by JANICE FROST
“We guessed that might be the case,” Steph said.
“So? Have you? Interviewed them?” She looked at Steph.
Steph raised an eyebrow. Just who was running the interview?
“Yes, we’ve interviewed them. They mentioned your blog. And that you tried to sabotage one of their bootcamps.”
Lottie smiled. “Ivy and I staged a protest. We handed out leaflets to some of the women that they and their so-called clients approached in the High Street. Even the paid ones. I used my blog to warn other female students about their tactics. I even challenged Adam Eades to a debate. He declined, of course.” For some reason she shot Elias a sneering look when she said this.
“Your blog attracted a lot of unpleasant comments,” Steph prompted.
Lottie was silent for a moment. “Unpleasant. That’s one way of putting it. Hateful, misogynistic, virulent, toxic—”
Fearing Lottie might never run out of adjectives, Steph held up a hand to show she understood.
“None of them had the balls to own their comments, of course. All anonymous.” Lottie took a sip of her coffee, wiped froth from her top lip. “I’m surprised Adam didn’t suggest to you that I murdered Mark Ripley.”
“Actually, he did.”
Lottie shook her head. “So, are you going to arrest me?”
“Not today. And if I ever do, it won’t be on the back of anything Adam Eades recommends. Lottie, did Adam, or Phil, or Mark, ever threaten you outright over the protest or over the content of your blog?”
“Depends what you call a threat. Does, ‘I hope you die of cancer of the cunt’ count?”
It was one of the viler comments that Elias had earlier quoted from Lottie’s blog.
“Lottie. When I last spoke with you, I mentioned that a young man called Ryan Brown had been attacked after leaving a café where he’d been chatting with Kylie. I also mentioned that another man had harassed Kylie before Ryan arrived. Have you had any thoughts yet about who that might have been?”
“It could have been anyone. Like I said before, she never mentioned it. Never mentioned Ryan Brown either.” Lottie sounded bitter.
“She didn’t say that someone was bothering her? Paying her too much attention?”
“What, like a stalker? No. She would have told me about that.” After a moment, she added, “I think.”
“Thanks for your time, Lottie,” Steph said. “I admire what you’re trying to achieve through your blog and direct action, but please be careful that you don’t leave yourself open to charges of libel or slander.” She signalled to Elias that it was time to go.
“Okay. Thanks for the coffee.”
“Intense, isn’t she?” Elias said to Steph when they were out of earshot.
“Very,” Steph said. “And, like you said, angry.”
“Could she have done it?”
Steph frowned. “She had motive, opportunity. She works on Friday evenings, but she would have been finished in time to follow Mark. She cared about Kylie. It must have pissed her off no end that a dickhead like Mark — I know I’m speaking ill of the dead, but he wasn’t exactly Mr Nice Guy — could get her to go on a date with him and then treat her so badly.”
“I’m not sure how she could have worked out where he’d be that evening,” Elias said. “Mark didn’t plan to go out with Elle Darrow. Unless it all happened by chance. She left work and saw Mark with Elle on her way home, followed them, and saw her opportunity when Elle got into the taxi. Maybe she just meant to confront him. Maybe he tried to assault her, and she pushed him hard, knocking him off balance onto the step. Then she could have beaten and kicked him, not realising he was already fatally injured.”
“Perhaps she felt angry when she saw him with another young woman,” Steph said, “another potential victim. She seems to see it as her duty to call out men like Mark and to protect the women they prey on. Ordinarily, her blog would be her weapon of choice.”
From his silence, Steph inferred that Elias wasn’t buying it. “What? You think that unlikely?”
“It’s not that. Obviously, we have to count her as a suspect. But then, if Lottie killed Mark, who killed Kylie Bright? And who attacked Ryan Brown? Someone else entirely?”
Steph didn’t answer. They walked along in silence for a bit. Then, unexpectedly, Elias said. “Thanks for coming to the play the other night. Did you enjoy it?”
