She waited with Rob outside the warehouse door. The snow had stopped for now, but the sky was light grey and expectant, confirming that more was on its way. Rob wore a black overcoat over his black suit, with a white shirt and dark grey tie. His attire matched the current mood of Eden House, or at least the incident room. He was clean-shaven and his hair was neatly trimmed. He might possibly have been mistaken for a car salesman or a bank clerk, but his eyes gave away the fact that he was a copper. Detectives had eyes that pierced; that seared into people and didn’t let go. Kelly had seen that the day she’d interviewed Rob Shawcross.
Yes, she was lucky. Her team was fucking awesome.
Danny strode towards them with a young woman by his side. Kelly assumed this was the girl he’d spent the last few days with.
‘Mr Stanton? I’m DI Kelly Porter, and this is DC Rob Shawcross.’ She stepped forward, aware that her nose was red.
Danny looked wary, which Kelly took as a sign that he had at least some respect for authority. They shook hands.
‘Miss, could you wait in your car, please?’
The girl nodded and glanced at Danny, who shrugged as if to say he was fine with it. Kelly reckoned she looked high: her eyes were red and her nose was running, and she hadn’t been outside in the cold long enough for it to be the result of the freezing temperature.
They went into the warehouse. Danny began talking.
‘Look, I’m really sorry for all the fuss I’ve caused. I had no idea.’
It was no warmer inside the building, but at least there was no wind. The door clattered shut behind them and Rob walked towards an office kitted out with a few chairs and an electric heater.
‘Take a seat,’ he said. Danny looked nervous for the first time.
‘I thought I was here to collect my car,’ he said.
‘We need to keep your car a little longer, Danny,’ Kelly said.
‘Coffee?’ Rob asked.
Danny looked from one detective to the other, trying to suss out their agenda, but their faces were blank; they’d done this a thousand times. He sat down slowly.
‘Yes please. Black.’
Rob went to the machine in the corner of the small office and made three small plastic cups of coffee. He handed them round, then sat down.
‘So, Danny, can you tell us again why you left your car at the Revelin Moss car park?’
‘I wanted to go hiking on my own, for an adventure, you know? I needed to get away for a while. I thought just heading off would be a good idea. And it was, it was amazing. I didn’t tell anyone my plans, and I know that was dumb.’
‘But you posted on Facebook. That doesn’t really fit with wanting to “get away”, does it?’
‘No, I guess it doesn’t. Facebook’s a habit. I can’t stay off it.’
‘It’s addictive, isn’t it?’ said Kelly. ‘Like a drug.’
Danny shifted in his seat and sipped at his coffee, which spilt as he jerked the cup away from his mouth.
‘Shit, it’s hot!’ he said. Kelly and Rob didn’t move.
‘Where did you meet the girl?’
‘Halfway down Grisedale Pike. I was looking for somewhere to camp, but I don’t know the area, so I just wandered off and I had no idea where I was.’
‘But I thought you’d been there before; at least that’s what your sister told us.’
‘Well, not exactly the same area. That’s what I meant.’
‘So the girl happened to be there? The weather was awful, wasn’t it? No one in their right mind would go wandering up there in that snow. She doesn’t look like a hiker.’
‘She’s a songwriter.’
‘What?’
‘Free spirit. Wanderer, you know; she kind of just gets out there and sits and writes and stuff. She said I could go back with her to keep warm.’ Danny looked around nervously.
‘She went out in the snow to write poetry? On her own?’
‘She works here, she knows the area well. It was only when she showed me where we were on a map that I realised how far I’d gone in the wrong direction.’ Danny’s hands were shaking slightly, and he forced himself to try his coffee again: anything to avoid the stares of the two coppers.
‘What do you do for a living, Danny?’
‘I’m a student.’
‘Your sister told us that you dropped out two years ago and now she doesn’t know where you get your money from. She’s worried about your health.’
‘I get a grant, I’m still studying. My sister doesn’t know my hours. I have random lectures.’
