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‘But you kept it, didn’t you?’
He looks away. ‘For a bit. I was just a kid. It didn’t mean anything.’
‘Do you still have it?’
‘Doubt it. I haven’t seen it for ages.’
Ev looks at Jean, who nods. ‘I can have a look for you later. Though, to be honest, I haven’t seen it in a while either.’
Ev ploughs on, feeling like it’s one step forward, six steps back. ‘One of the reasons we’re interested in the charm is because her giving it to you, especially the day before she disappeared, makes us think she might have known what was going to happen. That sheplannedto go away. With someone she already knew.’
He starts drawing circles in the drops of condensation seeping on to the table.
‘Did you ever see or hear anything back then that might make you think she knew she was going to leave? Knowing what you know now?’
He shakes his head. ‘No.’
‘Was there anyone in her life that no one else knew about?’
‘How would I know? Like I said, she had loads of secrets.’
‘Did she have a mobile phone?’ asks Sargent, out of left field.
A reaction now; he turns to her. ‘Why do you ask that?’
‘If she went with someone she knew she must have had some way of communicating with them. Don’t you think?’
He frowns. ‘They didn’t let her have a phone. Barry and Sharon. They said she was too young.’
‘I remember that,’ says Ev carefully. ‘But maybe this other person gave her one? Do you think that’s possible?’
He looks up, pauses a moment, then seems to make a decision. ‘I think I saw it.’
Ev tries not to look too startled, worried she might scare him off. Because he never said anything about this before.
‘But you don’t know who gave it to her?’
He shakes his head; he’s looking down again now. ‘I didn’t say anything. She’d have been angry if she thought I was spying on her.’
And angering Daisy rarely ended well; at least for him. No wonder he kept quiet.
Ev’s trying to catch his eye now but it’s not working. She exchanges a glance with Jean, who gives the tiniest of head-shakes.
‘OK,’ says Ev. ‘Maybe that’s enough for today.’ She nods to Sargent and they both get up. ‘If you remember anything, you will please let us know, won’t you, Gary?’
‘I told you –’
‘I know,’ she says gently, ‘but this has come out of the blue – for all of us. I’ve started remembering things about it myself – things I haven’t thought about for years.’
He’s beginning to look irritated.
‘I’m sorry, but just hear me out. It’s quite possible this will trigger some memories – things that didn’t seem important to you back then, or didn’t make any sense. If anything like that comes back to you, especially about the phone, then please, please let us know, even if it seems trivial? That’s all I’m asking. And like I said, I’m really sorry we had to dig this up at all.’
He hesitates, then nods. ‘OK.’
Ev exchanges a slightly fraught smile with Jean, and the three women make their way back towards the house.
Gary sits there, watching them go, hearing the meaningless chat about the weather and the state of everyone’s gardens, knowing it’s designed to reassure him, to make him think this is all straightforward.