Vanished

Chapter 25

By the time Jack reached his car in the police station car park, he was no longer so pissed off by the conversation he’d just had.

Perhaps Laura and Ridley had the right idea — she’d decided to actually have a life outside of the job and Ridley wasn’t sacrificing his current health for it. Jack was days away from getting married, for God’s sake, yet he was more excited by the prospect of heading to Ireland and tracking down the elusive Adam Border than spending time with his wife-to-be.

Jack called Maggie on FaceTime. When she appeared on his screen, she was in scrubs with her face mask pulled down and tucked beneath her chin. ‘You OK? I got one minute for you. Or can it wait till I come out of surgery?’

‘One minute is all I need.’ Jack couldn’t wait to see how surprised and happy Maggie would be when he told her his news. ‘I’ve got a week’s leave. So, we can get married, spend the day being sociable then, as soon as everyone’s gone home, we can disappear off on honeymoon for a few days. I’ll sort it with Mum. Where would you like to go?’

The smile that appeared on Maggie’s face wasn’t the sort he was hoping for. He’d amused her rather than delighted her. She said that, firstly, they had a suite booked for the wedding night, so they couldn’t take off straightaway. And secondly, why did he take a week off without first making sure that she could do the same? She ended by saying, ‘I love you,’ and then hung up.

Fuck, Jack thought to himself. He could cope with a week off work if it meant spending time with Maggie, but if it meant spending time alone, stewing in his own juices... that would be carnage.

As Jack pulled up outside the house, Penny was on the pavement trying to lift an Amazon parcel over the doorstep, whilst shouting into the house telling Hannah not to crawl out of sight. ‘Come back, darling. Hannah! Grandma can’t see you.’ Her voice was light and sing-song, so as not to make Hannah think she was being told off, but Jack could hear the stress in it. Jack swept up behind Penny and took the weight of the parcel from her, leaving her free to run inside and catch up with Hannah.

As Jack put the parcel onto the kitchen table, Penny felt the need to launch into an explanation. ‘I wanted to get it indoors because it was in full view of the street, and you never know who’s walking past. Some people just take parcels off the doorstep. And Hannah’s so fast now! And strong-willed. Maybe we should get one of those doorbell cameras.’

Jack glanced into the dining room, where Hannah had pulled herself to her feet using a pile of unopened packages. She was slapping her hand down on a small piece of face up sellotape and scream-laughing at the feel of it. Jack asked what on earth Penny had been buying.

‘They’re wedding presents, darling. You and Maggie need to open them one evening soon, when you’re together. I’ve bought you some thank-you cards. And I’ve bought wrapping paper for the gifts you need to buy.’

‘Who am I buying gifts for?’

‘The bridesmaids and the best man.’ The way Penny looked at Jack reminded him of when he was a boy and he’d asked a stupid question like why he had to wear shoes to school. ‘It’s traditional to thank them with a gift. An item of jewellery for the bridesmaids and perhaps a good bottle of single malt for Simon. I can buy them for you if you don’t have time.’

‘No, no. I’ve got plenty of time on my hands.’ Jack ventured into the dining room and picked up Hannah. As soon as she was in his arms, she strained to be down again, so he stood her on the tallest box, held her by the hands and let her bounce up and down on it.

Penny shook her head. ‘Let’s hope that’s not a crystal decanter!’ Her sarcasm went unheard. ‘Hannah and I were about to go to the park,’ she went on. ‘Would you like to come? Some fresh air?’ As soon as Hannah heard the word ‘park’, she reached for Penny. Jack winced: Hannah was now the third person in a row to blatantly reject him. Jack knew that he wasn’t good company right now, so said that he needed to shower. Penny squeezed his arm and gave him one of those pitying smiles that only a mother could get away with. Then she gave him the space he wanted.

Jack stood in the shower, allowing the water to pound his scalp and reinvigorate his mood. By the time Penny got home, he was feeling far more sociable. Hannah had fallen asleep in her pushchair, so she was parked in the dining room amongst the parcels whilst Penny put the kettle on. Jack sat at the kitchen table.

‘So, what still needs doing?’ Penny looked at him as if she didn’t understand the question. ‘For the wedding. What still needs doing? I’ve got a week off, so I can...’ Before Jack could finish, Penny started to giggle. She pressed her fingers against her lips and apologised, then quickly tried to think of jobs she could give Jack, to make him feel useful but also to keep him out of her way. Jack picked up on what she was doing. ‘Great!’ Jack said. ‘Is there anyone who does need me around?’

