by Helen Cox
‘Wildly inappropriate behaviour is your speciality, isn’t it?’
Grace smiled in spite of herself. ‘The only reason I enlisted Patrick is that I knew he’d understand the ends justified the means. He wants to find Jodie more than any of us.’
‘I’m not so sure,’ said Kitt. ‘And by the by, you didn’t just take photos of the timetable, let’s not forget the misdemeanour statement.’
‘Ah yes, but that doesn’t count. I didn’t go in there intending to take a photo of that. It was just a happy coincidence,’ said Grace, checking that Selina and her bodyguard were still in view ahead of them.
‘Not so happy for Patrick’s status as a suspect,’ Kitt said, raising her eyebrows.
‘What? But he didn’t have a physical fight with Jodie a week before she disappeared – surely your money’s on the millionaire’s daughter after everything we’ve learned?’
‘A little louder, I don’t think Selina’s bodyguard quite heard you.’
‘Sorry,’ Grace said, lowering her voice. She hadn’t realized she’d got so loud.
‘Your theory holds true only so far. If he happened to like Selina back he could have taken the opportunity to get rid of Jodie for good so they could be together. I can’t think that Patrick would mind dating a millionaire.’
‘Surely he wouldn’t need to make Jodie disappear, he could have just ended things with her. They weren’t married yet.’
‘No, but maybe Patrick was too cowardly to break up with her, so Selina arranged for Jodie to be expelled by planting drugs in her locker. In that case, if Jodie sussed what they’d done, then that would be motive enough to make her disappear.’
‘I’m sorry, you’re wrong. I just don’t believe that he’d do that,’ said Grace.
Kitt narrowed her eyes. ‘What happened between you and Patrick last night?’
‘Nothing . . . well, nothing that wasn’t in the spirit of good old-fashioned undercover work,’ said Grace. ‘I just know he’s not guilty.’
‘I hope you’re right,’ said Kitt. ‘But I still think you should prepare yourself for the possibility that he’s not giving us the whole story.’
Not wishing to discuss this any further, Grace decided it was time to change the subject. Kitt was a good friend and she didn’t want to have a falling-out with her over this. They’d have to just agree to disagree about who the chief suspect was right now. ‘Look, they’re heading into the cafeteria, that’s useful. We can sit nearby and then when the time is right, make our move.’
Keeping plenty of distance between themselves and the subject, Grace and Kitt entered the main cafeteria, which was panelled with dark wood and set up with long tables that stretched almost the width of the hall. The pair headed straight for the serving stations and picked up a few items that would help them look more natural but that they could also shove in their pockets if they needed to move quickly. They then found seats on the table a couple of rows down from Selina. They watched her chatting with her friends while her bodyguard stood near the end of the table. Before seeing Selina’s bodyguard in the flesh, Grace had thought it would be just a matter of pinpointing Selina’s whereabouts based on her timetable and then politely approaching them, explaining the situation and their desire to strike Selina off the suspect list.
One look at Selina’s bodyguard in person had meant an abrupt end to that idea and a plan B had to be quickly formulated. The bloke was at least eighteen stone of pure muscle. He seemed almost as broad as he was tall and was the kind of chap you looked at and wondered if even Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson could beat him in a fair fight.
For all Grace knew he was a perfectly reasonable fellow but, given how his narrowed eyes seemed to be assessing each and every individual in the room with almost Terminator precision and objectivity, she didn’t fancy trying her luck.
‘Did you manage to check into Berkeley’s alibi?’ Grace muttered to Kitt. The last thing she needed was somebody on a nearby table overhearing their conversation and sending the Venerable Bede’s rumour mill into overdrive.
‘Yes, she was telling the truth.’
‘Well, what about Lowenthal?’
‘I followed that up too,’ Kitt said with a sigh. ‘Both of them check out.’
‘And given that you’re here with me rather than following a DI around, I take it you didn’t get an invitation to join the investigation down at Durham police station?’
