At Your Door

by J. P. Carter

  ‘That’s right. Why?’

  ‘Well, think about it. The drive from Fulham to Mortlake takes you through Barnes. So I reckon it’s safe to say that Mr Gregory must be pretty familiar with the layout of the common.’

  CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

  Alice came into Sophie’s bedroom clutching her phone in one hand and a plastic carrier bag in the other. She had only just woken up and was wearing her pink llama fleece pyjamas.

  ‘I just spoke to Rachel and she wants me to take her things back to her before we go on holiday,’ she said.

  Sophie looked up from the two suitcases that lay open on her bed.

  ‘What things?’

  ‘I borrowed some of her DVDs and a couple of T-shirts.’

  ‘Well, can’t it wait until we’re back?’

  ‘She wants them now. And her mum said I can have breakfast with them if I want.’

  Rachel was one of Alice’s best friends. They went to different schools but attended the same youth centre just off the High Street. She lived in a small block of flats about three hundred yards away and Sophie usually let Alice go there by herself as long as it wasn’t dark.

  But today was different. It was too risky because for all she knew Bruno was close by, or someone else who was on the lookout for a young girl who resembled Anna Tate’s missing daughter Chloe.

  ‘I would rather you didn’t go,’ she said, and Alice’s face fell. ‘We’ve got a lot to do before we leave for the airport.’

  ‘But I’m all packed, Mum. And I’m bored. So please let me go.’

  ‘I said no, Alice. I want you to stay here with me.’

  ‘But that’s silly. I’ll only be in your way. And I’ve already told Rachel I can go. She’s expecting me. Please let me. Please, please, please.’

  Alice continued to beg for another few minutes and against her better judgement Sophie finally gave in. She felt bad that she was taking Alice away from her friends and that she might never see Rachel and Ruth and the others again. And she told herself that she was probably being over-protective anyway and that Alice would be perfectly safe. After all, Rachel’s flat was only three hundred yards away along a busy street.

  ‘Very well, you can go,’ she said. ‘But call me as soon as you get there to let me know you arrived safely. And tell Gloria that you’re only allowed to stay for a few hours and I’ll come and get you.’

  Gloria, Rachel’s mother, was housebound following a stroke four years ago that had caused her to lose the use of her left arm and given her a serious limp in her right leg. Her life took another turn for the worse twelve months ago when her husband left her for another woman. Since then Sophie had been cleaning her small council flat once a week for free. The pair got on well, and Gloria was one of the very few people she was going to miss.

  ‘Go and have a shower then,’ Sophie said to Alice as she switched her mobile back on. ‘Then put something on that you’re not taking with you. And get out what you want to wear on the journey. I’ll see if it needs ironing.’

  Alice left the house at nine and Sophie got on with the packing.

  Through the window she saw that it was another beautiful morning, the sun a blazing orange ball in the sky. It brought a rare smile to her lips because she was reminded of all those wonderful mornings in Puerto de Mazarron, when the beaches beckoned and the sea sparkled invitingly.

  She knew it was going to be strange going back to Spain, but it would be easier than seeking refuge elsewhere. She spoke fluent Spanish and she was fond of the country. It almost felt like she was going home.

  On the Costa Brava they could start afresh. It was a lively region with a large expat community, and she felt sure that after the initial shock Alice would quickly settle.

  As she packed the cases she kept expecting her phone to ring with the call from Alice. But when she was still waiting after fifteen minutes panic set in.

  Why was it taking her so long to walk a few hundred yards? she asked herself.

  She stopped what she was doing and dialled Alice’s mobile. But it was switched off. Her heart was beating furiously as she called Gloria.

  ‘It’s Sophie, Gloria,’ she said, when the call was answered. ‘I hope you’re OK.’

  ‘I’m as well as can be expected,’ Gloria said. ‘I hear you’re going on holiday later today.’

  ‘That’s right. Can’t wait. It’s why I’m ringing. I need you to confirm for me that Alice got to your flat OK.’

