Lynda La Plante: Blood Line

‘Maybe?’ Anna prompted.

‘I don’t know. It’s just not like him to take off without letting me know. He’s worked here for five years and he’s been a bloody good employee, always on time. In fact, he’s hardly ever taken a day off unless for his holidays.’

‘Do you know where he went on these holidays?’

Joe nodded. ‘Well, I know he went on a sailing trip in Turkey once and a number of times he went surfing in Cornwall.’ Joe gestured at the workshop. ‘His board is back there. He said he didn’t have much space in his flat and could he store it there. It was an expensive one, because I think he was pretty good at it. Do you want to see it?’

‘I don’t think so, thank you. What about his mobile phone?’

‘That was in his glove compartment. I think Tina came round for it when I wasn’t here.’

As they returned to Joe’s office Paul said he would need to have a word with the other mechanics before leaving. Anna thought there was really nothing else she could ask him, but Joe wanted to know if she felt that something bad had happened to Alan.

‘By bad, what do you mean?’

‘Well, it’s odd, isn’t it? He’s a good bloke, a hard worker, and for him to take off without a word to anyone isn’t like him, so maybe something has happened to him.’

‘Like what?’

‘I dunno – he’s got mugged or something. He was very particular about himself, always very spruced up. He wore a spotless white T-shirt under his overalls, even his jeans were pressed, and I know he worked out a lot in the local gym because he’d sometimes have his tracksuit with him. Even that was always pristine, and I don’t know how many times he’d wash his hands. Sometimes he’d even wear surgical rubber gloves if he was doing up an oily engine, and—’

Paul interrupted him. ‘You mind if I ask you something personal about Alan?’

Joe shook his head.

‘Was Alan Rawlins gay?’

‘ Gay? ’

‘Yes.’

Joe stared at him, then laughed. ‘Because of what I just told you about him? Well, if he was, he kept that well-hidden, and if you want my opinion, he was straight. He was getting married and there was no way he ever gave me any indication he was a poof. Is that what she says about him?’

‘She?’

‘Tina. I mean, she’d be the one to ask – right? Not that I have anything against them, but I’ve never employed one.’

‘A homosexual?’

‘Yeah. Sometimes this is heavy work, not to mention getting dirty and oil-streaked, so I’ve never had anyone light on their feet so to speak.’

Paul, irritated by Joe’s comments, left the office to go and speak with the other mechanics.

‘You said he worked out – do you know which gym?’

‘Yeah, he used a local gym called Body Form in Inwood Street, next to the park, did a bit of weight-lifting and ran the odd marathon for charity so he was fit. He was also a good-looking fella, not that he ever made it obvious. In fact, I don’t think he ever realised that he was a bit of a head-turner.’

‘How do you mean?’

‘Well, we had a girl in the office handling the calls a couple of years back. She had to go because we couldn’t afford her, but she was all of a-flutter if he came anywhere near her.’

Anna smiled and said that he had been very helpful and she appreciated the time he had given.

‘You never answered my question,’ Joe said, following her out.

‘I’m sorry, what question?’

‘You’re a detective and we’ve had people from some other Department for Missing Persons talking to us. What do you think has happened to him?’

‘That is what we are trying to find out, Mr Smedley.’

As Anna returned to the car she looked at her watch and realised that talking to Joe Smedley had taken longer than she had anticipated. It was a further ten minutes before Paul finished speaking to the mechanics in the workshop and she could then see him in the garage yard talking on his mobile. When Paul finally returned Anna found herself even more irritated as he stated the obvious.

‘Mechanics couldn’t add anything interesting. We’re running late,’ he said to Anna as he got into the car. ‘I called Dan Matthews, and he said he could wait – he’s a graphic designer and we’re seeing him in his studio. The other bloke, Julian Vickers, has had to put us off until later this morning. Just as well, as he’s all the way over in Kilburn.’

‘Why did you bring up that Alan might be gay?’

‘Way the hairy man was describing him – the clean white T-shirt, pressed jeans, rubber surgical gloves, all that – he was a mechanic, for chrissakes. Plus him being a fitness freak – I just thought he might be a closet.’

‘Really! Well, I don’t buy that. Let’s drop in at the Body Form gym Alan used. How long have we got?’

‘Two hours.’

‘Fine. Maybe we can also see if Tina is at work. I’d like to take a look at her salon.’

‘Whatever you say. But it was just a thought about Alan.’

‘Maybe best to keep your thoughts to yourself, Paul.’

They drove in silence for a while and then Paul asked Anna what she was thinking. She smiled.

‘Just making a food shopping list in my head for later.’ She didn’t tell him what was really on her mind. Sometimes it felt as if she was acting on autopilot, that everything she said and did was just going through the motions, but she was really elsewhere, in some kind of lethargic haze. It was becoming one of those days where she was finding it hard to motivate herself to do anything, let alone her job.

The Body Form gym was small and almost empty. There were two fitness instructors sitting at a coffee bar in a glassfronted area where some elderly women were having an aerobics class. Music was thudding out, but the rows of equipment were stationary. The weight room had one man lifting and he looked as if he was ready for a seizure. The manager, Benjamin Issacs, was a muscular giant of a man who was clearly into bodybuilding as a daily ritual. He introduced himself as ‘Big Ben’ and then took Anna and Paul to his office and invited them to take a seat. He recalled Alan Rawlins at one time being very regular, but over the past six months he had only been in to work out a couple of times. He said he was always polite, not a mixer – and then ‘Big Ben’ laughed, observing that Alan was very different from his girlfriend.

Tina was still a regular customer, coming in two or three times a week. She would take the advanced aerobic sessions and spend a lot of time at the coffee bar being very friendly and chatting to everyone. In fact, she had been there the previous night. He did know that Alan and Tina had met at the gym and added that he was surprised when they became engaged.

‘Why surprised?’

‘Well, she was really outgoing and he was the opposite – very quiet and studious, came in to work out and then left. He didn’t mix with anyone here, but she did. Yeah, Tina is definitely a mixer.’ Again he chuckled.

‘Give me a bit more detail on the mixer description?’ Anna said, smiling encouragement.

‘Well, not to slight her, but she did put it about a bit. She was sexy and she liked the body-builders; in fact, she went through the members like a dose of salts.’

‘What about after she became engaged?’

‘She behaved herself if he was around, but if he wasn’t, she’d be flirting as usual.’

‘With you, for instance?’

Ben nodded. ‘Yeah, we had a fling a few years back, but I’m married with kids and it just . . . couldn’t happen.’

‘Anyone you know of recently who she was having a fling with?’

‘No. To be honest, it’s very quiet and we’ve had to let a couple of guys go. Business isn’t as good as it was. We pick up more of an evening, but the daytime is virtually empty.’