When Night Closes in (7 page)

‘That's understandable,' Lainey said quietly.

Lowri met his eyes. ‘Do you think he's dead?'

‘I don't know.' He shook his head. ‘Can't you think of anything that would help, Miss Richards? Even the most insignificant detail might prove valuable.'

She moved away from him. ‘I'm sorry, there's nothing. He just went out of my life, vanished as if he had never been, that's all I know.'

‘Well, never mind. Shall we go, Sergeant?' As he opened the front door and stepped outside, she had the absurd impulse to call after him. She watched him walk away along the road towards where his car was parked. He did not look back.

Lowri sank into a chair. In little over an hour she would be meeting her mother – perhaps it would be a good idea to take the whole day off. There was no way she could concentrate on work, not now.

What did the discarded clothes mean? Had Jon gone for a swim and then drowned? The currents around the coast could be treacherous at times.

She changed out of the smart suit she kept for work and pulled on a thin cotton shirt and a pair of pants. She felt restless, as if she had an itch she could not scratch. Why were there always questions and no answers?

Lowri went into the kitchen. It was filled with sunlight and the yellow and green checked cloth on the pine table looked fresh and clean. Like Jon's shirt. She looked in the fridge: the salad was ready in the bowl, all she needed to do was to boil some potatoes and make a dressing. She closed the door again and wandered aimlessly around the house. ‘Damn and blast Jon Brandon!' she said.

The train had arrived early, and Lowri found her mother waiting in the snack bar on the station.

‘Mum! It's lovely to see you again.' The two women hugged and Lowri felt some of her tension ease. ‘Come on, let's get home.' She slipped her hand in the crook of her mother's arm and together they walked to the car.

‘How's Father?' Lowri asked.

‘Just as difficult as ever.' Her mother spoke edgily. ‘You know Charles, he likes everything cut and dried, his drink in his hand the minute he steps in the door, his every wish obeyed. I had to get away for a few days.' She laughed to soften the words. ‘Nothing ever changes. Anyway, how are you? Are you going to tell me more about this strange man you were living with? Why did you split up?'

‘I wasn't actually living with him,' Lowri said. ‘Though as good as, I'll grant you.' She sighed. ‘Turned out he was married and now he's gone missing. Same old story, I suppose.'

Lowri did not care to go into details. ‘I've got a nice salad for lunch and then if you like we can spend the afternoon on the recliners in the garden, catch the sun.'

‘No fear!' her mother said. ‘After we've eaten you and I are going on a shopping spree up at the enterprise zone.'

‘I know what that means, Mum, you are going to spend your money on me. Well, I don't need it, honestly. I'm a big girl now, I can look after myself.'

‘Don't take one of my few small pleasures in life away from me, Lowri.' There was an edge of sadness in her mother's tone and Lowri nodded.

‘All right, I give in, a spending spree it is.'

That evening, to Lowri's surprise, Sally called. ‘God, you look awful!' Sally said with her usual tact. ‘Heavy night with the lovely detective, was it?'

‘Come in,' Lowri said, ‘meet my mother.'

Sally put her hand over her mouth. ‘Oops! Sorry, have I put my foot in it?'

Rhian Richards looked up with a smile as Sally came into the room. ‘Hello there, Sally,' she said.

‘Oh, you were in the office earlier today, weren't you?' Sally said. ‘I could hear you and old . . . er Mr Watson arguing.'

‘Sally!' Lowri said, ‘don't be silly. My mother's only been in town a few hours and we've been shopping since she arrived.'

Sally shrugged. ‘There I go again, opening my big mouth and putting my foot in it. What did you buy? Come on show me.'

It was a pleasant evening. Sally kept them amused with her talk about her boyfriend, about some of the clients who came into the office and she even poked gentle fun at the trio of solicitors.

It was about half nine when Rhian rubbed her eyes, put down her glass and rose to her feet.

‘Think I'll turn in,' she said. ‘I need an early night.' She kissed Lowri and hugged her warmly. ‘We can talk more in the morning, darling.'

After she'd gone, Sally leaned forward. ‘Come on, tell me, what happened?'

‘Between me and Jim? Nothing happened.'

‘Come on! You seemed very keen last night, you were positively drooling.'

