‘Hello, Len.’
‘You remembered me then, Inspector.’
‘I never forget a face.’ Noble turned to raise an eyebrow but Brook ignored it. ‘How’s retirement treating you?’
‘Mustn’t grumble,’ replied Poole. ‘Still driving a Jag,’ he added, as though it were relevant.
Brook followed Poole and Noble into a small, softly lit living room where Alice Kennedy sat on a sofa next to the uniformed Family Liaison Officer already there. The petite Asian officer held a cup and saucer and balanced an untouched plate of biscuits on her lap. Her hat was on the arm of the sofa and her thick black hair had been wound into a tight bun. She looked ill at ease for some reason.
‘Constable.’ Brook nodded at her. Unsurprisingly he had forgotten her name and gave Noble the usual blank stare to prompt his DS to identify their colleague at the earliest opportunity.
‘Can I get you some tea, Detectives?’ asked Alice Kennedy, her voice taut.
‘No, thank you,’ replied Noble. ‘We have. . other calls to make.’
‘You mean the other parents, don’t you?’ She dabbed a handkerchief to an eye. ‘I heard. Those poor people.’
‘Has PC Patel brought you up to speed, Mrs Kennedy?’ asked Noble.
‘Yes. You’ve upgraded Kyle’s disappearance to medium risk because it’s been several days.’
‘That’s right. We’re widening the inquiry. We’ll be going to the college to ask questions, and we’ve circulated Kyle’s details and the picture you gave us to the British Transport Police — all the ports and airports are on the lookout for him. We also think it’s wise to email his details to Interpol as well.’ Noble tried to smile reassuringly.
‘Interpol?’
‘It’s an international Police Force, love,’ said Poole.
‘I know what it is,’ she said crossly. ‘But why?’
‘In case he’s jetted off to Ibiza or somewhere. They’ll let us know if he’s left Britain under the radar and slipped into Europe. Our border controls are not the best.’
‘No, no, no. That’s impossible,’ said Alice.
‘Why?’
‘He doesn’t even have a passport.’
Brook and Noble glanced at each other. ‘So it would surprise you to learn that Kyle applied for a passport three months ago?’ asked Noble.
Alice Kennedy looked genuinely stunned. ‘Yes, it would, Sergeant. Are you sure?’
‘According to the Passport Service.’
‘It’s something they check for missing persons over eighteen,’ said Poole, with a pompous sniff. ‘So they know the search parameters.’
‘So he may have been planning a trip.’ Alice’s face brightened. ‘I suppose that’s a ray of hope.’
‘We think it’s significant,’ said Noble.
‘But why didn’t he say anything to me?’
‘As a parent, I have to say it’s not unusual for teenagers to keep things from us.’ A shard of personal anguish infected Brook’s features for a moment but passed just as quickly. ‘And when several young adults disappear together it can point to some kind of trip — sometimes to a festival, a booze cruise, even a holiday.’
‘But it doesn’t make sense. He’s never been abroad before. We could never afford it after the separation.’
‘I was thinking of treating him after his A-levels though,’ interjected Poole. ‘I was putting something aside for him. For a surprise.’ He smiled across at Alice, hoping his assertion of economic well-being would bring comfort. She looked back at him without expression.
‘Wait — wouldn’t Kyle need his birth certificate for a passport?’ asked Alice.
‘Yours too, if it’s his first,’ answered Noble. ‘Would Kyle know where they are?’
‘Of course. I keep everything in the office in a folder. In case something happens to me.’
‘Could you. .?’ prompted Noble. She hurried upstairs to check.
Brook glanced across at Poole. When he thought nobody was watching, the former pathologist was staring at PC Patel. Noble had noticed it too. And without showing she was aware of it, Brook’s uniformed colleague folded her arms across her chest.
‘We wondered whether he’d asked you to endorse his passport photograph, Len?’ enquired Brook.
Poole broke off his examination of Patel’s body. ‘Me?’
‘Well, a family member or a parent isn’t allowed to do it.’
Poole shook his head. ‘He wouldn’t ask me. He’d know I’d mention it to Alice.’
Alice returned to the sitting room deep in thought. ‘They’re there but I can tell they’ve been taken out of the wallet.’
‘What about money? You told the other officer who called that Kyle had his own bank account,’ said Noble.
‘Yes. At Santander. It was a birthday present last year,’ said Alice. ‘I gave the officer the details.’
‘We’ve got them. But there doesn’t seem to be much money in there.’
‘I put fifty pounds in a week ago, Sergeant, but he’ll have spent most of it already,’ said Poole, shrugging his shoulders. ‘Kids, eh?’
‘Is he expecting further funds?’ asked Brook.
‘His EMA was cut but we put in the equivalent every Friday,’ said Alice. ‘Thirty pounds pocket-money.’
‘It’s a direct debit, straight from my account,’ announced Poole. Alice’s face darkened. ‘Should I cancel it?’
‘No,’ said Noble. ‘If he’s in the country, he may try to access the money. It would give us a lead.’
‘What about transport?’ asked Brook.
‘Transport?’
‘Does Kyle own a bicycle, for instance?’
‘He does,’ said Alice. ‘It should be in the garage.’
‘It’s still in there, Sergeant.’ Poole nodded. ‘I had it out yesterday. Got to stay trim at my age, you know.’
Brook answered his grin with a faint nod. ‘What about any driving experience?’ he said to Alice.
‘Not even a lesson,’ she replied.
‘I was going to-’ began Poole.
‘Len!’ snapped Alice, her hands splaying in exasperation. Len was puzzled by her outburst but remained silent.
‘What about Kyle’s mood?’ enquired Noble, filling the awkward silence that followed. ‘Maybe he was excited recently, buying new clothes, that sort of thing?’
‘No, nothing like that,’ said Alice. ‘The only thing Kyle was thinking about was his exams. He’s keen to do well. He wants to live in London eventually.’
‘Could he have gone there?’ asked PC Patel, in a high-pitched voice.
‘He doesn’t know anyone in London, so not without money, no.’
‘You told us Kyle’s on Facebook and we have his email account,’ said Noble. ‘Do you know if he’s on any other social network?’
Alice shook her head. ‘You mean Twitter? I wouldn’t have thought so. He’s just too shy.’
Brook nodded. ‘Can we see his room?’
‘Of course.’
‘Perhaps he has luggage missing.’
‘No, I told the other officer.’ She buried her head in the handkerchief wrapped tightly around her bony fingers. ‘It’s no use — Kyle’s dead. I can feel it.’
PC Patel put down her cup and placed her arms around the distraught woman. ‘You mustn’t think like that, Alice. We’re doing all we can. You’ve got to stay positive for Kyle.’
Len Poole ranged up behind Alice to put a pudgy hand on her shoulder but she shook it off.
‘Constable Patel’s right,’ said Noble. ‘And you said yourself, the passport is good news. It means he was
