Missing Read online

  ‘No, it’s fine,’ Miles assured him, waving them towards one of the sofas while he went to stand with his back to the fire. ‘Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee?’

  ‘No, we’re OK, thank you,’ Sadler replied, before Joy made the mistake of accepting.

  Miles’s expression was benign as his eyes moved between the detectives. He wasn’t particularly surprised that a senior officer was following up on yesterday’s routine visit from the two PCs who’d come in response to his call, but he did wonder how much digging around Sadler might already have done into his family’s affairs. It was that thought, amongst others, that was making it necessary for him to conceal his ingrained antipathy towards the police as best he could. ‘I was told yesterday,’ he said, ‘that someone would be contacting the transport police.’

  Sadler nodded. ‘It’s been done,’ he said. ‘They’re still checking the CCTV tapes. Naturally, we’ll let you know when they come back to us.’ He cleared his throat. ‘I’ve looked through the information you gave the response team yesterday, but I’m afraid it might be necessary to go over the same ground …’

  ‘That’s fine,’ Miles assured him.

  Sadler looked at him with cautious eyes. There was something about this man that was already getting under his skin, but for the moment he couldn’t put his finger on what – apart from all the privilege and dosh, not to mention how well connected he was, a fact that rarely made Sadler’s life easy. ‘You say it’s been three weeks since you last saw your wife?’ he said matter-of-factly.

  ‘That’s right.’

  Miles’s expression, DC Joy was thinking, had become not so much defensive as guarded, though not in a hostile way, more sort of … well, like he didn’t really want to be going through this, and who could blame him for that?

  ‘And there’s been no contact between you during that time?’ Sadler prompted.

  ‘None at all. As I told the officers yesterday, I dropped her at the station in the morning, just after ten, then after calling in at the supermarket I came straight home. As far as I knew, she was catching the train to London.’

  ‘But we don’t know whether she did or not?’

  ‘At the time I assumed she did, but since I didn’t go into the station with her, I’m afraid I can’t confirm it.’

  ‘You’ve been in touch with her friends and family …’

  ‘Of course. She has a sister who lives in the States, though she’s in Edinburgh with her husband at the moment. She hasn’t heard from her.’

  ‘Friends? Locally and in London?’

  ‘She didn’t have a wide circle – in fact it would probably be more accurate to say she had more acquaintances than friends. I’ve tried a few, but no one’s heard from her recently.’ His eyes went to DC Joy as she started to make notes.

  ‘Was anyone at your house in London three weeks ago?’ Sadler asked. ‘Someone who could confirm whether or not she showed up?’

  ‘I’m afraid not. My daughter was at school, and I was here.’

  ‘But you’ve been to London since, to check for yourself whether or not she arrived?’

  ‘Of course. There’s no sign of her having done so, but the cleaner’s been in since, so it’s hard to be certain.’

  Sadler chewed thoughtfully on his lip, and for a while they let the clock and fire fill the silence. ‘We’ll get in touch with the Kensington and Chelsea police,’ he said finally. ‘They’ll need access to the house. Is there anyone close by with a key?’

  ‘The cleaner. But I’m going myself the day after tomorrow, if it can wait that long.’

  Appearing to note the lack of urgency Sadler nodded slowly.

  Miles glanced at DC Joy and smiled again. Starting, she smiled back, and blushed as she returned to her notebook.

  ‘You told the response team,’ Sadler said, ‘that it’s not unusual for your wife to go off for a few days without saying where she’s going.’

  ‘She does, from time to time. She feels the need, occasionally, to get away from me, and the house …’

  ‘From you?’

  Miles appeared faintly amused. ‘Does that make us unusual?’ he asked.

  Instead of answering Sadler said, ‘Where does she go?’

  ‘She used to have an apartment in London, but she sold it about a year ago, so I’m not sure where she goes now. Probably to a hotel. She’s never said and I don’t ask, because she doesn’t want me to know.’

  Seeming to find this both odd and intriguing, Sadler said, ‘Why wouldn’t she want you to know?’

  ‘I think it makes her feel powerful to make me worry.’

  ‘And do you worry?’

  ‘Of course.’

