her work phone on her. The number you’ve called is for her personal one.’

  ‘Can I please have her work number?’

  He paused. ‘How do I know if you’re who you say you are?’

  It was a good point. ‘If you call this number, my colleagues will vouch for me.’ She gave him the number of her department in Islington. ‘There might not be anyone there at the moment though.’

  Ten minutes passed before he called her back.

  ‘What has my wife got to do with why you’re in Saros?’ he demanded to know. ‘I just spoke to a DS Mealing who confirmed you’re who you say you are, but he also told me you’re in Saros because of the Katy Pope case. I know my wife went there on holiday once, and it wasn’t long before that murder, so you’d better start telling me what’s going on.’

  If Mealing had been in the room right then, Maggie would quite cheerfully have murdered him too. Damn him for picking up the phone.

  ‘I’m so sorry, Mr Steadman. It’s true that I’m in Saros, but I can’t tell you anything else because your wife asked me not to. I don’t want to betray her trust, but I can assure you she’s not in any kind of trouble,’ said Maggie, hoping that would be enough to appease him. ‘I do need to speak to her urgently though. Please, can I have that other number?’

  His voice crumpled. ‘If I give it to you and she tells you where she is, will you let me know?’

  Maggie hesitated. She couldn’t make that promise – if Lara didn’t want her husband to know where she was, that was up to her.

  ‘I’ll let you know your wife is safe.’

  Lara’s husband read out the number, which Maggie scribbled down in her notebook.

  ‘Please tell her we love her and want her to come home.’

  That she could promise.

  ‘I will.’

  59

  It took Jade a moment to realize she was sitting up in a chair. As her vision came into focus, she looked around groggily and all she could see were daisies. In vases, on the table – so many bunches. Except they weren’t the kind of daisies you picked off the lawn and threaded into a chain, they were much bigger than that. And these ones were pink, not white. There were so many of them they made the room seem lurid.

  ‘Hey, you’re awake!’

  It was his voice, coming from somewhere behind her.

  ‘I’ll be with you in a minute.’

  She could hear the sound of pots and pans being moved about on a hob and tried to shift in her chair to see what he was doing, but it was as though she was glued to the spot. Looking down, she realized she was tethered to the chair by a rope tightly fastened around her waist and her head swam as she stared down. Then her gaze fell upon the table and she was bemused to see it had been laid out for dinner like they do in fancy restaurants, with a white tablecloth and at least three forks and knives on each side of the plate. Two glass tumblers had already been filled to the brim with water and Jade licked her dry, cracked lips in anticipation. Next to them were empty champagne flutes.

  She tried to stay focused but her head lolled forward and her eyes closed again. She felt so, so tired, as though she could lie down and sleep for a week. But then she jerked her head up and forced her eyes open. Stay awake, she begged herself. You need to get out of here.

  ‘Are you happy with the dress?’

  He was standing beside her now and was smiling. He was still wearing the posh suit but there were a few drops of blood on his white shirt. He followed her gaze and looked down.

  ‘Oh, it’s nothing. I know you only did it because you were confused about where you were, so I’ll let you off this once.’ Then his smile slipped and Jade cowered as he glared at her. ‘Try anything like that again and I won’t be as forgiving.’ His voice brightened again. ‘So, the dress?’

  ‘What dress?’ Jade’s voice sounded weird to her own ears, like she was speaking to him from a distance.

  ‘The one you’re wearing, silly!’

  She looked down at herself in surprise. He was right. The jogging bottoms and T-shirt had been replaced with a black dress that clung to her hips. Tears pricked her eyes and she began to shake. He’d undressed her again.

  ‘You look so beautiful, my darling. Here, let me show you.’

  Jade almost dry-heaved as he bent down to loosen the rope around her waist. The stale coffee she had smelled on his breath earlier had been replaced by a scent that, inexplicably, reminded her of Christmas. It was almost spicy, but sweet. It suddenly came to her – cinnamon, that’s what it was.

  The rope discarded on the floor, he helped her to her feet. She shuddered as his fingers closed around her bare arms; she couldn’t stand him touching her. There was a mirror on the wall by the fireplace and as he walked her towards it she hated that she needed to lean on him for support, but her legs felt as though they might give way if she didn’t.

  Seeing her reflection came as a shock.

  ‘What have you done to my hair?’

  ‘I removed those dreadful extensions. It looks much nicer natural.’

