‘Your hair is amazing,’ Sue said to Marina.
Angie moved across to join them. ‘Yeah, I meant to say.’
Marina leaned towards the other two conspiratorially and said, ‘It was stupidly expensive, to be honest. I’m not sure Dave’s too thrilled.’
‘Sod him,’ Sue said.
The women laughed. ‘Spot on,’ Angie said. ‘I mean it’s him you’re looking gorgeous for, isn’t it?’
On the other side of the kitchen, the men were talking about the football season that had recently finished. Barry was an avid Arsenal fan, while Ed still followed Aston Villa, the team he had watched as a boy. On holiday, Dave had rashly confessed to being a Manchester United supporter and now the other two happily took up where they had left off in Sarasota, mocking his support for a team that, as a southerner, he had no natural affiliation for. Dave stood his ground, saying that he’d followed them for years, but when Ed asked him to name half a dozen members of the current team he fell three short.
‘My mum knows more than that,’ Ed said. ‘And she’s got Alzheimer’s.’
Barry laughed and told Dave he was a lightweight.
‘You should always knock ten per cent off the cost of a visit to the hairdresser’s,’ Angie said to Marina and Sue.
‘Same with shoes and bags,’ Sue said.
‘We can hear you, you know?’ Ed punched Dave in the shoulder and walked across to join the women.
‘You making fun of my old man?’ Marina said.
Ed grinned. ‘Just winding him up. You know what he’s like …’
‘Yeah, I do,’ Marina said. ‘But you want to be careful.’ She narrowed her eyes, theatrically. ‘He can turn.’ She smiled at her boyfriend over Ed’s shoulder. ‘Can’t you, babe?’
‘Definitely,’ Dave said, a little red-faced, as he and Barry walked across.
‘Barry’s got a temper on him as well,’ Angie said. She slid an arm around Barry’s waist. ‘He’s like the Incredible Hulk sometimes, storming round the place.’
Marina leaned into Ed. ‘What about you?’
Ed’s face was a picture of innocence. ‘Me?’
‘No way, not Steady Eddie,’ Sue said. ‘Happy as a pig in shit, aren’t you, my love?’
‘Well, I can get a bit strict with you sometimes,’ Ed said. ‘When you’ve pissed me off.’ He winked at the boys. ‘But only because you like it …’
‘Right,’ Angie said. ‘The chicken’s taking care of itself, so—’
‘Smells gorgeous,’ Marina said.
Angie put down her wine glass. ‘Who fancies a quick tour?’
‘We should have given these to the police,’ Angie said. She looked up at the others. ‘God, do you think we still should?’ She carefully lined up three photographs, tapped a bright-red fingernail against several of the figures in the background. The missing girl and her mother, then a number of anonymous men and women captured behind the main subject: sitting around the pool; walking in one direction or the other through the back of the shot; more than one of the strangers looking towards the photographer. ‘He might be right here in one of these pictures,’ she said. ‘We might be looking at whoever took that girl …’
The offer of a ‘tour’ had not been taken up by everyone. Ed had hung back in the kitchen, along with Barry who pulled a face and opened them both another beer. Dave had hesitated, looking from the men to the women and back, before eventually deciding to trot along after Marina, Angie and Sue.
‘How gay is that?’ Ed had said, as Barry handed him his drink.
Fifteen minutes later, when everyone was gathered back in the kitchen, Angie had put plates in the oven, given her main course a final stir and told people to find a seat. Her ‘special’ placemats had caused every bit as much interest as Angie had hoped and served to remind Sue that she and Ed had brought photos of their own to share.
‘We got three sets printed up,’ she said. ‘Ed was going to email them, but as we were getting together anyway …’
‘I didn’t think,’ Angie had said. She wiped her hands and came over to the central island to take a look. ‘I’ll get two more sets of ours done as soon as I get five minutes.’
‘It’s a great idea,’ Marina said.
