Astrid stood in the corridor with Evie opposite her. Detective Hicks stared at them both. Astrid watched as Evie’s eyes grew large enough to obscure the barren part where her eyelashes should have been.
She lurched to her feet.
‘You need to get my brother a proper lawyer.’
Hicks picked at his teeth, his focus drifting between them and back again. ‘I don’t need to do anything. Your brother’s a grown man and can make his own decisions.’
Astrid held on to Evie to prevent her flailing at the policeman. Her arm was around Evie’s shoulder, but her gaze bored into Hicks.
‘You know he’ll have no chance in court unless he gets professional help. You or someone better than you should convince him to stop messing about.’
He grinned and shook his head, nodding at the uniformed officer next to them.
‘With the evidence we have, he has zero chance in court anyway.’
Evie fumed in Astrid’s arms and it was a struggle to keep her from exploding. Astrid needed to get her out of there as soon as possible. ‘All you’ve got is his DNA, which would be there anyway considering it’s his home.’
Detective Hicks started to turn from them, letting the officer know it was time to see them out.
‘The killer didn’t break into the house. Somebody with a key and the security code let those girls in, and then murdered them. If you can find someone with another key, and a motive, then get back to me.’
He walked away as Evie wriggled out of Astrid’s grasp and stared at her. She guessed they were both thinking about the key in Evie’s pocket. They followed the policeman out of the building and straight into the glare of TV cameras. Lights flashed around them while an eruption of noise shattered the air.
Astrid dragged Evie back into the station, glaring at the cop who’d led them outside. She pointed at Evie.
‘She needs police protection.’
He shrugged. ‘We don’t have the resources for that.’
Astrid restrained herself. ‘We can’t return to that hotel.’
He shrugged again. ‘It’s not my problem.’
Evie stared at her phone while Astrid considered what to do next.
‘It’s okay; I know somewhere we can go.’ Evie turned to the cop. ‘Can you let us out of here through another exit, preferably one the media and the public can’t access?’
He appeared to be about to shrug once more when Astrid stepped towards him. Her glare would have given him no doubt they weren’t moving until he helped them.
‘Sure,’ he said. ‘Follow me.’ He took them through the station and into a lift. Then it was down two flights and out into the car park underneath the building. He pointed to an exit on the far side. ‘That’s your best bet.’
Then he left them there. The place was cold and littered with shadows. For once, Astrid was perplexed regarding what their next move would be, so she turned to Evie.
‘You have somewhere we can go?’
‘I got an email from a friend. I asked if we can stay with him for a little bit.’
‘And?’
‘He hasn’t replied yet.’
It was Astrid’s turn to shrug. ‘It will have to do for now. I hope it’s not far.’
She set off for the exit, Evie walking next to her. Astrid shielded her eyes from the sun as she reached the other side. She bade Evie wait while she checked outside, peering around the corner to see nothing but a road and an industrial estate opposite.
‘You stop here while I get the rental car.’
‘My friend’s house is about a thirty-minute walk from here. We should be okay. I’ve been away for seven years, so I doubt anyone will recognise me. I don’t know how everyone turned up at the hotel.’
Astrid stepped on to the pavement. ‘Someone there probably tipped off the media, and then it ended up on the internet. Then chaos followed.’ They strode together from the station, Astrid’s gaze switching everywhere to make sure they were safe. ‘What I don’t understand is why you were outside in the first place.’ She tried to keep the frustration from her voice.
Cars hissed by as they picked up a brisk pace.
‘I wanted some fresh air. Apart from the occasional wasted afternoon in the garden, I haven’t spent much time outside in the last seven years. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you what I was doing.’
Some bloke shouted at them from his car. Astrid didn’t worry, realising it wasn’t someone who recognised them, only a lout shouting at two women in the street.
‘It doesn’t matter now. We need to concentrate on getting you to this safe place and then letting me get on with proving your brother’s innocence.’
Of which I’ve been doing a sterling job so far.
Evie stopped and grabbed Astrid’s arm. ‘He won’t change his mind about representing himself; he’s super stubborn.’
‘That doesn’t matter if I can’t find out who killed those girls.’
They peered at each other for a brief second before moving again.
‘I agree,’ Evie said.
