Page 51 of The Temp

‘The police came round earlier,’ Mr Stanhope clarifies, and Daisy shakes her head, said she’d spoken to them too. ‘They were looking for Zelda, said her boyfriend was reported missing.’ Missing? Not dead? A cocktail of relief, fear and panic rips through me.

‘They didn’t say anything about Frank to me. They just asked if Zelda was in and if I knew where she was,’ Daisy says to Mr Stanhope, then looks at me and mouths Sorry. She thinks she’s said too much. I tell her it’s okay, that Mr Stanhope clearly knows more about the case than we do. ‘They said they had this address for Zelda on their records?’ Daisy shrugs.

‘She lived with us for a while. When we first moved in.’ Tom sighs loudly through his nostrils. ‘She was in-between flats. Don’t tell me she still hasn’t updated her records?’ Tom says to me, tiredly.

‘It hasn’t been that long.’ I rub the back of my neck. ‘You know what she’s like.’

‘I think we’re missing the point here,’ Mr Stanhope says, miffed. ‘Bella, why would you think Mr Hardy is deceased?’

I swallow. All eyes are on me. ‘I didn’t mean him,’ I stammer. I look at Tom for support but his face is blank. ‘I was talking about that poor guy on the news just now.’ I wave a hand in the direction of the blaring TV. ‘The one found in Limes Park.’ They continue to stare at me. Stanhope flicks a glance at Tom. He doesn’t believe me. ‘It really freaked me out. Sorry about the confusion.’

The silence is long and agonising, and then Tom says, ‘Poor sod.’ And the mood immediately softens, almost as if a switch has been flicked on. ‘Limes is great during the day but at night…’

‘I gave them her address, by the way,’ Mr Stanhope announces, and our eyes rocket towards him. How could he possibly know where Zelda lives? ‘I helped her move, remember?’ he says, clearly noting my confusion. Of course, he did. Zelda had a lot of stuff, was low on cash, and Tom was too stingy to hire a man with a van, so asked Stanhope if he’d help transport some of her belongings in his VW estate. Zelda didn’t even see him that day. I’m sure of it. She was inside rearranging furniture and unpacking boxes.

‘I reckon Mr Hardy might be on the run,’ Mr Stanhope says, ‘they wanted to know if I’d seen him recently, how well I knew your sister, what she was like. I told them I knew her very well indeed.’ Liar. ‘That I was close friends with the family.’ This man is unbelievable. ‘Oh, they were all ears when I told them I’d been to Zelda’s flat,’ he chuckles smugly, rubbing his thumb and index finger together. ‘She makes a lovely cup of tea, your sister, and her clementine hot-cross buns are exceptional.’ So, not only did Zelda see Stanhope, she invited him in for tea and bloody cake. ‘I explained that she was a baker by trade, ran her own business and that she struck me as an open-minded person.’ He cocks his head and bends slightly forward. ‘A free spirit, if you like, but feisty with it.’ Very perceptive of him. I couldn’t have described her better myself. ‘A bit standoffish, if I’m honest, but pleasant once you get to know her.’ I bet she barely spoke to him.

‘Did they mention anyone else?’ Such as Linda or me? Please say no.

‘Only if Zelda had mentioned any of Frank’s friends. If Diane or Nina rang a bell. I said, no, of course. I wouldn’t dream of prying.’ I try hard to stop my eyebrow from arching. ‘When I asked them if he was in some sort of trouble, they shut down.’

‘Nina,’ I repeat, then turn to Tom. ‘Isn’t that the girlfriend that died?’

Mr Stanhope takes a sharp intake of breath. Tom nods. ‘He told us about her over dinner at Theo and Linda’s, remember? Said she was ill.’

‘Actually, no, he didn’t say that,’ I contradict, ‘he told us she’d died suddenly, not the cause of death.’

‘Bloody hell,’ Daisy says, ‘a dead-ex?’

Mr Stanhope is looking at us aghast. ‘They did ask me to call them if I had any new information,’ he says to no one in particular, a note of glee in his voice. ‘And, of course, now I’ll have to if you say his ex-girlfriend mysteriously died.’

For fuck’s sake, why does he have to twist everything I say? ‘No, I…Nina…’

‘He told us Nina had died but that doesn’t mean it’s true,’ Tom suggests, coming to my rescue. ‘Maybe she dumped him and he wanted a bit of sympathy from us.’ He waves a hand out. ‘Maybe she’s dead to him – metaphorically.’

‘Or she might be actually dead,’ Daisy pipes up. ‘He might’ve killed her.’

Chapter 48

‘Now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Daisy. This isn’t Crime Watch,’ Tom laughs lightly, giving her a reproving look. ‘I’d leave it to us now, Gregory,’ he adds smoothly. ‘We’ll speak to Zelda and update the police with any new information in the morning.’ Mr Stanhope goes to protest but Tom cuts across him. ‘She might’ve heard from Hardy by now, know where he is. Let’s gather all the facts first, yeah? You don’t want to be wasting police time, pal.’

‘Yes, yes, that’s true,’ Mr Stanhope says to my bare feet, which I can scarcely feel. The wind has eased but it’s still bitter. I go to move when Stanhope looks up at me sharply. ‘You will let me know what your sister says?’

‘Of course,’ I concede.

‘Absolutely,’ Tom says, at the same time.

I’m relieved that the police are only looking for Frank because a missing person’s report has been lodged. But if they were only questioning Zelda about Frank’s disappearance, why did she send me that sinister text just now?

‘Yes, thank you, Gregory,’ Tom says, ‘for letting us know.’ Tom takes Stanhope’s hand and curls the other around his forearm, and they shake heartily.

‘Bella, if you find out any information from you sister, do contact the police.’ I nod, tell him I will. ‘Perhaps this Diane the police mentioned might know something. Did you say you know her?’ Of course I don’t know her. Why would I? I open my mouth to tell him when a face matching the name begins to form in my mind. Frank has a client called Diane – late fifties, recently separated, tall, with very long blonde hair that was always up in a bun, and muscles to die for. Could it be her?

‘No,’ I say firmly, rubbing my arms as a shiver powers through me. It probably isn’t her. ‘I don’t know her. I still can’t get over the Limes Park victim. His poor family,’ I add, and everyone murmurs in agreement.

‘I’ve been following that story online,’ Mr Stanhope says, ‘what with it being a local crime.’ How the three of us missed this important piece of information I will never know. We wouldn’t make very good detectives. ‘Actually…’ Mr Stanhope holds his chin. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t say this.’ But you will anyway. I cross my arms. I’m freezing. ‘I only saw Mr Hardy twice, once outside, as I mentioned, and then again at your barbeque, over the fence. But there are similarities with the Limes’ victim.’ My guts spasm, sending a searing pain into my ribs. No, please don’t say it. Don’t say it could be Frank. He’s missing, that’s all. Done a runner with Zelda’s two grand. ‘The description the papers have given are quite fitting – age, build, colouring.’

Daisy gasps. ‘Do you think it could be him? They were calling for witnesses on the news just now, asking anyone who thinks they might know him to come forward.’

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