“I can’t speak of that,” Bish said firmly, “because there’s little I know. But regardless of whose daughter she is, Violette Zidane is unaccounted for, and as much a victim of this tragedy as your children.”
He went in search of Bee, worried that he had neglected her this past hour. She was standing with Saffron on the veranda, watching the forensics team appear and disappear inside the tents.
When Bee saw him she asked the same question Crombie had. “Is it true what they’re saying about Violette? Her grandfather blew up those people and her mum built the bomb?”
He dodged the question. “Do you know where Violette is, Bee?”
“Don’t care. I hope she rots in hell.”
Bish looked carefully at his daughter. She was dressed differently than her usual attire. Bee was an athlete, a casual clothes sort of girl. Today she was wearing some sort of short tulle skirt, UGG boots, and a black singlet. He didn’t remember her dark hair having blue strands.
“She did this to me.” Bee pointed to a bruise above her eye.
“A girl did that?”
“Yes, a girl, Bish.”
So he was back to being Bish. Whenever she used his name she made it sound like a euphemism for idiot. He had liked being Daddy for two minutes. She had taken to calling him and Rachel by their first names a few years ago. They thought it was a phase. Nothing with Bee was a phase these days except perhaps being surly.
“Apart from getting into fistfights with other girls, did she act suspicious?” he asked.
Bee ignored him, her attention on a group of teenagers being led to one of the parked buses. They were dressed in football gear—the Pas de Calais team, Bish guessed. Today would have marked the last day of their tour with a game in Amiens, which had been canceled. If they were boarding their bus it meant they’d been interviewed and Attal was allowing them to return to their homes.
When the French teenagers disappeared from sight, Bee walked away.
Bish glanced at his mother. She understood Bee better than he did lately.
Saffron sighed. “Bee and Violette Zidane shared a room the entire tour.”
“They were friends?” Bish was shocked.
“Not according to Bee. All the other girls paired up on the ferry. Bee and Violette were the last two left. They didn’t have a choice. But Bee is fixated about where Violette is, as well as Eddie Conlon.”
“Well, Eddie can’t be far away. His name’s been ticked off on the list.”
“Some of the kids whose parents haven’t arrived are camped out closer to the police barricade, waiting,” Saffron said. “He’s probably with them.”
Lucy joined them on the veranda. Bish could see the boy who’d called Violette a slag out near the picnic tables. He was with his parents, being interviewed by Sky News.
“Charlie Crombie’s friend,” Bish said to Lucy. “Name’s Kennington, is that right?”
“Rodney Kennington. He imagined himself being in charge for about ten seconds, and then Charlie Crombie took over and Rodney seemed satisfied with being his lackey.”
“You’re not a fan?”
“I wasn’t really a fan of any of them.”
She looked at him guiltily. Not even his daughter.
“The only decent year eleven was Fionn Sykes. The type of lad who helped the younger ones and took the time to chat with us shaps rather than argue. He was thinking of reading theology at Cambridge when he finished school.”
She looked away, pained. “I asked Charlie if he could help Lola with her overhead luggage this morning. He resisted, of course. Claimed people like Lola should learn to take care of themselves. So it was Fionn I asked next, knowing he would do it.”
Bish winced. Lola was on the critical list. The seats around her had been the most impacted. If Fionn Sykes had stayed where he was…
“Part of Fionn’s leg was blown off,” Saffron said. “I spoke to the paramedics.”
“What about his parents?” Bish asked.
“There’s a mother,” Saffron said. “In Newcastle. She doesn’t drive, apparently.”
Bish looked again at the Kenningtons, who seemed to be speaking nonstop to the reporter.
“I think it’s best if someone tells Kennington and his parents not to talk to the press about any of the other students.”
“It’s too late.” Lucy grimaced. “It’s already hit Twitter. Violette LeBrac Zidane is trending.”