by Ted Tayler
“She did nothing for me, Neil,” he said. “Most of the officers at London Road would most likely be on her like a rat up a drainpipe.”
“Did you even want children?” asked Gus, bringing Neil’s attention back on track.
“Of course I did,” said Debbie, sitting straighter in her chair. “What sort of question is that?”
“I was wondering about you and Pat Read. Were you both keen to have a family?”
“We had little choice, did we? I was pregnant with Stacey within three months of meeting Pat. My Dad was a stickler for the bloke doing the honourable thing. Pat went along with it, although it seems that he always blamed me. When we rowed in the months before he walked out, Pat said he felt trapped.”
“Did he have a case?” asked Gus.
“We always used a rubber,” said Debbie, “so, we were just unlucky.”
“We’ve heard you had a tough time with Stacey,” said Neil.
“I don’t know who told you that. Stacey was good as gold.”
“DS Davis meant during the pregnancy, and then immediately after,” said Gus.
No, I didn’t, thought Neil. It was a deliberate ploy. You suggested it in the car as we drove through Wroughton.
Debbie drew in her breath and let out a deep sigh.
“Some women sail through the nine months and pop their babies out like shelling peas. I was unlucky. I had a dreadful time of it for months, and then Stacey was a breech baby.”
“You were glad of the support that your mother could provide,” said Neil.
“We were a family. I would have done the same for Stacey if she’d lived. I’ll be there for Lucy when the time comes. Which I hope won’t be for several years yet.”
“Did your husband lend a hand?”
“Never,” said Debbie. “He was always at work. They didn’t let fathers have paid paternity leave until after Lucy was born. Not that Pat would have taken time off if they had.”
“That must have put a strain on the marriage,” said Gus.
“I was too tired to get into an argument,” said Debbie. “We battled through the next two years, and then I fell pregnant with Lucy,”
“You and Pat continued to have normal relations,” said Gus.
Debbie and Neil stared at him.
In the viewing room, Gareth Francis clicked his pen. That was worth making a note.
“Pat wanted sex every other day,” said Debbie. “I don’t know if you consider that normal. He wasn’t into kinky stuff if that’s what you’re wondering. Some days we didn’t speak to one another, but for forty minutes every other night, it took me out of myself.”
“Forty minutes?” asked Neil.
“Have you met him?” Debbie asked. “Pat’s entire world is governed by the clock. His job at Honda started his fixation; then it affected everything he did. He grew less interested in me, and he never bonded with the girls because they didn’t fit into his time-sensitive regime.”
“Did Pat have any hobbies? Did he spend time away from home, apart from for his work?”
“Not really. Pat’s only passion was for Honda cars. He has a brand new one every year, and that’s where he lavished his attention. He still does, so people tell me.”
“Your sister said he was an odd character,” said Gus.
“Odd?” asked Debbie. “Do you know anyone who carpets their garage?”
Gareth Francis clicked his pen. What was wrong with putting down old carpet? He could wipe his feet and go straight into the utility room without trailing mud through the house.
“After Pat walked out, what happened then?” asked Gus.
“I needed Vanessa to take some of the load,” said Debbie. “Mum did her best, but after Dad died, she needed time to grieve. Well, each of us did, but if the three of us spent time with the girls, I thought it was what we needed.”
“Barry walked out on Vanessa the following year,” said Neil.
“Exactly,” said Debbie, “it proved my point. The three of us had issues to get through. Stacey and Lucy helped the three of us cope with our losses.”
“Pat’s leaving wasn’t much of a loss though, from your perspective,” said Neil.
“It wasn’t,” shrugged Debbie. “I missed my Dad, and I missed the life I had before I met that freak of a husband of mine.”
“You mentioned earlier that Stacey was as good as gold,” said Gus. “Who was responsible for that?”
“We each played our part. Stacey knew right from wrong.”
“Yet she played truant from school. There’s little point denying it,” said Gus “The school head, Ms Moseley is outside, sitting with Lucy. She will confirm that fact, won’t she?”
