35

It’s after nine. I lie in bed staring at the ceiling. Downstairs I hear footsteps, laughter and the sound of nursery rhymes. It’s like tuning into my favourite radio soap and listening to another instalment of life in the O’Loughlin household.

I lumber downstairs, teeth brushed, face washed and body medicated. There’s laughter from the sitting room. I listen at the door. Julianne is interviewing nannies. Emma seems to be asking most of the questions.

Ruiz is in the kitchen, eating toast and reading my morning paper.

‘Morning,’ I say.

‘Morning.’

‘Don’t they feed you at the pub?’

‘It doesn’t have the ambience of this place.’

I pour myself a cup of coffee and take a seat opposite him.

‘I found Helen Chambers’ family. They live on the Daubeney Estate, outside Westbury. It’s about thirty miles from here. I tried to call and got an answering machine. Helen Chambers isn’t listed on the voter rolls or telephone directories.’

He senses I’m only half-listening.

‘What’s up?’

‘Nothing.’

He goes back to reading the paper. I take a sip of coffee.

‘Do you ever have nightmares?’ I ask. ‘I mean, you dealt with some pretty terrible things- murders, rapes, missing children- don’t they ever come back to you, the memories?’

‘No.’

‘What about Catherine McBride?’ She was a former patient of mine. That’s how I first met Ruiz, he was investigating her murder.

‘What about her?’

‘I still see her in my dreams sometimes. Now I’m seeing Christine Wheeler.’

Ruiz folds the newspaper in half and half again. ‘Does she talk to you?’

‘No, nothing like that.’

‘But you’re seeing dead people?’

‘You make it sound crazy.’

He slaps me hard across the side of my head with the newspaper.

‘What was that for?’

‘It’s a wake up call.’

‘Why?’

‘You once told me that a doctor is no good to a patient if he dies of the disease. Don’t go soft in the head. You’re supposed to be the sane one.’

The Daubeney Estate is two miles north of Westbury on the borders of Somerset and Wiltshire. The rolling countryside is dotted with small farms and swollen lakes and dams from the recent rain.

Ruiz is driving his Merc. The suspension is so soft it’s like a waterbed on wheels.

‘What do we know about the family?’ I ask.

‘Bryan and Claudia Chambers. He owns a construction company that does a lot of big money contracts in the Gulf. The Daubeney Estate used to be one of the biggest landholdings in the country until it was broken up and sold in the 1980s. The Chambers own the manor house and eleven acres.’

‘What about Helen?’

‘She’s an only child. She left Oldfield Girls School in Bath in 1988- same years as Christine Wheeler and Sylvia Furness. She went Bristol University; studied economics and married eight years ago. Since then she’s lived abroad.’

He raises his forefinger from the steering wheel. ‘This is the place.’

We pull into an opening guarded by a ten-foot-high iron gate hinged on stone pillars. On either side, a perimeter wall stretches through the trees. It is topped with broken bottles that sprout from the concrete like jagged flowers.

The gate has an intercom box. I press a button and wait. A voice answers.

‘Who is it?’

‘Is that Mr Chambers?’

‘No.’

‘Is he at home?’

‘He’s not available.’

‘Is Helen Chambers at home?’

‘You trying to be funny, pal?’ He has a Welsh accent.

I glance at Ruiz who shrugs.

‘I’m Joseph O’Loughlin. It’s important that I speak to a member of the family.’

‘I’ll need more information than that.’

‘It’s a police matter. It concerns their daughter.’

There is a pause. Maybe he’s seeking instructions.

The voice comes back: ‘Who are you with?’

I dip my head and look through the windscreen. A CCTV camera is perched on a metal pole twenty feet above the gate. He’s watching us.

Ruiz leans across me, ‘I’m a retired detective inspector. I formerly worked for the London Metropolitan Police.’

‘Retired?’

‘You heard me.’

‘I’m sorry. Mr and Mrs Chambers are both unavailable.’

‘When is the best time to speak to them?’ I ask.

‘Write a letter.’

‘I’d prefer to leave a note.’

The gate stays firmly closed. Ruiz walks around the Merc and stretches. The camera pivots and follows every move. He hoists himself onto a fallen tree, peering over the wall.

‘Can you see the house?’ I ask.

‘No.’ He looks left and right. ‘Now there’s an interesting thing.’

‘What?’

‘Motion sensors, and more cameras. I know the rich get nervouscome the revolution and all that- but this is complete overkill. What does this guy have to hide?’

