‘Please, Ken, I’d like to see it.’
‘So, you gonna tell me what this is all about? Has Julie been causing trouble over the pond? She done someone else out of their life savings, is that it?’
I’m not sure I’d know where to even begin to tell him.
‘We’re just making some initial enquiries, Ken,’– I condense it – ‘find out some background. It may be that Julie has been using a false identity.’
He snorts.
‘Yeah, well, like I say, she was good at that, pretending to be someone else. I dunno, mate, you never know what you’re gonna get, do ya, when you have kids? You try to do right by ’em but some of them… well, some people are just born bad, I think.’
I’m gathering my stuff – and my thoughts – together for the briefing when Mitchell knocks on the door. Adriana, the new recruit, is behind her, looking sheepish, her eyes red and swollen, like she may have been crying.
‘Can we have a quick word, gov?’
‘Yeah, but the key word there is “quick”, Mitchell. The briefing starts in five minutes and Archer’s on the warpath…’
‘Um… Adriana here may have made a bit of a mistake, boss.’
Mitchell nods at Adriana encouragingly. ‘Go on… tell him.’
‘I… I’m really sorry, sir,’ – her voice sounds shaky – ‘sorry, sir, I mean, boss, I… well, I…’
‘Come on, Adriana,’ – I cajole her – ‘spit it out. Whatever it is, it can’t bethatbad.’
Only judging by her expression, I’m not so sure.
‘I don’t know how it happened, boss. I must’ve just got confused, didn’t check properly.’
‘She’s new to the game.’ Mitchell gives me a look that says, ‘Go easy on her.’
‘What didn’t you check properly, Adriana?’
She brushes some hair out of her puffy eyes.
‘Katy Russell. The one who commented on Samantha Valentine’s sketch on social media, the one who was friends with a girl at prep school with the same name.’
‘What about her?’
‘Well, umm, she also told us about a girl named Julie Edwards… an English girl who joined theschool mid-term, and broke up her friendship with Samantha?—’
‘Yes… yes…’ I roll my hand. ‘I’ve just been speaking to her uncle. What about her?’ It comes to me suddenly then.Ray. Ken has just told me that his brother’s name was Ray. Didn’t Erin tell me that Ray was her stepdad’s name? Ray Denis, the man who killed her mother, and subsequently himself, while he was in prison?
‘I sent Katy the photo of Erin Santos…’ Adriana continues telling me what I already know. I need her to get to the point. ‘And she identified Erin as being this Julie Edwards girl, I know…’
‘I suppose it was a fairly easy mistake to make, gov,’ Mitchell chimes in.
My phone beeps. Ken has sent the photo.
‘What’s an easy mistake to make?’ I’m only half listening as I click on it.
‘I-sent-the-wrong-photo.’ Adriana blurts out, as though saying it quickly might make it less true. ‘Somehow, instead of sendingErin’smugshot over to Katy, which I thought I had done, I sentTilly Ward’s.’
OK,nowI look up.
‘What?’
‘I know, sir, boss, I’m really sorry…’ Poor Adriana looks devastated, biting her bottom lip. ‘Katy identified the wrong person, becauseImessed up and sent her thewrongphoto.’