They gathered around the island and began to look at the photos that Sue had handed out. The majority were of Sue or Ed themselves of course, a handful of them together taken by one of the other four and a few of the entire group. There were shots of them at the beach and in assorted bars and restaurants, shots against sunsets, some with pelicans or egrets silhouetted against the pink-orange sky behind, but many of the pictures had been taken around the pool at the Pelican Palms.
It was a group of these photographs that had captured Angie’s attention.
‘We should have given them to the police,’ she said again. ‘At least let them look at what was on our cameras.’
‘They didn’t ask,’ Sue said.
‘You’re being ridiculous,’ Barry said. He nodded down at the pictures. ‘What are the chances that this bloke who took her, if anyone took her in the first place, is sitting there in his Speedos or whatever?’
Angie shook her head, adamant. ‘The police did this thing, a few years back, on Brighton beach or Southend or somewhere. They were looking for someone who they knew had been spotted in the area, so they asked anyone who’d been on the beach on that particular day to send their snaps in.’
‘I think I read about this,’ Marina said.
‘Right. And when they looked at all the photos, they identified about a dozen known paedophiles.’
‘A dozen?’ Dave said. ‘On one beach?’
‘Maybe a few less than that,’ Angie said. ‘I can’t remember the exact number, but it was really shocking.’
Dave looked at Barry.
‘No, she’s right,’ Sue said. ‘I saw something about it too.’
Ed leaned down to take a closer look at the photographs. ‘I still don’t see why that means anything as far as these are concerned.’
‘What if he’d been watching her?’ Marina asked.
Sue nodded. ‘If it was someone who was already there, he might just have seen her wander away and followed her.’
‘It would have been far easier for someone to take her if he was someone she recognised,’ Marina said. ‘Someone she knew, even.’
They all stared at the photos for a few more seconds, until finally Ed dropped the set back on to the worktop and stood up. ‘All well and good in theory, but the police questioned everyone who was there, didn’t they? So they must have spoken to everyone in these pictures.’
‘Not necessarily,’ Sue said. She laid down the photograph she was holding. The others waited. ‘I remember talking to one couple who weren’t actually staying there at all and just paid a daily rate to use the pool. So there’s no guarantee that everyone in these pictures was a resident or was around when the police were questioning people. Also, I’m pretty sure that some people just sneaked in whenever they felt like it and used the pool.’
‘Definitely,’ Marina said. ‘There was nothing to stop anyone doing that and it wasn’t as though anybody checked, was it?’
‘There you are then,’ Angie said.
Barry held his hands out. ‘There you are, what?’
She waved a photograph. ‘I’m just saying. What if he’s on here?’
‘So contact the police or whatever,’ Barry said. ‘Email them the sodding pictures if it’s going to keep you awake at night.’
Ed was nodding his head in time to Jamie Cullum. A somewhat frantic version of ‘It Ain’t Necessarily So’. ‘It’s all far too late anyway,’ he said, reaching for his glass. ‘It’s been a month or something now, hasn’t it?’
‘Month and a half,’ Dave said.
‘So, she’s dead—’
‘She’s called Amber-Marie,’ Angie said. ‘I saw it when I was checking on the internet.’
Ed nodded. ‘Right … so, Amber-Marie’s dead, the police prob
ably don’t give a toss any more and whoever killed her is hardly likely to still be knocking about at the Pelican Palms eyeing up his next victim.’
Sue shook her head. ‘God’s sake, Ed.’
‘I’m just being realistic.’
‘We should eat,’ Angie said. ‘Before all my timing goes tits up.’ She asked them all to go and sit down and, while she laid the paté out and Barry got more wine from the fridge, the four guests walked across to the dining table.
Standing at the table, Dave leaned towards Ed and muttered, ‘A dozen paedophiles on the same beach? On the same day?’
Barry heard it, turned round and shook his head as if to say, ‘Ignore her.’
‘An ex-girlfriend of mine once accused me of being a paedophile,’ Ed said.
Dave looked at him. ‘What?’
‘I told her that was a pretty big word for a ten-year-old.’
Dave laughed, one eye on Marina’s reaction.
‘Just sit anywhere,’ Angie shouted.
