The Running Girls(15)

Laurie wasn’t surprised by the tension between the couple. Their daughter was missing and that brought with it a unique type of stress. But the Harringtons’ body language suggested that the disharmony was present long before today. When Glen had moved toward Sandra’s hand, Laurie had noted a stiffness in the wife’s body and neither of them seemed to be willing to offer much support to the other. In every dream home, a nightmare, she thought. “Grace’s tracking device suggests she did take different routes—different distances, inclines etc.—but her route never went up 25th Street. Chances are she just fancied a change, but is there anything you can think of that would make her run that way? Any friends in the area, perhaps?”

“Tilly?” said Glen.

Tilly had her feet up on the chair, the oversized hoodie riding down over her knees to her shins. She looked back at the three of them, wide-eyed. She looked so young that Laurie found it hard to believe she could be in a serious relationship with Grace, whatever a serious relationship for an eighteen-year-old looked like. She seemed out of place, and at that moment much younger than the glamourous figure of Grace that Laurie had seen in photographs. “We had an argument,” said Tilly, her eyes watering. “It was so stupid. I’d seen her talking to Mia Washington in the cafeteria. I overreacted, and Grace accused me of being possessive.”

“Mia Washington?” said Laurie, noticing the strained look on the Harringtons’ faces as Tilly began to cry.

“Grace’s ex,” said Sandra, as Glen winced.

“And Mia lives in that area?”

“Around there, yes,” said Sandra, “but I’ve already called her mother.”

“You called her mom?” said Tilly. “Why?”

“Not now, Tilly,” said Sandra.

Laurie looked from Tilly to Sandra, wondering at the strange dynamic between the missing girl’s mother and girlfriend. “I think everyone needs to cool down,” she said. “First things first. You talked to Mia’s mother today, Sandra?”

“That’s right. She said Mia hasn’t seen Grace.”

“Did you speak to Mia herself?”

“No, but Jane assured me.”

“OK, I will speak to Mia. And I appreciate this is difficult for you, Tilly, but when did Grace date Mia?”

“They split up six months ago. They were together for about a year,” said Tilly, oscillating between sadness and fury.

Laurie glanced at the parents, who nodded in confirmation. “And the split? Acrimonious?” said Laurie, as if talking about a divorce rather than a high school romance.

“Mia can be a little bitch,” said Tilly, showing a different side of herself. “She spread some horrible rumors about Grace when they split.”

“Rumors?”

“You know, sexual stuff,” said Tilly, this time causing both parents to wince.

“I see. But they were still friends? You saw them speaking together?”

“That’s why I couldn’t understand it. Why would Grace ever want to talk to her again after what Mia had done?”

“Did you ask what they talked about? Did they appear to be getting along?”

The fury had overtaken the sadness in Tilly. “Mia brushed a strand of Grace’s hair from her face, if that helps?”

Laurie took the address from Sandra and instructed the trio to await her return. In her car, she updated Remi. “I feel like I’m in that movie, Mean Girls.”

“Never heard of it.”

“Well, you’re not that long out of high school yourself, I suppose.”

“Very funny. What did you think of Mr. Harrington?”

“They are a very attractive family, I’ll say that much.”

“Very high net value family too. During the week, Mr. Harrington spends his time in a penthouse apartment in downtown Houston.”

“Does he now?” Laurie instructed Remi to begin the arduous job of speaking to the students and staff of the high school. “Check in with Filmore. See what resources he can give us. I’m hoping I’m going to find this girl shacked up in her ex’s closet or something, but if not, we’re going to need to move fast.”



The Washington household, although well maintained, was a few rungs down the food chain from the Harringtons’ mansion. As Laurie pulled up outside the apartment building on Rosenberg Street, it made her wonder how the two girls had ended up at the same school. There were a couple of elite private schools in the area, and from what Remi had told her the Harringtons could have easily afforded to send their only child to one of those. She made a mental note to make a subtle enquiry to the Harringtons about it at some point, before walking inside the building and along the corridor to the ground-floor apartment.

The young woman who answered the door was tall and slender, with cascading brunette hair. It took Laurie a few seconds to determine it wasn’t Grace Harrington standing before her.

“Detective Laurie Campbell,” she said. “Are you Mia Washington?”

“Yes, ma’am. Is this about Grace? My mom said Sandra called earlier.”

“That’s right. May I come in?”

“Mia, who is it?” came a voice as Laurie stepped inside the apartment. The place had a much homier feel than the Harringtons’. Family pictures lined the hallway, an absence Laurie had noticed at the Harringtons’, as the smell of cooking tomatoes drifted from the kitchen area.