Hiding in Plain Sight

by Susan Lewis

  Minutes later, as they were navigating the bumpy track back to the main road, Maureen mumbled, ‘Why did she come? I don’t understand it. After all these years … Why has it taken her so long?’

  ‘Only she knows the answer to that,’ Andee replied, ‘but I intend to find out what it is, whether she’s willing to tell us or not. Have you heard any more from her today?’

  Maureen shook her head. ‘Have you?’

  ‘No, I tried calling, but she hasn’t responded.’

  Maureen gazed out at the passing hedgerows and hidden gates. ‘We need to talk,’ she stated, as Andee turned on to the road home.

  ‘Yes, we do,’ Andee agreed. ‘And I need you to be honest and hold nothing back. Can you do that?’

  Maureen nodded. ‘Yes, I can,’ she promised. ‘We’ll start as soon as we get home. And then I think we should go to the police.’

  Chapter Six

  An hour later Andee sat down at the table and raised her glass to her mother. ‘To us,’ she declared, putting both energy and affection into her tone.

  With a tender smile Maureen clinked her glass and drank. There was more colour in her cheeks now, her eyes shone clearly; the ordeals of the day no longer seemed to be taking such a destabilising toll. If anything she appeared more together than Andee had seen her since Penny had returned to their lives. It was the relief, Andee realised, of having decided to let go of whatever she was holding back – had clearly been holding back for years.

  At last, sounding slightly exasperated with herself, Maureen said, ‘I keep trying to think of where to begin, but after so long it’s become very jumbled.’

  ‘Why don’t you tell me if the John Penny referred to is John Victor, your brother?’ Andee asked gently.

  The light in Maureen’s eyes dimmed.

  Stepping through the partially open door, Andee said, ‘And you suspected at the time that he might be involved?’

  Maureen nodded. ‘I was afraid he might be, because of something he once said to your father.’ She paused as her mind swam with dark memories, secrets she’d kept buried for too many years. ‘It was a horrible time,’ she said quietly. ‘John had been staying with my mother, Granny Victor … Do you remember, she used to live around the corner from us in Chiswick? Yes, of course you do. He hadn’t seen her in almost five years. He hadn’t been in touch either, not even for her birthday or Christmas. Then he turned up unannounced one day, and we soon found out that he was hiding from someone he owed money to. Granny wasn’t in a position to help him and he knew it, but he told me that he’d ask her for it, even make her sell her flat, if I didn’t give it to him myself. Of course I told Daddy – all the money I had belonged to both of us. He wasn’t someone who’d give in to blackmail; he was very angry about it, but we knew, and so did John, how much it would upset my mother to discover that her beloved boy was in trouble, and she wasn’t strong enough to deal with it. We’d already been told that she didn’t have much longer to live, and because Daddy cared for her deeply, and was afraid of what desperation might make John do to speed up his inheritance, he agreed to let him come to the house so we could discuss things.

  ‘They had a terrible fight, truly terrible, but Daddy ended up paying off the debt. He knew far better than I did the type of people John was involved with, the things they were capable of, and though his main concern was Granny, of course, he didn’t want John’s punishment or early demise on his conscience either. When he handed the cheque over he told John that it would never happen again, and that after Granny’s funeral he’d be on his own.

  ‘John didn’t seem in the least bit put out. If anything, he found it amusing. He said things like, “You know you can’t resist me, and I’ll come whenever I like …”’ Maureen shook her head, as though still appalled and shamed by the scene. ‘It was as he was leaving that he said to Daddy, “You know you really ought to watch out for those girls of yours, they’re growing up fast, and that Penny’s already a …” I can’t remember the exact words he used, but there was no mistaking what he meant. He said, “Keep playing things my way, David, and I’ll make sure she stays safe.”’

  Maureen sighed shakily, clearly as horrified by the threat now as she’d been at the time. That her own brother, the boy she’d played with growing up, who’d had the same parents as her, the same love and care, could threaten her teenage daughter that way … It was so beyond her comprehension that Andee could see how bitterly she still struggled with it.

