DEAD GONE (14 page)

He made a beeline for Rossi, who was still sat at her desk.

‘Laura, get the address for one of these names,’ Murphy told her, finding the two possible mispers on a sheet of paper. ‘We’re going to see them. Boss’ orders. We’re taking the photo Houghton gave us, hopefully they’ll be able to recognise her from it.’

‘Okay, any particular one?’

‘Take your pick. Brannon can go see the other.’

‘Right.’ He noticed her wince slightly. Rossi pulled up the names, and wrote down the address for the first name on the list.

‘Stephanie Dunning,’ Murphy said. ‘Let’s go see what you’ve left behind.’

He nursed his cup of cheap-tasting coffee, watching through the window of the cafe as two truck drivers smoked and chatted outside. Mused on whether the services on this motorway differed to any other.

He’d driven east on the M62, heading for Boston and Jemma’s aunt who lived there. The radio tuned to talkSPORT, two ex-footballers arguing over a penalty which was either given or not given the previous day, Rob couldn’t tell. He’d reached over and switched stations, settling on a soft rock music station as a compromise.

He didn’t want silence in the car.

The Waterboys came on, their only recognisable song playing. Rob found himself tapping along to the music on the steering wheel. The song reminded him of his dad, who had been a proper muso. He’d even played saxophone in a few bands in the seventies and eighties, just around the local pubs. One of his bands built a bit of a following, touring around the north of England for a while.

Rob had tried to introduce some old music to Jemma once. She’d pulled a face. Asked him how old he was. That music released ten years before she was born wasn’t really what she wanted to listen to.

He looked down at the dashboard, his speed dropping below sixty m.p.h. He put his foot down, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

The sat nav instructed him to turn off at the next junction, with mostly A roads ahead. Rob relaxed as he let himself be guided along the rest of the journey. The windscreen became rain splattered as the clouds above him grew dark once more.

As the roads became less busy, the landscape changed around him. He looked from the car at the passing green fields, golf courses, and small farms. The area was a lot nicer than the bustling city he had left behind, the air cleaner, with fewer buildings cluttering up the view.

Rob was surprised to find he quite liked it. He and Jemma had always disagreed about moving out of the city one day, light heartedly he’d thought, with Jemma wanting to be somewhere nicer than the endless rows of houses in which they’d lived.

Was it that? Was he holding her back?

He shook the thought away.

The trip had been a pointless exercise. Just another item on his list to cross out. Something to show people in the future that he had tried to find her.

He’d left not long after arriving, the awkwardness of the encounter driving him away, pulling off near Leeds at a service station after another couple of hours of driving, wishing he’d accepted the offer of food from Jemma’s aunt Alice. Paid well over the odds for a pasty and a coffee which could only have been made with dishwater.

He took out his phone. Back to the list.

‘Hi, Dan.’

‘Rob, you okay?’

That voice. It betrayed Dan’s auspicious upbringing. A world away from the council estate Rob had grown up on. Yet, somehow they’d clicked almost instantly when they’d met at work. Dan was a lecturer, Rob in a lowly admin job at the university. Not exactly well matched for friendship, but it turned out they just got on well. It helped that Dan was into sport, so they always had something to talk about. If they’d been at school, they’d be best friends. As it was, they were the blokes in their thirties version of best mates.

Really, Dan was the only friend Rob had.

‘Jemma didn’t come home on Friday night.’ Rob could feel the emotion rising at the back of his throat. He composed himself, breathed in and out for a few seconds, then told him what had happened since.

‘Rob, you need me and I’m there, okay?’ Dan said when he’d finished talking.

‘I know, thanks, mate.’

‘I’ll pop around in the morning.’

Rob smiled. ‘You don’t need to, but I’d appreciate the support.’

‘Not a problem. Get some rest if you can, I wish you’d have told me sooner.’

‘Would you have listened on day one?’

He heard a chuckle over the line. ‘You caught me out. Listen, I have to go now. If you need anything please call.’

Rob felt a little better for the phone call, relieved to share the burden. He forced the pasty down him, finishing the coffee off with a wince.

Now what? The little voice in his head said. What are you going to do now? It wouldn’t be long before that little voice grew louder, constantly telling him how fucking useless he was. How his life meant nothing without her.

