A Proper Charlie (19 page)

She nodded absently. ‘Why wasn’t I told?’

Melvin laughed. ‘It hadn’t been made official until now. We can’t release something like that without permission.’

‘
But
you
knew.’ It wasn’t a question, it was an accusation that she couldn’t hold back. Fearing Melvin’s inquisitive nature she added, ‘Didn’t you?’

‘
Well, sure I knew. Our guys were down there getting the goss.’

‘
How’d they know it’s him?’

He closed the book with a thump. ‘Apparently, there have been several eyewitnesses reporting a red sports car carrying off a young girl.’

Charlie closed her eyes feeling ill. She had been in that very car!

‘
You all right, doll?’

Charlie was glad she was seated; her legs had suddenly become filled with liquid instead of bone. ‘Er, yes. Just a little indigestion.’ She patted her stomach. ‘This, er, sports car, do they know the make?’

‘
Not yet. A red convertible,’ Melvin said. His attention was on the ledger again.
‘Paul!’ he called, making Charlie jump. ‘Is the Collins’ proof ready for me yet? I really need it if it’s to be in for tomorrow.’

‘
All here, Mel.’ The proof was handed over as Charlie relayed events in her brain.

Melvin turned to her. ‘She was well known to the police apparently; been soliciting since twelve. It’s a sad case really. Abused as a kid, family breakdown ... no wonder she turned to drugs –’

‘
And that’s why she turned to prostitution to pay for the drugs,’ Charlie said. It wasn’t a question, but Melvin answered it anyway.

‘
In this case, yes. Her pimp reported her missing. Not because he was worried about her, but because he thought she’d run off with his money.’

Cold fingers iced Charlie’s back, and circled her throat. Her heart began to bolt in her chest, as if set free by invisible fingers. Then the tight, icy band lowered and pressed around her chest. Recognising the symptoms, Charlie forced herself to relax, and breathe as a kind nurse once taught her after her first panic attack when a boyfriend had dumped her. The boyfriend had called an ambulance because he feared she was having a heart attack. That was years ago now, but the horrible feeling of being unable to breathe had never left her.

‘
Charlie?’ Melvin had circled her desk, and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. ‘Sure it’s just indigestion?’

‘
What was the girl’s name?’ She knew the answer, although felt the need for confirmation.

‘
You’re looking pale, baby doll.’

Feeling stronger and her breathing calmed, she stared at Melvin unable to comprehend his words. ‘Her name?’

He shrugged. ‘Sally Readman,’ he said, unaware of the turmoil going on inside her head. Sally Readman. It was such an ordinary name, yet the woman it conjured up wasn’t ordinary at all. She had been a young girl lost to addiction.

‘
And are the police still calling it abduction o-or murder?’
Charlie felt the panic attack coming on again and battled against it. Visions of the red Audi and Sally climbing into it played in her mind. Why hadn’t she ran out and stopped her? Why didn’t she call the police before anything happened? The anguished thoughts flew around her head. She felt so responsible for the poor woman’s disappearance, almost as if she had urged her into the car herself.

‘
Baby doll?’ said Melvin. ‘You’re looking, like, really sick.’ He squatted beside her chair and peered up into her face.

Charlie shook her head. ‘I’m all right. It’s passing.’

‘
I’d forgotten you used to have panic attacks,’ Mel said. ‘How often do you have them now?’

‘
Not very often. I don’t know why this one happened,’ she lied. She began to stand. ‘But I need to know Mel, are the disappearances classed as murder?’

‘
They are looking for bodies, babe,’ he said gently, rising with her. ‘I’ll take you home. Did you come in your car?’

‘
Yes, but don’t be daft, you’re much too busy. It must be something I ate. I’ll be fine in a bit,’ she added, reaching for her handbag.

‘
I’m not letting you leave on your own in this state.’

She managed a laugh. ‘What state? I’m fine! You’re fussing as usual.’

‘
If you’re sure,’ Melvin said, looking doubtful.

‘
I’m sure.’ His telephone rang, and taking advantage of the distraction she left the office.

She waited patiently for the lift, not trusting her legs with the three flights of stairs.

She wanted to tell someone about her pretence as a prostitute and how she had known Sally Readman, but there was nobody to tell. Melvin would immediately forbid any further involvement when now it was all the more important. Sarah would tell Faye, and Faye would tell Melvin, and none of them would understand her need to uncover the mystery.

‘
Baby doll.’

Charlie turned to face Melvin standing in the doorway to the office.

‘
Melvin!’ someone shouted behind him.

‘
I’ll be fine,’ she said and smiled. ‘I’m feeling better already.’

‘
Call me as soon as you get home.’

‘
I’m going to pop to the chemist first.
Motilium
,’ she added, rubbing her stomach. ‘But as soon as I get in I’ll call you
.
’

‘
Mel!’ another voice shouted.

‘
I’m coming already,’ he yelled over his shoulder.

The lift doors slid open. Melvin made a ‘call me’ gesture with his hands.

‘
I will,’ she said and slipped inside.

The lift took her down. Outside at last, she sat on a bench and watched the traffic. She took out her notebook and flipped it open. There was the registration of the Audi she had written down from the café. It seemed a lifetime ago.

She rang the local police station on her mobile and gave them her account of the sightings of the Audi, but obviously could not describe the man driving, other than he had been wearing a dark coloured beanie hat the second time round.

The police asked her to go down to the station, which she obliged and where she repeated her story. She had to describe the car again, describe the woman the man had spoken to on the first occasion, and Sally on the second. She had to state times, and describe the way the driver seemed to be acting.

