‘This cosmopolitan is divine,’ Ella said.
‘At fifteen quid, it better be,’ Dee said.
‘So, this is where Joana came the night she disappeared?’
‘According to her friends,’ Dee said. ‘The problem is, none of the staff I’ve spoken to so far remember seeing her.’
Earlier, Dee had taken Ed’s advice and visited some of the seafront hotels with Joana’s photo. In two of them, staff members recognised Joana. In both cases, she’d been seen drinking in the hotel bar. She’d been a regular in the bars of both hotels, and hadn’t hidden the fact she’d been there to pick up men.
‘But if she was doing it regularly,’ the barman in the second hotel told Dee, ‘then the Aldrington’s your best bet. That’s where girls in this town go to find their sugar daddies.’
So Dee had come here tonight with Ella. And judging by the waiter’s reaction just then, she’d made the right decision. Clearly, the photo of Joana hadn’t been circulated as widely as she’d hoped.
‘If she was here to meet men,’ Ella said, ‘she came to the right place. Have you noticed how many single men are in here tonight?’ She frowned. ‘You said Joana worked as a cleaner? How did she afford to drink somewhere like this on a cleaner’s salary?’
‘I think the idea was to get someone else to pay for her cocktails,’ Dee said.
‘And what did she offer them in return?’ Ella asked.
‘What do you think?’ Dee said.
‘It looks to me as if most of the women here tonight are on the prowl,’ Ella said. ‘I’m guessing coming here and picking up a guy with money is the closest they’ll ever get to real money.’
Dee scanned the bar, watching the lovely young people gliding around the room, openly eyeing each other up.
‘How do you know they aren’t all successful working women who are paying their own way?’ she said.
‘I’m sure that’s true for some of them,’ Ella said. ‘But so far I’ve seen three different men order a cocktail and have it delivered to one of the women sitting at the bar. I know I sound cynical, and I’m sure there are women who’ve come here with their friends because it’s beautiful and they can afford to drink cocktails at fifteen pounds a pop. But that wasn’t true for Joana, was it?’
‘No,’ Dee agreed. ‘She came here to meet men with money.’
‘Well good for her,’ Ella said. ‘If men are stupid enough to buy expensive drinks just so a pretty girl will talk to them, that’s their problem.’
‘And what if they think buying a drink gets the pretty girl to do more than just talk?’ Dee asked.
‘I guess it’s up to the girl,’ Ella said. ‘I’m not saying I agree with it, Dee. But girls like Joana, earning crap money doing crap jobs, what other choice do they have?’
‘Right.’ Dee made a decision. ‘I’m not going to rely on that muppet Lewis to help us.’ She took another photo from her bag. ‘I’m going to have a chat with some of the customers, see if anyone remembers seeing our girl in here before.’
‘Leave a photo with me too,’ Ella said. ‘If anyone tries to chat me up, I can ask them about her as well.’
Half an hour later, Dee had spoken to several people who recognised Joana’s face. They all confirmed she’d been a regular, although none of them could recall seeing her the night she disappeared. But at least Dee now had the proof she needed that Joana had been telling Eliza the truth about where she was going that night.
Dee was on her way back to Ella when she saw Derek French coming towards her, weaving his way through the tables.
‘Dee Doran,’ he said. ‘A pleasure, I’m sure. Although, from what I’ve been told, this isn’t a social visit? I wish you’d told me you were coming. I’ve already shown your girl’s photo to my staff. They tell me she did drink in our bar from time to time, although not the night she disappeared apparently. I was going to call you tomorrow. You could have saved yourself a trip.’
He was bluffing. His voice just a little too loud, his smile a little too forced; and the grip on Dee’s arm when he tried to lead her out of the bar was more than a little too tight.
‘I need to get back to my friend,’ Dee said, pulling her arm free. ‘She’s over there.’
When Derek looked over at Ella, his smile grew wider and he strode across the room.
‘Derek French.’ He held out his hand. ‘Proprietor, manager and general dogsbody. I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure?’
‘Ella.’ She shook the outstretched hand. ‘I’m a friend of Dee’s.’
