Alicia took a card from Gina. If Susan did come back looking for her car, maybe Alicia would call them. ‘Will do. I did see something weird. On Tuesday, I saw a man lurking around. I didn’t recognise him. He was pacing up and down the bit of road here. It was evening and dark but I caught a glimpse of him as he walked past the streetlamp over there. I remember this because I made sure my door was locked.’
A man, lurking around by Susan’s car on the night she failed to pick her son up from nursery. She grabbed her notebook. ‘What did he look like?’
‘I don’t know, but he had a bit of shine on his head. Either no hair or not much. That’s all I can remember.’
‘Thank you. After work, please go to the station and make a formal statement. In the meantime, if you see this man again, call us straight away.’
‘Will do.’
Gina left the two women and watched them huddled together, gossiping and speculating, before they got into Felicity’s car and drove away.
Gina’s stomach growled as she peered through Susan’s car window. Jacob’s reflection appeared beside her. She pulled out a pair of blue latex gloves and slipped them on before trying all the doors. Locked, just as she’d suspected. ‘The woman I just spoke to, Alicia Downing, said she saw a man lurking around by this car on the night Susan disappeared. We’re looking for someone bald or with not much hair. Ah ha, I’ve just spotted Dale’s missing paperwork.’ The folders on the backseat marked up with Dale’s name on the sides gave her all she needed. ‘She did go there to collect his paperwork.’ She removed the glove and began chewing her thumbnail. ‘Why were they speaking with raised voices? That has baffled me. Even as a friend, if they were having words, would he still have hired her to do his books? Why oh why? Give me the answer, Jacob. What are you thinking?’
‘I’m thinking that this gets more baffling by the minute. I agree, we need to find our bald male lurker.’
Gina closed her eyes as she ran through everyone she’d come across this week in her mind. ‘We need to get to Mary’s. They’re a strange family. She couldn’t wait for me to leave earlier. I wanted to speak with Clare who was apparently in the shower. When I went to leave, I saw her at the bedroom window. I’m also sure she was outside the house the other night, in the rain, watching me as I left. We need to get more out of Mary.’
‘Clare isn’t bald and she’s female.’
‘State the obvious, why don’t you? I’m not suggesting our lurker is Clare.’ She flicked his arm in a joking manner after she pulled her other glove off.
‘Just pulling your leg, guv. On a serious note, do you think she may have something to do with this?’
‘We need to consider that a possibility. Great, the tow truck’s here. Let’s leave them to their job and catch up later when Keith has worked his magic. I suppose this has to go in the forensics queue for when he’s finished at the house. That’ll please him.’
‘Jennifer will probably do it.’
‘Ooh, Jennifer. I saw you talking to her earlier.’
‘Shut up, guv.’ Jacob flinched and turned his head to the side. ‘Woah!’
‘Your tooth?’
He nodded and got in the car where he proceeded to prod his cavity.
‘You want to get that looked at. Need to make sure your mouth is kissable if you’re hoping to date Jennifer.’
He rolled his eyes as he fiddled with his tooth.
Gina’s phone beeped. It was a message from Keith with a photo attached.
We found this under Dale’s pillow. I thought you’d want to see it straight away.
Keith.
Opening it, Gina’s jaw dropped. She recognised two of the three kids in the photo. There was a connection, and it went way back in time.
‘Jacob, check this out. We’re on to something here.’
Thirty-Four
It felt like Gina was going around in circles just like her empty stomach. Once again, she was back at Mary’s house; it was almost as if she’d never left.
‘Stop playing with your tooth. Someone’s coming.’
‘It hurts, guv.’ Reluctantly, Jacob dropped his hand to his side.
As they waited for someone to answer the door, Gina’s senses were alerted to the slamming of an interior door followed by a raised voice. It was only Mary’s voice she could hear, she had to be on the phone. Clare’s name was called, then nothing. Maybe Clare had hung up. She heard the same door fling open and bounce off the wall before Mary finally opened the front door. Mary wiped her damp red eyes. The smell of burnt toast crept up Gina’s nostrils. Saliva began to fill her mouth as she thought about chomping down on something warm and buttery.
