There was a great deal of work to be done – so much to organise for the search to begin at first light tomorrow morning, and Matilda wanted a press conference as soon as possible so Craig and Linda could get the whole country looking for their daughter. However, for once, she was going to listen to what Valerie kept telling her: delegate. She told Sian to get the search set in motion and sent an email to DI Brady to set up the press conference. Matilda needed some time away from the Armitage family.
She drove at speed through Sheffield and, as usual, was caught up in traffic in Woodseats. By the time she arrived at Pat Campbell’s house in Bradway, dusk was setting.
Pat was a former detective inspector with South Yorkshire Police. She had taken early retirement for health reasons, but that wasn’t the true story. Only her husband, Anton, knew the real reason why she had given up the job she loved so much.
Matilda knocked on the door and waited. It was opened by a short woman with unruly grey hair. She wore black casual trousers and an oversized comfortable woollen sweater. She looked fashionable and elegant without really trying. She smiled.
‘Hello, I didn’t expect you to call.’
‘Not interrupting anything am I?’
‘No. Anton’s playing bowls. He asked me to go and watch but I don’t think I can handle the excitement,’ she said, her reply laced with sarcasm. ‘Come on in. Coffee?’
‘I’d love one.’
‘Come through to the kitchen.’
Pat’s home was neat and tidy. It was decorated in neutral colours and had a minimalist style. Pat wasn’t a fan of ornaments and walls covered with prints and framed photographs. The odd one of the grandchildren was fine, but all they amounted to was extra time dusting.
They took their coffee through to the conservatory which faced a very organised-looking garden.
‘My garden could do with your magical touch,’ Matilda said as she stood by the window.
‘It’s got nothing to do with me. It’s all Anton. I love looking at a nice garden, but I hate doing it. He can spend all day in there pottering. I generally stay in here with my feet up and a magazine,’ she smirked. ‘You look harassed.’
‘I feel it.’
‘How’s the search for the young girl going?’
‘It isn’t. The kidnappers didn’t call back.’
‘Oh.’
‘What does that say to your detective brain?’ Matilda asked as she sat on the wicker padded sofa next to Pat.
‘That she wasn’t kidnapped in the first place.’
‘That’s what I was thinking. Meanwhile, twenty-four hours have gone by and we’re no further on.’
‘Alibi for the parents?’
‘Mother was at home, father was working. They’re clean.’
‘Uncles, cousins, grandparents?’
‘We’re working on it. Look, Pat, the reason I came round was because of another matter.’
‘Go on.’
Matilda filled her in on the latest developments surrounding Carl Meagan. She pulled out her phone and showed her the photograph.
‘Oh,’ Pat said, slightly deflated. ‘I’m not sure. I wasn’t expecting him to look like that.’
‘Neither was I.’
The photo emailed from the British Embassy showed a young boy with a mess of dirty blond hair. He was pale and clean, but his eyes were drawn and sad. They were blue, like Carl’s, but had a dullness about them. His lips were thin and chapped and his cheek bones were prominent whereas Carl had a chubbier face.
‘I suppose it could still be him,’ Pat said, not taking her eyes from the screen. ‘People can change a great deal in, what is it, just under four years. Don’t forget, for a child, four years is a long time. He’ll have had a growth spurt. He’s been living in a different climate, different foods, different weather. He’s bound to look drawn; he’s been away from his parents for four years.’
‘I know.’
‘What are you thinking?’
‘I don’t know. I want this lad to be Carl so much.’
‘He doesn’t look like the composite you had done of how he’d look now, does he?’
‘The ageing program can only take in so many factors. They generally show you what he’d look like now if he’d been living a healthy lifestyle.’
‘Well, he looks like he has been. There are no bruises. He doesn’t look like he’s been poorly treated. He looks older than eleven, but, being kidnapped is bound to age a child.’
‘Do you think we should show this to Sally and Philip?’
‘Yes,’ she replied firmly. ‘We promised Sally we’d be upfront with her every step of the way. What’s happening next?’
‘Police Nationale are sorting out a DNA sample from the boy. They’re going to send it to us and we’ll see if it’s a match for what we have on file for Carl.’
‘And what about the people who kidnapped him?’
‘I’ve no idea what’s happening there at the moment.’
‘You do know that Sally’s going to want to fly straight out to Marseille.’
‘I know. We need her to be rational about this. Yes, it’s a step in the right direction, but we need to keep an open mind.’
‘Would you like me to come with you?’
Matilda visibly relaxed. Although the atmosphere had thawed between her and Sally, things were still strained when they were in the same room together. Pat was the perfect buffer. ‘If you don’t mind.’
‘Of course not. When?’
