The woman flapped a hand, as if in denial, saying, ‘Call me Sylvie – everyone does – and this is my husband, Jonny. I am a great believer in introductions! Jonny thinks I’m mad, but I think it’s important.’ She was as broad a cockney as her husband, which was strange because Stephen talked like a newsreader.
Jonny offered them a seat at the huge glass-and-chrome dining table and, as Sylvie poured the tea, he said conversationally, ‘So why do you want to speak to Stephen?’ He appeared genuinely interested and, unlike a lot of the parents they dealt with, didn’t automatically assume their child was in some kind of trouble.
Annie accepted her mug of tea gratefully and said neutrally, ‘We’re just following up given the new developments. It’s pretty routine.’
Sylvie sat down and said seriously, ‘It’s fucking outrageous. Those poor little girls! Don’t bear thinking about, does it, Jonny?’
Her husband shook his huge head slowly. ‘I can’t imagine what those parents must be going through. Especially somewhere like this. We moved this way because we thought it was a better environment for Stephen. Open fields, you know? This is the last place you would think such violent crime would occur. I was saying to Sylvie this morning that, if I hadn’t invested so much money here, I would sell up and go.’
Annie smiled and said easily, ‘What exactly is it you do, Mr Carter?’
He laughed suddenly. ‘Call me Jonny. I own a building business. I built the new estate out Ventham Way. Do you know it? I also own a couple of places in town, in the precinct – fruit machines, games, that sort of thing – and a strip club in South London. That’s where I met this one.’
Sylvie laughed in delight. ‘I wasn’t stripping, I was a waitress! Ooh, you do like to wind me up!’
Jonny grinned. ‘Listen, one look at her in her hotpants and I was all over the place. But joking aside, we liked Grantley, still do. But this is a bad business. You any nearer finding the culprit?’
‘We are looking at a few lines of enquiry – one of the reasons we are re-interviewing all the people who knew Kylie and Destiny. You never know what people see without realising the importance.’
Jonny nodded sagely. ‘I admire you, I really do. My old man used to say the Old Bill couldn’t catch a fever in a swamp! But he was a bit of a lad, if you get my drift. I know that if my boy can help you in any way, he will. I’ll call him in for you now.’
Annie and DC Karim smiled; Jonny Carter was a genuinely nice man who spoke without thinking. He pulled himself from his chair and disappeared through the large patio doors that led out to the garden.
‘That’s my Jonny! What you see is what you get. I will top your teas up and you can start talking to Stephen.’
They smiled at her as she went to boil the kettle. A few seconds later, Jonny reappeared followed by a sweating Stephen Carter who strolled into the kitchen with a smaller dark-haired boy, who Annie and Ali recognised as Todd Richards.
Jonny directed Todd to the shower room and then said amiably, ‘I’ll leave you all to it. Got some work to catch up on.’
‘OK, love – dinner at eight!’ Sylvie waved him away.
Annie turned her attention to Stephen Carter, observing him in his own environment and was amazed at the young man’s total aplomb. Unlike his parents he had a very offhand way with him, but she suspected being born into this kind of luxury might have a lot to do with it.
He smiled at them, showing perfect white teeth. ‘You will have to excuse my attire but Todd and I had arranged a tennis match for after school.’ He walked to a huge fridge and took out a can of Fanta. He held it for a few seconds to his sweating forehead before opening it and pouring it into a glass he had taken from the draining board. ‘Only allowed one sweet drink a day in this house! My mum’s a bit of a health nut, aren’t you?’ He smiled at her as she set the teapot down. ‘So, DCI Carr. What can I do for you?’ he asked as he sat at the table with them.
Annie and DC Karim got the distinct impression he was interviewing them. Annie sipped her tea before saying seriously, ‘We are just going back over Kylie’s last movements. Tying up any loose ends.’
Stephen looked at them blankly, not saying a word. Annie deliberately didn’t say any more.
