I’ve been given my phone back in case the kidnappers call with a demand, and I pick it up from where it’s lying, staring at me, on the table. I’ve been willing it to ring for hours now.
‘Hang on a second,’ Becky says. ‘You mustn’t tell her what’s happening. For now, we have to keep this as tight as we can. We have to manage the situation – and that means the fewer people who know that Ash and Millie have been kidnapped, the better. At least until we’ve discovered what’s intended.’
This makes no sense to me. If Ash is there, then Tessa bloody well knows what’s going on, and I say so.
‘Yes, I can see why you would think that. But we don’t know it’s Ash. He’s one possibility – there are thousands of Asian or Arab men with glasses in Manchester – so let’s not make any assumptions until we know more. Can you think of a reason why you might call her at this hour?’
‘That’s easy. She called me – and as she never does, I can say I wondered if everything was all right.’
‘Okay, but careful, Jo. Think what’s at stake.’
She doesn’t need to remind me. But I am terrified.
I take a deep breath and blow it out through pursed lips in short sharp bursts. I do it again, as if I’m about to step out onto a stage, which perhaps I am.
I select Tessa’s number from my favourites and press to call her. It rings and rings, and for a moment I don’t think she’s going to answer. In a way, I’m hoping she won’t. Then the ringing stops.
‘Jo! What time do you call this?’ She laughs to take the sting out of her words.
‘Sorry, but I knew you wouldn’t be in bed. Well, that’s not quite true – I knew you’d be awake, let’s say. I hope I’m not interrupting anything?’
‘No. All fine here. No freakish bank managers hiding under the covers.’
I look at Becky, who is listening in on some fancy headset that I presume is linked to my phone. She glances at me, and I think she’s telling me to probe further.
‘Don’t tell me you’re all alone and you’ve got your bed to yourself? Shame on you, Tessa – I thought you would have filled the gap that the lovely Geoff left in his wake.’
She laughs at the description of her short, rather rotund ex-lover. ‘I’m taking a break from men – they’re all bloody useless. Anyway, forget my sex life, what are you doing up at this hour on a Saturday night, or should I say Sunday morning? I can see all the lights are still on downstairs. Not had another row with Ash, have you?’
Tessa is the only person I’ve told about my refusal to marry Ash. She doesn’t think a piece of paper makes a jot of difference and says I should tell him that it’s non-negotiable.
‘No, we’ve not fallen out. We’re fine. I’m reading a new script that’s come in, but you called earlier and I’ve only just seen that I missed you, so I thought I’d check everything’s okay.’
‘Fine, fine. When I was closing the curtains earlier, I saw your car reversing out of the drive and wondered what had driven you out of house and home on such a crappy evening. It’s not like you to go out on a Saturday night.’
‘Ran out of wine – and you know me. I need at least two glasses to see me through an hour or more of Simon Cowell.’
‘Okay, well, if everything’s fine then I’ll let you go. I’ll pop over for a chat tomorrow. Hope the script’s worth the lack of sleep.’ With that, she ends the call.
I put my phone down on the coffee table with a clatter. ‘She’s lying.’
Becky looks at me. ‘We know. And we need to decide what to do about it.’
I want to shout at her to go and break the bloody door down. Has Tessa got Millie in there as well as Ash? But I have a horrible feeling it’s not going to be that simple.
23
‘Tell me why you’re not going straight round to Tessa’s to see if it’s Ash?’ Jo said, a note of exasperation in her voice. ‘If it is him, maybe Millie’s there too.’
Tom didn’t want to lie to Jo, and it would be difficult to prevaricate because he had a feeling she wouldn’t give up, so he considered his words carefully.
‘We don’t know that it’s Ash in there, and without more information we can’t just barge in. Maybe she didn’t want to tell you she has company because she’s having an affair.’
Jo scoffed. ‘She’s always having affairs, and she never fails to tell me who with. She’s immune to my disapproval.’
‘There are other possible explanations, and if we make a wrong decision here it could have serious consequences.’
‘What are you talking about? Please will you just spit it out.’
Tom glanced at Becky who, at a nod from him, took over.
‘What we have to consider, Jo, is that Tessa’s house is the only one that looks directly on to yours.’
‘Yes. So?’
‘Often in kidnap cases the perpetrators keep an eye on the victim’s home. We know they’re not watching from the street, so the only place they could watch you from is Tessa’s. It’s possible the kidnappers have taken Tessa hostage, so they can watch you from her house. You said she never phones you – but she did tonight. She’s behaving out of character, and that’s a worry.’
‘But you thought it was Ash at the window.’
Jo’s confusion was clear to see, and Tom knew they hadn’t even given her the worst option yet.
‘We think the man was Asian, north African or Arab,’ he said. ‘The officer wasn’t able to get a clear enough look. The obvious question to ask is whether it could be Ash, but as I said, there are other explanations. If they’re targeting Ash’s father for the ransom, it’s possible that the people orchestrating the kidnap are of the same ethnicity. And Tessa could be helping them.’
Jo dropped her hands to either side of her on the sofa and leaned forward.
‘No chance. I may have wondered for a brief moment if I had been blind, and she was having an affair with Ash, but if you’re thinking she could be complicit in a kidnap, you’re wrong. I’m telling you, she’s my friend. I know she’s short of money at the moment, but she’s the kindest person I know, and she loves Millie.’
Tom leaned towards her. ‘We have to consider all the options, Jo. She lied to you about someone being with her. If it’s not Ash, then it’s possible she’s being threatened, or she’s otherwise involved.’
Jo was quiet for a moment, wrapping the scarf she had been wearing when she arrived around her fingers, fiddling to keep her hands occupied. The suggestion that her friend might be caught up in this, either voluntarily or under pressure, was too much.
Tom wanted to leave her in peace, but he couldn’t. Not yet. ‘You say she’s short of money – why’s that? Has something happened recently?’
Jo shook her head. ‘Not recently, no. As well as being the director of our theatre group, Tessa’s an agent – for actors mainly, but for musicians and other artists too. She lost a couple of her big earners a few months back, but it will pick up. It always does. She isn’t my agent – not that I would do much to boost her earnings.’