‘Some time tomorrow? I need to get home, have something to eat and a long shower. I’m knackered.’ Her voice broke as the relentlessness of the day’s dramas were taking their toll on her on.
‘You can have something to eat here if you like? I’ve had my tea but you can have what I’ve saved for Anton.’
Matilda smiled. ‘I don’t think he’d like that.’
‘Probably not, but it’ll teach him for dropping taking me out for a bite to eat for playing bowls.’
‘No thanks. I’m not going to be a pawn in your weird little squabble. Besides, Adele said she’ll pop over with a Chinese.’
‘Ok. I’ll see you out.’
***
There was something infectious about being with Pat that always made Matilda leave her house with a smile on her face. Since retiring, Pat had lightened considerably. She was approachable, good humoured and a pleasure to spend time with. They hadn’t worked together much when Pat was still a serving DI, but her reputation was of having been a ball-breaker. She stood no nonsense and she wasn’t shy about sharing her feelings, frustrations, and disappointments towards members of her team. The retired version was a complete contrast.
Matilda waved goodbye from behind the wheel of her Range Rover and headed for home. Hopefully, Adele had let herself in and was already spooning out the chow mein.
***
As Matilda drove up the makeshift driveway, she saw a car parked outside her house and the lights on inside. For a brief moment, it felt like she didn’t live alone. She even smiled. Then she recognised the car as belonging to Adele, and the smile faded. She’d have company for a couple of hours and then she’d be alone again. Matilda used to enjoy being on her own with a book and memories of her husband, but it was no longer enough.
‘Hi honey, I’m home,’ Matilda called cheerily from the hallway.
Adele came out of the kitchen, hands on hips and a stern look on her face. ‘Where the bloody hell have you been? I’ve been slaving over a hot stove for hours. A phone call would have been nice. You’ve been with that floozy again, haven’t you?’
Matilda smiled. ‘I’ll tell Sian you called her a floozy.’
‘Don’t you dare. She may be small, but she’s frightening when her temper’s up.’
Adele and Matilda were the same age and had known each other for more than twenty years. When Adele first moved to Sheffield she had been in a mess and Matilda had helped her pick up the pieces of her shattered life. When the tables were turned after James died, Adele had reciprocated. They were more than friends. They were closer than sisters, which irked Matilda’s sister, Harriet.
Adele was a good-looking woman. She wore her dark brown hair at shoulder length, tucked behind her ears. She had warm brown eyes, soft skin and full red lips. She always dressed elegantly, and her attractiveness was boosted by her confidence.
The large kitchen was warm and welcoming. There was a strong aroma of Chinese food and the wine was in the cooler waiting to be poured. After the day Matilda had had, she needed this more than ever.
They piled their plates high. They rarely over-indulged like this so a treat once in a while was fine.
With a vegetable spring roll in her mouth, Matilda visibly relaxed in her seat.
‘Rough day?’ Adele asked.
‘You could say that.’
‘You?’
‘One post-mortem, one court appearance, two reports written, and one parking fine.’
‘Sounds like a fun day.’
‘Oh, it was a hoot. That DC Cotton looks very young. How old is he?’
‘Too young for you,’ Matilda said, looking at Adele over the top of her wine glass.
‘I wasn’t asking for that reason,’ she said with a twinkle in her eye.
‘I think he’s about twenty-four. He’s also married.’
‘At twenty-four? Idiot.’
‘You married young.’
‘Exactly. That’s why I can call him an idiot.’
‘Who was the PM on?’ Matilda asked after a few mouthfuls of crispy duck.
‘A woman was found in Stanley Street. Early twenties. She’d been strangled.’
‘Prostitute?’
Adele nodded.
Matilda frowned. ‘That’s three in the past couple of years. I’ll need to have a word with Bev.’
‘Who’s Bev?’
‘An ageing prostitute who’s been walking the streets for as long as I can remember. She knows all the girls.’
‘I hear you may have found Carl Meagan,’ Adele said, changing the subject when she saw the tell-tale sign of sadness in Matilda’s eyes.
‘How do you know?’
‘Scott told Chris who told me.’
Matilda rolled her eyes. ‘Nothing is certain until we get the results from a DNA test. I have my doubts.’
‘Let’s have a look at the photo.’
‘What photo?’
‘Of the lad in France who says he’s Carl.’
‘Bloody hell, doesn’t Scott keep anything private?’ Matilda wiped her hands on her napkin and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She opened the attachment in the email and pushed the phone across the table.
Adele picked it up and angled it so the light was right, and she could have a good look at the photo. She studied it for a while.
‘You’re not convinced, are you?’ Matilda asked.
‘It’s not what I was expecting.’
‘I said that.’
‘I didn’t think he’d look so thin.’
‘That’s what I thought too.’