‘Don't rub it in.' Lowri felt uncomfortable. ‘I thought Jon was the love of my life, the man I could settle down with.' She looked up at Sally. ‘Then I flirt with the first handsome man I see.' She sighed. ‘I still can't believe Jon took me in so completely, I must have “easy lay” written across my forehead.'

‘You're behind the times, love, everyone does it now, didn't you know? Did you sleep with the detective?'

‘Of course I didn't!' Lowri said.

‘Why are you blushing then?' Sally pushed back her hair impatiently. ‘I mean when you phoned the office you said the police were with you. He wouldn't call round this morning just to pass the time of day.'

‘It was business.' Lowri made an effort to change the subject. ‘You say my mother was in the office earlier? She didn't mention it.'

‘Aye, that's right,' Sally said. ‘Anyway,' Sally tucked her legs up under her. ‘I won't be sidetracked, what did the police want you for?' She looked like a little girl expecting to be told an exciting adventure story.

‘I suppose there's no harm in telling you they'd found some clothes by the cliffs. They wanted to know if I had seen them before.' She shivered. ‘A shirt and some stone-coloured chinos.'

‘Were they his?' Sally asked. She had put her hand in her drink and was swirling it around. Briefly Lowri thought of offering her a spoon but then she realized it was just a reflex action on Sally's part. Sally put down her cup. ‘Were they?'

‘I don't think so.' It was a lie. Suddenly, it seemed important to keep her own counsel. ‘I've never seen him in anything like that.'

‘But he did like wearing chinos.' Sally stopped abruptly. ‘At least, that's what I thought you
said
he liked wearing.'

‘When?' Lowri asked. ‘When did I say that?'

‘I don't know!' Sally shook back her hair. ‘What on earth has got into you, Lowri? You never let me meet this wonderful man but you talked about him a hell of a lot, remember?'

‘I suppose I did.' Lowri felt remorseful. ‘And the only reason you didn't meet him was because we mostly got together on the weekends. You were usually doing something with Tim.'

‘I know, I'm not blaming you!' Sally's cheeks were pink. ‘Perhaps I'd better go.'

‘I'm sorry, Sally.' Lowri rubbed her eyes. ‘I'm so strung up about all this. First Jon walks out on me, leaving me flat, and then I find he was married all along. I don't know what to think any more.'

‘I'm sorry.' Sally's tone softened. ‘You've had a hell of a shock and I'm a nosy bitch, aren't I? Come on, it's still early enough for us to get a drink at the pub. A bit of lively company will do you the world of good.'

‘Oh, I don't know, my mother . . .'

Sally stood up. ‘Get your jacket, we're going to the Plough and Harrow, it's got a nice lounge. And the drink's not bad.'

The last thing Lowri felt like was going out to a pub, but she had offended Sally enough for one evening. She picked up a lightweight jacket and slipped her bag over her shoulder.

‘Where's Timmy tonight?' she asked as she closed the door behind her. Sally was already out on the pavement. She shrugged.

‘He's studying for his exams, they are something to do with the law part of his course. Well, I'm not staying in for anyone.'

Timothy Perkins was studying Information Technology. He was not Sally's type, he was far too earnest. Sometimes he could be a real bore. Sally took him entirely for granted, of course. Come to think of it, it was a wonder the relationship had lasted for so long.

It was a pleasant night. The air was still warm and the breeze drifted towards them, fragrant with roses, as they walked the short distance to the Plough and Harrow.

Sally saw her as a charity case, Lowri thought ruefully, she was doing her good deed for the day by taking Lowri out of herself. Sally was in casual mode tonight, wearing trainers and jeans. She somehow made Lowri feel a hundred years old.

‘Your mum's a classy woman, Lowri,' Sally said as she pushed open the door of the pub. ‘I bet your father loves her to pieces. Go and sit down while I get us a drink.'

Lowri chose a corner seat and felt somehow alone in spite of the crowded lounge. She thought about her childhood, about the happy times she enjoyed when Charles was away on business. Those were the times when the large rooms in the Victorian house had been filled with warmth and laughter, which lasted only until Charles came home again.

