`Who the fuck does she think she is?' mutters Quinn, none too quietly, as they make their way down the stairs five minutes later. `Talk about bloody chippy `“ she's just the head of a poxy FE college and you'd think she was the sodding Master of Balliol.'
Who is, in fact, a woman. But Somer isn't about to point that out.
* * *
`You should change those,' says Baxter. `It's not a good idea to sit around with wet feet.'
Somer looks down. If her boots aren't completely ruined after the monsoon that hit just as she and Quinn were crossing the FE college car park, it will be a minor miracle. Her jeans are wet through up to the knees and she's given up on her hair.
`Seriously,' continues Baxter. `If you're harbouring any sort of latent cold virus `“'
`It's OK,' she says quickly. `Really. I'm more interested in what you've found.'
He gives her a look heavy with `well don't come crying to me', then turns back to his screen.
`Well, for starters, Faith Appleford does a fashion vlog every couple of weeks or so. You Gotta Have, she calls it.'
Somer smiles. `Clever.'
Baxter frowns. `Come again?'
`You know `“ `њYou gotta have faith`ќ. Like the George Michael song.'
Baxter is still looking blank.
`Forget it. Go on.'
`Right. OK. So she started it last autumn, presumably when her course began. It's pretty damn professional, actually. Technically, I mean. Here,' he says, turning to the screen, `have a look.'
Posted 18.46 06 February 2018Headshot, interior, direct to camHi, everyone, welcome to my channel about fashion, beauty and style. Lots of people have been asking me about how I create my own look. Basically how I choose what things to put together. Not just the clothes but bags and shoes and all the rest of it, because we all know the details can really make the difference between looking good and looking great. So that's what I'm going to be talking about today.Everyone always tells me they can't believe that most of the things I wear are just from mainstream stores, but I always tell them it's not about how much you spend, it's about being really smart about what you pick.Full-length view, by clothes railI always start with what I call the `key piece'. What do I mean by that? Well, it's easy: the key piece is the thing you build your look around. It might be a fabulous pair of shoes like these [holds up shoes].Headshot, selection of shoes in foregroundThese are my favourites for going out in the evening `“ they're from Irregular Choice and they are just gorgeous `“ fabulous colour and really distinctive with all this lovely silver detailing. And yes, they took up a pretty big chunk of my budget but they're going to last for ages and they give me a `signature look' for the whole of the rest of the outfit.Full-length with dress on hangerOK, so this is what I mean. This dress is from Zara, and I got it a couple of months ago for £39.99. I really like the cut of it and the fabric is quite nice given it's pretty cheap. It's basically a standard LBD, though with a bit of a twist with these pleats here at the back.Full-length, modelling dress and shoesSo now you can see what it looks like on. See `“ those pleats have a great swing to them when you move. And when you add the shoes you can see it's really starting to come together. The silver on the shoes picks up the silver bits on the neckline, and makes the whole thing look way more classy. And if there's one thing that never goes out of fashion, it's class.Full-length, modelling dress, shoes and accessoriesAnd finally accessories. You've heard me say this a lot, I know, but this is so important. I really love this bag `“ I got it from ASOS and I've had it ages. I specially love these tassels, and the strap can be detached if you want to use it as a clutch. The earrings are from Accessorize and they're tassels too. Cool, right? And as you probably know, when it comes to jewellery I think less really is more, which is why I haven't put a necklace with this look `“ with the silver on the neckline, a necklace as well would be too much and probably look a bit blingy, you know?Headshot, as per opening sequenceSo, that's it for today. Hope you liked this video, and next time I'll show you how I did the make-up I wore today. And if you haven't already, do please subscribe to my channel.This is Faith, signing off the same way I always do: Look good, be kind and love who you are.`See what I mean?' says Baxter as he presses pause.
Somer nods; and it's not just the technical presentation she's impressed with. This girl has more poise than most people twice her age. `What about her more personal stuff? Social media? Friends `“ boyfriends? Frenemies?'
Baxter shakes his head. `No bloke that I can find. She does a lot on Instagram but it's all just snazzy pictures and hundreds of bloody hashtags.'
Somer smiles to herself at the thought of Baxter staring at shot after shot of on-trend shoes and brow tattoo products. She can't even remember the last time she heard anyone use the word `snazzy'.
Meanwhile Baxter is still talking. `But she doesn't appear to be on Twitter at all and the Facebook account has barely been used. Seems she's more into broadcast than dialogue.'
Somer nods. `That's the impression we got at the college too. Everyone knows her but no one knows her very well. One of the girls described her as `њnice but really really private`ќ. I just can't see her pissing anyone off enough for them to play a joke on her `“ especially one as elaborate and cruel as that.'
Baxter's face is grave. `If it actually was just a joke. Sounded a lot worse than that to me.'
Somer nods. `I know.'
`But if it really was a sexual assault, why the hell won't she report it?'
Somer sighs. `She wouldn't be the first. Not by a long way.'
They sit there a moment, staring at the girl's face on the screen. Faith is frozen mid-smile, confident, happy, self-assured. She's barely recognizable as the girl Somer saw earlier.
`There was one thing I found a bit odd,' says Baxter eventually.
`Oh yes?'
`All Faith's social media `“ the Instagram, the Facebook account `“ none of it goes back further than last year.'
Somer glances across at him. `Nothing before that? Couldn't she just have deleted the old ones and started again?'
Baxter shakes his head. `I don't think so. I can't find anything.'
Somer frowns; this doesn't feel right. `And why would she want to do that anyway?'
He shrugs. `Search me. But what do I know about teenagers?'
Somer turns back to the screen. The video must have been filmed in Faith's bedroom. Somer can see the pinboard Ev told her about, and underneath it a white side table with make-up bags and toiletries, and half-a-dozen framed photographs.
`Can you enlarge those?' she says suddenly.
Baxter flicks her a quizzical glance but says nothing. He taps the keyboard and the photos fill the screen.
`It's just a bunch of old family snaps,' he says, sitting back again. `Faith isn't even in them.'
But Somer is on the edge of her seat, staring, and when she turns back to Baxter her eyes are bright.
`Exactly,' she says. `She's not in them.'
* * *
Sasha is lying on her back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Years ago, when she was little, her mum stuck little silver stars all over it that glow in the dark. And her mum being her mum, she didn't just stick them up any old how, she did proper constellations `“ the Great Bear and Cassiopeia and the Pleiades. She got the idea from some TV programme about Grand Central station. Some of the stars have fallen off over the years, and these days Orion has to manage without a head, but Sasha still loves it. She's promised herself that she'll go to New York one day and see the real thing. It's on her list, in the back of her notebook, along with `“