‘What kind of activities?’
‘Badminton, basketball, rambling, camera club, fundraising of various kinds for assorted charities and the sixth-form club, whatever that is.’
‘Home life?’ asked Black.
‘Mum, dad and a brother,’ said Fraser. ‘He’s a bit older, but they get on well, or so we’re told. Dad’s a bit of a weird one, but there’s nothing obviously off there.’
‘Does she have a boyfriend?’
‘I was coming to that. Christopher Mullery – same age and school year as her – but he wasn’t with her that night. He stayed in, said he had to study because he was slipping behind and was worried about his grades for university.’
‘Do we believe that?’ asked Black. ‘A boy staying in on a Friday night instead of seeing his girlfriend?’
‘He’s the conscientious type, but it might be worth pressing him on it. His parents say he was in the house all evening, but they weren’t, interestingly.’
‘Where were they?’
‘His father was down the working men’s club and his mum nipped next door for a cup of tea with the neighbour.’
‘How long for?’
‘She said half an hour to an hour, but she’s not entirely sure. She left Christopher revising in his room.’
‘So he could have left the house and come back again without her knowing?’
‘It’s possible, and the timings do overlap. He was on his own when Alice was leaving the school and he doesn’t live far away.’
‘Wouldn’t you want to go and meet your girlfriend on her way home if you’d been studying for hours?’ wondered Black. ‘Particularly if you live just around the corner?’
‘You might,’ agreed Fraser. ‘And he sounds like the jealous type.’ Then he added, ‘Not without cause.’
‘He liked to keep an eye on her?’ asked Black. ‘Was she messing him around?’
‘Their relationship wasn’t an easy one and they broke up for a while.’
‘Teenagers are always breaking up and getting back together again,’ said Black.
‘But she went out with his best friend in between, which caused some ructions.’
‘It would,’ said Black, ‘in a small town like this one. Can’t be that many kids in the sixth form.’
‘Fifty or so,’ confirmed Fraser.
‘And she went out with her boyfriend’s best mate? Sounds like she was proving a point.’
‘You’ll have to ask him. Tony Douglas still lives in the town, but he dropped out of sixth form.’
‘Because of Alice?’
‘Because of the row caused by him and Alice and the fact she went back to her old boyfriend.’
‘Anyone else we should know about?’
‘A whole bunch of people,’ confirmed Fraser. ‘She worked in the working men’s club as a pot lass, so there’s the bar staff and the customers. Then there’s the teachers, her classmates and friends – as well as her family, of course. We barely scratched the surface, so there’s a lot of people to speak to. But I’m not telling you how to do your job.’
‘You mentioned there was gossip,’ Black reminded Fraser. ‘What kind?’
‘Every kind. Gossip about Alice, gossip about the family, speculation about her private life and what goes on up at that school after hours.’ He made it sound like there was a wild party there every night. ‘Then there’s the town.’ And when Black looked as if he required further explanation: ‘This place, it’s always been a funny area to police. There’s bugger all here, so everyone is always into everyone else’s business, which means you get all sorts of wild ideas doing the rounds. They’ve nothing better to do.’
‘Are you saying that none of this’ – he wanted to avoid the dismissive word ‘gossip’ again – ‘speculation about Alice Teale is based on truth?’
‘Oh, some of it will be, for sure, but which bits? That’s the problem.’ He nodded towards Black. ‘That’s your problem now,’ as if Black needed the reminder.
‘Okay, well, why don’t you tell me what you’ve heard, however outlandish some of it might prove to be? Then I can evaluate it and make a judgement call.’
‘“Evaluate it and make a judgement call”? Have you been on a course, Lucas?’ And Fraser’s DCs smirked again.
Black bridled at that. ‘What’s the matter? Too many syllables?’
There was anger in Fraser’s eyes, but Black was getting annoyed, too. He’d eaten enough humble pie for one day. DI Fraser didn’t like being put down, especially in front of his subordinates, but maybe he didn’t like the look in Black’s eyes either, because he chose not to respond.
