The Lady Vanished Read Online Free Page A

knows you.’
    Mary removed her dark-framed glasses and rubbed the lenses with the hem of her scarf. ‘Who would that be?’
    ‘No idea.’
    ‘Oh well; Mark will point you in the right direction. She’s still missing, isn’t she?’
    ‘That’s right. Florence wants me to try and track her down. There’s a brother, Rupert, who seems to think she’ll turn up.’
    ‘Rupert Langborne? I think I’ve met him at some committee or other at Westminster. He’s a civil servant?’
    ‘Yep. I’ll be arranging to see him, although according to his sister, he thinks their stepmother is possibly game playing, gone away somewhere. Do you know much about him?’
    ‘No; I recall a tall, stout chap but he was in another working group to me. You know, Ty; one of those ones where you have coloured post-it notes and you brainstorm and come up with ideas and then afterwards someone distributes them to be read and they disappear into the great ideas rubbish chute.’
    Swift groaned. ‘I miss that world so much, I really do.’
    Mary ordered two more drinks and asked for some olives and bread. She was looking very chipper, he thought; her handsome, strong face and quick eyes gave her a commanding presence and she was wearing a beautifully tailored suit.
    ‘Do you think I should wear sage green?’ he asked her as the wine and food arrived.
    She laughed. ‘You what? When did you start caring about what you wear?’
    ‘Florence Davenport is a personal stylist,’ he said with affected dignity. ‘She wants to give me a makeover.’
    ‘Ha!’ She popped an olive in her mouth and shoved them towards him. ‘Maybe she wants your bod too. Do you fancy her?’
    ‘There are so many things wrong with that question, Mary. One, she’s married, two, she’s a client and three, no, I don’t.’ He dipped bread into oil and vinegar; it was dark and delicious.
    Mary tore a piece of bread. ‘I’ve got some news on the romance front,’ she said slyly.
    ‘Go on.’
    ‘I met someone at a conference. Her name’s Simone. We’ve seen each other a couple of times. So far, so good. I like her a lot.’
    He took a deep sip of wine. ‘Good on you. She a cop?’
    ‘No; she’s in forensics, so we can talk ghoulish stuff in comfort. How about you? Seeing anyone?’
    ‘Not at the moment.’ Only my married ex .
    ‘Looking?’
    ‘Not really.’
    Mary knew when to drop a subject and went on to talk about her plans for a summer break in Crete.
    ‘Have you had a birthday invitation from Joyce?’ she asked him.
    Joyce was his stepmother. ‘Mm, it came last week. I suppose I’d better go. Are you?’
    ‘I’ll show my face,’ Mary said. ‘How old will she be?’
    ‘Sixty-five. I expect most of the neighbourhood will be there, so I should be able to get away with a fleeting appearance.’
    Mary clutched his arm and imitated Joyce’s fruity, breathy voice, ‘Oh Tyrone, I never see enough of you, you dreadful man and you’re so thin, I’m sure you’re not eating properly!’
    ‘Don’t!’ he said, shuddering.
    She finished her drink and pushed his to him. ‘Drink up, I have to get home and bury myself in this report.’
    * * *
    He left Mary at eight and set off for Seven Dials to follow up a case he had taken a few weeks back. The client was Ed Boyce, a slick, fast-talking man in his late twenties. He was convinced he was being stalked by his jealous ex-girlfriend and his jittery manner certainly indicated that he had anxieties. Boyce had asked to meet in a café near his office, explaining unnecessarily that his work schedule was mental. He had played with his phone throughout the consultation, taking only a few sips of his banana smoothie before abandoning it. He had jet black hair, tiny brilliant teeth and pale, almost translucent skin. He just wanted Rachel, his ex, to stop being ridiculous, he said, and let him move on with his life and his new partner. If Swift could get some photos and details of her behaviour collated for him he