`It was as we were leaving,' she says. `The girl's hair. She's in such a state I hadn't noticed before, but when we were on our own, I noticed she kept pulling at it. On the right-hand side. I can't be a hundred per cent sure but I think some of it is missing.'
* * *
Adam Fawley
1 April 2018
14.15
`So what do you want us to do?' says Baxter.
It's just gone two and Everett is briefing the rest of the team on the Appleford case. Or rather the Appleford incident, which is all it's ever going to be, unless and until we get a good deal more to go on. Which is pretty much what I say.
`There's not much we can do. Faith is claiming that it was all a misunderstanding. An April Fool's joke that got `њa bit out of hand`ќ.'
`Pretty nasty April Fool,' says Quinn darkly, folding his arms. `And doesn't yanking out someone's hair without their consent count as ABH these days?'
`It could have been cut,' says Somer. `I couldn't really see.'
I intervene. `Either way, Quinn is right: that's ABH. But we're still just guessing. Faith hasn't actually said that's what happened. And given she's also refusing to say which of her friends was responsible `“'
`Pretty nasty friends too, if you ask me. To do something like that.' It's Quinn again. And I can't be the only one who's slightly wrong-footed by this sudden access of empathy on his part. I see Ev raise her eyebrows but thankfully no one actually says anything. I don't want this promising new development strangled at birth.
`Though it had to be a friend, didn't it?' says one of the other DCs. `I mean, you don't get an April Fool's played on you by a complete stranger, do you?'
`But you can be raped by one,' says Asante quietly.
There's a silence, then Baxter repeats his question. Stolid first, last and in the middle. `So what do you want us to actually do?'
He's frowning, and to be honest, I sympathize. This could well end up being a colossal waste of time. On the other hand, what if it happens again `“
`If a big case lands on us tomorrow, all bets are off, but in the meantime, I think it would be worth doing a bit of digging. Discreet digging. Let me be clear, Faith has done nothing wrong, and I don't want it to look like we're investigating the victim, but it's possible a crime's been committed and I don't want someone getting away with that just because Faith is too frightened to talk to us, OK? So let's start by talking to that minicab driver again `“ Mullins. Has he given a formal statement?'
`No, sir,' says Somer. `But we have his details. We can give him a call.'
`Good. And check the speed cameras along the Marston Ferry Road `“ see if we can work out where she came from and whether there was anyone with her before Mullins picked her up. And ask that petrol station on the roundabout for their CCTV.'
`Someone may have dropped her off,' observes Somer. `Mullins said the heel had come off one of her shoes. She can't have walked very far like that. Or very fast.'
One of the DCs points at Somer's boots. `Been there, done that, eh, Somer?' he says, grinning.
I wait a moment for the laughter to subside. `And let's have a word with the FE college. See if we can identify any of Faith's friends. Or if she's been having problems with anyone.'
`Girls that pretty aren't always popular,' observes Ev.
`There could be a bloke in the mix,' agrees Quinn. `Even if she really doesn't have a boyfriend, someone else's could have been showing too much interest. I mean, if she's as gorgeous as you lot say.' He runs one hand through his hair. He probably doesn't even realize he's doing it, though needless to say it doesn't go unnoticed. Quinn always has put the `I' into `eye candy'. Ev opens her mouth to say something, then with truly superhuman effort manages at the last minute not to. But I can see Somer grinning.
Baxter, meanwhile, still has his mind firmly on the job. `I can have a look at her online stuff too. Shouldn't be hard to track down who she hangs out with.'
`Good `“ do that. Asante, can you talk to Mullins, and Somer, I want you and Quinn to pick up on the college end.'
Somer looks concerned. `We'll have to be careful though `“ you know what those places are like. The way gossip gets round.'
`I'm sure you'll think of something. Safety on the streets, if all else fails. And Somer `“ don't change before you go.'
Her eyes widen. `OK, if you think it'll help.'
I smile drily. `What I think is that it's a fair bet Faith's friends are studying Fashion too.'
And if that doesn't work, there's always the not-so-subtle charms of Detective Constable Gareth Quinn.
* * *
The FE college reminds Somer of the school she taught at for a few months before joining the police. The same slab of concrete and glass, the same scuffed grass and plasticky shrubs, the same tired old cars that make Quinn's gleaming Audi look like a thoroughbred at a donkey derby. When they were still an item, Somer teased him once by playing that Shania Twain track about the guy who kisses his car goodnight, but wasn't at all surprised when he completely failed to see the joke. Right now, he's making a big show of parking next to a battered old Saab, and then takes an inordinate time locking up afterwards. Somer can see the looks they're getting from the students, about evenly divided between the car (boys), and the driver (mostly girls, but not entirely). And that's no surprise either. Quinn is tall, athletic and very good-looking, and he exudes confidence and self-belief. Even now, and despite what a shit he was to her after they broke up, Somer can still see the attraction. Though to be fair, he did eventually manage something as close to an apology as he ever probably gets. She's heard rumours of a new girlfriend lately too.
