Take Two (A psychological thriller) (26 page)

Richards lit a cigar and they drove in silence for a while. ‘Let’s swing by her house, Mick,’ said Richards eventually.

‘Her house?’

‘In Notting Hill Gate.’

‘Castle’s house? Are you serious?’

‘I just want to know for sure.’

‘Boss, what if the cops are there? What if she’s been reported missing and we turn up? The cops aren’t stupid.’

Richards turned and looked at Halpin.  ‘Are you going to second guess every decision I make, is that what’s going to happen? Because I’m not standing for that.’

‘I’m just telling you what I think, boss.’

‘Yeah? Well, if I want to know what you think I’ll fucking well ask you. Until then you keep your mouth shut, okay?’

Halpin nodded. ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘But do me a favour and put the address into the SatNav will you?  I don’t know my way around that part of London. It’s out of my price range.’

CHAPTER 65

The SatNav announced they were about to arrive at their destination. Richards and Halpin looked around but there was nothing to indicate it was anything other than a normal, peaceful evening in one of London’s most expensive residential areas. ‘Just drive by, nice and slow,’ said Richards. ‘Her place is on the left. There’s a Japanese cherry tree out front.’

Halpin nodded and edged the car forward.  Richards could feel his heart pounding and he took slow deep breaths. He knew he was being stupid. Carolyn Castle was dead. The house was empty.  It couldn’t possibly have been her driving the white Audi.  It was stress, nothing more.  He needed alcohol, that would help him relax. A few drinks at the club and he’d be okay. He needed some female company, ideally long-legged and large breasted, someone to take his mind off Carolyn.

‘You’re right, Mick,’ he said quietly. ‘This is a waste of time. Take me home. I’ll have a few hours kip and then we’ll hit the club.’ He settled back in the seat. That was when they saw the white Audi TT parked outside Carolyn’s house.

CHAPTER 66

Richards got out of the Lexus and slammed the door shut. Halpin pressed the button to wind down the window. ‘Boss, I should come with you,’ he said.

Richards shook his head. ‘I’m just going to have a look-see,’ he said.

‘Boss, it can’t be her. She’s dead.’

‘I know.’

‘I dropped that trunk over the side and she was in it.’

‘So you say.’

‘What, you think I’m lying?’

‘Fuck Mick, I don’t know what to think.’ He pointed at the Audi. ‘All I know is that’s the car I saw and she was driving it. So you just sit tight while I take a look.’  He walked away, slipping his hands into his pockets.  He walked up to the car and bent down to look inside the two-seater. There was nothing inside to give a clue as to who owned it, it was as pristine as the day it had rolled off the production line. He peered under the car. The road there was wet, which suggested that the car had been somewhere else during the rainstorm. He straightened up and walked towards Carolyn’s house.  She couldn’t be there, he knew that. It couldn’t have been her he’d seen driving the Audi. But the car was there and he hadn’t imagined that.

He pushed open the wrought iron gate and walked down the path. He looked at the front door and wondered if he should ring the doorbell.  Carolyn lived alone and she was dead so there was no point, he decided. The path led around to the back of the house and he followed it, treading softly.  There was another wrought iron gate at the side of the house and he opened that. There was a paved terrace and beyond it a manicured lawn and, in the distance, a well-tended rockery. He walked on to the terrace. There was a brick barbecue and a round teak table with six chairs around it. He took a deep breath. He could imagine sitting with Carolyn at the table, drinking a decent bottle of wine and looking out over the garden. The house was in central London but the garden wasn’t overlooked and there was a countryside feel to it.

He took out his cigar case and turned to look at the house.  To the right was a conservatory filled with palms and ferns, and next to it was a set of French windows leading to her sitting room.  He tapped out a cigar. He was just putting it to his mouth when Carolyn walked into the sitting room. She dropped a book onto a sofa and then turned towards the window. When she saw him she opened her mouth and screamed. The cigar fell from his hand as he stared at her in horror.

CHAPTER 67

Richards took a step back as the French windows opened. ‘Who are you and what are you doing in the garden?’ she asked.

Richards opened his mouth but he couldn’t speak. His hands were shaking and his throat had gone dry. He swallowed and almost gagged.

‘If you don’t leave now, I’m calling the police.’ She held up a mobile phone. ‘I’ve already pressed two nines, one more and I’m on to the police.’

‘Carolyn?’

‘What? Who are you?’

