Free A Proper Charlie by Louise Wise Page B

group of homeless people –’
    ‘ What!’
    ‘ For a night or two. It’s not certain, but anyway she left with a woman called Sally Readman.’
    ‘ Oh Jesus! Cammy squatting? Are you sure? That doesn’t sound like her.’ Ben, in his observatory, paced the floor. He cupped the back of his neck. ‘But maybe… I don’t know… she was very upset. Irrational.’
    ‘ Quite.’ Locke cleared his throat loudly. ‘According to police records Sally Readman is a known prostitute and drug addict.’
    ‘ Well, find her and you’ll find Cam!’
    ‘ I have, and she’s denied ever knowing Camilla.’
    ‘ I’ll pay her to tell us. Where is she? What’s her address?’ Ben was ready to rush round with money and demand answers from Readman.
    ‘ Again, not as easy as that sounds,’ Locke said.
    Ben gritted his teeth against Kevin Locke’s dictation slow voice.
    ‘ Why not?’ Ben asked.
    ‘ I haven’t got that information. I met her, er, on her patch, so to speak. She’s an addict, Ben, totally out of it.’
    ‘ Please, Kevin, find Camilla before the abductor does. It’s all the more important now, don’t you see? There are prostitutes going missing and Camilla, for some reason only known to her, is with them.’
    ‘ I’m sorry. The Gentleman Abductor; I should’ve made the connection and broke the news to you gently.’
    Ben stared upward looking at nothing and clutched the phone tighter against his ear. ‘It’s a week today that she’s been missing. A whole week.’
    ‘ We’ll find her, Ben, or my name’s not Kevin Locke.’
    ‘ Offer Readman heroin for information. You say she’s an addict, so that’ll get her attention, won’t it?’
    ‘ Unethical, Ben, unethical.’
    ‘ Yeah, well, it doesn’t look like this abductor cares about ethics.’
    Locke made a noise in his throat which sounded suspiciously like, get a grip you prat. But Ben didn’t apologise. Money and drugs were supposed to talk in those circles, weren’t they? Trust him to get a prostitute with morals!
     
     

 
     
    TWELVE
     
     
    C harlie was the designated driver to the fancy dress party. She hobbled out of her flat on platforms, her dress so tight she could barely put one foot in front of the other and wondered if being so willing to be the chauffeur for the evening was wise.
    She made it across the car park and opened her car door. She turned and sat carefully on the car seat backwards before swinging her legs round. She waited for a ripping sound, but thankfully nothing came.
    She checked her mobile for messages before starting the car, hoping from one from Andy. There was nothing. Maybe his phone had been switched off for the last few days?
    Luv U, she texted, and dropped the phone into her bag.
    She drove her Fiesta towards Melvin and Dean’s apartment. Dean was dressing up as Andrew Ridgeley, the other half to Melvin’s George Michael in Wham! . This apparently meant a dark wig and not saying a lot which suited Dean fine.
    The men were ready and waiting as Charlie pulled up. She was grateful, because she didn’t want the difficulty of climbing out of the car and stumbling up to their front door.
    The next pick up was Sarah, who looked suspiciously like Baby Spice.
    ‘ There’s going to be ructions,’ stated Melvin when she climbed in.
    ‘ Bollocks to Faye,’ Sarah said. She was having the same problem as Charlie with her short skirt and platforms. ‘How did they manage to dance in these things. No wonder Mel C wanted to be Sporty Spice.’
    ‘ I don’t think they argued about it like you and Faye,’ said Melvin.
    ‘ Your hair looks nice, Charlie,’ she said, from behind.
    ‘ Thanks. It took me ages to straighten it. What do you think of the blond clip-ons? Not too much?’ Charlie’s hair was normally a mass of curls. A curly gingha/copper-nob/Duracell or plain carrot top: they were so imaginative during her school days. She was so glad they were all adults now.
    ‘ They look really good and natural.