 
Her hair hung limp around her face and she realized he must’ve straightened it too. Then she noticed the large, gold hoop earrings she always wore were missing, like her ring.

  ‘You’ll have to forgive the make-up. I’m not very good with a mascara wand,’ he laughed, helping her back to the chair. ‘I’m sure you’ll do it better next time.’

  ‘Next time?’ she echoed. ‘What do you mean?’

  He stared at her blankly. ‘For our second date.’

  Fear mounting, Jade shook her head. ‘This is mad. You need to let me go.’

  He acted as though he hadn’t heard her.

  ‘I was going to do seafood for the starter, but then I thought you might not like it or you might even be allergic. So I hope gazpacho is okay.’

  ‘I’m not hungry,’ she said as tears began to fall. ‘Please let me go.’

  She could see the muscles in his jaw tense.

  ‘I’ve spent all afternoon preparing this special meal for you,’ he said, teeth gritted. ‘The least you can do is try some, darling.’

  ‘I’m not your darling!’ she cried. ‘I’m engaged to someone.’

  His face suddenly shifted and where his smile had been there was now a monstrous, twisted look of anger.

  ‘Don’t you dare say that!’ he bellowed.

  Jade shrank away from him, terrified.

  ‘You are mine, do you hear me? Mine!’

  His palm came crashing down on the table, sending glasses and cutlery flying. Jade screamed and tried to push away from the table but he grabbed her by the wrist.

  ‘Let me go, you’re hurting me! Please, don’t hurt me!’

  He hauled her out of the chair and onto her feet. Cringing with fear, Jade closed her eyes and braced for the blow she was sure was to follow.

  Instead, to her surprise, he let go. She opened her eyes and looked into his face expecting to see the monster staring back but the ugliness had vanished and he was back to being him again, handsome and full of concern.

  ‘I’m sorry! Oh, sweetheart, please forgive me,’ he cried. He gently wrapped his arms around her in a hug. ‘I didn’t mean to spoil our first proper evening together.’

  He’s not right in the head, Jade thought in a panic. She tried to wriggle away.

  ‘It’s fine if you’re not hungry, Katy. We can just have some wine.’

  Jade froze.

  Katy.

  He’s talking about the girl in the paper, the one from ten years ago.

  ‘I’m not Katy,’ she whispered.

  He pulled away from her and let out a bark of laughter. ‘Silly me, of course you’re not. You’re my beautiful Jade.’

  She trembled as he reached forward and ran his finger gently down her cheek. Terrified that he might attempt to kiss her, she took a step back. He laughed again.

  ‘Am I coming on too strong for a first date? I do apologize. As much as I’m desperate to have sex with you, darling, we must wait until our third. That’s the rule. Any sooner and we risk ruining this amazing thing we have, because a relationship built on lust never lasts.’

  Jade thought she might throw up. This whole charade was insane.

  ‘I will never sleep with you, you sick bastard.’

  There was a long pause and she could see the monster creeping back, tugging at the edges of his smile and darkening his eyes. She began to tremble again.

  ‘We’ll see,’ he sneered.

  Suddenly, she knew. ‘Katy said no, didn’t she? That’s why you killed her.’

  ‘Katy was a disappointment, yes.’

  Jade began to cry. ‘I don’t want to die.’

  ‘Then don’t disappoint me, it’s as simple as that.’ There was no menace in how he said it, but that did nothing to calm Jade. As she sobbed uncontrollably, he looked down at the mess of glass and cutlery on the floor and sighed. ‘I think we should call it a night. It’s disappointing we didn’t get to eat and talk more, but don’t worry, we can have our second date tomorrow.’

  60

  Lara Steadman called Maggie back within thirty seconds of her leaving a voicemail message saying they needed to talk urgently. Exactly why Lara had been so quick to return the call was immediately clear.

  ‘Have you caught him?’

  The hysteria in Lara’s voice was alarming and Maggie spoke haltingly as she answered.

  ‘Well, the thing is, that’s not why I called you.’

  ‘It’s him, isn’t it, the one who’s taken Jade Reynolds. I know the Spanish police are saying she’s gone off with someone, but I don’t believe a word of it.’

  As much as she wanted to confirm Lara’s suspicions, Maggie knew she couldn’t. Paramount was keeping their under-the-radar investigation from being exposed.

  ‘Where are you, Lara?’ she asked.

  Silence.

  ‘I spoke to your husband. He’s very worried about you, as are your children.’

