The student’s name was Tom Haslam. Back at the house, he led them into the hallway Caelan had already seen through the letter box, and through into the kitchen. It was clean and tidy, the furnishing basic but functional. Caelan looked around.
‘No huge piles of washing-up? Are you sure you’re students?’
She was trying to put Haslam at ease, but when he didn’t reply, she wondered if he’d felt patronised. Eventually he smiled. ‘We’re grown-up students. The place I lived as an undergraduate was a hovel compared to this. Tea?’
They both accepted and Haslam busied himself with kettle and cups. When his back was turned, Ewan sidled closer to Caelan, as though he was going to whisper a question. She guessed it was going to be about Jolene, but she had no answers to give. Gently she pushed him away.
‘Not here,’ she mouthed.
He held up his hands in apology, and she smiled at him as Haslam turned back, holding out mugs of strong tea.
The living room had the same feel as the kitchen – beige carpet, magnolia walls, IKEA furnishings. Haslam gestured towards the sofa and settled in one of the two armchairs, cradling his tea against his chest. He met Caelan’s eyes.
‘I’m told you’re Lucy’s cousin? I suppose I should have asked for some ID.’ His hand went to his beard as he realised he had invited two strangers into his home.
‘Maybe, but I’m not sure how I could prove I’m related.’ Caelan smiled at him. ‘I haven’t brought my family tree.’
‘I don’t remember her mentioning you.’ His expression wasn’t hostile, but Caelan knew she’d have to work to get him to trust her. She decided to be as honest as possible.
‘We’ve never actually met. I know her brother James, but not Lucy.’
Haslam stiffened. ‘Why are you here then?’
‘James wants to know where Lucy is, but he was injured recently. I said I’d come here instead, see what I could find out.’ Caelan held his gaze. ‘I’m worried.’
‘Injured?’ Haslam scoffed. ‘Shot because he’s a dodgy drug-dealing bastard, don’t you mean? Does that mean you’re a criminal too?’
Ewan shifted in his seat and Haslam gave him a wary glance.
‘No, it means Lucy’s family and I want to find her,’ Caelan said.
‘Yeah, well it’s a little late for James to be concerned about her now.’
The bitterness in his voice surprised Caelan, and she hesitated. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Lucy told me about him one night. He’d sent her a text asking how she was, wanting to know if they could meet. She said she didn’t want to see him, and I wondered why.’ He snorted. ‘Do you know Lucy’s area of study?’
‘Something about criminals and computers?’ Caelan was deliberately vague, assuming a confused expression as if it was all too complicated for her.
Haslam nodded. ‘Close enough. You can understand why she wanted to keep her distance.’
Caelan realised she would have to change her approach. Haslam was telling them nothing new.
‘Were you around the day Lucy disappeared?’ she asked.
Haslam’s eyebrows went up.
‘No. I missed her in the morning because I had to get to the library. Sometimes we have breakfast together…’ He looked wistful. ‘I got home around five, and she wasn’t in. I thought nothing of it until a couple of police officers turned up at the front door.’
He spoke respectfully, Caelan noted; not saying ‘coppers’ or any of the other more offensive nicknames for the police.
‘What did they say?’ she asked.
‘That they needed to speak to Lucy, and was she at home? I assumed something had happened, an accident involving a member of her family. When I went up to her room and knocked, there was no answer. Her door was ajar, not locked as it usually was when she was out. I called her name a few times, then looked inside.’ He blinked as though remembering was painful for him. ‘I saw straight away that something had happened. The room was a mess, and before you say it, not a student mess. It had been trashed.’
Caelan exchanged a glance with Ewan. ‘Trashed? What do you mean?’
Haslam swallowed. ‘Books thrown around, everything from the desk shoved onto the floor, the cushions from the bed chucked in a corner. A couple of photographs had been smashed, clothes and bedding everywhere. Lucy was tidy, she wouldn’t have left it like that. I called down to the police officers and they came upstairs. They didn’t go into the room but they had a look. One of them asked me to try calling Lucy. When I did, her phone rang inside her room. She hadn’t taken it with her.’
‘And then?’
He lifted his shoulders. ‘Then they told me to go downstairs.’
And went into the room to retrieve the smashed photograph to show Penrith.
‘Shit. This sounds… scary,’ she said.
Haslam glared. ‘You think so? Try having it happen in your home, to your friend.’
‘Have you been in the room since? Can we go inside?’
‘The police put some tape over the door. Someone came to do fingerprints or whatever a few hours later, but…’ He shook his head. ‘What I don’t understand is why the police were here in the first place. They can’t have known Lucy was missing – we didn’t, and we live with her.’