Eventually the large, athletic young man sighed and said pleasantly, ‘I really don’t know what to tell you. As I said before, we saw the girls in Starbucks, and that was it really. Look, I know this sounds arrogant, but those girls were just school chums, you know? People you saw out and about. I didn’t really take that much particular notice of them – I’ve known them for ever – but I certainly never thought that anything untoward would happen to them.’
‘You have a beautiful home, Stephen, rather at odds with the local school, if I might say.’
Stephen laughed then. ‘My father, as you have probably already gathered, is of the opinion that if it was good enough for him it’s good enough for me! I respect that. He knows that to succeed in this world, you need to strive for yourself – he has told me that since I was a baby, and I happen to agree with him. The only thing he insisted on was elocution lessons – that’s for when I get to university, of course. But I think he has a good point.’
DC Karim said quietly, ‘You have no presence on social media, except for the occasional post on Facebook. That’s very unusual for young people in this day and age.’
Stephen shrugged. ‘I think it’s childish, people’s every thought put out there for the world to see. I was reading 1984 – you know, the Orwell novel? It’s strange how people were once worried about Big Brother watching them, and now they are frightened no one is watching them!’ He laughed. ‘The girls at school especially brag about how many “likes” they get for a selfie, or some witty comment they put on their profiles. I find that inane, to be honest. As you can imagine, I do have all the latest devices as soon as they arrive in the shops, my parents see to that. But I would rather read a book or write down my thoughts and aspirations. I was born in the wrong era really, I suppose. The internet doesn’t appeal to me. If I need to factcheck something, I would rather use an actual encyclopaedia. I like the feel of a book in my hands. Personal preference, I suppose. I’m also very sporty, as my mother would put it. I prefer to play tennis, the actual game, rather than on a computer console. I play football for my school and I go fencing once a week, because I like to use my energy in positive ways. I am far more at home outside in the garden reading than I am in my bedroom trawling other people’s Instagram accounts or Twitterings!’
He grinned disarmingly, and Annie and Ali found themselves smiling back. They had both taken a liking to this rather unusual young man. He was like something from a Famous Five book, without the lashings and lashings of ginger beer!
‘I understand you are on the committee for Kylie and Destiny’s memorial?’
He nodded, his face sad suddenly. ‘Yes, I am. It felt like the right thing to do, didn’t it, Mum? It’s still sinking in. There are some sick people in the world. Another reason I prefer to keep off the internet. Some of the disgusting stuff that people share really turns my stomach. You know, you should talk to Mr Packham, the IT teacher, about something that happened last year. The school tried to keep it quiet but nothing stays secret in a school for long.’
Annie Carr was immediately interested. ‘Why? What happened?’
Stephen glanced at his mother, then shrugged nonchalantly. ‘It’s not really my place to say and anyway I only got bits and pieces of it all, but I hear it involved quite a few of the pupils. I think you would get the full story from Mr Packham. Talk to Jennifer Andrews and her sister, Claire, too. They would know the full SP.’ He was looking at them both very seriously now. ‘Grantley is like an Agatha Christie novel. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is as simple as it looks. But talk to Jennie and her sister, they will give you all you need to know about that particular mess. And poor Mr Packham – well, I felt sorry for him! He’s a decent bloke, you know, and he was dragged into some serious shenanigans, believe
me.’
Annie looked over to see if Ali had caught all those names from Stephen’s casually imparted revelations.
‘Oh, by the way, do you need to talk to Todd again too? I can go and get him. He’s my best mate – we’re always together.’
Annie Carr shook her head absent-mindedly. ‘I think we’ve covered everything for now.’ She was already eager to leave so she could talk to this Jennifer and her sister. It seemed the school were holding back somehow, and she was interested to know what they were hiding – and why.
Chapter Forty-nine
Christine Murray was not a classic beauty by any standards but she certainly had something about her. Tall and slim, she had long red-gold hair that was not only thick but had a natural wave to it. Coupled with blue eyes and a wide mouth she looked more sensual than beautiful. She dressed quite conservatively, and this only added to her allure.
