‘That’s us. Still no Harrys, though…’
I stumble over something that I hope is a thank you and then hang up.
As far as I can tell, Harry Smith – if that is his real name – has lied about knowing me, about where he lives and where he works. On top of that, for a reason of which I’m not sure, he might have given me £3,640.
Chapter Thirty-Two
I realise as I’m walking home that not everything has to be quite as it seems. The LinkedIn Harry Smith could have added any company to his bio. He could’ve claimed to work at the BBC, or as Prime Minister. It’s not as if anyone would be going around to check. Someone else could have set it up in his name. Other than asking Harry outright, I’m not sure how else I can check what’s true and what isn’t.
When I arrive back at Hamilton House, there is a small gathering outside. Karen is there with two strangers and, when she notices me, she says, ‘Here she is,’ with a sigh of relief. As I get closer, she adds specifically to me: ‘These are Jade’s parents.’
Away from their view, she raises her eyebrows a fraction in a clear apology for dropping me into whatever it is I’ve been dropped into.
The pair introduce themselves as Doug and Faith. They’re younger than I would have thought and I doubt either of them are touching fifty. They are both wearing thick waterproof jackets and trousers, as if they’ve hiked across a moor to get here. Faith looks astonishingly like her daughter, so much so that I have to stop myself from staring at her. They have the same narrow face, with striking green eyes. I wonder if that’s how Jade got her name. If so, it would be apt.
‘I suppose you’ve heard,’ Faith says. She’s on the brink of tears already, not that I blame her. I assume she’s talking about the discovery of Jade’s body.
‘I’m so sorry,’ I say.
Both parents nod, although Doug is struggling. He’s staring at the ground, biting his bottom lip.
‘Did you know her well?’ Faith asks.
‘A bit,’ I reply. ‘She lived across the hall. We said hello a lot. She liked my dog and would sometimes buy him a pack of doggy biscuits.’ I tail off, not entirely sure what to say because I didn’t know their daughter. Not really.
There’s an uncomfortable moment in which nobody knows what to say. I end up breaking this by asking them if they want to come up. It’s with the eagerness of their thank you’s that I realise this is what they were hoping for.
The four of us head up the stairs. Karen is at the front and halts outside my apartment. Faith and Doug understand the significance by stopping and turning to face the door of the flat in which Jade lived.
‘Is this it?’ Doug asks. He’s gruff and his accent is far stronger than his wife’s.
‘Yes,’ I say.
They stand solemnly staring at the door. In the meanwhile, Karen leans in close to me and whispers, ‘I need a word.’
‘You okay?’ I mouth.
She shrugs, whispers, ‘When you’re done.’ and then clears her throat. ‘I’ve got to get back.’ She shakes hands with both of Jade’s parents and wishes them a safe journey.
‘Do you want to come in?’ I ask, nodding at my own apartment.
‘That’d be nice,’ Faith replies, and so I unlock the door and head in. If I had any doubts about Billy’s recovery, then they disappear immediately as he trots across to Jade’s parents and gives them a good sniff. His tail wags enthusiastically and I wonder if he can smell a link from these newcomers to the woman who used to give him treats. Faith crouches and makes a fuss of him as her husband watches on.
‘Have you ever been here before?’ I ask.
‘No,’ Faith replies. ‘We live up near Dunblane and it’s so far to come. Whenever we suggested something, Jade said not to. She came up for the holidays anyway.’ She pauses for a moment and then adds: ‘Does someone else live there now?’
‘I think so,’ I say. ‘I’ve not seen whoever it is, but there’s music sometimes. The building manager thought Jade had taken off without paying rent…’ I tail off. ‘Sorry,’ I add, not sure why I blurted out the last bit.
Faith stands and waves it away. ‘The police already told us that,’ she says. ‘When we reported her missing, they spoke to someone…’ She swirls a hand around and then says: ‘Lauren, I think. We had a bit of a row with the police because they were saying there wasn’t much they could do.’
She sighs loudly and then we stand around for a second before I offer them the sofa. I ask if they want tea and then get to work in the kitchen. Billy comes over to check on me before mooching around the living room area, looking for attention.
As I make the tea, Jade’s parents mutter quietly to one another. I can’t make out a word, but there is urgent annoyance in Doug’s tone. When Faith catches my eye, she presses her lips together and glances back to her husband. The whispering stops straight away.
When their teas are ready, I put the mugs on the table in front of them and then drag across one of the dining chairs. The room suddenly feels even smaller than usual.
‘Was her flat like this?’ Doug asks. I get the sense he doesn’t necessarily mean to sound abrupt, but there’s something rough around the edges with his tone. He’d tell someone he loves them and it would come out like a headbutt.
‘They were mirrors,’ I reply. ‘Mine overlooks the road, while hers had a view of the community centre.’
He turns to look towards the window but doesn’t say anything. I can almost hear his thoughts as he wonders if a one-room apartment is what their daughter’s life had come to.
I have no idea what to say – but then I barely knew their daughter. Sometimes politeness leads to any number of inexplicable decisions. I’m sitting with a pair of strangers in my flat because I wasn’t sure what else to do.
‘Why did Jade choose to come here?’ I ask.
Doug and Faith exchange a sideways glance and I can tell this is a point of contention. Neither of them speak for a moment and then, before the silence can become too uncomfortable, Faith lets out a small cough.
‘She was looking to explore new places,’ Faith says. I get the sense she’s chosen these words carefully. ‘She could have done her course in a lot of places. We tried to encourage her to go to Stirling, but it was too close. After that, we talked about Edinburgh, but she seemed determined to come to England.’
Doug snorts but seems oblivious to how we’ve both turned to look at him. He clearly did not approve.
‘It’s not a crime,’ Faith says firmly.
It takes a second for her husband to realise she’s talking to him. ‘What’s not a crime?’ he replies.
‘To be young and independent,’ Faith says. ‘If she wanted to put a bit of distance between herself and us, that’s more an issue for us than it is for her.’
‘Was for her,’ Doug hisses. ‘Not is.’
‘She didn’t die because she left home.’
Faith speaks with a sharp hiss. They stare at one another and then Doug thrusts himself to his feet. He mutters something like, ‘See you in the car,’ and then he’s across the room and through the door. His footsteps echo away to nothingness.
Faith picks up her tea and sips. Doug’s is untouched.
‘Sorry about that,’ she says after a while. ‘It’s hit him hard.’ She has another sip and then puts her mug down. I have no idea what to say.
‘Do you have kids?’ Faith asks.
‘No.’
She glances around the room, probably without meaning to. Even without speaking, she has a point. Where would they go?
‘There were no real problems between Jade and us,’ Faith says. ‘She was home last Christmas and then over the summer. She liked her space, that’s all. There’s not a lot to do where we live and I think she wanted to be around people of her own age on her own terms. I don’t think she even looked at courses in Scotland.’