by M A Comley
Megan laughed. “They certainly do. It takes a while to get used to giving your address and people understanding what you’re saying. I tend to write it down most of the time. Less chance of it being misinterpreted then.”
Sally smiled and stepped away. She took a photo of the address on her iPhone. “It’s me again, Stu. I’m sending through a photo with the lady’s address. It’ll be easier for you.”
“Can’t remember your French lessons from school, I take it, boss?”
“Cheeky sod. I’m being easy on you. I know how confused you get with letters at times. I have a mass of paperwork that has been messed up by your fair hand in my drawer. I’ll share that with you when we return.”
“Touché, boss. I’ll spell that for you; that’s T-O-U-C-H and E with one of those slanting things over it.”
“Cut the crap, Sergeant. I want you to carry out a thorough check and ring me back ASAP, okay?”
“Yes, boss.”
Sally hung up as Jack came back into the room. “In here. They haven’t got any other rooms available that they’re willing to let us use.”
“Helpful. Did the receptionist tell you that, or did she ring someone, like the owners?”
“No, she told me herself. Was quite adamant about it, too,” Jack confirmed.
“Was she now? Okay, let’s get started. I’ll settle Megan in the reception area and ask the receptionist to contact the staff, tell them to come and see us at regular intervals. Every ten minutes should do, right?”
Jack nodded. “I’ll wait here.”
Megan picked up her bag and followed Sally into the reception area. She reclaimed the seat she’d been sitting in when Sally and Jack had arrived. Sally asked the receptionist, “Can you contact the first member of staff please?” While she waited, Sally glanced over her shoulder now and again to observe Megan. She appeared withdrawn and afraid, flinching one minute and eagerly looking at the hotel entrance the next, as if expecting her friend to return. Sally was unsure about the woman. She suspected she would have a better insight into the woman’s character once Stuart rang back with his findings. Sally turned back to the list in front of her. “Is she Polish?” she asked, pointing at the name.
“Yes, me, too. I’m Polish.”
“Are there a lot of Polish workers at the hotel? Looking down this list, it appears most of the staff are foreigners.”
“Yes, we’re all foreign. Only the boss is English. He says foreign people have a better work ethic.”
Sally tilted her head and smiled. “And what do you say?”
“I say he doesn’t employ English because they wouldn’t work for the same pay we get. I’d say it very quietly, though.”
Sally smirked. “That’s what I thought. It’s a legitimate operation here, yes? Everyone pays tax?”
“Oh yes, we definitely pay tax. We all live here as we can’t afford to rent anywhere else.”
Sally noticed the name on the girl’s badge. “And how long have you worked here, Aleksandra?”
“Almost two years. I’ll send in the first girl,” she added quickly.
Sally felt the young woman’s awkwardness at answering questions about the hotel, and she hoped when it came to questioning her about Tina’s disappearance, she would be far more open with the information.
The first staff member, Maja, appeared in reception. She anxiously smoothed her hands down her black uniform before following Sally into the banqueting hall. Jack remained seated, his pen poised ready to take notes, as the two women joined him.
“Thank you for talking to us, Maja. You’re a waitress at the hotel. Is that correct?”
“Yes.” The waitress linked her hands tightly in front of her.
“Can you go over the events of what happened in the restaurant last night for me, please?”
The pretty brunette frowned. “I no understand.”
“The guest outside, Megan, told us there was a little confrontation that took place in the dining room. Can you shed some more light on that please?”
She shook her head, and her mouth turned down at the sides. “I no understand. That lady had pleasant meal and then went back to her room.”
“With her companion?”
“I no understand.”
“Sorry, companion: her friend, the person she dined with?”
Maja shook her head. “She dined alone. By herself. No friend.”
“What? Are you sure?” Sally asked in sheer disbelief.
“Maybe you didn’t understand the question properly,” Jack interrupted. “Two ladies booked into the hotel together yesterday, and both of them ate in the restaurant. We’re trying to find the other lady, Megan’s friend.”
“I understand what the police lady said. I’m telling you the lady in reception, she eat alone here last night,” the waitress said forthrightly.
“There’s no way you could be mistaken about that?” Sally asked.
“No. She was only customer in restaurant. How could I make mistake?”
How indeed? Crap! What have we stumbled across here? Is Megan trying to wind us up? Maybe she isn’t from France after all. Perhaps she’s just been released from the hospital or something along those lines. Sally sighed while she contemplated the situation. “Thank you, you’ve been very helpful. Can you send the next member of staff in please?”
The confused young woman rose from her seat. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you more. Goodbye.”
“What the...? What is going on, boss?” Jack asked as soon as the woman was out of earshot.
“I have no frigging idea, but I bloody intend to find out. Two scenarios are striking me right now. The first is that Megan is delusional in some way, and the second is we’re dealing with some kind of cover-up. Remind me to check the hotel booking register in a mo, although I suspect that might have been doctored in some way by now.”
“You’re probably right. What sort of cover-up? Why? What would they have to gain from that?”
Sally shrugged. “Let’s play it cool, Jack. Try not to show any emotion from now on with the staff. Let’s see if we can catch someone out, eh?”
