‘And there’s his close connection to Stuart. Charlotte might find it comforting to be with someone who was friends with her brother,’ Lizzy said.
‘Yes,’ Sally agreed. ‘It makes sense.’
‘So Guy Roberts begins a relationship with Charlotte Harris, for the purposes of getting information off her for the docudrama,’ Will said.
‘And the other perks,’ Lizzy added. ‘Charlotte is a very attractive girl. Dating her as a way of getting more information for the programme wouldn’t have been a difficult option for Guy to contemplate.’
‘So, what do we do now?’ Will said. ‘Even if you’re right about this, how does it help us find Emma?’
‘It doesn’t, really,’ Lizzy replied, looking deflated.
‘No, it does help,’ Dan said. ‘It gives us another piece in the puzzle. And it gives us someone else who can maybe provide more information about what has been going on.’
Lizzy looked more hopeful. ‘You think we should speak to Charlotte?’
‘We should let the police deal with it,’ Dan said, firmly. ‘I think the time for us playing private detectives is over. I want to see Gasnier and the rest of the Met all over Guy Roberts and Firework Films. Because I think they’re the best chance we’ve got.’
‘Let’s call them now, then,’ Lizzy said.
But before they could do anything, the intercom buzzer sounded.
They all looked at each other, for a moment not moving.
‘I’ll go,’ Dan said, going out into the passageway. He returned a few moments later. ‘You won’t believe who’s on her way upstairs. Charlotte Harris.’
Chapter 42
‘It’s not what you’re thinking,’ Edward said, glancing between the two officers. ‘You’re looking at me as if I’ve done something to harm her.’
Gasnier bit back his anger and frustration. ‘Just tell us what’s going on, Mr Holden. Before I’m forced to arrest you, and we continue this down at the station.’
‘Okay,’ Edward said, hurriedly. ‘There won’t be any need for that, please. I don’t want Miranda to find out what’s going on. She’s only just had a baby—’
‘That much we do know,’ Gasnier said, dryly. ‘If we’d wanted to make a scene, then we would have already done so by now. Why do you think we are speaking in here, instead of approaching you at the bedside?’
Edward understood. ‘Thank you. I appreciate that you’ve been discreet. And I am really grateful for that.’
Now it was Gasnier’s time to nod his understanding. ‘As I said, we don’t wish to make a scene. But we have a job to do, just like the nurses in here. We want to find Emma, and bring her home safely. So, Edward, what’s going on?’
Edward gathered himself. ‘She’s safe. She’s staying at a house I own.’
‘She was reported as missing. I take it her husband doesn’t know about this?’
Edward shook his head slowly.
‘So what’s this all about?’
‘I was warned not to trust anyone,’ Edward said. ‘Not Dan, or Lizzy, or even Will.’
‘By whom?’
‘I don’t know. They called me on the phone, and warned me that Peter Myers was coming for her, and that I shouldn’t trust anyone. I decided I couldn’t take any chances, so I took Emma to the house. I reckoned she would be safe there, until Myers is recaptured or I decided what to do next.’
‘And Emma agreed to this?’
‘She wasn’t that happy, but yes, she did agree to it.’
Gasnier raised a disbelieving eyebrow. ‘Even though she knew the worry it would cause to her brother and friends?’
Edward looked uncomfortable. ‘She thinks that they know where she is. I told her that I’d let them know.’
‘So as far as Emma knows, everyone is in on the plan?’
‘Yes.’
‘Except for us,’ Gasnier added. ‘Mr Holden, you are aware that wasting police time is a criminal offence?’
He looked as if the thought had never occurred to him. ‘I . . . I didn’t ever mean for it to waste police time.’
‘Leaving the door to Emma’s flat ajar – was that an attempt to throw us off the scent?’
‘Ajar?’ He looked confused. ‘No, I meant to close it. But we were hurrying, so maybe I didn’t pull it to. It certainly wasn’t deliberate.’ Edward’s voice was growing wild. ‘I didn’t want to hurt or mislead anyone. I just want to protect my daughter. I would do anything to protect my children. Anything.’