Steph shrugged. “The plot was ridiculous. You were good though. Did you ever think of becoming a professional actor?”
Elias looked surprised. Probably because she seldom asked about his private life. Steph backtracked. “You don’t need to answer. It’s none of my business.”
“No. No. I was just taken aback. You aren’t known for . . .” He seemed embarrassed.
“What? Showing an interest in other people?”
His voice quiet, Elias said, “I know it’s not that you don’t care.”
Steph flushed with anger. She was about to ask how he knew what she cared about when he got in first. “Yes. I did consider it for a time. I took a year out after school to tour the country with a travelling theatre group. It was great fun, but it made me realise I didn’t want to act for a living. I’ve kept up with acting by being involved with amateur groups. It’s hard to fit rehearsals around the job sometimes, but there’s always someone else ready to jump in if I can’t make a performance. It’s fun. A great way to de-stress. You should try it.”
“I don’t think I’d be much good at it.” Steph’s sudden anger had abated. I’m always acting. As far as she was concerned, she’d had enough drama in her life.
That night, she started awake from another nightmare. Cal, eyes on fire, telling her he’d just killed Marketa and she was going to be next.
“But I’m still here, Cal,” Steph whispered into the darkness. “Where are you?”
She knew the answer. He was where he always was. Right inside her head.
Chapter Twenty-three
Thea took the dogs out for a last walk before setting off to meet Stacey. She’d miss them when her brother arrived to take them away. She made a big fuss of them before she left, giving them extra treats. She felt bad about leaving them at home, but at least they had each other for company. Thea felt abandoned.
She didn’t miss her parents. Not really. It was more the idea of them that she missed. Her brother, Hugo, was supposed to be checking up on her from time to time, but he lived in York and his calls were infrequent.
Thea thought of what her mother had said to her as she kissed her goodbye and got into her brother’s car beside her father. Hugo was driving them to the airport. “You’ll be fine, won’t you, darling? You’re all grown up now.” She’d barely turned sixteen.
It had seemed exciting at first. A big house all to herself, no one to tell her what to do. As the weeks passed, however, she felt her enthusiasm wane. Being on your own with two non-humans for company wasn’t as much fun as she’d anticipated.
Stacey had stayed over a few times but she didn’t like being away from her family. ‘Gotta go check in with my family,’ she’d say, as if they couldn’t manage without her.
Thea was glad of Jane Bell’s visits. Jane was of an age with her mum but they were quite different. Jane had spoken of setting boundaries for her two children. Thea’s parents had set few boundaries for her and Hugo. They’d encouraged them to be ‘free spirits,’ to ‘find their own way in life.’ Thea now thought that all of this loose parenting had just been a way for their parents to shrug off their responsibilities, letting their kids bring themselves up.
She had understood early on that her mother’s shows of affection were superficial, brought out for show in front of other people. As for her father, he didn’t even bother to pretend.
That’s why she was becoming so attached to Jane Bell. When Jane asked Thea how she was feeling, she actually cared about the answer. It was also why she didn’t want Jane to speak with her parents. Jane would have to be straight and tell them their daughter d
idn’t need any more private tuition, she’d more than caught up.
Thea had been hoping that she could help Jane with the murder investigation. Maybe even help her get reinstated as a special. It was so unfair that she’d been suspended. That DI Warwick had seemed okay when they were talking outside the stage door. Who’d have thought she was such a bitch? Jane hadn’t done anything wrong. She’d hadn’t ordered that murdered girl — what was her name, Kylie — to do anything dangerous. How could DI Warwick be certain that Kylie had been murdered because of Jane? It could have been a random stranger waiting for an unsuspecting woman to walk up those creepy steps. Thea shuddered at the thought.
The dogs settled, Thea changed and left the house at a run and just made the Lincoln bus. Missing it would have meant a whole hour’s wait for the next one. She could probably walk into town in less time than that.
Stacy was waiting for her at the bus station and waved as the bus pulled into the stance. They hugged, Thea’s first human contact for a while.
