but I think she was looking for a bit more – excitement? He collects stamps, for God’s sake. Who collects stamps in this day and age?’
‘Was she really upset by it all?’ I asked. ‘I mean – do you think she was depressed?’
‘I wouldn’t go that far. She had a bit of a cry and then started planning a night out with her friends.’
I frowned at this.
‘So when did you last see her?’ Sam said then, getting back to his list of questions.
‘Friday. She was going out after work – someone’s birthday, I think. She was quite excited about it. She wanted to go out on the pull.’
‘You saw her go?’
‘Yeah. She was all dressed up; she looked gorgeous. I remember thinking she was quite likely to pull looking like that.’
‘But she didn’t come home?’
‘I went away for the weekend, to see some friends in York. When I came back on Sunday evening I knew straight away she hadn’t been back. The clothes she’d tried on before going out on Friday were all over the bed still.’
‘And you rang the police?’
‘I sent her a text and tried to call her, but her phone was switched off. I thought about ringing Vaughn but then I thought, maybe she was with some other bloke. I didn’t want to involve him.’ Lindsay put her empty mug down on the table and looked pointedly at her watch.
‘Sorry,’ Sam said. ‘Just one more question – so when did you report her missing?’
‘I rang her at work first thing this morning. At Arnold’s – that’s where she works. I wanted to just check she was OK; after all, she hadn’t taken any clothes with her… or anything like that. And they said she hadn’t come in – she’s always very punctual. The girl I spoke to was really worried when I said I hadn’t seen her. So after that I phoned the police.’
‘Do you know who that was? The girl you spoke to?’
‘Cheryl, I think she said. I seem to remember Audrey talking about her, I think they got on well. Cheryl said she’d last seen her walking up the hill on Friday night. She didn’t want to wait around for a taxi. She was walking up the hill on her own.’
‘Can we please go to the station now?’ I said, when we were back in the car.
Sam was sitting in the driver’s seat. He hadn’t turned on the engine; he was staring straight ahead with his hands on the steering wheel.
‘Sam?’
‘Don’t you want to go and talk to Cheryl?’ he asked. His eyes were bright with excitement. I hadn’t seen him like this before. Had he been like this when we’d sat and had coffee in town, the first time we’d met? I’d been so full of suspicion then – maybe he’d toned it down.
‘I want to go and make sure they’re looking for Audrey,’ I said.
‘Try ringing them again,’ he said, turning on the engine at last. ‘If there’s anyone there, I’ll drop you off on the way.’
There was still no bloody answer, of course, from anyone. They were all in the morning meeting, which was where I should be by now. I wondered what would happen if I failed to turn up for work. Would they even notice?
Arnold and Partners took up the whole of the second floor of a building behind the Market Square, overlooking the back of the bingo hall that had been a cinema when I’d been a teenager. We found a space in the Pay and Display car park and walked across to the building.
‘Is this what you do all day?’ I asked. ‘You wander around and pester people?’
‘I’m not pestering anyone,’ he said. ‘Am I?’
‘Hmm.’ I had my arms crossed over my chest. At the bottom of the hill I could see the roof of the police station, covered in aerials and antennae, all Sixties grey concrete and pebbledash.
‘If anything I should be in the editorial meeting,’ he said. ‘But technically it’s my day off, so they won’t miss me.’
‘Why are we doing this on your day off?’
He stopped, then, and turned to face me. ‘I’m starting to wish I’d just dropped you off at the station first thing.’
‘So am I!’
We stared at each other.
‘Don’t you want to help find Audrey?’ he asked.
‘It’s not our job to find Audrey!’ I exploded. ‘Why don’t you trust the police to do it?’
‘I’m willing to bet they haven’t got as far with this as I have,’ he said, still perfectly calm.