‘I understand that,’ Gasnier said. ‘But didn’t you think that, maybe, we could help protect Emma? And that by misleading us, or shutting us out, you risked making things a lot worse?’
‘I see what you’re saying.’
‘Do you? Sometimes, Mr Holden, I do wonder whether you understand anything that I say.’ Gasnier let that comment hang in the air for a few seconds. ‘Your behaviour throughout all of this – well, to me, it’s mind-boggling.’ Another pause. ‘So, where is this property?’
‘It’s just south of the river,’ Edward replied. ‘In Croydon. It’s a small property we bought recently for rental, and we’re still getting it ready to let out. I thought it was the ideal place for Emma to hide.’
‘So Emma will be there now?’
‘Yes, yes she will be there. She hasn’t been outside since she arrived. I got supplies in for her. I didn’t want to risk her being seen.’
‘Is she contactable? Dan and the others have been calling her, without success.’
‘I took Emma’s mobile phone from her, but the house has got an active landline.’
‘Then call her now,’ Gasnier said. ‘Tell her that we’ll be along shortly.’
‘Me too?’
‘Yes, of course.’
Edward nodded. ‘What should I tell Miranda?’
‘Anything you like.’
He dialled the number, and waited. ‘There’s no answer,’ he said.
‘Keep on the line,’ Gasnier said. ‘She might be in the bathroom.’
Edward waited for a few more seconds. ‘She’s not answering.’ He looked up at the two police officers, suddenly aghast. ‘What if something’s happened?’
Gasnier’s question was swift. ‘When did you see her last?’
‘This morning. Just before I came over to the hospital. I delivered some milk, and checked to see that she was okay.’
‘Let’s go,’ Gasnier said, getting to his feet. ‘What’s the address? We’ll get a patrol car over there right now.’
Chapter 43
Guy Roberts sat back on the sofa, holding a glass of chilled champagne lightly in his fingers. He finished it in one, and had just poured himself another when the doorbell rang.
It would be her, begging for his forgiveness.
He smiled thinly as he stood up, and waited for a few seconds.
By the time he reached the door, the bell had sounded again. ‘Take it easy, my dear. Don’t come across as too desperate.’
He would sleep with her one more time. But then that was it.
He swung open the door with a theatrical flourish. ‘I knew you wou—’
The slide of the knife blade into his chest was as cold as the glass that slipped from his fingers.
Chapter 44
‘Hi,’ Charlotte said, as Dan led her into the kitchen. Still sporting her brown bob, her pretty face looked puffy, as if she had been crying recently and had not yet fully recovered. She averted her eyes on catching sight of Will, but she was caught by surprise at the presence of Sally, who just nodded a greeting.
The room was by now pretty full, and there were just enough chairs to go around. But Charlotte didn’t move to sit down. ‘Is Emma not here?’
‘No,’ Dan said. ‘We don’t know where she is. We hoped that you might be able to help.’
‘It was you!’ Will said, suddenly. ‘The girl at the park, jogging! It was you!’
She looked away.
‘You were pretending to be Emma, weren’t you?’
She didn’t answer that.
‘What’s going on, Charlotte?’ Lizzy asked. ‘Why were you at Guy Roberts’ house?’
‘I feel so stupid,’ she said. ‘I’ve been a fool.’
Lizzy pressed. ‘How do you mean?’
Charlotte shook her head at something going through her mind, and looked up towards the ceiling. ‘I mean, I
really
thought that he liked me. He was so supportive after Stuart . . . you know, and so kind. I don’t think I could have got through the funeral without him, I really don’t.’
‘You’re talking about Guy?’ Lizzy said.
Now Charlotte did take a seat. ‘Yes. He was just so good to me. I didn’t intend for it to happen, but we met up a couple of times for a drink . . . well, a few drinks. He was such a good listener and I thought he really understood what I was going through. Then things went from there.’
‘You started a relationship?’
‘Yes. For the past few weeks. It all happened so quickly, but I really felt like it was genuine. Things were going so well. But I know now that it was all just an act.’
