Stephen Leather: Take Two

‘Well at least we know that she’s okay,’ said Jenny, taking back the phone and slipping it into her handbag.

‘Absolutely,’ said Richards. He took a deep breath and tried to fight the panic that was threatening to overwhelm him. Carolyn wasn’t okay. She was in a trunk at the bottom of the North Sea. So how the hell had she made the phone call.

‘Are you okay, Warwick?’ asked Jenny. ‘You look as white as a sheet.’

Richards grimaced and rubbed his stomach. ‘Feeling a bit queasy,’ he said. ‘Too much Cristal last night.’

‘You need to watch that,’ she said. ‘Too much bubbly can be bad for you.’ She smiled brightly. ‘Right, are you going to run me home? I feel like I need a shower after mingling with the great unwashed.’

Biddulph and Marriott showed their warrant cards to the security guard at the entrance to the studio car park and he told them where to leave their car. ‘What’s the plan this time?’ asked Marriott as Biddulph parked the car. ‘Do we do good cop, bad cop again?’ It was Monday morning, a cold day with grey skies threatening rain.

‘No problem, I’ve brought my Taser,’ said Biddulph as he parked and switched off the engine. ‘If she doesn’t come clean, I’ll Taser her.’ He flashed her a tight smile to show he was joking.

They went through to reception and asked to speak to Jenny Hall. The receptionist made a call and a few minutes later Paul Day appeared. He shook their hands and asked them why they needed to talk to Jenny.

‘It’s part of our ongoing investigation,’ said Biddulph.

‘To do with Carolyn?’ asked Day.

‘Connected with Miss Castle, yes,’ said Biddulph. ‘She hasn’t contacted you then?’

Day shook his head. ‘No. It’s been a week and we’re starting to get worried.’

‘Has she been missing for a week before?’

‘No, never more than a few days.’

‘Have you reported her as officially missing?’

‘The thing is, sometimes when you go into rehab the first thing they do is cut off all contact with the outside world. We’d look pretty stupid if we said she was missing and then she turns up at the Priory. And it’s not as if there are any suspicious circumstances.’

‘Some people might say a sudden disappearance is suspicious,’ said the inspector.

‘I know. ‘ Day rubbed his chin. ‘I’ll talk to Carolyn’s agent and see what he has to say. ‘Now you want Jenny, right?’

‘Just a few words, yes.’

‘She’s in make-up, between scenes,’ said the producer. ‘I’ll take you through.’

He went with them through the double doors and down a corridor and pushed open a door. Jenny was sitting in a chair while Tracey, the make-up artist, was applying mascara.

‘Jenny, darling, there are two police officers here want a word,’ said Day. ‘They were in to see your sister a while back.’

Jenny smiled at the two detectives in the mirror. ‘Inspector Biddulph and Sergeant Marriott, nice to see you,’ she said.

‘You know them?’ asked Day.

‘We went around to Carolyn’s house last week,’ said Marriott.

‘I don’t want to be a pain, but do you have any idea how long this is going to take?’ asked the producer. ‘We’re about to start a new scene.’

‘It’s as long as a piece of string, I’m afraid,’ said Biddulph.

‘I was hoping for something more specific actually,’ said Day. He patted Jenny on the shoulder. ‘We can shoot Seb’s close-ups and a few cutaways, so I can give you an hour. But try to cut it as short as you can.’ He nodded at the detectives and left the room.

Biddulph looked at the make-up artist. ‘We’d actually prefer to talk to Miss Castle privately,’ he said.

‘I’ll grab a coffee,’ she said.

‘Can you get me one, Tracey? Cappuccino? Two sugars.’

‘Sure,’ said Tracey. She put down her brush and mascara and left the room.

‘So how can I help you?’ Jenny asked the detectives.

‘I gather Miss Castle hasn’t been in touch,’ said Biddulph.

‘Actually she has,’ said Jenny. ‘She phoned me over the weekend.’

Biddulph frowned. ‘Mr Day doesn’t seem to be aware of that.’

Jenny bit down on her lower lip. ‘God, I completely forgot,’ she said. ‘How stupid of me.’

‘Did she say where she was?’

‘In rehab, but she didn’t say where. I didn’t actually speak to her, she left a message on my mobile.’

‘I don’t suppose you still have the message?’ asked the inspector.

‘Actually, I have. I didn’t delete it,’ said Jenny. She leaned over to the shelf in front of her chair and rifled through her handbag. She took out her phone, scrolled through the menu and handed the phone to the inspector.

Biddulph pressed the play button and listened to the message. ‘Well that’s interesting,’ he said when it had finished. He handed the phone back to her. ‘Very interesting indeed.’

‘I should have told Paul,’ said Jenny. ‘It just slipped my mind, being so busy and all.’

Biddulph nodded. ‘It would put his mind at rest.’

‘So why did you want to see me?’ asked Jenny.

‘We’ve been making some enquiries in Australia,’ said Biddulph. ‘And we’ve run into a bit of a problem.’ He looked at Jenny expectantly but Jenny shrugged, nonplussed. ‘Is there something you’d like to tell us, before this goes any further, Miss Hall?’

Paul was reading a copy of Broadcast magazine with his feet up on the desk when the door opened. It was Laura. ‘Carolyn’s here for a word,’ she said.

Day jolted as if he’d been stung. ‘Carolyn?’

Laura grimaced. ‘Sorry. Jenny, I mean. Jenny’s here.’

Day swung his legs off his desk as Jenny walked in to his office. ‘Darling, everything okay with the boys in blue?’

‘Grey more than blue,’ said Jenny. ‘They were asking about Carolyn, obviously. It reminded me that she’d left me a message over the weekend.’ She handed him her phone. ‘Have a listen for yourself.’

Day listened to the message on Jenny’s phone, and then gave it back to her. ‘At least we know she’s okay,’ he said. ‘But it would be nice if she’d told us where she was.’

Jenny sighed. ‘You haven’t got a cigarette, have you?’

‘I gave up years ago.’

‘I’m betting you’ve got a pack in your desk drawer though,’ said Jenny.

Day laughed and opened the top drawer, took out a pack of Rothmans and a cheap disposable lighter and gave them to her.

‘Told you.’ She laughed and lit one.

‘You know you can’t smoke inside,’ said Day. ‘I don’t know what the law is Down Under but in these parts it’s a hanging offence.’

‘I’ll plead ignorance,’ she said, and took a long pull on the cigarette.

‘Anyway, when did you start smoking?’ asked Day.

Jenny blew a tight plume of smoke up at the ceiling. ‘Since you made me a soap opera star,’ she said.

‘You’re becoming more and more like your sister, you know that?’

‘You say that like it’s a bad thing,’ laughed Jenny.

‘Just be careful,’ said Day. ‘I don’t want you going missing, not until we’ve wrapped up this episode, anyway.’

‘Then what?’

‘What do you mean?’ asked Day.

‘What happens to Diana Bourne? Will she be written out?’

‘That’s not going to happen,’ said Day. ‘The network loves the character.’

‘Even when I’m playing Diana?’

Day laughed. ‘To be honest. I think they prefer it with you playing the part.’

‘Well I’m only temporary, you know that,’ said Jenny. ‘As soon as she’s back, I’m off.’