‘Oh, stop that,’ Penny said. ‘You caught me unawares, that’s all. There’s still plenty to do, and I’d be very grateful of your help, darling. Oh Jack, you should see everything Maggie’s managed to pull together. She’s worked so hard. I’ll make a list of what’s left and give you some jobs. There might be a lot of fetching and carrying, if you don’t mind. Things I can’t do.’ Penny chattered on as she started preparing the organic vegetables for dinner. ‘The menus are all done. Maggie’s been extremely clever with them because two of her nurse friends are vegetarians, two are vegan and one is on the paleo diet, whatever that is when it’s at home! Something to do with cavemen. But she didn’t want them to feel singled out by having something on their plate that looked different. So, she’s been very careful to choose a menu that means everyone’s dinner looks the same. The flowers are arriving first thing on Saturday morning, and the car taking us all to the registry office is booked for an hour beforehand. It’s a Mercedes S-Class.’ Penny paused meaningfully, and Jack pretended to be suitably agog at how well she and Maggie had done to choose such a beautiful vehicle. ‘Everyone else is getting there under their own steam. Maggie did toy with the idea of a double-decker bus to take everyone, including us.’

‘A bus?’

‘Open top. They’re all the rage.’

‘For winning football teams, maybe. I prefer the Merc.’

‘I think she wanted a solution to people getting from A to B, being able to drink and not having to worry about driving. When’s your stag do, darling?’ Jack hadn’t given it a second thought — and he was fairly sure Ridley hadn’t either. Penny smiled. ‘I bet Simon’s got it all planned. He’s the organised sort. Now, Jack...’ Penny pointed the vegetable knife in his direction. ‘I want to give you some money for behind the bar. I know you said you’d do it but, well, you know what policemen and nurses are like with a free bar. I insist.’ Penny then turned back to her chopping board and fell silent. He could tell by the way her shoulders had tightened that she was crying.

‘I remember when you and Dad knew that Maggie and I were for keeps,’ Jack said gently. ‘Dad said that when the time came, a free bar would be his gift to us.’ Jack put on his dad’s deep, West Country accent: A free bar is a powerful thing, son. People won’t remember the wedding, but they’ll remember you forever. You don’t have to take on Dad’s promise, Mum. You’ve done so much...’ Jack corrected himself. ‘You do so much.’

‘I miss him at times like this,’ Penny said, sniffing. ‘I don’t want to sit at the front on my own. I want to be on your dad’s arm. I want to hold his hand and watch our son get married to the best girl in the world.’

Jack got up and stood just behind her.

‘Be on my arm.’ Penny turned to face him. Her glasses were steamed up and tears rolled down her cheeks. ‘There’s nothing to say that I have to start off at the front. Walk me down the aisle, Mum. Give me to Maggie.’ Penny rested her head on Jack’s chest and put her arms round his waist. He rested his chin on the top of her head and hugged her. ‘I miss him too.’

When Maggie arrived home, Penny was upstairs watching Midsomer Murders in her bedroom, Hannah was asleep, and Jack was pretending to keep an eye on the cottage pie that Penny had made. He was flicking through the list of things already organised for his wedding, and the list of things that still needed tackling — clearly a mammoth amount of work had happened without him even noticing. It made him feel bad for not pulling his weight, but as he looked at the work still to be done, he just couldn’t muster any enthusiasm. He wanted to marry Maggie and he wanted a wedding day to celebrate his love for her in front of all of their friends... he just couldn’t be arsed with the rigmarole of it all.

Jack had moved all of the unopened wedding gifts into the living room and opened a bottle of red wine. He’d handed Maggie a full glass and sent her upstairs to soak in the bath that he’d already run for her. Some things Jack was good at. Pampering Maggie was one of them.

Jack sprinkled cheese on top of the cottage pie then put it back into the oven. Then he moved to the fridge where a magnetic white scribble pad had pride of place. In the centre of the pad, was a handwritten list.

Jack plucked the magnetic board rubber from the fridge door and wiped everything off the scribble pad. He then turned the oven down to 140 and returned to the lounge.

Maggie was now sitting in his large towelling robe, feet tucked underneath her, wine in hand. He loved how she looked, fresh from a bath. She had glowing, rosy cheeks and soft wrinkled fingertips. And she smelt of mandarins. Jack proudly announced that tomorrow he was going into town to shop for bridesmaids’ gifts, and something for Ridley.

Maggie gave him a gentle smile. ‘It’s done. I went out on my lunchbreak and bought a silver bracelet each for Regina and my sister. I was going to get a gold tie pin for Simon but, seeing as he’s retiring, I got him a subscription to a Scottish distillery instead. He’ll get their Whisky of the Month for a whole year.’

Jack thought about the timeframe: a whole year. For all he knew, it could turn out to be a gift that didn’t get used. Jack realised he was desperate to share Ridley’s cancer news with Maggie, but instead, he handed her the first wedding gift to open.

As she picked at the packing tape, she brought up the subject of Jack’s week off work. ‘I can’t get a week off with you, Jack. I did ask but it’s just too short notice. I can get three days, so we could have a long weekend somewhere. On the wedding night, we booked a suite at Soho House, remember?’ Jack admitted that he hadn’t remembered. ‘If you wanted to go out of town for three days, I can cancel it? What do you want to do?’

‘It doesn’t matter, Mags. I just got this week off and thought... well, I didn’t think. It was stupid. Sorry. Let’s just stick to the two-week honeymoon later in the year.’

