“Well maybe someone told her.”
Mike shook his head. “Why would they do that after all these years? It’s tempting to look for some conspiracy, but if you ask me, you were closer to the truth with your first guess. I’d say Mia Bradshaw got mixed up in something unpleasant, and she’s either trying to run away from it or it’s driven her to suicide. Of course, there’s always the possibility she simply couldn’t bear the death of her friend.”
Now it was Julian’s turn to shake his head. “There’s something going on in this town. Deborah Bradshaw, Susan Carter, Joanne Butcher and now Mia Bradshaw. That’s four fifteen-year old girls who’ve gone missing from around here in the last fifteen years.”
“Susan Carter.” Mike looked at Julian curiously. “That’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time. What makes you mention her?”
Thinking about the dreams, Julian struggled to maintain eye contact with him. “My grandma was a clairvoyant. She tried to help her parents find her.”
“Yes, I know. I just don’t see how Susan Carter’s connected to this.”
“Her body was never found, right. What if that’s because she ended up in the river, too?”
“Hang on. Let me get this straight. You’re suggesting somebody around here’s killing girls and dumping them in the river?”
“Maybe they are.”
“And Joanne Butcher’s death wasn’t an accident either, right?”
“Well maybe it wasn’t.”
“You’re making connections where none exist, Julian. If there was even a hint of a connection between Susan Carter’s disappearance and the other three, don’t you think the police would’ve spotted it?”
“Maybe they have.”
“What the hell does that mean?” A crooked smile tugged at Mike’s mouth. “Oh, I get it. The police are in on it too.”
“Well Tom Benson didn’t seem all that interested when I went to him about Mia.”
“Hey, maybe the root of it goes even deeper than the police. Maybe half the town’s in on it as well.” Mike’s voice was heavy with sarcasm.
“I know I sound paranoid, but I’m just trying to make sense of all this.”
“What if there is no sense to be made of it? Bad stuff happens, Julian, especially to vulnerable kids like Deborah and Mia Bradshaw and Joanne Butcher. It’s hard to take, I know, but that’s the way it is.”
Heaving a breath, Julian put his head down and closed his eyes. “You’re probably right, I’m probably reading way too much into this. Truth is, I don’t know what to think. My mind’s going like crazy.”
“I know I’m right. I’ve been reporting the news in this town for twenty-five years. And believe me, whether it be the work of a lone predator or a whole conspiracy of them, if someone was doing the things you say, I’d have got wind of it.”
Julian thought about Tom Benson. He’d been certain of his rightness, too. “What if you’re wrong though?”
Contemplating the possibility made Mike reach for his cigarettes. He sparked up, took a drag, and looked at Julian gravely. “In that case, you should get out of town today, go back to university, go travelling for a while, whatever. Just put some distance between yourself and this business.”
Julian sat silent a full minute, brow creased. He shook his head. “I can’t.”
“But what can you do to help Mia?” said Eleanor.
“I don’t know. All I know is I can’t abandon her.”
“You’re going to get yourself in serious trouble, Julian, maybe hurt even worse than you already are.”
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t matter anymore.”
“Yes you do,” Eleanor shot back, her eyes shimmering with barely contained tears. “You matter to your parents, and to me.”
Julian looked at her apologetically. “I’d better go. Thanks for your help.”
Eleanor lowered her gaze from his. He continued to stare at her a moment, knowing suddenly and with absolute certainty how wrong he’d been to leave her. Then he headed for the front door. Mike followed him. “A piece of advice Julian, don’t go repeating what you’ve said here to anyone.” His voice dropped. “And do me a favour, as long as you’re going to be involved in this — whatever this is — keep your distance from Ellie, will you?”
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Julian assured him. “I only came here tonight because I needed her help.”
Mike reached for a pen and paper, and scribbled down his mobile number. “Well, if you need any more help, or you just want to talk, or whatever, you can reach me on that number anytime.”
“Thanks.”
A look of concern came into Mike’s pale eyes. “And for Christ’s sake, Julian, be careful. You may not care much about yourself right now, but there are a lot of people around here who’d suffer if you did something reckless.”
Julian thought about his mum. He nodded. “I will be.” He returned to his dad’s car and drove home.
Chapter 13
The instant Julian pulled into the driveway, his dad stormed outside with rage in his eyes. “What the hell do you think you’re doing taking my car without asking?” he yelled as Julian got out of the car.
“I needed it.”
“For what?”
“There was something I had to do. I’m sorry.”
“You’re not bloody sorry,” spat Robert. “You’re a selfish little shit, you always have been. You don’t think of anybody but yourself. What if your mum had taken ill and needed rushing to the hospital? What then?”
Letting out a sigh, Julian handed over the car keys and made his way past his dad into the house. Robert stamped after him. “Don’t you dare walk away from me.”
Julian’s mum and Wanda watched from the kitchen doorway. Christine looked as though she didn’t know what worried her more — her son’s pale bruised face, or her husband’s furious purple face. Putting his head down, Julian headed for his bedroom. Robert grabbed his arm and yanked him around to face him. “I said don’t walk away from me.” He thrust his face toward Julian’s. “I’ve asked you several questions, and you’ve answered none.”
“Let go,” said Julian, a tinge of colour rising to his cheeks.
Robert jabbed a finger into his breastbone. “Not until you’ve answered my questions.”
“Let fucking go.”
“No. I’m sick of your games, Julian. We’re going to get to the bottom of all this right here and right now.”
Julian clenched his fists, his eyes set hard, mirroring his dad’s. For a full thirty seconds, they stared at each other. Then Julian brought his fist down on his dad’s hand, knocking it away. Robert’s eyes widened, more in shock than pain. Turning, Julian made for his bedroom again. With a cry of indignant fury, Robert lunged after him. Julian tried to dodge his grasp, but his dad caught hold of his t-shirt. The two of them staggered and toppled over. The breath whistled between Julian’s teeth as he hit the floorboards. Winded, he twisted and vainly tried to shove his dad, who was several stones heavier than him, away.
“Answers,” Robert shouted.
“Fuck you,” Julian shouted back.
“Stop it,” said Christine, her voice shrill and quivering. “Stop it, stop it, stop-” She choked off suddenly and her head slumped back, teeth clenched, body taut and shaking.
“Christine,” Robert gasped, scrambling across to his wife, holding her arms and legs steady while Wanda cradled her head.
“Phone an ambulance,” Wanda told Julian.
Heart going like crazy, he jumped up and dashed off to breathlessly do so. He’d seen his mum have seizures before. Most lasted only a few minutes, and passed without causing lasting harm. There was always the chance,