‘I mean, if he’d been living rough or been hidden away, I’d say fair enough, but he looks clean and healthy.’
‘Again, I thought similar.’
‘Have you shown Sally yet?’
‘No. Me and Pat are going along tomorrow.’
‘I don’t envy you,’ she said, pushing the phone back across the table.
‘Neither do I.’
The case of Carl’s disappearance may have left the newspapers, but it still affected those involved, primarily Philip and Sally. However, Matilda was deeply affected, too. She often had an unsettling dream where she received a phone call revealing the whereabouts of his body. Or, when she woke with a start, sweat causing her pyjamas to stick to her, she knew her sleeping had been haunted by visions of Carl. While the Meagans continued their search, she had understood the endless features in the press. However, they were easily avoided and had soon disappeared. Now, the case was back in the forefront of her mind. This would make the newspapers. The spotlight would return. The dark dreams would increase.
‘I can’t believe how close Scott and Chris have become in such a short space of time,’ Adele said. ‘They look good together.’
‘Sorry?’ Matilda asked, looking up from the plate she hadn’t touched for a while.
‘Scott and Chris. They seem to be doing well together.’
‘Yes. Did you know they were thinking of getting a place together?’
‘Ah. Yes, I did,’ she wiped her mouth with her napkin and pushed her plate away. ‘I was going to bring that up later.’
Matilda frowned. ‘Why? Anything wrong?’
‘No. It’s just … well, Chris has mentioned something to me and asked if I’d ask you to, you know, sound you out.’
‘I’m not sure what you’re talking about and something tells me I’m not going to want to know.’
‘Well,’ she began after taking a large gulp of wine. ‘You know what house prices and rents are like these days and you know how little a teacher and a DC earn. Money is very tight.’
‘If they’re looking for help with a deposit, I’ll gladly help. As long as the others at work don’t find out.’
‘No, it’s not that. I’ve offered, but they want to pay their own way.’
‘So, what are you trying to say?’
‘They were wondering if they’d be able to rent your flat above the garage.’
***
Rory was in bed with Natasha. The room was lit only by the low wattage of the bedside table lamp. Beneath the creased duvet, they were both naked and breathing heavily following their second love making session in less than half an hour.
Rory lay back with his hands behind his head. He had a look of contentment on his face. Natasha, petite, pretty, pale skinned with pitch-black hair, snuggled up to him and rested her head on his smooth chest.
‘Do you talk about me at work?’ she asked in her soft Liverpudlian accent.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Has anyone said anything about me to you?’
‘No. What are you going on about?’
‘It’s just … well, I’ve been getting some strange looks and I overheard a couple of the girls talking in the toilets about how I’m sleeping with you to try and get into CID.’
‘What? That’s shit.’
‘I know. I didn’t want you to think that’s what I was doing.’
‘I didn’t think that. Besides, I have no influence over promotions.’
‘You know what people are like though. It sometimes feels like being back at school with some of them.’
Rory sighed. ‘I used to be a bit like that myself. When Faith was going out with Steve, me and Scott were very childish. If we’d spent less time mucking about and opened our eyes a bit more, we might have seen him for what he really was, and Faith could still be alive today.’
Natasha looked up at him. ‘Do you really believe that?’
‘I do, yes.’
‘You can’t blame yourself for what happened. It still upsets you, doesn’t it?’
He nodded. ‘She was a good detective. She was young. She didn’t deserve what happened.’
‘Rory, can I say something?’
‘Of course you can,’ he looked down at her.
Her eyes were wide. She licked her lips. ‘I think I’m falling in love with you.’
Rory swallowed hard. ‘Really?’
She nodded. ‘Do you mind me saying that?’
‘No. I’m glad you said it. I feel the same way.’
Her face broke into a huge smile. ‘Oh, thank God. For a moment there I thought you were going to flip.’
‘Don’t be silly.’
They kissed. His hands swept over her body, down her back, and cupped her bum. He pulled her up so she was sitting on him.
‘Wow, someone’s happy,’ she said, feeling him press against her.
‘I bloody am now.’
***
In the next room, Scott and Chris were in bed together. Scott was scrolling through his phone while Chris was looking at affordable flats on his tablet.
‘Bloody hell, are they at it again?’ Chris asked.
Scott nodded.
‘How many times is that now?’
‘Third, I think.’
‘I’m obviously going out with the wrong flatmate.’
Scott looked over at him and saw he was grinning. ‘You were the one who had a headache last night.’
‘What do you think of this one?’ Chris showed him the tablet.
‘Nice. Where is it?’
‘Dronfield.’
‘That’s miles away. Long commute to work for both of us.’
‘But it’s cheap and it’s in a nice area.’
‘It’s not usually so cheap in Dronfield.’
‘It does need a bit of work doing to it.’
