Chapter 10 Chapter nine

Becky was glad Tom called her away tonight.It wasn't that she didn't like socializing, it was just that it was too much for her to be around anyone naturally at this time, at least Tom and she were old acquaintances, she thought.To this day, she still feels like people are watching her, pointing and laughing behind her back like school-aged children. She hadn't noticed the phenomenon since coming to Manchester, but she lived like it for a few weeks before she left Scotland Yard.Anytime she walked into a room, she felt like everyone stopped talking or changed the subject in unison because they were gossiping about her.

Arrogant fellow, she couldn't help thinking.Why is everyone so interested in me?But she knows why. When the car arrived outside Brooks' house, Becky couldn't see much of the house.It was pretty much the longest day of the year, but the sun had set about an hour ago, but there was still enough light for her to see that it was a rather large house on a charming tree-lined avenue.When she first became a police officer, she was surprised to learn that accidents happened to people living in this kind of house.As a girl from a poor part of London, she has lived with the misconception that only poor people have problems.How wrong she was.It took her a while to realize that the only difference between the two was that rich people were more likely to hide their problems out of misplaced shame.

But the children were all missing, and there was no shame left.Becky knew that all cops hated cases that might harm children, and she was no exception.She was never religious, but in her heart she kept drawing the cross between prayer and commitment.Wherever you are, children - we'll find you.She just hoped it was true. Tom interrupted her thoughts. "Okay, Becky. We've had enough face-to-face conversations to get to the bottom of it. Here's what we're going to do, and I'll give you an introduction later, and I'll take a backseat to observation and you to ask questions. I think it's very unlikely that the situation is any different from what it looks like, it's very likely that the man's wife took the kids to stay with friends, but given their previous circumstances, I want to make sure we're not missing anything."

Becky nodded, opened the car door, and then closed it gently, not wanting to attract too many eyes on this quiet road.The police cars parked in the driveway were invisible to anyone but the neighbors across the road, and Becky didn't want to deal with well-meaning visitors at this time.In any case, "kindness" is still a tact, and those who knock on the door and ask if there is anything they can "help", in all likelihood, they are here to find out. As they were walking towards the front door, a bright beam of emergency lights hit them, but luckily missed them.Becky looked back at Tom and shrugged, glad the light didn't catch her eye, but curious what it might do.

Tom pressed the doorbell, and the monotonous, piercing sound echoed through the house.A constable whom Becky did not know opened the door, and a look of relief flashed across the young man's face, no doubt glad to see a senior constable who had relieved his immature shoulders.He looked like a scrawny stallion—thin arms and legs that didn't seem to know where to put them. They were ushered into the living room, where a man stood up from the couch, looked at them, and said nothing.He seemed to be gazing into Tom's face, his eyes narrowed slightly. "Mr. Brooks? I am Detective Chief Inspector Tom Douglas, and this is my colleague, Detective Inspector Becky Robinson. You may not remember, but we met before, sir, when your wife's parents both When he died. I was an inspector."

Robert Brooks' eyes widened a little, and Becky noticed a hint of shock in them.He held out his hand, and Tom took it and shook it.He turned to Becky, gave her a slight nod, and made no effort to shake her hand again, obviously not being important enough to receive this common courtesy. Brooks stood next to Tom, looking small and insignificant.He was a little shorter than Tom, with much narrower shoulders.Eyes with double eyelids were hidden under two thick eyebrows, and when they glanced back and forth between Becky and Tom, the whites of their eyes reflected the soft light from the table lamps dotted around the room, turning them into two yellow beams, His face was darkened.She felt as if she was being scrutinized by an owl waiting to pounce on its prey.

"Thank you for coming," Brooks said, looking dazed, as if he needed to be told what to do next. "Can we sit down, sir?" Tom pointed to the sofa, and Robert sank back on the cushion, as if afraid that his legs would no longer be able to bear the weight of his body.Becky sat down opposite him, and Tom sat down in an upright chair not far off. "I know you must have told Officer Michelle most of the situation." Tom said, nodding at the young officer who had consciously retreated behind Brooks, "but if you don't mind the trouble, Lu and I Detective Inspector Binxun wants to sort it out with you again, so that we can understand your concerns."

