A Proper Charlie by Louise Wise Read Free Book Online

it all stemmed from there. He had grown up on London’s back streets, and had to practically fend for himself. His own father had been an alcoholic; his mother had worked her fingers to stumps taking up various cleaning and factory jobs to keep her husband in vodka or gin. As an only child, both parents ignored Donald; he was never encouraged or praised. He grew up hungry for acknowledgement and success.
    ‘ You made Cam take up horse-riding. She hated it and used to prick herself with a pin to pretend she had an allergic reaction to horse hair,’ Ben remembered.
    Donald laughed. ‘Did she really? The little minx. You and her were as different as cat and dog. You, the faithful Labrador and she the spitting tiger.’
    Ben bristled. He didn’t like that description of him.
    ‘ I’m worried about her,’ Donald said.
    ‘ I know, so am I.’
    ‘ There’s a weirdo on the prowl. Did you see the headline in Core ? They think the two disappearances are linked – police have confirmed it. Two whores presumed dead, but who’s to say the murderer isn’t prejudiced against ordinary women?’
    ‘ You can’t think like that. Besides, nobody knows for certain what’s happened to those women,’ Ben said knowing, despite his words, he’d been thinking the very same. ‘I’m sure she’ll show up before long.’
    ‘ Have you phoned her friends? Her university?’
    ‘ I’m doing it today.’
    ‘ I want to keep this out of the press. I don’t want her reported missing, yet…’
    Ben forced a light-hearted laugh. ‘She’s only been gone since Friday. Two days is hardly a missing person! Tell you what, how about you and I head to the golf course after I’m back from Bradshaw’s?’ Bradshaw was the firm’s solicitors. ‘I don’t rate your chances on beating me though.’
    It worked. Donald cheered up at a mention of his favourite past-time and challenge.
    He smacked the arms of the chair he sat in. ‘You boy, stand no chance.’
    As Donald settled to watch Lee Westwood take a shot, Ben, with the family’s personal telephone book, headed to his observatory and began to search through it.
    His observatory also doubled as his office. It was built at the rear and off set from the house as an eighteenth birthday present. The ground floor was his office and ‘upstairs’ - a metal ladder led up to steel decking where in the centre was a metal pier which held his large telescope that extended out to the heavens by the touch of a button – was his observatory. The dome roof was closed at the moment; the stars hadn’t held any interest for him lately.
    Ben began keying in the numbers. He would try all family, distant and near, first.
    An hour later, Ben dropped the phone on the desk. Camilla hadn’t been seen by anybody. Over and over Ben had repeated his lie that she had said she might ‘pop in’ but could she call the house because she’s forgotten her door key? A lame fib, but everyone seemed to buy it.
    Ben didn’t know where to try next. He told himself she was nineteen years old and quite able to look after herself, another voice told him that she had led a sheltered, structured life from birth and wasn’t equipped for life in the outside world.
    Camilla was always getting into scrapes at school coming home with laddered tights and bloody knees. And she always used to hide. Whenever there was a problem, or she thought she was in trouble, she’d vanish.
    Ben stroked his chin. That’s what she’s doing now, he thought. Only she wasn’t a little girl hiding in her Wendy house anymore.

 
    SEVEN
     
     
    ‘ H ere you go, Lots,’ Andy said.
    Charlie took the offered mug of tea with a smile. She and Andy had made up with Andy offering to vacuum the carpets. She’d taken him up on the offer and now sat back to watch, lifting her feet when required, and sipping her tea as he moved back and forth with the upright cleaner.
    At last he was finished, and sat on the settee beside Charlie. She didn’t remind him