‘What do you call a bit of work?’
Chris swiped across the screen a few times before showing Scott a photo of the master bedroom.
‘It doesn’t have a floor.’
‘I know.’
‘That’s not “a bit of work”. Since when did floorboards become an optional extra?’
Chris looked at his watch. ‘Do you think my mum will have asked Matilda about her flat by now?’
‘Probably.’
‘Do you think she’ll rent it out to us?’
‘I’m not sure. She really likes her solitude.’
‘Yes, but we won’t be living in the house with her.’
‘No, but she’ll be able to hear us. I don’t think I like the idea of my boss hearing me have sex.’
‘We’re not as loud as Rory and Natasha.’
The headboard in the next room was banging rhythmically on the wall.
‘I like Rory, I really do,’ Chris said, ‘but we need our own place. It’s weird now I’ve seen him naked.’
‘When was this?’ Scott asked.
‘Last week. I got up to make a drink and he was coming out of the bathroom wiping himself. I got a right eyeful.’
‘Oh, I’m sure that was terribly distressing for you,’ Scott mocked.
‘Well, I didn’t mind the view, obviously. He’s got a great body on him. It’s just, well, it’s awkward.’
‘Fuck, Rory, you’re an animal,’ Natasha called out from the next room.
‘Are they doing this on purpose?’ Chris asked.
Scott smiled. ‘If your mum hasn’t asked Matilda, I’ll ask her myself at work tomorrow. If she doesn’t want to rent to us, then, I don’t know, I suppose we’ll have to go shopping for floorboards.’
Chris put his tablet down. He took the phone from Scott and placed it on the bedside cabinet.
‘What are you doing?’ Scott asked.
‘We’re going to show them they don’t have the monopoly on banging headboards.’
He lay on top of Scott and kissed him passionately, grabbed his legs and pulled him down the bed.
‘Fuck Chris, you’re an animal,’ Scott shouted. They both struggled to stifle their laughter.
***
Adele was slumped on the sofa, half-filled glass in hand, with an empty bottle at her feet and one just open on the coffee table. Matilda was standing by the living room window, looking out at the garage.
‘I suppose it wouldn’t be so bad having Scott and Chris living in there. It might even be nice having a neighbour again.’
‘Is this you finally admitting you made a mistake moving out here?’
‘No. I love it out here.’
‘You don’t like being so alone though, do you?’
She turned back from the window. ‘Everybody seems to be moving on, settling down, and showing how happy they are. You’ve got Chris and Scott and then there’s Rory and Natasha. Sian and Stuart are celebrating their silver wedding anniversary and Christian is the perfect family man.’
‘And you’re feeling left behind?’
‘Kind of.’
‘It sounds like you’re ready to start dating again.’
‘I’m not,’ she said, glancing at her wedding photo on the mantelpiece.
‘What about that architect who did this place, and the garage. You said he was tasty.’
‘He is.’
‘Is he single?’
‘Yes.’
‘Well, go out with him then.’
Matilda smiled coyly. ‘We’ve been out for a couple of meals.’
‘What?’ Adele sat up. ‘You never mentioned this. Matilda Darke, you’re keeping secrets from me.’ She patted the sofa next to her. ‘Come on, tell me all the details.’
She went to sit down. ‘There are no details.’
‘Have you kissed?’
‘We may have.’ Matilda felt herself warming as she thought of the few kisses they’d shared. Daniel was an incredibly handsome man. He made her feel … she wasn’t sure happy was the correct word, but something close to happiness. When she was with Daniel, she realised that life hadn’t stopped just because James was dead. There was more to life than work.
‘Ooh, exciting. What was it like?’
‘Awkward.’
‘Oh. Why?’
‘Well, the first time, we were on this sofa. I opened my eyes and I saw James looking at me. Daniel noticed it too. They were good friends.’
‘Just take things slowly, one step at a time.’
‘We’re taking things incredibly slowly. In fact, I think they’re going backwards.’
‘There’s no need to rush into things.’
‘I know. I’ll never forget James. He was the love of my life. I’m worried that any new partner, I’ll compare to James or treat him like a replacement.’
‘Cross that bridge when you come to it. If you take things slowly, you’ll see the signs and be able to avoid them.’
‘Do you think?’
‘Definitely.’
‘Daniel’s asked me out for this weekend. Do you think I should go?’
‘No. I think you should come round to mine so we can watch Strictly Come Dancing together and cry into a bag of Kettle Chips. Of course you should go, you silly cow.’
‘I will,’ Matilda beamed.
‘Oh,’ Adele said, looking sad.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘Now I’m feeling sad and lonely. You don’t happen to have a spare hunky architect for me, do you?’
‘No. But I’ll buy you a bag of Kettle Chips.’