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.'

‘Nah,' Tom says, dislodging something between his teeth with his fingernail, ‘The Limes' guy is smaller. Hardy is built like a pit-bull.' I close my eyes, thank God.

Tom sniffs the air repeatedly like a hound. ‘Can you smell that?' he asks, swiftly changing the subject.

We all start sniffing, noses twitching. ‘I can't smell anything,' I say, and Daisy agrees, then sniffs the edge of her dressing gown, asks if it's ylang-ylang because she just smashed a bottle of it in the sink. The shelf collapsed. So, that's what the loud crash was earlier. ‘I'll pay for a new one,' Daisy offers sheepishly. ‘I overloaded it with Aldi finds. Sorry.'

‘It's okay, Daisy,' I say, and Tom gives me a look. ‘That shelf has been loose for weeks.' I've been nagging Tom to fix it, to no avail. ‘I'll get a handyman in to repair it.'

‘I'll fix it next week,' Tom insists. But we both know that won't happen.

‘There's a whiff of bonfire,' Mr Stanhope offers. ‘It's that couple at number thirty-eight. They're always burning stuff.'

Tom sniffs repeatedly. ‘No, it isn't smoke. It's something else. Oh, there is it again.'

We all shake our heads. ‘Might be your aftershave,' I suggest, wishing they'd all disappear so that I can go into my garden office and ring Linda for an update.

‘No. It smells like my auntie Andriana.'

I smile. ‘She always wore musk, didn't she?' Our house reeked of it for hours after she'd visit.

‘Musk, yes,' Tom says excitedly.

I sniff the air again. ‘But I can't smell it.'

‘It's definitely musk,' Tom murmurs. ‘Look, sorry. I'm going to have to go. I need to google something.' Tom's crafty excuse to leave.

‘That's a very attractive crucifix you have there,' Stanhope says to Daisy as Tom disappears into the kitchen, ‘that ruby is quite unusual. I dabble in antiques. Is it a real piece?'

‘I should think so,' Daisy scoffs, stroking it with a slender finger. ‘My mother bought it for me when I was an infant.' Poor Daisy. She always wells up when she mentions her mum.

‘Daisy.' Georgia's voice echoes from the living room. ‘Come and see this. Quick.' And Daisy is saved by Georgia.

‘Nice to finally meet you, Gregory,' Daisy says chirpily. ‘Better get back to Georgia,' she whispers to me, hand on my shoulder.

‘Likewise,' Mr Stanhope calls out to Daisy's back. And then we're alone. ‘Anyway, best get back to Arthur.' Mr Stanhope's cat. ‘He'll be wondering where I've got to. Have a good night, Bella.' Hands in pockets, he goes to turn and then stops mid-circle. ‘And don't forget to let me know what your sister says about Mr Hardy.' He smiles, but I don't miss the flash of accusation in his eyes. ‘Night night, Bella.'

I amble back into the kitchen and snatch up my phone from the table. Two missed calls and a voicemail from Linda. I press my phone against my ear and listen to her message – she's sorry for not picking up earlier – Theo was hovering and watching her like a hawk.‘I can't say much now,' A pause, an inhalation, must've been smoking, ‘I'm in the garden having a quick fag.' I knew it. ‘But look, don't worry, it's all sorted. Zelda has... Oh, shit, he's coming out. I'll speak to you tomorrow. Sleep tight, Bells. Love you. Mwah.'

Holding the phone to my chest, the reels in my head start spinning – why was Theo watching her so closely? Is he suspicious, or has he got a guilty conscious? He did go AWOL when he found out Linda had a one-night stand with Frank on the night Zelda stabbed him. That gives Theo a motive, doesn't it? Did he go out looking for Frank in the early hours of that morning? Did he find him injured and finish him off? A shudder runs through me and just then my phone buzzes in my hand with a text – Zelda:

1.Total nightmare of a day. I'm okay. Haven't been arrested. Sorry about text before, it was meant to say, I'm done, as in I've left the police station. But cab went over a bump as I was typing and my finger slid upwards and accidentally hit the number 4 before typing a full stop. I didn't notice until now when I reread it.

Thank God for that. I smile as I read her next message, thoughts of Theo murdering Frank and dumping him in a ditch dissolving.

2.Frank reported missing. All is well-ish. Will explain tom.

I'm about to reply when typing appears at the top of the screen. I wait it out and then another message buzzes through:

Can I use your office in morning? Neighbours have warned me of very loud building work – noise levels will be off the scale. They've made my flat intolerable to live in (an orange angry face emoji) Need to catch up on invoices. Promise not to leave a mess. The last time I left Zelda alone in my office I had to fish crisps out of my keyboard with tweezers for a week. Know ur picking Mum up from Heathrow. Leave key in usual place if you're out early. No need to reply. Going to sleep now. Shattered. Speak tomoz. Signed with an emoji kiss, a red heart, and two women with their arms wrapped around each other.