  Lara’s voice cracked. ‘I’m doing this to protect them. What if he comes after me again once he’s finished with Jade? He emailed me!’

  ‘Whoever sent you that message made it very clear he was going to be in Saros this week, and you’re hundreds of miles away in the UK,’ said Maggie. ‘However, there are things that can be done to make you feel safer, like installing a panic button or giving you a direct line to the nearest station – but we can only do that if you’re at home. We can’t help you if you’re hiding in a hotel on your own.’

  More silence.

  ‘Lara, your husband seems like a really nice man who loves you very much. He’s worked out that you going off now is something to do with your holiday in Saros, so why don’t you tell him the truth.’

  ‘I can’t!’

  ‘You did nothing wrong, Lara – there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Someone took advantage of you and almost certainly spiked your drink to enable them to lock you up in the apartment. Then you got yourself out of there, which was really brave. Your husband isn’t going to be angry with you – he’s going to be thankful you had a lucky escape. Please, Lara, go home, talk to him.’

  ‘I lied.’

  ‘Sorry?’

  ‘I lied about not talking to any men in the club. There was one.’

  Maggie scrabbled across the bed to get her notebook and pen.

  ‘Tell me what he was like.’

  She heard Lara take a deep breath to steady herself.

  ‘Tall, well-spoken, blondish hair, I think, but it was dark in the club and the lights made everything look funny.’

  ‘What nationality was he?’

  ‘Spanish, I think. He spoke with an accent.’

  That stopped Maggie short. Mason had said the man who accosted him with the chewing gum was British.

  ‘How did you get chatting?’

  ‘He came over while I was at the bar and asked to buy me a drink. I said no, and flashed my ring at him to put him off, but he was really charming and kept paying me compliments. I was flattered, I suppose. He was really good-looking.’

  Johnnie’s face filled Maggie’s mind. Could he be considered good-looking? With shorter, groomed hair, perhaps. But Johnnie was also British.

  ‘Did he buy you a drink in the end?’

  ‘Yes. We shared a bottle of champagne, which he paid for. It wasn’t a cheap one, either. The next thing I remember I’m in the toilet feeling ill, then I woke up on the sofa like I said.’

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me this when you came into the station?’ Maggie asked gently, aware how fragile Lara sounded and not wanting to tip her over the edge.

  ‘Because I thought it made me look bad. I shouldn’t have been flirting with him like that. I was getting married.’

  ‘Is there anything else you can remember?’

  Silence again.

  ‘Lara? Is there something else? You must tell me everything.’

  ‘There’s nothing else.’

  Maggie didn’t believe her.

  ‘Was it when you were inside the apartment? Did something more happen there?’


  Lara let out a sob. ‘I’m sorry, Maggie. I can’t help you.’

  There was a click and the line went dead.

  61

  Maggie found Walker in the downstairs courtyard bar, nursing a beer. Breathlessly, she told him what Lara had said.

  ‘She’s holding something back, I know it,’ she finished. ‘If I had been talking to her face to face I could’ve got it out of her. Boss, if I could go back to London overnight, I could—’

  ‘But you don’t know where she is and nor does her husband,’ said Walker. ‘She could be anywhere.’

  ‘I could get a trace on her mobile,’ said Maggie. ‘Please, boss.’

  He shook his head. ‘The budget crunchers won’t swing for extra flights.’

  ‘Speak to the Commander then, get him to okay it. If Lara has remembered more details about the apartment where she was held, we need to know. For all we know, the killer might still be using it. Boss, Jade’s life might depend on it.’

  Walker paused for a moment, then picked up his phone and went online. After a few moments he looked up from the website he’d been checking.

  ‘Flights back to London look pretty booked up,’ he said. ‘But you can wait at the airport for a standby, or fly somewhere else like Birmingham and catch a train to London. Are you sure this is the only way she’ll talk to you, though?’

  ‘Yes. What’s happened to Jade has scared Lara so much that she’s walked out on her husband and her kids to keep them safe,’ said Maggie. ‘Whatever she’s not telling us, we need to know and I think she’ll only tell me in person.’

  Walker looked at his phone again. ‘According to this website, if you already have a valid ticket you can be put on standby for no extra cost.’

  ‘Why don’t I go to the airport, show them my ticket for tomorrow evening and say I need to fly back earlier and see what the airline can sort out? I can find Lara in the morning then be back on a flight here by tomorrow evening.’