And he would be forced to listen.

The police turned up the next day.

Jemma’s mum had called him early that morning, decided she’d had a change of heart over the weekend and was starting to worry. She’d been to her local police station and pulled a few strings with an old friend so they’d take her seriously.

It was Monday morning and he should have been in work an hour earlier. By now they would have heard Jemma had gone from Dan. Would be best to let them know himself though, especially as he was expecting a knock at the door at any moment.

Rob finished the call and went through into the kitchen, deciding a cup of coffee and then a fresh plan of action was needed. The kettle had just clicked off the boil when his phone began to ring in the other room. His heart jumped a little.

He rushed through into the living room, snatching the phone up and frowning at the screen. ‘Unavailable’ was the caller’s display name.

‘Hello?’ Rob answered.

‘Hi, is that Robert Barker?

‘Yes.’

‘It’s Detective Constable Nick Ayris here, from Merseyside Police.’

Rob’s heart was beating against his chest wall, his hand was shaking. He wiped away a sheen of sweat which had formed on his forehead.

‘We need to speak to you concerning your recent report of your partner’s disappearance. Would it be possible for myself and another officer to visit you soon?’

‘Yes, of course,’ Rob replied. ‘When will you be round?’

‘We’re in the area, we’ll be there in ten minutes.’

‘Okay. Okay, good.’

Rob placed the phone back. His palms were sweaty as he ran them through his hair.

He just had to try to stay calm. He’d followed the list. Nobody could doubt him.

The knock on the door came a couple of minutes later. Rob rushed to the door, almost breaking the lock in his speed opening it. He’d expected the police, but instead Dan was standing there.

‘Hey. How are you?’

Rob didn’t say anything, turning around and going back to the living room. Dan followed him through.

‘You want anything, drink or something?’ Rob said, taking up the same position he’d taken up earlier, his back to the sofa, sitting on the floor. He’d been willing the clock to move faster, get the thing over and done with. If it was bad news, he wanted it ripped off quick like a plaster. Not drawn out, destroying him bit by bit.

‘No, I’m okay. Any word?’

‘The police are on their way.’ Rob’s voice faltered. ‘I think they may have found out something.’

Dan crossed the room, sitting on the sofa, his knees level with Rob’s head. ‘You don’t know that yet, Rob. It could be for any number of reasons.’ He laid a protective hand on Rob’s shoulder. ‘Let us see what they have to say first before jumping to conclusions. Okay?’

Rob wiped his sleeve across his face. ‘Thanks, mate.’

‘What are friends for? Although I can’t stay long. I’ll be back later on though. We can go looking for her or something.’

There was a knock at the door once more. Rob breathed out silently, preparing himself. He pulled himself up, brushed himself down, noticing his jeans were looking a bit scruffy. He hadn’t changed them since the day he’d woken up alone for the first time. He was grateful for the quick shower he’d forced himself to have that morning.

Opening the door, Rob was greeted with the sight of Little and Large. A big bear of a man, with a nicely shaped dark haired beard, and a small wiry guy with a pointed nose.

‘Hi, Rob is it?’ The big bear had a deep voice to match his size. Rob had got into trouble with his short temper in the past, but he tended to choose his fights well. ‘I’m Detective Inspector Murphy, and this is DC Ayris. Can we come in?’

Yeah, he wouldn’t be choosing one any time soon.

‘Of course.’

Rob showed them in, apologising for the mess, even though he was sure they’d seen worse. He introduced them to Dan, who shook each of their hands in turn. The little one was carrying a small folder, which Rob tried not to look at. His hands clasped together, his sweaty palms made a smacking sound. ‘Can I get you a drink or anything?’ Rob said.

‘No, we’re okay thanks,’ the little one, Ayris, answered, before sitting down in the single chair to the right of the sofa. The big one, Murphy, was taking in the room, choosing to stand, by the looks of it. He seemed to be focussed on the pictures on the far wall.

‘I assume you’ve come about Jemma?’

‘That’s why we’re here. Take a seat, Mr Barker,’ Ayris said, waiting to talk as Rob did as he was told.

