Jack finished his bacon sandwich, dropping tomato ketchup onto his note pad. He then inserted the next memory stick into his laptop and trawled through the agency’s male clients. It was a lengthy and tedious process, looking for any face that he recognised or who might have a criminal background, but nothing stood out from the catalogue of well-off middle-aged men looking for a relationship, many of whom were widowers.
Then Jack came across Ridley’s photograph, with his fake name, Arnold Radley. He had listed his profession as a retired surveyor, stating that he was single, had never been married, slim build, fit and 6ft tall. In addition, he enjoyed sports and would like to meet someone with similar interests, with a view to a serious relationship. Finally he had £30,000 in savings and investments. Jack printed all of Ridley’s information out, putting it with the other clients of interest.
He inserted the final memory stick, unsure what Sammy — or whatever his name was — had been able to hack into. What he found was newspaper coverage and advertising for the dating agency, and various related women’s magazine articles. Mrs Da Costa seemed to have less coverage than Eva Shay who was featured as a successful career woman promoting a special agency for an older clientele, stating that privacy and security were the company’s top priorities. In the article she also said that it was important that anyone applying was given an in-depth interview ensuring that they would be matched with the right partner. This reduced the risks sometimes associated with online dating.
Jack noticed that Eva Shay was very well preserved for her age, perhaps as a result of plastic surgery. She appeared to be quite glamorous, despite a rather old-fashioned hairstyle which was heavily lacquered. She also wore too much makeup. Pictured wearing evening gowns and velvet suits with frilly white shirts, most of the magazine articles about her said the same thing about the discreetness of the agency, which claimed to have an impressive success rate, with a number of matches ending in marriage.
The landline on his desk rang and he left Maggie to answer it. She called out to him from downstairs.
Jack went onto the landing and looked over the banister. ‘Is it for me?’
‘No, it was for Penny. They’re back from church. I’m just taking Hannah to the park. You’ll notice that I’m wearing my running kit, as I’m going to jog with the buggy. I don’t suppose you fancy joining me for some exercise?’
‘Sorry, sweetheart, I’m still working. But I promise to finish so we can have dinner together this evening.’
‘OK, see you later.’
Jack returned to his office and looked out of the window to see Maggie running down the path pushing the buggy. She looked so young, with her curly hair tied up in a ponytail. He felt a rush of emotion as he watched his wife and his little girl. He loved them both so much, and it pained him that he couldn’t join them as he went back to his desk. Just as he resumed scrolling through more footage his mobile rang. He scrambled around trying to find it amongst all the papers, and eventually located it underneath one of the files. He didn’t recognise the number but answered anyway.
‘Hello?’ The voice was very faint and nervous-sounding.
‘Hello, who is this?’ Jack replied.
‘Can I speak to Mr Warr please.’
‘Yes, this is him speaking. Who is this?’
‘It’s Amanda Dunn. You gave me your number when I was at the hostel.’
Jack pulled on his leather jacket as he ran down the stairs, carrying a large manila envelope. Penny was speaking to someone on the phone in the hall and laughing. She quickly covered the mouthpiece when he stopped in front of her.
‘Please tell Maggie I had to go out, but it won’t take too long. I’ll call her when I know what time I’ll be home, but I’ll be back in time for dinner.’
‘Alright, dear.’
Penny waited until Jack had closed the front door behind him before continuing her call. Her cheeks were flushed pink as she said that her son had just left and that she was having a nice restful Sunday as her daughter-in-law had taken her granddaughter out to the park. She gave a rather embarrassed laugh in response to the other person’s next comment, saying that she was flattered, but she was definitely old enough to be a grandmother.
Jack drove to Euston Station, and as it was Sunday, the traffic was fairly light. He parked on a meter before heading into the station via the side entrance, looking around for the Café Nero coffee bar. He spotted it across the virtually empty station forecourt and headed for the three small tables outside. Amanda was sitting at one of them, with a cappuccino in a large white cup with two biscuits in the saucer. Jack waved and she started to stand but then sat down again.
‘Looks like you don’t need another coffee yet?’ he said.
‘No, thank you. I don’t really like this frothy stuff, but the biscuits come free with it. I’ve been here for quite a while and wasn’t sure if you would come. I just wanted to let you know that I’m going home to Liverpool... at least that’s what I want to do, but like I said on the phone, I’m a bit short on the train fare. I didn’t know who else I could call, so I hope you don’t mind.’
Jack pulled out a chair and sat down opposite her. He was unsure if she was telling the truth about going to Liverpool. Sara had spoken to her parents on Friday, and they had said she wasn’t expected.
‘They were very nice at the hostel, but they kept on asking what my intentions were and whether I was going to see my mother. So eventually I just said that I was, and I left.’
Amanda looked down beside her chair at a small worn holdall.
‘So where have you been since then?’ Jack asked.
‘Oh, mostly just walking around, trying to think what I should do about the money.’
She looked very dishevelled. Her hair was lank, her face was dirty, and she had badly bitten fingernails. She quickly tucked them into her worn coat sleeves when she noticed Jack looking at them.
‘You’ve been sleeping rough, haven’t you?’
‘Yes, but not here — it’s too dangerous. I went into the West End and slept in a shop doorway. A lot of them are still all shuttered after Covid, and there was a van serving hot soup to the homeless, so I was alright. But I kept my eyes open, just in case.’
‘You’re very brave, but you should have stayed at the hostel until it was time to catch the train. They’ve been very concerned about you.’
‘I needed to get away. Can you lend me the money?’
Jack took out his wallet. He then placed the manila envelope down on the table.
‘I need you to do something for me in return, Amanda. The money for your train fare won’t be a loan. I am just relieved you are going to go home.’
She grimaced, then looked around the station.
‘What do you want me to do? I mean, it’s very public here.’
Jack shook his head, realising that she was thinking he was suggesting sexual favours. He opened the envelope.
‘I want you to look at some photographs, and all you have to do is tell me if you’ve seen any of these girls at Rodney’s basement flat. That’s all I want you to do, Amanda, nothing else.’
‘Oh... alright. Do you have any cigarettes?’
Jack shook his head. ‘I don’t smoke. But I’ll buy you a pack as well as helping you out with the train fare. So, I am going to lay out the photographs and I just want you to tell me if you recognise any of them.’
Jack pulled out the photographs that Sara had brought up from missing persons and laid them out side by side on the table in front of Amanda.
‘Take your time and look at them carefully. Don’t worry if you can’t recognise any of them — you’ll still get your cigarettes and your money. I need you to be very sure.’
Amanda chewed at her bottom lip, and Jack noticed a nasty cold sore at the corner of her mouth. She pulled her filthy hands out from her coat sleeves and leant forwards, scrutinising each photograph as Jack waited patiently.