‘Carolyn, it’s me. Warwick.’

She frowned. ‘Warwick?’

‘For God’s sake, what are you playing at?’

Her eyes widened. ‘Warwick? Warwick Richards? You’re Warwick Richards?’

‘What?’

She lowered the phone. ‘I went to your flat this evening but you weren’t in.’

‘What?’

‘You like to say that a lot, don’t you?’

‘What?’

‘There you go again.’

‘Carolyn, what the hell is going on?’

She grinned. ‘You see that’s why you’re looking so confused. I’m not Carolyn. I’m her sister, Jenny.’ She held out her hand. ‘Pleased to meet you.’

‘Jenny?’

‘That’s right.’

‘Her sister? Carolyn’s sister.’

‘Now you’re getting it.’

‘Her twin sister?’

‘See, there’s no flies on you.’  She pushed her hand towards him. ‘Nice to finally meet you.’

Richards reached out and shook her hand.

She laughed. ‘You don’t have much of a grip, do you, Warwick?’

He realised she had an Australian accent. And her hair was shorter than Carolyn’s. And lighter. But, other than that, she was an identical twin.

‘Carolyn never said she had a sister,’ said Richards.

‘I’m the black sheep of the family,’ said Jenny, running a hand through her hair. ‘So where is she?’

‘What?’

‘There you go again with the “what”.  My sister, where the hell is she?’

Richards shrugged and shook his head. ‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘That’s why I came around.’

‘I didn’t hear you ring the bell.’

Richards feigned surprise. ‘I did. There was no answer so I was going to knock on the back door.’

‘At midnight?’

Richards stared at her, unable to think of anything to say.

‘Well you’d better come in,’ she said. She pointed at the cigar that he’d dropped. ‘Are you going to get that?’

Richards picked it up and followed her into the sitting room. ‘Are you going to smoke it or throw it away?’ she asked as she closed the French windows.

‘I’ve got plenty more,’ he said, dropping it into a wastepaper basket.

She walked past him and he followed her through the hallway and into the kitchen. ‘Can I get you a drink?’ she asked. ‘I was going to open a bottle of wine.’ She pulled open the fridge door and took out a bottle of Chardonnay.  ‘You don’t know where she keeps her corkscrew, do you? I’m still finding my way around.’

‘This is the first time I’ve been here,’ he said.

‘Really? I got the impression you two were close.’

‘She said that?’

‘In a manner of speaking.’ She opened a drawer but it only contained cutlery. ‘You know, generally I get screw-tops so I don’t have this problem.’

Richards pointed at a rack of green-handled cooking utensils hanging from a rack to the left of the Aga. In the middle was a corkscrew.

‘Excellent,’ she said, reaching for it. ‘Now, why don’t you make yourself useful and find a couple of glasses while I open this.’

Richards started opening cupboards and at the third attempt he found the wine glasses. He put two down on the marble counter and Jenny poured wine into both.

‘What did she say about me?’

Jenny laughed. ‘I was teasing you,’ she said. ‘Your name was in her Filofax, that’s all. But I saw you’d seen her for lunch last Friday and that she was seeing you yesterday on your boat so I put two and two together.’ She nodded at the kitchen door. ‘Come on, let’s use the sofas while we play catch up.’

Richards picked up his glass and followed her back into the sitting room. There were two overstuffed blue and white striped sofas either side of the fireplace and Jenny dropped down onto one.  She was an identical twin but Richards knew he would have no problem telling them apart. It wasn’t just the Australian accent, Jenny spoke faster than her sister and her body language was somehow bigger and more expressive.  He sat down on the sofa opposite her and crossed his legs. ‘I’m surprised your sister didn’t mention you,’ he said, ‘not even to say you were the black sheep.’

‘I wasn’t that much of a black sheep, really,’ said Jenny. ‘And you don’t know where she is?’

Richards shook his head.

‘You saw her yesterday, right? On your boat?’

‘She told you that?’

‘It’s in her Filofax. I got in this morning and she was supposed to be meeting me at the airport.’ She shrugged. ‘It’s not the first time my darling sister has let me down, so I got a black cab.’

‘Have you called the police?’

Jenny frowned. ‘Why would I do that?’

‘Well, she’s missing, isn’t she?’

‘I don’t know she’s missing. She comes and goes, does Carolyn. She’d hardly thank me for calling the police if she’s staying in the country with friends.’ She sipped her wine. ‘So how long have you known my sister?’