How was she supposed to explain that one? ‘Don’t know. A tip-off, maybe?’
‘From who? The people who took her?’ He ran both hands over his cheeks. ‘It’s got to be because of her brother, something he’s done. Pissed off the wrong people maybe.’
His words were too close to the truth for comfort.
‘James doesn’t seem to know anything about it,’ Caelan told him. ‘The police came to ask him when he last saw Lucy, and that was the first he’d heard.’
‘Yeah, right. He wasn’t going to say it’s because of something he’s mixed up in, was he?’ Haslam made as though to stand. ‘Where does he live? I’d like a word with him.’
Ewan looked him up and down. ‘Shouldn’t bother, mate, or you’ll have me to answer to. Stay out of his way.’
‘Why the fuck should I?’ Haslam snapped. Ewan laughed, and Haslam subsided, red-faced, his expression furious.
‘Was anyone else at home the day Lucy went missing?’ Caelan asked.
Blinking, Haslam stared at her. ‘No. All four of us were out all day. I don’t know why Lucy was at home; she’s usually at uni all day, even when she doesn’t have lectures.’
Interesting, Caelan thought. ‘She was committed to her studies then?’
Haslam’s glance was scornful. ‘She’s doing an MSc. You have to be.’
‘Didn’t she ever relax, have some fun?’
‘She…’ Haslam paused, staring at the carpet. ‘She told us she had a new boyfriend. She’d been spending a lot of time with him.’
And you hated it, Caelan realised. She sat forward, as though what Haslam was saying was new to her. ‘What’s his name? Do you have his number?’
‘No. Lucy never brought him here. I know nothing about him.’
Except that he was where you want to be – close to Lucy. ‘Is he a student too? Someone she met at uni?’
He slammed his empty cup down on the coffee table by his chair. ‘I’ve already told you, I don’t know.’
Caelan said nothing, waiting, hoping Haslam would fill the silence. He got to his feet.
‘If you don’t mind, I’ve an essay to write.’
The implication was clear, and Caelan doubted he could tell them much more in any case.
As they stood, they heard the front door open and close. Haslam tutted but didn’t speak.
A young woman bounced into the room, a huge bag on her shoulder, blonde hair flying. ‘Been making friends, Tom?’ she said, her tone implying there was a first time for everything. Haslam turned away and stalked out of the room. The woman beamed.
‘His manners don’t improve.’ She held out a hand. ‘Liss Tucker. It’s Felicity really, but,’ she rolled her eyes, ‘no thank you. Parents might as well have called me “had a pony and went to boarding school”, don’t you think?’
Caelan laughed, shaking her hand and introducing herself and Ewan. As Tucker seized Ewan’s hand, she said, ‘Don’t mean to pry, but who are you? Can’t be friends of Tom’s, he doesn’t have any, and we’ll all die of old age before he thinks to introduce us.’ She made an expectant face. ‘So?’
Caelan introduced herself, then Ewan.
Tucker gaped at her. ‘You’re Lucy’s cousin? I bet you’re here to see where we’ve stashed her?’
‘Something like that. The police have told her brother nothing and we’re worried.’
‘Understandable.’ Tucker jerked her head towards the sofa they’d just vacated. ‘Shall we sit?’
Caelan didn’t move. ‘You think you can help us?’
‘Don’t know yet. I’ll try.’ Tucker flung herself into the nearest armchair and crossed her legs. ‘Now. Shame you spoke to Tom first. He’s taken it personally.’
‘Personally?’
‘That Lucy’s done a runner.’ Tucker leant forward, lowered her voice. ‘Jealous, you see. Furious.’
‘I got the impression he might have… well, a crush. Feelings for her.’ Caelan also spoke quietly as she retook her seat on the sofa.
‘A crush?’ Tucker snorted. ‘An obsession, I’d call it. Always asking where she’d been, where she was going. If she made the mistake of telling him, he’d often turn up. Lucy was polite about it, but I know she found him creepy.’ She grinned. ‘The joys of house shares.’
‘I assume he wasn’t happy she had a new boyfriend?’
Tucker leant forward so far Caelan worried she might fall out of the chair. ‘Shall I tell you a secret? I don’t think she did. I think it was a ruse to put Tom off.’
‘You’re saying she lied about it? Really?’ Considering they had found no trace on Lucy’s phone of anything resembling romantic texts or messages, Tucker’s words made sense. ‘Did Lucy tell you that?’
