Stephen Leather: Take Two

‘I’m the black sheep of the family,’ she said.

‘Can we talk to her?’ asked Biddulph.

‘She’s not here right now,’ said Jenny.

‘Do you know where she is?’

‘Not really, no.’

‘I’m sorry,’ said Biddulph. ‘You mean she’s missing?’

‘I’ve just got here, and she hasn’t been around for a few days.’

‘Has someone reported her missing?’

‘I spoke to her bosses at the production company and they said not to worry, that she sometimes checks herself into a clinic.’

‘Why?’ asked Biddulph.

‘To dry out,’ said Jenny. She made a drinking motion with her hand. ‘My sister has a bit of a drinking problem. Not like me. I drink too much, I fall over. No problem.’ She laughed. ‘Sorry. Old joke.’

‘So you’re saying she’s in a clinic somewhere?’

‘I don’t know. She’s only missed two days at work and they say she’s done it before. Plus they’ve been having arguments over the show. You should talk to the producer, Paul Day.’

‘What sort of arguments?’ asked Biddulph.

‘I’m really not sure. About her role, I think. Stuff like that. But like I said, you need to talk to Paul Day.’

Biddulph looked up at the house. ‘And you’re staying here now?’

Jenny nodded. ‘I told Carolyn I was coming over a couple of weeks ago. She was supposed to collect me at the airport but she didn’t turn up.’

‘So how did you get into the house?’ asked Biddulph.

‘She left a set of keys for me and I knew the burglar alarm code.’

‘Who did she leave the keys with?’ asked Biddulph.

‘She left them under a rock,’ said Jenny.

‘A rock?’

Jenny smiled. ‘In the back garden. A plastic rock. She always leaves a set there, has done for as long as she’s had the house. I can show you if you want.’

‘No, that’s okay,’ said Biddulph. ‘I have to say, Miss Hall, you seem very relaxed about your sister’s disappearance.’

‘I was a lot less relaxed when I first got here, but no one else seems to be worried so I thought I’d wait a few days and see if she turns up. Can I ask you why you want to talk to her?’

‘It’s part of an on-going investigation. When she does turn up could you ask her to call me?’ Biddulph took a business card from his wallet and gave it to her.

Jenny studied the card and nodded. ‘Absolutely,’ she said.

The entry phone buzzed and Richards jumped. Every time it sounded he expected to see Carolyn on the screen, soaking wet and back to haunt him. He walked over to the unit, his heart pounding, but it was only Halpin. ‘Can I come up, boss?’ he asked.

Richards buzzed him in and fetched a bottle of brandy from his drinks cabinet. He poured himself a slug and another for Halpin. He tossed in ice cubes and had Halpin’s drink ready for him when the lift doors opened.

‘Cheers, boss,’ said Halpin, taking the glass.

‘How did it go?’

‘All good,’ said Halpin. ‘Bit messy but then guns always are. Took his wallet and his watch. The cops’ll think it was a robbery.’ He took a gulp of brandy.

‘And your alibi’s rock solid?’

‘Played poker, lost a monkey, serves me right. You?’

‘I was in the club all night. Terry, that black guy who’s pally with Carolyn, was there and Jenny was with him.’

Halpin’s eyes hardened as he looked at Richards over the top of his glass.

‘Don’t give me that look,’ said Richards.

‘What look?’

‘You know what look. We just had a few drinks.’

Halpin shrugged. ‘None of my business, boss,’ he said.

‘Actually it worked out well. We went back to her place afterwards. Well, Carolyn’s place. And I managed to get a look at her passport and driving licence.’

‘You’re serious?’

‘Damn right.’ He reached into his pocket and took out a piece of paper. He’d copied Jenny’s date of birth and address from his phone. ‘And don’t worry, Anita from the club was there as chaperone.’

Halpin took the piece of paper and looked at it. ‘Both the passport and the driving licence were Australian?’

Richards nodded. ‘Yeah, and both in the name of Jenny Hall.’

‘I don’t get the Aussie passport,’ said Halpin. ‘She was born in Britain, right?’

‘Yeah, but she married an Australian so she got citizenship.’

‘Date of birth was the same?’

‘Yeah.’

Halpin put the piece of paper into his wallet. ‘I’ll get my guy to look for a birth certificate for her and Carolyn. I’ll feel happier knowing who she really is.’

‘She’s Jenny Hall. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that,’ said Richards.

Halpin shrugged. ‘I don’t know. She seems to have come from nowhere. And she appeared the day after we killed her sister.’

‘So?’

Halpin sighed. ‘I don’t know, boss. I can’t work it out, but something doesn’t feel right.’

‘Check away then,’ said Richards, putting down his glass. ‘But she seems just fine to me.’

‘I know I’m talking out of order, boss, but can I say something?’

‘Can I stop you?’

‘Sure. Just tell me to shut my mouth and I’ll do it. But this girl, I think she’s trouble. I think you should keep away from her. As things stand, we’re in the clear. I want it to stay that way.’

‘You think I want to go to prison?’

‘Of course not. But I can see you like her, and that spells trouble.’

‘By her you mean Jenny?’

‘Jenny, Carolyn, they’re the bloody same, boss. That’s what you don’t seem to get. We killed Carolyn and you cozying up to her twin sister doesn’t change that.’

Richards nodded. ‘Okay,’ he said.

‘Okay?’ repeated Halpin.

‘Okay, now you can shut your mouth,’ said Richards. ‘You’ve said your piece but what I do or don’t do with Jenny Hall is nobody’s business but mine.’ His mobile phone rang and he continued to glare at Halpin as he took the call. ‘Yeah?’

‘Warwick? It’s Jenny.’

Richards turned his back on Halpin. ‘Hey, good to hear from you. Everything okay?’

‘Everything is fine and dandy. I’m calling to ask a favour.’

‘Anything.’

‘I’ve been asked to open a supermarket tomorrow and I could do with some moral support. And a ride.’

Richards laughed. ‘Sure. What time do you need picking up?’

Richards arrived at Carolyn’s house just before mid-day. Jenny let him in and made coffee for him in the kitchen. ‘You’ll never guess what I found last night,’ said Jenny as she slotted a pod into the coffee maker.

‘Amaze me,’ said Richards.

‘An old photo album,’ she said. ‘It’s in the sitting room. Bring it in, will you?’

Richards went through to the sitting room. There was a large leather-bound photo album on the coffee table. He picked it up and took it back to the kitchen. Jenny put two cups of cappuccino on the table and sat down. Richards joined her and opened the album.

‘I had no idea Carolyn had this,’ said Jenny.

The first photograph was of a pretty brunette in a hospital bed holding two babies swathed in white cotton.

‘I think our father must have taken that.’

There were dozens of snapshots of the babies with the mother but only a couple with the father, a tall man with a piercing stare. In one picture had had the two babies clutched to his chest and there was a look of confusion on his face as if he was unsure how he should be holding them.

‘Carolyn never talked about your father,’ said Richards.

‘He wasn’t a good dad,’ said Jenny. ‘Don’t get me wrong, he wasn’t abusive, he never hurt us or anything, but he was cold.’ She shrugged. ‘If it had been more of a family, I probably wouldn’t have run away to Australia.’