Chapter 32

I call Juliet as soon as I’ve put the phone down on Tim. I’m still fizzing with anger and afraid that Juliet will pick up on it, but Tim’s got me worried about Margie now. I’m afraid that I gave Mrs Sims bad advice. I don’t want to waste any more time.

“Hello, Katrin. Everything ok? I was just going to call you, as a matter of fact, see if you had some time to spare this afternoon. Did the meeting with Fiona Vickers go well?”

“Quite well, thanks, but that’s not why I’m calling. I need to speak to you about a girl who’s gone missing. She works for my childminder but didn’t turn up this morning.”

“Doesn’t sound like much of a cause for alarm . . .”

“That’s what I thought. But Mrs Sims, the childminder, says it’s out of character for this girl to let her down; and I’ve just been speaking to Tim, who said I should call you.”

“Ok, I’ll be right with you. Or would it be better if you came here? Where does the girl live?”

“I’m not sure. Mrs Sims lives in Haverfield Street. She can’t leave her house during the day, obviously, as she’s got all the kids she looks after there.”

“Why don’t you come here first? Then we can go and see her together. If you can get away, that is.”

“Yes, that’ll be all right. There’s nothing urgent here now that I’ve seen Fiona Vickers.”

 

I quickly gather my things and step outside into the street. I’m greeted by brilliant sunshine, so bright it hurts my eyes. The police station is only a brisk ten minutes’ walk away and soon I’m climbing the stairs to the open plan area where Juliet works. As I approach her desk I see that she’s talking on the phone. I stand still, not wanting to look as if I’m eavesdropping her conversation, but she waves me over.

“She’s here now,” she says. She hands me the phone. “It’s Tim.” I manage to smile. I note that Juliet doesn’t respond, but frowns and looks away.

“Thanks.”

“Katrin, is that you? Elusive today, aren’t you? I’ve just been trying to get you again at your office.”

“As Juliet probably explained, we’ve decided to go and see Mrs Sims together. I told Juliet what you said about not leaving it any longer before we try to find Margie.”

“Yes, she mentioned it. What I wanted to tell you was that I’m coming home today. I’ll probably be flying to India tomorrow.”

“That’s a bit sudden, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but it can’t be helped. I’ll explain when I get there. I’m bringing one of Derry’s team with me. I’ve asked Juliet to meet her today, so that I can introduce her. Will you still be there?”

“When will you be arriving?”

“I’m not sure. Around 4.30, I suppose.”

“In that case, the answer’s no. I’ll be on my way home with Sophia by then.”

“Of course, I should have thought of that. I’m really looking forward to seeing you both.”

“I’m sure that Sophia is looking forward to seeing you, too.” I glance at Juliet, but she has bent her head discreetly over some papers on her desk. If she’s noticed my tone, she doesn’t show it.

“Ok, well, goodbye,” Tim says awkwardly. “I’ll see you soon.”

“How are you?” I ask Juliet, after I’ve killed the call and handed back the phone.

“I was going to ask you the same thing. You seem a bit uptight.”

I laugh, knowing as I do so that it sounds forced.

“Tim’s just pissed me off a bit, that’s all,” I say. “I expect I’ll get over it.”

“Yes, well, he seems to have developed a talent for doing that at the moment,” she replies.

“Has he done something to upset you?”

She hesitates.

“He’s been behaving rather erratically lately,” she says slowly. “And like a fool I’ve let him turn me into a dogsbody. Still, as you say, nothing that I can’t deal with.”

“I guess neither of us has time to waste at the moment, obsessing about Tim’s behaviour,” I say.

“You’re right. If another girl’s disappeared, we need to swing into action, and quickly.”

“Another girl . . . are you connecting Margie with Ayesha Verma?”

“It seems an obvious conclusion to draw, doesn’t it? Girls don’t disappear in Spalding every day of the week.”

“You’re right. But I think it’s unlikely that Margie is the victim of an honour killing. From what I’ve heard, her parents take no interest in her whatsoever.”

“I’m getting a bit tired of all this talk of honour killings,” Juliet snaps back. “I’m far from convinced that that’s what’s happened to Ayesha. As a theory, I think it’s got out of hand.”

“But you encouraged me to meet Fi Vickers.”

“I did, and at least partly because I don’t want Tim to make a fool of himself by haring off to India when there’s probably a more logical solution staring him in the face.”

“What do you mean?”

“When girls do run away, they sometimes do so off their own bat, but often in cahoots with each other. If this girl called Margie really has gone missing, I think we should explore any connections she may have with Ayesha before we jump to more exotic conjectures. And we don’t need an ‘expert’ from London to help us do that.”

“You mean the woman that Tim’s bringing with him?”

“That’s exactly who I mean. No doubt some superior female copper who’s done amazing things in the Met and who’s now coming here to show us how it’s done.”

“Steady on! This doesn’t sound like you!”

“It may not sound like the me that you know, but it’s a side of me that you’ll probably be seeing a lot more of in the future! Come on, let’s go!”

Juliet heads for the stairs, and uses an unnecessary amount of energy to clatter down them. I follow more slowly. When I join her at the foot of the staircase, she’s already contrite.

“I’m sorry, Katrin, you’re right: it’s not like me to over-react like this, and you certainly don’t deserve to have it taken out on you. But sometimes I could kill Tim, I really could.”

“That makes two of us.” I smile wryly and she smiles back. Unexpectedly, we both burst out laughing.