Seeing that Barry had finished his main course ahead of anyone else, Angie said, ‘Go and ask the kids to come down.’
‘Do we have to?’ Barry said.
‘Probably the last thing they want to do,’ Sue said. ‘Come and talk to boring old farts like us.’
‘They should at least come and say hello,’ Angie said.
As the others continued to eat in silence, Barry went out into the hall and shouted up the stairs. After half a minute or so he shouted again, a real edge to his voice this time. He came back in and sat down, shaking his head, and they all listened to the thump of footsteps on the stairs, then watched as the two teenagers – a boy and a girl – trooped wearily in and waited at the end of the table.
‘Say hello,’ Angie said.
They did as they were told, though the boy somehow managed to make the word monosyllabic. He looked as though he’d rather be having teeth pulled, hands thrust deep into the pockets of his hooded top. The girl seemed marginally less uncomfortable, manufacturing something that might almost have been a smile as she shifted from one Ugg-Booted foot to the other.
‘What have you two been up to then?’ Ed asked.
‘Just watching TV,’ the girl mumbled. ‘Me and my friend.’
‘Anything good?’
‘Not really.’
‘No need to ask Luke what he’s been doing.’ Angie rolled her eyes. ‘He’ll have been glued to that bloody Xbox. Honestly, he forgets to eat sometimes.’
The girl’s smile broadened and she leaned into her brother’s shoulder. The boy leaned back into hers, far harder.
‘Hey,’ Barry said.
‘Dave works on computer games,’ Angie said. ‘Maybe he can give you a few tips later on.’
The boy brightened just a little. ‘Did you work on Call of Duty?’
‘I’m afraid not,’ Dave said.
‘Halo?’
‘No …’
The boy went back to staring at his trainers, the conversation clearly going nowhere.
Ed looked at Dave and shook his head. ‘And there we all were, thinking you were “down” with the kids.’
‘Tell him some of the ones you have worked on,’ Marina said. It wasn’t clear if she was asking Dave to tell Ed or the boy.
Barry spoke up before Dave could say anything. ‘You need to get off that bloody computer now anyway,’ he said. ‘Haven’t you got homework?’
‘He can do it tomorrow,’ Angie said. ‘Can’t you?’
The boy mumbled a ‘yeah’ and took a step away from the table, his eyes pleading with his mother.
‘OK, go on then,’ Angie said. ‘Don’t let us keep you.’
The boy was out of sight in seconds, but the girl lingered. She nodded towards Marina and said, ‘I love your hair.’
‘Thanks,’ Marina said.
‘You might need to save up,’ Dave said.
The girl touched a finger to the side of her nose. ‘That’s cool too. Do you always wear a stud?’
‘A ring sometimes,’ Marina said. ‘You should get one.’
‘I don’t think so,’ Angie said. She reached across for Marina’s plate.
‘Loads of the kids have got them now,’ Marina said.
Angie said, ‘Yes, well,’ and told the girl she should probably go and get back to her friend upstairs.
When the girl had left the room, Ed said, ‘Nice kids.’
‘Bright,’ Sue added.
Dave looked across at Barry. ‘Do they all get on? Laura and Luke and your lad?’
‘Nick doesn’t see them,’ Barry said. He stood up and took the empty plates from Angie, carried them out into the kitchen.
Angie leaned in to the table and whispered. ‘It’s all a bit tricky with Barry’s ex.’
The others took the hint and voices were lowered.
‘That’s awful,’ Marina said. ‘You know, when kids are involved.’
‘She’s a total bitch,’ Angie said. ‘She uses that poor kid like some kind of bargaining tool or whatever. It really gets Barry down, to be honest.’
Marina shook her head. ‘Awful,’ she said again. ‘I mean whatever happens between a couple, you never stop loving your kids, right?’
‘Some people shouldn’t be allowed to have them,’ Dave said.
Sue said she’d go and give Barry a hand. Angie said that he’d be fine, but Sue stood up anyway. Ed grinned and told Sue to make sure it was just a hand she gave him.
