She had never talked about it and she never would. Kim’s whole world depended on it.
She took a coffee into the garage and sat amongst the scattered debris of her new project.
The flutes of Beethoven’s Second Symphony sounded in the background.
She’d given herself the deadline of tonight to make a decision on whether to pursue the doctor any further.
Kim had the notion that their meeting at the cemetery had been engineered, but for what purpose? And how would she have known that Kim would be there? Unless she’d been followed.
Jesus, she reprimanded herself. If this continued much longer she’d be framing Alexandra Thorne for the Kennedy assassination.
She smiled to herself as her phone vibrated along the worktop. It was almost one in the morning.
The phone had lit up with a text from Stacey. She read the words with interest.
If you’re up ring me.
Kim was immediately concerned. Stacey would never contact her at this time if it wasn’t urgent.
She immediately hit the dial button. Stacey answered on the second ring.
‘You okay, Stace?’
‘Fine, boss. Listen, this doctor thing yer asked me to look at. I’ve been doin’ it from home. Yer know, just in case …’
‘Cheers, Stace.’ At the station there were I.T. watchdogs everywhere.
‘The doctor’s sister, Sarah. I found a birth certificate but no death certificate.’
‘But she exists?’
Kim was mildly surprised at the fact.
‘Oh yeah, she exists all right, she’s alive and well and living in Wales.’
Kim steadied herself against the workbench. ‘You sure?’
‘Oh yeah, married with one child. A daughter. Moves around more than a bloody army wife. Took some bloody tracking.’
‘Stace, you’re an angel. I appreciate it.’ Kim checked her watch. ‘Now get some sleep.’
‘Will do, boss,’ Stacey said, before ending the call.
Kim stood for a few moments, turning the phone around in her hand.
Being beautiful and clever was not breaking any law and Kim realised that she would need to think carefully about her next move. Her own façade had been carefully and diligently constructed, course by course, over many years, but she’d never met anyone like Alexandra Thorne.
The phone dropped from her grip.
Ultimately it came down to a single question. Was she prepared to enter this arena and risk her own fragile psyche to uncover the total truth?
On balance, was there even really a choice?
FORTY-THREE
Kim switched off the engine and removed her helmet. The house was unremarkable in its row of terraced properties. The only thing that distinguished it was the ‘For Sale’ sign that protruded from the wall halfway up the property.
More remarkable was where it was placed. Llangollen was located along the A5, just over halfway between the Black Country and Snowdonia. The small town nestled at the foot of Llantysilio Mountain. From where she now stood there were stunning views of the Dee Valley, the Clwydian mountain range and the Berwyns in the distance.
Kim enjoyed the view for a whole thirty seconds before she turned and knocked on the door.
Her eye was drawn to the left as two fingers appeared to separate the venetian blind.
The door opened part way. ‘Yes?’
‘Sarah Lewis?’ Kim asked, trying to peer around the two inch opening.
‘You are?’
Jesus, she was talking to a front door. ‘Detective Inspector Kim …’
The door was pulled open and Kim almost stepped back with surprise. Before her was a woman that bore a striking similarity to Alexandra Thorne. It wasn’t a vague family resemblance. Kim would have picked her out in a line up.
Kim held up her hands to still the panic that had tensed her mouth. ‘There’s nothing wrong. I’m not local, I’m from the Midlands, an area called …’
‘How did you find me?’ she asked.
‘Umm … does it matter?’
The woman’s shoulders dropped slightly. ‘Not anymore. How can I help you?’
‘It’s about your sister.’
‘Of course it is,’ she said, without emotion.
Kim looked around. ‘May I come in?’
‘Do you need to?’
‘I think so,’ Kim answered honestly.
Sarah Lewis stepped back and allowed her in. She waited for the woman to close the door and then followed her. The house had once been a two up, two down cottage but as Kim followed she saw that a full kitchen had been added, extending the property into the sizeable back garden.
‘Sit down, if you must,’ Sarah said, leaning against the work surface.
A glass dining table looked out onto a space that held a slide, a swing set and a patio area with a barbecue. A couple of doll parts had been tossed in the grass. Those discarded limbs gave Kim the comparison her mind had been seeking.
Sarah was about two inches shorter and a few pounds heavier than her sister. And as curt as she was now, real emotion registered on those striking features. If they were toys, Alex would be the doll made of plastic perfection with a box for protection. Sarah would be the teddy bear in the spotted dungarees getting the love and the cuddles.
Kim felt her fascination grow. She couldn’t help wondering just how long it had been evident that the sisters were polar opposites.
‘I suppose it’s too much to hope that she’s dead?’
Kim was prevented from responding as a little girl gambolled into the room. Dark curly hair poked out from beneath a woollen hat and tiger earmuffs. A hand-knitted scarf was draped haphazardly around her neck and mittens dangled from the sleeves of her coat.
The girl stopped dead and looked to her mother. Kim was surprised to see a look of panic in the eyes of the child.
Sarah’s features softened at the sight of her daughter. Everything else was forgotten.
‘Good girl,’ Sarah said, double wrapping the scarf around the child’s neck. ‘You’re wrapped up lovely.’
Sarah took the girl’s face in her hands and smothered it with kisses.
‘How about me, am I wrapped up lovely?’
A man appeared behind the child. Kim saw the woollen hat and polka dot ear muffs before he saw her.
When he did he frowned and looked to Sarah.
Sarah gave a slight shake of the head and bundled them towards the door. ‘Have a nice walk and don’t forget the beef oggies.’
Kim had no idea what an oggie was but she could hear a whispered exchange at the front door.
Sarah’s face was once again set but Kim had caught a snapshot of this family picture. The surprise in the eyes of the child. The concern that shaped the mouth of the husband.
They had stood in the middle of the lounge for no longer than ten seconds and Kim could tell they were a unit, a team, and that they were happy.
But there was an element of fear at the core of this family.
‘So … is she dead?’ Sarah returned to her original question.
Kim shook her head.
‘Then how can I help?’
‘I need to learn more about her.’
‘What does that have to do with me?’ Sarah asked, biting her lip.
‘You’re her sister. Surely you know her better than anyone?’
Sarah smiled. ‘I have not seen my sister since she emptied her room and went to university. None of us did. My dearest wish is to never see her again.’
‘You have no contact at all?’
Sarah dropped her arms but her hands immediately found a place in the front pockets of her jeans.
‘We’re not close.’
‘But surely you …’