‘Okay, you take the left and I’ll take the right,’ Kim said, observing the long hallway that seemed to run the length of the house.
‘You do realise that—’
‘Yeah, but let’s do it anyway,’ she interrupted, knowing what he was going to say. It had all been too easy. There had been no protest, no argument, no hostility.
Silently, they worked their way along the corridor, opening and entering every room. They reached the end of the hallway together, and Kim knew the frustration was showing on her face.
This was supposed to be the nerve centre, the hub, the torture chamber. There was no evidence that anyone had been up here for months.
‘Guv, I think we’ve been fed—’
‘Stuff, Bryant,’ she said as they walked back along the corridor together.
‘Gonna need more than that to offer a response.’
‘What do you do with empty rooms?’ Kim asked.
‘Fill ’em with stuff you don’t need. Get your crap out of the way.’
‘Exactly. Why are some of these rooms not filled with stuff that’s built up over the years?’
‘Good point,’ he conceded.
‘Something else,’ she said, pausing at the top of the staircase. ‘How many empty rooms up here?’
Bryant looked back. ‘Twelve.’
‘And a waiting list that stretches into next year. Wouldn’t you convert these empty rooms? Maximise your capacity? It is a business after all.’
Kim headed down the stairs. Either the people here had put the last twenty-four hours to good use and cleared the whole floor, or Stephanie and Megan were feeding them a pack of lies. She wasn’t sure which option unsettled her more.
SIXTY-SIX
‘Anything?’ Kim asked Inspector Plant at the bottom of the stairs.
‘Not unless you count a restaurant-quality kitchen, gourmet menu, pleasant dining room and an 85-inch TV a new form of torture.’
‘Keep looking,’ she said as Jessica appeared from the reception.
‘Mum’s free, if you want to speak to her.’
Oh, did she ever, Kim thought as she gave the ever-chirpy Jessica a nod.
They followed her to the end of the hall, back to the door marked ‘private’. Jessica opened the door to reveal Celia alone, behind the desk.
She removed her glasses and smiled. ‘We weren’t expecting to see you again so soon.’
Weren’t you? Kim wondered.
‘Though I’m not sure what you could be looking for. We showed you everything, willingly, yesterday.’
Kim ignored the slight rebuke in her tone, as though all she’d had to do was ask.
Celia indicated for them to step over to the sofa area as she came around the desk.
‘There have been serious allegations regarding some of your treatment methods,’ Kim said.
‘By whom?’ Celia asked, taking a seat.