  Maureen forced herself to continue. ‘Your father pushed him out of the door and slammed it hard in his face, letting him know that it would never be opened to him again. But by then Penny was already going off the rails; she’d started staying away from home, lying about where she was going and who she was with. The first time your father found her was probably the third or fourth that she’d taken herself off, but it was definitely the longest. Do you remember she told us she was staying with a friend called Madeleine? It turned out she was at Granny’s and so was John. I don’t know the exact details of what happened, Daddy didn’t want to discuss it, but Granny told me later that she’d called Daddy herself because of the way Penny was behaving with John. It wasn’t decent, she said, and she was afraid of where it would lead.’

  Appalled, Andee said, ‘What on earth did Granny mean? You don’t think she thought Penny was sleeping with him?’

  Maureen flinched. ‘If not with him then with others he’d set her up with, possibly to help pay off his debts.’

  Andee’s eyes closed. It wasn’t so much Penny she felt for as her mother, and the desperate, ravaging fear that her thirteen-year-old daughter was sleeping with anyone at such a tender age.

  ‘It was what she wanted,’ Maureen stumbled on, ‘to go with men. She told Daddy that, but whether she meant it, or whether she said it to hurt him …’ Her voice shook with emotions new and old, harsh and merciless. ‘She was out of control. We didn’t know what to do with her. When she asked to go on the pill I let her, because I didn’t want the situation to get any worse than it already was. Daddy was furious when he found out, he told her she was grounded until she was sixteen, eighteen, I can’t remember now. I only know that it wasn’t long after that that she disappeared for good and I was always afraid that John had helped her in some way. And then the note came …’

  Ashamed of how wrapped up in her teenage self she must have been not to have noticed any of this, Andee said, ‘Well, we know now that he did help her.’

  Maureen nodded awkwardly.

  ‘What I don’t understand,’ Andee said, ‘is why there’s no record of him being questioned.’

  ‘I can’t explain that,’ Maureen replied. ‘Only Daddy could tell you, and obviously that’s not possible.’

  ‘Ah, but what is possible,’ DI Terence Gould pointed out the following morning, after Andee had filled him in on everything so far, ‘is that one or more of the officers working the case is still around to have a chat with. Can you give me any names?’

  Andee’s relief was so profound it was physical. ‘So you’ll help me?’ she said, only realising now how much she’d been counting on it.

  ‘Were you really in any doubt?’ he countered, his large head tilted to one side as he regarded her with bright, steely eyes. He wasn’t a man to be messed with, or taken for granted – or one who’d ever shied away from bending the rules in order to get to the truth. ‘I’m guessing you want to keep it below the radar for the time being,’ he went on. ‘I’m good with that, but just run it by me again why you’re so convinced this person is your sister.’

  ‘She just is,’ Andee said simply. ‘She looks the same, sounds the same – my mother mistook her for me the first time she rang … Look at photos of yourself at fourteen, you’ll find you haven’t changed that much either.’

  ‘Bit weightier, and greyer,’ he grunted, ‘but I take your point. And your mother’s equally convinced?’

  ‘She is. She was going to come with me today, but decided at the last minute that
she wasn’t up to it. She’s willing to talk to you any time if you think she can be helpful.’

  ‘Lovely woman, your mother,’ Gould commented. ‘Reminds me a bit of my own, but with more class.’

  Amused, Andee said, ‘I wouldn’t let your mother hear you say that if I were you.’

  ‘She says it about herself. Anyway, your sister’s motive for being in touch after all this time? You’re obviously convinced it’s not about happy reunions, so any theories?’

  Andee blew out a breath as she shook her head. ‘At first I thought she might be wanting to show off how successful she’s become, but there’s definitely more to it.’

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘OK, the first time she came she wanted to know if anyone had visited ahead of her. When I asked like who, she just shrugged it off. The second time she had a good look round the hamlet before coming into the house, trying to make it seem as though she was soaking it all in, but my gut told me she was at least half expecting to spot someone.’