“Stacey never stayed off school when she was at home,” protested Debbie.
“Who was Stacey with on these occasions, do you have any idea?” asked Gus.
Debbie shook her head.
“I told you I was a terrible mother,” she said, on the verge of tears.
“You were concerned about that, weren’t you?” asked Neil. “You asked Vanessa to play down the number of occasions when the girls slept somewhere other than Gorse Hill when she spoke to the detectives.”
“I had to spend less time with the girls, Mum and Nessie needed them,” said Debbie, “I just knew the social people wouldn’t see it that way. They’d claim I was negligent.”
“You couldn’t risk losing the girls,” said Gus, “even though you only saw them for a few hours a week in term time. Pat’s regular maintenance payment helped keep you afloat as long as you could keep working. The child benefit was your spending money on a night out.”
“I was a woman alone,” cried Debbie.
“Maybe, but it takes two to tango,” said Neil. “After Pat walked out, how long before you found a substitute for the two hours of fun he provided?”
“You make it sound dirty,” said Debbie, drying her eyes.
“We’ve got all morning, Debbie,” said Gus. “If you brought half a dozen men back to the house between Pat leaving and Stacey’s death, that’s six men we need to interview. If the girls came back from Mary’s, or Vanessa’s, and one of your lovers took a shine to Stacey…”
“That’s disgusting,” shouted Debbie, getting up from her chair. “She was only thirteen. I never exposed my girls to anything like that. I always made sure they didn’t get back until I was ready.”
“Mmm, that’s what we thought,” said Gus, “sit down, Mrs Read. We haven’t finished yet. Whose idea was it to give Stacey a mobile phone for her thirteenth birthday?”
“Mine,” said Debbie. “I thought it would stop her moaning that she was the only one in her year without one.”
“Mary told us she received plenty of texts and calls while she stayed at her house. Any idea who made those calls? Lads of Stacey’s age from school, perhaps? Older boys from the estate, with nothing to do except selling drugs to vulnerable schoolchildren. One of your lovers who sat in the car outside before driving home to his wife, perhaps, and saw Stacey strolling up the street. I’ve seen photos of her, Debbie. Stacey looked older than thirteen and didn’t dress provocatively. I’ve investigated cases over the past forty years where the culprit sought out exactly that type of victim. As shocking as it might sound, Debbie, that was what turned them on. So, when you leave this room, please seek out DI Francis. He’s in the next room, listening in, behind the one-way glass. I need you to give him the details of every man you slept with between the day Pat walked out and the night before Stacey died.”
“Then can I go to wait for Lucy?” asked Debbie.
“Just one more question,” said Neil. “Why was there such confusion surrounding the arrangements for that Sunday night? Mary sent the girls home, thinking that Vanessa was expecting Stacey to stay the night. Vanessa says she didn’t know she was coming to stay. Why not Lucy? The girls came as a package, based on everything we’ve heard so far.”
“Vanessa must have forgotten, I suppose. She had her moments too.”
<
br /> “So we heard,” said Gus. “What did you do that night?”
“I watched television, and Lucy was in bed by nine. She had school in the morning. I stayed up for a while. It wouldn’t have been later than eleven when I went upstairs. I had an early start in the morning. After switching off the TV, the last thing I did was remember to dig out the change for the girl’s bus fares, plus a bit extra. I suddenly remembered Stacey telling me not to forget.”
“You haven’t answered part of the question,” said Neil. “Why was Stacey the only one sleeping at Vanessa’s on that one occasion?”
“Who says it was the first time she’d done it? Stacey was becoming a young woman. Lucy was still a little girl. The two-year gap that didn’t bother them before became a chasm. Stacey felt more grown-up when she could stay with her Auntie Vanessa alone. It hadn’t happened often; I think the first time was a month after Stacey turned thirteen. You need to ask my sister what they discussed when Lucy wasn’t earwigging every word. What does it matter anyhow? Knowing every minute of what happened, or got said on the day, won’t bring Stacey back.”
