‘They might be right.’
‘Oh?’ uttered Janice.
‘Well we can’t be sure of that,’ started Cori in response to Jeff, but let his wife speak,
‘I take it there are no confidences left around this table?’
It wasn’t the police Louise Wheelwright looked to for confirmation of this but rather Janice, the social worker, who shook her head.
‘Then I can tell you that I’ve just come back from seeing Esther and Maisie — that’s Esther’s mother,’ she added for the detective’s benefit. ‘I can confirm to you first of all that Esther is fine and perfectly safe.’
There was a general sigh of relief around the coffee table.
‘However, I’m not sure the Inspector’s theories are too far fetched. I spoke with Maisie in private, and she confirms the girl arrived, entirely unexpectedly, late on Monday evening — it’s a good job there was somebody in. She was in floods of tears until the early hours, when they could finally put her to bed. She must have been exhausted, as she slept till nearly noon; after which they were able to speak more calmly.’
‘And what did they say?’ asked Janice for the group.
‘Well, Maisie said that after they’d gotten over Esther’s apologies to her, and to us, and to her teachers for missing her lessons, and that all that was out of her system, then Esther turned to Maisie and asked her quietly, “Do you know Stella Dunbar?”’
‘And how did Maisie answer?’
‘Well, Maisie told me that she didn’t, except to ask Esther the same question back? Obviously she’d never heard of this woman, except in passing if Esther ever mentioned something that she learnt in one of her after- school lessons.
‘Anyway, we were on the phone to Maisie off and on all that day, and so she asked me in turn, “Who is Stella Dunbar?” And I told her she was Esther’s tutor, no more and no less; and that no, I’d no idea why Esther would be asking about her. By the next time I spoke to Maisie though we’d read that Stella was dead — and from that moment we’ve feared the worst.’
‘This was the conversation Esther overheard,’ added Jeff.
‘Sorry?’ asked Grey, lost now.
His wife continued, ‘Well, I learnt this morning speaking to Maisie, that when we had the conversation where I told her that Stella was dead, that Esther must have come down and had overheard us talking. Maisie hadn’t seen Esther in the hall, but when she next went up to check on her she found she was in hysterics again, and remained so for the next hour.’
‘Well, that’s good news, if nothing else is.’ Cori had, somewhat uncharacteristically, engaged her mouth before putting her brain in gear.
‘I’m sorry, Sergeant. I don’t follow?’ said Janice self-righteously, as though entertaining the mere notion of ‘good news’ in the presence of a child’s misery was evidence of the grossest insensitivity.
Grey clarified, ‘It means that Esther left town not knowing that Stella was dead. It means she wasn’t involved in the murder, nor a witness to it, hadn’t even seen the body. That, to us, is “good news”.’
‘Yes, I see what you mean. Yes, yes, quite right.’ Janice paused before continuing. When she did so she spoke with quiet authority, ‘Of course, Esther’s upset could have been delayed shock, or the unwelcome intrusion of a fact she was denying knowledge of?’
But Louise Wheelwright was adamant, ‘No, Maisie spoke to Esther about it afterward: the girl had been taken totally unawares by what she’d overheard.’
‘Well, I think the Sergeant’s right. Clearing that up is indeed a huge relief.’ This was Jeff Wheelwright, who as the fact of Esther’s non-involvement sank in himself sank further into his armchair. ‘The way you’d spoken earlier, Inspector, I thought you were suggesting that Esther might have been a witness to the murder.’
Grey answered, ‘We feared she might; are glad she’s not.’
But Janice counselled caution, ‘I still don’t think we can rule out the possibility that Esther saw or heard something: children, even teenagers — even adults — can deny all sorts of things to themselves; sometimes for just long enough to deal with the trauma they cause, sometimes for a lifetime. There are people out there walking the streets who’ve seen all sorts of things and will never tell.’
Despite Janice’s best efforts, Grey was reassured by what he’d heard here this afternoon. There was still though so much ground still to cover,
‘We’re still missing a lot of the background here: who is Esther and who is her mother?’
Janice answered, ‘Esther is the product of a broken home. Her father didn’t want her, and her mother couldn’t look after her. Sorry to be so blunt, but there we are.’
‘Hence why she lives here?’
‘The Wheelwrights have helped with many children. They’re unsung heroes of this town.’
At last something approaching a positive emotion from the social worker, thought Grey, though he could understand now a little of her earlier angst.
‘But she’s also allowed to stay with Maisie?’
‘For short spells, and with Jeff and Louise here for Esther to come back to. In Maisie’s case what helped was taking away any parental responsibility, allowing her and Esther to meet as friends. Otherwise she is a perfectly capable woman, and I’m sure a capable mother again some day.’
‘But why move Esther here? Wouldn’t moving towns unsettle her even more?’
‘No, Esther is a Southneyite, it’s her mother who moved towns when she married, going back to stay with her own mother back in Leicester after the marriage broke down.’
‘So Esther has other family in Southney?’
‘None that she’s in contact with.’
‘And who is her father?’
Janice looked downcast, ‘I’ve never met him. Maisie will have nothing to do with him, won’t even have his name mentioned. They don’t use his name or accept any support from him — not that any has ever been offered. Strictly speaking she should have registered with the Child Support Agency, but the mere suggestion brings her out in boils. And on that note, I think any further questions of Maisie’s marriage should be answered by her; though please be mindful of the trauma that woman suffered: her husband abandoned her; and by extension Esther. The girl grew up in a battlefield, Inspector.’
‘But do you remember her father’s name?’
‘Not off the top of my head, sorry. My caseload alas is not a light one. There are just too many names.’
‘But you’ll have it on file?’
‘I’ll find it for you as soon as I’m back in the office.’
‘Tonight?’
She nodded. ‘Now I should make plans to go and see them right away.’ Janice moved as if she were getting up to leave that minute.
‘I don’t think that’s the best idea,’ counselled Louise Wheelwright. ‘She’s with her mother and we’ve spoken before of their need for quality time together.’
‘That is true,’ conceded Janice, ‘especially as they get on so much better now. Of course children often do, when they begin to see visiting their parents as a rare treat and not an everyday, and oftentimes aggravational, experience.’
Cori and Grey shared a look, he saying,
‘Well, whoever else is going to Leicester tomorrow, we certainly need to speak to her.’
‘Well, I don’t know about…’
‘All procedures will be followed, it goes without saying.’ Even if that involves your presence, thought Grey of the woman who seemed to view him on no evidence as nothing less than the Childcatcher.
‘Anyway, you’ve no need to worry.’ This was Louise Wheelwright again, who had earlier seemed to drop out of the conversation, perhaps weary after her journey and a couple of nights without much sleep. ‘Maisie’s brother’s bringing them both back this evening.’
Grey moved forward in the chair, ‘Do you think Esther’s mother would be happy to let her speak to the police?’
‘That’s why they’re coming back — Esther wants to speak to you.’
‘Wait, this has to be done properly.’ Janice was insistent now. ‘We’ll need one of the family rooms at our