‘Danny, have you heard of Faith Shaw?’
Danny stopped sipping and brought his cup down. He looked from one detective to the other and shrugged. ‘The name rings a bell. I don’t know why, though.’
‘Instagram?’
Kelly showed him the picture that he’d liked and commented on.
‘Oh.’
‘That’s you, right?’
‘Er, yeah, but I don’t know her, as in know her.’
‘I’m glad about that, Danny, because she’s only fifteen.’
‘Shit! No way!’
‘Did you ever arrange to meet her?’
‘No!’
‘So this message asking her if she’d like to “hook up sometime, babeeee” is referring to what?’
Danny’s eyes grew wider; the skin around his neck looked pink. Rob sat up in his chair.
‘Everybody does it. It’s not serious.’
‘But it is serious, because Faith’s been missing since Sunday. Which is why we have a warrant to impound your car for an extra twenty-four hours. Are you stating categorically that Faith Shaw has never been in your car, Danny? How could she be, you’ve never met her, right?’
Danny didn’t answer straight away, which was all the answer they needed.
‘Do you know this man?’ Kelly showed him a photograph of Bobby Bailey.
Danny showed a flicker of panic, but he was no kid, and he was able to control his responses.
‘No.’
‘Are you absolutely sure? His name is Bobby Bailey and he’s a known drug dealer working out of the charter fair.’
Danny swallowed and glanced towards his car.
‘Definitely not.’
‘Where are you staying this evening?’ Rob asked.
‘I was planning to go home as soon as I got my car back.’ His voice had grown desperate.
‘You might like to rearrange your plans. We’ll need you back here at the same time tomorrow, unless we decide to extend the twenty-four hours. For now, you’re free to leave.’
Danny paused, then got up and walked quickly across the warehouse floor to the door, which slammed behind him.
Chapter 28
When Kelly and Rob got back to Eden House, the team was assembled in the incident room. During a complex case, they met daily, sometimes twice. Everybody was busy and pushed for time. The briefings were a way of coming together and sharing thoughts. Kelly liked them to be a casual affair, because that was how people relaxed and made connections.
‘Afternoon, everyone. I had an interesting conversation with the daughter of a friend of mine this morning,’ she began. Her team listened intently. They were all used to the way she zipped through the agenda. Everyone got a say, no matter how irrelevant it might seem. Kelly believed in getting a feel for an investigation, and chatting about minor details often brought about the best leads.
She and Josie had talked amicably on the phone about the way in which children and young adults spoke to each other online. Josie confirmed that abuse, insults, name-calling and humiliation was all absolutely normal. She came across as helpful, mature and engaging; it was one of the most satisfying conversations Kelly had ever had with her, because it was calm, unloaded and utterly equal, though she wished they could have celebrated such a triumph over a different topic.
‘All the pressure on these kids seems to make them miserable. They pretend to be “hashtag fine”, but the reality is something else,
otherwise the suicide stats would tell us a different story. My friend’s daughter confirmed that it’s not just normal but acceptable, because it’s habitual. And it’s habitual because it’s acceptable.’
Kate Umshaw nodded. ‘The girls’ social media accounts drive me nuts. They’re continually taking selfies and watching how many likes they get.’
‘Kids being generally obnoxious to one another is not a new thing, right?’ Kelly said.
‘Right,’ they all agreed.
‘It’s the accessibility that has changed. Anyone, anywhere, any time can be got at. The kids can’t stand up for themselves, and so it becomes ingrained and more common, and then you’ve got yourself a habit. There’s never a break from it,’ said Kate.
‘I was bullied at school, but I think it’s worse now.’ Emma spoke up. She was the youngest on the team and at school barely more than ten years ago.
‘I’m going to the Derwent Academy for the rest of the day. Kate, can I steal Emma to come with me? I think everyone knows what they’re doing. Anything new?’
