‘I will in a moment, but for now I’m asking you.’
‘I don’t know what to tell you. I was at the McDonald’s in Swaythling getting a late breakfast, when he comes out of nowhere and starts attacking me.’
‘Attacking you how?’
‘I was heading back to my car as he was driving in, and the next thing I know, he’s pulled over and is out of his car shoving me.’
‘He must have given you a reason why.’
‘He started accusing me of mistreating Daisy, but I kept saying I had nothing to do with her disappearance. I haven’t seen her. It’s hard on all of us.’
‘How did you get back here?’
‘I drove home, and the next thing I know he’s pulling into my road and starting again. I came inside for my own protection.’
Kate fixed him with a stare. ‘You’re still holding back on me, Alfie, and I will get to the bottom of what’s going on.’ She stood.
‘Where are you going?’
‘I’m going to have a word with Richard now and see what he has to say for himself. You want to tell me anything else before I do?’
He looked as if he might speak, but then shook his head.
She pointed at the ice pack. ‘You should keep that on for twenty minutes, remove it, then give it twenty minutes before reapplying. Might be worth putting it on your knuckles for a bit too.’
* * *
Back outside, Kate’s breath swirled in condensation as she stretched out her ribs, certain she’d have her own bruise as a memento of the day.
Kate tapped on the patrol car’s window, until the constable lowered it. ‘Can you get him out for me? I want a word with him in my car.’
The constable exited and dragged Richard from the back seat, helping him into the front of Kate’s Audi.
‘Thanks for your support, guys,’ she called to the constables. ‘You can head on, I’ve got this now.’
With the patrol car pulling away, Kate climbed back into her car, and started the engine so the heater would come on. ‘Well?’
Richard shrugged. ‘What did he say?’
‘He said he wants you charged with common assault; that you jumped him for no reason in the car park and then followed him home so you could have another go.’
‘He was giving as good as he got.’
Kate could see a similar red mark forming below Richard’s right eye. ‘So you’ve nothing to add? No mitigating circumstances I should take into account? What’s your mum going to say when she learns you’ve been arrested?’
‘She’ll understand when she learns why.’
‘So, tell me too. Why did you go after Alfie in the car park?’
Richard studied her face and then grunted. ‘He didn’t tell you who was with him in the car park, did he?’
Kate’s shook her head. ‘Who?’
‘I thought he’d be too spineless to admit what a cheating scumbag he is. I lost it because I saw him in the car park walking with his arm around Georgie Barclay. When he leaned in and kissed her, I saw red.’
‘Alfie and Georgie…?’
‘And before you start giving him all the benefit of the doubt bullshit, I think it was going on long before my sister disappeared.’
‘How did Georgie react when she saw you attacking Alfie?’
‘She ran off in tears; I’ve never seen her look so upset. When he scarpered from the car park, I followed behind and saw him drive back to her house, to try and catch up with her, but she must have taken a different route as I didn’t pass her.’ He sighed in frustration. ‘Look, I know I shouldn’t have hit him, but I can’t stop thinking that this is the reason my sister ran away that night. She was at Georgie’s house and maybe she’d found out about the fling and felt she just needed to get away.’
‘You’ve changed your tune. When we first met you were adamant that some pervert had snatched her. If it’s because her Facebook profile was accessed, you should know we don’t believe your sister did it. Whoever accessed her profile was using software to mask their IP address, but we’re tracing it back to the source.’
The blood drained from his face. ‘I suppose I might as well admit it was me, then.’
Kate coughed as the spittle caught in her throat. ‘You?’
He shrugged sheepishly at her. ‘I’m sorry. I thought if you had proof she was still alive it would encourage you to make more effort to find her.’
Kate looked away so she wouldn’t be tempted to tell him what she really thought. ‘Do you realise how much time that wasted? Where did you get the software from?’
‘A friend of mine uses it to download movies and games and stuff. He swore it was impossible to trace, so I didn’t think it would be a problem. Are you going to arrest me for wasting police time too?’
Kate looked at him, and for a split second recognised the frightened child beneath the shaved head and muscles. ‘I ought to, but that wouldn’t do you, your parents or my investigation any good, would it? Can you see the trouble a little lie can cause?’
‘I’m so sorry. Are you going to tell my parents what I did?’
‘No, Richard, but you are. I’ll drop you back there in a minute, but first I think you owe someone else an apology too.’ She nodded at Alfie’s house.
‘I’m not going to apol—’
She raised her hand to cut him off. ‘If you don’t want him to press charges, you’d better apologise. And I’d make it good if I was you.’
38
‘Richard Emerson is our mystery Facebook liker,’ Kate concluded, and she echoed the groan that emanated from the team members who were in the office. ‘I know, I know, but at least we can draw a line under the surreptitious activity. Ewan, can you pass on our thanks to our Dutch colleagues?’
Freeborn raised his thumb in the air.
‘I’m going to go and speak to Georgie Barclay this afternoon and find out whether Daisy knew about her fling with Alfie. My money is on that she did, and it adds weight to the theory that she did run away, but doesn’t help us pinpoint where she is. Humberidge, where are you with confirming Barry Emerson’s movements on the Friday night?’
‘Mast activity puts his mobile phone in the vicinity of Lordswood. I’ve been digging into his list of former employees, and have found a Cheryl Oliphant, who lives in Lordswood, and I believe is the woman he’s been seeing on the side.’
‘Have you spoken with him about it yet?’
‘No, ma’am, you said he was off-limits. Besides, I’m pretty sure he’ll deny the affair, and put pressure on Cheryl to keep her trap shut as well.’
‘What are you suggesting, then?’
‘I’ll go and speak to her first, tell her what we believe to be true and see if she confirms it. One way or another, I’m sure she’ll tell Barry about the visit, and then he’ll come to us.’
‘How long was his phone in Lordswood?’
‘From seven that night until approximately eleven.’
‘That puts him in the clear for picking up Daisy, then.’
‘Not necessarily, ma’am. Just because his phone was there, doesn’t mean he was. Let me keep digging.’
Kate really didn’t believe that Barry could be involved in his daughter’s disappearance, she’d learned never to make assumptions. ‘Fine, but I want something solid by tonight, or you’ve got to let this go.’
He nodded his understanding, but scowled all the same.
‘Patel, any word from the guys up at the university?’
‘We finally have a possible sighting,’ he said, smiling for the first time in a week. ‘Vicky said when she showed Daisy’s picture to one student, he said he thought he might have seen her at a bus stop in Portswood crying.’
Kate’s mouth dropped. ‘When?’
‘Well, that’s where the problem lies, the student reckoned he saw her on the Friday night, but couldn’t give a precise time as he was already drunk when he passed the bus stop, but he remembered she was definitely crying. Vicky has got him to show her the bus stop and she’s now trying to get hold of traffic-camera and private security-camera footage, and will check it. It may be nothing, but it could also be a huge break.’