Gina bit her bottom lip and hoped to learn more of what was going on. ‘What happened?’
‘That girl. That’s what happened.’
‘Can you tell me more?’
‘This is meant to be a quiet break. I mean, the cabins don’t even come with TVs but that bitch decided she was going to play club music most of the night. She was so drunk, and I don’t mean a bit tipsy. She came out swigging from a bottle of wine, dancing all over the place. I asked her to keep it down but she came over to our porch around ten and basically told us to chill out. I mean, she could barely stand. Then she looked all weird for a few minutes and vomited on our porch. Totally out of it, she was. We were hoping to catch her father this morning but he must have gone out because his car isn’t there, or maybe they left.’
The man slammed the boot. ‘Who knows? All I know is that our weekend away was ruined and we won’t be back. Tell that to your mother.’
‘My mother?’
‘She owns the place. Olive.’
‘Sorry, she’s not my mother. We’re from Cleevesford Police, DI Harte and DC Wyre. We’re looking for the two people who were staying in this cabin.’
‘Good, when you find them, do your worst. Horrible human beings. Deserve all they get,’ the man said as he lit a cigarette and the woman sat on the bonnet.
‘What time did you last see them both?’
The man exhaled a plume of smoke. ‘As we said, ten last night. We closed everything up and went to bed. Soon after, the music stopped and we went to sleep.’
‘Was the car outside the cabin at eleven?’
The man looked at the woman. ‘I don’t know. I didn’t look.’
The woman shook her head. ‘Sorry, me neither. The last time I saw her father was about seven in the evening. He was standing on the porch scrolling through his phone. I heard the hot tub bubbling at that point. She must have been using it.’ The woman stopped talking and stared into the distance. ‘Speak of the devil.’
Gina turned to see Taylor jogging through the trees, faded pink hair stuck to her face. ‘DC Wyre, could you continue here while I head to number seven?’
Wyre nodded.
Leaving her colleague with the angry couple, Gina hurried over to the other cabin, trying not to trip over any of the mounds in the muddy path. ‘Taylor Caldwell?’ Gina held her identification up. ‘I’m DI Harte. I need to speak to you.’
The girl pulled her hair from her damp face and twisted it into a low bun at the nape of her neck. Bending over, she took a few deep breaths and wiped her brow with her arm. Her Lycra shorts clung to her thighs and her sports crop top looked slightly too big. ‘Sorry,’ she said as she puffed and panted, ‘just need to get my breath back. That run was insane.’ Her high-pitched voice reminded Gina of a little girl’s voice. She leaned against the door of the cabin and began circling her ankles.
‘Happy that you ruined our break?’ The woman from the opposite cabin stared.
Taylor stuck two fingers up and stormed into the cabin. Gina followed. ‘Tell me all this isn’t over me playing some music last night. I told that cow I was sorry about throwing up on the porch but she just kept going on at me. I turned the music off after that.’
Everyone was right about Taylor. She looked so young. Gina doubted she’d weigh seven stone if she was soaked through. Her face still bore the scars of acne and the braces in her mouth filled it. Her hair was badly dyed with chunks that looked unintentionally missed out and her nails were chewed down.
‘It isn’t about the music. I need to speak to you about something far more serious.’
Taylor grabbed a water bottle from the island and glugged down half of the water. ‘I need some painkillers first.’ She popped two paracetamols into her hand and swallowed them down. ‘I thought the run would clear my head but it’s banging.’
‘Too much wine?’
The girl shrugged. ‘S’pose so.’
‘Are you alone?’
‘Why?’
‘There was an incident last night and we’re speaking to everyone who knew the victims.’
‘Is it my aunt?’
‘No, it involves Mrs Braddock, your employer.’
