‘There’s a few clothes missing, gov,’ – Davis pops her head around the door – ‘but her passport is still here, so it looks as though she hasn’t left the country, or maybe gone for long.’
‘OK. Check for any CCTV, Davis.’
‘Gov.’
I knew Erin wouldn’t be here. I know she’s not here, in Leeds. But that’s not ostensibly why Davis and I are.
‘The laptop I recently gave her,’ – Molly turns in a circle – ‘I can’t see it, she must’ve taken it with her.’
‘You gave Erin a laptop?’
‘Yes,’ she says, biting her bottom lip again, her eyes darting between Davis and myself nervously. ‘Have Idone something wrong?’
‘Of course not, Molly. Do you know where Erin was last Thursday, the twelfth? Did you see her that day, was she here, in the apartment, do you know?’
Her brow furrows into deep grooves along her forehead.
‘Last Thursday… hmm… no… I wasn’t here last Thursday. I was here on the Friday though, the thirteenth – ooh! Friday the thirteenth!’ She looks spooked, starts biting her lip again. ‘I do hope that’s not significant.’
‘Did she seem OK?’
‘Perfectly.’
‘Do you know if Erin has any connections to London, if she has any friends or family living there?’
‘None that I know of, or that she’s ever mentioned to me. I didn’t think she had any family – or friends. Well, except for me.’
‘Has anyone visited Erin recently, Molly, have you seen anyone here, in the apartment?’
She looks petrified now, like I’m about to cuff her and bundle her into the back of a van.
‘Honestly, I really don’t know. Maybe you could ask her neighbour, from across the hall, his name’s Malcolm.’ Her eyes disappear into slits as she smiles. ‘Shall I fetch him?’
She scurries from the kitchen with purpose, returns a few moments later with a tall, slim man with messy, curly hair in tow. He looks like he’s just got out of bed, but hey, who am I to judge? I assume this must be Malcolm, the neighbour Erin had candidly confessed to ‘being with’ the night she went AWOL. I’m still not sure why she told me about their encounter.
‘They’re here to ask about Erin,’ Molly explains to him, touching his arm. Her eyes are twinkling as she looks at him –uh-oh, I sense someone has a crush! ‘She left here last night and now no one knows where she is.’
‘When did you last see Erin, Malcolm?’
I know when Erintold me she’d last seen Malcolm, but I want to hear it from him, check their stories match up.
‘Yesterday,’ he replies with a hint of caution. ‘I was here with her, in her apartment. Why? Is she OK? What’s happened to her?’ He seems genuinely concerned.
‘How long did you spend time together, here in the apartment? Was it just the two of you?’ Davis takes out her notebook.
‘Yes, it was just us. I dunno… four, five hours maybe.’
Molly’s face crumples. She looks utterly crushed.
‘I didn’t know you knew each other that well,’ she blurts out, clearly unable to disguise her upset. Malcolm glances sideways at her. ‘Are you two…seeingeach other?’ She bristles at him. ‘Because, you know, Erin is a vulnerable adult,Malcolm, and it’smyjob to protect her, make sure no one takes advantage of her…and she’s also a convicted killer who says “the only good men are dead men”.’ She mutters the last part, but it’s too late, I’ve heard it, and judging by Malcolm’s wide-eyed expression, he has too.
‘Take advantage of her? She’s awhat? What are you talking about, Molly, I…’
Feeling it better we speak alone, I take him to one side.
‘What’s going on?’ he asks. ‘Where’s Erin? Why are the police looking for her?’
‘We don’t know where she is, Malcolm. Maybe you can help us?’
