‘But what are you lot actually doing?’
Kate had expected him to be upset – given the circumstances anyone would be – but she hadn’t anticipated anger. ‘We are appealing for witnesses who may have seen where Daisy went—’
‘Don’t be ridiculous! My sister didn’t run away from home. Why can’t you lot see that?’
Kate kept her tone even in an effort to diffuse his anger. ‘We are exploring every possibility.’
‘Bollocks! It’s obvious what happened, why won’t you just admit it?’
Kate narrowed her eyes. ‘What exactly do you think has happened to your sister?’
‘It’s obvious! Some dirty paedo has snatched her. You’d be better off rounding up all the perverts on the sex offenders register and checking where they were that Friday night. You’ll soon find out which of them snatched her.’
‘I’m sorry, Richard, but we have no reason to believe any kind of sex-motivated crime has—’
‘Don’t give me that! You read about it in the papers all the time. I get that you don’t want to say it in front of my parents, but I can take it. She’s dead, isn’t she?’
The question threw Kate. ‘What on earth makes you think—’
‘Common sense. I know she wouldn’t run away; she was a good girl who worked hard and kept out of trouble. I spoke to her on the Wednesday before… and there was no way she was planning to run away. And nobody has heard hide nor hair of her for over a week, so what other conclusion is there?’
‘In my experience, these situations are never as simple as they first appear.’ He was about to interrupt her again, but she raised her hand to cut him off. ‘I will not believe that your sister is dead until I have incontrovertible proof. Every day my team move closer to discovering what happened.’
He shook his head with an angry smirk. ‘You’re kidding yourself if you think you’ll ever find her.’
Kate didn’t like where the conversation was headed, but she wouldn’t allow herself to return his volleys of anger. He was grieving.
‘You and Daisy were close, right? So, you probably know more of what was going on in her head in the days leading up to her disappearance. What did the two of you discuss when you spoke on the Wednesday?’
‘I don’t know… I can’t remember.’
‘Did you call her, or did she call you?’
‘I called her. There’s a band she really likes, and they just announced they’re going to do a gig down in Exeter. I phoned her to let her know that I was going to buy her a ticket for her birthday. I figured she could catch a train down, I’d meet her at the station, we’d go to the gig and then she could crash in my room before catching the train home the next day.’
‘That’s sweet. How did she react to the news?’
‘She was excited. She asked whether I could get a ticket for her friend Georgie too, and that she’d get Georgie to pay me back. I said that was fine, and she could give the money to Daisy to pass on.’
‘And Daisy didn’t say she was unhappy about anything? Or give you reason to believe she was upset?’
‘No. She was her usual self. In fact, she was even more excited than usual because of the birthday present. That’s what I’m telling you: there’s no way she would have run away.’
‘Did she hint that anything might be wrong between her and her boyfriend Alfie?’
He paused and watched her. ‘No. Why? What’s he got to do with this?’
‘Nothing, we don’t think. But a witness in a café said she saw them arguing on the afternoon she disappeared. We’re trying to determine what the argument was about, but Alfie’s not saying.’
The anger boiled in his eyes. ‘You think he hurt my sister?’
Kate widened her own eyes. ‘No. But we want to establish whether the argument could be a contributing factor to her running away. I take it you’re not Alfie’s biggest fan?’
He snorted. ‘She could do so much better than that lowlife.’
‘Why do you say that?’
‘It’s not right, is it? An eighteen year old dating a fifteen year old. He’s got no prospects, and he’s just going to end up holding her back. She’d be better off getting rid and concentrating on her studies. She has her GCSEs to sit in a couple of months.’
Kate was relieved he’d stopped referring to his sister in the past tense, though she wasn’t sure how long the resolve would hold out. ‘Was Daisy sleeping with Alfie?’
The question was raised innocently, but it pushed Richard over the edge. ‘I told you: she was a good girl. She wasn’t stupid enough to sleep with him. Wait, do you know something I don’t? Was he forcing her to have sex?’
Kate quickly backtracked. ‘No. There’s nothing to suggest—’
‘That’s rape, though, isn’t it? If he pressured her to have sex, as a minor, that’s rape. Why haven’t you arrested him?’
‘Calm down, Richard. I was merely asking. We haven’t been told that your sister is sexually active, I just thought she might have confided in you, her big brother.’
‘If he laid a hand on her, I’ll—’
Kate raised both palms in a calming gesture. ‘Whoa there, I don’t want you going anywhere near Alfie Caplan. The last thing your parents need is you getting yourself into trouble with the police. Let us handle the investigation.’ She pushed the spare mug of coffee towards him. ‘Have a drink and calm down.’
But he wasn’t listening, brushing the mug away with the back of his hand, so it hurtled into the wall where it smashed in an explosion of light brown liquid. ‘Why haven’t you lot done one of those Crimewatch reconstructions yet? You want to appeal for witnesses? Then get my sister’s story on the television.’
Kate looked at the mess on the wall, and took a deep breath. ‘We’re considering all of our options.’
Richard stood, sending his chair crashing into the wall behind him. ‘If you lot won’t do what is necessary, I’ll do it myself.’
Kate was on her feet in a second, her voice loud and firm. ‘I understand you’re worried, but if you do something that interferes with this investigation, I won’t hesitate to arrest you. Am I making myself clear? Leave this to the professionals, and we will find out what has happened to Daisy.’ She exhaled, lowering her voice. ‘Would you like me to arrange for someone to give you a lift home?’
He moved away, yanking open the door. ‘I can look after myself.’
Kate hurried after him, but he wasn’t willing to speak to her, banging the door impatiently until the desk constable buzzed him out. Kate watched as Richard slipped out of the station and down the stairs, fearing this wouldn’t be the last she would hear from him.
21
‘You wanted to see me?’ Kate asked, poking her head around the lab door.
‘Come in, come in,’ Ben ushered, lowering his face mask.
‘Do you need me to change?’ Kate asked, pointing at her unprotected clothing.
‘No, the foot is away.’
Kate continued further into the laboratory. ‘What is it about?’
‘Xander Garcia phoned me back after his conference, and we think we may have something else to help you.’
Kate looked casually around the room for a computer screen. ‘Is he…?’
‘No, no.’ He looked at his watch. ‘He’ll probably be fast asleep as we speak. No, it’s just me here.’
‘Okay, so what have you got for me?’
‘Based on the tests Xander proposed, I estimate the victim was aged in her early to mid-twenties, but I now believe the blistering I mentioned to you yesterday wasn’t caused by sudden sporting activity, instead an extended period on her feet in uncomfortable shoes.’
Kate considered the statement. ‘There’s evidence to suggest she may have been a prostitute. That tattoo scarring you found links to a crew operating out of St Mary’s. I take it you haven’t found our killer’s DNA or can give me any clue what he might have done with the rest of the victim’s body?’
He shook his head sadly. ‘Sorry.’
Kate dangled her notebook. ‘Not to worry, I’m sure this will help. Thanks, Ben.’
* * *
Kate returned to the incident room and was writing Ben’s findings on the board when DC Freeborn hurried into the office.