by Carol Wyer
Cathy’s face changed in an instant – her mouth a thin line of disapproval. ‘I haven’t spoken to Aidan for years, not since he buggered off to the south of Spain.’
‘Was Roxy in contact with him?’
‘You’re joking. Not after the way he behaved. He walked out on us back in 2009. He went off with his girlfriend and left us all to get on with it. Roxy was only five years old at the time. She hated him for abandoning us. It broke her heart. He tried to get back in touch with the kids a few years later, but none of them wanted to know about him. Roxy wouldn’t even speak to him. My poor girl.’ Her voice lurched and she fumbled in her pockets for a tissue.
‘That’s fine, Cathy, we can take care of that. Aidan hasn’t contacted you or the children recently?’
‘He fucked off without so much as a goodbye. They haven’t seen him in years,’ mumbled Paul.
‘It might be better then, if we inform him of Roxy’s death,’ Natalie said.
Having retrieved a tissue, Cathy snivelled into it, her words muffled as she spoke. ‘This can’t be happening. Please tell me you’ve got it wrong and you’ve found somebody else.’ She shook her head in despair, not really expecting an answer.
Natalie gave her a minute then asked, ‘Can you tell me a bit about Roxy? What sort of things did she like?’
Cathy rubbed her eyes and sighed wearily. ‘Make-up… television, clothes… and video games like the boys.’
‘Was she sporty?’
‘Not really.’
‘Tell me, how did she break her elbow?’
Cathy swallowed hard. ‘She fell off her bicycle.’
‘I understand she was admitted to hospital for fractures on two other occasions – a broken wrist and her collarbone.’ Natalie studied Cathy’s face hard. It crumpled before her eyes.
‘Look, do we have to do this now? You can see how upset she is.’ Paul was indignant.
‘I’m sorry but these are relevant questions.’
‘I don’t see how. She had a couple of accidents in the past – fell off a climbing frame and tumbled off her bike, that’s all.’
Natalie left it at that. If there was more to it, she’d find out, but pressing the issue now wasn’t going to help matters. She needed to talk to Ellie as soon as possible but she also wanted to check Roxy’s room in case there were any clues. She changed tack. ‘It would help if I could see her room. Is that possible?’
‘I suppose so,’ said Paul.
‘I’m going out. Will you be okay, Mum?’ Charlie twisted a plain silver ring on his right hand as he spoke.
‘Hey, mate, don’t you think you should stay here for a while longer?’ Paul replied.
‘But I’m no help and I don’t know what to say or do.’ He blinked away the tears. ‘Gonna see Zara.’
‘Who’s Zara?’ Natalie asked.
‘My girlfriend, Zara Walters.’
Paul shrugged. ‘Cathy?’
She waved a hand in response and he gave the boy another sad look. ‘Yeah. Okay, I suppose. He may as well be with his girlfriend as moping about here,’ he said to Natalie as Charlie disappeared from view.
A tap at the door announced the arrival of Tanya Granger, the family liaison officer assigned to the family. Natalie had spoken to Tanya on the phone earlier and had been expecting her. Lucy let Tanya in, and after introductions, Lucy and Natalie headed upstairs to examine Roxy’s bedroom. No sooner had they reached the bedroom than Natalie heard the gate outside open with a squeak and then the front door rattling. She stood at the top of the stairs and heard a voice ask, ‘Why’s there a police car outside, Mum? What’s happened?’
Natalie told Lucy to check the room and made her way back downstairs.
Paul was speaking. ‘Roxy’s been involved…’ He couldn’t find the right words.
Cathy took over, her voice little more than a whisper. ‘She’s dead, Seth. She died in a house fire.’
There was no response and Natalie walked into the sitting room to find a slim young man standing by the doorway, his back to her.
‘Seth?’ she said.
He spun on his heel and stared at Natalie, his face impassive.
‘I’m DI Ward and that’s PC Granger. We’re here to help you.’
He turned back to his mother. ‘Mum?’
‘That’s right. They’re trying to find out what happened to her.’
Natalie tried again. ‘Seth, why don’t you sit down. It’s a lot to take in.’