  A moment’s hesitation. ‘She’s not here yet, Soph. Should she be?’

  Sophie felt a sudden stab of anxiety.

  ‘She left home fifteen minutes ago with some DVDs that Rachel wanted back. She said she was going to have breakfast with you both.’

  ‘I know the girls spoke on the phone and Rachel invited her over. But she hasn’t arrived.’

  Words formed in Sophie’s throat, but they wouldn’t come out. Instead, she just stood there, open-mouthed, as a pit opened up in the bottom of her stomach.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

  Anna had chosen not to forewarn Robert and Freya Gregory that she and Walker were going to revisit their home in Fulham. She wanted to surprise them so that they didn’t have time to discuss between themselves how they would respond.

  ‘It looks like only one of them is in,’ Walker said when they arrived at the house.

  Yesterday there had been a Vauxhall Corsa and a Toyota Hybrid parked on the driveway. Now it was just the Corsa.

  Anna wondered if Holly Blake’s body had been placed in either of the cars and driven to Barnes Common. It was among the many thoughts that had been whirling inside her head since she had spotted the 999 call on the phone log.

  And the questions were piling up.

  Did Holly come to this house on Tuesday night?

  Did someone kill her while she was here?

  If so then what could the motive have been?

  Why was the call made to the emergency services? And why did Robert pretend that his non-existent son was responsible?

  Anna knew there was a risk that she was attaching too much significance to the call, and was now leading the team on a wild-goose chase. But she also knew that there was nothing to lose except a small amount of time.

  It was Freya Gregory who answered the door. She was wearing a baggy striped shirt over faded jeans and her blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail. Her plump face was without make-up, and her eyes were lost in the shadows that surrounded them.

  She was clearly taken aback to see them. Her body went stiff as she opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

  ‘Would it be OK if we came in for another chat with you and your husband, Mrs Gregory?’ Anna said. ‘Something has come up that we need to discuss.’

  Freya swallowed hard and when she found her voice her lower lip trembled.

  ‘Robert has had to go to the office,’ she said. ‘He’ll be gone for a few hours. Can it wait until he gets back?’

  ‘I’m afraid it can’t,’ Anna said. ‘But it’s not a problem. I’m sure that you can answer our questions.’

  ‘I’d rather he was here.’

  ‘Then by all means call him and ask him to come home. Or if he’s not able to then we can easily arrange for another team of detectives to visit his office and speak to him there. They can be in Mortlake in half an hour or so.’

  Clearly flustered, Freya turned and hurried along the hallway.

  ‘Methinks the lady has been on the booze,’ Walker commented. ‘Did you smell it on her breath?’

  Anna nodded as she stepped over the threshold. ‘I did. And she doesn’t look too steady on her feet either.’

  Walker pushed the door shut and they followed Freya into the kitchen. She was already on the phone, standing over by the French windows with her back to them.

  While they waited for her to finish the call, Anna glanced around the room. She saw a half-full bottle of vodka on the table and an empty glass next to it. On a shelf above the table she also noticed a framed
photo of Freya sitting in a restaurant with Holly and Rebecca. All three were holding up glasses in a toast to the camera.

  ‘That picture was taken on Holly’s last birthday,’ Freya said, coming off the phone. ‘It was the last time all three of us went out together.’

  Freya stared at the photo for a couple of seconds, her features taut, her jaw clenched. Then she turned to Anna and said, ‘Robert’s leaving the office now and will get back here as quickly as he can.’

  ‘That’s good,’ Anna said. ‘In the meantime there’s a question I need to ask you, Mrs Gregory.’

  Freya stepped forward, pulled a stool out from under the breakfast bar and sat on it.

  ‘Robert told me not to speak to you until he’s back,’ she said.

  ‘And why is that?’ Anna asked her. ‘Is he afraid that you’ll tell us something that you shouldn’t?’

