Any of those scenarios was feasible, but Jay would still have expected Nicky to have come home by now, or at the very least been seen. But the fact that she hadn’t been seen or heard from was worrying, because it wasn’t safe for a fifteen-year-old girl to be wandering the streets at this time of night.
Hoping that Nicky’s father might be able to throw some light on her whereabouts, Jay took the lift up to the intensive-care unit now. Directed to a side room at the far end of the ward, she tiptoed towards it, conscious of the patients whose lives were hanging in the balance all around her.
Terry Day was standing in the corridor just around the corner, his shoulders slumped, his head hung low as he gazed through the window at his son on the bed inside. Looking him over as she approached, Jay was struck by how handsome he was. He had thick, closely cropped brown hair, a strong nose, and just enough stubble to make him look manly rather than scuzzy. And he looked quite muscular, she thought, which indicated that he obviously took care of himself. Although, sadly, the same couldn’t be said of his clothes, which were absolutely filthy, and – even from that distance – stank of stale sweat.
Sensing Jay’s presence just then, Terry turned and peered at her with pain-clouded eyes. Knowing immediately that she was plain-clothes, a wave of dread washed over him.
‘You’ve found her, haven’t you?’ he asked, his voice flat and low.
Guessing that he was expecting to hear that Nicky was dead, Jay shook her head. ‘No, sir, we haven’t. But the fire crew are still at the house, and they’ll find her if she’s there.’ Gesturing towards a row of chairs against the wall behind them now, she said, ‘Do you think we could sit down for a minute? There are a few questions I need to ask you.’
‘
Questions
?’ Terry repeated, confusion flashing through his eyes. ‘What can I tell you? I wasn’t even there. If you want to question anyone, it’s their
mam
.’ He spat the word out, leaving Jay in no doubt how he felt about his ex-wife.
Telling him that she hadn’t managed to reach Sue yet, Jay walked over to the chairs. Following, Terry flopped down on one and sat forward, his elbows resting on his knees.
‘Could I ask where you were tonight between the hours of nine and ten o’clock?’ Jay asked.
‘Work,’ Terry replied without hesitation. ‘Why?’
Assuring him that they were just routine questions, Jay said, ‘I’ve already spoken to your supervisor, and he’s told me that your shift ended at ten. Is that right?’
‘Officially, yeah,’ Terry said, his frown deepening. ‘But I didn’t actually get away till half past, ’cos I had some stuff to clear up in the basement.’
‘Do you have any witnesses to that?’ Jay asked.
‘Didn’t think I’d need any,’ Terry retorted indignantly.
‘Did you leave the factory premises at any time before your shift officially ended?’ Jay went on.
‘Only for a smoke,’ Terry said. Then, ‘Jeezus, you think I’ve got something to do with the fire, don’t you? I’m going out of my mind here with worry about my kids, and you really think I’d do something to hurt them?’
‘I’m not accusing you of anything,’ Jay told him evenly.
‘Doesn’t sound like it,’ Terry muttered, running his hands through his hair. Then, ‘Right, I started work at two this afternoon, and stayed till half past ten. Got home about eleven, had a row with my girlfriend and went to bed. Then her mam rang and told me about the fire, so I got dressed and came straight here. So now you know everything, maybe you can go back to the house and find my daughter, instead of wasting time giving me the third degree!’
Sensing from the anger that was sparking in his eyes that he was telling the truth, Jay chose her next words with care, because she didn’t want to raise his hopes only to have to dash them if she subsequently got word that a body
had
been discovered at the house.
‘We’re not absolutely sure about this,’ she said. ‘But we think there’s a possibility that your daughter might not have been at home tonight.’
‘Course she was,’ Terry replied adamantly. ‘She’s
always
there when her mam goes out. Sue thinks I don’t know what goes on, but she forgets that Leanne’s mam lives across the road. And
she
makes sure I hear all about everything.’ Pausing, he fisted one large hand and cupped the other one around it as if to control his anger before continuing. ‘It’s all wrong, you know: making Nicky look after Connor when they could both come to me. But she reckons I’ve got no rights because I did the dirty on her. And she’s already had me nicked for going round there when I thought she was out, so what am I supposed to do?
Demand
to see them, and have the lying bitch tell
you
lot that I’ve battered her again? I don’t think so.’
