‘How very kind of him. Let me think about that … So Simon it is.’
Gary grinned. He didn’t think much of Rhys either.
‘So. One down, four to go – or five if Ally and Jo refuse to take part or if we don’t find Mitch.’
‘Have your friends refused?’ Lauren asked.
‘So far, but I’m going to work on them. Christmas was especially hard for Ally, she spent it with her daughter as it’s her first one without her husband. I don’t want to pressure her, and it’s still early days in looking for our missing friend.’
‘And how was your Christmas?’
‘Same as always. Lovely. I was with Nicholas and James who love to host and cook.’ I didn’t add that most of the festive period had been a lonely time and I couldn’t wait to get back to work. My son Elliott had a new girlfriend over in the States, so his Christmas had been spent meeting her parents in Colorado. We’d had a cyber visit on Christmas Eve and I called my brothers, and that was it as far as family time went. The holiday had only served to strengthen my determination to reignite my friendship with Jo and Ally and do what I could to find Mitch.
‘Any news at all on Mitch?’
I shook my head. ‘So far, fruitless. My friend Jo got on the case before Christmas and asked her cousin in Manchester to go and find the house where Mitch had grown up. We hoped her parents would still be there. He sent back word that he had been round to the house in person and that there was no one of that name there any more and that the owners said, according to the house record showing previous residents, that Mitch’s parents, the Blakes, had moved out long ago. They had no idea where to, and the house had been sold three times since they last lived there.’
‘Oh, that’s a shame,’ said Gary.
‘Jo’s undeterred. She said she’ll try the Records Office to see if she can find anything there. Mitch’s parents could have moved locally. We just have to find out where. My other friend’s search has led nowhere either. Ally offered to see if she could find Fi, Mitch’s sister, through her sister Susan, as they used to be friends at school. She came back with the news that Susan had lost touch with Fi years ago. Basically, we’ve come to a dead end for now.’
‘We can help,’ said Lauren, ‘just say the word when you’d like us to step in.’
‘Will do. Once I know Ally and Jo are properly on board for the series, not just looking for Mitch. In the meantime, what’s next?’
‘For the “Let’s Hear It for the Girls” programme, featuring groups of women,’ said Lauren, ‘we’ve had no shortage of people willing to take part. It’s hard to choose. All are a testament to the strength and support women give each other; some are pretty wild, some wonderful. Gary and my team have spent ages looking through and making a short list, though it’s still undecided.’
‘There are The Pink Ladies, a group of cancer survivors,’ said Gary. ‘Inspiring stuff. They all met whilst having their various treatments and supported each other through.’
‘And the celebrity?’ I asked.
‘Erica Domas. Used to do the weather, remember? Now retired. She got the all clear from breast cancer last year.’
‘I like the sound of them, so definitely a possibility,’ I said. ‘Keep them on the short list. Who would be the long-lost friend?’
Gary grimaced, ‘Ah well, this is the interesting part. See what you think. The long-lost friend didn’t make it through the treatment. She died.’
‘So they can’t search for her.’
‘Ah, but they say they can,’ said Lauren. ‘The proposal is that they do search for her, starting with a visit to a spiritualist church to see if they can reach her through a medium.’
‘What? Like a séance?’ I asked.
‘A séance, then continue on through all the different churches asking spiritualists and mediums where they might think their friend has gone,’ said Gary.
‘Wow. The big question. Where do you go after death?’ I said. ‘So – it would be a look at different beliefs and philosophies.’ Jo would love this, I thought.
‘As well as visits to mediums,’ said Lauren.
‘Could be a bit spooky,’ I said. ‘Interesting, yes, but it might not appeal to some people and we’re trying to keep the series commercial with the focus on friendships.’
‘True,’ said Gary. ‘But we also want the programmes within the series to contrast, the good, the bad and—’
‘The spooktastic,’ I said. ‘It sounds to me like subject matter for a separate programme.’
‘There is much in life that we don’t understand. Have to stay open-minded.’
‘I agree. You should meet my friend Jo, you’d get on.’ And maybe we could go to see a medium to see if they might know where Mitch is, I thought.
We continued leafing through the proposals that the researchers had got so far. There were many groups of women who came together for charity events, sponsored walking, baking, even shaving their heads to raise money.
‘I know loads of groups of girls who have given themselves nicknames. The Ratpack. The Hens. The Stalkers …’ I said.
‘The Stalkers?’ Gary’s eyebrows shot up.
‘They were at my university. They all fancied the same guy and used to follow him about. The Quality Street gang were another, all top-notch.’
‘These look like fun,’ said Lauren as she held up a sheet of paper showing a group of women dressed in white. ‘White witches. They call themselves The Coven and they meet in sacred locations all over the world: Stonehenge, the Pyramids …’
‘We don’t want to be too supernatural, I don’t think. I envisaged a strong group of women, and their programme would be testimony to their friendship rather than their interests or hobbies. Friendship is the key here.’
Lauren nodded. ‘OK. I get what you’re