“The devil is always in the detail, Mrs Read,” said Gus. “If we’re going to unmask the person responsible for Stacey’s death this time around, we need to have every piece of the jigsaw. Those tiny pieces may appear unimportant, but they’re vital in holding the completed picture together. That’s all for now. DI Francis will collect the names and contact details of those men I mentioned earlier. Leave nothing or anyone out. The more detail we have, the better.”
Debbie Read stood up and turned for the door.
“We’ll interview Lucy next, Mrs Read,” said Gus. “After you’ve finished with DI Francis, you can collect her from Reception.”
“Perhaps I should stay,” said Debbie.
“Lucy’s head teacher, Christine Moseley, will perform the duties of a responsible adult during our conversation. I’m sure you appreciate that we must give Lucy every opportunity to speak freely about her relationship with Stacey. They would undoubtedly have had secrets that they wouldn’t share with you. I’m sure you and Vanessa were the same at that age. You’ve admitted this morning that things changed after Stacey reached thirteen. How did Lucy feel getting separated from her sister? Did she know something of Stacey’s phone conversations that could prove important? If you’re right next to her, would she feel uneasy telling us something that if she’d spoken up at the time could have changed the way things turned out?”
“What could Lucy have known?” said Debbie. “Why wouldn’t she have told me?”
“Lucy didn’t want to hurt your feelings,” said Neil. “Think back to that Monday morning. You cycled off to work at Dorcan. Stacey didn’t arrive back from Penhill to change into her school uniform. When you spoke to that eyewitness near Redpost Drive, they told you she was wearing jeans and a hoodie. It was what she wore when she left you.”
“Vanessa had made sure Stacey was up and dressed ready to catch a bus across town on the other occasions, hadn’t she?” said Gus.
Debbie Read stood with her hand on the door handle and nodded.
“You weren’t there to know Stacey didn’t arrive in time that morning to change, collect the bus fare money from the kitchen table, and catch the school bus with Lucy. Lucy knew. She took the money and went to school alone. In the evening, when Stacey wasn’t at home, Lucy told you how easy it was to miss one another in such a large school. She didn’t query why Stacey didn’t return from Vanessa’s as usual. Perhaps, Lucy knew what caused Stacey to dash off to Redpost Drive? Maybe Lucy is the key to learning why Stacey moved from where she was last seen alive to the nature reserve.”
“You didn’t know your daughters as well as you thought, Mrs Read,” said Neil. “They both kept secrets from you. That’s why we should speak to Lucy without you. DI Francis will be outside in the corridor in the next ten seconds. Concentrate on his questions for the time being.”
Debbie Read resigned herself to her fate and left the room. Thirty seconds later, Christine Moseley ushered in a timid-looking Lucy Read.
Gus recognised Ms Moseley. Tess worked for several headteachers over the years. They were teachers with long service medals that had merited the move to the top job. These days they were from the same mould. Young, politicised individuals disguised as benevolent dictators who were skilled administrators but couldn’t teach for toffee.
“I hope this won’t take long,” said Christine Moseley. “Lucy is too young to get grilled in this manner.”
“We always keep our conversations as brief as possible,” said Gus, “regardless of the age of the interviewee. We seek the truth. If Lucy tells the truth, then she’ll leave here in a few minutes. The same applies to you.”
Christine Moseley sat beside Lucy Read. Gus had drawn his line in the sand.
He wanted to control this conversation. That’s why he thought on his feet and handed the job of making a list of Debbie Read’s lovers to Gareth Francis. No way was Debbie sitting in on this conversation. As for the head teacher, well, she needed to behave in the way he’d had to when at school. Speak when spoken to and not before.
“Lucy,” said Gus. “Do you know why we asked you to come here today?”
“I had to come with Mum,” she replied. “There was nobody to look after me.”
“Did Mum say why we wanted to talk to her?” asked Neil.
“She said it was about Stacey,”
“You must miss Stacey,” said Neil.
“She was my only sister. Of course, I miss her.”
“Did Stacey have a boyfriend?” asked Gus.
