‘So. .’ Greco peered over the top of her tortoiseshell glasses and did a double-take; the girl had a tiny diamond stud in her left nostril. The thing was so small that it looked like a spot. Surely you can’t wear things like that when you are in the police? Greco pondered. Even if you are off duty?
As the girl self-consciously scratched the other nostril with her right index finger, Greco noticed that her nails were painted a bright sky-blue colour. Picking up a pencil, Greco scribbled the word ‘varnish’ on the pad resting on her desk. She should send out a reminder that it was not appropriate to come into school with nail varnish and that all girls must remove any before they arrived for class in the morning. That was just another task to add to the list of things she had to do. She let several moments pass before returning her gaze to meet that of the WPC. ‘I should assume then that this is not official business?’
‘Oh, it is,’ Maude replied evenly, before briskly going on to explain the reason for her visit. ‘Hannah Gillespie’s parents are extremely worried about her and I didn’t think that I should wait until-’
Greco cut her off with a curt: ‘I would in no way wish to take a situation like this lightly, but Miss Gillespie does rather have a history of this kind of thing.’
‘Oh?’ Hall fished a notebook and biro from her bag.
‘Yes,’ Greco went on. ‘I’d have to check the records for the precise dates but, to my certain knowledge, Hannah has been absent without permission at least three times during the current calendar year. I keep a very close eye on such things, as you can imagine.’
‘Yes.’ Head down, Hall began making notes. ‘How long was she away previously?’
‘Twice it was just for a day, but the third time was longer: three or maybe even four days.’
‘I see. And did she explain what she had been doing?’
‘Not to my satisfaction,’ said Greco grimly.
‘Mm. And what does that mean?’
‘She said only that she was visiting friends; wouldn’t say anything else.’
‘Was it a boyfriend?’
‘I would assume so. You know what young girls are like.’ Catching Hall’s eye, Greco hesitated before saying defensively, ‘They sometimes lack a certain amount of self-control and discipline.’
Tell me about it. Grinning, Hall focused on her notebook.
‘Although,’ Greco continued, talking more now to herself than to the WPC, ‘to be clear, Hannah Gillespie is a very good student with great potential. And she is a valued member of our community. She takes her studies seriously and has a particular interest in history.’
And boys, Hall supposed.
‘If anything,’ Greco sniffed, ‘I would say that young Hannah is just a touch too independent for her own good. She doesn’t know where to draw the line.’
‘All part of growing up,’ Hall mused.
‘Precisely,’ Greco agreed. ‘I am sure that she will learn better — eventually. Happily, this type of behaviour is very much the exception here at our school. We have an absolutely fantastic collection of girls — and I would include Hannah in that. So we’re very lucky really.’
‘I’m sure.’ Hall put the cap back on her pen. ‘It would be great if I could speak to some of Hannah’s close friends.’
Once again, Greco looked her up and down. ‘If you wish to do that,’ she said slowly, ‘I think you will need to come back in a more official capacity.’
‘But-’
‘Anyway,’ Greco interrupted, ‘I’m sure that Hannah will be safely back with us soon. In the meantime, I do not want to cause unnecessary upset among her classmates. They have exams to prepare for, and any distractions can be most unhelpful.’ Greco turned her attention back to the letter waiting on her desk. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me. .’
A chocolate tartlet and two cups of Mariage Freres tea slowly helped Maude Hall get over her irritation at the way she had been treated in the headmistress’s office. Maybe she had been a bit informal by going there when off duty, but even so, the woman’s attitude annoyed her.
Maybe she would come back in her uniform tomorrow. First, however, Maude needed to talk to Joe Szyszkowski about how he wanted her to proceed with the investigation. She was sure that the sergeant would appreciate the fact that she’d taken the initiative — on her day off, too. As far as she could tell, Joe was a nice bloke who treated everyone fairly. Above all, he was a team player, unlike their boss. The inspector seemed a bit of a berk. Stuck in his own little world, he probably wouldn’t even notice the effort she had been making to track down Hannah Gillespie.
Sitting in Cafe Luc at the north end of Marylebone High Street, she poured the last of the tea from the pot into her cup and took a sip. The school day had just ended and a steady stream of girls now passed by the window, in their green skirts and jumpers, chatting happily in little groups of two and three. Hall smiled to herself, thinking that they all looked like nice kids. It wasn’t so long ago since that had been her. She tried to remember back to her own schooldays, but nothing memorable came to mind.
‘Excuse me.’
Putting her cup back on its saucer, Hall looked up at a pretty blonde girl who could easily have passed for twenty-something except for the school uniform she was wearing.
‘Yes?’
‘Are you the policewoman who was asking Mrs Greco about Hannah?’
Hall raised an eyebrow. ‘How did you know about that?’
‘Someone heard you asking at the front desk.’ Without waiting to be invited, the girl slipped into the chair opposite. ‘I’m Melanie — Melanie Henderson.’
‘I’m Maude.’
‘Funny name.’
Hall laughed. ‘You’d have to ask my parents about that. Are you a friend of Hannah’s?’
‘I’m in her class,’ the girl said. ‘Is she in trouble?’
‘Not as far as I’m concerned,’ Maude smiled. ‘Mrs Greco might be another matter though.’
Melanie rolled her eyes. ‘Tell me about it.’
‘We just want to make sure that Hannah’s okay. Her parents are worried.’
The girl picked up a menu and started reading it.
‘Want something to eat?’
‘Nah.’ Melanie shook her head, then remembered her manners. ‘But thanks though.’
Hall took another sip of her tea. ‘The headmistress said she’s missed school before.’
Melanie nodded.
‘Any idea where she is this time?’
‘Not really, no.’
Finishing her tea, Hall tried not to look irritated with the girl.
‘But I know who she’ll be with.’
TWENTY
‘Where the hell have you been?’
The inspector shrugged. The conversation with Margaretha Zelle in the Charing Cross canteen had delayed him by about an hour or so. Even so, he wasn’t really that late.
At least, he didn’t think so.
Short, bald and in a bad humour, Melvin Boduka obviously disagreed. The lawyer unhooked his thumb from the waistcoat of his three-piece suit and jabbed an angry index finger at Carlyle. ‘Horatio Mosman’s parents have been waiting here for more than three hours now.’
‘Let’s get on with it then,’ Carlyle replied brusquely. Hopping from foot to foot, he felt himself sinking into the plush carpet of Boduka’s ridiculously expensive Park Lane offices. He was feeling hyper with the buzz of trying to keep multiple investigations moving along at the same time — not to mention multiple espressos — and wasn’t in the mood to take any shit from this expensive ambulance-chaser. ‘Where are they?’
Boduka gestured along the hallway. ‘In the boardroom.’
‘Okay.’ Carlyle glanced at the pair of flunkeys standing behind their boss. ‘Something to drink would be good.’ Wired or not, he had to keep going. Presumably, the good folks at Blutch, Boduka, Lanners amp; Nahon LLP could stretch to a decent cup of coffee without too much difficulty.
Boduka grunted at one of the assistants who looked at Carlyle enquiringly.
‘I’ll have a macchiato — make it a double.’ He was tempted to ask for a pastry as well, but suspected that would be pushing his luck.