Harry was shocked about Amy, but somewhat relieved that there was no complaint against him, and that Reid was not concerned with his criminal record. He was more forthcoming about Marcus Fulford than Agnes had been and said he was a lovely bloke and very friendly, but that he had little to do with him as Mrs Fulford employed him. He said she was a really special lady and had taken him on knowing his past record and they had a good working relationship. He was unable to give any real insight into Amy Fulford, bar the fact she was a sweetheart, always polite, and seemed to him to be a very well-adjusted young woman.
‘I drive her sometimes to her Dad’s, but she never talks much, and unlike her mother she always sits in the back of the Lexus – Mrs Fulford always sits beside me in the passenger seat. She spends a lot of time texting, and using her iPad during the journeys. When I’ve taken her back to school on her own she hardly ever says a word to me; I just drive into the school, hand over her case and she waves me off.’
‘You ever overhear her talking to anyone on her mobile?’
‘Oh yes, she chatters away to friends, always laughing and kidding around, but then when she cuts off the call she sits back all quiet. She’s a lovely-looking young girl, but sort of old-fashioned in the way she carries herself, if you understand what I mean. I know her mother’s very strict with her, and if they are both in the car together she often talks about her business to Amy, and Amy seems very interested. They make a good team, and she’s doing this new business about party planning for young kids and often they throw ideas around – what sort of cakes or cupcakes, what games kids like nowadays.’
‘Do you join in their conversations?’
‘No. I take good care of Mrs Fulford as she gets tired out, and she never stops – here and there all over London and then into the country, meeting women who do her sewing and stuff. I drive her to the factories and then when they go to Devon I usually drive them there, leave the car and get a train home.’
‘How do you think this divorce is going down?’
He shrugged, and now more relaxed, he smiled, saying he had been divorced once when he was young, but had been happily married to an older woman now for many years. He suggested married life was probably easier for someone who didn’t have anything worth fighting over.
‘Were Mr and Mrs Fulford fighting over it?’
‘Not in front of me, and I never saw him with another woman or her with a bloke she was interested in, which considering her looks, you’d think they would be queuing up.’
Harry went on to say he had taken Mrs Fulford to a few events but not frequently as she was working all hours to get her new business off the ground.
‘I think she was lonely,’ he suddenly said and Reid looked up, wondering whom he was referring to, and then realized he was talking about Amy.
‘Why do you say that?’
‘She wanted a puppy, but Mr Fulford told her it was not a good idea; this would be a good few months ago – she said she wanted a King Charles Spaniel, because King Charles made a decree that that breed of dog could go anywhere because he had a whole load of them, and Amy said to me that if she had a puppy she would take it to school; she was just joking but…’
Reid waited and eventually Harry gave a shrug of his shoulders. ‘It was just the way she looked – she has very expressive eyes, like her mother but different. She’s a bit young for her age, I think. Course, I said she’d never be allowed to take a puppy, King Charles or not, to school.’
‘She ever mention boyfriends, or did you overhear her talking to any boy?’
‘No, but then you know she spends a lot of time with her dad, so maybe she has one, but I never heard her mention anything like that – like I said, she’s kind of young for her age.’
Reid closed his notebook. Harry half rose out of his seat and then sat back. ‘You think something bad has happened to her?’
‘I sincerely hope not.’
‘Christ, I hope not too; it’s something you can’t really think about – you know, happening to people that you know; I’m sure she’ll be with a friend somewhere, but that said – she’s such a lovely little thing and I just hope to God no harm has come to her.’
‘So do I, Mr Dunn. Thank you for your time. Oh, just one thing – this last weekend, where exactly were you?’
‘I was with my ex-wife’s sister, in Somerset; she was getting married again, and Mrs Fulford gave me the weekend off even though she had a dinner party to go to. I was using a hired Mercedes to drive the bride, so I wasn’t even in London.’
Reid shook his hand, indicating he could leave. He put his notebook back into his pocket and was screwing the top of his pen back when Agnes knocked and walked in, announcing that Mr and Mrs Fulford were in the sitting room should he need them. As he passed Harry he could feel that there was not a lot of love lost between the two members of staff; Agnes, holding the door open, almost clipped Dunn’s polished brogues. Reid paused and opened his wallet, taking out two cards.
‘If you think of anything that might assist in tracing Amy, please call; this is my direct line and I may need to talk to you both again.’
Lena and Marcus sat side by side on a sofa. It was obvious she had been crying as her eyes were red-rimmed and she was clutching a handkerchief. Reid walked into the room and picked up his raincoat, eager to leave.
‘Well, thank you both for your cooperation. Mr Fulford, I need to see Amy’s room at your place as soon as possible.’ He looked at his watch. ‘Can I meet you at your flat in, say, forty-five minutes?’
‘Of course,’ Marcus said, looking at his own watch as he and Lena accompanied Reid to the front door. Marcus followed him out, saying he needed a quick cigarette, and Lena watched from the doorway as the two men walked to their cars. Once Reid drove away, Lena closed the door, leaving Marcus searching his glove compartment for a lighter.
Inside the house, Agnes was standing by the kitchen, but Lena walked past her and up the stairs. ‘Is there anything I can do, Mrs Fulford?’
Lena glanced over the banister as she continued along the landing. ‘Just tell Mr Dunn to wait around in case I need him, and I’ll leave the business answer phone on as I don’t want to be interrupted. I’ll only answer the private line.’
Agnes heard the bedroom door slam shut, just as Dunn rang the front doorbell. She let him in, and he wiped his feet methodically; he had finished polishing the Lexus.
‘What do you think is going down?’ he asked, following Agnes into the kitchen. She placed the kettle on the Aga, and fetched a mug to make him a coffee. He watched her, and then drew out a chair to sit at the kitchen table.
‘I hope nothing bad has happened to her,’ he said and Agnes pursed her lips.
‘I never had any trouble with Natalie.’
Dunn waited for her to hand him his mug of instant coffee, hoping he was not in for a lengthy discourse about her precious Natalie, whom he had never met. Agnes opened a biscuit tin and held up a chocolate Penguin biscuit; he nodded and she threw it to him to catch.
‘I’ve got to say I am surprised she would just take off,’ he said. ‘Do you think that’s what’s happened – she’s met some kid and run off with him?’
Agnes picked up a damp cloth and began wiping down the already pristine worktops. ‘If Natalie had ever met a boy I didn’t approve of, I’d know about it, but with Amy staying here one minute and the next at her father’s flat, well I doubt either of them knows who Amy is mixing with. I tell you, I’d never have sent Natalie to a boarding school.’
‘I’m taking my coffee over to the garage. If she needs me, gimme a bell on the mobile,’ Harry said.
She picked up the wrapper from his biscuit and tossed it into the pedal bin just as Marcus knocked to be let back in. Agnes breathed a heavy sigh, and went into the hall to open the front door.