The Girls Who Disappeared(76)

‘What do you think happened to them?’ I ask gently.

Mrs Thorne presses a tissue to her eyes and Izzy reaches over and squeezes her mum’s hand. ‘I think something bad must have happened. It’s just been so long now without a word. But, also, there’s that little bit of hope, you know? We’ve kept her bedroom the same. All her …’ her voice catches ‘… all her things are still there.’

‘I go in there sometimes,’ says Izzy. ‘I can pretend I’m eight again and that my big sister is just out for the evening.’

A beat of silence before I ask, ‘Does the name John-Paul Molina mean anything to you?’

Mrs Thorne frowns. ‘Gosh, I haven’t heard that name in years. He used to go out with Olivia’s mum.’

‘Do you know what happened to him?’

‘Why are you asking?’ She doesn’t sound angry, more intrigued.

I explain everything that Dale told me, plus my conversation with Anastacia and Olivia.

She exhales. ‘So John-Paul is back in town? After all these years?’

‘It sounds like it. When was the last time you saw him?’

‘In Thailand in early 1980.’





46





I stare at Mrs Thorne in surprise. ‘In Thailand?’

‘Yes. January 1980. We were all on holiday as a group.’

I shift in my seat. ‘The holiday where Anastacia met Derreck?’

‘Yes.’ She tucks a lock of hair behind an ear. ‘We all went to stay with him, although we hardly knew him, but things weren’t great between Anastacia and John-Paul. They were already having problems and Derreck was so charming. So handsome. That hair. Like a young Robert Redford. Stace – that’s what we all called her – fell hard for him. Poor John-Paul didn’t stand a chance. I did feel sorry for him. And then there was that whole horrendous business at the airport on the way home.’

‘Is that where John-Paul got arrested?’

She nods and glances at her daughter. Izzy is staring at her mother as though she’s never heard this story before – she probably hasn’t. It happened long before she was born. ‘He tried to smuggle drugs out of the country. It was such a stupid, stupid thing to do.’

I flinch when I imagine John-Paul getting arrested and having to spend eighteen years in a Thai jail. ‘Anastacia said something strange to me. She didn’t say John-Paul went to prison for drugs. She said he’d killed someone.’

Mrs Thorne looks puzzled, but then it seems to dawn on her. ‘Ah, yes, there was a bit of bad business. I remember Stace telling me on the plane home. Apparently John-Paul had caused the death of one of his friends while he was travelling in Goa by selling him a dodgy batch of drugs. He used to be a bit of a dealer, although obviously we didn’t know that at the time. But,’ she pulls a confused face, ‘as far as I was aware he never went to prison for that.’

‘She said he killed this Derreck in a jealous rage?’

‘What?’ She gives a disbelieving laugh. ‘Derreck? Not that I’m aware of. John-Paul did beat him up after he found Stace in bed with him – it was awful. But Derreck was very much alive when we all left Thailand. He didn’t even come to the airport with us to say goodbye. There was too much bad feeling between him and John-Paul. We were at the airport about to fly home but drugs were found in John-Paul’s backpack while we were waiting to board our flight. It was all very dramatic and …’ she puts a hand to the necklace at her throat ‘… scary, really. He was dragged off. We had no choice but to fly home without him. Stace was distraught. Totally distraught. It was awful, really awful.’

I frown, my head spinning. ‘Why would she tell her daughter that John-Paul had killed Derreck? Unless it happened later? I’m sure she said in 1980, though.’

‘I never heard or saw Derreck again so he could be dead for all I know. But I do know that back in 1980 John-Paul went to prison for drugs. Not murder. It’s strange Anastacia told you that.’ She turns to Izzy who shrugs.

We’re interrupted by the phone ringing beside the TV. ‘Excuse me, I’d better get that,’ she says, standing up. ‘I’ll make us a cup of tea afterwards. I’ve a feeling this is going to be a long interview. We’ve only just got started.’

‘That would be great, thanks, Mrs Thorne.’

‘Please,’ she says, reaching for the phone. ‘Call me Maggie.’

Maggie moves out of the room to talk to whoever is on the phone and Izzy stretches her legs. ‘Wow,’ she says. ‘I never knew anything about Thailand or this John-Paul person. I was so young when Sally went missing. I remember all the business with Wesley and his obsessive behaviour, putting notes on my sister’s car and bombarding her with flowers and teddies. I was only nine so I thought it was very romantic, although now …’ She shudders. ‘It was all a bit much. He was properly obsessed. I remember one night my dad going outside to have a stern word with him and tell him Sally wasn’t interested and if he kept hanging around he’d call the police.’ She plays with her ponytail. She has sparkly gel nails, big hoop earrings and high-waisted jeans. She’s very beautiful, and I can only imagine how Sally must have been.

‘And did he get the message after that?’