LOST SOULS. Neil White

glanced towards the pictures on the wall, dominated by a family portrait: the success story with his society wife and his two perfect boys. Luke King was the youngest, and he looked nervous in the gaze of the lens. The woman at the centre of the picture, sitting on a throne-style chair, was the woman now coming down the stairs towards Laura.

      Laura smiled. ‘Thank you.’

      Mrs King nodded as she passed and then walked towards the back of the house, through a large kitchen full of the stainless-steel trappings that looked like they cost as much as Laura earned in a year, and then into a brick-built conservatory filled with wicker furniture and pot plants.

      As they stepped into the garden, Laura saw someone watching them from the end of the lawn, a tall, dark-haired man, lean and fit in his jeans and T-shirt. But he headed off to a brick workshop tucked away into a corner as soon as he saw them. Laura watched him as he padlocked it and then headed back to where he had just been, pocketing the key as he went.

      ‘Who’s that?’ asked Laura.

      Mrs King followed her gaze and then said, ‘Danut, our gardener and handyman.’

      ‘Danut?’

      ‘He’s Romanian.’

      ‘Has he worked for you for long?’

      ‘Started at the beginning of the summer.’

      As Laura watched Danut, she noticed how he avoided her gaze, how he seemed suddenly engrossed in putting his tools away.

      ‘He’s a good worker,’ continued Mrs King, seeing that Laura was watching him. ‘Honest, strong, very good with his hands.’ She looked at Laura. ‘Do you want to question him?’

      Before Laura could answer, Mrs King waved him over.

      ‘Danut, come here.’

      Danut stayed where he was for a moment, and then began to walk slowly along the lawn. As he got closer, Laura could sense that he was wary of them. When he came to a stop, he looked at Laura and clenched his jaw nervously.

      ‘These are two police officers,’ Mrs King said, ‘and they would like to…’

      ‘Where’s Luke’s car, the blue Audi?’ Pete interrupted sharply, cutting out any prompting.

      Danut glanced at Mrs King, who nodded, almost imperceptibly.

      ‘The blue car is for valeting,’ said Danut, his English broken and heavily accented.

      ‘Where is it, though?’

      ‘I just say, I took it for valeting this morning. They wax and polish and I collect soon.’ He raised his eyebrows. ‘Only twelve pounds, and it come out like from showroom.’

      ‘When did you take it?’ Pete barked.

      ‘Early. Before nine.’

      ‘Who asked you to take it?’

      Danut looked at Mrs King again before answering. ‘Luke. He asked. He said take it for valeting.’

      Mrs King looked at the floor as Laura made notes. Pete stepped away, his face screwed up with frustration. He turned round quickly. ‘Which valeting place?’

      Danut shrugged. ‘In town. Small place. I don’t know street.’

      Pete stormed off and headed back into the house.

      ‘Where are you going?’ It was Mrs King, running to catch up. Laura followed.

      ‘To search your son’s room.’ Pete began to look around him when he reached the hallway, deciding where to go. ‘Are you going to show me where, or do I have to go through every room?’

      Laura saw how Mrs King looked dejected for a moment, an instant of weakness that passed in a second, and then she hurried after Pete, catching him as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

      ‘I’ll show you Luke’s room,’ she said quietly. Laura noticed for the first time that the rims of Mrs King’s eyes were red, as if she had been crying, and she detected a tremor in the woman’s hands.

      As she passed through the hallway behind the others, Laura saw that there were no other family pictures on the wall, and as she glanced into the rooms she couldn’t see any in them either. There were some country views, a hillside and a lake in one, an old hunting lodge in another. It seemed like the family didn’t celebrate the ordinary things, the laughs, the unexpected moments. It all seemed too orderly. She could hear Jimmy King hissing into a telephone.

      Pete and Laura followed Mrs King up the stairs. As they got to the top, Laura looked out of a large window. She saw Danut staring up at the house.

      ‘What are we looking for?’ whispered Laura to Pete.

      ‘Last night’s clothes, if we can find them, and check out the sheets and towels. Bag them and tag them.’

      ‘Anything else?’

      Pete almost smiled. ‘Don’t forget we are missing two eyes and a tongue. They would be useful.’

      As Mrs King opened the door to Luke’s room, she stepped to one side.

      ‘Do you want to keep an eye on us, to make sure you’re happy with what we’re doing?’ asked Pete. It was partly a dig, but Laura wasn’t sure Mrs King got it.

      Mrs King shook her head and stepped away, looking at the floor.

      ‘No, go ahead.’

      They walked into a room that seemed to belong more to an adolescent than someone Luke’s age. There were posters on the wall, some rock bands Laura didn’t recognise, with a large television in one corner and a games console underneath, along with game boxes scattered on the floor. Next to the television was a cabinet filled with DVDs. Laura cast a quick eye over the titles, but they seemed mundane. A few slasher movies and Far East martial arts titles, but the rest were recent classics and Simpsons box sets.

      They carried on looking, going through drawers and bookcases. There were computer disks and comics, and science fiction figures all around the room. They found diaries, and those were bagged up along with the computer disks. But nothing unusual.

      Laura stood by the computer. It was on, a screen-saver showing a series of Star Wars images in a constant loop. She jiggled the mouse and was greeted by the welcome screen, partially obscured by the password box.

      She looked over at Pete, who had his hands in a drawer.

      ‘Anything yet?’

      He shook his head. ‘Nothing, but maybe he keeps things hidden.’

      ‘Any sign of girlfriends in here?’

      ‘Not a thing. No porno, but no photos or love letters. You’d expect one or the other.’

      ‘Don’t judge everyone by your standards.’

      Laura looked out of the window and saw Danut still looking up at her. She stopped for a moment and studied him, trying to work out his interest. He noticed her looking and turned to walk away. As he went, his head was down, his pace slow and deliberate. Laura made a mental note to find out more about him.

      She turned around when she heard someone else come into the room. It was Jimmy King, and he had a telephone in his hand and a smirk on his face.

      ‘It’s your inspector,’ he said.

      Laura and Pete exchanged glances before she took hold of the phone. ‘Hello. DC McGanity here.’

      ‘This is DI Egan.’

      Laura pulled a face at Pete.

      ‘You have to leave the King house now,’ continued Egan.

      ‘But sir, you gave us consent,’ Laura protested.

      ‘It’s withdrawn.’

      ‘What about the things we’ve collected?’

      ‘Anything