The Unquiet Dead Read Free Page A

perfectly arched brows foughtagainst the effects of Botox. ‘She would have phoned. She always phones – maybe not immediately, but she’d never stay out all night without calling me. And even if she did, she’d have phoned me by now.’
    ‘It’s only ten in the morning. Is it possible that she decided to go out with her friends, met someone and …’ How to put this delicately? ‘… is still with them?’
    ‘Absolutely not.’ The actress slammed her hands down on the armrests for maximum effect. ‘There is no way Anna Maria would go out without coming home to change first.’
    There was a knock on the door and Niaz came in with a steaming mug of coffee. Jessie inhaled the aroma. Canteen coffee had never smelled so good. But she didn’t get to taste it, or thank him, because Mark Ward suddenly burst through Jessie’s door, slamming into Niaz and causing the coffee to spill. Her fellow DI swore under his breath.
    ‘Sorry,’ he said, backing out of the room. ‘Didn’t know you had company.’
    Sarah Klein stood up. So royalty rises, thought Jessie, though not for women and not for people of ethnic origin. ‘Don’t worry,’ she said, extending her hand. ‘Sarah Klein.’
    Ward was looking worried.
    ‘What is it, Mark?’
    ‘Don’t worry, it can wait,’ he said, retreating to the corridor with a final frantic glance at Jessie.
    Jessie stood. ‘Niaz, please stay with Ms Klein.Take a statement, a detailed description of what Anna Maria was wearing, her mobile number, the names of her friends and where and when she was planning to meet them. Then, Ms Klein, I suggest you go home and wait. Hopefully, Anna Maria will be back by the end of the day. If not, we’ll have everything in place to act.’
    ‘That isn’t enough,’ exclaimed Sarah Klein.
    ‘With all of that we can start looking at CCTV footage. We’ll be able to map her movements quite easily, provided you can give us that information.’
    ‘And then you’ll get the press involved?’
    ‘Probably,’ said Jessie, curious. ‘Why do you ask?’
    ‘It’s the quickest way to get maximum coverage – for sightings and things. I hate the press myself, but I’ll do whatever I have to do, for Anna Maria.’
    What was it with these people? ‘Let’s start with the information I’ve requested. We’ll go from there.’
    ‘She has blonde hair and was wearing a Dolce and Gabbana dress –’
    ‘Please,’ said Jessie, taking the dripping coffee mug from Niaz. ‘Tell PC Ahmet.’
    Sarah Klein looked briefly at Niaz, but she was a good actress and disguised her disappointment well.
    As Jessie had suspected, Mark Ward was waiting for her in the hall. She mimicked strangulation asthe door closed behind her. ‘I bet you a fiver the daughter has legged it,’ she whispered. ‘Is everything all right?’
    ‘I don’t know, how did that go?’
    ‘A couple of ageing actresses first thing in the morning, how do you think?’
    ‘Shit,’ said Mark.
    ‘Tell me she isn’t appearing in a play that’s dying a death. Can you believe how far these people will go to get good box-office receipts?’
    ‘But that’s just it –’ Mark stopped but Jessie had already felt the draught. Her office door was open. She turned. Sarah Klein’s clone was looking at her with a very unnerving expression on her face. Clearly she’d heard what Jessie had said. Her only option was to bluff it. But before she’d even managed to force her mouth into a smile, or utter polite platitudes, the angry woman spoke.
    ‘That was very unimpressive.’
    ‘I’m sorry if you think that, but in my experience –’
    Mark pushed the back of his shoe into Jessie’s heel. She ignored his warning. She’d had enough of the arrogance of vaguely famous people, assuming they were more important than everyone else and therefore deserving of special treatment.
    ‘– these sort of situations –’
    ‘How can you possibly judge the situation when you didn’t ask the right