Jay could feel his frustration when he stared at her, challenging her to deny that he’d been given a rough ride. He had previous for violence, and there was no denying that there was something decidedly unsavoury about a man of his age surrounding himself with the type of young girls she’d glimpsed through the door of his flat tonight. But he obviously cared about his children, and that was no bad thing in a world where so many fathers walked away without a backward glance.
Slumping back in his seat after a moment, Terry stared up at the ceiling and blinked rapidly to keep the tears that were stinging at the backs of his eyes from bursting through. He’d been on a knife’s edge since arriving at the hospital to hear that Nicky hadn’t been brought in along with Connor, terrified that she was injured or dead. But, much as that thought grieved him, he equally couldn’t bear the thought of Connor being alone in the house.
Waking up in the middle of an inferno with no one to comfort and protect him. Calling for his daddy and getting no reply . . .
Assuring him that the fire crew would do a much more intensive search of the house as soon as the site had been cleared for safety, Jay said, ‘In the meantime, can you think of anywhere else where Nicky might have gone tonight? Any relatives she might have decided to visit, or school friends? Or maybe she could have met up with her mother?’
‘No way,’ Terry spat, his cheek muscles jumping as he clenched his teeth. ‘Sue might have got her own way with making me back off, but she wouldn’t
dare
drag my kids into any of her shit.’
Coming along the corridor just then carrying two steaming Styrofoam cups of coffee, Leanne narrowed her eyes when she saw the blonde talking to Terry. Quickening her pace, she marched up to them and demanded to know what was going on.
‘She’s from the police,’ Terry told her quickly, knowing from her expression that she was on the verge of kicking off. ‘They’re trying to find Nicky, and they want to know if I’ve got any idea where she is.’
‘How are
you
supposed to know?’ Leanne said sharply. Then, to Jay: ‘How’s
he
supposed to know when he wasn’t even there when it happened? He came straight home to me after work – and you can ask my friends if you don’t believe me, ’cos they were all there.’
Shaking his head surreptitiously to shut her up, because she was being too defensive and that was bound to make the policewoman suspicious, Terry said, ‘I’ll tell you everything in a bit, but I need to get my head round it first. And I’ve got to try and think where Nicky might be.’ Looking at Jay now, he said, ‘No point talking to mine or Sue’s families, by the way. They fell out with us before Nicky was born, so she doesn’t even know where any of them live.’
‘Okay, well, we’ll start with her friends,’ Jay said. ‘But don’t worry if you can’t think of any – I can always contact the school.’
‘I’ll try,’ Terry said, pushing himself to his feet. ‘But I’m going to have a bit of a walk, ’cos I can’t think straight while I’m so close to . . .’ Trailing off, he gestured with a nod towards Connor’s room.
Telling him to take his time, Jay tore a couple of sheets out of her notepad and handed them to him, asking him to write down any names he remembered.
Snatching at Terry’s lapels as he made to walk away, Leanne planted a possessive kiss on his lips. Then, whispering a warning not to go chatting anyone up, she let him go, watching like a hawk until he’d passed the nurses’ station. Going to his vacated chair then, she sat down and sipped at her coffee, peering at Jay over the rim of the cup.
Aware that she was being checked out as a potential threat although she couldn’t understand why the girl was so insecure when she was so pretty, Jay said, ‘You must be Leanne?’
‘Yeah. And?’ Leanne held her gaze defiantly.
‘Could you tell me where you were between nine and ten tonight?’ Jay asked.
‘At home,’ Leanne declared, a glint of victory in her eyes as she added, ‘And you can ask the miserable old git from next door if you don’t believe me, ’cos I went round there at about half-nine to warn him to stop banging on the wall.’
Nodding, Jay said, ‘Thank you.’
‘Where do you think Nicky is, then?’ Leanne asked now, sipping at her coffee. ‘You don’t reckon she’s dead, do you?’
‘We really don’t know anything at the moment,’ Jay told her coolly, picking up on the complete lack of concern behind the words.
‘Have you tried asking her
mam
?’ Like Terry before her, Leanne spat the word out as if it stuck in her throat to say it. ‘We thought she’d have been here by now, but she obviously can’t be bothered,’ she went on, her eyes flashing with spiteful hope as she added, ‘Unless this had something to do with her and you’ve already arrested her?’
