‘Yeah, it’ll be on the contract.’
‘Let’s pay her a visit,’ says Dario.
***
Carol Logan lives in a semi-detached house in Kidlington. She opens the door to us and visibly pales, clutching the frame as if needing support.
‘Oh my God, it’s Nev, isn’t it? Is he alright?’ she asks.
‘We were hoping you could tell us.’
She leads us into a tidy lounge. She offers us some herbal tea; Dario accepts. I decline.
‘I have been worried,’ she says. ‘I’ve thought about reporting him missing.’
Dario raises his eyebrows. ‘What makes you think he’s missing?’
‘He’s always been behind on child maintenance. Then, out of nowhere, he showed up and paid in full what he owed me. He promised to take the kids last week, but he never came. His phone’s always off. I called his office but got no reply. I didn’t know what to think. I was going to call the police today – and now you’ve turned up.’
‘Did he ever mention a house on Millwall Lane in Wootton?’ Dario asks.
Carol frowns and turns white. ‘Not the one where the murder happened?’
‘I’m afraid so,’ Dario says.
She sinks into a chair. ‘You don’t think Neville has anything to do with that?’
‘We’re just gathering information,’ I say. ‘If you hear from him, let us know right away. Ask him to contact us so we can eliminate him from our inquiries.’
‘Of course. That poor woman…’
‘Do you know his car registration?’ I ask.
She shakes her head. ‘It’s a green Micra. That’s all I know.’
***
In the car, I turn to Dario. ‘What now?’
‘Someone else must have had access to the house.’
‘Alice, the interior designer, claims she never had a key, that she only visited with Joanna. She insists the basement was never touched.’
‘But what if Joanna furnished it herself? Maybe she wanted to surprise her husband.’
‘Could be. But the steel door? That’s not DIY.’
***
The warrant for Logan’s office comes through. We search it thoroughly, but find nothing useful.
Just another mystery. And I have that sinking feeling this would be one of those cases, the kind that never finds an ending.
Chapter Forty-Three
Josie
Neal and his son Joel are visiting Joanna’s parents’ home, a place that can only be described as magnificent. Yet, the grandeur seems meaningless in the absence of their child. Daniel tells us that Joanna’s mother, Julia, is under sedation. ‘She became hysterical when she heard the news,’ Daniel says.