‘Your first time here?’ Derek asked. Then, before Ella could answer, he launched into a detailed description of what the hotel had been like when he’d first bought it, and the work that had gone into renovating it.
‘It’s beautiful,’ Ella said, when he paused for breath.
‘Very kind of you to say so,’ Derek said. ‘I hope you’ll do us the pleasure of visiting again. Although,’ he looked at Dee, ‘I’m afraid I must ask you to go through me if you plan to interrogate my customers again. People come here to relax and have a nice time, not to face the Spanish bloody Inquisition.’
‘It was hardly an interrogation,’ Dee said. ‘Actually, Derek, I’m curious. When you say people come here to have a good time, what exactly do you mean?’
His face hardened and she knew he’d understood.
‘It’s a bar,’ he said. ‘Bars are where people come to let their hair down at the end of a long day.’
‘Is that all Joana was doing when she came here?’ Dee asked. ‘Because there’s something I don’t understand. How did a girl like that, on a cleaner’s wages, afford to drink in a bar like this?’
Derek shrugged.
‘You’ll have to ask her that question yourself. Whoops, I forgot. You can’t do that, can you? She’s done a runner. You know what I think, Dee? I think there are a lot of girls who use their looks to get them what they want in life. My guess is that’s exactly what your little foreign friend has done. She’s found herself a rich boyfriend to look after her and she’s done a bunk with him. You’re wasting your time trying to find her. It’s not easy finding someone who doesn’t want to be found, you know.’
Dee exchanged glances with Ella. It wasn’t easy, but they both knew it was possible. Ella had spent three years of her life hiding from her past, although in the end it had caught up with her. The past had a way of doing that. Dee fervently hoped that whatever dark secrets were hidden in Derek French’s past, they would catch up with him one day soon. Because there was one thing she was certain about: he was a man with dark secrets.
* * *
‘That hotel is incredible,’ Ella said, when they left a few minutes later. ‘Shame I can’t say the same about the owner.’
‘He knows what happened to her,’ Dee said.
‘How can you be sure?’ Ella asked. ‘I mean, he definitely came across as a bit of a sleaze, but sleazy men are everywhere. Not all of them make women disappear into thin air. If that was the case, there’d be no women left anywhere.’
As they hurried along the seafront to Dee’s car, Dee noticed Louise climbing out of the driver’s seat of her red SUV, parked across the road.
‘Here.’ She thrust the car key into Ella’s hand. ‘You get into the car. I’ll be with you in a sec.’
She ran across the road, shouting for Louise to hold up a second.
‘Oh hello,’ Louise said, turning around. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘I told you I was going out,’ Dee said. In fact, she’d sent a text to Louise earlier, asking if she was free that evening. Louise had told Dee she was working. ‘I thought you were working. You look pretty fancy for work.’
‘I’ve got a thing on at the Cavendish,’ Louise said. ‘Some boring Chamber of Commerce dinner. Actually, Dee, I’m running late. I’d better get going.’
She air-kissed Dee’s cheeks and tottered off on heels that looked far too ridiculous for a night as cold and damp as this one. Dee ran back across
the road and got into her car. As she drove off, she caught a final glimpse of Louise in the rear-view mirror. She slowed down, keeping her eyes on Louise, watching as she walked straight past the entrance to the Cavendish Hotel and up the steps and through the ornate doors that led into the lobby of the Aldrington.
For a split second, Dee had an image of her cousin sitting at the bar eyeing the men in the room, deciding which one she was going to pick up tonight. But common sense pushed the image away a moment later. Dee knew her cousin as well as she knew anyone. And there was no way respectable, uptight Louise was going into the hotel to pick up a stranger. The idea was so ridiculous, Dee started to laugh.
Nine
Sunday morning, Dee woke early and went for a walk along the beach. She’d had a text last night from Ed, telling her he was back in Eastbourne and asking if she fancied meeting up later. So far, she hadn’t replied. She didn’t know how she felt about seeing him. To distract herself from thinking about Ed, she called Louise.
‘I’m rushing to the gym,’ Louise said. ‘You okay?’