  He nodded thoughtfully. ‘OK, I’ve had experience of your hunches, or instincts as you’d rather call them, so I’m willing to run with it. I can see it’s unlikely her motive is money related, since you say she seems to have a lot of it. So we can put that aside and return to it if it becomes relevant. Passion is always a big motivator, but I’m not sure it’s fitting with this. You’re definitely not persuaded by the family ties?’

  Andee shook her head. ‘She’s putting on a show to try and convince us of that, but it’s not ringing true for me, or my mother. In fact I’m pretty sure she’s playing with us – for kicks or for some other reason, I’ve no idea. I told you about the kitten – that keeps coming up – and apparently she took something of mine when she left that she wants me to try and remember.’

  ‘But you don’t?’

  Andee shook her head.

  ‘So she’s manipulative? Calculating? Sly?’

  ‘Possibly all of the above, with a veneer of friendliness that’s good, but not Oscar-winning.’

  ‘Did you believe her when she said your uncle was involved in her disappearance?’

  ‘We both did. I think he had to be, given what my mother told me last night, but there’s nothing about him in the police files.’

  ‘Which is indeed odd, because there should be. Did you ever talk to your father about revisiting the case?’ Gould asked.

  ‘I tried, but it wasn’t easy for him. He was already going downhill by then, and I could see that reliving it was causing him problems.’

  ‘Because he knew there were some irregularities and he didn’t want you to find them?’

  ‘The thought never crossed my mind at the time. Maybe it should have, but we’re talking about my father. I knew how hard Penny’s disappearance had been for him, and I’d never had any reason to doubt him – over that, or anything else.’

  He nodded, clearly understanding a daughter’s trust, even if they were both now questioning it. ‘What’s that?’ he asked as she put a plastic bag on the table.

  ‘It’s the teacup she used the first time she came to the house. I’m not in any doubt, but I brought it just in case anyone wanted to run a check.’

  ‘If we do it now we’ll alert the Met to the fact that she might have turned up, and I thought you didn’t want that.’

  ‘Just in case you have any doubts …’

  ‘If you don’t, I don’t,’ he retorted, airing a confidence that made her wonder if she ought to be back on his team, if only to repay him for his trust in her.

  ‘I realise I’m asking a lot,’ she admitted, ‘and that this could all backfire horribly …’

  ‘… on me.’

  ‘On you,’ she conceded, ‘but I think we’re agreed that it’s important, at least for the time being, to find out why now, and what she’s hoping to gain.’

  His eyebrows rose in agreement. After a while he started to shake his head as the enormity of it coursed through him again. ‘Twenty-seven years,’ he murmured, reaching for his phone as it rang. ‘I’ve never come across anything like this before – unless it’s a dead body.’ Clicking on, he said, ‘Gould speaking.’

  Feeling dreadful for thinking that a dead body might have been less traumatic for her mother, Andee glanced out of the partition window to where a number of her ex-colleagues were busy at their desks. She’d stopped to greet Leo Johnson and Jemma Payne on her way in, the DCs she’d worked most closely with during her time in CID. The new detective sergeant, Lydia Mitchell, who’d replaced her, hadn’t seemed especially thrilled to meet her, although from the grimness of her features she didn’t seem especially thrilled by life.

  ‘OK, so going back to your sister’s presumed ulterior motive,’ Gould continued after ending his call. ‘We don’t think it’s money, so that’s parked for now. Passion we’ve dealt with. When are you next seeing her?’

  ‘We have no arrangement, and she’s not returning my calls, but I’m sure she’ll be in touch at some point.’

  Seeming as certain, he said, ‘How much have you found out about her business life?’

  ‘I only have access to Google these days, and it’s not offering me a Michelle Cross that matches the kind of profile she’s given me.’

  ‘Remind me again what her businesses are.’

  ‘Import-export …’

  ‘Which could mean anything, unless she said what she’s importing and exporting? No, of course she didn’t. Go on.’

  ‘Apparently there’s a property management company, based in London. Two medical centres in the States. A travel agency in Stockholm, and an online dating service. And before you ask, I’ve no idea if any of it’s true.’