‘Yes, thank you, Grace. You don’t have to look quite so smug about that. I may not have been asked to consult but the police have reopened the investigation and are making a fresh appeal for information. I’m supposed to share anything we find that might prove useful to them. It’s all pretty one-way although DI Thompson, who Halloran spoke to, said if they did get a major break they’d let us know, and to be fair he did disclose one unusual thing about their tests on the rags in the outhouse.’
‘What’s that?’
‘The rag we singled out had large quantities of limestone dust on it.’
‘Limestone? What’s that used for?’
‘Name anything in your house and it’s probably got limestone in it somewhere – glass, tiles, the list goes on. But this was in raw form, powdered – almost like a dust, according to the police tests.’
‘Is it so surprising that they found it in a builder’s outhouse then? Surely if he’s working around houses he must come into contact with limestone sometimes.’
‘We’re not sure,’ said Kitt. ‘There’s a chance it could have rubbed off Kenneth’s clothes or equipment but the police questioned him about every substance they found and the only one he couldn’t account for was the limestone powder on the rag. He said he uses that outhouse to store wood and tools but all raw materials are usually kept on site wherever they’re working.’
‘Are we taking Kenneth’s word? I mean, evidence relating to a missing girl has been found in a building he owns.’
‘He’s been questioned and Halloran says the police will scrutinize his bank and phone records to make sure he hasn’t got a connection with the victim. Apparently he did come up with an alibi when he checked his paperwork and bank transactions from last year. He was doing a long-term job over in Penrith and stayed the night near there in a B&B. It’s one of those B&B’s where they lock the doors at midnight and Kenneth was in their bar when they did . . .’
‘So he couldn’t have come back to Durham and had a hand in Jodie’s disappearance.’
‘I suspect the police will be checking traffic cameras and talking to the staff at the B&B to verify he really was in that area, mind, and didn’t just lend his bank card to someone for the sake of an alibi.’
‘But it’s not looking likely that he’s a suspect.’
‘He’s certainly further down the list than Selina Grant is.’
Grace sighed. ‘It’s a pity limestone powder is such a common substance. That means even if it was left behind by Jodie’s attackers, it’s not particularly likely to help us narrow down our suspects.’
‘No, but it might be a piece of evidence that helps us prove who the culprit is later on.’
There was a pause as Kitt glanced in Selina’s direction. She was forking quiche and salad into her mouth and laughing at something one of her friends had said.
‘So, tell me more about what happened with Patrick last night.’
‘Happened? Nothing. I already told you.’
‘You told me about stealing into Ms Smyth’s office, you didn’t say anything about how Patrick was acting. Given that Selina had a fight with his fiancée over him just before she disappeared, we’ve got to keep a keen eye on him. How was his behaviour?’
How was Grace supposed to answer that question? She could hardly reply that she could vouch for his kissing skills. Kitt was cross enough that she’d used him to help the investigation along, so telling her they’d locked lips wasn’t an option just now.
‘He didn’t do anything out of the ordinary,’ said Grace. ‘He was actually against my p
lan – worried about getting chucked off his course – so if anything he was trying to be a good influence on me.’
Kitt raised an eyebrow at Grace, indicating – or so Grace thought – that such a quest was a waste of time.
‘Hang about, looks like Selina’s on the move,’ said Kitt. ‘She’s heading to the ladies.’
‘And her bodyguard is following her,’ said Grace, her voice flat with disappointment.
‘He’s probably just going to wait outside, and he can’t stop you going in there so this is probably as good a chance as any to approach her.’
‘OK,’ Grace said, taking a deep breath. ‘I won’t be long but if anything happens to the coms, you should probably come and find me.’
‘All right. Be careful. And for once in your life don’t do anything rash.’
Grace nodded but made a silent agreement with herself that given this might be the only opportunity she had to cosy up to Selina Grant, she’d do whatever she needed to do to get her attention.