  ‘No, of course not. It’s just, well, I can’t …’

  The sentence ran out of steam and Freya shifted her gaze away from Anna. She licked her dry lips and stared longingly at the vodka bottle.

  Anna moved across the room so that she stood opposite Freya.

  ‘Can you tell us what happened here on Tuesday evening, Mrs Gregory?’ she said.

  Freya shook her head. ‘Nothing happened, except that we went to bed quite early.’

  ‘Well, a call was made to the emergency services just before midnight. Was it because you or your husband were involved in some kind of accident?’

  Freya’s eyes flared. She obviously hadn’t expected the question.

  ‘No, not at all. It … it was a mistake. I thought there was an intruder in the house.’

  ‘Really? So you dialled the three nines?’

  ‘Yes, I did. I panicked. Robert told me I was being silly and there was nobody else in the house so I hung up.’

  ‘Then why did your husband tell the operator when she called back that it was your son who did it?’

  ‘We don’t have a son,’ she said quickly.

  ‘I know that, Mrs Gregory. So why did your husband lie to the operator?’

  She shook her head again. ‘He didn’t.’

  ‘Well, actually, he did,’ Anna said. ‘I’ve listened to the recording of the conversation. It didn’t last long, but there’s no mistaking what was said.’

  Freya was now struggling to contain her emotions. She was sweating and shaking, and it looked as though she was very, very scared. Anna wondered how much vodka the woman had consumed and why she had hit the bottle so early in the day. Was it her way of dealing with grief or was it something else? Whatever the reason, the alcohol was fogging her brain and impairing her judgement.

  Anna realised that there was no better time to exploit her vulnerability. So she decided to chance it and go for broke.

  ‘We know that Holly was in this house on the night she was murdered,’ she lied. ‘We’ve spoken to the taxi driver who dropped her off outside about an hour before the 999 call was made. We’d now like to know what happened to her.’

  Freya stared at Anna, her face white, immobile.

  ‘So tell us what happened, Mrs Gregory,’ Anna said. ‘Which one of you murdered your niece and why?’

  When Freya failed to respond, Anna feared that she had misjudged the moment and might well come to regret what she’d said. But then, suddenly, the woman’s face collapsed in on itself and she broke down. Her face fell into her hands and her shoulders heaved with every sob.

  It was a full two minutes before she got a grip and started talking.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

  Panic was filling Sophie’s lungs as she raced along the street towards Gloria’s flat. This was the route that Alice would have taken to get there. But there was no sign of her.

  Sophie looked in front gardens and doorways on both sides of the road, keeping her eyes peeled for the bag Alice had been carrying. She also checked out the newsagents on the corner, the greasy spoon café and the veterinary surgery. She asked as many people as she could if they had seen a girl matching Alice’s description. But nobody had.

  Sophie had tried to call Alice straight away after learning that she hadn’t turned up at her friend’s flat. But her phone remained switched off. Sophie had also called three of Alice’s other friends whose numbers she had in her own contacts list. They all lived within walking distance, but none of them had seen or heard from her. She’d been gone for over two hours now and Sophie had no idea where she was.

  Gloria and her daughter Rachel lived in a four-storey block set back from the road. By the time Sophie got there her stomach was tied in knots and a scream was building in her throat.

  This had never happened before and she was sure that if Alice had changed her mind about going to see Rachel then she would have let her know. She certainly wouldn’t have just wandered off. Alice was too considerate, too sensible, and she’d had it drummed into her that the streets of London were not safe for a young girl by herself.

  Sophie was therefore convinced that something must have happened to her. Was she lying injured somewhere, having been attacked by a mugger who had taken her phone? Or had she been snatched by Bruno himself, or one of his accomplices? It was a ghastly thought and she cursed herself for having given in to Alice by allowing her to go out by herself despite the risk.

  It was a stupid, reckless thing to have done.

