‘ACTUALLY, THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I was thinking,’ said Guy. ‘It just seems like too much of a coincidence.’
‘I suppose they have told the police?’ said Libby. ‘You said they’d closed ranks. They’re not trying to deal with it themselves, are they?’
‘I don’t know. Sophie said Rachanda was speaking in a whisper and couldn’t tell her much, except that she was frightened.’
‘Frightened?’ Fran looked alarmed.
‘About Rachita, I expect she meant,’ said Libby.
‘Rachita, how old is she?’ asked Ben.
‘About seventeen, I think,’ said Guy. ‘Younger than Rachanda, who’s the same age as Sophie. She wanted to go to university, too, but wasn’t allowed to by the family.’
‘So it’s entirely possible that Rachita’s run away if she’s being controlled in the same way,’ said Libby. ‘That’s probably why they haven’t told the police.’
‘We don’t know that,’ said Fran. ‘They may have told the police.’
‘In which case, wouldn’t Ian have been checking to see that none of his bodies is Rachita? He’ll be checking missing persons, won’t he?’ asked Guy.
‘Oh, yes, or the team will. Poor old Ian. This is turning into a hell of a case, isn’t it?’ Libby sighed.
‘There’s a link, somewhere.’ Fran was frowning. ‘I know there is. The TB bodies and now these. Must be a link.’
‘I don’t see how,’ said Libby. ‘The TB bodies were fifty odd years ago, and these are new. Recent, anyway.’
‘It’s to do with Paul Findon,’ said Fran.
‘And the estate agents, I reckon,’ said Libby. ‘I never trusted them.’
‘Riley’s in particular, or all estate agents?’ said Ben, amused.
‘Most of them. And I do object to the practice they have of employing beardless boys, who then pretend to know all there is about houses, bylaws and all the other things you need to know when buying a house.’
‘It doesn’t inspire confidence,’ agreed Fran. ‘Goodall and Smythe never employed anyone under thirty-five. They knew about gravitas.’
‘Back to the subject under discussion,’ said Guy, ‘what about this Rachita. Could she be – heaven forbid – one of Ian’s bodies?’
‘We need to know more about it.’ Libby was decisive. ‘We can’t just barge in.’
Her nearest and dearest hooted with laughter.
‘No, what I mean is,’ said Libby, waiting patiently until their mirth had subsided, ‘we can’t go and ask Rachanda’s family, and we can’t really suggest Ian does, either. We need to know if she’s been reported to the police first.’
‘I’m sure it would have been in the local papers and probably on local TV. A missing seventeen-year-old girl is news,’ said Ben. ‘And if she really is missing, and not being hidden away, the police need to be told.’
‘Can you imagine the scene, though?’ said Libby. ‘Police go knocking on the door and say they understand someone’s missing. Family say, of course not, who told you? A friend of your daughter’s. And who told her? Your daughter. Family, laughing hysterically, and you believed her? Exit police, tail between legs.’
They were all silent, considering this scenario.
‘Was Rachita at school?’ asked Fran.
‘Just about to go into the upper sixth form,’ said Guy, ‘so Sophie says. But on holiday at the moment, of course.’
‘Did she work?’
‘I think the family have a couple of shops. She may have worked in one of them.’ Guy shrugged. ‘I don’t really know.’
‘Oh, how are we going to do this?’ Libby banged a fist on the table. ‘How frustrating.’
‘It may be unconnected, Lib,’ said Fran. ‘We’re only speculating on a coincidence.’
‘But you don’t think it’s unconnected, do you?’ said Libby, with a shrewd look at her friend’s face. Fran looked discomfited, and shook her head.
‘In that case, we have to do something. This has landed in our laps. We can’t just ignore it.’ Libby looked round the table. ‘I think we have to tell Ian.’
Everyone groaned.
‘Guy – you tell him,’ said Libby. ‘You’re the one that got the first info from Sophie and he’d take it better from you than from Fran or me.’
Guy looked at his wife. ‘Do you think so?’
She sighed and nodded.
