Twisted

Chapter 5

A very uneasy feeling was beginning to form in the pit of Reid’s stomach. There was some agenda here he couldn’t quite grasp. The Fulfords’ daughter appeared to be a picture-perfect fifteen-year-old, but he knew that was very doubtful in reality. Her room was too tidy, devoid of any personal items, and he would need to see how it compared with her bedroom at her father’s. He also wanted to have a private interview with Marcus without the presence of his wife; he was all too aware that, while he liked what he knew of Lena, he found the husband rather shallow.

Reid went into the kitchen as Agnes was placing the crockery into the dishwasher. He closed the door, went to the kitchen table and drew out a chair. The plate of uneaten sandwiches was sitting there, wrapped in clingfilm, making him realize he was starving.

‘Mind if I have one of those?’

Agnes had a plate and a fresh mug of coffee in front of him within seconds, telling him to help himself, which he did with relish. Between mouthfuls, he asked if she would sit down, as he needed to have a talk to her. Taking out his notebook, he set it on the table.

Agnes wore two green slides pinning back her thick hair to keep it off her face. She was very articulate, with a slightly haughty voice, and she just didn’t seem the type of woman Reid would have expected Lena to employ as a housekeeper. Though he had to admit he hadn’t met many housekeepers before.

She explained that she worked Monday to Friday from nine to five each day. On the rare occasion she was needed over the weekend, she would stay in a small bedroom on the third floor of the house. She was then able to serve dinner or help if Mrs Fulford entertained. She said she always did the grocery shopping and served lunch to business associates on quite a regular basis, as Mrs Fulford had numerous small companies. She added that the Kiddy Winks business had taken off and for the past six months or more, Mrs Fulford had not entertained anyone on a social footing. It had all been professional, customers coming to the house to discuss the growing orders for the new venture. Reid was on his third sandwich but giving Agnes his full attention and encouragement, nodding and smiling. He wiped his mouth with the napkin.

‘But if Mrs Fulford did entertain in the evenings, you wouldn’t know as you said you leave at five.’

‘Yes, but I would know because, as I said, I do the grocery shopping – that includes the wine and champagne. Also, when she does have anyone visiting, there are always things left to be cleaned: cutlery, glasses in the dishwasher, that sort of thing. I usually leave her a covered plate of salad and cold cuts, but sometimes she has been so busy upstairs in her office she doesn’t bother to eat. Of course, when she does go out, Harry her driver is on call, but he always gives me his itinerary, in case I needed to contact Mrs Fulford.’

‘You run a tight ship,’ Reid said, smiling.

‘I have to, as Mrs Fulford is very particular, and I value my job.’

‘How long have you worked for Mrs Fulford?’

‘Almost two and half years; before that I worked for a furnishing company outlet. I was made redundant, so I was very pleased when I got the job. I’d been unemployed for quite a while – when you get to my age it’s not easy finding work and I had some health issues. I had a very difficult time because I was divorced and my daughter was going through emotional problems. In many ways I totally understood Mrs Fulford’s situation, having been through an unpleasant time myself – my husband is Spanish and an alcoholic, and our daughter had a lot to put up with.’

‘How old is your daughter?’

‘Natalie is thirty-four. We see each other every weekend unless, as I said, I am needed here.’

Reid tried to calculate the time between when Agnes had been made redundant, got divorced and started work for Mrs Fulford. He felt that she had glossed over just how long she had been unemployed but had no wish to get into her health issues. He suspected Mrs Moors was over-qualified for her job and, judging by the way she was eager to explain herself, was a woman you didn’t want to get on the wrong side of.

‘Tell me about Amy.’

‘She is very self-opinionated – clever, I believe – and very attractive. Even when she is on school holidays, I hardly see her, as she’s always going away and they rent a cottage in Devon. I’m often here by myself.’

‘Her bedroom is very tidy for a teenager.’

‘Yes, like her mother’s – they are very similar. When she has a friend stay, which is quite rare, they spend most of the time in the TV room watching DVDs, but as I have said, I leave at five on a Friday and have little to do with her.’

