The Deadline Series Boxset

by Wendy Soliman

  ‘Hence her return visit to the scene of her worst nightmare,’ Tyler said softly.

  ‘Quite.’

  ‘Are her parents still alive?’ Alexi asked.

  ‘As far as I know. I would imagine her father has retired now. They live in Woldingham, Surrey.’ Alexi knew of the village. Stockbroker central, with property prices to match. ‘I’d love to see Seaton get his comeuppance, but I very much doubt there was anything Natalie could have done to get back at him after all this time. It would still be her word against his.’

  ‘Was she bent on revenge?’ Alexi asked. ‘In her position, I suspect I would be.’

  ‘She never really got past it. She told me more than once that it was like an obstacle, stopping her from being her own person. Some abused kids are like that. Others are able to put it behind them. I’ve often thought that’s why so many people come out of the woodwork years later, accusing celebrities of nefarious wrong-doings, because finally the world is prepared to listen, and believe them.’

  ‘Just a couple more questions,’ Tyler said when Athena took an oblique glance at her watch. ‘Natalie was exceedingly cautious about what she posted online.’

  ‘In this line of work, caution becomes second nature.’

  ‘I would imagine that carrying little physical baggage does as well.’ Athena nodded. ‘Which explains why there were so few papers, personal or otherwise, in Natalie’s cottage. But she must have some things she needs to keep. Can you think where they might have been?’

  ‘Sorry, she didn’t confide in me.’

  ‘Did she make a will?’

  ‘Most likely. We all use the same solicitor.’ She rummaged in a drawer and produced a card. ‘You can ask these people if they represented her interests.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Tyler replied, smoothly pocketing the card before Alexi could see what was written on it. ‘One last thing. Did she have a client called Charles?’

  Athena shook her head. ‘You know I can’t tell you that.’

  ‘He left a message on her answerphone, wanting to see her,’ Alexi explained. ‘He isn’t a man she dated through Tyler’s sister’s agency so we wondered…’

  ‘Yes, I know who you’re talking about. Occasionally clients form an attachment to a particular escort and continue to see her privately even after she leaves the business.’

  ‘Don’t you mind?’ Alexi asked. ‘I mean, you’re cut out of the financial arrangements that way.’

  Athena smiled. ‘Not in the least. We’re not pimps, you know. We have a business arrangement with our escorts while they are employed by us. They have a contractual obligation to work here for a specific time period that ensures we recoup the cost of their training and make a profit. When they leave, they are free to behave as they please.’

  ‘But Charles is registered here?’ Tyler asked.

  ‘Yes, he is.’

  ‘Regular payments of a thousand pounds a time have gone into her bank account. Would Charles really pay her that much?’ Alexi asked.

  Athena’s lips twitched. ‘She’s selling herself short.’

  Alexi’s mouth fell open. ‘She charged more than that when she worked here?’

  ‘Considerably more.’ Athena looked complacent. ‘We’re very good at what we do, and Charles does have very specific requirements.’

  ‘Obviously.’

  ‘I’m prepared to help you by contacting Charles, explaining the situation and asking if he’s willing to speak with you. I know for a fact that he won’t have seen Natalie over the past two weeks because he’s been abroad on business.’ Alexi and Tyler exchanged a glance. ‘One of our girls went to Paris to attend a party with him last week, which rather puts him in the clear in terms of being involved in Natalie’s disappearance, doesn’t it?’

  Tyler nodded. ‘I guess it does.’

  ‘Besides, they are very fond of one another and he has no reason to harm her.’ Athena held up her hands. ‘And before you ask, she would never even think of exploiting him, so don’t go there.’ She stood, indicating the interview was at an end. ‘I assume it’s all right to give Charles your number?’

  ‘Of course.’ Tyler stood also and offered her his hand. ‘And thank you for your time.’

  ‘You’re welcome. I really hope you find Natalie. Please keep me informed, and let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help you.’

  ‘You’ll be the first to know,’ Alexi said.

  ‘Oh, one more thing I’ve just thought of.’ Alexi and Tyler, on the point of walking through the door, turned to look at Athena. ‘In her final year here she started seeing a psychiatrist and talking her problems through. He encouraged Natalie to write it all down, get her feelings out on paper.’

