Chapter 30

The office of Carly Spencer didn't give the greatest first impression.

A cheap sign above the door read Spencer and Co, giving no indication of the nature of the business. It certainly wasn't trying to appeal to passing trade.

A piece of hastily applied board covered a crack in the top-right corner of the main window. Weeds and moss grew out from the gaps between the slabs on the pavement, reducing the kerb appeal even further.

Looking around, it wasn't a bad spot at the top end of Hagley High Street. Plenty of footfall but no clue given about what was going on inside.

‘Is she in there?' Bryant asked as they approached the door.

Kim was unsure herself until she saw a single bulb shining within.

She tried the door. It was locked. She knocked and heard footsteps approach immediately. The door opened, and for a second Kim was stunned. The woman before them bore no resemblance to the building she occupied.

Long chestnut hair fell silkily over her shoulders. Brown eyes were accentuated by the perfect amount of eyeshadow and mascara. Her face had been contoured with professional skill. There was no question that this woman turned heads wherever she went.

‘May I help?' she asked with a smile that displayed perfectly even white teeth. Although casual, her jeans and white shirt were impeccable too.

‘Carly Spencer?'

‘If she's won something, yes; for anything else, I'll check if she's available.'

Kim smiled and held up her ID.

‘Never heard of her,' Carly joked, stepping aside for them to enter.

The space was small and contained a few chairs, a desk and a lot of boxes.

Expensive perfume filled the air and covered any smell of musty paperwork.

She turned to move a box from an office chair. ‘Excuse the mess and take a seat wherever you can find one. I'm not sure why they sent you lot. It's no great mystery, and I know it's a minor thing, but I do appreciate you?—'

‘Ms Spencer, why do you think we're here?' Kim asked.

‘Carly, please. My broken window – the vandalism? I called it in this morning.'

‘I'm afraid that has nothing to do with our visit. We're investigating a major incident, and your name has come up.'

‘Oh, damn, what's Petra done now? Where's she been caught?' she asked, rolling her eyes.

‘Petra?'

‘My Porsche. We tend to get noticed on all kinds of cameras.'

‘You have a Porsche?' Bryant asked.

Kim knew it was her colleague's fantasy car.

‘Don't get excited,' Carly said with a smile. ‘She's an old bird. It was my dad's. He left it to me when he died.'

‘No, nothing like that,' Kim said before Bryant could take the Porsche conversation any further. ‘We understand that your mother died recently.'

‘She was buried two weeks ago, but why would that interest you?'

‘The obituary didn't mention the cause of death,' Kim said.

‘Breast cancer. She'd been fighting it for three years.'

‘I'm sorry for your loss,' Kim said, now aware that they were wasting their time. Although she'd known there had been no brutal stabbing, she had wondered if the woman had met her demise in suspicious circumstances. But even their killer couldn't orchestrate terminal illness.

‘Thank you. I'm still trying to navigate the world without her.'

‘You used to do pageants together?' Kim asked.

Carly looked puzzled. ‘Why would you know that?'

‘It's come up in our current investigation. Were they good years?'

‘Good enough that I got into the business myself,' she said, sweeping her hand around the boxes.

‘You enjoyed it?'

‘Of course. It was fun. I made lots of friends. Many of us did the same events every year. It was like meeting up with old buddies again every time. We'd run around the venues doing cartwheels and handstands. We'd compare dresses and jewellery.'

Carly's account was in complete contrast to Toyah's recollection.

‘No jealously or rivalry?' Kim asked.

‘We were kids. It was dress up for a few hours. It wasn't life-changing stuff. We were having a great time. I think maybe some of the parents took it a bit more seriously, but to us it was a few minutes doing what we'd practised and the rest of the time just messing around.'

Kim had a sudden thought. ‘Any particular girls you hung around with?'

‘Blimey. Loads. But can I ask why you're interested in my old pageant days?'

‘I can't really elaborate further. Was Katie Hawne one of your friends?'

She frowned while thinking. ‘Katie…Katie…Oh God, no. Never Katie. Her mom wasn't having any of that kind of nonsense.'

‘Nonsense?'

‘Having fun,' Carly clarified. ‘Even between rounds, Katie wasn't allowed to leave her mother's side.'

‘How about a girl named Toyah?' Kim asked, thinking the first name was probably enough.

‘Oh, Toyah was hilarious, at first. We had a lot of laughs, but she started to take it a bit more seriously towards the end. Sorry, I have to ask, are they okay?'

‘They're fine,' Kim lied. ‘So, why the move?' she asked, nodding towards the stacks of boxes.

‘I'm not moving. I've closed the business. It's not what it used to be.'

‘How come?'

‘My mom loved the pageant business, so we started our own a few years ago. It wasn't a major event, but it was growing in popularity. I've not got the heart for it any more though. It's hard to keep defending it, and the repercussions are getting worse.'

‘Go on,' Kim said, sitting forward.

‘Well, at first it was just trolling online, then emails and now bricks being thrown at the window. That's why I thought you were here. It's the pageant haters growing bolder by the day, the insults, the threats. I'm over it.'

‘Is there any way of finding out where it's coming from?' Bryant asked.

‘Oh, I know exactly where it's coming from. I can even give you the address.'