‘How do you think she’s coping with her parents’ separation?’

‘Well, I suppose it must have affected her, but we never had a conversation about it. My own daughter took my divorce badly, but then he was a very violent man and we both suffered. Mr Fulford is very easy-going and Amy spends every other weekend with him, but when I first started work here, he was still living with Mrs Fulford and there was some friction. He seemed to spend most days in the gym above the garage.’

‘What kind of friction?’

‘I hope I am not speaking out of turn by saying this, but I think Mrs Fulford was relieved when he moved out.’ Agnes suddenly gave a small laugh and wafted her hands about.

‘Did you ever hear Amy mention boyfriends, or do you know if she is seeing anyone?’

‘No, and to be honest, even if she did have a boyfriend, I doubt very much if she would mention it to me.’ Agnes shrugged. ‘You know, I don’t want you to think that I am in any way not concerned about the fact she is missing – it must be very worrying – but I feel sure she has simply gone on some adventure, because in my opinion she is almost too quiet, too well behaved, as if she doesn’t want to be even noticed.’

‘You do her laundry?’

‘Yes, she comes home in her uniform, changes and dresses in her ordinary clothes. I wash and press her uniform for her to take back the next weekend. They double up all of their clothes for school, and whatever she has worn of her own, I also wash and press the following week.’

‘Any unusual stains?’

Agnes sat back and frowned, and he saw the round eyes become like flints.

‘Underwear stains,’ he said quietly.

‘She has begun her menstruation, but is very modest about herself, careful. I know only one occasion she had period stains, and she told me to get rid of the panties, refusing to wear them even if I washed them clean.’ She hesitated, and bit her bottom lip. ‘I have a daughter and I am fully aware of what teenagers can get up to – I know because I have monitored Natalie, who did go through a wild period, so if you are referring to semen stains, there have never been any indications of such.’

Reid stood up to signal the interview was over, and Agnes immediately sprang up and reached for his plate and napkin. He thanked her and asked if she would be kind enough to see if Harry Dunn was available, at which point she left him alone in the kitchen and hurried out into the hall.

This gave him time to put in a call to the station, keeping his voice very low as he spoke to DC Burrows.

‘Any news on Amy Fulford’s iPhone?’

‘Cell site analysis shows it was last used to send a text on Saturday to Serena’s mobile and the location was from a cell mast near Marble Arch, but it hasn’t been used since.’

‘If Amy was running away then the text to Serena could have been deliberate to give her more time without creating suspicion,’ Reid suggested.

‘There’s also the possibility she purchased an unregistered pay-as-you-go mobile that no one knew about.’

‘Good point, Barbara. I’d like you to put together a list of every call Amy made a week prior to and up to her disappearance, see if we can dig up any unknowns.’

‘I have already put in a request for the last two months of historical calls and texts but, due to murder squad cases taking precedence, my request was low down in the pecking order and the results will be a few days yet.’

Reid sighed in frustration. ‘Bloody typical. Just keep pressuring the line provider then. Any luck on tracing her iPad?’

‘There is a “lost or stolen” application on it, but at present it’s dead, so either the battery is flat or it’s switched off. If it goes online they will inform us immediately.’

‘Thanks, and keep up the good work. Got to go now as I’m about to speak to Mrs Fulford’s driver.’

Harry Dunn wiped his feet on the doormat thoroughly before Agnes ushered him into the kitchen. She closed the door and Harry stood nervously waiting for Reid to indicate he sit himself down at the table. The kitchen was very high-tech with the latest model of Aga, glass-cased wall-to-wall cupboards full of china, and sheets of black marble worktops. The table was made of steel and glass, with matching chairs, and Harry carefully inched a chair back to avoid scratching the polished York stone flagged tiles. He was around five feet nine, a small neat little man in a grey suit, white shirt and an unbuttoned navy overall. He excused himself for not removing it but said he was polishing Mrs Fulford’s car.