‘I don’t want to sit down.’
Tanya was standing by the settee and facing him. She tried to assist. ‘We’re here to help,’ she reiterated. Her words didn’t have the desired effect.
‘Fuck off,’ he said, and catching Natalie off guard, he barged past her, pushing her against the wall before marching out of the house. She took off after him and charged down the steps. The gate let out a squeal as it opened and then slammed shut, and she opened it again in time to see him stride towards a black Honda CB125 motorbike, parked near the squad car.
‘Seth. Wait up!’
The young man strode on ahead without looking back. He reached the bike, pulled on a full-face motorcycle helmet and prepared to mount.
Natalie got to him before he kicked the bike from its mount. ‘I must talk to you.’
He straddled the bike, hands on the handlebars. His reply was slightly muffled. ‘What about? I don’t know anything.’
‘I know this must be a dreadful shock for you but we need as much information as possible to help us find out what happened. Do you have any idea where Roxy was headed yesterday or who she was seeing last night?’
He lifted his visor slightly, revealing tawny eyes and lengthy, curling eyelashes, and answered, ‘No idea at all. I didn’t even know she’d gone out until we were eating takeaways and Charlie said she’d gone on a sleepover. She never told me anything, if that’s what you want to know.’
‘Did you get along?’
‘Sure we did. She was my kid sister.’ His voice cracked. ‘Look, I just need to be alone. This is a lot to take in.’ He dropped the visor again and shifted position to start up the bike but Natalie held up a hand.
‘Just a few simple questions. That’s all.’
He sat back, bike balanced between his thighs, arms folded. He didn’t raise the visor again and Natalie didn’t know if that was because he didn’t want to reveal how upset he was or if he wished to hide something. She could ask him to remove the helmet but he might take off instead, and she had succeeded in getting him to stay long enough to answer her questions.
‘Can you just quickly tell me what you did yesterday evening after you got back from the motorcycle event?’
‘I had tea and then Paul and I played video games until quite late.’
‘Any idea of what time you finished?’
‘After twelve. I don’t know exactly.’
‘Have you heard of or do you know Kirk or Gavin Lang?’
‘Nah.’
‘What about a nightclub called Extravaganza?’
‘I know of the place but I’ve never been.’
‘What about Armston-on-Trent itself? Do you ever go into the centre of town?’
‘Not very often.’
‘And did Roxy ever mention the nightclub or those names to you?’
‘Never.’
‘I understand this is tough for you but I’ll probably need to talk to you again.’
‘Yeah. Okay. Can I go now?’
‘Yes. Thank you.’
She took a step back and he took it as a sign that he was free to leave. He hunched forward, started up the engine and pulled away. As Natalie watched him depart, Lucy joined her. ‘He took off quickly, didn’t he?’
‘Yes, he didn’t want to hang about.’
‘I expect he’s in shock.’
‘Maybe so. He doesn’t appear to know anything useful. You got anything?’
‘Nothing unusual in her room. I’ve got her laptop. I’ll check it back at the station.’
‘Okay. Not much more we can do here. Best visit Roxy’s friend, Ellie, then. I’ll just make sure they’re okay first. You wait here. I won’t be a minute.’
Back inside the flat, Cathy was sobbing uncontrollably, head in her hands. Paul was rooted to the spot beside the window that looked out onto the backyard. The emotional fallout had begun. This family would experience more anguish before they could begin rebuilding their lives. Natalie headed in the direction of the kitchen, where Tanya was searching through a cupboard for tea. ‘His mum says he’s like that – can’t handle stress. People react to and handle such news in very different ways. He needed to put some space between him and home.’
‘The other brother, Charlie, did pretty much the same. And Cathy said Roxy was moody. They seem to be quite a volatile bunch.’
The kettle bubbled, releasing noisy puffs of steam that masked the sound of their voices. ‘Do you want me to let you know if Seth comes back?’
‘No. I don’t have any more questions for him at the moment. I’ll get off. You okay here?’
Tanya pulled out a box of teabags and set about making drinks for Cathy and Paul. There was something comforting about her friendly face and wide eyes. ‘Of course. I’ll let you know if anything useful crops up.’