  Sadler was watching him closely. ‘Are you sure she was intending to go to London when you took her to the station?’ he asked.

  ‘It’s what she said, and there was a train due about ten minutes after I dropped her so I had no reason to think anything else.’

  Sadler’s brow was creasing as he said, ‘But no one knows if she actually got on it.’

  ‘I’m hoping the CCTV cameras will help us with that,’ Miles reminded him.

  Sadler looked at Joy as she said, ‘Can you tell us if you and your wife had a row or anything before you took her to the station?’

  Miles’s expression was unreadable as he turned to her, but as he was about to answer the door opened and a stunningly pretty young girl with long blonde hair and her father’s deep-set dark eyes put her head round.

  Miles beckoned her to come and join them. ‘My daughter, Kelsey,’ he announced as Sadler rose to his feet. ‘Kelsey, this is DI Sadler and DC Joy.’

  Very politely Kelsey shook the detectives’ hands, then went to stand with her father.

  ‘I collected Kelsey from school last night,’ Miles said, feeling the need to explain. ‘She wanted to be here now that the police are involved in looking for her mother.’

  ‘Do you have any idea where she is yet?’ Kelsey asked.

  ‘I’m afraid not,’ Sadler replied, sitting down again.

  Kelsey glanced up at Miles, who gave her a reassuring smile. ‘I’m sorry, Inspector,’ he said, turning back to Sadler, ‘where were we?’

  ‘We were asking,’ Joy responded, ‘if you and your wife had had a falling out before you took her to the station.’

  ‘No, we hadn’t,’ he replied. ‘Nothing out of the ordinary had happened at all.’

  ‘So no row, no accidents that we know of, no reason to suspect foul play – at this stage. I take it there’s been no ransom demand?’

  ‘If there had, I’d have told you,’ Miles assured her. ‘There’s been no communication at all.’

  Sadler said, ‘Then is there anything else you can tell us that might help explain why your wife would choose to absent herself from home for so long?’

  ‘She’s often given to spells of depression,’ Miles answered.

  ‘It’s all to get attention,’ Kelsey piped up.

  Miles allowed a moment to pass, then said, ‘My wife can be very withdrawn at times, hardly speaking at all, while at others she’ll be as communicative and responsive as the rest of us.’

  Sadler glanced at Kelsey, waiting to see if she had anything to add, but it seemed she didn’t. ‘I’m sorry to ask this in front of your daughter,’ he said, ‘but is there a chance your wife might be involved with someone else?’

  ‘You mean another man? I suppose we can’t rule it out,’ Miles replied, ‘but I would strongly doubt it.’

  ‘I can tell you now that she’s not,’ Kelsey confirmed. ‘That’s not what she’s about at all.’

  ‘Then what is she about?’ Sadler enquired.

  Kelsey’s only answer was to move in closer to her father.

  Tearing his eyes from her, Sadler said, ‘And what about you, Mr Avery? Are you—’

  ‘No, I’m not having an affair,’ Miles cut in.

  ‘Dad!’ Kelsey hissed.

  Miles sighed as he looked down at her. ‘You know very w
ell,’ he began, but letting it drop he said to Sadler, ‘I was involved with someone a couple of years ago, when my wife and I weren’t together.’

  Sadler glanced at Joy to make sure she was getting this down.

  ‘I called her yesterday,’ Miles continued, ‘to ask if she’d seen or heard from my wife. She hadn’t.’

  ‘Why did you think she might have?’

  ‘Because Jacqueline has never been able to accept that my relationship with Vivienne is completely over.’

  ‘And could your wife be right?’

  ‘I’ve just told you, Inspector, I am not having an affair.’

  Sadler glanced at Kelsey, as though expecting her to contradict her father, but she seemed to have nothing more to say. ‘Is your wife likely to be a nuisance to … I’m sorry, what was her name?’

  ‘Vivienne. Vivienne Kane.’ He waited for Joy to write it down, then said, ‘My wife, by nature, is a very passive and private person, so no, I wouldn’t say she was given to pestering people.’

  ‘So not violent, or aggressive in any way?’

  Miles shook his head.

  ‘Except for what she did to me,’ Kelsey muttered.