As he sat opposite Reid, he seemed nervous; his elfin face framed by floppy brown hair was at odds with his worn hands. Reid also noticed he was wearing rather dapper shoes – brown brogues that were old-fashioned and highly polished.

‘I suppose you have my background details?’ the man asked quietly. Reid looked up, slightly puzzled, as he had not even begun to question him. As he did not reply, Harry explained that he had been on the straight and narrow for more than five years and valued his present job.

‘Mr Dunn, this is not about your previous record…’

‘Oh, jumped the gun a bit then, did I?’

Now that his suspicions were raised, Reid asked for further details and jotted down a few notes as Harry explained that he did in fact have a long record for house burglary and had served numerous prison sentences as a youngster. When he straightened himself out he got a job as a garage mechanic and became the manager and after that had become a driver, or chauffeur as he liked to think of it. Mrs Fulford had employed him two and a half years ago, around about the same time as Agnes had begun work.

‘Thank you for being open with me, Mr Dunn, but I am here on a matter concerning Mr and Mrs Fulford’s daughter.’

‘Has she done something wrong?’ a worried-looking Harry asked.

‘Amy has been missing since Saturday afternoon, and as you were one of the last few people to see her I need to ask you a few questions.’

‘Oh my goodness me.’

Harry was shocked about Amy, but somewhat relieved that there was no complaint against him, and that Reid was not concerned with his criminal record. He was more forthcoming about Marcus Fulford than Agnes had been and said he was a lovely bloke and very friendly, but that he had little to do with him as Mrs Fulford employed him. He said she was a really special lady and had taken him on knowing his past record and they had a good working relationship. He was unable to give any real insight into Amy Fulford, bar the fact she was a sweetheart, always polite, and seemed to him to be a very well-adjusted young woman.

‘I drive her sometimes to her Dad’s, but she never talks much, and unlike her mother she always sits in the back of the Lexus – Mrs Fulford always sits beside me in the passenger seat. She spends a lot of time texting, and using her iPad during the journeys. When I’ve taken her back to school on her own she hardly ever says a word to me; I just drive into the school, hand over her case and she waves me off.’

‘You ever overhear her talking to anyone on her mobile?’

‘Oh yes, she chatters away to friends, always laughing and kidding around, but then when she cuts off the call she sits back all quiet. She’s a lovely-looking young girl, but sort of old-fashioned in the way she carries herself, if you understand what I mean. I know her mother’s very strict with her, and if they are both in the car together she often talks about her business to Amy, and Amy seems very interested. They make a good team, and she’s doing this new business about party planning for young kids and often they throw ideas around – what sort of cakes or cupcakes, what games kids like nowadays.’

‘Do you join in their conversations?’

‘No. I take good care of Mrs Fulford as she gets tired out, and she never stops – here and there all over London and then into the country, meeting women who do her sewing and stuff. I drive her to the factories and then when they go to Devon I usually drive them there, leave the car and get a train home.’

‘How do you think this divorce is going down?’

He shrugged, and now more relaxed, he smiled, saying he had been divorced once when he was young, but had been happily married to an older woman now for many years. He suggested married life was probably easier for someone who didn’t have anything worth fighting over.

‘Were Mr and Mrs Fulford fighting over it?’

‘Not in front of me, and I never saw him with another woman or her with a bloke she was interested in, which considering her looks, you’d think they would be queuing up.’

Harry went on to say he had taken Mrs Fulford to a few events but not frequently as she was working all hours to get her new business off the ground.

‘I think she was lonely,’ he suddenly said and Reid looked up, wondering whom he was referring to, and then realized he was talking about Amy.

‘Why do you say that?’

‘She wanted a puppy, but Mr Fulford told her it was not a good idea; this would be a good few months ago – she said she wanted a King Charles Spaniel, because King Charles made a decree that that breed of dog could go anywhere because he had a whole load of them, and Amy said to me that if she had a puppy she would take it to school; she was just joking but…’

Reid waited and eventually Harry gave a shrug of his shoulders. ‘It was just the way she looked – she has very expressive eyes, like her mother but different. She’s a bit young for her age, I think. Course, I said she’d never be allowed to take a puppy, King Charles or not, to school.’

