Their Lost Daughters (DI Jackman & DS Evans #2)(8)

‘Well, nothing is happening tonight, that’s for sure. Let’s go home, Chloe. This place is a dump, it gives me the creeps.’ Jasmine had been unenthusiastic about gate-crashing the party from the outset.

Chloe frowned. ‘But I sneaked a look at his mobile. There was a new message saying that it was on tonight. And I know this is where my brother came before.’

‘Maybe it was cancelled at the last minute.’ Jasmine shifted from foot to foot. It had been a stupid idea anyway. So what if there was free booze? She didn’t even like the taste of alcohol, and if her dad found out, he would go ape-shit and probably ground her for the rest of the year.

‘Can I help you young ladies?’

The voice was friendly enough. Jasmine turned around to see an older man smiling at them. He had a short, fashionable haircut, trendy clothes and was carrying a large case of wine bottles.

‘You the geezer who runs the parties?’ asked Chloe.

The man narrowed his eyes. ‘What parties?’

Chloe jabbed a finger towards the case of wine. ‘So you are going to drink that lot all on your own, are you?’

‘Smart kid.’ He grinned at her and placed the heavy box on the ground. ‘So, are you two club members?’

Jasmine felt a stab of anxiety, and wished again that they’d never left home.

‘Course we are,’ said Chloe, trying to look bored. ‘Why else would we be here? And my mobile phone message definitely said it was on, so . . . ?’

The man shook his head. ‘But you never received the venue change. Ah, well, I’m sorry about that. Must have been some sort of mix up.’

‘Oh great!’ Chloe snorted. ‘So if it’s not here, where is it? We don’t want to spend all night on the frigging pavement.’

The man looked from one girl to the other. ‘Funny, I’ve never seen either of you before, and I’ve got a pretty good memory for faces.’

Jasmine took hold of Chloe’s arm. ‘Come on, Chlo, just leave it.’

‘No way!’ Chloe pushed Jasmine away and placed her hands on her hips. ‘These guys have cocked up, end of. Just because we’re new, it doesn’t mean we should miss out on a party. Does it, Granddad?’

The man, who couldn’t have been more than thirty, tilted his head and stared at them for a moment. ‘How old are you?’ he asked.

‘I’m seventeen,’ said Chloe quickly. ‘And she’s sixteen, if it’s any of your business.’

‘ID?’

An odd look of interest, or maybe amusement, passed across the man’s face when Chloe told him they had left them at home. Jasmine began to shiver again. She hated it when Chloe lied about their age. She knew they looked much older than fourteen, but this was beginning to get uncomfortable. ‘Sorry, but I’m going, Chlo. You do what you want.’ She turned to walk away.

‘Okay, okay.’ The man shook his head and grinned at them. ‘You win. The venue is in Carters Way tonight. There’s an old warehouse, it’s about halfway down on the left-hand side, there’s a side door and . . .’ He stopped and gave a little sigh. ‘Oh, wait here, I’ve got another of these crates to collect and then I’m going down there myself. I’ll take you if you like, by way of an apology for the muddle with the text.’

‘It’s the least you can do,’ said Chloe.

Jasmine threw her friend a horrified look as the man walked a few doors down and disappeared into a rather shabby house. ‘You can’t get into his car alone, Chloe! Don’t be totally stupid! We never do that, never!’

‘Then come with me. It’ll be fun. We’ve practically got him eating out of our hands. Lighten up, Jasmine, for God’s sake. My brother thinks these parties are the coolest thing ever! Really wicked! Free drink all night, music, dancing, snogging, anything you want.’ She lowered her voice. ‘And I mean anything. He didn’t know I was listening, but I heard Paul telling his spotty mate Darren, that he actually did it with his girlfriend! Can you believe that?’

Jasmine didn’t even want to think about it. The thought of Paul and his skanky girlfriend jammed up against a wall made her feel ill. Doing it, as Chloe had put it, should be special. Jasmine wanted flowers, candles and a big soft bed for her first time, not some dingy basement surrounded by piss-heads.

‘I’ll go on my own, Jas, honest I will.’

‘You can’t. What if your brother turns up? He’ll kill you if he finds you there. And he’ll know you’ve been snooping through his mobile.’

‘He won’t, he’s gone to a concert in Sheffield.’ Chloe looked along the deserted street as a door closed further down. ‘Please, Jas? Just let’s see what it’s like. If you don’t like it, we’ll go home, I promise.’ She watched the approaching man. ‘And he’s harmless, you can tell by just looking at him.’

Two minutes later, Jasmine reluctantly followed Chloe into the back of the car. She knew she was making a seriously big mistake, but there was no way she could have watched her best friend drive away alone.

*

It was close to nine when Marie finally got home. She was tired, but pleased with the amount of work they had managed to do. They all knew that it was going to be full on from the moment they set foot in the station the next day, so it made sense to get the groundwork done.