Fourteen
Grace passed through the doorway to the women’s toilet, slipped her hand under her scarf and switched the two-way radio on. As Kitt had predicted, Selina’s bodyguard was waiting a few feet away from the door. Perfect. Women were somewhat notorious for taking their time in the bathroom. She probably had a good ten minutes before the bodyguard suspected anything untoward. Of course, she didn’t have a strong track record of hanging out with the daughters of internationally recognized millionaires so if she was going to find a way of cosying up to this woman, it seemed sensible to adopt a slightly different personality for the job. An undercover persona that the suspected head of a death-defying secret society might warm to.
Inside, a few girls were washing their hands and reapplying make-up in front of a row of mirrors. Grace made a show of rearranging her hair and pulled some make-up out of her bag. She was applying her third layer of coconut lipgloss when Selina stepped out of one of the stalls. Grace gave her a moment to wash her hands before striking up a conversation.
‘Oh my God, you’re like, that girl from the kick-ass YouTube channel, aren’t you?’ Grace said, looking across at Selina.
Selina offered Grace a smile that was nowhere near polite. ‘Yeah. That’s my official title.’
‘Oh, I’m so sorry, you probably get people approaching you all the time about it. I didn’t mean to bother you, it’s just, I really love what those videos stand for, you know? The freedom, the courage, the boldness. They’re totally inspiring.’
‘Really?’ Selina said. She still had a suspicious note in her voice but she’d asked a question, which was at least a sign of engagement.
‘Are you kidding? At the risk of coming across as creepy, you should know that I am like, shamefully addicted to your channel. I mean I’ll tell you upfront that I’ve re-watched some of your videos like ten times. That skydive you did in Dubai was one of the most amazing things I have EVER seen in my life. How did it feel? Must have been a total buzz.’
‘Tone it down, Grace,’ Kitt hissed into her earpiece. ‘She’s a British millionaire’s daughter, not a sorority girl from SoCal.’
But despite Kitt’s critique of her impression of a vacuous cool kid, Selina’s previously reserved body language relaxed just enough for Grace to believe she was making headway.
‘It was a hard, fast ride,’ Selina said. ‘Definitely in my top ten skydives of all time.’
‘Now you see, I haven’t even been skydiving once and you’ve got a top ten already. No wonder you didn’t scream. You were all laughs and cheers. There is no way I’d be able to handle a skydive and look that cool about it.’
Selina chuckled. Apparently, plying people with platitudes was a sure-fire way of getting them to warm to you.
‘So you’ve never done it yourself then? Been skydiving, I mean?’
Time for a bit of method acting.
‘I’ve like, always wanted to do something that wild but my parents would literally kill me if I did. The fall from the aeroplane wouldn’t kill me but they would, know what I mean?’
‘Oh Grace, really, you sound like a character from Queen Bees and Wannabes,’ Kitt said into Grace’s earpiece.
‘They’ve kept me buttoned down my whole life,’ Grace said, trying to keep her focus despite Kitt’s somewhat unwelcome notes on her performance. ‘I never get to do anything remotely interesting. What I really want is to be out chasing thrills like you. That’s why I enjoy your channel so much. Embarrassing though it is to admit it, I live vicariously through the videos you post on there. If my parents have their way, I’m never going to get the chance to do that kind of thing.’
‘Well, what your parents don’t know won’t hurt them,’ Selina said, a slow, sly smile creeping across her face.
‘My parents know everything, I don’t know how they know but they always, always find out,’ said Grace. There was no acting required at that point. She must have some kind of tell because whenever she’d been up to something her parents wouldn’t approve of they had a knack of figuring it out. Maybe she got her generally suspicious nature and love of private investigation from them.
‘There are ways of fooling even parents like them. Ever thought of trying a few things out behind their back?’ asked Selina.
‘I – wouldn’t even know where to start with that.’
‘Well, you can start small and build up to skydiving from ten thousand feet.’
‘Small sounds good,’ said Grace, suddenly concerned that if this undercover thing went too far she might find herself in an aeroplane hangar with a parachute strapped to her back. She wanted to solve the case, for sure. She wanted to find Jodie and find justice for her. But there was no way she was going to take the method acting that far. Skydiving was a hard red line.