Tucker shook her head. ‘Not in so many words. But she didn’t talk much about him, never brought him here. She was hardly at home, which made Tom cross, as you can imagine. When he asked where she was going, she said she’d met someone, they were going for a drink. Tom went purple, Lucy went out. I thought nothing of it, but when I asked her about it later, she wouldn’t say a word.’
‘Didn’t you find that strange?’
‘In a way, but it’s really none of my business. Lucy and I live in the same house, we’re friendly, polite, but we’re not close. If she wanted me to keep my nose out, I respected that. I think even Tom became resigned to it.’
Caelan asked, ‘When did she first tell you she’d met someone?’
Tucker thought about it. ‘About three weeks ago? I can’t remember exactly. Didn’t she tell her brother about him?’
‘No. They’re… not close.’ Caelan echoed Tucker’s own words.
‘Ah. Families.’ Tucker gave a knowing nod. ‘Bet she didn’t mention the brick through her window, either.’
Again Caelan acted surprised. ‘What? What do you mean?’
Tucker folded her hands in her lap. ‘Now that was strange. My room’s on the floor above, and one evening as I came down the stairs I saw Lucy leaving her room with a brick in her hands. I’ve seen many strange things during my time in shared houses, but never a pet brick.’ She smiled, but Caelan could see she was concerned. Unlikely though it sounded, maybe Tucker hadn’t considered a possible link between Lucy’s disappearance and the brick through her window before. ‘You don’t think someone has taken her, do you? Against her will?’
‘I don’t know.’
Now Tucker looked stricken. ‘I never imagined—’
‘Not even when you heard Lucy’s room had been trashed on the day she disappeared?’ Caelan didn’t mean to snap, but the young woman’s jokey manner was beginning to grate.
Tucker stared. ‘Trashed? What do you mean?’
Caelan realised Tom Haslam hadn’t told her. He’d probably been advised by the police to keep his mouth shut. She repeated what Haslam had told them about the mess in Lucy’s room.
‘Did the police question you?’ she asked.
Tucker nodded. ‘Briefly. I couldn’t tell them anything.’
‘Did they ask about Lucy’s boyfriend?’
‘Yes, though as I’ve said, I had nothing to tell them, apart from a vague feeling she might have made him up.’ Now Tucker looked ill.
‘What did they say to that?’
‘Nothing. They made notes, but…’
If Penrith was aware of this, he hadn’t mentioned it. Caelan sat forward in her seat, forcing Tucker to meet her eyes. ‘Is there anything else you can think of that might help us find her? As you can understand, we’re extremely worried.’
‘Of course, as am I now.’ Tucker chewed on the inside of her cheek as she considered it. ‘A man came to the house one day,’ she said suddenly.
‘A man? What man?’ Caelan allowed some aggression into her voice. ‘Who was he?’
Tucker shrank back. ‘I don’t know. I answered the door, and he asked if he could speak to Lucy.’
‘Just “Lucy”? Or did he use her surname?’ Caelan made it clear Victoria Smith was losing patience.
‘No, I’m pretty certain he just said Lucy.’ Tucker gave a few rapid blinks. ‘As though her knew her, you know?’
‘When was this?’
‘A few weeks ago. Soon after she mentioned the new boyfriend. It wasn’t him, though, I’m sure of it. He was…’ She shook her head. ‘No, he wasn’t her boyfriend.’
‘Then who was he? How can you be sure? Did he give a name?’
‘No, and I didn’t ask.’ Tucker wrinkled her nose. ‘He was filthy, smelt terrible. Not someone I would have assumed Lucy knew. She wasn’t in, and he said he’d come back. I don’t know if he ever did.’
Caelan thought she knew the identity of the visitor, though how he could be involved, she had no idea. She took out her phone and found James Mulligan’s Facebook page, which was still active. Scrolling through his photographs, she found the one she wanted. The image showed Mulligan standing by a bar, toasting the camera with a glass of whisky. In the background another man lurked – scruffy, thin-faced. Caelan stood, shoved the phone under Tucker’s nose.
‘Is this the man who wanted to see Lucy?
Tucker said, ‘Just a second. Need my specs.’
She rummaged in her handbag, put on the glasses and peered at the screen. ‘Yep.’
‘You’re sure?’
‘Completely. I only spoke to him for a few seconds, but I felt I needed a shower afterwards. That’s him, I’d swear it.’
‘Did you mention this to the police?’
Tucker bowed her head. ‘No. I’d forgotten about it.’
Caelan put the phone away.
Swear it? Tucker might have to.