Good Girl

‘Did Molly and Erin always hang out near to home?’

‘They went over to the Bennett Estate a lot. They have school friends who live there. Although they were a pair, they had lots of other friends as well. Erin was very well liked.’

‘Did she always come home on time?’ Grace remembered what Lucy Redfern had mentioned about Erin being late in.

‘Mostly, yes.’

‘And apart from the Bennett Estate, is there anywhere else she used to go frequently?’

‘It would either be across the road to Molly’s house, or they’d hang around at the shops on the estate. She was like me when I was her age. There’s nothing much to do around here. But she wasn’t a troublemaker. She never vandalised anything, nor got into trouble. Occasionally she’d come home a bit worse for wear having had a sneaky drink, but nothing I was worried about.’

The door opened and a woman with almost identical features to Sara’s came in. She wore jeans and a jumper, no make-up, her hair tied back with a band. Her eyes seemed puffy from crying. She was carrying two plastic cups, steam coming out of them.

‘Oh, sorry. I went to fetch drinks. Do you need me to leave?’

‘No, of course not.’ Allie introduced herself and Grace again.

‘I’m Anna Grocott, Sara’s sister.’ Anna passed a drink to Sara and then sat down next to her.

‘The police were asking about Erin,’ Sara told her.

‘She was a beautiful young woman and we’re going to miss her so much.’ Anna sniffed.

As Anna bravely tried to hold in her tears, Sara started crying. Anna held her until she was settled again.

Grace knew they were done before Allie even looked at her to nod. There was nothing to be gained by talking to Sara tonight.

‘Can I give you a lift home?’ Allie offered. ‘Grace will be acting as your family liaison officer. But for now, you need to get some rest. Tomorrow will be a long day for you, no matter what.’

‘When can I see Erin?’

‘As soon as the necessary tests have been carried out.’

Grace saw Sara flinch again.

‘You need to find this bastard, before he mugs someone else and causes more pain.’ Anna’s facade broke and tears rolled down her cheeks. ‘It beggars belief how many random knife attacks there are nowadays. All over a stupid phone.’

‘We’ll do everything we can to bring this to a close for you,’ Allie said. ‘Now, I just need to make a call. I’ll leave you with Grace for a moment.’

Grace gave a half-smile. Anna was entitled to her opinion, to let off steam after the death of her niece, but it was hard enough to police the people they knew who could prove to be a danger to society, never mind those who woke up one morning and went on a killing spree.

‘I wanted to mention something to you while it’s quiet,’ she said to Sara. ‘I’m afraid this is going to make the national news soon. You’re going to get a lot of local and wider news reporters and journalists wanting to hear your side of the story.’

‘Like bloody vultures, if you ask me,’ Anna pouted.

‘I’m just warning you. Things might become a little invasive. If anyone asks to speak to you, or indeed you want to give a statement, would you let us know? We can do our best to make things more comfortable. The last thing you need now, Mrs Ellis, is someone hassling you and your family.’

‘Would they do that?’

‘Most press representatives are good at what they do. But there are some less scrupulous ones too. We don’t want you speaking to the wrong people and getting hurt. So if you could field all enquiries through me, that would be great.’

‘I don’t want to talk to anyone,’ Sara said, her head bowed again. ‘It won’t bring my little girl back.’

Grace gnawed at her lip, unsure what to say. Nothing would help with the situation anyway. The family and the community had suffered a terrible loss.

EIGHT

Grace opened her front door with a heavy load on her shoulders, but the feeling of safety enveloped her as soon as she stepped inside the house. She couldn’t begin to imagine how Sara Ellis, or Molly Redfern and her parents, were feeling right now. Their grief was rubbing off on her and she needed to compartmentalise it before going back into work. She couldn’t help being emotional; would never apologise for it, but she didn’t like showing it.

She made a cup of strong coffee and sat in the conservatory while she tried to let the events of the past few hours go. Grace had accompanied Sara Ellis to collect Nat from the Redferns’, and the pain etched on Sara’s face was almost unbearable to see. Nat had clung on to her as they’d walked across the road to their own home, and Grace was glad it was too dark for any late-night snappers to catch a shot. It would be what everyone wanted to see, the grieving family. Although personal images often did the trick to sell more papers, they always felt intrusive to her.