  Alexi and Tyler exchanged a glance. ‘We didn’t find anything like that.’

  ‘Well, she wouldn’t leave it hanging around. It was way too sensitive.’

  Especially if she planned to take her revenge, Alexi thought.

  ‘Why did she see a shrink?’ Tyler asked. ‘What we have found out about her points to a private, self-contained person.’

  ‘Absolutely, but when she told me she was thinking of giving up this work…well, let’s just say that all our escorts are actively encouraged to talk the decision through with professionals. You’d be surprised how many of us got into the business for reasons similar to Natalie’s, and how difficult it is for us to adjust to normality without help.’

  ‘Yes,’ Alexi said softly. ‘I can imagine.’

  ‘The doctor encouraged her to explore her feelings about being given up for adoption.’

  ‘About her birth mother?’ Alexi shared a glance with Tyler. ‘Did she try to find her?’

  ‘Not to my knowledge. She didn’t want anything to do with her.’

  ‘I don’t blame her,’ Alexi said.

  ‘Actually, there is something I’ve just remembered, but I’m not sure if it’s significant. She received some unexpected news that expedited her departure from this establishment.’

  ‘Do you know who from?’ Alexi asked.

  ‘She said very little about it, but seemed profoundly affected by whatever it was. I tried to persuade her to postpone her decision to retire. I was running this place by then, you see. Natalie was still only forty, but looked ten years younger and was in great demand as an escort. She could still have made a lot more money, but I could tell the mysterious communication had made up her mind for her so there seemed little point in trying to get her to change it.’

  ‘Do you have the name of her shrink?’ Tyler asked. ‘I know he won’t tell me anything about their sessions but he might know something he can tell us that will help.’

  Athena smiled as she handed Tyler another card. ‘We have a resident psychiatrist on speed dial too,’ she said.

  Chapter Eleven

  ‘What did you make of that?’ Tyler asked as they left the house.

  ‘That I’m in the wrong business. A thousand quid for…’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘On second thoughts, perhaps not.’

  ‘Come on,’ he said, grinning. ‘I’ll buy you some lunch while you reflect upon lost career opportunities. Then we can plot our next move.’

  They made their way to the nearest pub. It was crowded with the lunchtime mob but Tyler managed to nab a small corner table. Over sandwiches and soft drinks they reviewed all they’d learned.

  ‘It sounds as though Natalie fell on her feet, at least initially, to be adopted by such a well off family,’ Tyler said.

  ‘She would have had the best of everything, I imagine, especially if she was an only child. That’s usually the case with adopted kids. They go to couples who can’t have any of their own for whatever reason.’

  ‘A good education and mixing with better off people would have been useful grounding for becoming an escort.’

  Alexi nodded. ‘It certainly made her self-assured. Perhaps that’s what Athena saw in her. I mean, how many fourteen-year-olds would have the confidence to walk into a five-star hotel a
nd offer herself for sale?’

  ‘Fourteen-year-olds are very self-aware nowadays, and I guess that applies to thirty years ago, too. They know it all, or think they do.’ Tyler took a bite of his ham sandwich and winced at its cardboard taste. ‘And anything they don’t know, they can find out online.’

  ‘Natalie’s safe, comfortable world had crumbled around her and she lost all self-worth.’ Alexi ground her jaw. ‘Bastard!’

  ‘The one man she trusted above everyone screwed her…literally. Of course she felt worthless. He would have told her it was her fault, and she probably half believed it. Her birth mother had given her up. Now the man she thought of as a father had abdicated that role because he didn’t deem her a worthy daughter.’ Tyler shook his head. ‘Poor kid!’

  ‘Do you think it’s true, though?’ Alexi said reflectively. ‘I was at a reception once and Seaton was there. He has such presence, such charm. Athena’s right about that. I never would have thought him capable of doing something so horrific, to say nothing of unlawful, unethical and…well, uneverything.’