“No, but she knew several boys from school.”
“She phoned them in the evenings, and at weekends, I suppose?” said Gus.
“No. They phoned Stacey.”
“Did Stacey ever mention the names of the friends she spoke to?” asked Gus.
“Ryan was one,” said Lucy.
“That would be Ryan Lock,” said Christine Moseley.
“Thank you, Ms Moseley,” said Gus. “we’re aware of the young man.”
“Anyone else, Lucy?” asked Neil.
“Not really. Stacey called people ‘mate’ or ‘honey’, so I couldn’t tell who it was.”
“Do you remember the night Stacey went missing, Lucy?” asked Gus. “Where was Stacey going, do you know?”
“She said she was staying with Auntie Nessie, but she didn’t.”
“Who was she going to meet? Did she say?” asked Gus.
Lucy shook her head and stared at her feet.
“Stacey just picked up her bag, got dressed to go back out in the cold, and left. She never said where she was going, I promise.”
“That was the purse she carried with her money, house keys and phone. Is that right?”
“She took that, yeah, but she took a big shoulder bag too that she carried her school books and gym kit in.”
Gus and Neil shared a glance. Debbie Read had never mentioned a missing bag. The police hadn’t found a shoulder bag in the nature reserve or the canal. Whoever took the mobile phone must have taken the bag too.
“What did you do after Stacey left?” asked Neil.
“We watched telly, and then Mum said I needed to go to bed. I had school in the morning.”
“Did you hear Mum come to bed?” asked Gus.
Lucy shook her head.
“I was asleep. I never saw Mum until teatime on Monday when she got home from work.”
“What did you think when Stacey didn’t get back from Auntie Nessie’s?” asked Gus. “Weren’t you scared, travelling to school on the bus alone?”
“I always sat with one of my friends,” said Lucy.
“Why didn’t you tell Mum that Stacey hadn’t come home, Lucy? You told Mum it was easy to miss her at school, but you knew she couldn’t have been there. Stacey didn’t take her uniform on Sunday night, and she needed that bag to carry things she needed for the day.”
“I thought she took another day off s
chool. I hoped if I covered for her, she would help persuade Mum to buy me a phone too.”
“If Stacey didn’t go to her Aunt’s, where do you think she went?” asked Gus. “Where would she have slept? Did she take nightclothes in her bag?”
“I don’t know,” said Lucy. “When we got back from Gran’s, the bag was in her bedroom. Stacey fetched it while I was telling Mum what we did while we were with Gran. We baked rock cakes.”
“Were there any other places Stacey stayed the night, Lucy?” asked Gus. “a girl from school maybe, at her Dad’s, or somewhere else?”
“We never stayed at Dad’s,” said Lucy. “Stacey had never stayed at a mate’s house before. Mum would have needed to know where she was going, anyway.”
“DS Davis will take you to Reception to wait for your Mum,” said Gus. “You’ve done very well, Lucy. Thank you for helping us.”
Neil Davis walked along the corridor with Lucy. Gareth Francis was twenty yards ahead with Debbie Read.
“Mum,” cried Lucy. “Wait for me.”
Neil watched as the teenager ran towards her mother. Gareth stood back as the two embraced.
“Is everything alright, Lucy?” Debbie asked.
“I should have told you I knew Stacey might have been missing, Mum. I should have said. Please forgive me.”
“There’s nothing either of us could have done to change what happened,” said Debbie.
Mother and daughter followed the ‘Exit’ signs, and Gareth Francis walked back towards Interview Room 3 with Neil.
“Did you get anything useful from the daughter,” asked Gareth. “I would have liked to hear what Gus asked her, but I was making that list.”
“Gus wanted you doing something useful, guv,” said Neil.
“It’s just as well I took my notebook. You’ve heard the term, a well-trodden path, I imagine?”
“Will you have time to get it typed by the time we’ve finished with the head teacher, guv?” asked Neil.
DI Francis grunted and entered his office.
Neil returned to the interview room to find Ms Moseley leaving.
