As for Mason, he lives in an area that’s basically one step up from the caravan park. The houses are all bungalows. Not even bungalows, really. I don’t know what you call them. They look like the classrooms on the field at school – the temporary ones, the teachers call them, even though they’ve been there since the 1980s.
When we got there Mason’s dad was round the side of the house. I couldn’t see what he was doing, but whatever it was he didn’t seem to be enjoying it, because he was just standing there with his hands on his hips. Then again, Mason’s dad isn’t the kind of person who seems to particularly enjoy anything. Mason can’t stand him. He blames his dad for his mum leaving home. Which from what I’ve heard is probably fair, to be honest, because he drinks, he doesn’t really work, he’s basically what my mum would call a –
Don’t tell him I told you this, will you? Please? I’m just trying to be honest, that’s all. And he hates me enough as it is.
Because I’m brown, obviously. Why else?
Anyway, we managed to slip past him, and Cora was the one who knocked. Luke was hanging back, and Abi was holding his hand. I stood off to one side. In the end we had to bang on Mason’s window, because it turned out he had his music on.
He came out a minute later. Black jeans, black T-shirt, white earbuds dangling around his neck. It was no wonder he hadn’t heard us – I could hear the drums from where I was standing. I heard my mum’s voice, then, from the day she threw my headphones in the bin. They’ll make you deaf, is what she said. But I know what bothered her really was not being able to tell what I was listening to.
‘Hey,’ said Mason, sort of suspicious. It struck me that it was the first time we’d all been together since day one, since the day Sadie went missing. I’d seen Cora, and Abi, and Luke once, but not at the same time, and I hadn’t seen Mason at all. And it turned out later that Mason had been on his own the entire time.
‘Hey,’ Cora said back. Me and Abi nodded. Luke didn’t say anything. He only moved to let go of Abi’s hand.
‘What’s up?’ Mason said, into the silence. He looked at me, Cora and Abi in turn, and then his eyes locked on Luke’s.
Luke stepped forwards then, and I suddenly had a feeling that it was a huge mistake. Mason, the search party, everything.
But Luke surprised us all, I think. He said, ‘We’re forming a search party. For Sadie. Wanna come?’
Just like that. Just like we were asking Mason if he wanted to hang out at our old base.
Mason didn’t answer right away. He looked at us, at our bags, at what we were carrying. At the sky, I think, and then over our shoulders towards the woods. And then he looked at Luke.
‘I’ll pack my stuff,’ he said. And he went back inside. And I guess that’s when he decided to get the knife.
Cora
What do you think?
No, I didn’t know he had a knife. Obviously. Do you think I would have gone with him if I had? Into the woods. At night. With nobody else around. Or thinking there was nobody else around, anyway.
Of course I wouldn’t have. None of us would.
I keep, like …
I keep seeing it. You know? Just, like, flashes. Out of the corner of my eyes. I even dreamt about it. Last night. It was in my hand and I couldn’t let it go.
And then, afterwards, the way it was just lying there. Just … fucking … just lying there. All covered in … in …
Fuck.
I need a cigarette. I’m sorry but I do.
I’ll tell you one thing first, though. Mason deserves everything that’s coming to him. And you can tell him I said that, by the way. I don’t even care any more. I don’t. I can’t believe I ever did.
To think I slept right next to him. And all the time his rucksack was just right there. He even used it as a pillow. And maybe his hand, the entire time, was holding the knife. I keep imagining him in the middle of the night, touching the knife against my throat. Watching me. Deciding. I keep imagining him using that knife on Sadie.
Mason
I told you, I’m not going to explain myself to you. Not again. Not any more. Just ask yourself this: what would you have done? I knew I was innocent. I knew I hadn’t killed Sadie. But if it was true what everyone was saying, that basically meant someone else had. And as far as I knew, that person had just turned up at my house, asking me to come for a little walk with them in the forest.
So go on. Tell me. What would you have done?
DI Robin Fleet
‘Sir? They’re here.’
Fleet nodded to the uniform who was poking his head through the door, and turned back to the interview room table. He indicated for Nicky to stop the recording.
‘Let’s take a break,’ he said.
He led Nicky into the corridor outside. They were in the local police station, where all the interviews with Sadie’s friends were being conducted.
‘You want some backup on this, boss?’ she said, when the door had closed behind them.
‘More than anything,’ said Fleet. ‘But there’s no sense you getting caught in the crossfire. Go and grab yourself a cup of coffee.’
The DS couldn’t hide