Once she’d left the Ellises in their home, she had dressed in forensic gear and walked along the pathway to look at the crime scene. She’d chatted to Dave Barnett, who was packing up to leave. His team would resume their work at first light.

Standing in the dark while it was mostly quiet around her had felt eerie but she’d wanted to walk the path that had led Erin to her death. It helped her connect with the girl, imagine what she had been going through; make her think of things that she could ask Molly about.

As she’d tried to put herself in the victim’s head, she’d looked around. There was a house to her right, but to her left an open field. The hedges each side were thick and at least two metres tall. As she stepped along the path in shoe covers, she frowned at the tarmac. It was unlikely they’d get any footprints.

She took a final sip of her coffee while she made a mental list of what she wanted to discuss or follow up on the following morning – or rather, today – before going upstairs.

Ten minutes later, after a quick shower, she climbed into bed next to Simon. Even though it was three a.m., she knew he wouldn’t have been asleep long.

‘Hey,’ he said, a yawn following.

‘Hey. What time did you get in?’

‘About one, but I couldn’t settle.’ He put an arm around her. ‘How are things?’

‘Nothing new yet.’ She snuggled in close to him. ‘Obviously it’s dark, so we’ll know more in the morning. I hope we find out what happened soon, for the family’s sake.’

‘Me too. Teagan sends her love. Says she’ll never get used to the things you work on.’

‘Tell me about it,’ Grace humoured.

He drew her nearer. ‘I’d like to take advantage of you right now but I’m too tired.’

She pinched him playfully. ‘I’m drained of all emotion anyway.’

‘Yeah, kids get to you more, don’t they? There were a lot of teens hanging around. I spoke to a few of them.’

‘Did any of them say they’d seen either girl that evening?’

‘No. Some would have been waiting to hear so they can spread the gory news first, but I reckon a lot of them would have been friends with the victim.’ He paused. ‘Am I allowed to know which girl it is?’

‘Yes, tomorrow morning. There’ll be a press release about it first thing.’

She heard him chuckle, and was glad he didn’t push her to say more. She could tip him off, and had he not been her partner she may very well have done because as a journalist she trusted him implicitly. But there was no way she was chancing anything getting in the way of their personal lives. She had settled in Stoke-on-Trent now and didn’t want to move on again.

They said goodnight to each other; Grace yawned and closed her eyes. She had about three hours before she would have to be up. Time to switch off and get some rest.

Because she knew she was in for a few late nights.

THURSDAY

NINE

Sara was sitting on the settee, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The curtains were closed and Nat was asleep upstairs. Lucy had offered to keep him overnight but Sara had wanted him near. Besides, she knew he’d never get to sleep unless he was at home. Not after she’d broken the news to him.

During the journey to the Royal Stoke, the ambulance had pulled over at the side of a road to start resuscitation. When it was becoming apparent there was no pulse, and Erin continued to lose blood, they started on their way again. Sara had sat at the side, holding her child’s hand, feeling how cold she was as her life seemed to be slipping away. She prayed to any God that would listen, but knew in the back of her mind that Erin was losing the fight for her life. Her daughter hadn’t spoken; hadn’t shown any signs of reaction – not even when the paramedic shone light into her eyes.

At the hospital, she’d been shown to a side room while they continued to work on Erin. A doctor had then told her that despite their best efforts, Erin had been pronounced dead.

She’d stayed in the same room until the detectives came to her. They had been nice, especially Grace. She seemed a woman who understood how important it was for her to slot together all the missing pieces to the puzzle.

When Sara had been dropped off by the police in Sampson Street, she’d gone to collect Nat. Almost as soon as Lucy had opened her front door, she’d run into Sara’s arms, bringing more tears. Lucy had insisted on coming across to her house as she’d half-walked, half-carried Nat up to his bed. He was inconsolable but worn out, crying himself to sleep eventually.

Once everyone had left, it had been nearly three a.m. Sara hadn’t gone to bed herself. She knew she wouldn’t sleep, and once she was all alone she had cried, letting it all out.