She was a PA in a high-flying legal firm in the City and she was liked, respected and, more significantly for her, she was known for being the best at what she did. That was important to her – as a woman and as a worker. Her mother had instilled that in her from a young child. She was a grafter; coming from a council estate, she had worked her way to the top of her profession with a determination that had been inherited from her mother, a single parent of five children who had all gone out into the world and done well for themselves.
Now she was in her flat in Grantley, waiting for her lover Joseph O’Loughlin to arrive, as he did every Wednesday and Friday. And sometimes, if she was really lucky, he would turn up on a Monday night. These times were what she lived for, what kept her going through the week. She knew it was sad, but she didn’t care. Joseph was her world, and always would be. There was nothing she could do about that. She had been caught from day one, although she’d never thought anything would come of it. She’d been working for one of the senior partners when Joseph joined the firm and when they realised they were both from Grantley a bond was forged. Christine knew he had a wife and children so had no expectations but around eighteen months ago, when they both found themselves working late into the night, Joseph had confided in her that his marriage was not all he’d hoped it would be and, after that, there was no turning back.
She didn’t regret a second of their time together; however short it was enough. At least that is what she told herself. She hated being a mistress, but she would have this man on any terms. She had fallen hopelessly in love with him, and that was something that had never happened to her before.
At twenty-nine she knew she should be looking for a man she could settle down with, even have a child with. But without him, her life would become meaningless. Without him, she was nothing – she would rather be dead, as dramatic as that sounded. She wouldn’t be able to carry on another day. That was how much Joseph had affected her, and she loved every minute of his company for as long as he could be with her. The intensity of her feelings for this man who had told her from day one he would never leave his family for her, or anyone else for that matter, frightened her sometimes. His kids were his world, and she got that. It didn’t mean it didn’t hurt her more as time went on.
But now she pushed that from her mind as she concentrated on her make-up – which, as always, was as subtle as she was. She fell asleep every night imagining what it would be like to be with him every day, but she knew that was all it would ever be – a dream. Yet she believed he loved her, and they had sex that was as mind-blowing as it was outrageous. She had never thought she would ever feel like this.
She walked into her tiny kitchen and turned the oven down. She had made a few of his favourite canapés to eat with their usual champagne she had chilling in the fridge. He would have to eat his evening meal when he finally arrived home and she tried her hardest not to resent this. But sometimes it was difficult, especially on lovely summer nights like this, when they should be sharing a nice meal together without having to watch the clock. Christine had already resigned herself to that when she heard his key in the door and smiled with happiness. Whatever the situation, she would rather be with him than without him.
As he stumbled into the living room, she saw to her utter amazement that he was drunk. He stood there, smiling away for a few moments, before saying loudly, ‘Hello, darling, got that champagne opened yet?’
Chapter Fifty
Donald Packham was mowing his lawn when Annie Carr turned up with DC Karim. He recognised them immediately and, turning the engine off, he walked across his front lawn, cleaning his hands on a piece of rag as he walked.
Annie Carr noticed he wasn’t surprised to see them; it was as if he had been expecting them at some point. He lived in a pretty semi-detached Victorian property in one of the nicer suburbs of Grantley. Annie remembered that he wasn’t married.
As he smiled a welcome, he said neutrally, ‘Would you like to come inside? I assume you want to talk.’
They nodded in acquiescence and followed him round the back and into a large, modern, airy kitchen that belied the outside appearance of the house. It was like something you would see on a spaceship.
He smiled at their amazed faces and said cheerily, ‘My partner, David, is a chef.’ It was said in such a way as to let them know he was gay and he didn’t give a shit who knew about it.
As if on cue, a short Scottish man walked into the kitchen, held out his hand and introduced himself. He was fit and, although not good-looking, he was very well presented.