‘Not long,’ said Richards.

‘She was on your boat, right? Yesterday?’

‘Yeah we had drinks.’

‘You didn’t take her out to sea and drop her over the side did you?’

Richards frowned. ‘Why would you say something like that?’

‘Joke,’ she said. ‘But I know what my sister can be like. There have been plenty of times when I’ve wanted to throw her out of a moving car.’

‘Well, she was fine yesterday. We had a few drinks and then she left. I called her a few times today but there was no answer so I thought I’d pop around and check if she was okay.’

‘Have you slept with her?’

Richards felt his jaw drop and he closed his mouth and shook his head in amazement. ‘How can you ask something like that?’

‘She’s family,’ said Jenny. ‘God, you’re such a prude. It’s not as if I was going to ask you what positions you used or whether or not you used a condom.’

‘I suppose this is what passes for polite conversation in Australia, does it?’

She laughed. ‘We do tend to call a spade a spade,’ she said. ‘But seriously, are you her boyfriend?’

‘I went out with her a few times,’ said Richards.

‘And you like her?’

‘Yes, Jenny, I like her.’ He sipped his wine.

‘Well that’s good to know,’ she said. She sat back in the sofa. ‘Do you think I should call the police?’

‘I don’t know, you probably know her better than me,’ said Richards. The last thing he wanted was for her to call the cops but he could hardly tell her that.  ‘Her mobile’s off, but I suppose that doesn’t mean anything.’

‘How was her drinking?’

‘Her what?’

‘Her drinking. She’s got a bit of a drink problem. You didn’t know?’

‘She seemed fine with me,’ said Richards.

Jenny drew her legs up underneath herself. ‘She’s good at hiding it. But she’s been in rehab a couple of times. She signs herself in for a week or two and that works, for a while at least.’

Richards nodded slowly. Carolyn had been a fairly heavy drinker when she was with him, that was certainly true. But she hadn’t seemed like an alcoholic and had certainly never been drunk in his company. ‘Like I said, she always seemed fine with me.’

‘Maybe you were a good influence,’ said Jenny. She held up her wine glass. ‘Hell, I’m not one to talk. I love my wine.’

‘Carolyn preferred red,’ said Richards.

Jenny frowned. ‘Preferred?’

‘Yeah, she always asked for red.’

‘You said preferred. Past tense.’

Richards stiffened as he realised his mistake. He forced himself to smile. ‘When we were out, that’s what she asked for. That’s what I meant.’

Jenny looked relieved. ‘Whew. I thought you were thinking that something had happened to her.’

‘Like an accident, you mean? That’s her car outside, isn’t it? The Audi?’ Jenny nodded. ‘I’m sure she’s okay. She’s well known. If she’d been involved in an accident it would be all over the TV, wouldn’t it?’

‘That’s what I thought,’ said Jenny.

‘If she was going to check herself into rehab, wouldn’t she have called you?’

‘Could have been short notice, and I was in the air for nigh on twenty four hours.’ She sipped her wine. ‘I plan to go around to the studio tomorrow and see if they know where she is.’

‘Sounds like a plan,’ said Richards. His mobile phone rang and he fished it out of his pocket. It was Halpin. ‘Sorry, I’ve got to take this,’ he said and put the phone to his ear.

‘Boss, are you okay?’

‘Yeah, I’m fine. Hang on outside, I’ll be out in a while.’

‘You’re okay? You’ve been in there for ages.’

‘Everything’s okay,  Just sit tight.’  Richards ended the call.  ‘My driver, wanting to know how long I’m going to be.’

‘And how long are you going to be?’ asked Jenny, smiling over the top of her glass.

‘I’ll finish this and then I’ll be off,’ he said.

‘Well it’s been nice meeting you, anyway,’ said Jenny. ‘When Carolyn turns up we should have a night out, the three of us.’

‘I’d like that,’ said Richards. ‘I’d like that a lot.’

CHAPTER 68

Richards climbed into the Lexus and took out a cigar. ‘You are not going to believe this,’ he said. He opened the window, bit the end off the cigar and spat it onto the pavement. ‘I’m not sure I believe it myself.’ He lit the cigar.

‘Believe what, boss?’ asked Halpin.

Richards blew smoke out through the window. ‘It’s her sister.’

‘Her sister?’ repeated Halpin incredulously.