‘What happened to your hand?’ Murphy said.

Rob looked at his hand, still cut and red from the previous day. ‘I erm … I got a bit pissed off yesterday, punched a wall,’ he said.

‘You do that often?’

‘No. It’s been a tough couple of days that’s all.’

‘Hmm. Of course. It’s just that you have a bit of history with keeping a lid on your temper, don’t you?’

‘What’s that supposed to mean? I got into trouble when I was younger, yeah. But I’m past that now.’ Rob could already see what path the conversation was taking. He was caught in a staring competition with Murphy though, and he wasn’t about to back down.

‘More recently as well,’ Ayris said, looking at his notes, ‘accusations of assault from a Melanie Parker. Your previous girlfriend.’

‘I was never charged with anything. She took it all back, said she’d made it up. I don’t lose my temper like that.’

‘Until yesterday, of course,’ Murphy said.

‘Yes, until yesterday. But that was just frustration. Surely you know what that’s like?’

‘I usually don’t take it out on walls. You and Jemma having any problems?’

‘No. We were … are fine. She just … I don’t know. She’s been telling her mum and best friend that we were arguing.’

‘And you haven’t?’ Murphy was frowning at Rob.

‘No,’ Rob replied, his raised voice echoing back to him. ‘We were … fuck,
are
happy. We never argued really. A few cross words about stupid stuff. Well … except for one time, but that was nothing.’

‘Nothing?’

‘Look, what’s this got to do with anything? Is anyone doing anything more to find Jemma?’ Change tack, anything to get away from this conversation. Rob could feel his anger rising. He didn’t want them to see that.

‘I can assure you we’re doing everything we can, Mr Barker,’ Ayris said, cutting in. Rob was still staring into the big detective’s eyes. Rob looked away.

‘Of course,’ Rob said, moving his gaze across to the smaller man. ‘I just don’t know what to do. She’s been gone nearly three days.’

‘I, we, understand,’ Ayris said, standing up. ‘We just need to know the whole story. From the beginning. Let’s start again.’

‘Thanks I’d appreciate it,’ Rob replied, before explaining everything that had happened over the previous few days.

Whilst he was talking, the big detective had excused himself from the room. No doubt to snoop around the house. Rob was fine about that. He wouldn’t find anything.

‘That’s it. She wasn’t with her aunt, I really don’t know what else to do.’

‘Leave it with us now. Get some rest, it looks like you’ve not slept well.’

‘I’m sure you understand why,’ Rob replied.

‘Of course,’ Ayris said, as Murphy entered the room again, sharing a quick look with him. ‘Thank you for your time.’ He exchanged nods with Dan, Murphy choosing to leave without a word.

Rob showed them to the door, the big detective turning once he was outside. ‘Here’s my card. If you
have anything else you need to tell us, give me a ring.’

Rob took the card catching his eyes again. He didn’t like the stare he got in return. ‘Thanks, I will.’

Dan made his excuses and left with a promise to be back later, leaving Rob to close the door behind them all. He could still smell the cheap aftershave the little one had been wearing lingering in the air. Rob walked through to the kitchen, bending down underneath the sink to find the air freshener. It wasn’t at the front where it was usually kept, so he began moving things around, trying to find it. Old carrier bags, sponges, thrown out of the way, as Rob began to get frantic. He needed to be rid of the smell, he needed to get the house back the way it was.

Rob began emptying the cupboard faster, bottles of bleach flew across the room, until it was empty. The air freshener still not to hand.

Rob sat back, his head resting against the kitchen cupboard, bottles of cleaning products, dishcloths and carrier bags strewn around him.

‘I can’t even find the fucking air freshener.’

And if he couldn’t even find something as simple as that, what hope did he have of doing anything?

Murphy shoved his hands in his coat pockets, shivering against the cold February air as they walked back to the car. He turned to see if a figure would appear in the window, watching them walk away, but all he saw was the net curtains unmoving.

‘What do you think then?’ Nick said as Murphy sat down beside him in the driver’s seat.

‘I think I need a new car. One with heated seats.’ Murphy replied.

‘I meant about him, in there,’ he said, pointing back towards the house. ‘You think he had something to do with his girlfriend going missing?’