‘Hi. I’m David McTeer. I won’t get in your way, I’m just getting myself a cold drink. It’s a beautiful evening.’ He proceeded to pour himself a glass of ice-cold white wine.
Annie watched enviously as he poured another for his partner. Then she smiled as he offered it to her, and she actually accepted it. DC Karim declined, explaining that he was driving. It was a good atmosphere to be in, and Annie Carr found herself envying these men their lifestyle, even though she had only been there for five minutes. There was an aura of calm and kindness that surrounded the two men and, as she settled down in the spacious and well-kept back garden, she relaxed. They were sitting on expensive garden furniture by a small pond that was stocked with goldfish and a few koi carp. It really was a gorgeous setting.
As they enjoyed the shade and a rather good Sauvignon Blanc, Donald Packham said, ‘I have been expecting you. I told Brian – Mr Yalding – that we should have informed you, but he didn’t think it had any bearing on the case. Which, in reality, it doesn’t. But I said to David, “Davy, it was a bad to-do all round.” ’
Annie and Ali looked at him in utter bewilderment. ‘We were told to talk to you by Stephen Carter. He said that something had happened, but we have no idea what it actually was. Only that it involved a Jennifer and Claire Andrews?’
Donald Packham took a deep breath and a big slug of his wine before saying wearily, ‘We caught the younger girl, Claire, sexting. They were both at it. I’m an IT teacher and I couldn’t find whoever it was they were involved with. Neither would talk about it. And the police, if you will forgive my bluntness, weren’t that interested. The girls’ parents removed them from the school and it basically blew over. I was never happy with the result – I felt that the girls were very vulnerable. The parents were flakes. The mother was absolutely terrified of her husband, and the girls were out of control. I reported my safeguarding worries to the usual agencies and never heard another word. I had to leave it at that. But there was something radically wrong with that family and the set-up. I did what I could, and had to leave it there.’
Annie nodded. She knew herself how difficult it was to get anything done these days, with everyone terrified of treading on particular toes. But she would find out who had dealt with the allegation at the police station and tear them a new one. ‘That explains why we haven’t got their names from the school.’
He nodded. ‘I did tell Helene Betterway that she should mention it to you, but the new privacy laws make it difficult. They are now at a different school, you see.’
&n
bsp; Annie nodded; it was a minefield all right with minors – as these all were. ‘A heads-up would have been helpful.’
Donald Packham nodded. ‘He’s a good kid, Stephen Carter – he’s like an anomaly there really. I wish there were more like him at that school. He wants to learn and that’s refreshing. He has all the girls after him too. He doesn’t seem that interested, but I think that just makes them like him more! His parents are good people. A bit rough round the edges, and I don’t think I would want to fall out with his father, but they really do a lot for the school and for him. His father donated all the new equipment for my classes. Not much change out of thirty grand, but the school couldn’t afford it, so he stepped in. Didn’t want any recognition either, which is unusual in itself.’ Donald got up and went into the kitchen.
Annie and Ali looked at each other and shrugged, both wondering what they would find out from the Andrews girls. But for now Annie accepted the top-up for her wine and continued to question Donald Packham about the sexting incident.
Chapter Fifty-one
Bella O’Loughlin was sitting at her kitchen table, drumming her fingernails in a hard tattoo. The children were both in bed and she stared out over the well-cut lawn at the summerhouse, and watched the last of the summer sun go down. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was just after nine. Never had her husband been so late home without a phone call or a text at the very least. She sipped at her iced tea and didn’t bother turning on the lights in her kitchen, preferring the darkness as it closed in around her.
She knew all about his little amour, Christine, and she had wisely decided to overlook it. She was confident that he would never leave her – he loved his children too much – but Wednesdays and Fridays were particularly difficult for her. She knew she had driven him away, but she couldn’t pretend feelings that she just didn’t feel. She had no interest in sex, and she had no interest in other people. She was far too competitive to ever make any real friendships, and she didn’t care.