‘Just phoning to say hi,’ Dee said. ‘Wondered if you fancied meeting for a coffee or a drink later in the week?’
‘I’d love to,’ Louise said. ‘But can I let you know when would be best? This week is pretty manic.’
‘Of course,’ Dee said.
‘Great. I’ll send you a text later today. Catch you later!’
‘One more thing,’ Dee said. ‘How was last night?’
‘Last night?’
‘The Chamber of Commerce event,’ Dee said. In her mind, she was watching Louise again, walking past the Cavendish and up the steps to the Aldrington Hotel.
‘Oh that.’ Louise sounded relieved. ‘It was boring. You know what these events are like. Lots of people there all wanting to tell you about their business and how wonderful it is and why I should write about them and how I could be doing my job better. It wasn’t my idea of a night out, to be honest. I was running late so I managed to slip in just before the meal, but it still dragged on.’
Dee didn’t say anything, because being honest was not what Louise was doing right now.
‘How about you?’ Louise said. ‘What were you doing when I met you last night?’
‘Having a drink with a friend,’ Dee said.
‘Anyone I know?’
‘No,’ Dee said. Which was ridiculous, because of course Louise knew Ella. But if Louise was going to lie, then so was she. She said goodbye and hung up, feeling more despondent than ever. What was it with the people she was closest to? First Ed, now Louise. Unless neither of them were hiding things and the problem was her, not them. She had a tendency to overthink things, something that had been a bone of contention with her ex-husband.
When she arrived back at the house, she saw Ed’s car parked outside. She’d given him a key a couple of weeks ago. At the time, it had made sense. She wanted him to feel he could come and go as he pleased. Now, she regretted that. She was angry that he hadn’t told her he wasn’t part of the murder investigation. Angry, and embarrassed that she’d had to hear about it from Louise. It made it look as if she and Ed weren’t open with each other, and until this week, Dee would have said openness and honesty lay at the heart of their relationship.
The smell of coffee and bacon that hit her as soon as she opened the front door went some way towards improving her mood. The warm hug and the soft kiss that greeted her when she went into the kitchen helped too.
‘I wanted to make up for the last few days,’ Ed said, pouring freshly brewed coffee into a mug and passing it to Dee.
‘You’ve had a lot to deal with,’ Dee said. ‘You don’t have to make up for anything.’
‘I think I do,’ Ed said. ‘So if you don’t mind, would you kindly take a seat and let me serve you a bacon butty with as much coffee as you want?’
‘Why not as much bacon butty as I want?’ Dee asked.
‘That too,’ Ed said, smiling. ‘Obviously. Pass the ketchup, would you?’
‘Brown sauce for me,’ Dee said, sliding the bottle of Heinz across the worktop.
‘Duh.’
‘Sorry.’ Dee took a sip of her coffee. ‘Oh my God, this is good. Hurry up with the food, would you? I’ve already walked ten thousand steps today. I’m starving.’
They ate in a silence that would have been comfortable if Dee hadn’t sent her mind into overdrive trying to work out how to ask him about the investigation. In the end, all her worrying was for nothing because Ed broached it himself as soon as he’d finished his second sandwich.
‘There’s something I need to talk to you about.’
‘Well you’ve got a captive audience.’ Dee gestured at the pieces of bacon still left. ‘I’m not moving from here until all of that is eaten.’
‘About two minutes then,’ Ed said. ‘I’d better be quick.’
‘Smart-arse.’ Dee took another two pieces of bacon, laid them on a slice of white bread and covered the whole lot with brown sauce.
‘I’m not going to be part of the investigation into Lauren Shaw’s murder,’ Ed said.
‘Any reason for that?’ Dee took a bite of her sandwich, waited for him to say something else.
‘I knew her,’ Ed said after a moment. ‘Not very well, but clearly any personal involvement means a potential conflict of interest so…’ He shrugged. ‘I’m off the case.’
‘Maybe you could take a few days off?’ Dee suggested. ‘We could take that trip to Venice you’ve been talking about.’
‘I think Sharon has other plans,’ Ed said. ‘There’s some fraud case she wants me to get involved with. We’ll still get to Venice one day, I promise.’