‘I’ll start with the family, shall I?’ he said tersely. ‘We asked around. Her dad is a one-man ball of anger who likes to drink on his own, her mother is on pills for depression and anxiety.’ He dipped his head, as if that last part was deeply significant. ‘Wasn’t that what your DI went off with?’ Black didn’t respond to the jibe. ‘Oh, and she is very close to her brother.’ He let that one sink in so Black could draw his own conclusion. ‘And as well as the boyfriend and his best mate, there’s a bloke at her part-time job who was sniffing round her.’
‘Name?’ asked Black, and Fraser looked blank but turned to Ferguson, who supplied it after checking his notebook.
‘Ricky Madden, twenty-two, lives here in Collemby, barman at the club. One of the regulars there reckoned he took a proper shine to Alice but she turned him down without a thought.’ As is her right, thought Black, because Fraser made it sound as if the girl was being unreasonable. ‘Maybe he didn’t take it well.’
‘Have you spoken to Ricky?’
‘Not yet.’ Then he sounded defensive: ‘We’ve only just learned of his existence, Lucas. We have been a bit busy.’
‘Right.’
‘Listen, my lads have been out knocking on doors since this girl was first reported missing. They’ve spoken to virtually everyone who knows her and we’ve been building up a picture of Alice Teale and her busy life.’
‘What do you make of her, then?’
‘She’s very well known for such a young lass, which I put down to her looks.’
Of course you do, thought Black. It couldn’t be for any other reason, could it?
‘Do you think she ran away?’ he asked.
‘Maybe, but if she did, we don’t know why. I mean, there’s no obvious reason.’
‘So it’s starting to look like abduction. She hasn’t been in touch with anyone, even though her face is all over the news and social media, but if someone has taken her, are we looking for a stranger or someone closer to home?’
‘The uniforms started Operation Usual Suspects as soon as she’d been gone for forty-eight hours,’ said Fraser. This was a relatively new initiative from Northumbria Police and occurred whenever a child or vulnerable adult disappeared. Every known sex offender or criminal with a record of violence against females or children would be visited and made to account for their whereabouts, then asked if they would allow the police to check their homes. If they had no alibi or failed to cooperate, they would be hauled in for questioning. Most complied simply to avoid this. ‘There was nothing,’ continued Fraser, ‘so, if this is the work of a stranger, then it’s someone new who’s just starting out.’ He shook his head. ‘But I don’t think so. I reckon it’s someone she knows.’
7
They talked as they walked the streets close to Daniel’s home. There were no driveways or front gardens here, just rows of no-frills, functional houses. They were close to the front doors and windows of the terraced homes they passed, only net curtains preventing them from peering in. They walked at Daniel’s pace, which was an unhurried amble, and made the most of the remnants of an uncharacteristic mini heatwave that had warmed the north-east for a week or more now. It was T-shirt weather, unusually early in the year.
‘I didn’t mean to,’ said Daniel, ‘but earlier, when you asked me what I was doing when Alice went missing, I kind of lied. I’m sorry.’
>
‘You kind of lied?’ she queried. ‘Either you did or you didn’t, Daniel. Where were you when Alice disappeared?’
‘I didn’t lie about that,’ he protested. ‘I was in my room, like I said.’
‘Then what did you lie about?’
He sounded uncomfortable. ‘I said I was chatting to people online, and I wasn’t, not really.’
Which meant no one could vouch for him. ‘Why did you lie?’
‘Because my parents were there when you asked.’
‘You weren’t chatting,’ Beth concluded. ‘You were just surfing the Web?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Looking at what?’
He shrugged. ‘Stuff.’
‘Porn?’ Was that what he meant?
‘There was some porn, yes.’
‘Well, Daniel,’ she said. ‘I don’t think you are the first, but try to tell me the truth from here on in, will you?’
