Lynda La Plante - Twisted

‘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.’