‘It was the Christian thing to do—’ Eleanor broke off and flinched as her husband picked up the half-full glass of water and hurled it against the wall, where it smashed.
‘It was stupid, Eleanor, and I said as much.’
‘Jesus, Oliver, there’s no need for that.’ Morgan picked up a dustpan and brush and set about clearing up the glass.
‘Fuck yourself.’ Norris stood up, patting his pockets. ‘I’m not staying here. I’m going out again. Where are the keys?’
I was sure that Morgan Norris had them in his pocket but I didn’t want Oliver Norris driving around when he was so stressed he was on the very edge of reason.
‘Sit down, Mr Norris. You can’t achieve much on your own. You’ve already looked in all the places you thought the girls might be. It’s better for you to wait here in case we need to get hold of you, or in case they come back.’
‘I can’t just wait. What if something happens?’
‘What sort of thing?’
‘What if Chloe did something to her mother and she takes it into her head to do the same to Bethany?’
Eleanor was shaking her head. ‘No, she wouldn’t. She couldn’t.’
‘The truth is, you don’t know what she’s capable of doing, Eleanor. You never thought about that before you invited her into our lives.’
‘She had nowhere else to go.’
‘I’m not talking about that. Before her mother died. Long before. You thought it was a good idea for Bethany to spend time with her.’
Tears filled Eleanor’s eyes and her voice came out thickly, clotted with upset and anger. ‘Chloe accepted her for what she was. She didn’t bully her or try to change her. She didn’t want Bethany to drink or smoke or flirt with boys. She was young in her ways and she loved Bethany and I didn’t see any harm in it. And neither did you, Ollie, or if you did, you didn’t say it.’
‘You said you thought they were spending too much time together,’ I said. ‘Why was that?’
‘They’re too close,’ Oliver Norris said. ‘They live in each other’s pockets. They spend their time whispering together. Bethany shuts us out.’
‘Bethany isn’t all that different from other teenagers,’ I said carefully, avoiding the word ‘normal’. ‘But most of them have mobile phones and access to the internet. They spend most of their time communicating with their friends even if they’re not actually with them. But you said they’re close … are they in a relationship?’
‘What?’ Oliver looked baffled as Morgan threw his head back and laughed.
‘Nothing like sticking the cat among the pigeons, is there? She’s asking if your daughter’s a lesbian, Ollie. Try to expand your mind to imagine such a thing.’
‘That’s a disgusting suggestion.’ Norris had gone red. ‘Eleanor, tell her.’
‘They were friends. That’s all. There was nothing strange or perverse about it.’
Perverse. I was glad Liv wasn’t with me.
‘What about you?’ Time to put Morgan Norris on the spot. ‘Did you ever think that might be the case?’
‘Me? No. But I didn’t know them all that well,’ he said. ‘If I had to say, I’d guess they were both more interested in the lad down the street.’
‘Turner?’ Oliver Norris stood up so quickly his chair tipped back. His brother caught it before it could hit the ground and set it back down delicately.
‘The one who’s always smoking on his front step. I saw them talking to him a few times.’
‘Bethany was talking to him? I forbade her to go near him.’
‘So her being in his house wasn’t allowed.’ Morgan pulled a face. ‘Naughty Bethany.’
‘She was in his house?’ Norris started for the door and I stuck my hand out, planting it in the centre of his chest. He collided with it hard enough to jar my arm and wind himself a little.
‘You don’t talk to him, Mr Norris. Leave that to me.’
‘Is that an order?’
‘It’s good advice and you should take it.’
He said something under his breath that sounded a lot like fuck that and went to pass me. I didn’t go so far as to trip him up deliberately, but I certainly didn’t move my foot out of his way. He plunged across the room and went down on one knee. I was right behind him, murmuring in his ear that the only thing that would happen if he went over to Turner’s house was that he’d end up getting arrested, by me, for breach of the peace, and he’d spend the night in a horrible police station cell that smelled of sick, listening to the regular prisoners screaming threats against themselves and others, while Turner got on with his life and none of it would help Bethany in the slightest …
Something I said got through to him. He shook his head, getting to his feet slowly.
‘I never liked him. I never wanted him here.’
‘I know.’
‘I said he was trouble.’
‘You did.’
Oliver Norris turned to me and his eyes were haunted. ‘Can you go and see him? Make sure that my little girl isn’t there? Make sure he doesn’t have her?’
‘That was the next thing on my list,’ I said.
19
My head was ringing, the sound vibrating through the bones of my face. I lifted my head, half-panicked and wholly confused, then fumbled under my pillow for my phone. I squinted at the screen. Half past nine. An hour since I’d got to bed.
And it was Derwent calling me, on a Sunday morning.
No way.
I put it down on the bedside table and buried my head in the pillow again, listening to it humming in a frenzy of bad temper until it went silent. I was probably imagining that it sounded angrier when it started ringing again, though I knew he’d be swearing up a storm. The third time the phone rang I gave in.
‘What is it?’
‘Where the hell are you?’
‘In bed.’ I still had my eyes closed. ‘I told Burt I’ll be in later.’
‘Yeah, so she said. But you need to get here now.’
‘What? Why?’ I stuck the heel of my hand into my eye socket and rubbed gingerly. My throat felt raw and every bone in my body ached. ‘I was up all night.’
‘This is important. Unless you want to miss it.’
‘Miss what?’
‘The mark on the inside of the freezer at the storage company.’
‘Blood?’ My eyes came open properly.
‘Dead right. Want to go for two out of two?’
‘Kate Emery’s blood?’
‘The very same. So we’re going over to the storage company to check it out and ask Mr Yawl a few more questions.’
‘Who’s we?’
‘Me and DC Shaw.’ He said it too casually.
‘You fucker,’ I muttered.
‘What was that? Sorry, I didn’t quite catch it.’ I could hear the grin in his voice.
‘When are you leaving?’
‘Half an hour.’
I groaned. ‘I’ll never make it.’