“Canny bugger,” he whispered out the corner of his mouth as the second interviewee arrived and sat down in front of them.
Nadia’s story was along the same lines as Maja’s. The previous evening, she had been on duty in the kitchen and had walked through the restaurant to obtain supplies. She’d noticed Megan sitting at the table, eating a meal by herself. The next person they questioned came up with a very similar story. An hour later, they had interviewed ten members of staff, all of whom told Sally and Jack that Megan had eaten alone. They all insisted that they had never laid eyes on Tina.
Jack pushed away his notebook and flopped back in his chair. “That’s incredible. What the heck is going on? They can’t all be wrong, can they?”
“I don’t know, partner. Maybe we should take a look at the room they both supposedly booked into.”
“At least we’ll know if two beds had been slept in, although she might have flipped between the two beds during the night.”
“Let’s try, at least. Come on.”
They rushed through to the reception desk.
“Show me Miss Carmen’s booking?” The receptionist brought the booking up on the screen and swivelled the monitor for Sally to see. Nothing, a twin room was booked under Megan’s name, with only one occupant listed. Frustrated, she clicked her fingers and demanded, “I’d like the keys to the room Miss Carmen stayed in last night.” Sally glanced over her shoulder to see Megan observing them, wearing a frown. Sitting on the edge of her seat, she appeared to be tempted to join them. Sally raised a hand, telling her to stay back.
The receptionist handed Jack the key and told them that the room was located on the second floor.
“Inspector, is everything okay?” Megan called out as they hurried past her to ascend the stairs.
“Everything’s fine. We’ll be right back.”
Jack opened the door and
entered the room. “Damn! It looks like the maids have been in already and cleaned the room.”
“Shit! Why didn’t the receptionist tell us that?” Sally kicked out at the nearby coffee table.
“Beats me. What do we do now? Is it worth getting Forensics involved?”
“For what? To help us find a person who has been reported missing and yet who no one at the hotel ever laid eyes on?”
“All right, no need to snap my head off.”
“Sorry, Jack. It’s just my frustration talking; you know that.”
He clicked his fingers together. “What about going to the other hotel? We could see if that half of her story was true.”
Sally pondered his suggestion for a few seconds then nodded. “Why not? I need to get to the bottom of this case and quickly. The question is, what do we do with Megan in the meantime?”
“What can we do? Apart from book her for wasting police time, which seems a tad extreme in the circumstances. Do you think she’s mentally ill? That she’s possibly thought all of this up and has now managed to convince herself that it’s true?”
“I have no idea. Hold on. I’m going to ring Stuart.” Sally rang the station. “Anything yet, Stu? We’re in desperate need of a clue to get this case going.” She put the phone on speaker.
“Not really, boss. She’s lived in France for over ten years. No bother with the police or anything like that. Actually, she’s quite well-known for being an artist.”
“What about Facebook? Check her page for me, Stu,” Jack said.
They waited patiently while Stuart tapped his keyboard. “Okay, here she is. Well, it looks like she keeps herself to herself. She only has about two hundred friends. Her posts are mainly referring to her work. There’s the odd cute animal pic thrown in there, but...”
“Right, thanks for that, Stu.”
Sally was about to hang up when Jack held up a hand. “Stu, trawl through her page at the comments. Can you see anything from a Tina Lloyd?”
“Hold on.” Stuart fell quiet as he searched the page. “Yes, here. There’s a comment left on a piece about her work. It was a few months ago. Nothing since then. I looked on Tina’s page but there is very little activity on there.”
“Bingo. So at least we know this woman truly exists and she’s not totally a figment of Megan’s crazy mind,” Sally said. “Thanks, Stu. We’re going to wrap things up here and move location to another hotel in Swaffham. Keep in touch if you find out anything else.” Sally hung up. “Now all we have to do is deal with Megan. She’s going to go ballistic when we tell her that no one else at the hotel remembers seeing Tina. I know I frigging would.”
“Yeah, me too. Are you just going to let her go?”
“What else can we do, Jack? She hasn’t done anything wrong as far as I can tell. I’ll ask her to remain in the area. Whether she will or not is another thing entirely. I’m going to tell her that we’re heading over to the other hotel. Let’s see what her reaction is to that news.”
They returned the key to the receptionist then made their way over to where Megan was waiting anxiously. Sally sat down beside her. “Megan, this is very difficult for me to say.”
“Oh God, don’t tell me you’ve found Tina’s body.”
Sally shook her head. “Quite the opposite. We’ve questioned everyone who was on duty last night at the hotel, and no one—I repeat no one—remembers seeing you with anyone else.”
“What? They’re lying.” She stood up swiftly and shouted at the receptionist. “You’re all bloody lying! Why? What have I ever done to you?” Megan pleaded, tears streaming down her cheeks. She slumped back onto the sofa.
The embarrassed receptionist put her head down and got on with her work.
“Please try and remain calm. Without any proof of Tina being here, there is very little we can do to assist you, Megan. My partner and I are going to question the owner of the first hotel where you stayed. Let’s see if he can corroborate your story and go from there.”