Boots sound on gravel. A man appears on the far side of the gate, walking towards us. Dressed like a gardener in jeans, a checked shirt and oilskin coat, he has a dog with him; a massive German Shepherd with a black and tan coat.

‘Get away from the wall,’ he demands.

Ruiz swings himself down and makes eye contact with me.

‘Great day,’ I say.

‘Yes, it is,’ says the man with the dog. We both know we’re lying.

Ruiz has moved to my side of the car. He drops his hand behind his back and holds down the intercom button, leaving it there.

The German Shepherd is watching me as if deciding which leg to eat first. His handler is more concerned with Ruiz and what sort of physical threat he might pose.

Ruiz takes his finger off the intercom.

A woman’s voice answers: ‘Yes, who is it?’

‘Mrs Chambers?’ Ruiz replies.

‘Yes.’

‘I’m sorry, but your gardener said you weren’t home. He was obviously mistaken. My name is Vincent Ruiz. I’m a former detective inspector with the London Metropolitan Police. Is it possible to have a few moments of your time?’

‘What is this about?’

‘It concerns two of your daughter’s friends- Christine Wheeler and Sylvia Furness. Do you remember them?’

‘Yes, I do.’

‘Have you seen the newspapers?’

‘No. Why? What’s happened?’

Ruiz glances at me. She doesn’t know.

‘I’m afraid they’re dead, Mrs Chambers.’

Silence. Static.

‘You should really talk to Skipper,’ she says, her voice straining.

Is she talking about the gardener or the dog?

‘I’m talking to Skipper right now,’ says Ruiz. ‘He’s come down to the gate to meet us. He’s a very charming chap. Must be a dab hand with the roses.’

She is knocked off guard. ‘He doesn’t know daffodils from dogwood.’

‘Me neither,’ says Ruiz. ‘Can we come in? It’s important.’

The gate lets out a hollow click and swings inwards. Skipper has to step back. He’s not happy.

Ruiz slides behind the wheel and drives past him, raising his hand in a half-salute before spinning wheels in the gravel.

‘He doesn’t look much like a gardener,’ I say.

‘He’s ex-military,’ says Ruiz. ‘See how he stands. He doesn’t advertise his strengths. He keeps them under wraps until he needs them.’

The gables and roofline appear through the trees. Ruiz slows over a grated gate and pulls up in front of the main house. The large double door must be four inches thick. One side opens. Claudia Chambers peers from within. A slender, still pretty woman in her late fifties, she’s dressed in a cashmere cardigan and khaki slacks.

‘Thank you for seeing us,’ I say, making the introductions.

She doesn’t offer her hand. Instead she leads us through a marble foyer to a large sitting room full of oriental rugs and matching Chesterfield sofas. Bookshelves fill the alcoves on either side of a large fireplace that is set but not burning. There are photographs on the mantelpiece and side tables showing a child’s passage through life from birth to toddler to girlhood. A first lost tooth, first day at school, first snowman, first bicycle- a lifetime of firsts.

‘Your daughter?’ I ask.

‘Our granddaughter,’ she replies.

She motions to the sofa, wanting us to sit down.

‘Can I get you something? Tea perhaps.’

‘Thank you,’ says Ruiz, answering for both of us.

As if by magic, a plump woman in uniform appears at the door.

There must be a hidden bell at Claudia’s feet, beneath the rug or tucked down the side of the sofa.

Claudia issues instructions and the maid disappears. She turns back to us and takes a seat on the sofa opposite, tucking her hands in her lap. Everything about her demeanour is closed off and defensive.

‘Poor Christine and Sylvia. Was it some sort of accident?’

‘No, we don’t believe so.’

‘What happened?’

‘They were murdered.’

She blinks. Grief is like a moist sheen over her pupils. It’s as much emotion as she’s going to show.

‘Christine jumped off the Clifton Suspension Bridge,’ I say. ‘We believe she was coerced.’

‘Coerced?’

‘She was forced to jump,’ explains Ruiz.

Claudia shakes her head fiercely, as if trying to clear the information from her ears.

‘Sylvia died of exposure. She was found handcuffed to a tree.’

‘Who would do such a thing?’ asks Claudia, a little less sure of the world.

‘You haven’t seen the TV or the newspapers?’

‘I don’t follow the news. It depresses me.’

‘When did you last see Christine and Sylvia?’

‘Not since Helen’s wedding; they were bridesmaids.’ She counts on her fingertips. ‘Eight years. Goodness, has it really been that long.’

‘Did your daughter keep in touch with them?’

