The Silent Ones: An absolutely gripping psychological thriller(27)
Maddy twisted her fingers together before stuffing her hands under her thighs. Brianna stared at Dana and blinked rapidly. It wasn’t the verbal communication she’d hoped for, but it was a response of sorts and she felt a flicker of hope.
All signs of communication, no matter how tiny, must be logged and considered.
She assumed a pleasant but neutral expression, looking from one girl to the other in a relaxed manner. She wanted to give them space whilst encouraging them to feel safe in her presence. In a strange place, with a police officer still in the room, it wasn’t the easiest task.
‘A nod is fine,’ she said so softly it was almost a whisper. ‘Just so I know you both understand what I’ve said.’
But there was no response from either child.
Dana stood up and walked past Carol, over to the small window.
She lifted a couple of slats in the venetian blind and peered out at the car park with its small green verge and the red-brick housing estate beyond.
It was warm outside, oppressively so. The grey clouds hung heavy and low, and she could feel the heat of the sun trying to beat a path through. A downpour was needed. Something dramatic that could break up the humidity.
Behind her, the girls would be watching, trying to get the measure of her. They were possibly even glancing at each other. Silently communicating in some way.
The detectives in the viewing room would be watching for that, and Dana would be able to review the CCTV tape herself afterwards, which should hopefully offer up further clues.
After all, she had to bear in mind that these were ten-year-old girls, not hardened criminals or expert psychologists. They would make mistakes in ways they weren’t even aware of, mistakes that would assist Dana in her quest to find out what had happened at Bessie Wilford’s house that morning.
She stood at the window a few moments longer to allow the girls time to absorb just how ordinary she was. The fact Dana wore no uniform or official badges and there was no note-taking or awkward questions.
The message she was sending was a resolute no threat.
Thirty seconds later, she released the blind, the crack of the hard plastic slats fracturing the room’s eerie silence like a gunshot.
As she walked slowly back to her seat, neither girl met her eyes.
‘Fidget and Jasper,’ Dana said simply. She sat down and inspected her short, unpolished nails.
Both girls’ heads jerked towards her. Finally she had their attention.
Eighteen
Dana took her time, allowed a little space so the girls could think about what she’d just said.
‘Nice names. Unusual names for pets. When I was your age, I had a cat and her name was Tabby. All the cats seemed to be called Tabby back then.’ She grinned. ‘I was wondering how you came up with those names?’
Silence, but their eyes remained on her.
‘Fidget. I know he’s a hamster, but does he belong to you, Maddy? Or perhaps he’s your pet, Brianna?’
Juliet Fletcher had told her in the few minutes they chatted in Room 15A that Maddy thought the world of her hamster; that she’d had to forbid her daughter to get up in the middle of the night to talk to him.
‘Not that it did any good,’ she had added. ‘She still does it most nights anyway. Even more so since she’s not been sleeping so well.’
Maddy’s chest moved faster. Her breathing had clearly sped up. She was keen to hear how her pet was.
‘And I know Jasper is a dog. A Staffie, I think. Is he yours, Brianna?’ Dana paused, watched as Brianna pressed her lips together as if she was physically preventing words from slipping out of her mouth. ‘It’s a lovely friendly name, Jasper. I really like it.’
She allowed a few more moments of silence before she put them out of their misery.
‘Well, I want you to know that I checked with your families, and Jasper and Fidget are doing fine.’ She saw both girls exhale. ‘I’m sure they’re really missing you and want you back home as soon as possible. That’s another reason I want to help you to help the police understand what happened today. I want to get you back home to your pets.’
Maddy’s eyes shone, threatening tears, but she blinked until they cleared. Brianna stared down at the floor, her hands laced in front of her, one thumbnail carving into the soft skin at the bottom of her index finger.
‘Maddy, Brianna, you’re both intelligent girls. I don’t need to tell you how serious this situation is. You must understand that saying nothing at all can only make things worse.’
Dana’s favoured interview method was short but regular interactions. She now felt she’d reached the potential of this first interview, and despite the girls’ continuing silence, she would count it as being a positive start.
There were results to be tallied here. Both children had shown signs of emotion, and they had clearly responded non-verbally when their pets were mentioned. Yet there was nothing at all yet to separate the two of them.
The clock was ticking and Neary’s superiors were getting twitchy. But there was still time for a breakthrough.
Patience was key.
* * *
When she’d finished writing up her notes following the interview, Dana went to Neary’s office to review the visual recording.
A relieved-looking Conor patted her on the back. ‘It went well; there are already signs of improvement there. The pet thing was genius. I know that if anyone can get to the truth, you can.’