‘I wouldn’t repeat that to anyone, Agnes, and if you’ll excuse me I’ll be in the TV room.’
Yet again Agnes followed close on her heels, carrying the rubbish bag and at the same time using the ever-present duster to give a quick polish to the banisters.
Deirdre closed the door to the TV room and sat perched between the plumped-up cushions to leaf through Amy’s schoolbooks, growing even more impressed by her intellect and her neat meticulous handwriting. She selected the most recent, noting the date would be a week or so before she disappeared. It was a complicated and very detailed essay on Mary Shelley’s life and works and how Shelley’s own experiences and fears were reflected in her novel Frankenstein. The account of her friendship with Byron was threaded through with descriptions of their villa and the tragic death of Shelley. She had even drawn the removal of his heart. In the margin she had written in neat print her desire to go to Italy and visit these places. Also written in red ink were the school term dates and the suggestion of making a research trip. There were details of flights and costs plus possible hotel expenses. Underlined was the name Miss Polka and the hope was expressed that she would accompany her. She had gone so far as to note her bank balance, and the fact that she had more than enough funds to pay for both of them. In fact if the amount was true she had more in her bank account than Deirdre had ever had saved in her entire life.
Deirdre did not know of Miss Polka or her relationship with Amy, but what she did find of interest was that there appeared no sign that this was written by a girl purportedly suffering from DID. Furthermore, as the entries had been made so close to the time of Amy’s disappearance, could the police have missed a vital possibility that, far from anything untoward happening to her, she had simply arranged to fly to Italy? Deirdre physically jumped when the door opened and Agnes announced she was leaving for the evening. She was already wearing her coat and carrying a shopping bag.
‘Yes of course.’
‘I’ve left out a selection of salads and cold cuts and, if you want a jacket potato, I’d use the Aga as it always crisps up the skins.’
‘Thank you, I’ll maybe just have the salad.’
‘Well she likes jacket potatoes. I went up and knocked but she won’t come out, told me in her usual rude manner to go away, so that is exactly what I am doing,’ Agnes sniffed. ‘But you know she’s been off her food and hardly eaten anything and I’ve not heard if he’s coming back or not.’
‘I’ll talk to her. Good night, Agnes.’
Agnes hesitated, and then closed the door. Judging by the bulging shopping bag, she probably had her own dinner sorted. Deirdre waited for a while before she went into the gleaming immaculate kitchen, noticing a note about the salads had been stuck to the fridge. Lined up inside were plastic containers of ham and chicken. In a dish beside the Aga were two large potatoes.
Deirdre checked the time and saw it was exactly five thirty; Agnes would no doubt return in the morning at her usual prompt nine o’clock. Sighing, she realized she was not hungry and had no need to interrupt Lena until suppertime, but first she needed to have an urgent conversation with DI Reid.
Chapter 33
Agnes stood alone at the bus stop waiting to get her bus to New Malden. She had relocked the gates after leaving, observing as she did so that only one vehicle remained out of the crowd of journalists and photographers who’d been attempting to get an interview. She did not even notice that the woman who approached her had actually got out of the parked car.
‘Mrs Moors?’ asked the pleasant-faced woman in a camel-hair coat. Agnes had nodded and then looked to see if her bus was coming.
‘I have spoken to you on the telephone a couple of times and I was just wondering if you would agree to be interviewed for an exclusive as I know you are the Fulfords’ housekeeper.’
Agnes was taken aback but took the proffered card and inspected it.
‘We would be willing to pay you a considerable amount, Mrs Moors, and we can conduct the interview at a hotel or wherever would be most suitable for you, but you must have known Amy Fulford well and all we would need is some background on what you thought of her as you’ll be very aware there has been considerable press surrounding her disappearance.’
Agnes hesitated and opened her handbag to place the card inside. There was still no sign of her bus, and at first she declined the offer, saying that she really was unable to divulge any personal details as she had signed a confidentiality contract, and would hate to get into any legal situation.
‘There would be nothing to worry about, Mrs Moors. You just have to look at it as if you are simply helping enquiries, not invading anyone’s privacy, and as I said we are very willing to pay you for your time.’
‘How much are we talking about?’ Agnes asked.
‘Why don’t we discuss it together? There’s a nice hotel close by, so we could go and sit down and talk, or if you would prefer we can go to your home.’
‘Well I don’t have much time,’ Agnes said, but then agreed to go with the journalist to the very plush Petersham Hotel.
Gripping his phone tightly, Reid listened attentively to Deirdre as she described what she’d just read in Amy’s exercise books. He was completely taken aback by the thought that their missing girl could have simply taken off to Italy. However, he knew that her passport had been recovered, and even so they had also made extensive enquiries into the possibility of Amy leaving England and had no result. He also paid close attention to Deirdre when she went on to say that having read through the schoolbooks she had found no sign that Amy was suffering from any kind of debilitating mental disorder.
‘We have been acting on a very experienced professional’s word, Deirdre, and for you to come up with an alternative scenario is unacceptable,’ he insisted. ‘Whether or not you have two teenage daughters and feel you know more than either myself or the murder team from reading Amy’s essays-’
‘I am not as you suggest coming up with any scenario based on my girls,’ she replied angrily. ‘What I am repeating to you is that judging from what I have read and from her most recent work she had planned to go to Italy and with someone called Miss Polka.’
Reid’s grip on the phone grew tighter than ever. ‘There’s been a very big time-consuming investigation, Deirdre, and you are not obviously privy to all the facts, but I have also read many of those exercise books and there was a very thorough search of Amy’s bedroom for any evidence. However, I will call in tonight and read the essays for myself.’
Deirdre bristled and finished the conversation by informing him that Marcus Fulford had not returned from Henley, and she had not had much time with Mrs Fulford, as she was working in her office at the house. She was reluctant to repeat her conversation with Agnes in which the housekeeper had suggested Marcus Fulford was homosexual, but she did, and was taken by surprise when Reid told her that Marcus was bisexual, but that there was no indication that it was connected to Amy Fulford’s disappearance.
Just as Reid replaced the phone DCI Jackson strode into the office to inform him that they had just received information that Harry Dunn, Mrs Fulford’s driver, had been rushed to hospital suffering from severe abdominal pains. Reid had to swallow hard as he felt sick to his stomach.
Jackson continued. ‘I called the hospital and told them it may be mushroom-poisoning and sent them a list of every mushroom mentioned in the journal. They said they’d do what they could, but his condition is critical and they’re doubtful he will survive the night.’