‘Just thinking about what Danny Stanton told us, guv. How easy is it really to wander off the north-west side of Grisedale and end up almost at the end of the Whinlatter Pass, where it hits Thirlwell?’
‘It depends which way you descend.’ Will spoke. ‘If you go all the way down Hobcarton End, then it’s pretty easy, but Thirlwell is a way off to the west, and it’s all forest and crag that way.’
‘And in shit weather?’ Kelly added.
She got up and drew a diagram on the whiteboard. She added three names: Danny Stanton, Luke Miles and Bobby Bailey. ‘Didn’t Stanton look shifty as hell when we asked him about Bailey, Rob?’
‘Definitely, boss.’
‘And then there’s his comment on Faith’s Instagram post. Though with today’s social media web, I suppose it could be entire coincidence that he follows her account.’
‘But it doesn’t feel like that,’ Emma said. ‘And we have his sister saying that he comes to the Lakes regularly.’
‘I reckon we bring Bobby in. He’s the one with previous; he’s the oldest and likely to be calling the shots. He lives a rough life according to the DI in Barrow that I spoke to, and he’s been in trouble before. I think the fair goes to Ulverston next. I’ll talk to DI Lockwood.’
Kelly’s personal mobile rang: it was Johnny. She toyed with ignoring it, but Johnny rarely disturbed her for a social call; he preferred face-to-face. She excused herself and moved out into the corridor. As she glanced back towards the incident room, she could see her team standing around the board, pointing and adding detail.
‘Josie said you spoke today.’
‘Johnny, I’m in the middle of a meeting, sorry.’ She was slightly irked that he’d called to ask her about her conversation with his daughter.
‘I wasn’t ringing for that; it’s just she said it was good to talk.’
‘That’s positive, but I really need to go.’
‘Wait. I was with Kurt for drinks last night.’
She sighed, itching to get back to the incident room.
‘Who’s Kurt?’
‘Mountain rescue guy, climber, moving here, girlfriend is a drug addict …’
‘Oh Christ, I know, the one who found Jenna.’ The memory stabbed sharply at her and made her even more eager to find out where Faith was.
‘Yes. Same. He was doing Grisedale Pike on Sunday, late, and saw two cars in the Revelin Moss car park. He reckoned it was kids partying. I just thought I’d better tell you, because that’s where the bloke who went missing left his car.’
‘Johnny, you’re a legend.’
‘Well, I know. Many thanks. Is it that important?’
‘It could be. Can you give me Kurt’s number? We’ll have it somewhere, but that would be quicker.’
‘I’ll WhatsApp it to you.’
‘Why didn’t he come forward sooner?’
‘It was just a car; why would he?’
‘So why did he tell you last night?’
‘He was asking if the man had been found yet, because he was out himself that evening.’
‘Can he identify the cars?’
‘I did ask him if he remembered and he said it was dark, and the snow was heavy, but they could have been dark grey or black in colour and they were both fairly small models, like a Fiat or a Ford.’
‘Great.’
‘What are you up to later?’ he asked.
‘I’m in Keswick all day.’
‘Should I bring Josie over and we’ll go out for dinner?’
‘Yes, I’ll call you when I’m done.’
She hung up and walked back into the incident room.
Chapter 29
Kelly had been assigned twenty uniforms from all over the north of Cumbria to assist at the Derwent Academy, and the interviews had been well under way since Tuesday. They’d prioritised them depending on how close a pupil or member of staff was deemed to be to Faith Shaw and her daily routine.
Despite the weather, the academy had remained open all week. Many schools across Britain had closed, and northerners had ridiculed them for being pussies. With a few sweeps of a good spade and an extra layer of warm clothes, every teacher, bar two, had made it in. Of the two who didn’t, one lived at the top of a hill in Little Broughton, which was completely cut off, and the other on a farm in Buttermere. Neither was a priority for their inquiries.