‘I don’t know. Helen went overseas with her husband. She didn’t get home very often.’

The maid has returned with a tray. The teapot and china cups seem too delicate to hold boiling water. Claudia pours, almost willing her hands to be steady.

‘Do you have milk or sugar?’

‘Milk.’

‘Straight from the pot,’ says Ruiz.

She stirs without letting the teaspoon touch the edges of her cup. Her thoughts seem to drift away for a moment before returning to the room.

A car sounds outside- tyres on gravel. Moments later the front door slams opens and hurried footsteps cross the foyer. Bryan Chambers makes the sort of entrance that befits a man his size, bursting into the room, hell bent on hitting someone.

‘Who the fuck are you?’ he bellows. ‘What are you doing in my house?’

Balding, with big hands and a thick neck, his head is shaped like a hard hat and glistens with sweat.

Ruiz is on his feet. I take longer to find mine.

‘It’s all right, dear,’ says Claudia. ‘Something awful has happened to Christine and Sylvia.’

Bryan Chambers isn’t satisfied. ‘Who sent you?’

‘Excuse me?’

‘Who sent you here? These women have nothing to do with us.’

It’s obvious he knows about Christine and Sylvia. Why didn’t he tell his wife?

‘Calm down, dear,’ Claudia says.

‘Just be quiet.’ he barks. ‘Leave this to me.’

Skipper has followed him into the room, moving behind our backs. There is something in his right hand, which is tucked inside his jacket.

Ruiz turns to face him. ‘We don’t want to upset anyone. We just want to know about Helen.’

Bryan Chambers scoffs. ‘Don’t play games with me! He sent you, didn’t he?’

I look at Ruiz. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’re helping the police investigate two murders. Both victims were friends of your daughter.’

Chambers switches his attention to Ruiz. ‘You a police officer?’

‘Used to be.’

‘What’s that mean?’

‘I’m retired.’

‘So you’re a private detective?’

‘No.’

‘So none of this is fucking official.’

‘We just want to speak to your daughter, Helen.’

He claps his hands together and laughs indignantly. ‘Well, that just takes the biscuit!’

Ruiz is growing annoyed. ‘Maybe you should do like your wife suggests and calm down, Mr Chambers.’

‘Are you trying to intimidate me?’

‘No, sir, we’re just trying to get some answers.’

‘What’s my Helen got to do with it?’

‘Four weeks ago she sent emails to Christine Wheeler, Sylvia Furness and another school friend, Maureen Bracken. She arranged to meet them at a pub in Bath on the 21st of September, a Friday night. The others turned up but Helen didn’t. They didn’t hear from her. We were hoping to find out why.’

Bryan Chambers gapes at me incredulously. The manic glimmer in his gaze has been replaced by a fever of uncertainty.

‘What you are suggesting is impossible,’ he says. ‘My daughter couldn’t have sent any emails.’

‘Why?’

‘She died three months ago; she and my granddaughter drowned in Greece.’

Suddenly the room isn’t big enough to hide the awkwardness of the moment. The air has become cloying and harsh. Ruiz looks at me, unable to respond.

‘I’m so sorry,’ I tell them. I don’t know what else to say. ‘We had no idea.’

Bryan Chambers isn’t interested in apologies or explanations.

‘They died in a ferry accident,’ says Mrs Chambers, still sitting upright on the edge of the sofa. ‘It sank in a storm.’

I remember the story. It was late in the summer, a freak storm in the Aegean. Ships were damaged and yachts destroyed. Some of the holiday resorts had to be evacuated and a passenger ferry sank off one of the islands. Dozens of tourists were rescued. Passengers died.

I glance around the room, looking at the photographs. The Chambers have created a shrine to their dead granddaughter.

‘Please leave now,’ says Bryan Chambers.

Skipper emphasises the demand, by holding open the door. I’m still looking at the images of a blonde-haired, clear-skinned granddaughter, missing a front tooth, holding a balloon, blowing out birthday candles…

‘We’re very sorry to have troubled you,’ I say. ‘And for your loss.’

Ruiz dips his head. ‘Thank you for the tea, ma’am.’

Neither Bryan nor Claudia respond.

Skipper escorts us outside and stands sentry at the door, still with his right hand inside his oilskin jacket. Bryan Chambers appears beside him.

Ruiz has started the Merc. My door is open. I turn back.

‘Mr Chambers, who did you think sent us?’

‘Goodbye,’ he says.

‘Is someone threatening you?’

‘Drive carefully.’

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