Now here she was, three hours later. It was early morning and the birds were singing, but Sara still hadn’t slept. She was as wired as if she’d taken drugs. Her mind refused to switch off. Besides, waking up and realising that Erin was dead would be torture. She still couldn’t believe her beautiful girl had gone. How had she walked out of the door at seven o’clock and not returned?

She wished the day would never start. It would be full of telling people, news spreading, Erin’s name everywhere as it hit the headlines. Teenager stabbed to death in walkway. She hoped the press wouldn’t be too intrusive. Of course they would need their help but her family needed to grieve.

She recalled the times she had watched press conferences when someone had been murdered; police trying to put together victims’ last known movements, hoping to jog the memory of someone who might have seen something. She hadn’t given the families a thought once the clip had moved on to other news. Now she was standing in the shoes of every one of those families. She, too, was the parent of a murdered child. A child killed in Sampson Street, where neighbours were friendly and wouldn’t dream this sort of thing could happen on their doorstep.

Sara remembered what her last words to Erin had been as she was leaving the house; the final words she would ever say to her. She’d given her five pounds and told her not to ask for any more money that week. Erin would often run errands for her but she hardly ever saw the change if she gave her a note. She knew she spent a lot of money in the chippie on the main road. She could never understand where it all went on her tiny frame. She was such a thin girl.

Now she was a dead girl.

Sara was glad her sister had come to the hospital after she’d rung her, sobbing down the phone as she relayed what had happened. Anna and Sara had always been close. She and Sara’s brother-in-law, Mike, lived a few minutes’ drive from them and had looked after them when she and Rob had divorced. It had been hard not to have a man around the home, especially to discipline Nat, but Mike had been there for her. She wasn’t sure what she’d do without the two of them.

Usually she would look to Lucy for support but she didn’t know what to say to her. She couldn’t blame her. Tomorrow she would tell her that it was okay; that she shouldn’t feel guilty. Sara felt remorseful herself at wishing it had been Molly who had been attacked instead of Erin.

This shouldn’t affect their friendship, but Sara knew instinctively that it would drastically change everything. There would be no more Molly popping round, no more noise from Erin’s bedroom as she told them to be quiet. There would be no more trips to the cinema, afternoon tea with her and Lucy. No more foursome, mothers and daughters. No more moaning about their daughters; no more asking what they were up to, dreaming about what they would become. Molly would go on to fulfil all Lucy’s hopes and dreams. Sara only had Nat to wish and hope for now. There would always be an Erin-shaped hole that could never be filled.

Now the morning had arrived, it was going to be hard telling people what had happened. First she would have to phone work and let them know. Anna had rung Rob and he’d said he’d be there as soon as he could. She was dreading seeing him, hoping they could be civil to each other.

She went upstairs to check on Nat. He was sitting up in bed, tears pouring down his face as he looked at his iPad. Sara went to him and pulled him into her arms, letting him sob.

The screen was showing a photo of Erin messing around with Nat. It was a selfie and they were both doing exaggerated trout pouts. Despite the age difference, they had become close since the divorce. Nat was going to be lost without her.

They were all going to be lost without her.

She hoped they got Erin’s attacker soon, so they could bury her. Take care of her little girl the only way she could now: put her safely in a box, six feet under.

A loud sob escaped and Nat clung to her even harder.

She had to be brave, get through this for his sake. She could save the tears for when she was alone, hide her grief from Nat. He needed her support.

‘Why did someone do that to her, Mum?’ He spoke so softly she almost missed it.

‘I don’t know, Nat. But I’m sure the police will catch whoever it was soon.’

‘I hope he doesn’t do it to anyone else.’

The thought hadn’t struck her until then, that it might not be a one-off attack. Whoever was out there could kill another person, another young woman. She closed her eyes to rid herself of the images that thought created. She wouldn’t wish this on any parent.

There was a knock at the front door.

‘That’ll probably be Auntie Anna.’ Sara wiped at her eyes. ‘Why don’t you go and take a shower if you’re not able to sleep? I think it’s going to be a long day today. You could have a nap this afternoon.’

Nat nodded and she went downstairs to face the day with dread.

