“Besides,” said Nicky, wincing as she sipped from her own mug, “not even the good stuff could improve the taste of this shite.”
Fleet gave half a smile. He was staring vacantly at the liquid in his cup, his mind already back on Sadie. I hope she haunts you . . .
“Do you know he barely mentioned his son?” he said.
“Luke, you mean? Or Dylan?”
That was one of the things he’d learned to appreciate most about working with Nicky. She could follow his non sequiturs almost as well as Holly could.
“Either. Both. For Ray Saunders in particular, it was all about Sadie. He didn’t even ask what was happening out in the woods.”
“But that’s been the theme,” said Nicky. “Hasn’t it? Of Sadie’s entire life, from what we’ve gathered. Sadie’s the one they worshipped, Luke the one they tolerated, and Dylan the one they wished they’d never had.”
“Quite,” said Fleet, bobbing his head. He looked up. “There’s been no further news, I take it?”
“No, boss. Nothing from the woods, other than complaints about the weather. And nothing from the river since they found Sadie’s jacket.”
Fleet sank again into his thoughts. “What have we got, Nicky?” he said, after a moment.
“Boss?”
“With the case. Give me your take.”
Nicky exhaled. “We’ve got a search area the size of a small country, a bunch of guilty-looking teenagers telling us stories, the superintendent breathing down our necks, and a press like a pack of wolves—not to mention a town that’s decided we dropped the ball. At best, we’re guilty of incompetence. At worst, there’s blood on our hands.”
A mouthful of coffee caught in Fleet’s throat. It was nothing to do with the rancid taste.
“Jesus, Nicky. You’re really not into sugarcoating things this afternoon, are you?”
Nicky shrugged. “You asked, sir.”
He had, it was true. And they both knew what he’d really been fishing for. To Nicky’s credit, she’d done him the favor of not mindlessly regurgitating what Fleet so transparently wanted to hear. That they were on the right lines. That he wasn’t responsible. That he hadn’t fallen into the trap of using current circumstances to try to wash away the past.
Plus, that they weren’t wasting time by trying to piece together different strands of the same story when they already knew how it ended.
“Would you do something for me, Nicky?” Fleet said. “All these rumors that have been flying around online. Round up any extra pairs of eyes you need, and see if you can find out where they originated.”
“The rumors about Sadie, you mean? Or Mason?”
“Forget about Mason for the time being. There was always going to be gossip about his involvement.” No thanks to us, Fleet didn’t add. “But the rumors that were floating around about Sadie before she went missing. And the more recent ones about her parents—the inference of sexual abuse.”
Nicky showed her curiosity. “Do you think there’s something in them? I thought we’d discounted those stories already? There’s nothing in Sadie’s history to suggest even the slightest possibility of sexual abuse. No strange behavior, no teachers or other parents who claim to have had concerns.”
“Can you trace them back though? Find out where the rumors originated?”
There was the slightest hesitation before Nicky answered. “We’ll do our best, sir.”
Translation: it’ll be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Or mapping the infection route of a virus. Backward.
“I know you will. And one more thing. Sadie’s financials. Could you gather together any printouts for me? Bank statements, wage slips, whatever we have.”
“Sure. That won’t take long. It’s pretty thin reading.”
“No, I know. And, to be honest, I think I know the figures off by heart already.” Fleet set down his coffee.
“Are you heading out, boss?”
Fleet nodded. “Have someone take care of Sadie’s friends. Give them something to eat if they want it, all the . . . I don’t know, fizzy pop or whatever they can drink. I’ll be back shortly, but in the meantime keep them talking. And obviously make sure they know to come back in the morning. Ask, though. Don’t tell. Run it past their parents if they’re here.”
“Kid gloves. Right?”
“Right. For the time being.”
“What are you going to do?” Nicky asked him.
Fleet exhaled. “I’m off to break the habit of a lifetime.”
ABI
I’LL BE HONEST, I had my reservations from the start. About Mason, I mean. About even inviting him along. Because it was obvious you lot suspected him, and you wouldn’t have without good reason. Right? And when Luke called him a psychopath, I suddenly . . . I just had this feeling, that’s all. A bad feeling. Like, what if he was right? What if Mason did kill Sadie? I mean, he’s always had a temper. Always. To be honest, if it wasn’t for the others, I’m not sure me and him would have even been friends. But he was mates with Luke first, which meant he hung out with Sadie, which meant if I wanted to hang out with Sadie too, I didn’t really have much choice. I guess with us lot it’s always been a bit like it is in a family. Like, the way you don’t get to pick. I mean, don’t get me wrong. Mason can be funny and everything, and he’s the most loyal person I’ve ever known. But at the same time, he can also be cruel. To me, because I can tell he thinks I’m stupid. To Fash, because he’s always so nice. Plus, Mason’s always been so intense, you know? About music, for example. Or films. Me, I like to watch a movie without having to think about it. But Mason has to analyze them frame by frame. He pauses them and rewinds them and watches them over and over. And with Sadie, when Mason talked to her, he always had that same expression in his eyes, just as though he was talking about his favorite movie.
So, yeah, I wasn’t sure about asking Mason along. But Cora was all like,
