Stephen Leather - Take Two

‘And how long are you going to be?’ asked Jenny, smiling over the top of her glass.

‘I’ll finish this and then I’ll be off,’ he said.

‘Well it’s been nice meeting you, anyway,’ said Jenny. ‘When Carolyn turns up we should have a night out, the three of us.’

‘I’d like that,’ said Richards. ‘I’d like that a lot.’

Richards climbed into the Lexus and took out a cigar. ‘You are not going to believe this,’ he said. He opened the window, bit the end off the cigar and spat it onto the pavement. ‘I’m not sure I believe it myself.’ He lit the cigar.

‘Believe what, boss?’ asked Halpin.

Richards blew smoke out through the window. ‘It’s her sister.’

‘Her sister?’ repeated Halpin incredulously.

‘Her name’s Jenny.’

‘I didn’t know she had a sister.’

‘Neither did I,’ said Richards thoughtfully.

‘She didn’t mention it?’

‘It didn’t come up.’ He blew more smoke through the window. ‘She’s a twin.’

‘A twin?’

‘Like two peas in a pod,’ said Richards. ‘Jenny’s a bit blonder and a lot more Australian, but other than that they’re pretty much identical.’

‘Australian?’

‘She flew in this morning. Carolyn was supposed to be at the airport to meet her.’ He saw the curtains twitch at the front window. ‘We should move on, she’s watching us.’

Halpin indicated and pulled away from the kerb. ‘Is she a problem, this Jenny?’

Richards turned to look at Halpin, frowning. ‘In what way?’

‘She’s realised her sister’s gone missing. And you turn up at her house at midnight. If she tells the cops, they might put two and two together.’

‘No reason for them to,’ said Richards. ‘I said I knew her sister and was just passing by.’

‘At midnight?’

‘She seemed to buy it, I don’t know why the cops shouldn’t.’

‘I’m just saying. We don’t want to be on their radar, that’s all.’

‘What are you saying? You want to go back and do her as well?’

‘I’m not saying that at all, boss. If anything, I suppose you going around there makes you less of a suspect. I mean, why would you do that if you knew she was dead?’

‘Exactly,’ said Richards.

He didn’t say anything for a few minutes, then he looked across at Halpin. ‘You are one hundred percent sure that trunk’s at the bottom of the North Sea?’

Halpin looked offended, opened his mouth to reply, and then stopped himself. ‘You’re joking, right?’

Richards grinned. ‘Of course I am, you soft bastard.’

Billy found a parking space about a hundred feet from Carolyn Castle’s front door. He took out his mobile phone and called her number but it went straight through to her voicemail. He put his phone back in his pocket and got out of the car and walked to the house. It was eight-thirty and they were supposed to be at the studio at nine-thirty. There was no filming to be done but all the cast and the senior crew members had to attend a read-through. He pressed the doorbell and waited for a minute or so and then pressed it again. He heard footsteps and then the door opened. He smiled and was about to wish her good morning when he was hit by a tirade of abuse. ‘What the fuck are you doing ringing the bell at this time of the morning? Do you have any fucking idea what time it is?’

Billy stepped back in surprise. ‘What?’

‘It’s hardly even light, what the hell are you doing?’

‘Miss Castle, are you okay?’

‘Miss Castle?’ She sighed. ‘I’m not Miss Castle. I’m Mrs Hall.’

‘Is this some sort of joke, Miss Castle? Because really, I don’t get it.’ He held up his hands. ‘If you want me to give you a few minutes to get yourself together, I’ll wait in the car.’

She sighed and folded her arms. She was wearing pale blue silk pyjamas and had a gold crucifix around her neck that Billy had never seen before. ‘You’re Carolyn’s driver, right?’

Billy narrowed his eyes. For the first time he noticed her hair was lighter and shorter than when he’d last seen her and she had an Australian accent. ‘I’m getting really confused here,’ he said. ‘You’re not Miss Castle?’

‘I’m her sister,’ she said.

‘I didn’t know she had a sister.’

‘What, did she tell you everything? Did she tell you we left home in our teens because our stepfather was a bastard?’

‘Actually, yes, she did,’ said Billy. ‘But she never mentioned a sister.’

‘Yeah, well, like I keep telling everyone, I was the black sheep.’ She held out her hand. ‘I’m Jenny.’

Billy shook her hand. ‘From Australia?’

‘What was the clue?’ she asked.

Billy laughed. ‘Yeah, I picked up the accent,’ he said. ‘So where is Miss Castle?’

‘Why do you call her Miss Castle?’

‘That’s our company’s policy,’ he said. ‘We never refer to clients by their first name.’

‘God, you English are so prim and proper,’ said Jenny. ‘No one would stand for that in Oz. Don’t tell me you tug your forelock as well?’

Billy didn’t say anything.

‘Now I’ve offended you,’ she said. She held the door open. ‘Why don’t you come in, I’ll let you know what’s happening.’

‘I’m just here to pick up Miss Castle,’ said Billy.

‘I won’t bite,’ said Jenny. She gestured with her thumb. ‘Come on in. If it makes you feel better you can call me Mrs Hall. Or Miss Hall. Mr Hall has been out of the picture for a few years.’

Billy hesitated but Jenny had already walked down the hall. He crossed the threshold and closed the door. Jenny was in the kitchen, switching on the kettle. ‘Coffee?’

‘We really need to be making a move,’ said Billy. ‘Is Miss Castle ready?’

‘She’s gone AWOL, Billy. Absent without leave.’

‘Since when?’

“I don’t know. I arrived on Saturday and she was supposed to pick me up at the airport.’

‘I brought her back here on Friday,’ said Billy. ‘Have you called the police?’

‘Not yet,’ said Jenny. ‘Her car’s parked outside and it’s not as if there were signs of a break-in or anything.’

‘But she’s missing, right?’

‘I don’t think the police will do anything unless they think a crime’s been committed. That’s how it works in Oz, anyway.’

‘I’ll have to call the studio, they’ll be expecting us.’

‘I tell you what, why don’t you make us coffee while I get ready and you can drive me to the studio. I was planning on going there today to see if they know where she is.’

Billy looked at his watch. ‘I’ll have to phone the director.’

Jenny breezed by him, heading for the stairs. ‘Whatever makes you happy, Billy. I’ll just pop into the shower.’

Paul Day pushed open the door to the props department. ‘Terry? Are you there?’ One of Terry’s assistants, a pretty black girl called Sue, looked up from a computer. ‘He’s on the set, Paul.’

‘Thanks darling,’ said Day. He walked down the corridor to the main set area. The red light above the door was off, there was no filming planned for that day. He pushed the double doors open. ‘Terry?’

‘Over here,’ shouted Terry. He was in the main office, sitting at Diana’s desk and arranging a spreadsheet on her computer for a close-up that would be shot the next day.

‘Do you know a Jenny Hall?’ asked Day. ‘She’s at reception with some cock and bull story about being Carolyn’s sister.’

Terry looked up from the spreadsheet. ‘Sure. But she’s in Australia.’

‘Apparently not,’ said Day. ‘Okay, I’ll have her in. Any sign of Carolyn?’