‘Cheers. I’ll catch up with you later.’ Natalie returned to the main room. Paul was now back on the settee next to Cathy.
She addressed them both. ‘I’m going to leave you with PC Granger. She’ll help you through this. If there’s anything you need or want to ask, you just tell PC Granger.’
The sobs subsided for a moment and Cathy managed a small nod. Paul shook his head and looked at his feet. It wasn’t going to be easy for either of them.
Back in the car park, Natalie spoke to Lucy, who’d put Roxy’s laptop away in the car. ‘I’d like to get some more info on Paul, the stepdad. You mentioned he was reported for domestic abuse although charges were dropped. I think we should speak to his ex-girlfriend about it. What was her name again?’
Lucy flicked through the notes she’d taken down in the office. ‘Sarah Raleigh.’
‘Get contact details for her and we’ll follow that up. I thought Paul was a bit quick to deflect my questioning when I was asking about Roxy’s injuries. Might be worth seeing what Sarah has to say about him. Right, let’s talk to Ellie and see if she can shed any light on what happened to her best friend.’
Six
Sunday, 1 July – Mid-Afternoon
Natalie and Lucy located the entrance to the block of flats, discarded McDonald’s wrappers and empty cigarette packets tossed carelessly by the door. A skinny dog with its tail firmly between its legs scurried nervously away as they approached, watching balefully from a short distance until they entered the building. Inside was dingy even in daylight, with grey walls that seemed to close in on Natalie. She waited for her eyes to become accustomed to the gloom before walking past a lift sprayed with a crude image of a penis, found the staircase and climbed the wide concrete stairs. Lucy was directly behind her, and as they emerged onto the third-floor landing, a girl flew past them on a scooter, almost knocking them both over. Number seventy-two was close by. Natalie rang the bell and waited. The child returned and drew to a halt beside them, staring but not speaking. Lucy gave her a smile, which wasn’t returned.
‘Do you live here?’ Lucy asked.
The child shook her head.
Natalie rang again and was rewarded with a scuffling behind the door and the scraping of a bolt. A girl with tousled hair clung to the doorframe as if the effort to stand unsupported was too great.
‘That’s Ellie,’ said a small voice. The child was still there.
Ellie snapped, ‘Clear off, Boo.’
Boo stuck out her tongue and then scooted back down the landing. Natalie and Lucy showed the girl their ID cards.
‘I’m DI Ward and this is DS Carmichael. Could we come in, please?’
‘Do you have to?’ The face was pure concern.
‘It really would be best if we came inside.’
A voice called out from inside, ‘Whoever it is, tell them to fuck off. It’s Sunday, for crying out loud.’
‘It’s the police,’ Ellie shouted back.
The scooter zoomed towards them and Boo slowed down. ‘Are they policewomen? Have you done something bad, Ellie?’
Ellie scowled at her. ‘No… now go away, Boo. Come in,’ she hissed to Natalie.
A woman swathed in a large towelling dressing gown appeared in the hallway.
‘Mrs Jojo Cornwall?’ Natalie asked.
‘Yes. Are you here about Roxy? Is she okay? Her mother was on the phone half an hour ago asking if she was here.’
‘I’d really like to insist we go to the sitting room.’
Ellie’s mother padded barefoot into the room to Natalie’s left. It was compact but tidy, and mother and daughter sat together on a pale blue settee.
Natalie began, ‘I’m afraid I have some bad news regarding Roxanne Curtis. She was found dead earlier this morning.’
Ellie’s face blanched and her eyes grew so wide they seemed to fill her face.
‘Oh, Ellie, I’m so sorry, love. When Cathy rang me, I didn’t think…’ She groaned. ‘I don’t know what I thought. I certainly didn’t imagine anything like this had happened to Roxy.’ She put an arm around her daughter’s shoulder.
‘I’m truly sorry. I understand you were good friends,’ Natalie said to Ellie.
Jojo kept her eyes on her daughter, whose shuddering was intensifying. She stroked the girl’s hair, making soothing sounds, then said, ‘They were tight – best friends.’