‘Right then,’ Angie said.’ I hope everyone’s left room for pudding …’
*
When Angie came out of the downstairs toilet, Sue was waiting to go in. They smiled at one another, then swapped places outside the door, laughing for no good reason.
‘Listen, thanks for doing this,’ Sue said. ‘It’s really nice to see everyone.’
‘No, thanks for coming,’ Angie said.
‘Our place next time, all right?’
‘Oh that would be great.’ Angie stepped forward and hugged Sue, pulling her close while the cistern refilled noisily on the other side of the toilet door. When they had separated, Angie glanced towards the kitchen. ‘I think everyone’s having a good time.’
‘Oh definitely. The food was amazing.’
‘Ed certainly seems to be enjoying himself.’
‘That’s one way of putting it,’ Sue said.
‘I take it you’ll be driving?’
Sue laughed. ‘It’s fine.’ After a few moments of staring at feet, just as Angie was about to turn away, Sue put a hand on her arm. ‘Listen, I know Barry was a bit sniffy and Ed was being a wanker about it, but you should send those photographs to the police if you really want to.’
‘I don’t know,’ Angie said.
‘What you were saying made perfect sense to me.’
‘I’ve probably just read too many thrillers.’
‘It’s up to you,’ Sue said. ‘But it can’t hurt, can it?’ They looked at each other and Sue shrugged, then said, ‘Right, well …’ and pushed open the toilet door.
After she had popped upstairs to check on the kids, Angie walked back into the kitchen in time to hear Marina groaning in disbelief or perhaps exhaustion at something Ed had said. He was leaning back in his chair, looking pleased with himself, while Dave stared down at his plate and picked at what was left of his cheese and crackers. Barry was outside on the patio, smoking.
‘Right, who wants coffee?’ she asked.
Marina and Dave both said yes. Ed passed, but said he thought Sue would probably want one.
‘I can do you one of those special little ones, if anyone fancies it,’ Angie said. ‘Expresso or whatever it is. Barry bought us this flashy machine.’
‘That sounds great,’ Sue said, walking back in.
‘Me too,’ Dave said.
‘Right then.’ Angie turned and half walked, half danced her way back out into the kitchen. An hour or so before, Jamie Cullum had given way to Michael Bublé and finally, Amy Winehouse.
A few minut
es later, Angie carried the coffees across to the table on a tray, along with a carton of cream and a box of Swiss chocolates. As she handed out the cups, Barry began piling up dirty dishes, leaning across the table and asking people if they’d finished with their cutlery. Angie told him to sit down. She said that people had not yet finished eating, but Barry insisted that he was happy to make a start on getting things cleared away and continued ferrying plates and glasses out to the dishwasher.
‘Don’t knock it,’ Sue said. ‘I wish Ed was that bloody helpful.’
Ed pursed his lips, made kissy-kissy noises.
‘So, we all going back again next year?’ Marina asked.
‘God, that reminds me,’ Angie said. ‘Did you hear about those tourists being shot?’
‘In Sarasota?’ Dave asked.
‘When I was searching online to see if there was any news about the girl …’
‘Amber-Marie,’ Ed said. ‘Her name is Amber-Marie … if you can believe that.’
Sue told him to be quiet, told Angie to carry on.
‘There was all this stuff on there about this French couple that were murdered.’ Angie took a mouthful of red wine. ‘Shot in the head for a few dollars. Really nasty.’
Ed leaned towards Marina. ‘Well, I think that answers your question,’ he said. ‘We should avoid the place like the plague, because it’s clearly become the crime capital of Florida.’
‘Bad things can happen anywhere,’ Barry said, reaching across Angie for a plate.
‘You came out with that little gem before,’ Angie said, a little sharp.
Barry reached towards her wine glass. ‘Maybe I should take that.’
‘I’m still drinking it,’ she said.
‘I know.’
‘Seriously though,’ Marina said. She looked around the table. ‘Do you think you would go back there again?’
‘I would,’ Angie said. ‘Me and Barry loved it.’
‘You’d go back to the Pelican Palms?’
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