‘On it, guv,’ O’Connor replied.
Gina cleared her throat. ‘I hate to say this but now we know that things were getting on top of her, I’d like the suicide hotspots checked. Not the nicest of jobs, I know, but it’s something we have to do.’ An image interrupted Gina’s thoughts. That of a woman lying under a bridge or in the river. ‘Oh, and check her social media. Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, even Google. Find out all you can about her.’
‘I heard there was cake,’ Kapoor said as she hurried over and cut a huge slice.
‘Jacob, we’ll head over to the first address that we have. Kapoor, I need you to get out there and check out a few of the suicide hotspots. The reservoir, the woods, etcetera. Wyre will fill you in and you can work on this together.’ She turned and smiled at Jacob as he was doing up his overcoat and wrapping a scarf around his neck. ‘Let’s go.’ Gina shivered, not envying Wyre and Kapoor. She just hoped that they wouldn’t find a body today. Mother goes missing, messy divorce, drinking a lot more, not turning up to pick up her children and family definitely hiding something.Get that thought out of your head.Gina pulled her gloves on. She was adding two to two and coming up with five already. Susan probably hadn’t killed herself.But why would she not pick up her children or call anyone?She swallowed and wiped the sweat beads from her brow.
Fourteen
Mary leaned over the breakfast bar, gripping her cup. She took another sip of green tea, brow furrowed as she stared at the garden fence. The house was in silence while Harrison was having a rare lunchtime nap. She listened as Clare hurried into the living room and answered a phone call.
‘Hello. Ryan?’
Her daughter spoke in hushed tones. Mary crept across the room and placed her ear against the door.
‘I know I can’t say anything. Okay, okay!’
What couldn’t Clare say? If they were holding something back and knew of Susan’s whereabouts, she needed to know. Bursting through the door, she stood behind the coffee table, arms folded, her most serious expression pasted across her face.
‘I’ve got to go.’ Clare paused. ‘Look, I can’t talk now. I’ll call you back.’ She ended the call and placed her phone back in her pocket.
‘What can’t you talk about?’
Clare looked away and shook her head. ‘Not now, Mum.’
‘Yes now! Your sister is missing and you’re hiding something from me and worst of all, Ryan knows. You saw what was in those divorce papers and now you two are colluding on something.’
‘Colluding? What planet are you on? The only things you’re seeing in those papers are Susan’s side of the story. Did you ever stop and think that it may not all be his fault?’
Mary grabbed the sides of her hair, then dropped her hands in frustration as she let go. ‘He was calling her names, not letting her go out and controlling her. You read it and you know something, now I think back, I saw it. She didn’t visit all that often and he’d be calling her up every five minutes. Why are you even talking to him? Susan is your sister.’
Folding her arms, Clare stood straight. ‘Did you know he caught her meeting up with another man? She was having an affair, Mum. Maybe you should be looking for this guy, not scrutinising Ryan. I bet you never wondered why their marriage had gone sour, so quickly. You never stopped to think about that. He said he tried to work on their relationship, tried to understand but she wouldn’t talk to him. She wasn’t happy with him, you’re right about that, but it was because she was receiving her fair share ofhappiness, if you want to call it that, from someone else.’
Mary stomped over, almost pressing her nose against Clare’s. ‘How… bloody… dare you. I didn’t realise you hated her so much, your own sister.’
‘And that sums up our relationship. Susan can do no wrong. Little angelic Susan who always gets away with everything. You are so blind, you know that? She ruined her marriage, she was having an affair and all you do is blame Ryan. She’s probably with him, the other man. You forget what we all went through back then and it was all Susan’s fault. I was the good one and you, you always did pick on me.’
Bursting into tears, Mary went to embrace her daughter. She realised there was some truth in Clare’s words. She’d overstepped the mark. ‘I’m so sorry, love.’
‘Get off me. I don’t suppose you know but the night she disappeared was the first time Ryan had been able to have the girls overnight. She didn’t tell you that, did she?’
Falling into the chair, Mary wiped her eyes. ‘It seems she didn’t tell me much.’
‘After their split, she was using the kids. He just wants to be a good dad, Mum. He just wants to see the kids and she was stopping him. He now thinks she only agreed to them going over for tea that night so that she could go off and do whatever she was doing. Selfish, as always. You know, I’d kill for Harrison to have a dad in his life.’ Clare gazed into the distance.
‘But that’s not how one-night stands work, my love.’
Before Mary could look up, Clare had stormed out of the room. Why hadn’t she kept her mouth shut, just this once? What Clare said was all true but Mary couldn’t help herself. There was something about Clare. She was brash and outspoken, and had always needed bringing down a peg or two. Not like Susan. Susan was a polite child, a studious child, until she turned thirteen, after that she’d just been withdrawn.
She thought of Susan. Images of her hurting herself or being abducted filled her mind. The best-case scenario would be that she was lying in bed with some man, drinking the day away. Maybe her free-spirited daughter had felt chained down after having Rory, given the age gap between him and the girls. She grabbed her phone and stared at it – no missed calls. Nothing from the police. Where had her family gone wrong? Where had she gone wrong? Maybe she didn’t really know Susan as well as she thought. She needed to go back to Susan’s house – alone. There had to be more to find out. Question was, did she really want to open that box, especially as it may not lead to finding her whereabouts? Pounding filled her head. The next thing she would do would be a huge breach of trust. She needed to delve a little deeper, dig into the darkest of recesses.
She sent Howard a message. Her husband and daughter could fend for themselves for a change.
I won’t be around for tea. Best pick up a takeaway on the way home.
It wouldn’t feel right, rooting through Susan’s more personal belongings, but there was no way she was going to sit around twiddling her thumbs. Secrets were made to be uncovered, even if what was uncovered wasn’t what she hoped for.
Fifteen