“How’s life in the mansion in the sticks?” Stacey teased. She lived in a pleasant residential area a short walk from the cathedral. Her parents were both health workers at the County Hospital on Wragby Road and were able to walk home after a late shift.
“It’s just a modest six-bedroomed family home in a quiet village location within easy reach of the city of Lincoln.”
“With four acres of land!”
“A good-sized garden. And life’s a bit lonely sometimes, if you really want to know. Do you want to come over for a sleepover soon?”
“Yeah, why not? My parents would never agree if I told them you lived by yourself. Shame you can’t come stay at ours, but I know you can’t leave the dogs.” Stacey gave Thea a friendly punch. “So, where do you want to hang out? There’s a vintage and craft market on over at the university this morning. It’s in the hall where they have the music gigs. Karina’s going with some of her mates from uni.”
“Cool.”
It was a short walk to the university from the bus station. Stacey hugged her sister when they met. She chatted to Karina’s friends, whom she’d obviously met before. Thea stood back, feeling shy and awkward, unused to being around a lot of people.
There were the usual sorts of stalls to browse in the events hall. Thea bought a pretty silver ring. Stacey tried on some dresses from a vintage clothes stall but decided none of them suited her. After a while, Karina suggested going for lunch in the Student’s Union bar. Her friends didn’t join them.
“My treat,” Karina said. “I got paid yesterday.” Karina worked part time in a shop on the High Street. The pay probably wasn’t that good, so it was generous of her to offer to pay. Thea felt guilty. Her parents gave her a big allowance, but she didn’t want Stacey and Karina to know how well off she was. It was embarrassing. Stacey had been to her house and knew her parents had to be rich, but Thea always tried to play it down.
“Just some fries for me,” she said, but Karina insisted she add a burger. Karina returned from the bar with three cokes. “So, did my little sis tell you what I found out about Mark Ripley and his mates’ business venture, and did you pass it on to your police friend?”
“Yes, and yes. Thanks.”
“I know what he did to Kylie was horrible, but he didn’t deserve to be murdered,” Stacey said.
“Well, it’s certainly got the whole campus in hysterics, and I don’t mean the laughing kind. Everybody’s terrified we’ve got a serial killer on the loose.”
“Neither of them was murdered on campus,” Thea pointed out.
Karina made a face. “They were both students here. That can’t be a coincidence. I was stopped by a journalist earlier in the week. He asked me if I felt unsafe.”
“What did you say?” Thea asked.
“I said I was okay, but nowadays we go out and about in small groups after dark.”
“Mum and Dad are glad you’re living at home,” Stacey said. When Karina raised her eyebrows, she added a hasty, “Me, too.” They smiled at each other in a sisterly way and Thea felt a surge of envy.
“Did you know Mark or his friends?” Thea asked.
“Not before all this blew up. Now every time I look around, I seem to see either Adam Eades or Phil Lavin. It’s not that they’re around more, I’m sure, just that I’ve got better at spotting them.” Instinctively they all looked around. All three exclaimed at once, “Oh my God.”
“Talk of the Devil,” Stacey said.
“See what I mean?” added Karina.
Adam and Phil were playing pool on the far side of the bar. Thea tried not to stare. Despite not having seen them since that time at the café at Hi! To Fitness she recognised them instantly. She squinted. “Who’s that with them?”
“One of their mates, I think. He’s with them a lot.”
“I’ve seen him before somewhere. But I don’t think I’d have realised that if he hadn’t been with them.”
“Well, you’ve only seen them the once, haven’t you?” Stacey said. “That time at the fitness club.”
“Yes.” Thea thought back to when DI Warwick had asked her if anyone else had been with Mark and his friends in the café that time. Only a couple of members of staff had been there.
Stacey scrutinised the man over the rim of her glass. “Oh, I’ve got it! He’s one of the exercise coaches there.”
She was right. Now Thea could picture him in her mind. “I must have seen him around the leisure centre and made the association with Mark and the others. I think I remember seeing him there when we went swimming once.”
