Unexpected Blessings

Jack strode over to the desk and stood behind it, suddenly conscious of six pairs of eyes fixed unwaveringly on him. I’ve got to get this moving along, he thought, I can’t delay. Time is of the essence now. He knew he was going to have to bring in the police and the media if he didn’t succeed with Mark’s mother. And then there was the possibility that she didn’t know anything, was an innocent bystander. If that was the case, he would have calculated wrongly. He prayed he had been right in his assumptions, that she would be able to help them solve this.

In his usual businesslike way, and without any idle chit-chat, he told them: ‘I’m now going to call Mark’s mother.’ Fixing his gaze on Tessa, he added, ‘I’m putting the phone on the speaker so you can hear her responses, but I want you to be perfectly quiet.’ His eyes swept over the others. ‘And that goes for everyone else, of course. One other thing, Tessa. Will you have a word with your mother-in-law? It might be necessary.’

There was only a moment’s hesitation on Tessa’s part, and then she nodded quickly. ‘I’ll talk to her, yes. We’re not close, but as I said, she’s a decent enough woman.’ There was a little pause; Tessa frowned, then added, ‘Mark’s her only son and she’ll always be on his side no matter what, even though he leads her a merry dance. But if you think it’s necessary I’ll certainly come to the phone.’

Jack nodded his understanding and sat down. Picking up the receiver he pressed the speaker button and then dialled.

A few moments later a woman answered. ‘Camden Lodge. Hello?’ Her cultured voice was heard by everyone in the library.

‘Is this Mrs Hilary Longden?’

‘Yes, this is she.’

‘Good evening, Mrs Longden. My name’s Jack Figg. I phoned earlier but you were out. You don’t know me, Mrs Longden, but you do know my employer, Mrs Paula O’Neill.’

‘Well, of course. Tessa’s mother. Have we met, Mr Figg?’ she asked, her curiosity apparent in her tone, her voice pleasant.

‘Briefly. At Tessa’s marriage to Mark. But to get to the point, we have a problem, Mrs Longden. I’m here at Pennistone Royal with Tessa, and the reason I’m here is because Adele, your granddaughter, disappeared around eleven o’clock this morning and she still hasn’t been found.’

‘Oh my God! How terrible! Tessa and Mark must be out of their minds with worry. Oh dear, oh dear, why haven’t they found her? Surely she’s somewhere on the estate? Oh, my poor little Adele, she must be so frightened. This is very upsetting, just awful. Can I speak to my son? And Tessa?’ Her voice had risen an octave or two, had become shrill, and it was obvious she was genuinely distressed. ‘How can I be of help, Mr Figg?’ she asked.

‘By telling me where your son is, Mrs Longden,’ Jack answered in a voice echoing with cold determination.

‘Mark? Do you mean he’s not there with Tessa?’ She was obviously startled by this fact.

‘No, he’s not. I have reason to believe that it’s Mark who took Adele without informing Tessa,’ Jack announced. ‘I believe he has abducted her, and I must put certain things into oper –’

‘Mark would never abduct Adele!’ she cut in peremptorily and with great indignation. ‘That’s ridiculous! Preposterous! He’s her father … what on earth are you suggesting? Going on about in this way, Mr Figg?’

‘An abduction. Which will be construed as a kidnapping by the police and the law. Kidnappers get tough sentences, you know. And I will have to go to the police within the next few minutes. I can’t put it off any longer. We’ve been unable to find Adele on the estate after several searches, nor can we locate Mark. He, too, has disappeared. So I have no alternative but to bring in law enforcement and also the Harte media companies. They can help by issuing news bulletins on television and the radio. We must find Adele as quickly as possible. It’s imperative.’

‘You’re serious, aren’t you, Mr Figg?’ She sounded shaken, frightened.

‘Very, very serious, Mrs Longden.’

‘B-b-b-but I don’t understand,’ she began, stuttering, obviously more unhinged than before. ‘Why would Mark take Adele without telling Tessa? I’m not following this.’

Intuitively, Jack knew the woman was telling him the truth, and he modulated his voice slightly, made it softer, as he explained. ‘Because of the divorce. It’s becoming extremely bitter, he’s trying to use Adele as a weapon against Tessa.’

‘Divorce! They’re getting a divorce! But I don’t know anything about that. Oh, this is so absurd, Mark would have told me. My son tells me everything. It just can’t be,’ she asserted.

‘Oh it’s true right enough,’ Jack answered. ‘Would you like to speak to your daughter-in-law now?’

‘Y-y-y-yes please.’ The stuttering had started again.

‘Just a moment.’ Jack beckoned to Tessa, who was by his side in a flash. Covering the mouthpiece, he said softly, ‘Be careful what you say. We need her.’

Taking the receiver from him, Tessa murmured, ‘Hello, Mrs Longden.’ She was trying hard to keep a rein on her emotions, willing herself to be controlled, even though she was shaking inside. ‘Jack is correct. Mark has taken Adele. There is no other explanation for her disappearance. She must be so upset and confused, not understanding what’s going on, poor little thing.’

‘Yes, yes, I know, you’re right. But is it true about the divorce?’

‘Yes, it is. I’ve tried hard with Mark, tried to keep the marriage together, but it’s not been working between us. We’ve been separated since June.’

‘Mark never told me!’ Hilary Longden cried, tears in her voice. ‘How could Mark do that to me?’

‘I don’t know, but he did. And we do need to find Mark,’ Tessa repeated tensely. ‘And Adele.’

‘I don’t know where he is, and I am telling you the truth!’

‘Would Mr Longden know?’ Tessa probed.

‘No, no, of course not. Mark’s not a little boy, he doesn’t check in with us, you know that, Tessa.’

Tessa looked at Jack, made a facial grimace and handed the phone to him without a word.

‘Jack Figg again, Mrs Longden. Since you have no knowledge of Mark’s whereabouts I shall call in the North Yorkshire police. I do know Mark was in Yorkshire over the last few days, including last night, and I’m quite certain they’ll find him fast enough. It’s a pity, really, that I have to resort to this. And then there’s going to be all the nasty publicity. That can’t possibly do his reputation much good. Well, thanks for your courtesy, for hearing me out, Mrs Longden. Good night.’

‘Mr Figg, please, don’t hang up! I promise you I have no idea where Mark is, nor do I know anything about Adele’s disappearance. However, I do have a mobile phone number which Mark gave me last week. I think it might be a new one.’

‘Please give it to me.’

‘Just a minute. I have to find it. Hold on, it’s somewhere on this desk.’ A split second later she was reciting the number to him and extracting a promise from him to keep her abreast of the situation.

Jack hung up and said to Tessa, ‘Do you know this mobile number?’ As he spoke he showed her the pad he had written it on.

She shook her head. ‘His mother’s right. I think it’s a new one.’

Jack lifted the phone and dialled.

It was answered within a split second. ‘Hello?’

‘Mark?’

‘Yes.’ There was a hesitancy in the voice, wariness.

‘If you cut me off I will immediately ask the North Yorkshire police to go into action. And I’ll tell the media about your abduction of Adele.’

‘What?’ Mark exploded.

‘Don’t start with me, Mark. We know you have Adele. You’ve been spotted.’

‘Who the hell is this?’ he demanded, anger in the tone.

‘Jack Figg here. I work for Paula O’Neill. I’m with Tessa at Pennistone Royal. We want Adele returned. At once.’

‘I don’t have her. It’s the first I’ve heard about an abduction.’

‘You don’t sound too upset about your daughter’s sudden disappearance today. Which means that you know exactly where she is. She’s with you. How do charges of kidnapping sound, Mark? Should help your career and your reputation no end, eh?’