‘What makes you think that?’ Lizzy asked.
Charlotte smiled, ruefully. ‘Because of what he said to me after I told him what happened today.’
‘You mean, seeing me?’
‘Yes. I told him that I’d seen you upstairs, and he really lost it. He was so angry. He started throwing stuff at the walls, and he was really shouting. If I’d known how he would react, I wouldn’t have said anything. It was horrible.’ She shuddered.
‘What did he say?’ Dan asked.
‘I can’t remember exactly, but he was just shouting about how I’d risked everything by not being careful – I’d told him about seeing you in the park, Will.’
‘You were pretending to be Emma, weren’t you?’ he said.
‘Yes.’
‘Why?’
‘Because I wanted to convince Guy that I could play her,’ she said. ‘I wanted to show him that I was good enough.’
Lizzy laughed in disbelief. ‘You wanted to play the part of Emma in the docudrama?’
Charlotte looked embarrassed and hurt, like a scolded teenager. ‘I know, I’ve been really stupid.’
‘Is that how it worked?’ Lizzy continued. ‘Guy made promises in return for information?’
‘Well, no, not—’
‘You gave him the photograph of Dan and Stuart, didn’t you?’
‘What?’
‘This photograph,’ Lizzy said, producing it.
Charlotte paused, open-mouthed, then looked at Dan. ‘I did, yes. I’m sorry. It was in the parcel that Stuart posted to me, before he killed himself. It contained personal photos and letters he wanted me to have. How did you get that?’
‘Someone sent it to us,’ Dan said. ‘Why did you give it to Guy?’
She shrugged. ‘I figured that Stuart had sent it to me for a reason. And’ – she paused, then sat up a little straighter, looking defiant – ‘and I wanted to hurt Emma, I guess.’
‘Because you blamed her for Stuart’s death?’ Lizzy asked.
‘Yes.’
‘And you still believe it was Emma’s fault?’
There was a pause. ‘I don’t know what to believe any more.’
‘What else did you give Guy?’ Lizzy asked, more gently this time.
‘Nothing else. I told him how it had affected me.’
‘Do you know whether Guy Roberts was involved in helping Peter Myers to escape from prison?’ Dan asked now.
‘No!’ Charlotte looked appalled. ‘I didn’t even know that he had escaped.’ Her face suddenly flashed with horror. ‘Is that who you think has Emma?’
‘We don’t know,’ Dan said. He looked across at Lizzy and Will, then back at her. ‘Are you sure you don’t know anything about where Emma might be?’
‘I don’t. I’m really sorry. I’m sorry for everything I’ve done.’
‘And you don’t know anything about the messages we’ve been getting?’
‘No, I swear.’ She hesitated. ‘I don’t.’
‘What is it?’ Lizzy said. ‘Charlotte, if you know anything else that might help, then just tell us, please.’
‘Okay, okay,’ she said. She paused again for a few moments, then: ‘I think Guy might be infatuated with Emma.’
Dan leant forward. ‘What makes you think that?’
‘He talks in his sleep,’ she said. ‘It wakes me up. He often talks about Emma. On Monday night, he was talking a
lot
about her.’
‘What does he say?’ Lizzy said.
‘That he loves her, wants to be with her. A lot of what he says doesn’t make much sense. One night he just kept repeating “You’re my star” over and over again.’
Lizzy’s jaw dropped. ‘That would explain why he might feel so bitter about Emma turning down the film role . . .’
‘Maybe,’ Dan said. ‘Did you not challenge him about it?’
‘No. I guess I didn’t want it to be true. If he
is
infatuated with Emma, I didn’t want to hear him admit it.’
Lizzy looked at Dan. ‘So, what’s our next step?’
‘We call Gasnier.’
Chapter 45
Emma stood at the bay window, looking out at the tree-lined street outside. It was quite a busy residential area, so was good for people-watching. A young Asian couple strolled past, pushing a toddler in a buggy. She watched as they passed the window and turned the corner at the top of the street. It had started to feel claustrophobic in the house, and she longed to just walk out of the front door. But her father had been insistent: she should stay inside.