“Killing is a bit extreme.”
“You’re right. I’d beat someone up very badly so they couldn’t move.”
He pulls down the sun visor, displaying a THAMES VALLEY POLICE notice. “I’ll wait for you here,” he says, locking the car.
Emily is unpacking boxes of shampoo and conditioner and lining them up on the shelves, labels facing outwards. A price gun rests on top of the stepladder. Something shivers in her eyes at the sight of me.
“I’m working—I can’t talk,” she says.
“It’s important.”
She glances over her shoulder. Chews her bottom lip. “Maybe I can take my break.”
We go to a café across the road. She orders a skinny hot chocolate and ponders the muffins, making her choice seem like an act of rebellion. I doubt if her father would approve of an oversized blueberry muffin.
She’s wearing a black skirt and white blouse with a nametag on the breast pocket. Taking a seat, she hunches over her drink, as though she’s embarrassed to be seen with me.
“I need to talk to you about that night again.”
“What night?”
“You were with Piper and Natasha at the Summer Festival. When was the last time you saw them?”
“They were opposite the dodgems. There was a shoot-the-basket type game and Tash was trying to win a panda. I remember her arguing with the guy, saying the game was rigged because the balls were extra bouncy and they wouldn’t go through the hoop or kept bouncing off the rim.”
“What time was that?”
“Just after nine.”
“Who were the girls with?”
“Nobody really.”
“Was anyone hanging around?”
“They were talking to some boys.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know their names. They were Hayden’s friends.”
“Was Hayden there?”
“No.”
“Who else?”
“Everyone from town—kids and grown-ups—it was a big deal in Bingham.”
I try to get names and to plot where the girls drifted to during the course of the evening. Emily talks, large-eyed, nodding faintly now and then.
“Was there anyone who made you feel uncomfortable,” I ask. “Someone who looked odd or stood out in some way?”
“I don’t know.”
“What about Tash’s uncle?”
“He was running the tombola. He was quite funny—some of the things he was saying. Getting people to buy more tickets.”
“Who else did you see?”
“Some girls from school… the vicar and his wife… Callum Loach was there with his family. People felt sorry for him. It’s not as though he could go on the rides.”
“Did he talk to Tash or Piper?”
“I don’t think so. I heard his father say something about Tash.”
“What did he say?”
She picks at her muffin, pulling out the blueberries. “It was pretty awful. He called her a prick-tease and a slag. Everybody knows he hates her.”
“When Piper came to your house that night, where was Tash?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did Piper say anything?”
“I knew something was wrong. Her clothes were dirty. She had mud on the knees of her jeans and on her elbows. I thought she must have fallen over. She sat on my bed and left dirt on the bedspread.”
“Was she hurt?”
“No.”
“Had she been crying?”
“Piper never cries.” Emily runs her fingers through her hair, hooking it over her ears.
“You left the funfair at nine o’clock. Why was that?”
“Mum had gone to hospital.”
“Who called you?”
“My dad.”
“You said your mum lives in London now.”
“Yeah.”
“How often do you see her?”
“When Dad lets me.”
“How often would you like to see her?”
A hurt helplessness ghosts over her face. Only crumbs remain on her plate. “I have to go. I only get fifteen minutes.”
“Just one last thing,” I say. “Was there a special place where you girls used to hang out?”
“You mean like a clubhouse?”
“A favorite place.”
“You make us sound like we’re eight and still using secret passwords.”
I laugh. “It’s just that Piper and Tash took so little with them. No clothes were missing. I thought maybe they could have hidden bags. You said you were planning this.”
“We were.” She peers out into the street. “That summer we hung out a lot at the leisure center. The pool. We used the lockers. Tash used to hide stuff there.”
Emily pushes her empty cup away. She’s said too much. “I have to go.”