Killing two birds with one stone, Ess caught the tube into the West End. Some of the outlets around Camden Market would be able to set her up with a Ralph Lauren dress, even if the name was spelt wrong on the label. First, though, she had an appointment with the Gibson Agency. She found the place easily enough, a converted Georgian terrace in Soho. Terri Gibson had her offices on the second floor. As she entered the reception she suddenly regretted not having bought the dress first. Two impossibly perfect women sat in chairs against the wall, thumbs pausing for a moment as Ess entered, then continuing to text or tweet or whatever else they did instead of talking. Even the receptionist looked as though she might be auditioning for a makeup commercial. Ess felt underdressed in the office, even though she wore more than the others.

The receptionist looked up. "I'm sorry, but Terri's engaged at the moment. Could you call back later?"

"I have an -"

The receptionist held up a finger, silencing Ess. "Certainly, though we're not currently taking on any more clients."

"Oh, I'm not - " and then Ess saw the earpiece.

The receptionist looked Ess in the eye and said, "You're welcome. Have a nice day. How can I help you?"

For a moment Ess wasn't sure to whom the question was addressed. "Me? Oh, hi, I'm Ess, I mean, Vanessa Williams. I have an appointment? Sorry, I didn't realise you were on the phone."

The receptionist clicked her mouse, then glanced up at the clock on the wall.

"You're early."

"Yes. Sorry, is that a problem?"

"No, not at all. Just unusual, that's all. Terri? Your ten-thirty is here. Yes, she's early. Go through. Coffee?"

Ess wondered how anyone could ever tell who she was talking to. She swapped from phone to present conversation without averting her gaze or giving a clue.

"Sorry?"

"Would you like a coffee?" The receptionist pointed to a sleek machine on a desk, as though Ess were an idiot child.

"Oh, no thank you. Go through?"

"Hello, Terri Gibson's office, how may I help you?" replied the receptionist pointing to a door. "Yes we do, but she's fully booked this month."

Ess pushed open the connecting door and found herself in an office, smaller than she expected but tastefully furnished. A woman in her fifties, immaculately dressed, waved her in from behind her desk and indicated a chair.

"Come in, come in." She rattled the keys of a computer keyboard. "This is about Daisy, right?"

"Yes." Ess sat in the chair indicated.

Terri sighed. "Yes, well, she's a lovely lass. I mean that, she's an angel, really she is, but sometimes she has a tenuous grip on what the rest of us laughingly call life. How much does she owe you?"

"Sorry?"

"But I'll need receipts. You understand."

"Oh no, it's nothing like that. It's nothing to do with money."

"It's not?" The rattling stopped.

"No. I just need to ask you a few questions."

"Are you a journalist? Because if you are you know the drill. Advance notice, final approval of photos, standard contract."

Ess shook her head. Terri took her hands off the keyboard, rested her elbows on the desk and formed a support for her chin with her intertwined fingers.

"Then just who are you, Ms. Williams?"

"I'm..." What was she? Cursing Oz in her head, she dug into her bag and found the box of business cards. Keeping the box in the bag so that Terri couldn't see her split the seal, she took one out and handed it to the woman.

"I'm trying to track her down."

Terri studied the card. "Why? If it's a debt thing, then I handle all her finances."

"One of her friends is concerned that she's gone missing."

Terri raised her eyebrows. "Really? Who?"

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to tell you that."

"Well, you can tell her friend she's not missing, no more than she normally is."

"You know where she is?"

"Ha! I'd be surprised if she knew herself. Head in the clouds, that one. Have you spoken to anyone else about her?"

"Perhaps."

"Then you'll know what she's like. She's not anywhere here. She's on another planet altogether. How long has she been missing?"

"Nearly three weeks."

Terri laughed. "Good God, she can be at a party for longer than that. No, someone's flown her off to his private Caribbean island and she's not got bored of lying by the pool sipping daiquiris yet. Look, you've got to understand this about her. She's, how can I put this? She's a little touched. I don't mean that in a nasty way. My cousin's got a Down's kid. I can't stand kids myself, but Susie, she is the gentlest, sweetest soul you'll ever meet. God's little joke. Let's put the best personalities in the worst bodies. Well, Daisy is a bit like that, only in a perfect body. She is the sweetest girl in the world. Most of them aren't, not in this business. Quite frankly, most of them are absolute cows. Not Daisy, but the flip side is she is permanently spaced out. I don't mean she takes anything. Plenty do, but not her. But she has no idea, no idea at all, about how anything in the real world works. If I didn't make so much money off her I'd never represent her, and that's the truth. I have to have a special clause in every contract explicitly stating her attendance is not guaranteed. Three weeks? God, that's nothing. She probably still thinks it's Christmas."

"Nevertheless, Ms. Gibson, you'll understand I have to establish that for myself. If she really is, um, that special, then we should be looking out for her all the more, don't you think?"

Terri sat back and stared at Ess. Ess in her turn held a poker face. Eventually the woman shrugged.

"Okay, what do you want to know?"

Ess took out her notebook and clicked her pen. "When was the last time you had any contact with her?"

"The Grrl shoot. She actually turned up for that one. That would be..." She turned to the screen and rattled the keys again. "The twenty-third."

"Nothing since? Nothing?"

"No. Any good?"

"Not really. She was with Lord Hever since then."

"Really?" She hit the keys again. "For a shoot?"

"Yes." Ess suddenly thought that the information was flowing the wrong way, especially considering client privilege. "Oh, it's all right. He said he expected you'd bill him for it at some point."

"Too right I will. Thank you for that."

"You're welcome. So, did she have any friends she might have gone to? Family?"

"She never spoke about family. As for friends, she thinks everyone's her friend. And it works for her. She assumes they are, and what do you know? They are. That's why she needs a hard-nosed bitch for an agent. But no one special. I don't think she has it in her. No focus."

"What about the other girls? Would they have seen her?"

Terri shrugged. "Maybe. I'll ask, but don't hold your breath. They'll cosy up at parties, but they don't exactly chummy up otherwise. Not unless they want to know what the enemy is up to. It's not a nice business, dear. That said, she got on all right with the others. I'll ask. Anything else?"

What would Shades do? Ess stared at ther notebook as she ran the last five minutes back through her mind.

"You handle all her finances? Has she needed any money for the last three weeks?"

Terri interrogated the PC. "You know I can't talk about her financial dealings," she said, staring at the screen.

"Of course. I'm sorry."

"That said, if I was to talk about them, I wouldn't have a lot to say, not for the last month."

"Oh, I see. Isn't that unusual?"

"For someone like Daisy? Oh, sister, you have no idea what world they live in. No, it's not unusual. Daisy wants something, someone will give it to her. The same for the others to a lesser extent. The difference is, Daisy isn't even aware she's doing it. So no, whatever cash she last withdrew, the chances are most of it is still in her purse."

"Could you tell me where she's next due to appear?"

"I never could, dear, I never could. Theoretically it's an advert next week, but who knows?"

"If she does turn up..."

"I'll give her your card. Honestly though, I think you're jumping the gun. She'll turn up and wonder what all the fuss was about."