Woman in Black by Kerry Wilkinson Page B

list of surnames from the back of the photo.
    After that, she explained about the picture. ‘Can you call Vicky Barnes and ask if her son ever played rugby? Hopefully she’ll remember but, if not, we could ask her if she can identify her son in the photo. Also crosscheck the surnames with anything else we might have on record. The link could be the rugby team as opposed to the college but at least there are less people to contact if we start with the sporting angle.’
    ‘Is there anything else?’ Izzy asked.
    ‘Can you get me a phone number? The Internet’s not great on my phone.’
    ‘Who are you after?’
    ‘A publishing company in London called “Bennett Piper”. Message me the number.’
    Jessica hung up and looked through a few of the other items littered around the room as she waited for the number to arrive. The items in the boxes really were an assortment of junk, as if someone had gone to a car-boot sale and bought every item, then packed it all up and left it for twenty years. It did seem strange that the family had been in the house for somewhere between twenty and thirty years and were still living out of boxes. Jessica didn’t find it as odd as some might, however, as she strongly suspected she would be exactly the same if she lived in a house this big. Her bedroom would have all the clothes she needed but everything else would be untouched until required.
    The alert tone sounded on her phone and she pressed the buttons to load the message. Izzy had sent her the company’s name and the number. Jessica thumbed the screen and put the phone to her ear as it rang. A secretary answered and Jessica introduced herself as a police officer, asking if she could speak to whoever was in charge. After a short wait, she ended up talking to a woman with a plummy-sounding accent.
    Jessica again introduced herself but didn’t elaborate on exact reasons for her call. ‘Can I check that a Charlie Marks worked for you until recently?’
    The woman didn’t hesitate. ‘Charlie? Yes, he was here for a few years. He quit a few weeks ago. It was a bit of a surprise really. He’s not in any trouble, is he?’
    ‘Not at all, I just wanted to check a couple of details. Did he tell you why he left?’
    ‘Not really, something about returning to the north. I think there may have been a family member involved but I only know that from one of the other people who work here. He didn’t elaborate when he gave his notice.’
    Jessica thanked the woman for her time and then hung up, walking out of the room quietly. She wasn’t deliberately creeping but kept to the edges of the hall in an effort to avoid obviously squeaky floorboards. She looked in a couple of other rooms which were very similar to the first in terms of random items. The fourth door she tried led into what was probably Ed’s bedroom. Instead of boxes there were wardrobes that were open with clothes inside and shoes at the bottom. A four-poster bed was made and didn’t seem as if it had been slept in recently and a huge window at the front of the room looked out over the driveway.
    Jessica didn’t know what she was looking for so made her way back downstairs. ‘Charlie?’
    He came out from a room opposite the front door. ‘Are you sorted?’
    ‘Yes, I passed on the names from the back of this photo so we can look into them.’ She held up the picture of the rugby team. ‘Do you mind if I keep this for a while?’
    ‘No worries. Do you want to see some of my brother’s work?’
    Jessica didn’t instantly clock what Charlie was asking her but then remembered he had told her his brother was an artist. She wasn’t too fussed either way but was soon glad she’d accepted. Charlie led her into a wide circular room that led out to the back garden. Lining the walls were a series of paintings she was instantly drawn to. Each one was beautifully crafted in watercolour, showing various countryside scenes.
    ‘They’re brilliant, aren’t they?’ Charlie