  ‘The charmers, people in positions of authority, are usually the culpable ones because vulnerable kids feel special when they’re noticed by them. Look at all the high profile cases that have come to light recently. Television celebrities abusing their positions for years and getting away with it—until now.’ Tyler abandoned his half-eaten sandwich. ‘Still, I agree with you, we need to keep an open mind. Perhaps Natalie was a little princess, spoiled and indulged, and decided to rebel for no reason other than that she wanted some fun, which got out of hand. Perhaps some boy at school had his way with her and that sent her off the rails. There could be any number of other explanations.’ Tyler smiled across the table at her. ‘We need more solid information before we find Seaton guilty.’

  Alexi nodded with determination. ‘We owe it to Natalie.’

  ‘Try not to get emotionally involved, Alexi. It will distort your perception.’

  She folded her arms on the table and leaned towards him, her expression intent. ‘Tell me you weren’t thinking about your own situation, your trial by media, when you recommended giving Seaton the benefit of the doubt.’

  He flashed a sheepish grin. ‘Yeah, you got me there, but still, it does pay to examine all the angles before passing judgement.’

  ‘Right, and talking of which, I keep thinking about her bank account. And those unaccounted for payments. I wonder if they’re connected to the mysterious information she received. Do you think she blackmailed her father into paying up in exchange for her silence about what he put her through?’

  ‘If he put her through it.’

  ‘Well, even if he didn’t, she could make up a convincing story that would see his reputation ruined. He’s so high profile that the sort of journalists who ruined you would salivate at the thought of doing the same to Seaton.’

  Tyler nodded. ‘The same thought had occurred to me.’

  ‘Was Lambourn a random choice, or did that also have something to do with whatever news Natalie had received? As far as we know, she’d never been to Lambourn before she decided to settle there and you have to admit it’s pretty quiet unless you’re into horses. There’s not a lot else going on. And, like me, she’d always lived in town before her move. I know she wanted to make a fresh start, but still…’ Alexi tightened her lips in evident frustration. ‘It seems the more questions we answer, the less we actually know.’

  ‘If we ever find the account of her life she’s supposed to have written, we’ll probably be able to nail the whole case. But, blackmailing her father?’ Tyler shrugged. ‘I’d say it’s a distinct possibility.’ He paused. ‘And a very good way to get herself killed.’

  Alexi gasped. ‘You’re not saying—’

  ‘It’s just an observation.’

  ‘Hmm, if he’s innocent and saw everything he’d worked for come tumbling down around him, I guess he might just have been desperate enough.’ Alexi frowned off into the distance and absently twisted the ends of her hair around her forefinger. ‘I wonder if she tried to tell her adoptive mother what happened.’

  ‘Why don’t we go and ask her?’

  ‘That was going to be my next question.’

  ‘The solicitors and the shrink definitely won’t see us without appointments, and probably won’t tell us anything we don’t already know even if we do get past their gatekeepers. We need to prioritise and follow up the most promising clues first. If Natalie turns up alive and well, with some plausible explanation for her disappearance, we’ll pack up shop and go back to our lives. If she doesn’t…’

  ‘If her body’s found, you mean?’

  ‘Yeah, if that happens the police will be all over this and we’ll lose control, so let’s leave the shrink and lawyer until later.’

  Alexi was already Googling away on her iPhone. ‘Gerry Seaton is a co-founder of Sporting Initiatives. He’s now in his late sixties and retired as an active director five years ago, but retains a position on the board.’

  ‘See if you can find an address for them.’

  ‘I’m on it.’ A short time later she shot Tyler a grin. ‘They still live in Woldingham. I’m wondering how much of an effort was put into finding Natalie when she took off for the second time. I dare say there’s stuff online about it but that search will have to wait until later.’

  ‘If Seaton did rape her he’d have been keen on covering his tracks, so I’m betting not much was done.’

  Alexi grimaced. ‘You’re probably right.’

  ‘Okay, let’s go.’

  They drained their glasses and left the pub.

  ‘I’ve been to Woldingham a few times,’ Alexi told Tyler as he pointed his car in the direction of Croydon. ‘It’s on the North Downs. Very upper class. Has a thriving golf club and I’ll bet good money that Seaton’s a prominent member of it.’

