Page 44 of Guilty Mothers
No criminal convictions, no form, not even known to them.
Ah, Carly Spencer had followed the profession and was now a pageant director herself, working out of an office in Hagley.
‘Hang on,’ Stacey said, scrolling further down to a tiny search result from the local news. Yes, she’d definitely got it right.
Stacey picked up the phone and called the boss.
THIRTY
The office of Carly Spencer didn’t give the greatest first impression.
A cheap sign above the door readSpencer and Co, giving no indication of the nature of the business. It certainly wasn’t trying to appeal to passing trade.
A piece of hastily applied board covered a crack in the top-right corner of the main window. Weeds and moss grew out from the gaps between the slabs on the pavement, reducing the kerb appeal even further.
Looking around, it wasn’t a bad spot at the top end of Hagley High Street. Plenty of footfall but no clue given about what was going on inside.
‘Is she in there?’ Bryant asked as they approached the door.
Kim was unsure herself until she saw a single bulb shining within.
She tried the door. It was locked. She knocked and heard footsteps approach immediately. The door opened, and for a second Kim was stunned. The woman before them bore no resemblance to the building she occupied.
Long chestnut hair fell silkily over her shoulders. Brown eyes were accentuated by the perfect amount of eyeshadow and mascara. Her face had been contoured with professional skill. There was no question that this woman turned heads wherever she went.
‘May I help?’ she asked with a smile that displayed perfectly even white teeth. Although casual, her jeans and white shirt were impeccable too.
‘Carly Spencer?’
‘If she’s won something, yes; for anything else, I’ll check if she’s available.’
Kim smiled and held up her ID.
‘Never heard of her,’ Carly joked, stepping aside for them to enter.
The space was small and contained a few chairs, a desk and a lot of boxes.
Expensive perfume filled the air and covered any smell of musty paperwork.
She turned to move a box from an office chair. ‘Excuse the mess and take a seat wherever you can find one. I’m not sure why they sent you lot. It’s no great mystery, and I know it’s a minor thing, but I do appreciate you?—’
‘Ms Spencer, why do you think we’re here?’ Kim asked.
‘Carly, please. My broken window – the vandalism? I called it in this morning.’
‘I’m afraid that has nothing to do with our visit. We’re investigating a major incident, and your name has come up.’
‘Oh, damn, what’s Petra done now? Where’s she been caught?’ she asked, rolling her eyes.
‘Petra?’
‘My Porsche. We tend to get noticed on all kinds of cameras.’
‘You have a Porsche?’ Bryant asked.
Kim knew it was her colleague’s fantasy car.
‘Don’t get excited,’ Carly said with a smile. ‘She’s an old bird. It was my dad’s. He left it to me when he died.’