‘How did you know her?’ Dee asked.
‘Barely at all,’ Ed said. ‘Her family and mine, there’s a bit of uncomfortable history there.’
‘What sort of history?’ Dee thought of the days and nights they’d spent together over the last six months, sharing so much of their past with each other. Foolishly, part of her had thought she knew all the important information there was to know about Ed’s life.
‘It’s nothing, really,’ Ed said. ‘I have a tricky relationship with Nigel – Lauren’s father. We’ve never really seen eye to eye. And I know Maxine, of course.’
‘Maxine?’
‘Lauren’s mum.’ Ed frowned. ‘I’ve told you about her before, remember?’
Vaguely, Dee remembered Ed mentioning a girlfriend called Maxine.
‘I thought that was years ago,’ she said.
‘It was. But I still know her. Anyway, Sharon and I agreed it was better for me not to be involved.’
Dee took another bite of her sandwich while she thought about this. His explanation sounded plausible, so why did she have the feeling he wasn’t being entirely honest with her?
‘You sure that’s all there is to it?’ she said.
‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean, you said you sort of knew Lauren,’ Dee said. ‘Then a moment later you said you didn’t really know her, but you didn’t get on with her father. And then you said you can’t work on the case because you used to go out with her mother. So, which is it?’
‘Does it matter?’ Ed asked.
‘It matters to me.’
‘Why?’
‘Because I have trust issues,’ Dee said. ‘And I’m sorry if you find that difficult to deal with, but it’s the truth.’
‘When have I ever given you the impression you can’t trust me?’ Ed said.
‘How about now?’ Dee said. ‘There’s something you’re not telling me, and I want to know what that is.’
Ed pushed his chair back and stood up. ‘You can want all you like, Dee. But believe it or not, I don’t have to tell you about every aspect of my life if I don’t feel ready for that. If you can’t handle that, if you can’t cope with an adult relationship where two people trust each other enough to let them work through some things by themselves, then maybe I’m not the right person for you.’
‘You were the one who came here this morning,’ Dee said. Her voice was calm but she could feel a red-hot rage burning inside her. ‘You didn’t have to do that if you didn’t want to talk to me. You didn’t even have to tell me you’d been taken off the stupid case if you didn’t want to. But you were the one who brought it up, and you can’t blame me for wanting to know why you’re not being straight with me.’
Ed put his two hands flat on the table and leaned forward until his face was close to hers.
‘I have never not been straight with you,’ he said. ‘But no matter what I do, no matter how hard I try to prove to you that I’m not the same as your scumbag ex-husband, it’s never going to be enough, is it? Because you’ve already decided that all men are lying bastards and it seems there’s nothing I can do to change that.’
‘Don’t you ever speak about Billy like that again.’
Ed stepped back and Dee waited for him to say something else.
He shook his head.
‘Why does everything with you have to be so bloody difficult? Why do you have to challenge everything and question everything? It makes me feel like I’m on trial the whole time, you know that?’
Dee couldn’t think of a single response that wouldn’t make this stupid row worse than it already was. So she said nothing. Not even when Ed grabbed his jacket and stormed out, slamming the front door so hard as he left that the whole house seemed to vibrate.
Ten
Three hours later, Ed stood outside his house, waiting for his heartbeat to slow to something approaching normal. He’d got into his running gear as soon as he’d got home from Dee’s and gone for a long run – across the downs as far as Beachy Head and back again. At some point while he’d been running, the irrational anger that had made him act like such a massive arse subsided. Replaced by shame. He’d replayed the conversation over and over in his head, trying to find some rational explanation for the way he’d reacted. But each time, he reached the same sorry conclusion: he had behaved like a complete and utter idiot. No wonder Dee had got so angry.
He put his key into the lock and opened the door. He was going to shower and drive over there right away and beg Dee to forgive him. Then he would tell her the real reason he’d been taken off the case. And he’d try to explain why he hadn’t felt able to simply tell her the truth the first time around. He just hoped she’d accept ‘because I’m an idiot’ as an adequate explanation.
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