Page 110 of Child's Play

‘But did you have to give up your own life to protect hers?’

Veronica thought for a moment, then nodded. ‘Yes, because it was all my fault.’

‘The TV show?’ Kim asked, remembering the expressions of the girls. ‘The question that ultimately changed everything?’

Veronica nodded.

‘She got it wrong on purpose?’

Veronica nodded again.

‘But why?’

When the words came they were no more than a whisper.

‘Because I told her to.’

Seventy-Nine

Penn was not surprised to see Travis waiting for him outside the police station.

He’d called ahead to let the boss know they needed to talk. Travis would want to hear what he had to say at the earliest opportunity.

‘Your face does not look like it’s about to give me good news,’ Travis said, biting on his lower lip.

Penn decided there was no way to dress this one up for his ex-boss who could feel no worse about it than he did himself.

‘There’s no doubt in my mind, guv. Gregor Nuryef is innocent. He didn’t kill anyone. We got the wrong guy.’

Travis glanced at the evidence bag and back at him without asking. Penn had swung by the morgue on his way and picked it up. The expression on Travis’s face indicated that he understood that it was of little importance now. The tee shirt would be placed back in the evidence room until the internal enquiry into the case failure had been completed and a whole new chain of evidence would be initiated.

Travis motioned for him to move away from the doorway as he began to explain everything he’d found.

‘We don’t want this getting out before I’ve informed upstairs,’ he said, as Penn’s phone rang in his pocket.

He ignored it and continued to explain what he’d learned about the tee shirt.

His phone stopped and then instantly rang again.

Travis frowned. ‘Someone wants you urgently.’

Penn nodded. ‘Sir, yes, but I think there’s something else you need to—’

‘For God’s sake, man, answer it,’ he ordered.

Penn took out his phone.

Jasper’s school.

‘Penn,’ he answered.

‘Mr Penn, is everything okay?’

‘Of course,’ he said, frowning.

‘Oh good, we just like to check seeing as we didn’t receive your normal call.’

‘I’m sorry, call about what?’