  Sadler’s eyebrows shot up. ‘What did she do to you?’ he asked quickly.

  Kelsey waited for Miles to answer, but in the end she was the one who said, in typical teenage-speak, ‘My mother gave me like an overdose when I was twelve years old that might only have killed me if Dad hadn’t come back when he did. I mean, I know that’s not violent, exactly, because she didn’t hit me or anything, but you’ve got to admit, it is a bit random.’

  ‘I’m afraid it was my wife’s way of forcing me to end my relationship with Vivienne,’ Miles explained.

  DC Joy could hardly have looked more appalled. She found it hard to believe that a mother had used her own daughter in that way. ‘Was your wife charged with anything at the time?’ she asked.

  ‘No, but she has been receiving psychiatric treatment—’

  ‘What you should really be asking,’ Kelsey broke in, ‘is what made her all screwed up in the first place, because she wasn’t always like it—’

  ‘Kelsey—’

  ‘… but no one’s allowed to mention what turned her into a mental case,’ she went on defiantly. The accusation in her eyes was unmistakable as she glared at her father, but as Joy watched her she could see through to the anxiety of a confused and angry child.

  Looking at Sadler, Miles said, ‘What my wife did to our daughter was an isolated incident brought on by intense stress. No one is more horrified than Jacqueline by what she attempted to do.’

  ‘Have you spoken to her psychiatrist since she disappeared?’ Sadler wanted to know.

  ‘Yes, but apparently it’s been several months since my wife’s last visit.’

  ‘And you weren’t aware of that until now?’

  ‘I had an inkling, but short of carrying her there, I can’t force her to make her appointments.’

  ‘We’ll need to speak to the therapist.’

  ‘Then I’ll get you the name and number.’ As Miles walked across the room to the dining area, Sadler said to Kelsey, ‘Where do you think your mother might have gone?’

  Kelsey shrugged and shook her head. ‘She never tells me anything,’ she said in a tone that was meant to indicate she couldn’t care less, when there was little doubt that she did.

  Thinking of how close his own teenage daughters were to his wife – apocalyptic rows notwithstanding – Sadler found himself feeling sorry for the girl, since it was clear that she’d lost out on the normal type of mothering.

  Having found what he was looking for, Miles came back and handed a small business card to Joy so she could note the details.

  Sadler said, ‘I’m afraid, from what your daughter’s told us, Mr Avery, that it seems we can’t rule out the possibility of your wife being a possible danger to others.’

  Miles’s face paled. ‘What happened with Kelsey wasn’t a serious attempt on her life,’ he stated shortly. ‘She knew I’d be back any minute …’

  ‘Nevertheless …’

  ‘She tried to kill herself at the same time,’ Kelsey said. ‘Dad, you should tell them these things.’

  Sadler looked from father to daughter. ‘So she could also be a danger to herself?’ he said.

  Miles didn’t deny it.

  ‘How long ago was this attempt on her life?’

  ‘I told you, when I was twelve,’ Kelsey replied. ‘Which means, just over two years.’

  ‘Has she made any other attempts?’

  ‘Nothing to be taken seriously,’ Miles said gruffly.

  Sadler’s expression darkened. ‘So there have been others?’

  ‘It’s mainly talk. Once or twice she’s taken a few too many pills, not enough to do any real damage.’

  ‘Is she on any medication now?’

  ‘Antidepressants of some kind, I think. You’ll have to ask her doctor exactly what they are.’

  ‘I see. We’ll be sure to do that.’ Then, after pondering for a moment, ‘The fact that you called Ms Kane to ask if she’d heard from your wife suggests to me that you’re concerned for her.’

  ‘I’ve called a lot of people to find out if my wife has been in touch.’

  ‘But presumably they’re not all ex-lovers.’ Sadler’s eyebrows went up.

  Miles’s hostility was starting to show, but he said nothing to that, and in the end the inspector allowed himself to be stared down.

  ‘So, we’re agreed,’ Sadler began pedantically, ‘that your wife could not only present a risk to others, but to herself?’

  ‘If you must put it that way, but as—’

  ‘I think I’d be failing in my duty if I didn’t.’

  ‘As I said,’ Miles persisted, ‘she’s a very private woman.’