‘We haven’t managed to contact Mrs Day yet,’ Jay informed her.
Sniffing contemptuously, Leanne said, ‘Too busy with her latest man, no doubt. Still, it’s probably just as well she’s not here because she’s pushed Terry too far this time. You watch if he doesn’t get them taken off her and put into care after this.’
Raising an eyebrow, Jay wondered how Terry Day would feel if he knew what his girlfriend had in mind for his children. She’d barely known him for two minutes herself, but she sincerely doubted that he’d let them go without a fight if the social services
did
decide to remove them from their mother’s care.
Coming back just then, Terry gave a sheepish shrug and said, ‘Sorry for getting shirty with you back there. I know you’re only doing your job, but it just felt like you were accusing me, or something. Anyhow, here you go.’ He handed his list to Jay. ‘Sorry it’s not much, but these are the only girls I remember our Nicky mentioning. And I’ve got no idea where any of them live, apart from Sophie Gordon. She was Nicky’s best friend when I was still there.’
Taking it, Jay stood up, saying, ‘Right, well, I’d best get on. I’ll call round to see you as soon as I have any news about Nicky.’
‘Thanks,’ Terry murmured. ‘But you’d best ring first, ’cos I’ll be stopping here till Connor comes round.’
‘Oh,
Terry
,’ Leanne complained. ‘That could be ages.’
A flicker of irritation in his eyes now, Terry said, ‘Don’t worry, I’m not asking
you
to stay.’
Folding her arms, her lips pouting childishly as she cast a hooded side-glance at Jay, Leanne said, ‘I didn’t mean it like that, and you know it.’
Saying goodbye, Jay left them to it.
‘Any joy?’ PC Ann Hayes asked, starting the engine when Jay climbed back into the car a few minutes later.
‘Same as the neighbours,’ Jay told her, pulling on her seat belt as Ann reversed out of the parking space. ‘Convinced Nicky would have been at home.’ Reaching up, she switched on the interior light. ‘He’s given me a few names and an address. The handwriting’s quite bad, but I think it says Derby Road.’
Glancing at it, Ann said, ‘Yeah, it does. And that’s just round the corner from the Days, so it’s probably right.’
Pulling up outside Sophie Gordon’s house ten minutes later, Jay and Ann got out of the car and hurried up the path as the wind-driven rain pelted down on them. They rang the bell and were both shivering when the hall light came on a minute later and footsteps padded quickly down the stairs.
Opening the door an inch, Trevor Gordon peered out through sleep-crusted eyes. ‘Yes?’
Introducing herself through chattering teeth, Jay said, ‘Sorry for disturbing you, sir, but we need to speak to Sophie.’
‘You’ve got to be joking,’ he spluttered. ‘Do you know what time it is?’
‘We realise it’s late,’ she said apologetically. ‘But this really is urgent.’
‘What the hell’s so urgent that you’d drag a fifteen-year-old girl out of her bed in the middle of the bloody night?’ he demanded.
Jay started to explain about the fire, but he cut her off mid-sentence, saying, ‘Yes, I’ve already heard about that, thank you. And I can assure you it’s got nothing to do with Sophie, because she’s been here with me and my wife all night.’
‘We’re not suggesting that your daughter was involved in the fire,’ Jay said evenly. ‘But Nicky Day is missing, so it’s vital that we speak to as many of her friends as possible in order to find her.’ Taking the list of names Terry Day had given her out of her pocket now, she showed it to him, saying, ‘I believe these are some of your daughter’s school friends.’
Glancing at it, Trevor shrugged. ‘I don’t recognise any of them.’
‘But your daughter might,’ Ann snapped, irritated by his seeming determination to obstruct them. ‘So, if you could just bring her down, please, sir?’
Sighing, Trevor shrugged in a gesture of defeat, and said, ‘Fine. As long as you don’t have her up all night.’
Assuring him that they would keep it as brief as possible, they followed him into the living room. Flicking the overhead light on, Trevor told them to take a seat, then headed back up the stairs, coming back a few minutes later with his daughter and his wife.
Sophie’s eyes were dark with fear as her father herded her around to the front of the couch. She didn’t think she’d done anything wrong, but her dad was already pretty mad at her for having the police round at this time of night.