‘Yep, it’s his first interview in three years,’ she said. ‘And his first contact with the press since he got out of rehab. He’s known to be a bit… sensitive, so it’s really important that it goes well. Hair and make-up starts at seven a.m.’
‘Have you heard his solo album yet?’ I asked Ellie.
‘He sent us a few tracks,’ she said. ‘They’re awesome.’
Dillon seemed impressed that I knew about his solo venture. Not that I cared.
He resumed scribbling away, his face intense with concentration. This all sounded like a lot of fun, but I didn’t want to get too excited. I had to remember the real reason I was in Dublin. I still had to talk to another seven people and hopefully solve the mystery of Kayla’s disappearance before I went back to Avarna.
‘You’ll be working on lots of different projects,’ said Ellie. ‘So you’ll get a feel for all the different aspects of the magazine.’
Dillon pointed to the gigantic pile of CDs beside our desk.
‘Is that…’
‘The demo pile? Yes. Paul has been away for a few days so it’s building up. That can be your first task, actually, to listen to these. Arrange them into two piles – good and bad, basically. If you need anything I’ll be in my office. Oh, and lunch is at one. Good luck!’
I sat down on the swivel seat nearest to me and Dillon sat on the other one, his leg brushing off mine as he did. Our shared workspace was a bit too cramped for my liking.
‘I’ve always wanted one of these chairs,’ he whispered, spinning round. It was obvious that he was trying to make up for earlier, but I still found him super-annoying. I gave him a forced smile.
‘Isn’t it kind of crazy that they leave this to us?’ he said, looking at the pile of demos. ‘That we get to decide people’s fate?’
‘Yep, choose wisely,’ I said, taking a CD from the top of the pile and putting on my headphones. At least if we were listening to music then I wouldn’t have to talk to him.
After two hours of bad drum beats and too-long guitar solos, however, my head was just about ready to explode. I was so relieved when Ellie opened her office door and waved at me. I took off my headphones. ‘Jacki, can you help me in here?’ she said.
I wondered what she wanted me to do. I didn’t really mind what it was as long as I got a little break from this. Dillon was so engrossed in the CD he was listening to that he didn’t even look up. I walked into Ellie’s office and closed the door behind me.
‘I’m so glad you’re here,’ she said. ‘I was starting to think they’d forgotten about Kayla altogether.’
For a second I was taken aback, but then it clicked. She was Eleanor Higgins, a name from my list. I didn’t recognize her from the party video, but then I had only watched it once. I should probably watch it again, like Sergeant Lawlor had told me to, even if it made me uncomfortable.
‘I’m Kayla’s best friend,’ she said, signalling for me to take a seat. Her desk was covered in stacks of paper and CDs and magazines. ‘Well, I suppose she has three, but I think she’s probably closest to me. Every time my phone rings, I hope it will be her.’
Unfortunately I knew that was one phone call Ellie was never going to get.
‘Do you think she ran away?’ I asked.
‘No, no way. I think she was taken,’ she said. ‘But since she went missing, I’ve heard of two girls who were held captive and then escaped, years later… not in Ireland, I know, but still. You’ve probably heard about the serial killer theory, but they haven’t actually found any bodies. So maybe he’s keeping them somewhere? Sometimes I wish we could search every house. I didn’t want to stop looking, but eventually I had to. As much as I’d like to, I know I can’t look everywhere.’ Ellie was so composed earlier, but now she looked like she might cry. She took a tissue from the box on her desk and I looked around the office, giving her a moment to wipe her eyes. The place was chaotic, there was stuff everywhere, but there did seem to be some sort of order to it. Huge cardboard copies of recent covers of
‘How long have you worked here?’ I asked Ellie.
‘I started when I was nineteen,’ she said. ‘I did a diploma in journalism, then began as an unpaid intern.’
‘It’s a really cool job.’
‘It has its moments.’ She smiled meekly. ‘Kayla would be so impressed if she knew I was working here,’ she added. ‘She’s big into photography. Whenever we go to gigs she always brings her giant camera with her.’
I suddenly remembered Kayla’s outstretched arm in my dream, handing me the photograph, and a shiver ran through me. I tried to block it out. I could recall the dream’s details so vividly, which was useful, but also unsettling. I’d never experienced a dream quite so frightening. Well, not since last summer.
‘Ellie, was there anybody at the party who you were wary of?’ I asked. ‘Anyone you didn’t trust?’
‘No, not really. It was just our friends – you needed an invitation to get in. Not that Kayla wanted it to be exclusive or anything, but her dad would only let a certain number of people into the house at any one time. Hazel’s boyfriend was manning the door, making sure nobody crashed it.’
‘And nobody did?’
‘No, it wasn’t that big a gathering. I knew every single person there.’
‘Did Kayla seem upset?’ I asked. I figured if Ellie was her best friend she’d be able to tell me what kind of mood Kayla was really in.
‘No, she was in great form. She was enjoying the party. Yeah, she was a bit quiet, but she’s like that anyway, kind of introverted. But everybody likes her. I can’t think of anybody who would want to hurt her…’
Ellie was obviously another person who didn’t suspect any of her friends. I wondered if I would know, if I would sense during any of these interviews, that I was sitting across from a killer. Probably not. After all, I hadn’t sensed who the killer was last summer; I’d only figured it out when it was almost too late. But this time I had a head start – I wasn’t going to ignore Kayla like I’d ignored Beth. I was going to follow the signs she gave me and I was going to do everything I could to find out what had happened to her.
‘Sergeant Lawlor told me what you can do,’ said Ellie. ‘I hope you can find her.’
‘I hope so too,’ I said. There was such expectation in her eyes, it made me uneasy.
‘I better get back to those demos,’ I said, wanting to get out of the office. This was particularly difficult for me. I knew Kayla was dead, but I couldn’t tell Ellie. I felt so bad for her. I didn’t know what I’d do if something happened to Nick or Colin or any of my friends.
‘Yeah, of course,’ said Ellie. ‘I hope it’s not too boring. Sergeant Lawlor said you needed a reason to be up here, so I put in a good word.’
‘No, not at all, thanks a million,’ I said. ‘I love music, so this is perfect.’
I left the office and sat back down. I listened to a few more CDs, including a jazz ensemble, who were actually really good. The time went by so much more quickly when the music I was listening to wasn’t terrible. Before I knew it, it was one o’clock.
‘See you back here at two sharp,’ said Ellie as she passed our desk. She talked to us like she had earlier, like the exchange in the office had never happened, which I suppose was necessary. Nobody else could know why I was really here.
‘Hey, you wanna go somewhere for lunch?’ asked Dillon brightly. He picked up his bag and put it over his shoulder.
‘Listen,’ I said. ‘It’s fine about earlier. You don’t have to make it up to me; I suppose you couldn’t have known that my dad is dead. But I’m entitled to be here too, you know.’
‘I know,’ said Dillon. ‘I’m really sorry. I was just nervous about starting here, and when I’m nervous I say things that I immediately regret. Let’s start over, OK? Would you like to go for lunch?’ He shuffled awkwardly on the spot.
‘OK then, sure,’ I said, picking up my own bag. ‘Where do you want to go?’
‘Do you like crepes, by any chance?’ he said.
‘Love them.’
‘Cool, follow me so,’ he said, and we made our way towards the elevator.
I took a bite out of my ham and cheese crepe. The place was packed – the waiters were calling out order
