Jane recalled Julie Dorton mentioning the sister’s letters were checked and edited by the Mother Superior, thus making it impossible to write anything negative about the convent or life there to family or friends. Although Jane thought she knew what Lawrence’s answer was going to be, she still had to ask her next question.
‘Did Melissa ever write about wanting to leave the Sisterhood or anything that was troubling her?’
‘No. She’d tell us about the work she did in the convent, the orphaned children and how much she loved them. She often said she missed us and hoped if ever we were visiting the UK we could come to the convent and see her. Regrettably we never got the opportunity,’ he added, his voice tinged with sadness.
‘Can you recall when Melissa last wrote to you?’
He took a deep breath before continuing. ‘The fifth of August 1962. The day of her twenty-seventh birthday. She said Julie was baking a cake for her.’ His voice started to tremble. ‘We became concerned when we hadn’t heard from Melissa for nearly six months. I asked the advice of a Canadian detective I knew here in Kingston. He contacted Bromley police on our behalf about our concerns.’
‘Do you know the name of the officer he spoke to?’
‘Detective Jim Harris. I spoke with him a couple of times myself.’
‘Did he carry out an investigation?’
‘He told me he visited the convent and spoke with the Mother Superior who informed him Melissa had left in August as she no longer wished to be a sister. He also said the bishop had granted her a dispensation, allowing her to leave.’
‘Do you know if Detective Harris recorded Melissa as a missing person?’ Jane asked.
‘He said he would, and he’d also make some local inquiries, but beyond that there wasn’t a lot more he could do. At the time I thought Melissa might have been embarrassed about telling us she’d left the sisterhood. I thought she would eventually make contact with us... but now I know why she didn’t.’
‘Did you have any further contact with Detective Harris?’
‘I called him a couple of times, but he told us there were no further developments. A year later I travelled to London and went to Bromley police station. I spoke with a sergeant who told me Detective Harris had retired. He checked the station missing persons records and told me Melissa’s file was still there, but there was no update on her whereabouts.’
It was clear to Jane that DC Harris had accepted Mother Adele and Bishop Malone’s word as gospel and let her missing person file gather dust in a filing cabinet. Worse still, he hadn’t even bothered to notify the Missing Persons Bureau at Scotland Yard.
‘Did you make any other inquiries while you were in London, Mr Bailey?’ Jane asked.
‘I went to the convent, but it was closed down. I spoke with a priest at the local Catholic church. He told me there had been a fire at the convent and it was going to be sold.’
‘Can you remember the priest’s name?’ Jane asked.
‘I’m sorry. It escapes me now.’
‘Do you remember exactly where the church was?’
‘Yes, it was just down the road from the convent.’
Jane knew it was St Mary’s. ‘Did you ask the priest if he knew Melissa?’
‘He said he didn’t but he offered to make some inquiries at the diocesan offices for me. I spoke with him again a couple of days later. He said he’d spoken with the bishop who showed him the letter of dispensation he’d signed for Melissa to leave the sisterhood. He told me the bishop said all the convent sisters’ details had been destroyed in the fire, and there wasn’t a lot the Church could do to help me find Melissa because she had renounced her faith and left the convent. But he was very understanding. I gave him my address and phone number in Canada. He said he’d contact me if he heard anything about Melissa’s whereabouts. But I didn’t hear from him again.’
‘Did he mention the bishop’s name?’ Jane asked.
‘Probably, but again, I can’t remember now. I didn’t know what else to do, so I returned to Canada. I hoped and prayed that one day Melissa would contact us, but as the years went by Fiona and I knew something bad must have happened.’ Jane thought she could hear him choking back a sob.
‘I’m deeply sorry for your loss, Mr Bailey. Our investigation is progressing quickly and I believe we are getting close to discovering who killed your daughter.’
‘Do you have any suspects?’ he asked.
‘Yes, but legally I can’t tell you who they are at present. We hope to make some arrests in the next few days. I will phone you to update you. If you want to speak to me, or there’s anything else you remember that might be important, just call me in the office. If I’m not here leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.’
‘Do you think someone at the convent killed her?’ he asked, sounding bitter.
‘We are looking at a number of possibilities. I can tell you Melissa had packed her suitcase and was going to leave the convent. We think she may have been killed on the night she tried to do so. It would be wrong of me to speculate any further... but rest assured we will find whoever was responsible for her death.’
‘I hope you do. Inspector Tremblay asked about Melissa’s dental records. I have them. The Kingston officer who advised us said it would be worthwhile getting them from our dentist in case our fears became a reality, which they now have. I was thinking of flying over to view Melissa’s body and arrange for her to be flown back to Canada for burial.’
‘That’s understandable, Mr Bailey. I will speak with the coroner and ask if Melissa’s body can be released. He will probably ask for a second post-mortem to be done first. I will call you as soon as I’ve spoken to him.’
Lawrence started to cry and must have handed the phone to Tremblay, because his was the next voice Jane heard.
‘I’ve had the dental records and your faxed copy taken to our forensic odontologist. I’m expecting a result in the next hour or so. I’ll get straight back to you when it comes in,’ Tremblay said.
Jane thanked him and said she would be on her home number in half an hour.
When she got home, Jane poured herself a glass of wine and waited for the phone to ring. It wasn’t long before Tremblay called.
‘Melissa had a filling, a chipped tooth and two wisdom teeth removed when she was sixteen so braces could be fitted. Your odontologist noted the same in his report regarding the chip and missing teeth. It would seem Melissa Bailey is your victim. I’ve faxed a copy of our odontologist’s confirmed identification and Melissa’s dental record to double check your end. I also phoned Mr Bailey to let him know the result. As you can imagine, he and Fiona were even more devastated having their fears finally confirmed. Lawrence wanted to fly to the UK tomorrow, but I persuaded him it was best to wait until you’d spoken with the coroner.’
‘Thanks for all your help, inspector... especially for informing the Baileys. I know it can’t have been easy.’
Tremblay sighed. ‘They say knowing what happened to a loved one is supposed to give some kind of closure, but the truth is, it never does. I wish you well in your investigation. Please let me know the outcome.’
‘I will,’ Jane said, and put the phone down.
She found herself thinking of Nick again and started to dial his home number but stopped halfway through. She was tired, it had been a stressful day and she didn’t think she could deal with an emotional argument.