‘You don’t have to sound so nervous,’ Selina said with a laugh. ‘You’re not in a plane now.’
‘Fine thrill-seeker I am,’ Grace said with a chuckle. ‘Knees knocking together with my feet on the ground.’
‘You’d get the hang of it. Skydiving is a lot like sex. The first time is nerve-wracking and a little bit painful. But after that you start to figure out how to make it work for you.’
‘Nice tip,’ Grace said with a nod, whilst wishing Selina had picked a different analogy. She didn’t need any reminders of her exceedingly disappointing first time.
‘Well, I wouldn’t usually do this but you seem like you could use a little nudge in the right direction. I’m having a house party tomorrow night with some like-minded people who are, shall we say, big on the thrill-seeking scene. If you’re such a fan, why don’t you come along and meet some of them? Get inspired?’
‘I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, Grace,’ Kitt’s voice warned through the earpiece. ‘She might have seen through your approach, and luring you to her house might be part of a trap. Probably best to get out of it. Say you’ve got a family dinner or something.’
‘Really?’ Grace said, ignoring Kitt’s warning – this might be their only chance of infiltrating Selina’s house: she couldn’t pass it up. ‘You wouldn’t mind having a total newbie there? I wouldn’t want to cramp your style.’
‘No, it’s cool. I know a lost girl looking for a little guidance when I see one. I was one myself once. Here, give me your phone.’
Grace obliged and Selina added her number to the contacts. ‘Text me later today and I’ll reply with the time and the address.’
‘I can’t believe this is happening,’ said Grace. ‘A party with my YouTube idol. Nobody’s going to believe it. Then again, I lead such a quiet life I think the most unbelievable thing to anyone who knows me is that I’m out at a party on a Thursday night. Let alone with a vlogging sensation.’
‘Didn’t you hear? Thursday is the new Friday.’ Selina beamed. ‘But, do me a favour, will you? Don’t tell anyone else about the party until it’s over? It’s only for people I’ve invited and I don’t want outsiders trying to crash. I keep a fairly close eye on the entry sy
stem but like to let my hair down too so it’s easier if I can count on the fact that just the people I invited will show up. You can brag about whatever craziness you get up to after the fact. Deal?’
‘I totally understand,’ said Grace. ‘I won’t say a word. I’m like, SO grateful for the invite. You know, I ran into a guy at Freshers’ Fortnight. I happened to mention how much I loved your channel and this guy said he vaguely knew you. He only had good things to say. Now I know first-hand he was right.’
‘Oh, and who was this mystery man?’
‘Patrick Howard.’
The smile fell from Selina’s face. ‘Patrick, wow. Vaguely is the word. I haven’t seen him in . . . a long time.’
‘He did say it had been a while. Someone else in the group was trying to talk trash about you but Patrick totally defended you and came down on them hard about judging people just because they’ve got money. Like anyone at Venerable Bede’s has the right to judge you on that score – you’ve pretty much gotta be loaded to come here unless you’re one of the chosen few scholarship students.’
‘Exactly. It’s pretty cool to hear that Patrick’s still got good things to say about me though. After all this time, I mean. Hey, why don’t you bring him along?’ said Selina. ‘It’d be a nice little reunion.’
‘Sure, we stayed in touch after meeting at that freshers’ event,’ said Grace, suddenly seeing an opportunity to test the waters where Selina’s attraction to Patrick was concerned. ‘Truth be told I have a little crush on him so an excuse to invite him to a party would be awesome. But only if you’re sure you don’t mind me bringing a guest? I know what you said about not wanting people crashing the party.’
Selina’s smile had only widened at the news that Grace was attracted to Patrick. She didn’t flinch or look disconcerted. Maybe she had got over him and anything that had passed between them? Or maybe she was just a very good actor. ‘No, it’s OK if I know a person is coming in advance and I’ve invited them, so don’t worry about that. Look, I’ve gotta go. My dad has me under bodyguard protection – you may have noticed the guy standing outside the door who looks like he hadn’t had a laugh since 1983.’
