‘Let’s hope this address gives us the answers we need.’ Gina stepped out of the car into an iced-over puddle. The long dirt track had no doubt taken its toll on her car’s suspension and with the potholes she’d be surprised if there was no damage done at all. The small grey bungalow sat in the middle of a concrete pavilion. The front door that was in the centre of the building looked scratched beyond repair. She glanced at the plaque. ‘Happy Paws Dog Hotel.’
‘Looks like they have a lot of doggy traffic here.’ Jacob stepped over a lump of dog muck to join her at the front door, where she knocked.
‘Yes, don’t be treading that back in the car.’
He grinned as he stepped over another pile after pretending to step in it. She gave him a friendly nudge with her elbow.
The barking filled her ears as the woman fought to open the door. ‘Get in,’ she yelled as she slammed an interior door before opening the main door to greet them from the porch. Gina didn’t know what she was expecting, but a woman who looked to be in her late twenties opened the door. ‘Sorry about that. How can I help you?’
‘I’m DI Harte, this is DS Driscoll. We were hoping that you could help us with one of our enquiries. Do you know a Susan Wheeler?’
The young woman paused and shivered. ‘It’s cold out here, come in a minute. I recognise the name and I can’t think why. What’s happened?’
‘We’re trying to locate her, that’s all.’
She clicked her fingers. ‘I remember. The bookkeeper.’
Gina nodded as she was led into a small snug. The exposed brick above the empty log burner gave the place a chilly feel. Three chairs had been placed in a row along with a coffee table containing a few filthy magazines.
‘This is where I normally bring clients while they wait, so the dogs don’t escape. Take a seat.’ Gina blew into her hands and rubbed them together as she removed her gloves. ‘I’m sorry it’s so cold. I only heat this room when I’m expecting a client; I was just about to light the fire. It costs a fortune running this place and my next appointment isn’t due for a short while. If only I’d have known two years ago what I know now, I’d have kept my office job. Love the job, hate all the responsibilities, especially the paperwork. That’s why I called Susan. I saw her Facebook page and lots of people recommended her online.’
‘When did you see her?’
‘Tuesday. She agreed to take me on as a client. She left with my last accounting quarter and said she’d have it all done by the end of next week. It was such a relief to hand it all over to her, I was slowly sinking.’ The woman paused and the sound of barking dogs picked up once again. ‘You’ll have to excuse them. They are rather noisy. It’s a good job I have no neighbours. Has something happened?’
Jacob opened his notebook. Gina watched his shivering hands try to write the date on the top of the page. ‘Apologies. What’s your name first of all?’
‘Michaela Daniels.’
‘Do you live here alone? It’s out of the way.’
The woman nodded. ‘Yes, I drive and Cleevesford is only a few minutes away in the car.’ She dragged the third chair across the old carpet, digging up the thread a little, then she sat. Jacob noted down a few more details before they continued.
‘How was Susan Wheeler when she arrived?’ Gina leaned back in the old chair, feeling it creak. She moved back to her original position. The last thing she needed was the chair collapsing on her.
‘She was slightly late and I’m sure she mumbled something about getting lost. That’s nothing new around here. She came through to the main part of the house, met the dogs and then we came back here. She was lovely with the dogs actually, petting them and talking to them. I warmed to her straight away. Not a lot happened after that, I explained to her how my business worked. We went through my bank statements, invoices and such. I offered her a drink after and she turned it down, saying that she had another appointment before she could get off for the day. That was it.’
‘Did she mention anything about her other appointment?’
One of the dogs began pounding against the door. ‘Buddy, calm down. He’s a live wire. He’s been starting the rest of them off and,’ she checked her watch, ‘it’s nearly walk time. About her next appointment, she didn’t say anything. She did say she had to get to the other side of Cleevesford within twenty minutes. Has something happened? You didn’t answer me earlier.’
Gina stood and began stepping, side to side, in an attempt to warm up. She could barely feel her toes under her thick socks. ‘If you hear from her, please contact us immediately. Here’s my card. She didn’t arrive home on Tuesday and we are just a little concerned.’
‘What a shame. She did mention her children. We made a joke about children and animals being so demanding. We laughed about it before we started. She stayed about thirty minutes and, as I say, she took my paperwork and left. I hope she’s okay, she seemed really nice.’
‘We hope she’s okay too. Thank you for talking with us. Anything else, please do give us a call.’ Gina headed back towards the door.
With Jacob trailing behind, Michaela bustled ahead and opened the front door. An icy breeze blasted the hallway, blowing dead leaves into the porch. Between the whistling of the wind and the barking dogs, Gina could barely hear herself think. The grey sky settled on the horizon and frost twinkled on the shrubs that lined the property. Gina knew it was set to worsen as a hailstone bounced off her nose. In the space of a couple of hours, the wintery sun had given way to the grey blanket above.
‘Thank you,’ Jacob said as he followed Gina.
Michaela closed the door and they hurried towards the car. Jacob slipped on a patch of ice, almost losing his balance.
‘That was a close one. Nearly landed on your arse.’ Gina couldn’t help but laugh.
As she went to open the door, Michaela ran out of the main door, pulling her hood up as she did so. ‘I don’t know how relevant this is but I just remembered something.’
Gina felt her heart flutter as she hoped for a fresh lead.
