Page 75 of The World Outside My Window

The officer has the grace to look shame-faced. His superior takes over.

‘I know it’s hard, Mrs Parks, but unfortunately the person who took this photograph tried to take it without your husband – if that’s who it is – noticing. He did say from the photo we shared that he was fairly certain it was him, but without confirmation from you there’s very little we’re able to do about following it up, unfortunately.’

Laura picks up the photo again and looks at it more closely. It’s almost impossible to tell who this is a photo of. It has obviously been taken from a distance, and there are no distinctive clothes she recognises. Jim only really wore suits or dark clothing, jumpers, T-shirts in a variation of greys, blues and blacks. How is she ever supposed to be certain this is him?

But then again, if she wants them to follow it up, she’s going to have to give them something.

She sets the photo back on the table and smooths it down with her palm. ‘I think it could be him.’

Ben’s whips his head round to look at her. ‘Do you?’

She passes him the photo and turns back to the officers. ‘I do. I can’t be 100 per cent sure, but there’s something about the way he’s holding his head that makes me think it could be him.’

Ben hands the photo back but doesn’t speak. He’s fairly sure Laura has no idea whether this is a photo of Jim, but he understands why she’s claiming it is. Wouldn’t he do the same? And wouldn’t it be great if it is, and they are one step closer to finding Jim and bringing him home?

So why does he have a lump of disappointment in the very pit of his belly?

‘Thank you, Mrs Parks, that’s what we were hoping you would say.’

‘So, what happens now?’

‘Now we need to get back in touch with the witness to gather a few more details and see if we can follow up any more leads.’ He coughs. ‘There is one more thing though.’

Laura’s heart stops. ‘What?’

‘We called Mr Parks’s place of work.’

‘In Leeds?’ Laura wonders how they found out the name of Jim’s company, although she supposes that is their job.

He glances at his colleague. ‘Well, that’s the thing.’

‘Wh–what do you mean?’

The officer shuffles in his seat and steeples his fingers together beneath his chin. ‘The thing is, Mrs Parks, that your husband doesn’t work in Leeds. Never has.’

For a moment the ground beneath Laura seems to tilt. ‘But he does! He leaves here every Monday morning and comes back on a Thursday night. He – he’s been doing it since just after we met.’

Laura isn’t sure whether she wants to hear any more, but she knows she has no choice. That whatever revelation comes next is coming whether she likes it or not.

‘I’m afraid he hasn’t, Mrs Parks.’

Laura glances at Ben, but she can’t read his expression.

‘So where – where does he work, then?’

‘That’s just it. We’re not sure.’ He looks down at his paperwork. ‘We’re still looking for him, but one thing we are sure about is that a Mr Parks has never worked for any hotel chain based in Leeds – because there is no hotel chain based in Leeds. I’m very sorry.’

Laura can’t speak, her throat has dried up and she longs to throw her arms round Ben and find some comfort from him, but instead she sits rigid on her chair, her hands tucked beneath her thighs, and watches as the police officer shuffles some papers and returns them to his pink folder. He stands, and PC Compton follows suit.

‘I’m very sorry, Mrs Parks. Please rest assured that we’re doing everything we can to find out what has happened to your husband, but you must remember that a missing man can’t always take priority.’ He ducks his head. ‘Thank you for the tea. We won’t keep you any longer.’ They start to make their way towards the front door and, as Ben sees them out, Laura stares at the tabletop, tracing the lines of wood with her finger. She has no idea what any of this means, but she knows she needs to speak to Sonja to find out whether she ever saw Jim again.

She needs to track her husband down – no matter what happens once she finds him.

26

THEN – APRIL 1992

‘Jim, come quickly!’ I threw myself down on the bed, and seconds later Jim was at the bedroom door, out of breath from taking the stairs two at a time.

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