TEN

One year ago

Molly stood by the side of the road. She checked her watch – it was ten past seven. Max had said he’d pick them up at seven.

‘I hope he isn’t going to stand us up and make us look stupid,’ she said, as she looked at the oncoming traffic, trying to spot his car.

‘Max isn’t like that,’ Erin replied. ‘He won’t let us down.’

‘He won’t let you down. I can tell he fancies you.’

‘Can you?’

‘He can’t take his eyes off you.’

‘He is rather dreamy.’ Erin turned to her with a smile. ‘I can’t stop thinking about him.’

‘I hope I’m not going to be a gooseberry tonight.’ Molly nudged Erin playfully.

‘You won’t be. He’s invited us both to the party.’

‘Yeah, so he can get you all to himself.’ Molly rolled her eyes. ‘He’s into you, not me.’

‘He is, isn’t he?’ Erin giggled.

A few minutes later there was a beep of a horn and Max pulled up by the kerb. The window went down.

‘Hop in, girls. Sorry I’m late.’

They climbed into the back of the vehicle and he sped off. Aftershave and the smell of new leather filled the air. It was a comforting combination. Rap music was playing quietly.

‘What do you know, girls?’ Max looked at them through the rear-view mirror. ‘You ready to party?’

‘We sure are,’ Molly replied confidently, while Erin giggled.

Of the two of them, Molly had always been the more self-assured. From their early days she had been the leader and Erin had followed. Molly liked it that way; that she had someone to look after, and someone to look up to her. Erin would do anything for her. She was a true friend.

They drove through Hanley and Stoke, and were on the outskirts of Trentham within fifteen minutes. Just before they reached the Trentham Estates, Max turned off and drove along a road where the houses were twice the size of the girls’ homes in Sampson Street. Each one had a sweeping driveway, with the buildings set back quite a way from the road. Molly gazed at what she could see of them as they passed, longing to live in one of them and to be rich enough to afford that lifestyle. She was determined to make something of herself when she left school – she wasn’t going to be the one in her class who did nothing and expected everything for free. She wasn’t into handouts. She wanted to pay her own way.

It seemed so inviting. And quiet, not like their street. Something noisy was always going on there, often including her and Erin.

Max pulled into a driveway and Molly looked up at the house as it came into view. It was an older property which had been extended to twice its original size. A large double-doored entrance stood to the right, a triple garage to one side and at least eight windows to the other. There were several expensive-looking cars parked in front of it already. Max squeezed his in where he could.

‘Come on, girls.’ Max beckoned as he got out of the car. ‘What are you waiting for?’

They quickly followed him.

He opened the front door, the music getting louder as they all went inside. Molly tried not to stand there with her mouth open. The house was beautiful, and so grand. They’d stepped into a large hallway with several sets of doors leading off it and a staircase up to a galleried landing. Erin’s heeled shoes tapped across the marble tiles. Molly nudged her.

‘This room is bigger than our bedrooms combined,’ she whispered.

One of the doors opened and the music became louder again. The man who came out of the room was fifty at a push, with a round stomach bursting out from a white shirt, wearing a red tie and black trousers. His hair was fair and there wasn’t much of it. He was laughing at something someone else had said and then he saw them. His eyes lit up and he gave the girls a wide smile, showing a perfect set of white teeth.

‘Max,’ he cried. ‘So good to see you. And,’ he looked at them both in turn, ‘you must be Erin and Molly. Which one is which?’

‘I’m Molly.’ She pointed to herself. ‘And she’s Erin.’ Molly nodded towards her friend. ‘Is it your birthday then?’

A glance crossed between the two men. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I’m Trevor. Come, let’s get you a drink and there’s plenty of food.’

They were shown into a sumptuous room three times as big as the hallway. White walls, black leather settees, grey rugs. A glass window from floor to ceiling took over the back of the room, lights illuminating an impressive landscaped garden outside. About twenty people were dotted around, some sitting, some standing up. Men in suits, ties hanging loose. Women in short dresses and high heels. The room temperature was set to high, the laughter tinkling as much as the glasses that were being filled.

‘I’m glad we dressed up now,’ Erin whispered.

