Page 11 of Nothing Hiding

"I am." The woman didn't come forward to greet her but hovered in the doorway.

"I'm with the FBI. Perhaps you know that Daisy McKay has disappeared?"

She saw the reaction immediately. Mrs. Baines blanched.

"Daisy?" she said incredulously. "Are you sure? She's disappeared? When? We saw her on Tuesday night. She, Emily, and Gina watched movies here together."

"We believe she disappeared last night," Juliette said. "I need to speak to Gina. I'd like to know her movements and ask her a few questions."

Now, Mrs. Baines had stopped looking shocked. Instead, she was looking wary.

"What kind of questions?" she asked. "What does Gina have to do with this?"

"It's background information," Juliette said, but too late. It was clear that Mrs. Baines was backtracking fast.

"It's not going to be possible to speak to her now. I don't think she's here," she said, projecting her voice in a way that made Juliette think it might have been done for the benefit of nearby housemaids, if they were asked the same question. "In any case, a disappearance is serious. I’m deeply concerned about Daisy, but I know my husband would not want our family to say anything to the police without our lawyer present and both of us sitting in on the interview. You do know that Gina is not yet eighteen? She only turns eighteen next week. She’s the youngest of the three.”

Juliette frowned as she delivered her trump card. Gina was still underage, and the parents did have the right to sit in on the interview.

“Perhaps we can make a time? He’s in Japan until Tuesday, so Wednesday would work?” Mrs. Baines continued.

“It’s just a few questions. We need to find her urgently. This could mean life or death,” Juliette pleaded, but Mrs. Baines shook her head.

“I’m very sorry. I know my husband is very sensitive on these matters, as we do a lot of work with government in our import business.”

She’d clearly been well schooled, Juliette thought sourly, as she thanked her and turned away. She knew there was more to this than just a family being cautious about dealings with the government. Perhaps the friends had a history of going out on the town and defying their parents, and Mrs. Baines wanted to school Gina in what to say first. But right now, she wasn’t going to get what she needed.

However, it might not matter. The fact that Gina, Emily, and Daisy had all been together a few nights ago told her something. It told her that these three young women hung out with each other routinely.

What Gina knew, Emily would also know. And since Gina was the youngest, Emily must be over eighteen and didn’t have the right to have her parents sit in on the interview. That meant she could leave Gina’s mother for now and come back to this house if she needed to—next time, more stealthily to see if she could get Gina on her own.

At least she was now prepared for her next stop—Emily Gosling's home.

Emily lived a few miles farther out of London, in a less central, but still very prestigious area that was clearly devoted to wealthy suburbia. As she neared it, Juliette saw the houses were magnificent, period homes that had been immaculately restored with all their charm and character, and with enough yard space to include climbing frames, rose gardens, and koi ponds, all of which she saw on her drive up the road.

Juliette pulled up outside the house, which was a double-story house, fronting a park.

She walked up the narrow brick path that led to the front door, pausing to nod a greeting to the gardener at work clipping the hedge. Then she rang the bell hoping that this would be a more fruitful encounter. Best case, Emily would be home alone.

When the door opened, Juliette realized she was in luck.

She was face to face with a petite blonde girl, with her hair in a messy bun and dressed in a pair of black leggings and a hooded sweatshirt. She looked up at Juliette with a mix of confusion and suspicion.

"Can I help you?" she asked, eyeing Juliette up and down.

"Are you Emily?" Juliette asked.

"I am, yes. Why?"

Beyond her, the hallway beckoned. She needed to get inside.

"Can I come in and speak to you? It's police business," she said, showing her badge. "It's in connection with the disappearance of Daisy McKay."

This time, she got the reaction she was hoping for. The expressive Emily gaped in amazement.

"Daisy? Is that why she wasn't—" Realizing too late she'd said too much, Emily clapped a hand over her mouth.

"I think we need to sit down and chat," Juliette said, knowing that now, of all critical times, she needed not to spook this friend but to keep her talking. "You're in no trouble. And I'll keep what you say confidential. Can I come in?"

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