  So was it time to call the police? If she did then they would want to know everything about Alice and the truth would inevitably come out. But there was no other option open to her. She couldn’t search for Alice by herself. At least the police would be able to check the CCTV cameras she’d seen along the street and hopefully at least one of them would help to determine what had happened.

  Sophie walked around Gloria’s block. She checked the car park and bin cupboards at the rear, and then the stairs and lifts.

  She then went to Gloria’s flat just to satisfy herself that Alice wasn’t there.

  Rachel answered the door to her. ‘She’s still not here, Miss Cameron,’ she said. ‘I keep calling her phone but there’s no answer.’

  Sophie hurried past her into the kitchen where Gloria was sitting at the table with a mug of tea or coffee in front of her.

  ‘I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about,’ Gloria said. ‘You know what kids are like. She probably met up with one of her other mates and decided to go off somewhere like the park to have some fun.’

  ‘But she has a bag with Rachel’s things in it,’ Sophie said. ‘She was bringing them here.’

  ‘Then if you think that something bad might have happened to her you should inform the police,’ Gloria said.

  A breathless Sophie replied, ‘I know and I will as soon as I get back home. If she does turn up then please call me straight away.’

  Sophie rushed out of the flat and back down the stairs. She retraced her steps along the street, but there was still no sign of Alice.

  She stopped more people, showed them a photo of Alice she had on her phone, but she had to explain that her hair was shorter now, and blonde. However, those she spoke to just frowned and shook their heads.

  When she stepped back into her own flat, she called out to Alice, but she was met with an ominous silence. She dropped onto a chair in the kitchen and felt the paralysis of fear taking over. Tortured thoughts tore through her mind and she found herself struggling to breathe.

  A voice was telling her it was time to call the police, and she was about to do so when her phone rang. A wave of relief swept over her as she swiped the screen and Alice’s name came up. She pressed the green icon and said, ‘Oh, thank God it’s you. Where are you, sweetheart?’

  There was no immediate response.

  ‘Will you talk to me, Alice? I’m worried.’

  The silence on the line stretched for another two seconds before she heard a voice that was all too familiar.

  But it didn’t belong to Alice.

  ‘There’s no need to worry, Sophie. The girl is perfectly all right,
at least for now.’

  Sophie’s heart stopped beating and she found she couldn’t speak.

  ‘I appreciate that it must be quite a shock to hear from your husband after all this time,’ he said. ‘I would have been in touch sooner, but after you left Southampton I gave up searching for a while to concentrate on other things.’

  Sophie managed to swallow the lump in her throat and force words out.

  ‘What have you done with Alice, Bruno?’ she said.

  ‘First tell me if you’ve called the police.’

  ‘Not yet. I was about to.’

  ‘Then don’t. If you do you will never see your precious Alice again. Do you understand?’

  ‘Of course. And I won’t. I promise. Just don’t hurt her. Please.’

  ‘She’ll be OK as long as you do as I tell you.’

  ‘What is it you want, Bruno?’

  ‘I should have thought that was obvious. I want to see you.’

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

  When Freya started talking, the first thing she said was, ‘I need another drink.’

  She got down from the stool at the breakfast bar and walked over to the table. She poured a shot of vodka into the empty glass and swallowed it in one go.

  Anna didn’t try to stop her. It was obvious that the drink, along with the lie she’d swallowed about a taxi driver telling them he had dropped Holly off at their house, had weakened the woman’s resolve and breached her defences. She was ready to offload whatever guilty secret she’d been struggling to live with.

  While they waited for her to speak, Walker took out his phone and switched on the recorder. It was questionable as to whether what she was going to say could be used as evidence, given the state she was in, but nonetheless it’d be useful to have it on tape.

  Freya sat down at the table and stared into the empty glass. Anna knew they were lucky to have caught her off guard like this. But that was sometimes how it worked. A break came out of nowhere and changed the entire dynamic of an investigation.

  Freya’s speech was slurred when she started talking again, and her eyes were liquid.