Kate watched as Georgie quickly typed a message, before lowering the phone again.
‘Neither of us meant for this to happen. After that party, we arranged to meet up on the nights when Daisy wasn’t allowed out because she was studying. I really got to know him, better than any other guy I’ve ever known. Most of the time we’d just hang out and talk. He’s a really nice guy, I swear.’
‘So why carry on behind Daisy’s back? If he’s so decent why not come clean and tell her the truth?’
‘He wanted to, but it was me who told him to keep quiet.’
‘Why?’
‘Because she’s my best friend. Even if he broke up with her, there’s no way she’d ever be happy with me then dating him. I didn’t want to lose her friendship, and the only way I could see that I could keep her as a friend and him as a boyfriend was if she never found out.’
Kate scratched her head. ‘That doesn’t make sense. Why couldn’t he end it with her and you continue to see him privately?’
‘Because if she was single again, she’d want to hang out with me all the time, and then I wouldn’t have time to see him too. This way, he would hang out with her a couple of nights a week, I’d see him a couple of nights a week, and we’d see each other at school and hook up on a Friday night. Then at the weekends I’d get to see them both.’
‘It sounds like Alfie was the one getting the best of both worlds: stringing Daisy along while sleeping with you behind her back.’
‘No! I told you: if he’d had it his way, he’d have come clean after that party. He only kept seeing Daisy to please me.’
Kate studied her, trying to determine whether Georgie genuinely believed she was in control of the relationship or whether she was being a na?ve teenager. ‘And Daisy never suspected? The whole time the two of you were carrying on behind her back?’
Georgie bit her lip. ‘We were so careful, but on the day she disappeared, she confronted Alfie.’
‘The argument in the café: that’s what that was about.’
Georgie nodded. ‘I think she suspected he was seeing someone else. She had no idea it was me, but she accused him of cheating; said his behaviour had changed. Something about him being less affectionate towards her. She hadn’t mentioned any of these suspicions to me or Hannah, but it must have been playing on her mind. Alfie denied anything was going on, but she raced out of the café in tears. When she turned up at mine later, I had no idea what had happened at the café.’
Kate sat forward. ‘Tell me about that night, and for once, please tell me the truth.’
Georgie’s hand subconsciously rose up to her mouth and she chewed on a nail. ‘My parents had gone out for dinner to celebrate their wedding anniversary, leaving me babysitting my little brother. Daisy came round as planned at six, and we were just going to drink some wine and watch a film. But about an hour into the movie, I went to the toilet, and that was the moment Alfie decided to text me and tell me what had happened at the café. Daisy saw the message and when I returned she’d put two and two together and laid into me. I guess she saw through my attempts to lie and cover it up.’
‘What time was this?’
‘About half eight, I think.’
‘But she didn’t leave here for another forty-five minutes?’
‘I tried lying at first and denying that anything had been going on, but she didn’t believe me, so I came clean and told her what had happened. We were both sobbing our hearts out, but I was crying because I was worried she’d never speak to me again. She eventually stormed out, saying she was going home. I begged her to stay, to let me explain, but she was so upset. I’d never seen her look so hurt. And it really hit home what a terrible friend I’d been. I wanted to go after her, but I couldn’t because my brother was asleep in his room. I called after her, and tried phoning, but she turned her phone off. I tried calling her a couple of times on the Saturday, but figured she was ignoring me. And it wasn’t until her parents called and said she hadn’t been home that I realised something must have happened.’
‘What do you think did happen? Where do you think she is now?’
‘I have no idea. I genuinely thought she’d run away, but if she had, you lot would have found her by now.’ Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks. ‘I don’t know what happened to her, and it kills me to think that what we did led to whatever it is. I would give anything to see her again and beg her forgiveness.’
Kate moved forward and, crouching down, wrapped her arms around Georgie’s shoulders. Having been on the receiving end of a cheating partner, Kate had never considered the stress and upset it could cause the other parties. ‘Do you know if she made it to the end of the road on Friday night, or whether she hung around for a lift from anyone?’
‘I didn’t see. When she stormed off, the shouting woke my brother so I had to come back inside. You should ask the guy down at number forty-eight.’
Kate pulled away. ‘Why?’
‘He was busy loading something into his car as she headed down the road. I think he asked if she was okay just as I was going back in.’
Chris Jackson’s face popped into Kate’s head. ‘Who’s the guy at number forty-eight? Describe him for me.’
Georgie wiped her nose with her hand. ‘Um… I’m not sure… big nose, fat face, and an even fatter belly. He looked like an egg in a leather jacket.’
‘An egg?’
‘Yeah, he had this line of hair like a bird’s nest just above his ears, but I could see the street light reflecting off the top of his head.’
Kate frowned, as the description didn’t fit the picture they’d pulled from Facebook, but it didn’t rule out the possibility he wasn’t an accomplice. ‘This person who spoke to Daisy: you’d seen him before?’
‘Yeah, a couple of times mowing the lawn, but never spoken to him. He’ll probably be able to tell you which way she went.’
40
Several centimetres of snow had already fallen on the path down to the road and the dark sky above them suggested the flurry was set to remain a while longer. Kate wrapped the scarf tightly around the lower half of her face and pulled the lapels of her coat up.
She turned and took a final glance at Georgie. ‘You shouldn’t blame yourself for what happened. We all make mistakes. The key is learning from them. You’d better get back inside before you catch your death.’
Georgie forced a smile, which quickly evaporated as she closed the door.
Kate continued down the path, her footprints indenting the snow as she made her way carefully along the pavement. It was barely three o’clock, but the sun was nearly out of sight, and it felt much later. She could just make out a queue of traffic on Highfield Lane at the end of the road, as panicked workers battled to make it home before their routes would be blocked by snow. It would be a nightmare getting back to the station.
Kate glanced at her Audi as she shuffled past. There was already snow gathered on the roof, and she could barely see the windscreen wipers beneath their blanket of white. There was no point in moving it the short journey to number forty-eight. Lights were on in most of the houses, making number forty-eight stand out as a property with no sign of life beyond the snow-covered lawn and empty driveway.
Kate closed her eyes and tried to imagine Daisy walking this way on that Friday night. Was this why she’d stopped and waited before switching off her phone? If Georgie was right and the owner of the house had asked her if she was okay, had they engaged in conversation? Would an upset fifteen-year-old really talk to a stranger while on her way home?