‘Cathy thought Roxy came over here yesterday evening for a sleepover.’
The woman shook her head. ‘There was no sleepover. I was at work and Ellie was at the youth centre. Roxy didn’t come over while I was out, did she, Ellie, honey?’
The girl managed a weak, ‘No.’
‘Did you see Roxy at all yesterday?’ Natalie asked the girl.
‘No. I didn’t see her at all.’
‘Did you talk to her or have any contact with her?’
Her bottom lip quivered. ‘We were on Snapchat first thing but I didn’t talk to her after that. Mum and I went out.’
‘What did you talk about?’
‘Nothing much.’
Natalie smiled gently, mindful that the girl was only fourteen. ‘I expect she shared a lot of secrets with you?’
‘Uh-huh.’
‘She’d have told you where she was going.’
‘No. She didn’t tell me. Honestly.’ The shuddering intensified. Jojo gave her a squeeze and then shook her head sadly.
Natalie nodded. ‘I know this is really hard for you, but we need to find out where she went. Have you any idea where she might have gone? Did she go to meet somebody?’
The girl shook her head. ‘I… don’t… know. She never said.’
‘Did she talk to you about a nightclub in Armston-on-Trent?’
‘No-oh.’
‘Did she ever mention the names Gavin or Kirk to you?’
Again, she shook her head.
‘Have you heard of them?’
‘No.’
‘What about a house in Linnet Lane?’
‘No.’ Ellie’s eyes became glassy with tears and suddenly she jumped to her feet and raced out of the room, brushing past Natalie. Her mother stood up to pursue her then halted as the sound of heavy retching filtered through to them.
‘I’m sorry but I need to talk to her. She probably knew Roxy better than anyone,’ said Natalie.
‘No! Listen to her. She’s throwing up. Give her a chance to recover first.’
‘Mrs Cornwall, we have to act as quickly as possible. Imagine how you’d feel if something had happened to Ellie. You’d want us to investigate immediately, wouldn’t you?’
Jojo threw her head back and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds then heaved a sigh. ‘Let me have some time with her. I’ll see if she�
��s up to talking to you. If she is, I’ll bring her back in.’
‘Thank you. Before you do that, what can you tell us about Roxy?’
‘She was a nice enough kid and Ellie loved her.’
‘Did she ever talk to you about her home life, concerns, issues, anything?’
‘She used to come around to see Ellie, not me. I got on with her but we didn’t have any deep conversations. In truth, I don’t know much about her other than she preferred chocolate ice cream to strawberry, and cheese and onion crisps to plain, and she could sing really well and wanted to be a beauty therapist.’
‘Did she often spend nights here?’
Jojo cocked her head to one side. ‘Probably once a month. I often work late. Ellie would have her over to keep her company and Roxy was always welcome here. They’d watch films, YouTube videos, get takeaway pizzas, have girly evenings, try out each other’s clothes, spa nights – you know, face packs and stuff – and paint each other’s nails. All sorts of girl things. I was happy for Roxy to sleepover.’
‘Did she ever seem troubled?’
‘You’re asking me? I don’t know. All teenagers are troubled, aren’t they? They don’t want you to be their best friends. They shut themselves away when they hurt and talk to their friends. I don’t know when Ellie’s troubled half of the time, let alone Roxy. She could be moody or quiet and hardly talk some days but Ellie’s the same.’
‘And you’re sure Roxy didn’t suddenly decide to come over and stay while you were out?’
‘If Roxy had been here last night, Ellie would definitely have said so.’
‘Does Ellie ever discuss Roxy with you?’
Jojo tucked in her chin and frowned at Natalie. ‘I get on well with my daughter, and if there’s anything important she wants to share, I listen, but she doesn’t tell me everything. Do you both have children?’ she asked.
Lucy shook her head but Natalie replied with, ‘I’ve got a daughter about the same age as yours.’
Jojo narrowed her eyes. ‘Well then, you should know better than to ask me that. Does your daughter discuss her friends’ problems or lives with you?’ She didn’t wait for a response but instead moved towards the door. ‘Now, I’m going to check on mine.’