Honeytrap: Part 2 Read Free Page A

and released a long heartfelt sigh. ‘Thank heavens for that. I’m getting too old for this kind of drama. Sorry, Harry. She was on a friend’s phone and the battery was running low.’
    ‘So what happened?’ Jess asked. ‘Why did she just take off like that?’
    ‘It seems that she caught sight of an ex in Wilder’s, someone she split up with a while ago. She was worried that if he saw her he’d make a scene, draw attention to her and blow the whole job with Keynes. So she went out the back, jumped in a cab and then found she’d lost her mobile. She must have dropped it in the bar. I said one of us would go round and see if it’s been found.’
    ‘I’ll check it out,’ Harry said. He was doing his best not to appear too smug in front of Jess. It was understandable that she’d got in a spin – he’d felt the nerves too for a while – but his original instincts had been right. Sylvie was a smart girl who’d done what she had to do to escape a tricky situation. ‘Someone might have handed it in.’
    ‘I’m just glad she’s okay,’ Jess said.
    ‘Oh, and she said to apologise to you,’ Lorna said to Jess.
    ‘No problem.’ Jess looked across the table at Harry and gave him a wry smile. ‘Feel free to say “I told you so”.’
    Harry shook his head. ‘You did the right thing.’
    ‘Well, remind me not to go back to Wilder’s in the near future.’
    ‘I wouldn’t worry. He’ll have forgotten all about it by tomorrow.’ Harry rose to his feet, intending to drop by the bar and then drive on to the Lincoln. With any luck Danny Street would still be there. ‘Okay, if no one needs me any more, I’m going to make a move.’
    ‘Yeah, and me,’ Jess said, standing up too.
    Lorna looked up at her. ‘Oh, before you go. I should have said. Sylvie said to tell you she hasn’t forgotten about Friday.’
    Jess stiffened instantly. ‘What?’
    ‘Friday,’ Lorna repeated.
    ‘I don’t understand.’ Jess frowned hard, her fingers tightening around the strap of her bag. ‘We didn’t make any arrangement for Friday. What did she say exactly?’
    Lorna looked a little flustered. ‘Er … just that she hadn’t forgotten about Friday. That’s all. I’m sure it was.’
    ‘And how did she sound? There’s something not right here. Why would she say that?’
    Harry raised his eyes to the ceiling. ‘She’s fine. Lorna was just talking to her. She sounded okay, didn’t she?’
    Lorna looked at them both. ‘She sounded … I don’t know … yes, like normal. I think so.’
    ‘Call her back then,’ Jess said. ‘Let’s make sure.’
    ‘She didn’t leave a number. I don’t think she’s at home. She can’t be or Mac would have seen her.’
    Harry pulled on his jacket, ready to leave. ‘So try 1471.’
    Lorna picked up the phone, dialled and quickly put it down again. ‘Withheld,’ she said.
    ‘You see?’ Jess said.
    Harry shook his head. ‘See what? Lots of people have withheld numbers.’
    ‘But something’s not right. Why would she tell me not to forget when there’s nothing to remember?’
    ‘Are you sure you didn’t arrange to see her again?’
    ‘Of course I’m sure. We were going on to the Fox tonight, that’s where we were going to finish the interview. We hadn’t made any other plans.’
    ‘So maybe she got it wrong.’
    ‘Or maybe she was trying to tell us something.’
    Harry opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by the sound of the door opening and closing down on the ground floor. Two pairs of feet quickly climbed the stairs. Mac walked into the reception area, followed by DI Valerie Middleton.
    ‘Val,’ Harry said. ‘What are you doing here?’
    ‘Mac dropped by the station. He told me that you may have a missing person.’
    ‘No,’ Harry said.
    ‘Yes!’ Jess exclaimed.

9
    Jess was glad that Mac had contacted the police, but less pleased to see that it was Harry’s ex, Valerie, who had come along. The tall, cool blonde wasn’t Jess’s greatest