To an outsider, it might look as though her mother had everything a woman could want. A sunny home, an easy, pampered lifestyle and plenty of money to spend. But Charles seemed able to put a stop to any happiness and laughter the minute he entered a room. Her stepfather was a fairly successful businessman: he enjoyed finding ways to screw his latest competitor, taking an almost unholy pleasure in the power it gave him.

When Lowri left home, Charles had predicted she would never make anything of herself. She almost felt she hated him then. But perhaps he was right; she had not come very far in the last few years. She could hardly call working in a solicitor's office the peak of ambition.

‘You're not sulking, are you?' Sally's voice broke into her thoughts and Lowri forced herself to smile.

‘No I'm not sulking, I don't have to talk all the time, do I?'

‘Oh excuse me for breathing!' Sally's sarcasm was edged with anger.

‘Anyway,' Lowri said, ‘let's talk about you. Quarrelled with Timmy, have you?'

Sally made a wry face. ‘He needs to grow up!'

‘I've got news for you,' Lowri said, ‘men don't change, they never grow up.'

‘Mind now, mother of the universe,' Sally said, ‘anyone would think you were a dried-up spinster.'

‘Sometimes that's how I feel.' They sat in silence for a time and Lowri was aware of Sally fidgeting, looking around for someone to enmesh in more animated conversation.

‘Another drink?' Sally said and Lowri got to her feet at once.

‘My round.' She hated walking up to the bar; it felt strange to her, not quite ladylike somehow. She was probably an anachronism in a world of women who liked to be independent, liked to drink pints as men did, and probably liked using men for sex the way men had always managed to use women. She pulled herself up. She was getting bitter – that would never do.

The door swung open and a crowd of men came into the bar. They stood around Lowri, one of them shouting to the barmaid to get a move on. She glanced over her shoulder and her colour rose as she realized that Jim Lainey was standing behind her.

‘Hi.' She spoke as naturally as she could. ‘How's everything?'

‘Fine!' He smiled down at her. ‘You feeling OK?'

‘I'm fine, thanks.'

‘Look,' Lainey leaned towards her, ‘I'm off duty, perhaps I could take you home later?'

‘I'm sorry, it's not possible.'

He turned away at once. ‘All right, no problem.'

‘Wait,' she said quickly, ‘my mother's visiting, she's already in bed, I don't want to wake her.'

‘As I said, no problem.'

She returned to sit with Sally, wishing miserably that she could leave. She looked down at the ruby wine glinting in the lights from overhead and knew she had blown her chances of even a friendship with Jim Lainey.

‘Nice-looking guy, that Lainey,' Sally said. ‘Got his phone number?'

‘You don't miss a trick, do you?' Lowri said. She got up. ‘Excuse me, I've got to powder my nose.'

As she passed them, one of the men at the bar made a remark that Lowri could not hear and a gust of laughter went up from the rest of the crowd. Lowri stared at herself in the long mirror in the ladies' room, wondering what she was doing here, wondering what she was doing with her life, come to that.

She ran the cold water over her wrists. She was becoming impossible to be with, she knew that, but her life had been turned upside down and no-one seemed to realize it.

When she returned to the lounge, Jim had gone. Sally had gone too and Lowri looked round impatiently.

‘Blast Sally!' Still, she had asked for it, she could hardly blame Sally for taking offence. She picked up her bag and left the bar, walking briskly towards home.

She was just putting her key in the lock when a figure moved out of the shadows. Lowri stepped back, her heart thumping, her mouth suddenly dry.

‘I want a word with you, Miss Richards.' Sarah Brandon was dressed all in black and, in the pale light of the moon, her face seemed devoid of colour. Somehow, Lowri knew that her appearance on the doorstep meant trouble. She glanced behind her but all she could see were the tail-lights of a car disappearing into the distance. The small street was deserted.

‘I'm rather tired, Mrs Brandon.'

‘This won't take very long and I mean to talk to you if I have to stand outside your door all night.'

There was an edge of hysteria in Sarah's voice that filled Lowri with a sense of foreboding. She knew that what she was about to hear would not be good news. She switched on the light and held the door wide. ‘You'd better come inside,' she said.

Sarah Brandon looked out of place in the small lounge, her elegantly painted fingernails resting on an expensive leather handbag. Her feet were tucked under the chair, as though there was not enough room to accommodate her long legs.