Good Girl, Bad Girl(57)
“I got guests.”
“I could toast some crumpets.”
Tasmin looks at her friends hopefully, but the signals aren’t good.
Felicity points to a fruit bowl. “We have apples and a sad-looking banana.”
“It’s brown,” says Tasmin.
“It tastes the same.”
The taller of her friends is wearing a clingy top and a short denim skirt. Loitering in the doorway, she’s trying to catch Aiden’s attention, but he doesn’t look up.
“Hi, Aiden,” she says finally.
“Hi, Brianna,” he replies, glancing at her briefly before going back to his guitar.
The girl on the sofa glares at Brianna in response.
“This is Dr. Haven,” says Felicity. “He’s working with the police. He wants to ask you some questions about Jodie.”
Brianna immediately forgets Aiden and focuses on me.
“Are you a detective?”
“I work as a consultant.”
“I’m Olive,” says the other girl, not wanting to be left out. She has doll-like eyes and blond hair that curls in ringlets to her shoulders. They’re both prettier than Tasmin and she’s self-conscious around them.
“Did Jodie have lots of friends, or just a few close ones?” I ask.
“We were her best friends,” replies Brianna, who is clearly the queen bee.
“Was she a leader or a follower?” I ask.
The girls look perplexed. I haven’t framed the question well. I try again. “When the latest must-have fashion came out, who would get it first?”
“Me,” says Brianna.
“OK. And if someone dared you to do something crazy, who’s most likely to take up the dare?”
“Jodie,” says Tasmin, speaking for the first time.
“And if you were deciding what to do on the weekend, who came up with the ideas?”
“Jodie,” she says again.
“What sort of things did she like to do?”
“She was a really good figure skater,” says Olive, wanting to add something.
“Duh! Everybody knows that,” says Brianna.
“What else?”
“She liked dancing,” says Olive, looking hurt.
“Yes, dancing,” says Brianna. “She took classes, didn’t she?” They look at Tasmin, who nods.
“What kind of foods did she like?” I ask.
“Pizza and chocolate brownies and fruit smoothies,” says Brianna, clearly making things up.
“She wasn’t allowed to eat pizza,” says Felicity. “Maggie kept her on a strict diet.”
“She ate pizza sometimes,” counters Tasmin. “When Aunt Maggie wasn’t around.”
“What else did she do in secret?” I ask.
They glance at each other, less sure of the conversation.
“Did she have a boyfriend?”
“Toby Leith,” replies Brianna. “He’s in year twelve.”
Tasmin shakes her head. “Jodie thinks he’s an F-boy.”
“A what?” Felicity asks.
Tasmin blushes and looks at the floor.
“A guy who only wants one thing,” explains Brianna, nudging Olive.
“Were Jodie and Toby seeing each other?”
“They used to hook up.”
“It was one time,” protests Tasmin.
“It was more than once . . . first at Shelley Pollard’s party, then at the Goose Fair.”
“And at the movies,” adds Olive. “That day we saw Infinity War.”
“Was Toby at the fireworks?” I ask.
All the girls nod.
“Did Jodie talk to him?”
Tasmin hesitates. “Toby was teasing her. He snatched her tote bag and wouldn’t give it back.”
“What did Jodie do?”
“She slapped him in the face, but he just laughed. That’s when Father Patrick showed up.”
“Father Patrick?”
“Our parish priest,” explains Felicity.
“He made Toby give the bag back,” says Tasmin.
“Did Jodie talk to anyone else?”
“Loads of people. They were coming up to her all night.”
“Why?”
Tasmin shrugs.
Brianna grins at Olive and I sense an in-joke.
I focus on Tasmin. “Why did Jodie leave the fireworks?”
“Someone sent her a text and she said she had to go.”
“You told the police that Jodie went to get fish and chips.”
“That’s what she told me.”
“Did you know that Jodie was carrying a second phone?”
Tasmin doesn’t answer.
“Could she have arranged to meet someone?”
“I guess.”
“A new boyfriend?”
Tasmin looks at her mother with a hurt helplessness in her eyes. “I put some pajamas on her pillow. I thought she’d come back to ours, but she didn’t.” Her bottom lip trembles.
“When you woke and saw the bed was empty, what did you think?”
Tasmin is about to say something but Felicity interrupts. “We assumed she’d gone home.”
“Is that what you thought?” I ask Tasmin.