Quinn finally finishes fiddling about with his car keys and walks round to join her.
`So how do you want to play this?'
`I was thinking about that. How about we start with the principal to get the background, and if she's OK with it we can tell the students that we're here to talk about taking proper care on the streets. Like Fawley suggested.'
Quinn makes a face. He likes Fawley, she knows that, and the DI's had his back more than once, but Quinn's nothing if not competitive and he'd much prefer to come up with an idea of his own. A better one. As if that needed saying.
`How about we ask her?' he says. `See if there's anything that's happened here recently that might justify CID turning up out of the blue. Drugs or something.'
And she has to admit, that is actually a rather better idea.
She looks around for a sign to the offices, but Quinn forestalls her.
`Don't worry,' he says. `I'll ask someone.'
Five minutes later she's following Quinn and a student up the stairs towards the principal's office. They're taking the stairs because that will take longer and the student Quinn asked for directions just happens to have long blonde hair, a very short skirt and an apparently limitless readiness to be immensely impressed with anything Quinn says. He's already talked her through two murder cases Somer knows for a fact he barely worked on, but she's not about to rain on his charade. She just hopes the new girlfriend knows what she's letting herself in for.
* * *
Interview with Neil Mullins, conducted at St Aldate's Police Station, Oxford
1 April 2018, 4.15 p.m.
In attendance, DC A. Asante
AA: Thank you for coming in, Mr Mullins. Hopefully this shouldn't take too long.NM: It's OK. It's on my way home anyway. How is she `“ the girl?AA: She's very shaken up. We're still trying to find out exactly what happened. That's why we wanted to talk to you again. See if you remember anything else. Something you might not have mentioned before.NM: Not as far as I know. It was like I said on the phone: I saw her walking ahead of me on the side of the road. Well, not so much walking `“ staggering really. That's why I thought she was drunk.AA: She had her back to you?NM: Right. I was heading towards Marston and she was near the turn for that pub `“ the Victoria Arms.AA: That's a long way from any houses, isn't it? Didn't that seem odd to you?NM: Yeah. I suppose it did. That's why I slowed down. That's when I noticed.AA: Noticed what?NM: The state she was in. Crying `“ make-up all over her face, clothes all torn. I thought she was bleeding to start with but I realized after that it was just mud. It was all over the bloody car.AA: What was she wearing?NM: Don't you collect people's clothes after something like this? They always do that on the telly.AA: It's just for the records, Mr Mullins. You know what it's like.NM: Tell me about it. I used to spend half my life on bloody paperwork `“ that's why I switched to the cabs `“AA: The clothes, Mr Mullins?NM: Yeah, right. Sorry. Some sort of blue jacket. Denim, I think. A white top underneath but I couldn't really see much of that. Those sandal things, like I said. And a short black skirt.AA: Did she have a handbag `“ any sort of bag?NM: No. Definitely no bag.AA: What happened when you stopped?NM: I leant across and asked her if she was OK `“ if she needed any help. Pretty bloody stupid question `“ I mean, of course she wasn't OK `“AA: What did she say?NM: She sort of staggered towards me and asked if I could take her home.AA: But she didn't mind getting into your car? She wasn't frightened of you?NM: I suppose it being a cab and all that, she thought it was OK. And to be honest I think she was more concerned about getting the hell out of there. Though she wouldn't get in the front with me `“ she'd only sit in the back. And she had the window wound all the way down even though it was bloody freezing.AA: So she could call for help if she needed to?NM: I suppose so. I hadn't really thought about it.AA: Did she say anything at all about what happened?NM: No. I mean, I didn't like to `“ you know `“ be too pushy. I said I was taking her straight to the cop shop and she started panicking and saying no, she didn't want anything to do with the police, and then I said the JR then, but she didn't want the hospital either. So I just took her where she said she wanted to go.AA: Rydal Way?NM: Right. I thought afterwards that it must have been why she was walking that way. She was trying to get home.AA: And was there anyone there when you got there? Anyone in the house?NM: Dunno. She went round the back.AA: You didn't mention that before.NM: Sorry. I didn't think it was important.AA: You said before that she didn't have a bag with her. Could she have had her keys in her pocket?NM: I suppose so, I didn't really think about it.AA: But you definitely think she was able to get in?NM: Oh yeah. She said she could go and get me some money if I waited but I said it was fine. She didn't need to pay. She was crying, when she got out. Poor little cow.* * *