Page 115 of Worse Than Murder

‘I’m fine. Erm, look, Alison, I was going to call you later. Do you think we can have a chat?’

‘Of course. What about?’

‘Shall we go for a walk?’

‘Okay.’

We set off for the woods. We’re plunged into a shadowy world and the density of the woodland cuts off the sounds of the surrounding village, the canopy of trees in full leaf takes the edge off the morning sun. It’s a couple of degrees cooler in here.

‘I want to ask you about the night your father disappeared,’ I begin.

‘There isn’t much to say.’

‘Will you let me try something out on you?’

‘Like what?’ she asks with a suspicious frown.

We walk out of the woods and onto the shingle of the shore.

‘This was where your father’s car was parked when he disappeared, wasn’t it?’

Alison nods.

‘I’m guessing you were on that road up there and you came down to the water’s edge through that narrow road over there.’ I point.

‘It’s the only way down to the lake.’

‘Let’s sit down here,’ I say once we’re close to the middle where I roughly remember the car being from Tania’s blurred photographs. ‘I want you to close your eyes and think back to when you were in the car on the night of the storm. Don’t think of anything else. Just concentrate on the sound of my voice and the questions I’m asking you.’

‘Okay.’

‘Take me through that day. You went to see your gran– and left early, right?’

‘That’s right. Mum said that Gran told her, because of the storm coming, we should leave after we’d had our lunch.’

‘Do you remember that?’

‘I…’ The fight to search her memory is etched on her face. ‘I remember being strapped in the back of the car and driving through the rain. It seemed dark, darker than it should have been for the time of day.’

‘Did your dad speak to you?’

‘I… I don’t know. I… Do you know something, I don’t think he did.’

‘Did he usually?’

‘He usually had the radio on. We used to sing along.’ There’s a hint of a smile on her face.

‘But it wasn’t on going home?’

‘No. We didn’t have it on going, either. Understandable, really. He’d lost interest in a lot of things since Celia and Jennifer disappeared.’ Her face tenses. The smile has gone, replaced by worry and fear.

‘The road at the top of the lake, here, was that your usual route home?’

‘No. We had no reason to come this way.’

‘Why did you?’

‘I don’t… I don’t know.’