A tearful Megan stared at Sally. “And if he can’t? What then?”
“Let’s leave it there for now. What I need from you is to stay in contact with us. Are you going to be in the area long?”
She removed a tissue from her bag and wiped away the tears that had settled on her cheeks. “I’ll stay in the area as long as I need to, Inspector. If it turns out that you’re not prepared to take on the case, then I will have little alternative than to investigate it myself. I know Tina was here with me last night, and the night before that, too. I will not allow these people to get away with their dastardly plan, whatever that may be. They could be people traffickers for all we know. Look around you—how many English people work here? Have you asked yourself why?”
“Please, try to remain calm. I’m afraid this is the norm in many hotels throughout the UK now. Often, the Eastern European workers will fill roles that pay less. There’s nothing illegal as long as the minimum wage is being met. We can certainly look into that in the future, but for now, I’d like to concentrate on finding your friend.”
“I see. I feel so stupid. Maybe that’s their intention—to make me feel inadequate.”
“For what reason, Megan?” Sally asked.
She threw up her hand in frustration. “I don’t know. Perhaps they get some kind of kick out of making people look dumb.”
“I doubt it. We need to shoot over to the other hotel now. What will you do?”
Megan shrugged weakly. “I have no idea. Sit in my car and drive around the area looking for Tina, I suppose, when I should be searching for property. I definitely won’t be buying a place in this area now. How could I? If something dreadful has happened to Tina, I will never be able to forgive myself. Please believe me, Inspector, please.”
“I do. Even though it’s hard when a group of people are telling us that you booked into the hotel alone. Which is why it’s imperative we pay a visit to the other hotel. Do you have a mobile I can contact you on?”
Megan took the phone from her pocket and brought up her number. She showed it to Jack, and he jotted it down. Together, the three of them left the hotel via the huge entrance doors. Jack carried Megan’s bag and deposited it in the boot of her car.
Sally handed Megan a business card. “Ring me if you happen to stumble across your friend. I’ll be in touch with you later on today, okay?”
“Thank you. I’ll do that. Good luck, Inspector.”
“You, too. Please, if you uncover anything suspicious, call us right away.”
“I will.” Megan opened her car door and started the engine.
Sally and Jack watched the woman pull away. “Let’s hope she stays safe and out of trouble,” Jack mumbled.
CHAPTER SIX
Sally was distracted by the beautiful surroundings the country hotel was set in. “Crap, we almost missed the sign. I can totally understand how Megan and her friend, if she was with her, found it impossible to locate this place,” Sally observed as she drove up the walnut tree-lined drive.
“She said the sign wasn’t lit, if I recall. Funny way to run a business if you ask me,” Jack agreed.
“Hmm... I wonder if it’s intentional, as if he doesn’t really want the passing trade. Otherwise, he’d improve his signage, wouldn’t he?”
“You’d think so. Maybe you’re right. Perhaps he’s just playing at this lark. Might be an ex-military guy, topping up his pension, that sort of thing.”
Sally chuckled. “Where did you pluck that idea from?”
“Don’t know. Just sprang to mind. Maybe thinking of what some of my ex-colleagues in the army would hint at doing now and again. Nice setting, though. Can totally see this place as one of those establishments to run a Murder Mystery weekend.”
“Seriously? What on earth has got into you today, partner?”
Jack laughed. “Maybe it’s the case that’s sending my thoughts off kilter. I don’t know. Ignore me if you like.”
“I intend to.” Sally giggled and stepped out of the car.
The back door of the large house opened, and a man sporting a slight beer belly came to greet them. A smile lit up his chubby face. “Hello there. Are you looking for a room for the night? I usually only take advanced bookings. Don’t generally get people turning up out of the blue like this.”
“Why’s that? Because your hotel is hard to find?” Sally asked, showing the man her warrant card.
“You’ve hit the nail on the head. Oh, the police. What can I do for you? Care to come in out of the cold?”
“That would be great. Do you have any guests staying here at the moment?”
“Unfortunately not. Which means I can continue to refurbish the place.” Once inside, he led them into the kitchen, where he filled a kettle with water and placed it on the Aga. “That’ll take a little while to boil. How can I help you?” He motioned for them both to take a seat at the solid wood centre island.
“We’d like to ask you a few questions about an incident that took place a few days ago,” Sally began cautiously.
“An incident? Around here? What kind of incident?” The man prepared three cups and saucers with coffee and placed a bowl of sugar cubes in the middle of the island.
“Can you tell me who your last paying guest was at the hotel?” Sally watched the man’s expression carefully, looking for any kind of change. She saw none.
“A young lady. Let me find the bookings diary.” He walked into the hallway and returned with a large black diary in his hand. “Here we go, a Miss Carmen.”
“Are you telling us that she stayed here alone?”
“Yes. Why?” he asked, frowning. He placed the diary on the edge of the island and tended to the boiling kettle.
“Because the young lady in question has told us that she was travelling with a companion.”
“Really? Why on earth would she tell you that?” He poured the water into the cups and slid them towards Sally and Jack. “Help yourselves to sugar and milk.”