  ‘Undoubtedly, especially if he’s retired.’ Tyler slowed to thirty as they entered the village. He indicated left, past a row of shops that included a saddler’s, a sporting goods store with a display of fishing rods, green wellies and shooting sticks in its window, and the ubiquitous convenience store. Even posh people ran out of sugar, it seemed. ‘This is the road,’ he said, taking another left into the cul-de-sac he was looking for.

  ‘And I’ll bet that’s the house.’ Alexi pointed to a large pad in a good acre of ground, its front garden bursting with colour. ‘I can see similarities between the layout of that garden and Natalie’s one in Lambourn.’

  Tyler shrugged. ‘All I see is lots of colour, so I’ll have to take your word for it.’

  ‘You haven’t told me what you plan to say to them,’ Alexi pointed out. ‘You can hardly swan up to the door and ask Seaton if he would kindly ‘fess up to raping his daughter thirty years ago.’

  Tyler winked at her. ‘I’ll think of something.’

  ‘Well, thanks for sharing.’

  He waved her fit of pique aside. ‘I’m not holding out on you. It’s simply a situation that calls for improvisation. Until I can gauge our reception, I’ve no idea which way to play it.’

  ‘I suppose you think you can take one look at Seaton and decide if he’s predator or victim?’

  ‘All those years on the force did give me an edge in the bullshit detecting stakes but I’m not always right.’

  ‘Did I just hear you right?’ She offered him an incredulous look. ‘You’re fallible. You have faults. Can I have that in writing?’

  Tyler grinned. ‘I didn’t say I was often wrong.’

  The house with all the flowers did indeed prove to be the Seaton residence. Tyler drove his BMW through tall wrought iron gates that were wide open and followed a smooth, block-paved drive, halting the car in a turning circle at the front door.

  ‘Nice,’ he said to Alexi as they got out the vehicle and looked up at the modern, extensive and immaculately maintained building.

  Alexi merely grunted. Tyler pressed the front door bell and it was opened by a short, plump woman wi
th a pleasant, rather timid smile.

  ‘Mrs Seaton?’ Tyler asked.

  ‘Yes, can I help you?’

  ‘My name’s Maddox. I’m a private investigator.’ He handed the bemused woman his card and turned on the charm. ‘I’m sorry to call unannounced but I wondered if we could have a few moments of your time.’

  ‘What’s this about?’

  ‘This is Alexi, my assistant. May we come in?’

  ‘Well yes, I suppose that will be all right.’

  So trusting, Tyler thought, as good manners overtook concerns for her personal safety. She took them into a large lounge with full-length glazed doors leading onto a wide patio. A huge conservatory spanned one end of that patio and Tyler could see the turquoise water of an indoor pool sparkling through the glass. The extensive back garden was also a riot of colour and didn’t have a leaf out of place.

  ‘You have a lovely home,’ Tyler told her.

  ‘Thank you. We’ve lived here a long time. Please sit down. May I offer you something to drink?’

  ‘Tea, if it’s not too much trouble,’ Tyler replied, flashing his most engaging smile.

  ‘No trouble at all.’ Flustered, Mrs Seaton bustled towards what was obviously the kitchen. ‘Make yourselves at home. I’ll only be a moment.’

  ‘Does that smile ever let you down?’ Alexi demanded to know.

  Tyler turned the smile in question upon his partner-in-investigation. ‘Not often,’ he said. ‘Don’t judge. I’m betting you’re not above using your own…er, physical attributes to get interviewees to open up to you.’

  She bit her lip, but didn’t actually admit it. ‘Why did you ask for tea?’

  Without replying, Tyler walked towards a sideboard crammed with family photographs. Almost all of them featured a girl—obviously Natalie—in various stages of adolescence, always smiling broadly. The photographs ended when she’d become a stunning teenager.

  ‘Our daughter.’

  Mrs Seaton had re-entered the room so quietly that the sound of her voice startled Tyler. He almost dropped the picture of Natalie that he’d picked up to examine more closely. The child couldn’t have been more than four years old. She clutched a wriggling puppy in both arms and her gap-toothed smile was almost too wide for the face that housed it. It made Tyler feel indescribably sad to think how things had turned out for that little girl—innocent or otherwise.