‘He’s likely to ignore his personal mobile at the moment,’ said Ben, ‘but I’ve got his card, haven’t I? We can ring his other mobile. Then he’ll know it’s important.’
‘Genius!’ said Libby, as Ben fished Ian’s card out of his pocket. He handed it to Guy, who took it and walked away from the table. ‘Not having you lot listen in,’ he said, with a grin.
‘Are we going to order food?’ asked Libby, watching Guy’s back.
‘Sandwich?’ suggested Ben, taking a menu from another table.
‘He’s got through,’ said Fran. ‘He’s talking.’
A minute later, Guy switched off his phone and came back to the table.
‘He’s interested,’ he said, sitting down and handing Ben the card. He looked round at them all. ‘He actually said, “Ah. That fits.” I said does it, and he said he’d tell us later and could Sophie give him Rachanda’s address. He won’t bring Sophie into it.’
They looked at each other.
‘Good job we told him, then,’ said Libby. ‘He wasn’t mad, then?’
‘Not at all. I think it was a good idea to use his police mobile, and that it was me who told him – thanks, Libby.’
Libby nodded. ‘And now you’d better get the address from Sophie.’
‘Can she close the shop for a bit?’ asked Fran. ‘She could come here.’
‘OK,’ said Guy, picking up his mobile. ‘I’m not a slave driver!’
Sophie joined them five minutes later and they ordered sandwiches and fresh drinks. He called Ian and dictated the address and phone number Sophie had given, then switched off.
‘How long have you known Rachanda, Sophie?’ asked Libby.
‘Years,’ said Sophie. ‘We were at school together. We were put in the same form when we were about twelve, and as we were both new we sort of stuck together. We used to walk home together and go and get sweets in her uncle’s shop. And I used to get asked to eat with them sometimes, remember, Dad?’
‘Yes, you always made me jealous,’ said Guy.
‘So they were nice people?’ persisted Libby.
‘Oh, yes, lovely. Rachanda’s mum didn’t say much, but smiled a lot, and grandma could talk for England, but not in English. Or India – or wherever. Her dad and the uncles were a jolly lot, too. There were cousins, as well. I don’t think they all lived in the same house, but fairly close to each other.’
‘But they wouldn’t let Rachanda go to university?’ said Fran.
‘No.’ Sophie shrugged. ‘You know what they’re like. Woman’s place is in the home, and all that.’
‘But there are loads and loads of Asian women doctors and lawyers,’ said Libby. ‘How did they get away with it?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Sophie. ‘That’s exactly what Rach told them, but it didn’t make any difference.’
‘And what about Rachita? Does she want to go to university?’ said Libby.
‘Oh, yes. And she told Rach what she thought of her for not standing up to the family.’
‘So do you think she might have run away?’ asked Ben.
‘I don’t think she’d do that until she’d got her A levels,’ said Sophie. ‘Then she could hide until it was time to take up her uni place. And she would never tell them where she’d been offered a place, either. So, no, I don’t think she’s run away.’
‘And what about boys?’ asked Fran. ‘Boyfriends?’
‘Oh, they’re both set up to marry some distant cousins or something,’ said Sophie. ‘Rach doesn’t seem to mind, but Rachita hated it. I don’t know if she’s been seeing anyone, though. She would keep it very quiet.’
‘Do you think they’ve told the police?’ asked Libby. ‘Ian hadn’t heard about it, and it would have been reported to his division.’
‘I don’t know. Rach was a bit funny about it. She said she was frightened but I’m not sure of what. Perhaps it’s a kidnapping and they’ve been told not to involve the police? That’s what it would be on the telly.’
‘She’s right.’ Libby looked round at the others. ‘But would she be worth much?’
‘Libby!’ said four voices together.
‘What I meant was, would the family be able to raise enough to make a ransom worthwhile?’
‘Oh, I see.’ Sophie shook her head. ‘They all seemed very comfortably off, but you can’t really tell, can you? It wasn’t as if they had really flash houses, or anything. And they worked like slaves. The shops were open all hours.’
