Bones Under The Beach Hut

Chapter Twenty

'No time like the present,' said Jude, and instantly she was keying in the number that Philly Rose had given her.

It was answered almost immediately, but the voice was male. 'Hello?'

'Good evening. I was trying to contact Nuala Dennis.'

'Oh, were you?' The name didn't seem to prompt happy memories.

'I'm sorry. I was given this number as Nuala Dennis's mobile phone.'

'Well, it used to be hers. Now I reckon it's mine.'

'Oh. Erm, who am I speaking to?'

'My name's Cyrus Maxton. Who are you?'

'Jude.'

'A friend of Nuala's?'

'More an acquaintance, really.'

'And what do you want with her?'

It was one of those moments when the truth might be as effective as any falsehood. 'I'm trying to track down her husband Mark.'

'They've separated.'

'Yes, I know that, but—'

'Listen, I know nothing about Nuala's bloody husband! All I know is that Nuala and I were in a relationship for about three months and then the cow walked out on me, having managed to take quite a lot of my money with her. So you might understand that I don't welcome calls from her friends or acquaintances and I'm damned if I'm going to—'

'Why have you got her mobile phone?'

'She left it here when she stormed out. I was about to upgrade mine, so I thought I'd use hers. Get something out of three wasted months! And so far she still seems to be paying the bill — which suits me fine!'

'Have you had any contact with Nuala since?'

'Texts. I've tried ringing her, but she won't talk.'

'So you do have a current mobile number for her?'

'What if I do?'

'If you could give me that number, I—'

'Why should I? After the way the bitch treated me, I don't feel particularly inclined to help her maintain her social life with her girlfriends.'

'I'm not one of her girlfriends.' That was true, though what Jude said next wasn't. 'She stung me for a lot of money too. That's why I'm trying to contact her.'

Cyrus Maxton's manner changed immediately. Now that he appeared to be talking to someone keen to make Nuala Dennis's life difficult, he was all cooperation. He gave Jude the new mobile number. 'But I should warn you, you may not get through.'

'Oh?'

'I've been texting her regularly trying to get back some of the stuff she nicked from my flat and I haven't been getting any replies.'

'Well, presumably when she recognizes your number she just doesn't text back.'

'Sure. But recently when I've tried I get a different response. Like the phone's switched off. Or run out of juice.'

'You mean she hasn't been recharging it?'

'That's what I've been beginning to think. Okay, not taking my calls, not responding to my texts, I can understand that. But switching the thing off? Nuala's mobile is like an extra appendage of her body. She never switched it off — or at least not for as long as this.'

'You said "recently". When was the last time you texted her phone when it was switched on?'

'Weekend before last. I tried again . . . when? Let's think . . . Today's Monday ... it would have been last Tuesday. Didn't get any response then and the phone's been switched off since.'

Last Tuesday. The day in whose small hours Mark Dennis and a mystery woman were seen by Curt Holderness walking down on to Smalting Beach. The day since Nuala Dennis had perhaps not been able to recharge her mobile phone.

After she'd finished her call to Cyrus Maxton, Jude tried the new number he had given her for Nuala. She was sent straight to voicemail. The phone was switched off... or out of charge.