The bitterness in her voice was evident. Her shoulders rounded again, and Jill’s eyes slid away to the counter once more as she continued.
‘As I left the house, their kid, Alison, came after me. Said she had a business idea that could help both of us. She’d organise a disco at the tower, promised me it would make a fortune and that no one would ever find out. Reckoned kids these days liked to dance with headphones on. She offered to organise the whole thing for a fifty-fifty split in profits. So I agreed. What was the harm? She had big ideas about holding a few of them, then going to London with the money and staging legitimate ones there, launching merchandising. It all sounded a bit pie in the sky, but I thought, why not let her have a go?’
‘I’ve spent my whole life scrimping and saving, Melanie. You know what my background is. I grew up in squalor, doing homework to the sound of Mum and a punter in the next room. What little money she made prostituting herself went on booze – you know she was an alcoholic.’
A statement rather than a question, but I nodded.
‘I vowed I’d work hard and never, ever have to live a life of poverty. And I’ve done it. Then to come so close to losing it all…’ That desperate look again. ‘I need to leave an inheritance for my boys. Even my own kids don’t know about all this, Melanie. I had to protect them from how desperate things are financially. As a mum, you understand that, surely?’
That was too much, and from the way her face paled, she knew it. I stepped forward, trembling with fury.
‘You knew why my daughter was out on that marsh – to be at the rave. To help pay off your debts. And you created a conspiracy of silence, stopping possible eyewitnesses from coming forward,’ I spat.
She shook her head vehemently.
‘No, no, I asked around. Got Martin to, as well. No one saw anything, I promise you – if they had, I’d have come forward with the information. But what’s the point of you going to the police with this, and me being arrested? I’ve done nothing wrong, not really. I’m certainly not responsible for what happened to Beth. Think of my family…’
‘What about mine?’ I roared the words. My chest was going to explode from the beating of my heart. ‘Alison and James got you to lie to the police about seeing them together, didn’t they?’
The nod she gave was tiny.
I pulled my phone from my jacket pocket and dialled Detective Sergeant Devonport. My eyes never left Jill’s.
The police were quick to arrive. Glenn made himself scarce as soon as they did. After DS Devonport had read Jill her rights, she took me to one side while a uniformed officer handcuffed the woman. I almost felt sorry for her.
The detective sergeant scrutinised me from beneath her heavy fringe, hands in the pockets of her expensive black coat.
‘Mrs Oak, I really do need to ask you to leave your detective work to the experts.’ One hand appeared, briefly, to run through her hair. I couldn’t believe what she was saying. I’d just given her a criminal – two, in fact – on a plate.
She sighed. ‘This must be exceptionally difficult for you, but there are things going on right now that you’re unaware of. We’re close to a breakthrough in your daughter’s case, and you don’t want to blunder into the middle of things and blow them apart.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘I can’t say right now, but’ – she held up a placatory hand as I opened my mouth – ‘but please, be patient for a few more hours. We’re on the same side, Mrs Oak. I’ll be able to tell you everything very soon.’
Slowly and grudgingly, I nodded. She was right: the last thing I wanted to do was to stop the person who had hurt you from facing justice.
The truth would all come tumbling out now. How James Harvey had blackmailed Alison Daughtrey-Drew into providing him with an alibi for the entire night, otherwise he would have reported her to the police for staging the illegal event and selling drugs. He’d got her to get rid of your coat – the evidence that tied him to the crime. Alison had then dragged Jill into the lie; because, if the truth about the rave had come out, they would both have been in trouble.
James must have been at the rave that night and seen you, Beth. He had pounced, like the predator he was. Why couldn’t anyone see it but me? He sickened me. Intense pain made me look at my hands in astonishment. They were curled into such tight fists that my nails had drawn crescents of blood on my palms.
Jill was ready to be taken away for questioning. I threw her one more look of disdain before leaving the shop. On the opposite side of the road was Davy, rushing at the sight of police cars outside his mum’s business. Remembering that Jill had told me her children had no idea of her financial dire straits, and that only Martin had known about the rave, I jogged over to him.
‘Davy, your mum—’ I began.
‘What’s happened?’ he demanded, surging forward.
I tried to hold him back. Went flying. He was far too strong.
‘Son, it’ll be all right,’ Jill called to him.
He stopped, stunned at the sight of an officer putting a hand on her head, fingers splayed around that high, pewter ponytail and guiding her into the back of the squad car. As the vehicle pulled away Jill gave Davy a firm look through the window, her mouth a grim line that echoed the horizon.
He spun round to look at me. ‘Mel, do you know what’s going on?’
‘Your mum has been arrested. She allowed an illegal rave to be held at the lookout. I think that’s where Beth went before she was attacked,’ I sighed.
He stood still, processing the news. Frown deepening. ‘That must have been where Chloe was,’ he murmured.
Where Chloe was?
‘She was upstairs in bed the night Beth was hurt, wasn’t she? While you and her mum were…’ I trailed off, not sure how to phrase what they were doing.
Puzzlement clouded his face further. ‘Eh? Did you talk to Ursula?’
‘Yes. She told me how you waited until Chloe had gone to bed, then sneaked in and the pair of you, well, you know. Isn’t that what happened?’ Realisation dawned on me. And I had thought Davy was slow. ‘Was Chloe out? Was… was she with Beth?’
‘Did you ask Ursula what she did that night, Mel? All night? Did she mention the phone call?’
‘What phone call?’
He plucked at my sleeve like a child. Fretful. ‘Mel, she didn’t tell you the truth.’
I started to go cold. ‘What am I missing, Davy?’
‘Chloe were out when I went over. She were supposed to be staying at yours, with Beth. Then Ursula got a call from her, and told me I had to leave because she had to go out and get her.’
‘Chloe was with Beth?’
‘I don’t know… but I think so. The call came about 2 a.m., and I didn’t hear what were said. But I could hear the tone of it, you know? Chloe sounded hysterical. And I swear I heard Beth’s name shouted.’
‘Davy, you have to tell the police.’