Kate’s heart sank.
‘It’s the right thing to do,’ Tara continued. ‘I’m not ready to be a mum, and it would mess up me going to university, and moreover I won’t have to tell my parents about it.’
And there it was. Kate winced.
‘Have you discussed this with any of your friends?’
‘Uh, no, I don’t think so.’
Kate couldn’t help but think of Georgie’s previous statement that Daisy couldn’t be pregnant because she was saving herself. ‘But don’t you have a best friend who you share everything with?’
‘Not this. You and… him are the only ones I’ve told.’
Kate reached for the milkshake and took a sip. ‘Whatever decision you reach, it affects more than just you. I know it’s your body, and therefore your choice, but if you were my daughter, I’d want to know about it and to help you reach a decision having discussed all your options. Please, Tara, don’t shut out your mum and dad. Despite everything, they mean well, and you really should be open with them first.’
‘They don’t need to know. And I’m sure they would agree that it’s the best decision anyway. I’ll make an appointment with my GP in the morning and take it from there.’
‘I’m begging you not to rush into anything without speaking to your parents. I’ll drive you there now, and I’ll stay with you for moral support.’
‘I was hoping you’d let me stay at yours for tonight; once I’ve had it done, I’ll go home, and everything can return to normal.’
Kate could feel Tara’s eyes burning into her, but she had to remain firm. ‘No, Tara, I’m sorry, but I can’t keep this from them any longer. Grab your coat, I’m taking you home.’
* * *
The gravel crackled beneath the Audi’s tyres as Kate parked on the large driveway in front of the detached property.
‘You don’t have to come in,’ Tara repeated. ‘I’ll tell them.’
But Kate could sense the lie. ‘They need to know that you’re safe and I think it’s probably time I came clean with your dad about where you’ve been the last couple of nights.’
Tara sighed in frustration as she pushed the car door open and headed to the porch. She’d barely put her key in the lock when the door was opened and the supe appeared, dressed in chinos, shirt and sweater, pulling Tara into his arms. ‘Oh, thank God you’re safe.’
Kate locked the car, the bleep causing the supe to open his eyes and register her presence.
‘Kate? What are you—’
‘Tara phoned me,’ Kate responded. ‘I said I’d bring her home.’
The supe released his daughter who hurried inside and hugged a tearful Judith, saying how sorry she was. ‘I appreciate you bringing her home, Kate. You know what teenagers can be like.’
‘Think nothing of it, sir. I’m glad she felt able to reach out to me.’ Kate continued to watch Tara, willing her to tell her relieved parents exactly why she had left. But as Kate waited, Tara’s lips remained sealed.
‘Was there anything else, Kate?’ the supe asked, curious as to why she hadn’t moved.
Tell them, Kate urged herself, but the words wouldn’t leave her lips.
Tara turned to face her, shaking her head just enough so Kate would see it.
‘I’ll see you in the morning,’ Kate finally exhaled, angry at her own weakness.
‘Thanks again, Kate,’ he said, as he closed the door.
Getting back into her car, she was relieved to see Ben had messaged to tell her he would slow down the cooking until she arrived. Maybe Laura was right: what she needed was a night off.
35
ELEVEN DAYS MISSING
‘Morning, ma’am,’ Patel said, with far too much cheer for this time of the day.
Slumped in her chair, struggling not to yawn, Kate looked up at him. ‘It’s not even half past six, what are you doing here?’
‘Same thing as you, I presume,’ he said, switching on the coffee maker. ‘You want a drink?’
She nodded, handing him her mug as he approached.
‘There’s some pastries in my bag, if you fancy?’ he said, busying himself at the machine. He really had become her rock since joining the team. Methodical to the last, and with a moral compass that pointed true north, he was like her Jiminy Cricket.
‘Great minds must think alike,’ Laura cooed, as she entered and removed her coat and scarf. ‘Morning, ma’am. You on the drinks, Sarge?’
Patel grabbed Laura’s mug from her desk in answer.
‘Don’t you both have beds you could still be in?’ Kate said, genuinely surprised to see them so early.
‘We can’t let you have all the fun,’ Laura said, dragging over her chair and resting a fresh pad of paper on her lap.
‘Help yourself to a croissant, Laura,’ Patel said, placing three mugs on Kate’s desk.
Laura’s eyes widened with excitement, as she reached for his satchel and unzipped it. The smell of fresh pastries filled the air around them, and even Kate couldn’t resist revelling in the buttery warmness for just a moment.
‘All right,’ Kate said, dabbing pastry flakes from her lips, ‘start with telling me what Nowakowski’s former crew told you when you stopped by the prison.’
Patel reached for his notebook. ‘I spoke to the leader of the group initially. Career criminal called Ash Thomas. You’ve probably not heard of him, ma’am, as he’s been inside since the failed armed robbery at the security depot. He was a right piece of work, though, back in the day; tattooed from head to toe.’ He sighed at the memory. ‘Anyway, it seems prison life agrees with him. He’s certainly not the thug I remember.’
‘In what way?’
‘He’s found religion. Reckons he’s repenting his sins and wants to devote the rest of his life to God.’
‘Bet he’s just saying that to get in with the parole board,’ Laura added, sceptically.
Patel shook his head. ‘Straight up. I spoke to the prison warden and he said Ash has been on his best behaviour for the past twelve months, spending part of every day in the library, either reading or helping fellow inmates to study. It’s quite the switch from all accounts.’
‘What did he have to say about Petr Nowakowski?’
‘He went quiet for a bit and then told me he regretted his troubled past every day and is grateful that Petr helped him find the right path.’
‘Oh, please!’ Laura exclaimed.
‘I disagree,’ Patel continued. ‘He seemed genuine. I don’t think he had any involvement in Nowakowski’s death.’
‘What about the rest of the group?’ Kate pressed. ‘There were four plus Petr and Ash, right?’
‘I managed to speak to one of the others who was locked up in Parkhurst too, but he claimed not to have heard anything about Petr since his arrest.’
‘Don’t tell me he’s turned over a new leaf as well?’
Patel snorted. ‘No, he was very clear about what he’d like to do to Petr, but I doubt there is much he could have done from the inside. Ash was the leader of the group – the one with all the contacts.’
‘What about another crew in the city? If he was desperate for money, maybe he fell back into old ways.’
But Patel shook his head. ‘I had a quiet word with a friend in Hendrix’s team. She said Nowakowski’s name hasn’t come up in any conversations on the street. They keep detailed files on known associates of all gangs in the city, and he’s not been named since his arrest. I think his sister was right: he’d been making an effort to keep his nose clean.’
‘Quinlan mentioned the cruise company sacked him for some sort of impropriety,’ Kate told them. ‘There’s something about a convicted armed robber managing to secure a job on a cruise ship that doesn’t sit right with me. Given their clientele, would they really take a chance?’
Laura lowered her croissant. ‘You reckon he lied about his conviction?’