Play Dead (D.I. Kim Stone, #4)(72)

I chewed my way through sandwiches that tasted like pieces of wood. I stared down to the bottom of my lunch box. I didn’t want to look around.

Finally she came and sat beside me.

‘We have PE after lunch,’ she said. ‘You can be my partner if you want.’

I nodded gratefully. I wasn’t sure what PE was, but at least I had a partner.

Suddenly I felt brave enough to ask her the question that was playing on my mind.

‘Why are they all looking at me?’ I asked.

‘Just because you’re new,’ she said, snatching the rest of my crisps and walking away.

I didn’t mind. Louise was going to be my partner. That meant she was going to be my friend.

The lunch bell sounded, and I followed the crowd back to the classroom and then over to the sports hall. I couldn’t get close to Louise. There were too many people around her. But I told myself it was okay. She was going to be my partner. She had said so. I was already hoping that one day she would come to my house for tea.

Mrs Shaw was a thin, pretty lady dressed in a short pleated skirt. She asked me if I’d brought my gym bag. I shook my head no. I hadn’t known that I’d need one.

She hesitated for a moment.

‘I think we have some spare,’ she said, heading out of the hall.

She got to the door and paused.

‘Louise, show your new friend where to get her own gym mat,’ Mrs Shaw said before she disappeared from view.

Louise turned and smiled in my direction.

But that wasn’t what she did at all.





Sixty-Five





Kim called them to order for the morning briefing as soon as the last one had sat down.

She strode out of The Bowl. ‘Okay, guys, quick as you can, as I’ve had a message that Isobel has asked to see me. So we know Tracy Frost is either missing or has gone AWOL. She’s still not answering her phone and her car is not outside her house.’

Kim had called her mobile three times already that morning and whizzed past her house on the way in to the station.

‘You really think our guy has her?’ Dawson asked.

Kim thought for a moment and nodded.

‘Nice newspaper article,’ Dawson said and then held up his hands. ‘And before you ask, it wasn’t me.’

Kim wasn’t sure why he felt that instant suspicion would fall on him.

‘I know, Kev,’ she said.

‘I thought I’d get the blame… because… well… I’ve got a big mouth, and it was clearly leaked from someone involved in…’

‘Kev, it was me,’ Kim said.

‘What?’ Bryant and Stacey said together.

She said nothing.

‘You actually spoke to Tracy Frost?’ Dawson said, horrified.

‘Yes, I did, and now it’s time to move on. So Louise Hickman was the first victim that we know of. There was then a break for a few years until Jemima returned from Dubai. He then tried to kill Isobel and now he’s taken Tracy. So far we know that three of them went to the same school. There was an incident that the headmaster recalls vaguely that may have sparked this entire killing spree and two of our victims have the same hairgrip that Louise Hickman wore at school. We know that’s the key.’

‘Seems a bit extreme,’ Stacey offered. ‘We all had some shit at school.’

Kim nodded. ‘I agree. We need more detail of the incident.’ She paused for a few seconds before turning to Stacey. ‘Find me a dinner lady, Stace. Dinner ladies always know everything and there’s more to this than we have so far.’

‘And the guv is almost prepared to admit she was wrong,’ Bryant said with a smile.

‘Am I?’ Kim asked, surprised.

‘Well, you heard the headmaster. He said it was a girl. Even you have to admit that we were right, and you were wrong. We’re looking for a female.’

‘Could be her brother, father, uncle, boyfriend, husband?’ Kim offered.

‘Ah, so instead of saying you were wrong you might go so far as to admit it’s not the most right you’ve ever been?’ he asked.

Kim shook her head. ‘I admit nothing until we know more about what happened that day.’

‘I’m still looking to see where Isobel fits into this,’ Stacey said. ‘I’ve got Louise Hickman and Jemima Lowe in the same class. I’ve got Tracy Frost in the class above…’

‘Check middle names as well, Stace,’ Kim advised. ‘Some people adopt their middle names in certain situations.’

‘Will do, guv.’

‘I still want to know about those marks on the legs and stomach. They don’t make sense and we know that both Jemima and Isobel have them. Obviously there’s no way of knowing with Louise.’

The flesh around her thighs had been far too decayed to confirm.

‘Talking of Isobel, she regained consciousness yesterday but has no memory of the events or her own life. Added to that, the girl has hep C. I don’t know if she’s aware.’

‘What, that she’s a druggie?’

‘You’re not ignorant enough to believe that’s the only way to get it, Kev,’ she snapped. Although, to be fair, in their experience it was the most common reason.

It was possible that Isobel was an addict who’d cleaned up. Kim had noted no obvious signs of withdrawal or track marks.