‘That was interesting,’ Zoe said, once they were back in the car.
‘You thought so too, did you? Tell me how it struck you.’
‘It was their reaction. They didn’t seem surprised when we turned up on their doorstep. They didn’t even seem too surprised when we told them their grandson was dead.’
‘That was what struck me first,’ Annie agreed. ‘Darren Parkin had a record, but only for minor stuff, and he hadn’t done anything for several years.’
‘Nothing we caught him doing anyway,’ Zoe pointed out. ‘But maybe any kind of law-breaking would be a shock to a couple like that. They seemed fairly conservative types.’
‘Maybe,’ Annie said. ‘Maybe these visits from debt collectors added to that. Even so, it’s a big jump to not being surprised that he’d been murdered. It felt as if they knew more about Darren than they were saying. The stuff about the mother was interesting, too. The unknown father. Just walking out and leaving her child behind. Wished we could have probed a bit further. As it was, I pushed it further than I should have done.’
‘Maybe,’ Zoe said. ‘They didn’t exactly seem distraught at Darren’s death, though.’
‘I couldn’t fathom what their feelings were.’ They were still sitting outside the Parkins’ house, and Annie was conscious that they were probably still being watched by the neighbour, if not by the Parkins themselves. ‘While we’re here, shall we try to track down these old friends of Darren’s. Might be a wild goose chase, but we may as well give it a go. Don’t know how far we’ll get without the house numbers, but we can see.’
She started the car and pulled back out into the street. From the corner of her eye, she caught a movement at the neighbour’s window as the curtain was dropped back into place. She turned back out on to the main street and then followed the directions given by Zoe, who was checking out the addresses on her mobile. ‘I’ve found a Francis on that street from one of the directory enquiry websites,’ she said. ‘Number six.’
‘Let’s try that first, then.’
A few more turns brought them into another estate of houses. The houses themselves had unmistakeably been built as council housing, probably in the 1950s or 1960s. The area seemed less salubrious than where the Parkins lived, although most of the houses and gardens were tidy and well-maintained.
It took them a few moments to find their destination. The house looked neat enough, but there were fewer of the personal touches that distinguished many of the surrounding residences. The front garden had been given over largely to concrete to create a driveway, which held an unmarked white van. By contrast with the two neighbouring houses, there were no pot plants or hanging baskets around the door.
The front door opened before Annie could press the doorbell. A woman peered suspiciously out at them. ‘Yes?’
Annie showed her warrant card. ‘Police. We’re trying to contact a Carl Francis.’
The woman frowned. ‘Carl? What do you want with Carl?’
‘Does Carl live here, Mrs…?’
‘Francis,’ the woman confirmed. ‘Kelly Francis. Carl doesn’t live here any more.’
‘Do you have contact details for him?’
‘Of course I do. Whether I’m prepared to give them to you is another matter. What do you want with him?’
Annie paused. Her first instinct had been to withhold Darren Parkin’s name until she was able to speak to Carl himself, but Carl’s mother might conceivably be able to offer them some insights. ‘We understand he was a friend of your son’s some years ago. You may know him yourself. Darren Parkin.’
Kelly Francis frowned. ‘Darren Parkin. Yes, I knew him.’ She seemed to hesitate. ‘He was trouble.’
‘You didn’t approve of him?’
‘That’s one way of putting it. Another is that I wouldn’t trust the little toerag further than I could throw him.’
‘I wonder if we should continue this conversation inside?’
Kelly Francis took the hint. ‘Aye, you’re right. Folks round here have their tab-holes open for any word of gossip. You’ll have to take us as you find us, though.’
As it turned out, the house was pleasant enough. It was much less tidy than the Parkins’, but had a comfortable, lived-in air. A pile of children’s toys sat in the corner of the sitting room. ‘My granddaughter’s stuff,’ Kelly Francis said. ‘Carl’s sister’s kid. I look after her a couple of days a week while her mam goes to work. Grab a seat.’
‘We won’t take up too much of your time. But if there’s anything you can tell us about Darren Parkin, that would be helpful.’
‘What’s he been up to, then? Not that anything would surprise me.’
‘I’m not at liberty to discuss any details of the investigation at this stage, I’m afraid. We’re really just gathering some background information. How well do you know Darren Parkin?’
‘He and Carl were mates at school and for a bit after. There were a few of them used to hang around together. Causing trouble, mainly.’
‘You didn’t like Darren?’
‘He was a bad influence. Him and another one in particular. Garfield. Jonny Garfield. Nasty pieces of work, both of them.’
It was the same name Darren’s grandparents had mentioned along with Carl Francis.
‘Bad influences in what way?’ asked Annie.
‘You name it. Look, I’m not saying Carl was an angel. He’s not the brightest kid, but he’s willing and good-natured. They took advantage of him. They got into trouble in all kinds of ways – petty crime, booze, drug-taking. Garfield was excluded from school a couple of times, and both of them ended up in trouble with the law. But they used to get others to do stuff on their behalf, including Carl. Carl almost got into serious trouble a couple of times because of stuff they’d put him up to.’
‘Do you think he might still be in contact with Darren?’ Zoe asked.
There was another hesitation. ‘Not as far as I’m aware. Carl’s living in Derby. Got himself a job in one of the supermarkets, and he’s renting a flat with a couple of mates. He phones a couple of times a week, and pops over every couple of weeks or so. He’s doing all right.’
‘When did you last see Darren?’
‘Me? Not sure. He walked out on his nan and grandad, didn’t he? But I probably hadn’t seen him for a while before that. I don’t know if Carl saw anything much of him after they left school.’
‘And what about the other boy? Jonny Garfield?’ Annie said.
‘To be honest, he was worse than Darren. He was probably the brains behind anything they got up to, if that’s the right word. He really was an unpleasant little so-and-so. The others were – well, not the brightest, including Carl. And including Darren, too. He was the big I-am, but I think it was Garfield who was the real bad influence. He was smart enough to get others to do his dirty work. I’ve no idea what happened to him, but I’m willing to bet it was nothing good.’
‘Carl’s no longer in contact with Jonny Garfield, presumably?’
‘I bloody well hope not. He was the one I really tried to keep Carl away from. If Garfield’s not inside himself – and he’s probably been smart enough to avoid it – he’s probably been responsible for one or two other people ending up there.’
‘That’s very useful. Mrs Francis. Thank you. Are you able to let us have contact details for Carl?’
‘Are you sure Carl’s not in any trouble?’
‘This isn’t about Carl. We’re just looking to find out more about Darren Parkin. Anything Carl might be able to tell us could be useful.’
‘I’ll get you his details,’ Kelly Francis said. Annie noticed she’d been glancing at the clock on the mantelpiece and suddenly seemed keener to draw the discussion to an end.
‘Thank you. That’s very helpful. I hope we don’t need to disturb you again.’
Francis retrieved the details from her mobile phone, and Zoe dutifully scribbled them down in her notebook. When they rose to leave, Annie could almost feel Francis willing them out of the door. As Kelly Francis opened the front door, Annie stopped and said, ‘Is the van yours?’
‘My husband’s,’ Francis said. ‘He’s a painter and decorator.’
‘He’s not using it today?’
‘He’s doing a couple of small local jobs this afternoon. Didn’t need a lot of equipment, so he’s just taken the car. Easier to park.’
‘Thanks again for your time, Mrs Francis. We’ll be in touch if we need anything else, but I hope we won’t need to trouble you.’
‘No problem. Glad to have been of assistance.’ Annie could see that Francis was looking past her, scanning the length of the street for any sign of an approaching vehicle. She waved another farewell, then turned to join Zoe by the car.