“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that. It’s not Covid, I hope?”
“No.” Annie shook her head sadly. “No, much worse than that, I’m afraid.”
The DI nodded and returned to her notes. “And the child? Who lives here? I saw her in your front garden a few days ago. She wasn’t here when the original case was being investigated, so I assume she is your daughter’s child?”
“Yes. That’s right. Daisy, my granddaughter.”
“Is she here?”
“Well, I’d hope so given that we’re in the middle of a government lockdown. Yes. She’s in her room, doing schoolwork on her computer.”
“Right. Would it be possible to talk to her?”
“What for? She wasn’t born when that girl went missing.”
“I appreciate that, but still, I’d like to meet her, if I may?”
“Now?”
“Yes. Please.”
“But she’s in lessons. She can’t just walk out.”
“It won’t take long. Three minutes at most.”
I saw Annie’s nostrils flare slightly, her jaw set. Annie did not like being told what to do. But then she nodded and said, “Fine. I’ll go and get her.”
The DI turned back to me as Annie left the room. “How long have you lived here, Mr. Tucker?”
“About three years.”
“And you’re… Jessamine’s partner?”
I nodded, and then shrugged. “I mean, yes, I suppose I am. At least I was, but I’d say we’re more platonic now. Since she got ill. I mostly take care of her, and Daisy and Annie.”
“And the dog.” The DI glanced down at Hugo, who was sitting dutifully at my feet.
“Yes. And the dog.”
“How did you meet Ms. Black?”
“Oh,” I said. “In the pub, actually. She used to go in there with the dog; I saw her every day. I felt sorry for her, I suppose. But then it turned into something more than that and I moved in here in early 2017.”
“So, I don’t suppose you know much about the original investigation? Anybody ever mention it to you?”
“No.” I shook my head slowly. “This is the first time I’ve heard anything about it. Who was she, this Claire Connolly?”
“She was a young woman from Cheshire. She’d been living in London for a few years, in Kentish Town. She’d been studying music production at a London university. Very popular. Very well liked. A bit scatterbrained, according to her family and friends, prone to doing spontaneous things, changing plans, being a no-show, that’s why her friends didn’t report her missing for five days.”
“And now you’re reinterviewing everyone, are you, from the initial investigation?”
“Well, no, not everyone. Just this household.”
“Because?”
“I’d prefer to talk to Mrs. Black about that, since she was living here at the time.”
I shrugged. Fair enough. But my palms were sweating and my heart was racing. All these years I’d known there was something fundamentally sick at the core of this house, and now… here it was.