Maggie leant across the gift on her knee and took hold of Jack’s hand. She spoke gently. ‘You know, Jack, it was stupid. Because we both work shifts, so why on earth wouldn’t you have asked me before taking a week off? Answer: you didn’t take a week off. You’ve been told to. You’ve pissed Ridley off again, haven’t you?’ Maggie smiled, then rocked forwards on her knees and placed a long kiss on Jack’s lips. ‘I love you, Jack Warr. For a whole week, I get my man waiting at home for me, running my baths, pouring my wine.’ She punctuated her fantasy list with another kiss. ‘And Ridley will forgive whatever you’ve done.’ Maggie rocked back onto her bottom and, as she took the final piece of tape off the first present, she instructed Jack to write down what she said. ‘Aunt Jane. Bookends.’ She then put on her best pretend-excited voice. ‘Oh, Jack. One’s got your name engraved on it and the other’s got mine!’

‘Well, shit, that makes them impossible to sell on eBay!’ Jack typed the notes into his mobile. ‘Now I’m going to have to buy a fucking bookshelf.’

Maggie picked up the next gift. ‘You want to talk about what happened with Simon? You’ve not been suspended, have you?’ Jack explained that Ridley had pushed him off the case, using the wedding as an excuse. He’d not been suspended, but only because he hadn’t dug his heels in. ‘Well, he couldn’t suspend you for no reason. Is Simon wrong to keep you away from the case? If he is, you should dig your heels in. What’s stopping you?’

Jack couldn’t tell Maggie about Ridley’s illness and so made out that taking a week away from the case was more of a mutual decision.

‘It’s hard for Ridley because we’re working under another team. He’s not the one ultimately in charge, so lines have to be toed.’ Maggie sucked her teeth. She knew that toeing lines wasn’t something Jack was very good at. He continued, ‘The investigation is being headed up by Drugs and, sometimes, as they pick up the pace, we have to slow down so that our investigation doesn’t get in the way of theirs. Only I’m so close to finding this one particular guy, Mags, and he’s crucial to our murder investigation, I just know he is. So, sitting on my hands for a week could be a disaster.’ A darkness came into Jack’s eyes as his true feelings about the case surfaced.

‘I know that I get blinkered. But I get obsessed with one train of enquiry because I know — I know — it’s leading me in the right direction. There’s this guy, Adam Border. His name keeps coming up, but no one can find him. He might be connected to the drugs, but he’s definitely connected to a second line of enquiry around the art world. ’Course, Drug Squad aren’t interested in that, because Josh is filling their heads with how big-time this sort of gang crime is in the US. They’re saving the world and all I’m doing is getting justice for two women who are already dead and gone. But they matter, Mags. And I seem to be the only one focussed on that. Everyone else is double checking every move they make with Steve-bloody-Lewis.’

‘Why is Simon rolling over?’ Maggie asked. ‘He should be fighting for his case, shouldn’t he?’

‘Drug Squad’s chasing their very own Pablo Escobar, and they’re ignoring Adam Border. Because he doesn’t fit their profile. But criminals come in all forms. I’ve met jockeys scarier than Jack the Ripper, and old women who’d give Ronnie Biggs a run for his money. Rule number one: follow the evidence. If I can find Adam Border, I know things will fall into place. He could be a killer, or a drug dealer bringing lethal concoctions to the streets and filling up your ED with young kids who don’t know what they’re taking. Right now, he’s a ghost. But I can feel him just out of reach. If I stop now, I could lose him for good.’

Maggie sighed. ‘I can see why Simon wanted to give you some headspace. Please, please, let’s take the three days that I’ve been able to get off work and let’s just go somewhere. Me, you and Hannah... or just me and you if you like. You scare me when you get this fixated. I can see it in your eyes, Jack. The anger.’ Maggie stroked Jack’s cheek with her warm fingertips. ‘I love your beautiful soft brown eyes. Not these dark pools that I’m looking into now.’

Jack kissed the palm of Maggie’s hand and whispered, ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Never be sorry for who you are.’

When Jack looked up again, his brows were raised and his eyes looked kinder and infinitely more alluring. ‘Do I really scare you?’

‘Oh, Jack, no, not in that way. I feel safe with you. Protected.’ Maggie rested her hand on Jack’s chest and smiled into his now gentle, loving eyes. ‘My Jack.’

Jack threw the gift box onto the floor and crawled along the sofa towards her. She scooted down underneath him so that he could lay down between her legs. As he kissed her, his hand moved from her ankle and slid effortlessly up her freshly shaved shin, over her knee, up her thigh and beneath her robe. Maggie gasped as he touched her...

The doorbell made them both jump, and then freeze in the hope that whoever it was would go away. Jack’s mobile buzzed. ‘Fucking hell!’ he whispered. ‘It’s Ridley.’

Maggie kissed Jack’s cheek. ‘Oh, Jack...’ she whispered.

‘I can’t leave him out there, Mags.’ Jack looked down at his beautiful wife-to-be and strained to control his body. ‘God. I wish I could.’

‘That’s not what I was going to say. I was going to say... I can smell something burning.’