The Opal Pendant (A Little Crazy)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Seated behind his desk, Rupert closed his eyes.

A knock on the door forced him to open them.

"You alright, guv?"

"Confused might be a good word. How did your chat with the vicar go? Anything of interest?"

Maggie laughed. "Did he do it? I haven't a clue. Not that he admitted having sex with the missing women. I'd put money on him, he was."

Rupert leant back in his chair and churched his fingers. "You don't know."

"I'm sure you must have noticed, guv, I'm a woman. Do you remember when you and the lads went out for a night on the town? If you were lucky, you'd have a few beers, a laugh and go on the hunt. Now and then, you'd get lucky and get your leg over against a wall somewhere. Well, us girls are no different. We would eye up the talent, and provided you fancied the guy, you'd give him the chance. If he came across okay, it could be his lucky night.

If our vicar was in a group of ten men and I was with ten girls on the pull, nine out of ten would go for the vicar. He's good-looking, intelligent, and has fabulous eyes that scream come to bed. If he's your prime suspect, make sure men are on duty overnight when you lock him in a cell.

"Would you sleep with him?"

"Forget the sleep, guv. No knee tremblers. I'd pay for the hotel bedroom, and I don't believe he would disappoint."

"He's married."

"I know, guv. All the good ones are. Anyway, so much for my daydreams. Do you think we are looking at this the wrong way?"

Rupert appeared bemused. "Please explain."

"What if these women did have an appointment with the vicar but not here? I'm sure there were plenty of hotels with sumptuous bedrooms wherever his meetings were. It might sound crazy, but it can add a bit of spice to their activities."

"I get your point. Okay, check the dates and location against each disappearance. I have my doubts, but until we know we are wrong, any possible lead is more than we currently have."

Maggie looked hard at the board with the pictures and details of the missing women. "Vanished without a trace. You and I know it's impossible to disappear these days. We are the police, and it's our job to find people even if they'd prefer not to remain invisible.

"I'll contact the vicar tomorrow and arrange a visit. With luck, he'll let us have his diaries or whatever records he has."

"Go with Julie. I don't know if I can trust you on your own."

"He's a married man, and I don't do that, well not if I know."

"We'll end this conversation."

Maggie chuckled and left.

***

Finished for the day, Maggie strolled towards the station exit.

"Sergeant Bell."

Maggie recognised Joyce's voice. She stopped and turned. "Yes, mam."

"Would you like a lift home?"

"You'd better believe it. Waiting for a bus is a pain."

Joyce signed out and pointed to her car. "Jump in."

"This might sound as if I'm ungrateful, but why the lift home?"

"I didn't like Hugh Talbot. Any man who can rape a woman is a nasty piece of work. Your decision, but you should be careful until his civil court appearance ends."

"Do you think he might try something?"

"Think like him, Maggie. What's he got to lose? When he's found guilty, his career and police pension end. If he can persuade you to drop the charges, you lose, and he's as free as a bird."

"I did think he left the canteen without much of a fight. I'll take different routes home and stagger my times. I'll also have a can of hairspray in my handbag."

Joyce nodded. "Have you a friend who can stay with you?"

Maggie shook her head. "I'll ask Julie."

"Good. If I can, I'll give you both a lift home. If I'm busy, I'll tell Rupert to take you. He won't mind."

"You know the station grapevine will go into overdrive."

Joyce laughed. "Well, if they are talking about you and Julie, they're leaving some other poor sod alone. Right, let's get you home."

They both laughed.

Joyce checked left and right before turning her car onto the main road. Chatting, neither noticed Hugh Talbot in the telephone box opposite the station.

"He smiled and muttered. "I'll get you bitch."