‘I will,’ he said. ‘I promise.’
He seemed to loosen up then, as if the tension had been lifted when Beth hadn’t judged him for his porn habit. ‘How would you describe Alice’s frame of mind?’ she asked.
‘You mean, lately? The same as always. I mean, Alice was stressed, but …’
‘What was she stressed about?’
‘Exams. What else?’
‘Just exams? All kids her age worry about those. Was there anything else?’
‘I don’t know. Nothing major.’
‘And you’d know?’ asked Beth.
‘What does that mean?’ he snapped.
‘We heard you were close so, if something was bothering her, then she might come to you about it.’
His tone softened. ‘She would, usually.’
‘But not this time.’
He thought for a moment. ‘She was worried,’ he admitted. ‘About a number of things.’ He started to count them off on his fingers. ‘How she would do in her exams, would she get the grades she needed to get to uni and, if she did, would it be the right one? Would she fit in there, make friends and be happy? What was she going to do about her boyfriend?’ As he mentioned her boyfriend, he switched hands and started counting on the other one. ‘She was worried about Mam and how Dad would be if she wasn’t there any more. He has to take things out on someone. She was concerned about Grandad being lonely on his own. She worried about her friends, too, and whether they would be able to get where they wanted for uni … Oh yeah, and she worries about me, bless her.’ And he half smiled at that.
‘Why does she worry about you?’
He was dismissive. ‘I’m the family fuck-up. I messed up my A levels and I’m not sure where I go from here. She thought I should be taking life more seriously. She’s a bit like Mam,’ and he started to mimic his mother’s voice: ‘“Why don’t you get a proper job? When are you going to meet a nice girl?” They just want me to be happy, but I’m in no hurry. I’ve got a bar job in Newcastle. I’m doing okay.’
‘You mentioned her boyfriend. Was she going to break up with him?’
He hesitated. ‘She hadn’t made her mind up about that.’
‘But it was on her mind.’
‘She didn’t think long-distance relationships worked out.’
‘Did he know Alice was thinking about finishing with him?’
‘They discussed it – the future, I mean. I know he was very keen to keep on seeing her somehow. They had a big break-up last summer and he was gutted.’
‘Tell me about that.’
‘She was going out with Chris in the Lower Sixth and it got a bit intense, so he called it off. He said he wanted some time on his own over the holidays. She went along with it and started seeing someone else in the summer but kept it quiet to begin with.’
‘Why?’
‘Because it was his best mate. She knew him through Chris. They hung out together. Turned out Tony was the one who’d been encouraging Chris to let her go.’
‘Because he wanted her instead?’
‘Yeah,’ said Daniel. ‘Not cool.’
‘What happened when Chris found out?’
‘Big scene in the pub, which spilled out on to the car park.’
‘A fight?’
He didn’t make much of it. ‘Some pushing and shoving, a lot of shouting.’
‘With Alice in the middle?’
‘I didn’t see any of it. If I had, I would have banged their heads together.’
‘What was the upshot?’
‘Bad blood between the boys and a drama half the town was talking about for weeks.’ He added dryly, ‘Not much happens round here. We have to make our own entertainment.’
‘Did she carry on seeing Tony?’
‘For a while, but it burnt out over the summer.’
‘And afterwards?’
‘They all went back to sixth form. Alice patched it up with Chris and started seeing him again.’
‘That must have been hard for Tony. He fell out with his best friend over a girl who ditched him, so he lost them both.’
‘Almost everybody sided with Chris, so Tony dropped out.’
‘He left sixth form because of Alice?’
‘That’s what he told everyone.’
‘What’s he doing these days?’
‘Nothing,’ said Daniel.
Then he has plenty of time to brood, thought Beth, on what his love for Alice cost him.
‘Is Chris happy about the state of their relationship now, then?’