  ‘If it is, it’s pretty diverse. Did she happen to mention the names of any of these companies?’

  Andee shook her head. ‘The only name she’s mentioned so far is John Victor who we know met his untimely end twenty years ago.’

  He wrote it down and stared at it, as though an epiphany of some sort might emerge.

  ‘I’ve checked and the verdict on his death was open,’ she told him.

  ‘How long after your sister disappeared did he go off the cliff?’

  ‘Eleven years.’

  ‘Where did it happen?’

  ‘Apparently at a remote spot off the coast of West Wales. No suicide note. I need to get hold of a copy of the inquest.’

  He nodded, clearly processing it all as he continued to stare at Victor’s name. ‘He didn’t have a wife or kids, no other family?’ he asked.

  ‘None that I know of.’

  ‘What about Penny? When you spoke to her did she mention a husband or children?’

  ‘We asked about children, and she avoided answering. As for her marital status, all I can tell you is that she turned up the first time wearing what could have been a wedding ring, but the second time there was no jewellery at all.’

  Gould’s eyebrows rose. ‘So I’m guessing your next step is to find an address for her or one of her companies. How are you going to do that?’

  ‘I have the registration number of her car, which I was hoping to leave with you.’

  ‘No problem. I’ll bring Leo Johnson up to speed about everything when you’ve gone and let him do the necessary. Shouldn’t take long. Meantime, I’ll get on to the Met and find out who worked the case with your father. Any names you remember?’

  ‘Gerry Trowbridge was always close to my dad. I spoke to him at the time I revisited the case, but his daughter and grandson had just been killed in a skiing accident so I didn’t push very hard. Anyway, I didn’t have any reason to when I presumed it was all on file. I’ve no idea where he is now. He’ll be retired, obviously. Alive and compos mentis, we can always hope.’

  ‘If he isn’t, he won’t have been the only member of the team, but I’ll put him first on the list. You realise I won’t be able to come with you?’

  She did, though she regretted it.

  ‘OK, now fascinating as this is, and much as I’d like to sit here a
ll day discussing it, I have to be somewhere.’

  ‘But you’ll speak to Leo before you go?’

  ‘No, when I get back, but there’s no harm in letting him have the reg number now. Oh, and should you happen to hear from your sister before we’re next in touch, be sure to let me know.’

  Andee was driving back to Bourne Hollow, her mind so full of the conversation with Gould that it took her a moment to realise her mobile was ringing. Seeing it was Martin, her estranged husband, she was tempted to let it go to messages. However, she dutifully clicked on and delivered a cheery hello.

  ‘Hi, everything OK your end?’ he asked, trying to sound upbeat and managing resentful.

  ‘Everything’s fine my end,’ she confirmed. ‘Are you having a lovely time in Spain?’

  ‘It’s relaxing and hot. My mother’s worried about your mother. She says she’s not sounded herself the last couple of times she’s rung.’

  ‘Really? Well you can tell her that Maureen’s fine, no cause for concern. And I have to wonder,’ she continued, turning at the end of the busy promenade to head towards home, ‘why your mother isn’t calling me herself.’

  ‘I needed to speak to you anyway. Alayna tells me you’re back from France. Is everything all right with you and Graeme?’

  Since Martin was still bitter over their break-up, and would love nothing more than to hear that her relationship with Graeme had failed, she had to bite down hard on her annoyance. ‘Yes it is, thank you. I just had a few things to do here.’

  ‘So you won’t be staying long?’

  ‘I don’t want to be rude, Martin, but how is this any of your business?’

  Ignoring the question, he said, ‘I’ve told Alayna that I’m happy to make up her loss in wages if she’d like to come to Africa with me to see Luke. I think she’d be more inclined to accept my offer if you came too.’

  Silencing a weary sigh, Andee said, ‘You know very well that she’s determined to finance her gap year herself. I think you should feel proud of that instead of trying to tempt her out of it.’

  ‘She needs a holiday.’