‘They sound like most of the Asian families I know. Ali and Ahmed in the village are the same,’ said Libby.
‘What about your Mr Vindari?’ said Ben. ‘He looks a bit flasher.’
‘He’s only got the two restaurants,’ said Libby, ‘and he seems to live in a small cottage. I wouldn’t have said he was particularly rich.’
‘When Ian said “that fits” what do you think he meant?’ asked Fran.
‘No idea,’ said Guy, ‘but I gather we’re all thinking along the same lines, aren’t we?’
They all nodded gloomily.
‘I feel really bad about it,’ said Libby. ‘Ali and Ahmed are friends, and Mr Vindari was really nice. And Ben and I got free drinks in his restaurant. It seems so wrong to start suspecting their community.’
‘No different from suspecting anybody else,’ said Ben. ‘When a murderer comes from a poor background we don’t say, “that is damaging to the whole poverty-stricken community”, or if he’s rich, “that’s an insult to all fat cats”, do we?’
‘It does get said,’ said Fran. ‘There are always media pundits who will make a point of the background or community, whatever it is.’
‘Maybe it isn’t what we’re suspecting,’ said Guy. ‘And maybe Rachita’s just bunked off for the summer before settling down to her A levels. And perhaps Rachanda’s frightened of what her family are going to say when she comes back. The most almighty row, I should think.’
The sandwiches arrived.
They ate in silence, then Sophie said she would go back to the shop and Guy reluctantly said he would follow her.
‘Are you going to hang around?’ he asked Libby and Ben as he stood up to go.
‘Don’t know,’ said Libby. ‘Why?’
‘Just wondered,’ he said looking at Fran, who grinned.
‘He wants to ask you to stay to supper, but he has to ask me first! Would you like to stay?’
‘Love to,’ said Libby.
‘If it’s not too much trouble,’ said Ben.
‘I’ll see you later then,’ said Guy, and with a wave set off down Harbour Street after Sophie.
‘What shall we do this afternoon, then?’ asked Libby. ‘Will you have to go shopping, Fran? Shall I come with you?’
‘I suppose I will,’ said Fran. ‘You can come if you like. What will you do, Ben?’
‘I might go and visit the new baby,’ he said.
‘Oh, well,’ said Libby, ‘we can all do that. If Fran and I do a really quick shop, we can all go up to Peel House afterwards.’
‘If that won’t be too much for her?’ said Fran. ‘Or you two could go and I could go back and start preparing food.’
‘Oh no, you must come too,’ said Libby. ‘I’ll ring Jane and ask.’
Finally, all three went shopping in the little supermarket halfway up the high street.
‘Look,’ said Libby as they came out, ‘Riley’s is closed.’
‘So it is,’ said Fran. Ben crossed the road to read the notice in the window.
“Due to unforeseen circumstances this office will remain closed until further notice. We apologise for any inconvenience,” he quoted when he came back.
‘That’ll be Ian pursuing his enquiries,’ said Libby. ‘We said he should look into Riley’s. After all they had a connection with Paul Findon and Rosie’s mother and they’re still handling the sale – supposedly. They’re bound to be worth investigating.’
‘I’m sorry for the employees,’ said Fran, as they started down the hill. ‘They may well be out of a job.’
‘Serve ’em right,’ said Libby.
‘No, I don’t think they knew anything about – well – about whatever it is. Otherwise that first man wouldn’t have told you it was a difficult place, nor given you the keys to go yourself. He probably got the sack for that.’
‘Oh, dear! Do you really think so? I feel awful, now.’
‘Well, you didn’t know, did you?’ said Fran. ‘Are we going to take this shopping home before we go to see Jane?’
‘Is there anything that will spoil? If not, I can’t see the point in going all the way back to Coastguard Cottage and then retracing our steps here again,’ said Ben. ‘We can carry it between us.’
‘And to get the stuff back gives us an excuse not to stay too long,’ said Libby, ‘in case we begin to feel baby overload.’
‘Or the boot’s on the other foot,’ said Ben.