‘So where are we going?’
‘Do you remember yesterday when I dragged you into that bookshop?’
A lot had happened since then, but Astrid did remember. ‘Of course; is that where we’re headed?’
‘Not to the bookshop. I’ve been corresponding with the owner for about a year. I’ve asked him if we can stay at his house.’
Astrid tried to get her bearings as they walked, using the police station’s location and where they were in relation to the main street with that bookshop halfway down it.
‘We’re going the wrong way.’
She stopped Evie and stared across the road towards the dilapidated looking industrial estate. Evie put a hand to her cheek.
‘Oh. I think seven years away has confused my sense of direction.’
Astrid took out her phone. ‘I’ll get a taxi to take us to the hotel and drop you off around the corner. Hopefully, most of the crowd will have left by now. I’ll get your bag and my rental car. Then I’ll take you to the bookshop owner’s place.’
‘What will you do then?’
‘I’m going to check out those woods at the back of your family’s house. Whoever killed those girls must have met them there, or at least known they’d be there.’
She dialled the taxi number as she spoke. They’d walked about half a mile from the station, and she hoped it would be a good enough description for the driver to find them.
‘I want to go with you.’
‘It’s too dangerous, Evie. I’ll do my job better, and you’ll help your brother if you stay inside and out of the public eye.’
The phone connected to the other end and she spoke to the taxi company. She gave the directions as well as she could; then they waited.
The wind howled around them as cars and trucks sped by and the stink of asthmatic exhausts filled the air. They moved from the edge of the road, Astrid searching for somewhere comfortable for both of them to sit, but having to settle for an emaciated grass verge littered with discarded food wrappers and old newspapers.
Evie gazed across the road. ‘The steelworks closed down not long before I went into self-imposed exile. A lot of jobs vanished with it, and not only at the plant. There was a huge amount of businesses and people relying on the extended supply chain. I don’t think the town’s economy has recovered since.’
Astrid pulled at her nose in an attempt to squeeze out the aroma of motorised vehicles with not much luck. The ground under her hands was dirty and cold.
‘Some people always do well out of economic chaos.’
‘You mean like my brother?’
‘I have no idea what he does for a living.’
‘Do you think it might be somebody he met through work who’s done this to him?’
‘He’s made an enemy somewhere. People don’t go to this amount of trouble if it isn’t personal. Do you know anybody who hates Adam this much?’
‘Someone who hates him so much, they’d murder two innocent girls? No, I can’t think of anyone like that.’
There was a mixture of anger and frustration in her voice. Astrid decided to change the conversation.
‘Did you bring any medication with you from the home?’
‘You mean for my mood changes?’
‘I mean for anything you feel you might need.’
Evie stood as a taxi approached them. ‘Exercise is the best medication. Now let’s get back to the hotel.’
They got into the car and Astrid gave the driver directions. It was a fifteen-minute journey, the two of them getting out around the corner from the hotel. The driver didn’t appear to recognise Evie, and Astrid settled for that.
They stood outside an apparently deserted garage.
‘I’ll be in and out as quick as possible. What do you want from your room?’
‘There’s a bag on the bed with my spare clothes, plus my toiletries in the bathroom. That’s all I need. Are you going to keep your room there?’
Astrid considered it. ‘I will for now, in case I have to stay somewhere away from you.’
Evie grinned at her. ‘Are you getting sick of me already?’
She ignored the jab. ‘The more I question people about the whereabouts of the girls before they died, the likelier it will be I’ll annoy several of them. It might be best to keep you distant from that and me.’
Evie gave her the room key.
Astrid wasn’t happy with it, but she left Evie on her own. She walked as fast as she could without drawing attention to herself and headed to the hotel. There was no crowd outside this time, only a few stragglers hanging around. She stepped into the building, and the reception was empty as she ran upstairs, past her floor and to Evie’s room.
She put the key in the door and opened it. The bag was in front of her. Astrid grabbed it and went to the bathroom, snatching Evie’s things and stuffing them into the bag. She left as quickly as she’d entered, rushing down without bothering to go to her room. She’d return later when she was satisfied Evie was safe with the bookseller.
Her car was across the road. She threw the bag into the boot and drove to where she’d left Evie.
But Evie was gone.