Kelly’s Audi was four-wheel-drive, so she didn’t really give a second thought to people all over the country struggling to navigate the roads. The school’s driveways were freshly ploughed and clear of yesterday’s snow, and she found a parking space. DC Emma Hide was always good company, and they chatted about the significance of the car sightings by Kurt Fletcher.
Kelly hadn’t been inside a school for years, but she figured that lessons were in full swing, because no one was milling about. They entered the reception and she made the introductions. The woman behind the desk was pleasant enough, and led them through a labyrinth of corridors and airless foyers into a hall where uniformed police sat at desks interviewing adults and children. A few parents had turned up to supervise, as was their right, though it made the officers’ job a little more challenging, because sometimes the innocence of youth meant that children had more truth in their earwax than an adult possessed in its entire body, and that was a good resource to tap unchecked. Those days were gone, though, and minors were now protected, making transparent inquiries harder. The kids whose parents sat beside them looked embarrassed and kept their heads down.
Kelly approached an officer who was between interviews to ask how it was proceeding.
‘Two hundred and seventeen so far, boss.’
‘Anything?’
‘We’ve built up a fairly standard picture of her typical day, and as far as character goes, she’s a well-liked kid, very polite and respectful, well behaved, punctual and conscientious.’
‘Star pupil?’
‘Pretty much.’
‘No changes in the weeks leading up to last weekend?’
‘None of note. Quite a few of her teachers commented on her lack of confidence, though.’
‘Issue?’
‘Potentially. It indicates that she might not be the sort to take risks or get into trouble.’
Kelly agreed. ‘Is the head teacher around?’
‘Somewhere. She’s pretty much left us to it.’
A bell rang and the corridors echoed to the banging of doors, the thundering of feet and the sound of scuffles and general mayhem. A few pupils ran through the hall, having specifically been asked not to by a tannoy announcement, and several teachers followed them, admonishing them. The kids blatantly ignored their adult supervisors. The parents accompanying their children to interviews looked on horrified. A water bottle was thrown like a missile over their heads and exploded on the wooden floor, sending water everywhere.
Eventually the anarchy subsided and students carried on to their next lesson. Several teach
ers entered the hall, Sarah Peaks among them. She was Faith Shaw’s English teacher.
Kelly waved, and Sarah approached. The teacher looked uncomfortable, and Kelly surmised that it couldn’t be easy working in this environment when she was so involved with Tony Blackman. She introduced Sarah to the uniformed officer.
‘We’re taking general statements about Faith today,’ she explained.
Sarah nodded. ‘She’s one of my favourite pupils. I don’t mean that I don’t like others; it’s just that Faith is one of those kids who hangs on your every word. Her love of learning is infectious.’ She sat down.
‘A lot of people have said the same. She sounds a lovely girl,’ Kelly said. She decided to hang around for Sarah’s interview, while Emma went to check on a few of the others.
‘She is. Her ability in English is remarkable – very advanced for her age. She writes poetry, and her stories are very deep and richly crafted.’
‘And what does she write about?’ the officer asked.
‘Bullying mainly. I brought some of her work for you. I think it says a lot about her experiences.’ Sarah pushed the books she’d brought with her towards the PC, and Kelly leaned in, interested.
‘Did this impact her at school?’
Sarah nodded.
‘How?’
‘She seemed more mature than others in her age group, as if she’d grown up quickly. When it was really bad, her mother actually said to me that she didn’t know if Faith would make it. That was in confidence.’
‘Why wasn’t it reported if it was a safeguarding issue?’ Kelly asked. ‘You’re obliged to pass on such information.’
‘It wasn’t specific and it was more the mother relieving her own anguish. I wish I had now. Can I be blunt?’
‘Of course.’
‘I’d rather stick a red-hot poker up my arse – excuse my language – than have Sadie Rawlinson as my friend. If anyone knows where Faith went that night, it’s her.’
The PC looked at his pad and wrote the statement down. There was nothing quite like good old-fashioned honesty, Kelly thought.
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