‘I don’t reckon Chris is ever happy about it. It’s not like he walks round with a smile on his face while he’s with her. I don’t think he’s good for her. Neither was Tony. She needs someone who doesn’t try to control her all the time.’
‘Could either of these controlling boyfriends have anything to do with her disappearance?’
He seemed conflicted. ‘I would have said no, but I don’t know why she’s disappeared, so I can’t rule anything out.’
‘Was she sexually active?’
Daniel looked momentarily thrown by the directness of Beth’s question then said, ‘Yes.’
‘With Chris?’
‘Well, he is the one she’s going out with.’
‘And she wasn’t seeing anyone else?’
‘No. She had a boyfriend, they were having sex – so what? But there was no one else.’
‘She’d have told you if she was?’
‘Yeah.’
‘But she wouldn’t have told your dad.’
‘God, no.’
‘How would you describe your father?’
He thought for a second then said, ‘Angry.’
‘Angry? Is that it?’ It seemed an accurate description.
‘Everything makes him flare up, but he’s losing control over me and my sister, and soon Alice will be off to uni …’ He stopped short of finishing his sentence, perhaps realizing how absurd it sounded, given she was missing. ‘I’ll leave, too, when I can.’ He seemed less sure of that.
‘Did Alice make him angry?’ asked Beth.
He nodded. ‘All the time. I don’t know how she stuck it.’
‘Examples?’
‘What she wore, where she went, how late she came back, the friends she knew, the boys she talked to.’ He sighed. ‘The way she spoke to him when she answered back, the way she looked at him when she didn’t.’
‘A hard man to please?’
‘He’s bad enough with me, but with Alice it’s as if …’
‘You can say it,’ urged Beth.
‘… as if he doesn’t even like her.’
Beth could tell it had cost Daniel something to say that. Perhaps he felt disloyal or it was the first time he’d ever admitted this, even to himself. She wondered how best to frame her next question. She tried to sound casual. ‘He ever really lose his temper with her?’
‘Hit her, you mean?’ Daniel shook his head. ‘Not since she was a little kid.’ And when Beth frowned at this he quickly added: ‘A smack if she was naughty, nothing since then.’ He st
raightened up. ‘But he’d never hurt her. Don’t go leaving here thinking he’s somehow responsible for this, because he isn’t.’
‘You sound very sure of that, Daniel.’
‘That’s because I am.’ His voice rose in protest.
Beth nodded to show she had taken the boy’s views fully into account. She changed the subject.
‘Would any of Alice’s friends know if something else was bothering her?’
‘Chloe and Kirstie are her closest mates.’ He supplied surnames and the names of the streets they lived on. Beth dutifully noted them down.
‘If you think of anything else that might give us any clue as to why she might suddenly take off –’
‘There’s her journal,’ he blurted.
‘She kept a journal?’ Beth immediately wondered why no one had mentioned this before.
‘I bought it for her,’ Daniel explained. ‘For her birthday. Alice has always been a writer. She wants to be an author one day. I reckon she could be, too. She’s got a real way with words.’
‘This could be important,’ said Beth. ‘If she was recording her thoughts prior to her disappearance.’
Daniel looked exasperated. ‘I told the first police officer this when he came round, but he wasn’t interested. He kept asking who she could have run off with.’
‘Where is this journal?’ Beth knew it could be vital. In the absence of the missing girl, this could be as near as they got to the inner workings of Alice Teale’s mind. It might explain what had been going through it immediately before she went missing.
‘They searched her room but didn’t find it. I looked, too, but it wasn’t there.’
‘Would she have it with her?’
‘It’s probably in her bag. She didn’t like to leave it lying around.’
‘Because it was private? What did it look like?’
‘It was about this big,’ he said, miming its dimensions with his hands. ‘A5, I think. It had a brown leather cover and they print your name all the way through it on the top of every page. “The Journal of Alice Teale”. She loved that.’
‘You ever read it?’ asked Beth.
‘It was private.’
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