up on him.' She put a supporting arm through Billy's, hugging him close. 'So why didn't I they do the same with Louise instead of making excuses for her all the time?'
'It doesn't necessarily follow,' said Sasha. 'Siblings' characters vary hugely because of the different dynamics that operate inside families.' She paused to consolidate her thoughts. 'It's interesting, though, particularly as you're both suggesting it was Louise who was in control. It may have been straightforward emotional blackmail-'Lay off me or I'll run away'-or you were right at the time,' she told Billy, 'they were afraid she'd imitate Cill.' He flicked another sideways look at his wife, as if seeking permission to be more forthright. 'Maybe she had something on
'What sort of thing?'
'I don't know.'
Sasha frowned. 'You must have
Billy stared at her rather helplessly for a moment, then hunched forward and concentrated on the floor. 'It all happened together. The rape ... Cill vanishing ... Lou being questioned ... Grace's murder...' He lapsed into silence.
'We don't think it's coincidence,' Rachel put in. 'I mean, if Eileen lied about Louise going to Grace's house, then she probably lied about other stuff.' She moved her hand to her husband's back and rubbed it gently. 'It's what we want you to find out. Billy's worried there's things he was never told, and it's driving him bananas.'
Sasha watched them both for a long moment then sculpted an ironic 'T' with her hands. 'Time out?' she suggested. 'I'm quite good at what I do, but I'm not a policeman. My forte is tracking down missing people-mostly children-and I succeed more often than I fail. Murder is something else entirely.'
'It was a long time ago,' said Billy.
'It makes no difference. If you think you have information about a murder, you should take it to the police.' She closed her notebook. 'Apart from anything else, you're putting me in a difficult position. Withholding evidence is a serious crime and I can't be a party to it.'
Billy would have abandoned it there and then but Rachel gave a disparaging laugh. 'No wonder none of you has ever found Cill. How can you go looking for a girl and not know there was a murder on her doorstep a few days later? OK, I don't know how old you are, or if you were even born then, but David Trevelyan bloody well ought to have mentioned it. If it hadn't been for Grace's death, the police would have spent more time looking for Cill. Didn't he tell you that?'
'Are you saying the two events were linked?' Rachel shrugged. 'All we know is that Lou was questioned about Cill going missing, then Eileen lied about knowing Grace.' She gave Billy's back another comforting stroke. 'And we don't know why, since Lou and Cill spent time in Grace's house ... and Eileen knew it.'
Sasha pondered for a moment, then reached into her case for a file. 'I think you should read the Trevelyans' statements.' She took out a file and extracted some papers. 'These are copies of the ones they made to the police.' She passed them across. 'Jean's is a factual account of sending Cill to bed on the Friday night and waking up in the morning to find her bed empty. David's is more interesting, because it was made in response to some tough police questioning.'
She watched Rachel split the copies and pass one to Billy. 'Last night I listened to tapes of the interviews my predecessor had with both of them. They mention the names of numerous children and adults that Cill was friendly with-I have a list in here-' she tapped the file on her lap-'but there's no one called Grace and there's no mention of murder.' She jerked her chin at the papers. 'As far as I'm aware, those statements represent the limit of their knowledge.'
INCIDENT REPORT
Date: 5.30.70
Time: 0930
Officers attending: PC Lawrence Reed and PC Paul Prentice
Incident: Missing child-mother, Jean Trevelyan, interviewed at home
Mrs. Jean Trevelyan reported her daughter missing at 0917. Officers Reed and Prentice responded immediately. After taking and transmitting details of Priscilla (Cill) Trevelyan's description, the officers questioned Jean Trevelyan (mother) . She was extremely upset and not very coherent. However, she dictated the following statement and agreed it was an accurate and chronological record of events:
Cill was sent home from Highdown School yesterday afternoon [Friday, 5.29.70] at about two o'clock. She told me she'd been suspended for a week because she'd had a fight with another girl. The girl's name is Louise Burton and she was Cill's best friend until they fell out at the beginning of this month. They haven't talked to each other since, and my husband and I were pleased about it because Louise was a bad influence on our daughter.
Cill refused to tell me what the fight was about and I warned her that her father would be angry about the suspension. She lost her temper and stormed off to her bedroom, saying it wasn't her fault. I understood from something she said that Louise Burton had not been punished in the same way. As this seemed unreasonable, I telephoned Miss Brett at Highdown School and asked for an explanation. She told me Louise had said the fight started when Cill tried to persuade her to truant again, and Cill had not denied it. In the circumstances, she felt it proper to punish Cill.
The last three months have been a big worry to us. For no obvious reason Cill started truanting, and the school warned us a few weeks ago that she would be asked to leave if her poor attendance continued. She was encouraged to truant by Louise Burton, who struggles with schoolwork and finds lessons difficult. Both my husband and I have spoken to Miss Brett about moving Cill into a more challenging class. We have also asked Mr. and Mrs. Burton on two occasions to address Louise's behavior. Nothing has come of either approach.
My husband, David, works the night shift at Brackham & Wright's tool factory. At the time Cill arrived home he was asleep, and I decided to keep her in her room until he left for work at 8 p.m. I knew he'd be angry and felt it would be better to tell him about the suspension this morning [Saturday]. However, Cill was making so much noise that she woke him up. When he demanded an explanation, she swore at him and said she didn't have to say anything if she didn't want to.
Cill is our only child and David worries about her a great deal. She's well developed for her age and brighter than average, but she's easily led. We never had any problems with her until she went to Highdown School. Cill has accused David many times of being too strict, citing other children's parents as examples. She is angry that she isn't allowed to go out in the evenings or wear provocative clothing, and this has led to arguments with her father.
When she refused to say why she'd had a fight with Louise, he gave her three lashes of his belt. David has always taken the view that school punishments should be upheld and he ordered Cill to stay in her room until she was ready to explain and apologize. She went upstairs immediately and slammed her door again.