‘She ever mention boyfriends, or did you overhear her talking to any boy?’

‘No, but then you know she spends a lot of time with her dad, so maybe she has one, but I never heard her mention anything like that – like I said, she’s kind of young for her age.’

Reid closed his notebook. Harry half rose out of his seat and then sat back. ‘You think something bad has happened to her?’

‘I sincerely hope not.’

‘Christ, I hope not too; it’s something you can’t really think about – you know, happening to people that you know; I’m sure she’ll be with a friend somewhere, but that said – she’s such a lovely little thing and I just hope to God no harm has come to her.’

‘So do I, Mr Dunn. Thank you for your time. Oh, just one thing – this last weekend, where exactly were you?’

‘I was with my ex-wife’s sister, in Somerset; she was getting married again, and Mrs Fulford gave me the weekend off even though she had a dinner party to go to. I was using a hired Mercedes to drive the bride, so I wasn’t even in London.’

Reid shook his hand, indicating he could leave. He put his notebook back into his pocket and was screwing the top of his pen back when Agnes knocked and walked in, announcing that Mr and Mrs Fulford were in the sitting room should he need them. As he passed Harry he could feel that there was not a lot of love lost between the two members of staff; Agnes, holding the door open, almost clipped Dunn’s polished brogues. Reid paused and opened his wallet, taking out two cards.

‘If you think of anything that might assist in tracing Amy, please call; this is my direct line and I may need to talk to you both again.’

Lena and Marcus sat side by side on a sofa. It was obvious she had been crying as her eyes were red-rimmed and she was clutching a handkerchief. Reid walked into the room and picked up his raincoat, eager to leave.

‘Well, thank you both for your cooperation. Mr Fulford, I need to see Amy’s room at your place as soon as possible.’ He looked at his watch. ‘Can I meet you at your flat in, say, forty-five minutes?’

‘Of course,’ Marcus said, looking at his own watch as he and Lena accompanied Reid to the front door. Marcus followed him out, saying he needed a quick cigarette, and Lena watched from the doorway as the two men walked to their cars. Once Reid drove away, Lena closed the door, leaving Marcus searching his glove compartment for a lighter.

Inside the house, Agnes was standing by the kitchen, but Lena walked past her and up the stairs. ‘Is there anything I can do, Mrs Fulford?’

Lena glanced over the banister as she continued along the landing. ‘Just tell Mr Dunn to wait around in case I need him, and I’ll leave the business answer phone on as I don’t want to be interrupted. I’ll only answer the private line.’

Agnes heard the bedroom door slam shut, just as Dunn rang the front doorbell. She let him in, and he wiped his feet methodically; he had finished polishing the Lexus.

‘What do you think is going down?’ he asked, following Agnes into the kitchen. She placed the kettle on the Aga, and fetched a mug to make him a coffee. He watched her, and then drew out a chair to sit at the kitchen table.

‘I hope nothing bad has happened to her,’ he said and Agnes pursed her lips.

‘I never had any trouble with Natalie.’

Dunn waited for her to hand him his mug of instant coffee, hoping he was not in for a lengthy discourse about her precious Natalie, whom he had never met. Agnes opened a biscuit tin and held up a chocolate Penguin biscuit; he nodded and she threw it to him to catch.

‘I’ve got to say I am surprised she would just take off,’ he said. ‘Do you think that’s what’s happened – she’s met some kid and run off with him?’

Agnes picked up a damp cloth and began wiping down the already pristine worktops. ‘If Natalie had ever met a boy I didn’t approve of, I’d know about it, but with Amy staying here one minute and the next at her father’s flat, well I doubt either of them knows who Amy is mixing with. I tell you, I’d never have sent Natalie to a boarding school.’