They kept on at her about the red car. How was she sure it was an Audi and not say, a BMW? Was she sure she’d seen the Audi logo on the front of the vehicle? How was she certain the man was Scottish? Did she know her accents?

Finally, she handed over the envelope with the petrol receipt. The police had acted as if she had brought out the crown jewels. She explained that she had found it in the back of the red Audi and they looked at her in a new kind of awe.

Then she lied and pretended she was a freelance journalist. Whether
they believed her or not, Charlie didn’t really care.

Once home she cleared away her uneaten soggy breakfast and finally washed up last night’s meal. She emptied the washing machine, and set about doing her ironing, hoping normality would make things OK again, but it didn’t. Her thoughts were never far from Sally and her disappearance, and her first early night, turned into a restless one.

TWENTY SIX

B
en sat on the small bed with his head in his hands. He had been in the cell since the early hours of the morning. Luckily, it had only been Iris and himself awake, enjoying an early Saturday morning coffee in the kitchen while discussing whether life on Mars had been probable, and Iris, although worried, promised not to tell Donald as the police led Ben towards their car.

Apparently, someone had reported his red Audi acting suspiciously on several occasions, and worse, picking up Sally Readman. During his interview an officer had come in and whispered in the ear of his interrogator, and since then he’d been taken to a cell and seemingly left.

Worried that ‘a simple misunderstanding’ wasn’t going to wash with the police, Ben decided he’d better call Anthony Lord, his lawyer friend.

‘
What the bloody hell’s going on?’ was the first thing Anthony said on seeing Ben. ‘You’ve had the police officers of this branch all excited thinking they’ve captured the Gentleman Abductor!’ He’d raked his hair. Paced one way and then the other. ‘Growing up I always knew there was something weird about you. You were always too quiet and continually had your nose buried in Astrology books –’

‘
Astronomy,’ Ben corrected.

‘
Whatever,’ Anthony said.

‘
Are you going to get me out of here?’

Anthony folded his arms across his chest. ‘Of course, but first tell me what the hell’s been going on?’

‘
I don’t want the media to find out about this. It’s personal family business, but Cam’s gone missing –’

‘
No!’

‘
She ran away after mum’s funeral. But the worse thing is she’s somehow become mixed up with Sally Readman –’

‘
Sally?’ He looked startled.

‘
The prostitute.’

‘
I know who you mean, go on,’ said Anthony.

‘
I’ve been driving around the red-light area trying to find this Sally to track down Camilla. Stupid I know, but someone’s got to do it, and the PI I hired seemed incapable.’ Ben gripped the back of his neck with both hands. ‘And then I did find her – not that she gave much away about Cam. She was one aggressive lady, this Readman. This kidnapper must’ve had a tough time,’ he muttered crossly.

‘
Oh, bless him,’ Anthony said sarcastically.

Ben looked up. ‘I didn’t mean… Oh, hell, it doesn’t seem to matter what I mean anyway, the police are intent in locking me up.’

‘
Hmm,’ Anthony said. ‘At the moment they’ve nothing on you. Your car’s been swept and they’ve admitted they’ve found nothing. I’ll go and see if I can get things moving –’ he moved towards the door.

‘
Wait!’ Ben licked his lips as Anthony turned to stare at him. ‘My father’s been ill, and I don’t want him finding out about this. About me being here, I mean.’ He already thinks I’m a complete and utter loser, he added silently to himself.

‘
OK,’ Anthony said. ‘I heard he’s been in hospital. Is he going to be all right?’

‘
He had a severe angina attack,’ Ben answered grimly. ‘He doesn’t know what I’ve been doing to find Cam,’ he added quickly, ‘and that’s the way I want to keep it.’

‘
I see.’ Anthony said. ‘So you don’t want me to reveal to the police why you were kerb crawling, or that your sister was friendly with a prostitute, and keep the press and your father out of the picture?’

‘
That’s right.’

‘
Piece of piss.’

It seemed like an eternity before Anthony came back, but it probably had only been an hour. Ben couldn’t really tell, since his watch and all his personal possessions had been taken away.

‘
You’re free to leave,’ Anthony said on entering his cell. ‘Your car has been impounded as you know, after witnesses saw it – you – driving suspiciously and questioning call-girls.’ He beamed. ‘A witness came forward and saved you. This witness had taken down your number plate on two occasions, and had an excellent description of your car. He or she saw Readman get into your car five minutes before midnight, and this was
before
reports came in that Readman was happily walking the streets and turning tricks. The witness wasn’t even a prostitute or a party reveller, he or she was a city worker and a reliable witness, and that’s all they’d tell me. You’re in the clear, Benny boy. Still, I for one am relieved to know that you haven’t resorted to kerb crawling.’

Ben grunted. ‘I’ve been sitting here wasting time when I could have been searching for Cam! There’s a possible murderer out there and –’

‘
Report her missing,’ he said.

Ben had thought of going against his father’s wishes, especially now since Readman’s disappearance. But he shook his head. ‘If her name comes up in the paper then we’ll never see her again, of that I’m sure.’

‘
I think you’re underestimating her,’ Anthony said. ‘Or patronising her at worst. She must be all grown up by now. How old is she, anyway? Christ, I haven’t seen your family for ages!’

Ben looked blank. ‘She’s just a kid. A young girl who’s had everything she’s ever wanted. She couldn’t survive on the streets –’

‘
I’m sure she isn’t stupid enough to get mixed up with prostitutes and all their baggage. And,’ Anthony added as Ben grunted, ‘you can bet she’ll be reading the news about this psycho and staying well clear. So, have her and the old man been arguing again?’

‘
It was a huge argument this time, and probably the cause of Father’s illness. It turns out that my father isn’t Cam’s natural father, at all. It’s a mess, Ant.’