‘Me too,’ Molly whispered back. They’d discussed what to wear in great detail since the moment Max had invited them. She had told her parents there was a school disco, and Erin had followed suit. Usually they wore casual clothes and Converse trainers but Erin had insisted it had to be more than just wearing jeans if it was a birthday party.

Molly was wearing a red woollen dress that came just above the knee with three-quarter-length sleeves, and ankle boots with a block heel. Erin wore a black shift dress and a purple woollen bolero-style jacket. Her shoes had quite a high heel; Molly thought she’d never be able to walk in them, but knew Erin was after dazzling Max with her youth and beauty. Molly hadn’t seen anyone who she wanted to impress yet.

A few minutes later, they moved into another room, the colour scheme following through. Trevor had been true to his word and they were each holding a glass of wine. A woman was circling the room topping up drinks whenever someone emptied theirs.

‘What shall we do?’ Erin asked Molly as they hung around the edge of the room.

‘I don’t know.’

‘There are lots of people here.’

‘Everyone seems so much older than us.’

‘So you might get an older man too,’ Erin giggled. ‘Any of them take your fancy?’

Molly glanced around the room. ‘Not really. Where did Max go?’

‘He said he had to speak to someone and then he’d be right back.’

‘Do come and mingle a little, ladies,’ Trevor said, beckoning them over. ‘I know you’re shy but we don’t bite.’

They sat down either side of him and he put an arm around each of them. Molly wasn’t particularly comfortable with it; she could sense that Erin had her doubts too. But Trevor removed his arms after a few seconds as someone brought him over a drink.

Molly glanced around the room. Erin was right about the men being older but most of the women were a lot younger, like them.

Max came over with a plate of food. ‘Anything?’ he asked, handing it to them.

Molly took a piece of ciabatta bread and scooped up some of the tomato dip. Erin did the same.

When someone shouted Trevor over, they sank down in the gap he left. They giggled.

‘Lovely house, isn’t it?’ Max perched himself on the arm of the settee. ‘Want me to show you around?’

Molly took this as her cue to help her friend. ‘I’m fine here. Why don’t you go, Erin?’

‘Okay,’ Erin smiled up at Max.

Max extended a hand and helped Erin off the settee, then led her through the crowded room. Erin secretly threw Molly a thumbs up with her free hand, and Molly stifled laughter. Earlier on Erin had been nervous about Max not turning up and now she was eager to get him alone. She watched as they left the room, only then feeling a hint of envy.

‘Would you like a top up?’ The woman handing out the drinks appeared by her side. Up close, she didn’t look much older than Molly. She was tall and thin, wearing a black tube dress with her blonde hair tied in a chignon. Red lips smiled at her; sultry eyes too.

‘I’m fine, thanks.’

‘Where’s your friend gone?’

‘She’s with Max. He’s giving her a tour of the house.’

The woman nodded. ‘Well, I’m Rachel. I can introduce you to a few people, if you like?’ She topped up Molly’s glass regardless of her polite refusal. ‘Here, drink some more of this and I’ll be right back.’

Molly smiled at her and took a sip of the wine. She glanced around the room again and decided to let herself go and see where the evening took her.

If Erin could play, so could she.

ELEVEN

Lucy was sitting at the table. They’d recently had a new kitchen fitted, lots of tall units with handle-less panels in a glossy cream finish and an island that Molly always sat at. They had also opened out the room with an extension, bi-folding doors creating a sense of the outside coming in.

Today she couldn’t feel any excitement at its newness. She’d barely had an hour’s sleep and her eyes were swollen from crying. After waiting for Sara to come home, she hadn’t wanted to leave her side. Once the police had left and Molly was upstairs exhausted and asleep, Lucy had thought that Sara shouldn’t be alone. But Sara said she needed space to deal with things on her own for a while. It stung Lucy to know that she couldn’t comfort her friend; she could certainly tell that Sara’s sister Anna was hurt too as they both made their way out of the house.

She shook the thought away and took a deep breath. Poor Erin. Lucy couldn’t even say the words in her head without tears appearing. Erin had been such a huge part of their family life. In some ways it had been like having two daughters. Erin and Molly had been inseparable for so long.