Robert Brooks nodded silently, and Tom glanced at Becky. "Are you absolutely sure your wife didn't take the kids somewhere for a few days, because she thought you wouldn't be home until tomorrow?" she asked, taking the task of inquiry calmly. "She's not going to do it without telling me first, I speak to her every day, at least once, usually twice, and she's home. I spoke to her this morning." "Where have you been, and how long have you been, sir?" “I went to Newcastle for two weeks for a meeting. The first week Olivia took the kids on holiday but she’s been home since last Saturday. I was supposed to be back tomorrow but I wanted a day earlier Went home to surprise her. I even stopped in town to buy flowers and wine. I was fully expecting her to be home."

Becky could see Tom watching Robert Brooks carefully from one side, and wondered if he saw something.Anyway, she certainly didn't.Brooks never met her eyes at all, his eyes seemed to be constantly darting across the room. "So she didn't know you'd be home today, did she? You must have thought of a friend's house she might be visiting while you were away. I guess you've checked with everyone you know?" Becky didn't miss out. Get rid of the irritability that flashed across Robert Brooks' face. "We don't do that. We never visit relatives or friends or live in other people's homes, we don't have that kind of friends. She should call me by now, it's past our appointment. Our appointment is every day Nine at night, seven most mornings, before she helps the kids out of bed. Just to say good morning."

"How did you know she was at home, sir? Did you call home or her cell phone?" "Neither. We use FaceTime, the Mac's built-in video calling software, which is kind of like Skype chat software. We both have laptops, and talking face to face is so much better than just hearing each other's voices. She always Videos with me in our bedroom - so I can see her leaning against the pillows and imagine her in our bed, it makes me think of home. For two years, she has never missed anything from me whenever I wasn't home A phone call." Becky saw Brooks' eyes flick to Tom.He must have realized that someone was watching his expression, which made him uncomfortable.Becky hasn't been feeling very well about the whole thing, the guy might be a little distracted with worry, or...

"Is that your laptop, sir?" she asked, pointing to a thin leather bag on the sofa beside Robert. "Yes. I brought it here in case she called me. I tried to contact her several times, but she won't call me now." Tom Douglas interrupted the question. "What makes you so sure she won't talk to you again, Mr. Brooks?" Robert Brooks leaned his head back and closed his eyes for a moment. "Because her laptop is here. I found it upstairs under the wardrobe." "What did you do to it, sir?" asked Becky. "I charged it up. The battery died and I just did it mechanically. I often had to remind her to do simple things like that." His eyes rested just above Becky's head, but she could It felt like his eyes were looking far beyond there, looking at a picture that no one else could see.She really wanted to know what it was. "Okay, let's move on. As we understand it, your wife and children are missing, but nothing is missing from them. Including the children's favorite toys, stolen money, extra mobile phones, rarely used credit card - nothing lost?" "God!" Robert exploded, "how many times do I have to repeat that? By now you should have gone out to her instead of asking me these questions over and over again. Nothing was lost at all. She hadn't Private money - she doesn't make any money at all and I know where every penny goes. The kids stuff is in here and her one and only phone is in her damn handbag! Nothing Lost, nothing!" Except, of course, for a woman and three children.But Becky didn't say it. "I'm sorry if we've upset you, Mr. Brooks, but I need to check every single detail. So, in your opinion, your wife died sometime between the time you spoke to her this morning and four o'clock this afternoon. The point of time disappears, right?" "Yes." Robbit gritted his teeth so hard that his voice was almost stifled. “Has she told you about anything strange recently? Has she felt threatened by someone? Or have the kids mentioned anything unusual – have they been followed or had sex with them? Have you spoken to someone you don't know?" Robert looked from Becky to Tom and back to Becky. "She hasn't said anything, but maybe she's keeping something from me because she doesn't want me to worry." "What do you mean, sir?" said Becky. "Nothing specific, but she doesn't seem quite right these days. She's a little jittery and nervous. I heard her whisper to Jasmine a few times. I'm not allowed to whisper at home. Yeah, I think that would be divisive and I had to talk to her about it before." Not a thing, Becky thought.It sounded like he was scolding his wife.How could he do that?Did he punish her?Did he scold her? "So you think she has a secret?" "No, of course it wasn't a secret, don't twist the facts. I thought she might be worried about something, and maybe Jasmin was too. In the case of my business trip, she wouldn't want me to know, because she knew it How important the meeting is, she knows I won't go if I don't worry about her. But I know what you're going to ask, I might as well tell you all at once, and I don't know what she's worried about." Much to Becky's annoyance, her phone vibrated at this point, and she got up and said sorry.