‘I’m taking my coffee over to the garage. If she needs me, gimme a bell on the mobile,’ Harry said.

She picked up the wrapper from his biscuit and tossed it into the pedal bin just as Marcus knocked to be let back in. Agnes breathed a heavy sigh, and went into the hall to open the front door.

‘Mrs Fulford is upstairs,’ she said and Marcus nodded, thanking her and heading towards the stairs himself. She could smell smoke on him and it made her instantly crave a cigarette, so she shut the kitchen door, opened a drawer and took out her mobile, a packet of cigarettes and a lighter. Lighting a cigarette, she sank onto a chair and rang her daughter.

‘Hello darling, I hope I’m not bothering you at work, but we’ve had quite a time here – Amy is missing and the police are making enquiries.’ Natalie asked her to hang on as she was talking to a client.

Agnes dragged on her cigarette, and let smoke drift from her snub nose, taking another drag immediately. Mrs Fulford did not approve of smoking and she rarely if ever lit up at the house, but this was an exception. She’d use the expensive Floris lilac room spray so that ‘she who required scented candles from the White Company to permeate the house to avoid any domestic smells’ would not detect her nicotine addiction. Natalie came back on the line, and Agnes repeated that Amy was missing, but before she could continue her daughter had another call to take so she hung up. She took a few more drags before running the cigarette butt under the cold-water tap, and then she wrapped it in a tissue and tossed it into the pedal bin. It was now three o’clock and she sighed, realizing she had another two hours before she could leave. Meanwhile the dual phone lines on the kitchen telephone were blinking, but she saw that it was the business line, which seemed to be ringing continuously. It was very unlike Lena not to take business calls but under the circumstances it was quite understandable that, as she had said, she was only answering calls on the private line.

Agnes went up the stairs and along the corridor towards Lena’s bedroom; she thought that perhaps she should ask if she was required to stay on later than usual. She hovered outside the bedroom door, listening to Lena and Marcus talking but unable to make out what was being said. She hesitated and gave a light knock. Lena snatched open the door, and Agnes had to step back hurriedly.

‘What do you want?’

‘Just to say I will be going off at the normal time but if there is anything you need from me I can stay.’

‘No, thank you, you can go; sorry if I sounded sharp, I am just at my wits’ end with worry.’

‘I understand, and I hope you’ll get some news. Having a daughter of my own I know how you must be feeling; I don’t know what I would do if it was me and Natalie was missing. So if you need anything please let me know.’

‘Yes, thank you, Agnes.’ Lena closed the door and returned to Marcus, who was sitting on the edge of the bed; she sat beside him, curling up close.

‘You really should get some rest,’ he said gently, touching her arm.

‘I can’t, I feel like I must do something, anything that can help. I need her home, Marcus, I can’t bear this.’

‘I know.’

Lena got up. ‘I’m going to check her room again. There’s got to be something…’ Marcus stood up; even though he wanted to go home to shower before Reid got there, he followed Lena into Amy’s bedroom.

Lena began searching through the drawers, and then again inside the wardrobe. She looked under the bed, and inside the bedside tables – nothing. Then in an instant she saw it: the green leather journal tucked in amongst the other books on the shelf. She rushed over and pulled it out. ‘Her journal, it’s here.’

Marcus reached for it. ‘We should call Reid back.’

‘Not yet,’ Lena said, stepping away and sitting down on the bed. ‘I want to look through it first.’

Marcus moved towards her. ‘I think we should at least let him know we found it.’

Lena looked at him, considering what he had said. ‘Yes, but we don’t want to waste his time; if there’s anything useful in here we’ll call him.’

Marcus agreed, and sat beside her. ‘Why don’t we look at the last entry first?’ Lena started at the back and flipped through the pages.

‘Just some recipes,’ she said.

‘Well, that doesn’t help us,’ he said with a disappointed sigh as he stood up. ‘I don’t want to be late for Reid, so I’d better get going. Call me if there’s any news, and I’ll do the same.’ As he hurried out, Lena was still flicking through journal.