Линда Ла Плант - Unholy Murder

‘Did you have any further contact with Detective Harris?’

‘I called him a couple of times, but he told us there were no further developments. A year later I travelled to London and went to Bromley police station. I spoke with a sergeant who told me Detective Harris had retired. He checked the station missing persons records and told me Melissa’s file was still there, but there was no update on her whereabouts.’

It was clear to Jane that DC Harris had accepted Mother Adele and Bishop Malone’s word as gospel and let her missing person file gather dust in a filing cabinet. Worse still, he hadn’t even bothered to notify the Missing Persons Bureau at Scotland Yard.

‘Did you make any other inquiries while you were in London, Mr Bailey?’ Jane asked.

‘I went to the convent, but it was closed down. I spoke with a priest at the local Catholic church. He told me there had been a fire at the convent and it was going to be sold.’

‘Can you remember the priest’s name?’ Jane asked.

‘I’m sorry. It escapes me now.’

‘Do you remember exactly where the church was?’

‘Yes, it was just down the road from the convent.’

Jane knew it was St Mary’s. ‘Did you ask the priest if he knew Melissa?’

‘He said he didn’t but he offered to make some inquiries at the diocesan offices for me. I spoke with him again a couple of days later. He said he’d spoken with the bishop who showed him the letter of dispensation he’d signed for Melissa to leave the sisterhood. He told me the bishop said all the convent sisters’ details had been destroyed in the fire, and there wasn’t a lot the Church could do to help me find Melissa because she had renounced her faith and left the convent. But he was very understanding. I gave him my address and phone number in Canada. He said he’d contact me if he heard anything about Melissa’s whereabouts. But I didn’t hear from him again.’

‘Did he mention the bishop’s name?’ Jane asked.

‘Probably, but again, I can’t remember now. I didn’t know what else to do, so I returned to Canada. I hoped and prayed that one day Melissa would contact us, but as the years went by Fiona and I knew something bad must have happened.’ Jane thought she could hear him choking back a sob.

‘I’m deeply sorry for your loss, Mr Bailey. Our investigation is progressing quickly and I believe we are getting close to discovering who killed your daughter.’

‘Do you have any suspects?’ he asked.

‘Yes, but legally I can’t tell you who they are at present. We hope to make some arrests in the next few days. I will phone you to update you. If you want to speak to me, or there’s anything else you remember that might be important, just call me in the office. If I’m not here leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.’

‘Do you think someone at the convent killed her?’ he asked, sounding bitter.

‘We are looking at a number of possibilities. I can tell you Melissa had packed her suitcase and was going to leave the convent. We think she may have been killed on the night she tried to do so. It would be wrong of me to speculate any further... but rest assured we will find whoever was responsible for her death.’

‘I hope you do. Inspector Tremblay asked about Melissa’s dental records. I have them. The Kingston officer who advised us said it would be worthwhile getting them from our dentist in case our fears became a reality, which they now have. I was thinking of flying over to view Melissa’s body and arrange for her to be flown back to Canada for burial.’

‘That’s understandable, Mr Bailey. I will speak with the coroner and ask if Melissa’s body can be released. He will probably ask for a second post-mortem to be done first. I will call you as soon as I’ve spoken to him.’

Lawrence started to cry and must have handed the phone to Tremblay, because his was the next voice Jane heard.

‘I’ve had the dental records and your faxed copy taken to our forensic odontologist. I’m expecting a result in the next hour or so. I’ll get straight back to you when it comes in,’ Tremblay said.

Jane thanked him and said she would be on her home number in half an hour.

When she got home, Jane poured herself a glass of wine and waited for the phone to ring. It wasn’t long before Tremblay called.

‘Melissa had a filling, a chipped tooth and two wisdom teeth removed when she was sixteen so braces could be fitted. Your odontologist noted the same in his report regarding the chip and missing teeth. It would seem Melissa Bailey is your victim. I’ve faxed a copy of our odontologist’s confirmed identification and Melissa’s dental record to double check your end. I also phoned Mr Bailey to let him know the result. As you can imagine, he and Fiona were even more devastated having their fears finally confirmed. Lawrence wanted to fly to the UK tomorrow, but I persuaded him it was best to wait until you’d spoken with the coroner.’

‘Thanks for all your help, inspector... especially for informing the Baileys. I know it can’t have been easy.’

Tremblay sighed. ‘They say knowing what happened to a loved one is supposed to give some kind of closure, but the truth is, it never does. I wish you well in your investigation. Please let me know the outcome.’

‘I will,’ Jane said, and put the phone down.

She found herself thinking of Nick again and started to dial his home number but stopped halfway through. She was tired, it had been a stressful day and she didn’t think she could deal with an emotional argument.

Jane finished her glass of wine then went upstairs to change into her pyjamas. As she closed the bedroom curtains, she noticed a green Range Rover go past her house and stop about forty yards up the road. The streetlights were too dim to be able to read the number plate, but Jane suspected it was Nick’s car. She switched the bedroom light off, then peered through the curtains and watched as the driver did a U-turn and parked up. If it was Nick, she wondered why he didn’t park outside her house. She waited to see if the driver got out of the car, but there was no movement. Then, as a small car drove past the Range Rover, its headlights lit up the driver.

‘What the hell are you playing at?’ Jane said to herself, watching Nick sink down in the driver’s seat.

Jane put her slippers on, hurried downstairs and opened the front door. She heard the Range Rover’s engine start and watched as it slowly pulled away from the kerb with no lights on. She walked into the middle of the road and stood with her hands on her hips blocking the way. The car stopped in front of her, and she marched up to the driver’s side window.

‘Are you bloody well spying on me?’ she demanded.

Nick slowly wound down the window, shame-faced. ‘No. I was trying to build up the courage to knock on your door and talk to you.’

‘Did you come here last night as well?’ she asked brusquely. Nick nodded.

‘We definitely need to talk, then,’ she said, spotting Gerry watching from his living-room window.

‘Are you seeing—’ Nick began.

‘Not out here!’ She stomped indoors.

Nick parked his car and followed her inside.

‘What the hell is going on, Nick?’ she asked as he entered the living room.

‘I saw you kissing another man,’ he said. ‘If there’s someone else, I’d rather you just told me and ended our relationship.’

She raised her eyebrows. ‘There’s nobody else. It certainly wasn’t me you saw kissing someone.’

‘I know what I saw, Jane,’ he replied.

‘Where and when was this supposed to have happened?’

‘Yesterday afternoon. I’d just left my father’s place and saw you outside the house next to St Mary’s. You were with a tall, dark-haired man in a grey tracksuit. You were touching his arm... then you hugged and kissed him.’