  ‘Which precludes nothing.’

  Miles didn’t argue.

  Getting to his feet, Sadler muttered something to Joy as she stood too. Then, referring to the report from the response team, she said, ‘We’re getting in touch with the phone companies, terrestrial and mobile … I see you’ve already been asked about credit cards and bank statements.’ She looked up expectantly.

  ‘My wife spends most of her time in London, so all her papers are there,’ Miles told her. ‘Obviously I’ve looked through them already, but I’ll do so again when I go back in a couple of days.’

  Joy nodded and returned to the report. ‘OK, DNA samples were taken yesterday. Doctor and dentist also in London. Can I just check that the personal details we have are correct? She is forty years old …’

  ‘She will be in a few weeks.’

  Checking the date the response team had taken, Joy nodded and continued. ‘She has blonde, collar-length hair, brown eyes, pale complexion, no distinguishing moles or birthmarks. She’s five foot seven, slim, and when you last saw her she was wearing a black knee-length coat over a skirt, not trousers, low-heeled black shoes, and she was carrying a dark-coloured bag with a beige design that could belong to a designer …’

  ‘It’s Fendi,’ Kelsey informed her.

  Joy smiled her thanks.

  ‘Is anything missing from her wardrobe?’ Sadler asked. ‘Anything to suggest a prolonged stay away? Has she taken her passport?’

  ‘I’ll check again to see if anything’s missing,’ Miles replied. ‘As for the passport, it’s more likely to be in London.’

  ‘The response officers asked for some photographs,’ Joy reminded him.

  ‘Of course,’ and going to a small table between the two sash windows Miles took out an envelope and passed it over. ‘They’re reasonably recent,’ he said, as Sadler shook them out and Joy came to look over his shoulder.

  Sadler and Joy gazed down at the shots of a softer, slightly more engaging woman than either of them had expected to see. Yet there was something about her eyes, Joy was thinking, that seemed to set her at a distance, in spite of the pleasant smile on her lips. However, this was just one captured
moment in amongst many, so one could tell nothing of what was really happening in her mind, much less her life, on that day.

  After sliding them back into the envelope, Sadler said, ‘I’m sure you’ll let us know if she does get in touch, or if anything else comes to mind that you think might be helpful.’

  ‘Of course,’ Miles said, and standing aside he let Sadler lead the way to the door.

  A few minutes later Sadler was circling his mud-spattered Ford Focus around the gravelled courtyard, while peering out at the rain-misted gardens to where a stream cut a gully alongside the drive before snaking off to join the lake. With such a profusion of game roaming freely around the place, pheasants, partridge, deer, rabbits, it almost wasn’t necessary to ask if Miles Avery owned a gun, but Sadler would ask, if it became relevant. He wondered how much he’d like to live in a place like this. He guessed quite a lot, but since his grandfather had not been chairman of a big oil company, nor his father a canny investor, he was never going to inherit the fortune that had evidently come Miles Avery’s way.

  ‘So what did you make of all that, Detective Constable?’ he asked, accelerating carefully over a humpback bridge to start heading down the tree-lined arc of the drive.

  Pleased to be asked, Joy inhaled thoughtfully. ‘Well, if we’re to believe all we were told,’ she began, ‘I’d say Mrs Avery sounds like a pretty mixed-up sort of woman. Kind of sad though, I think, rather than mad. I can’t make up my mind whether he cares about her or not. On the one hand he seems quite defensive where she’s concerned, but three weeks is a long time for someone you love to be missing and not report it, even if she does have a history of taking off on her own.’

  Sadler was nodding.

  ‘Also,’ Joy continued, ‘did you notice how he spoke about her in the past tense when he said, “She didn’t have a wide circle of friends”?’

  Impressed, Sadler said, ‘Yes, I did. A slip of the tongue? Or something more sinister?’

  Joy glanced at him.

  ‘The daughter’s bothering me,’ he said, hooting the horn to send a family of pheasants scuttling out of the way. ‘I think she’s probably even more mixed up than the mother. And lonely.’

  Joy’s eyes widened in surprise. Sadler didn’t have much of a reputation for being the touchy-feely type, but on the other hand, he did have three girls of his own.