Deborah Crombie - In A Dark House

“No,” Kincaid agreed, thinking of the damage their own difficulties with Eugenia had caused Kit. “Do you know why Laura’s always angry with Tony?”

Again Monica looked uncomfortable. “Look, I really don’t want to gossip. Surely that’s their affair.”

“Under ordinary circumstances, yes,” Gemma told her earnestly, “but Tony Novak has reported both his ex-wife and his daughter missing. The more we know about what was going on between Tony and Laura, the more likely we are to get to the bottom of this quickly.”

Monica blanched. “But you said Laura – Harriet’s missing, too?”

“Her father thinks so, and there’s no answer next door. You’re sure you didn’t see any signs that Laura and Harriet were going away for a weekend?”

“No. It is odd, though, now that I think about it,” Monica said slowly. “On Friday – Friday morning, it would have been – I think I saw Tony’s car. I just happened to look out the window, then I had a phone call, and when I looked out next it was gone. It’s a dark green Volvo sedan, not all that common. When Tony and Laura split up, Laura kept the house and Tony got the car – not a great sacrifice for Laura, as she thinks it wrong to own a nonessential automobile.”

“A nonessential car?” Kincaid echoed, puzzled.

“You know. She’s very green-minded – one should use public transport at all times. I daresay the world would be a better place if we all went along with that, but most of us aren’t willing to make Laura’s sort of sacrifices.”

“So if Laura had suddenly decided to take Harriet away somewhere for an extended period, she couldn’t just have popped a few things in the boot and taken off,” Kincaid said, thinking aloud. “She would have had to hire a car or a taxi.”

“But why would Laura want to take Harriet away?” Monica asked.

“Perhaps she was afraid of Tony. It appears he has a bit of a temper.”

“Tony?” Monica looked surprised. “It’s Laura who’s always flying off the handle, not Tony.”

Kincaid thought of the man he’d met yesterday at the shelter. Had Tony Novak kept his aggressive tendencies well hidden outside the family, or had yesterday’s behavior been an aberration? “You’re sure you didn’t actually see Tony, just his car?”

“I’m positive.”

“Did you hear anything from next door during that time?”

Monica shook her head. “No. And the car can’t have been there more than five or ten minutes, tops. I wasn’t on the phone for that long.”

Gemma leaned forward, creating a little zone of intimacy between the two women. “You said before that it was Laura who was always angry. Was it Laura who wanted to end the marriage?” she asked with an air of frank curiosity that invited confidence.

“Oh, yes, she made that clear to anyone who would listen. I don’t know if it was one woman or many, but Tony obviously got caught out. Well,” Monica added, “with Tony’s looks I suppose it wasn’t surprising he should be tempted to play away from home – I suppose even Heathcliff needed some light relief occasionally.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she looked ashamed. “Oh, I’m sorry. That was really uncalled for. Look, I really do hope nothing’s happened to Laura. It’s just that she’s not an easy person. And Harriet – Harriet’s a great kid. Surely she’s all right?” There was an appeal in her voice.

“Does Harriet get on with her dad?” Kincaid asked, sidestepping the implied question.

“Adores him. And vice versa. He must be frantic with worry.”

That, Kincaid thought, certainly described Tony Novak’s state the previous day. But in that case, why had he not informed the police of his concerns? And what had he been doing at the house on Friday morning?

“We will need descriptions of Laura and Harriet, if you wouldn’t mind,” he told her.

“But didn’t Tony-”

“We just need a verification.”

Gemma pulled out her notebook for the first time.

“Well, Laura’s in her midthirties, about my height, but thin, with curly dark hair and dark eyes. And Harriet – Harriet’s about average size for a ten-year-old. She’s thin like her mother, and she inherited her mother’s hair, but she looks more like her dad.”

“Eye color?” asked Gemma, her pen poised.

“Gray. A dark gray.” Monica looked increasingly distressed.

Kincaid finished his coffee with regret and pulled a business card from his pocket. “If you think of anything else, or you see Laura or Harriet, please call.”

Monica studied the card, then looked up at him. “I didn’t really take it in when you introduced yourself, the fact that you were a superintendent. Aren’t you a little overqualified for a welfare call?”

“There’s a possibility that Laura Novak’s disappearance may be related to some other matters we’re investigating, but I’m afraid that’s all we can say at the moment.” Before she could pursue it further, he stood, and Gemma followed his cue.

Monica saw them to the door, her pleasant face etched with worry. When they reached the threshold, she stopped suddenly. “What about Mrs. Blakely – Bleckley – something like that. Have you spoken to her?” Seeing their blank expressions, she went on. “The woman who keeps Harriet when Laura has to work nights. When Tony and Laura were together, they made sure to schedule night duties so that one of them could be home, but now Laura has to use a child minder. Not that I haven’t offered to have Harriet here, but Laura didn’t like to be beholden to anyone.”

“Can you give me an address?”

“No, not exactly. I know she lives in those cottages on Redcross Way, across from the school. That made it convenient for Harriet to get to school on the mornings she had to stay.” Her lips curved in a half smile. “Harriet’s always telling my Jamie that the woman’s a witch. I’ve had to reassure him that’s there’s no such thing.”

“I hope you’re right,” Kincaid said with a passing thought for his former mother-in-law.

“Did you by any chance notice a little bias on behalf of Tony Novak?” said Gemma as they climbed back into her car. “How often do other women side with the straying husband rather than the wronged wife?”

“Monica Karimgee wasn’t just forgiving his apparent lapses, she was almost justifying them,” mused Kincaid. “Which makes me think that either she’s smitten with him herself or that Laura Novak does not endear herself to people.”

Gemma gave him a sidelong glance. “You didn’t tell me he was good-looking.”

“Didn’t occur to me. But I suppose he is, in a dark and brooding sort of way. Hence the Heathcliff reference. What I don’t understand is why, if it wasn’t his weekend to have Harriet, Novak was so sure she and Laura were missing.” Rubbing his thumb over his chin, Kincaid stared at the house. “And what was he doing here? I doubt very much that he’s welcome to come and go as he pleases. Did Laura let him in? Or did he go in on his own?”

“Maybe he saw something in the house that made him think Laura had taken Harriet, but he didn’t want to admit he’d been inside. But that wouldn’t explain why he was there in the first place. And you’d think, given the hostile state of their relationship, that Laura would have changed the locks.” Gemma fished her A to Z from the driver’s door pocket. “What about this child minder? She might be able to tell us something.” Redcross Way, she saw from the map, was very close, just the other side of Union Street.

Glancing at his watch, Kincaid said, “Possibly, but I think the most urgent things on our agenda are finding Tony Novak, and barring that, getting a warrant to search Laura Novak’s house. And right now I’ve got to meet Cullen and Bell at Borough station. I’m late as it is.”