Page 97 of Dead to Me

‘I suppose I have the equivalent of a badge here,’ Seaton told him, with a small smile.

They were up on the third floor in less than a minute.It was hot up here.Sunlight was streaming in through the windows of most of the South Side offices.A few others had their blinds closed, presumably so their occupants could escape the heat and the glare.

Seaton walked ahead down the hallway until he found a door marked Dr Manisha Langton and was gratified to see that both Clarisse and Esther were inside.They were with a young woman who was sitting behind the desk, and a young man who was presumably PR for the Crick.

Seaton had yet to meet Esther Thomas in person, though he’d met her mother a few times.He was taken aback by how much she was the mirror of her mother: the tailored trousers; the dark hair in a very French haircut; the subtle lipstick; the glowing skin.A mirror in every way except for her expression.Where Clarisse was smiling with absolute poise as she listened to something Manisha Langton was saying, Esther’s expression was quietly, soulfully sad.

He might have felt for her if he hadn’t been here about Anna.

If you’ve dared to hurt her…he thought.

Seaton tapped on the door and opened it, feeling a strange little quirk of satisfaction at the way Clarisse’s smile dropped at the sight of him.

‘I’m so sorry to interrupt,’ he said, earnestly, ‘but the police here just need a quick word with Esther about when she last saw my daughter.’

He gave Esther a small, encouraging smile, for everyone else’s benefit, and let Reid come in and shake everyone by the hand.

‘Ah… of course,’ Clarisse said.‘So sorry about this.Seatonis– his daughter went missing on Monday night.Anna is a very good friend of my daughter’s, so Esther is hoping to help them.It’s been incredibly worrying for everyone, but we hope she’ll turn up very soon.’She slid an arm round Esther and then said, ‘Do go and talk to them, darling.I know how much it means to you.’

‘Thank you,’ Esther said, and to Seaton’s surprise, Esther looked, if anything, relieved.

With the door closed behind them, Seaton led them to one of the vertiginous walkways across the lobby which had clusters of low, grey, almost spherical chairs.As soon as the three of them were sitting, Esther asked, ‘Has anyone heard anything?’

‘Not from Anna, as yet,’ Reid said.

‘She’s… your daughter?’Esther pursed her lips slightly and looked towards Seaton.

‘That’s right,’ Seaton said.

‘We have a few very important questions for you,’ Reid said.‘Which are… related to Anna’s disappearance.’

‘I’d still like to help,’ Esther said after a moment.‘Even if she wasn’t really a student or… well, a friend.’

‘Thank you,’ Reid said.‘I actually wanted to ask you about your secret relationship last year.’He gave her a steady look.‘When did Holly Moore find out that you were dating your friend’s father?’

Seaton hadn’t been ready for this question.He was aware that he was now staring at Reid and had to consciously turn towards Esther again.She looked white.Sick.Awful.

‘How did you know?’Esther asked.And then she looked towards Seaton, desperately.‘Did he tell you?He told me he’d never, never say anything.’

‘I’m sorry that this is so uncomfortable,’ Reid said, saving Seaton from having to admit he’d known nothing about this.That he still wasn’t sure who they were talking about and didn’t want to admit to himself the thought that was creeping into the back of his mind.‘This isn’t about exposing you or making you feel bad.It’s about establishing why Holly died.’

Esther’s look went from anxious to openly horrified.

‘I… You don’t think I hurt her?I didn’t!I didn’t do anything!’

‘Please,’ Reid said.‘Just tell us how she found out.’

Esther’s head drooped.‘All right.It… it was probably only a week before she died when…’ She cleared her throat.‘I never meant to get in the way of their marriage.Really, truly.I just… I fell for him.’

‘It had been going on for a while, hadn’t it?’Reid asked, quietly.

‘Yes,’ she agreed, almost inaudibly.‘For a year.Since the summer at the end of first year.’

‘And you’d been careful,’ Reid said.

‘Yes,’ Esther said.‘We only met up when Marcie was away.But then I managed to lose my necklace somewhere in the bed, and as I was trying to find it James arrived back home and I had to just run and hide until Philip could smuggle me out.’

No,Seaton thought.No, no, no.

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