Ipswich
13th August
DS Wildy
Rick Grant is sweating. Droplets of moisture dot his brow; they’ve had to give him a tissue because the sight of it is so uncomfortable. Alex Wildy watches as he dabs at the beads on his face, blows out his cheeks in a futile attempt to create a feeling of air in the stuffy interview room.
He’s not as good-looking as his wife, but they make a believable pair – mid-thirties parents, perhaps slightly older than the average, pleased with themselves for having got on the property ladder, coupled up, produced a baby. A baby who is now nowhere to be found. There’s something about Rick that Alex doesn’t quite trust yet.
Sitting opposite him, Alex sips from his water, grateful for the cool relief in his throat, thinks longingly of the back garden at home, of his wife Joanne setting out the barbecue. Beside him, Bolton coughs, a sign that he’s getting impatient, and Alex forces himself to ignore the summer heat, to focus on the task at hand.
‘Rick Grant,’ he says, ‘let’s get started, shall we?’
Ipswich Police Station, Interview Room 3
11.40 a.m.
Present: DS Wildy, DS Bolton, Rick Grant
DS Wildy: Mr Grant, you are aware we have been speaking with your wife this morning, and that you are now being questioned on the record as part of our inquiries into the disappearance of your daughter, Eve Grant.
RG: Yes.
DS Bolton: Mr Grant, what can you tell us about your wife’s relationship with Caroline Harvey, the woman found dead on August 10th?
RG: [clears throat] They met at university, up in Leeds. Must have been around 2005, first year.
DS Bolton: Where you were also a student at the time?
RG: Yes, the three of us were. Jenny and Caroline were on the same course, they both studied art. They became friends in the first year, and then flatmates in our second year.
DS Bolton: By which time you and Jenny were a couple?
RG: [pause] Yes. But I don’t see how that is relevant. I want to find my little girl.
DS Wildy: We understand, Mr Grant. There are officers out looking for Eve as we speak, and police are currently going door to door, questioning anyone in the neighbourhood who might have seen what happened on August 10th. But the more information we can gather from you the better. All of it will help us in piecing together the events of that night.
RG: You think she’s dead, don’t you?
DS Wildy: No one is saying that. There is a good chance that your daughter is alive.
RG: Have you got any actual leads yet? Do you think Caroline’s boyfriend has got my daughter? Christ, if I could get my hands on him…I can’t stand that I’m just sitting here, when our little Eve could be chopped up somewhere. [puts head in hands].
DS Wildy: Mr Grant, we are currently pursuing several lines of inquiry and I can guarantee you, we will leave no stone unturned when it comes to finding Eve. There is no evidence as yet that she has come to any harm.
RG: You and I both know it’s only a matter of time. I’m not stupid, Detective. [sighs, sniffs]. God, this is all too much. My mother’s ill too, did you know that? My mother’s about to die and my daughter’s gone missing. I don’t know how much more I can deal with.
DS Wildy: We’re very sorry to hear about your mother, Mr Grant.
RG: Sorry. [pauses, collects himself, takes a deep breath and wipes sweat from his brow]. Is there anything else? I want to help. I’ll tell you whatever you need to know.
DS Bolton: What was your own relationship to Caroline Harvey?
RG: [hesitates] Erm, we were friends, I guess. I mean, she was Jenny’s friend, mainly, but we got on OK. We haven’t seen her that much since we got married, since Eve was born. [pause] I don’t think they were as close as they used to be. I didn’t know much about her – tell you the truth, I always felt a bit sorry for her. Never seemed to have a man. Her life struck me as a bit—
DS Wildy: A bit what?
RG: Empty. Yeah, I always thought her life was empty. I don’t think she and Jenny were really that good mates any more.
DS Bolton: And yet she was the person you chose to leave your daughter with?
RG: [pause] To be honest, I was a little surprised that Jenny wanted to. I’ve always thought Caroline was a bit—
DS Bolton: A bit?
RG: Unstable.