All of a sudden Liam sat up straight. ‘You still there? When you see Joanne tell her she’s nuts, always has been. As if Mum’d do a thing like that. Deprive little Just of his real mother. Idolises that kid, she does. Never treated us like that when we were small – as if the sun shone out of our whatsits.’
Karen stood up. ‘Just one last question.’
‘Just one last question,’ he mimicked. ‘What is this? Hey, you’re not from the local rag are you? If you are there’ll be trouble, I can tell you that for a–’
‘No, I told you. I’m a friend of Joanne’s.’
‘Oh yes, so you said. So what’s this one last question?’
‘Who do you think killed Natalie?’
He closed his eyes again. ‘Who do I think did it? Could have been anyone. Anyone at all. Someone she met at a club, who knows? Whoever he was he’ll be miles away by now. Other end of the country. There was no evidence, see. Nothing that’d link him with the attack. Nothing that would link me either, come to that. How could there be when I was here all evening, watching the telly.’
*
Back at the house Simon was sitting chatting to Alex. Karen’s mother was upstairs, talking to someone on the extension. When she heard Karen come through the front door, she rang off and ran downstairs.
‘Well then.’ Her mother had this way of talking as though nothing could happen unless she was there to supervise things. ‘How are you, Simon, we haven’t seen you for ages?’
She glanced at Karen, making the kind of face that says I don’t know how things are between the two of you but I’m going to carry on as normal.
Simon turned to Karen. ‘I thought you’d be back by now. I just wondered if you still needed that book I lent you.’
‘What book?’ He had made something up on the spur of the moment. When they were alone he would confess that it was just an excuse to come and see her. ‘Oh that book. Hang on, I’ll go and fetch it. No, you’d better come up too in case I can’t see where it is on the shelf.’
Upstairs in her room Karen waiting for an explanation. But it didn’t come. Simon was angry, angrier than she had ever seen him before.
‘Look,’ he said, ‘I’m not going to apologise for turning up like this. If things are over between us I’d rather you said so straight out.’
She sighed. ‘I told you. I thought it’d be better if we didn’t see each other for a bit.’
‘And then? We haven’t seen each other for over a fortnight, not to speak to.’
‘It’s not that long.’ But it was. If it had been the other way round she would have felt dreadful. ‘Couldn’t we just be friends?’ she said, but even as she spoke she despised herself. It was the easy way out, she deserved his anger.
‘That’s all right.’ He was halfway through the door. ‘As long as I know where I am. And, by the way, I did lend you a book. That one on word-processing. You said you’d need it if you could persuade your father to buy you a new computer.’
‘Simon?’ It was the wrong time to ask but she had to know. ‘That girl with you and Glen – when you were flying the kite?’
‘What about her?’
‘I just wondered who she was. I don’t remember seeing her before.’
The corners of his mouth turned up but it couldn’t be called a smile. ‘She wasn’t with me if that’s what you’re thinking. Glen met her at the Sports Centre. His exercise class. I suppose you’ve told Tessie.’
‘Is there anything to tell?’
He shrugged. ‘You know Glen. She’s called Holly Fisher, works for that vet on St Saviour’s Hill.’
‘As a receptionist?’
He shook his head. ‘An assistant. Helping with the animals.’
‘Really?’ Karen couldn’t conceal her surprise. ‘I thought she looked . . . Oh, I don’t know.’
‘You’re prejudiced.’ Simon had his hand on the door. ‘Just because she was with Glen you assumed she was someone he’d picked up walking by the river. Anyway, she was a friend of Natalie Stevens.’ He snorted through his nose. ‘Yes, I thought that’d make you sit up and take notice. I don’t know why you’re so interested in the stupid case. They won’t find out who killed her now, not after all these months.’
Chapter Fourteen
According to the notice board on the wall the vet’s surgery finished at seven. That meant Holly Fisher would be coming out any minute now – unless she stayed on late, looking after animals that had to be kept there overnight. Karen had once had a rough-haired guinea pig that had lived to a ripe old age – for guinea pigs – in spite of several stomach upsets and bouts of wheezing. When it finally expired she had sworn she would never, ever have another pet. Not if it was going to die.
Busy day dreaming, Karen almost missed Holly when she came out of the building and started walking towards the main road. She was wearing a short raincoat over her veterinary assistant’s uniform and her long hair was tied back and held in place with a black ribbon. She looked older than Karen had expected. Older and rather unfriendly-looking, and just for a moment Karen decided to forget about the whole thing. But having got this far she might as well plough on.
She caught up with her and spoke her name.
‘Yes?’ Holly stopped dead in her tracks.
