She spoke in that strange North Wales coastal accent, short clipped flat words, hurriedly delivered, occasionally quite difficult to comprehend to the English ear, inner city Welsh, as Walter described it.
‘What were you doing there?’ asked Walter.
Chloe’s eyes widened, panic style. She pulled a face. ‘Do I have to say? What do ya think? I don’t want to get Lee into trouble or anything.’
‘Why were you sagging off school?’ asked Karen.
‘To see Lee, of course, ’cos I can’t see him at night, can I.’
‘Why not?’
‘Didn’t they tell you anything about me?’
‘Why not, Chloe?’ persisted Walter.
She extended her bottom lip, shook her head, and said nothing.
‘Because he’s tagged,’ said the mother. ‘He has to be in the house by seven.’
‘Why’s he tagged?’ asked Karen.
Chloe shook her head. ‘I dunno.’
‘Burglary,’ said the mother.
‘He’s not a burglar!’ insisted Chloe.
‘He was caught ransacking the bedroom drawers in the vicarage,’ said the mother, becoming exasperated, dying for a fag.
‘So tell us, after you and Lee came out of the brickworks, what happened then?’
‘We was walking along the road up toward the station. I could see the platform through the railings, and the two guys, well I think they were guys, standing on the station. One was a big guy, really tall, in a suit, businessman type thing. The other one was much shorter, and he was standing behind the big one. Some way off to begin with. But as the train came in, he kind of crept up behind the tall guy. I thought they might have been mates, you know, and then I saw the little one reach up and push the big one in the middle of the back, just a gentle shove, and over he went, off the platform, in front of the big train that was thundering through, not stopping like.’
‘And you are certain the little guy pushed the big guy off the platform?’ asked Karen.
‘Course I am, just said so, didn’t I.’
‘What happened next?’ asked Walter.
‘Nothing, I was just so gobsmacked, I said to Lee, did you see that? That little guy pushed the big guy under the train.’
‘He was too busy trying to neck me, you know, he still had his arm round me, he was trying to give me a big thank you kiss, you know how it is,’ she said, addressing Karen, knowing she would understand.
‘What happened after that?’ asked Walter.
‘Lee said to me, “What small bloke?” And when we looked back he’d vamoosed, the titchy fella, gone right down the platform and out the station.’
‘Did you see him again?’ asked Karen.
‘Nope.’
‘Did you see him drive away?’ asked Walter.
‘Nope, though now you mention it a nice car came by, dark and shiny, I didn’t see who was inside. I think the sun must have been shining on the windows, it could have been him.’
‘What sort of car was it?’
‘Oh, I dunno, I’m not very good with cars, maybe Japanese, hatchback perhaps, yeah, I think it was probably a Japaneser.’
There was a short silence and then Walter said, ‘I want you to think very hard. Please describe the man to us.’
‘The titch?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Well, he was small, wearing jeans, I noticed that, tight blue jeans, designer ones I’d say. They fit him like a dream, he had a nice bum I can tell you that, and a sweatshirt, grey I think it was, and a blue baseball cap, but it looked too big for him, kind of pulled down over his face.’
‘Anything else?’ said Walter.
‘Yeah, he had expensive trainers, designer ones, German I think, new, blue and white, those with the three white lines down the side.’
‘Adidas,’ suggested Karen.
‘Yeah,’ smiled the girl. ‘That’s the one.’
‘What else?’ asked Walter.
‘That’s about it.’
‘Was he a white man?’
‘Oh yeah, definitely.’
‘Hundred percent certain?’
‘Deffo.’
‘Would you recognise him if you saw him again?’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t think so; it all happened so quick; I didn’t see that much, and not much of his face.’
‘Think carefully,’ said Walter, ‘was it a man, or was it a woman?’
‘Before you said, like, I was sure it was a man, never occurred to me it might not have been. But now that you say different, well I’ll tell you this, there’re loads of girls at school who’d kill for a bum like that. It could have been a bitch, it really could.’
Walter glanced across at Karen.
She frowned and shook her head, evidently nothing to ask.
‘What did you do then?’ asked Walter.
‘Lee took me home in his old banger.’
‘You didn’t think to tell the police?’
‘I wanted to. I said to Lee, I think we should tell the police, but he said he didn’t see anything, he thought I was making it up, he thinks I am a bit scatty as it is, and he said it was best not to get involved with the cops. So I didn’t, and then I saw you on the telly, like, and I said to me mum what I’d seen, and she said we should get in touch.’
They all looked at mum, and mum nodded and looked pleased with herself.
‘Will you excuse me a moment, I need the Gents,’ said Walter, and he left the room.
He went and found Dai.
‘This Lee character, what’s he like?’
‘A complete waste of space.’
‘Would you mind if I had a chat with him, put a bit of pressure on him?’
‘Be my guest. You’d be doing me a favour. Do you want me to pick him up?’
‘That would be perfect, oh, and can you make sure the girl doesn’t see him?’
‘Sure.’
Walter went back inside.
The girl was examining her painted nails. The mother was yawning. Karen was checking her text messages.
‘Thought of anything else?’ Walter asked the girl.
‘Yeah,’ she said, pulling herself across the desk, looking Walter straight in the eye. ‘Is there a reward? You said on the telly there was a reward.’
Karen grinned and said, ‘If your evidence results in someone being prosecuted, you may be entitled to a proportion of any reward. But it’s unlikely, don’t hold your breath. But if