“We could be planting a false memory.” Karina was studying psychology.
“No. I definitely recognise him. Seeing him with those two must have triggered my brain to remember. He was talking to someone else, another member of staff, but I can’t picture him. I think he had his back to us.” She looked at Stacey, who shook her head.
“Nope. Does it matter?”
“I suppose not,” Thea said. But somewhere in the back of her mind, a little voice sounded, telling her that it did.
“What are you guys doing later?” Karina asked. “There’s a gig on here this evening. It’s a student band, but they’re pretty good.”
“If we go, will you get us some drinks?” Stacey asked.
“A couple, but no more. I don’t want to have to answer to Mum and Dad for getting you pissed.”
Again, Thea envied the knowing smile that passed between them. There was no one to answer to if she went home drunk. No one to worry if something bad happened to her.
“Cool. I’m in. How about you, Thee?”
“Will you sleep over at my house afterwards? We can get an Uber.”
“Sure. It’ll be a fun night.” They bumped fists.
Chapter Twenty-four
Thea had to go home to feed and walk the dogs before returning to Lincoln in the early evening to join Stacey and Karina for the gig. She’d changed into a little black dress that she’d found in her mother’s wardrobe, and put on some make-up, but when Stacey saw her, she shook her head and offered to give her a makeover. The effect was to transform her from a youngish looking sixteen-year-old into someone who could pass for eighteen. “You still can’t go anywhere near the bar,” Stacey told her. “You need to look twenty-five or they’ll ask for ID.”
Stacey managed to talk Karina into ordering them cocktails. Thea had hit her parents’ drinks cabinet a couple of times in their absence. She’d sampled gin, brandy, tequila and scotch and found them all disgusting, but the cocktail tasted sweet and fruity and not at all alcoholic. She wondered if Karina had brought her a mocktail, hoping she wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Then, a few sips in, she began to experience a warm glow of contentedness.
“Is this what tipsy feels like?”
Stacey giggled. “Hell, yes!” She was sipping her drink through a long, striped straw. She nudged Thea, who followed her gaze down to Stacey’s open handbag. There, nestled between her make-up bag and h
er shiny black Ted Baker purse, was a half-bottle of vodka.
“Fancy a top up?” Stacey scanned the bar before surreptitiously lowering her glass and tipping in a generous measure. “Quick, before Karina gets back from the loo.”
Thea held her glass under the table. It felt like everyone in the room was looking at her with disapproval.
“How did you get that through the bag search?” she asked.
“There’s a sort of secret zippy part at the bottom to keep your umbrella in. They didn’t notice it.” Stacey’s eyes widened. “Well, look who’s just arrived.”
Over by the door, Adam Eaves, Phil Lavin and the man who’d been with them earlier strolled into the bar. With them, hanging back slightly as though unsure of himself, was another young man, who stuck closely to the exercise coach.
“They’ve just seen us looking at them. Don’t stare.”
“I’m not!”
“Are they still looking this way?”
“You said not to stare at them!” Thea sneaked a look. “No, they’re going to the bar.”
Karina returned, accompanied by the two friends she’d been with earlier in the day. “You baby girls alright?”
“Sure,” Stacey said, “Guess who’s here? Adam Eades, Phil Lavin and friends.”
“So?” Karina sounded bored. “Why wouldn’t they be? I think one of their mates is the bass guitarist. Look, I’ll get you two another drink, then we’re going to join some friends from my psych class. Will you be okay?”
“’Course,” Stacey assured her. Karina moved off to the bar. “Look at her acting all cool with her friends. She was only saying earlier that Adam and Phil should be suspended until the police either arrest them or someone else for the murders.”
“They didn’t actually do anything that bad, did they? It was their mate, Mark, who treated that Kylie Bright badly. And it was Mark who asked us to go to the pub with him. Adam and Phil must have realised we were a bit young for them. I don’t think they’re murderers.”
“Why? Because they’re hot?” Stacey giggled.