Luke Miles sauntered into the station with his father, who wore a suit and carried a briefcase. He was clearly affronted at having to accompany his son to a place frequented by the criminal underclass, and he glanced around the place like a lord surveying his land. Kelly had learned that both Luke’s mother and father were governors at Derwent Academy, and huge influencers in the town. Philanthropists. She had come across plenty of those in her time, and never fell for the holier-than-thou facade.
They were escorted to an interview room and Will Phillips operated the recording equipment.
‘Good afternoon, Luke. Mr Miles. Please take a seat. We’ve called you in for formal interview as there are several inconsistencies in your original statement.’ Mr Miles went to intervene, but Kelly shot him a sharp look.
‘Mr Miles, you’re here as the responsible adult for your son, but I must gain answers only from him. Thank you. Let’s get straight to it, shall we? For the purposes of the recording: DI Porter and DS Phillips interviewing. Luke, please recap for me exactly what happened on Sunday evening after eight o’clock.’
Kelly’s shoulder blades ached from sitting hunched over notes. She watched the boy as he took a breath and prepared to begin his speech. It was well rehearsed, and a word-for-word regurgitation of what Sadie and Justin had said. She showed him a photograph of Bobby Bailey.
‘That’s him. He was watching her.’
Kelly sighed. Luke had already admitted knowing Bailey, but now he was changing the story again.
‘And why didn’t you tell us this at the time?’
‘Well, I didn’t want to upset Mr and Mrs Shaw. They’ve been through so much.’
Kelly rolled her eyes inwardly.
‘I believe you drive a brand-new Hyundai. How blessed you are. Was it a gift?’
Mr Miles shuffled indignantly but kept his mouth shut.
‘Yes, from my dad.’ Luke was wary.
‘Ever take it up Whinlatter Pass? Or through the forest, perhaps?’ Using the information from Kurt Fletcher was a long shot, but anything was worth a go.
‘Sometimes. I go all over. It’s my car.’ He sounded like a toddler.
‘Has Faith Shaw ever been in your car? And be very careful how you answer this.’
‘I beg your pardon!’ Mr Miles interjected. ‘That sounds like a threat.’
‘Mr Miles, please. You’re merely here as an extra adult. Luke needs to answer the question. Unless you’ve forgotten, there’s a missing girl who we’re desperate to find. Someone’s daughter.’ Mr Miles looked at his feet and Kelly turned again to Luke.
‘Faith’s last-known whereabouts are crucial to us, and Justin Cain said that you all went for a drive in your car. Now, you can verify that or deny it – I don’t mind. Or you can waste my time and perjure yourself in court.’
Luke’s face went pale.
‘I took the girls for a ride.’
‘Luke!’
‘Mr Miles, this is the last time. I’ll have to have you removed. Your son can be chaperoned by another officer.’
‘Sorry.’ He turned to his son, pain etched on his face.
‘What time, and where?’ Kelly continued.
‘It was about nine. We went over the Whinlatter Pass and back.’
‘Who?’
‘Me, the two girls and Justin.’
‘For the record, you are stating that Faith Shaw was in your car when you left the fair at around 9 p.m.?’
‘Yes.’
‘Do you realise how important this is to our inquiry? It changes everything. Why did you withhold it?’
Luke’s father glared at his son, waiting.
‘We came back!’
‘What time?’
‘I don’t know.’
The boy in front of Kelly was poles apart from the one she’d visited at his home.
‘So when did she wander off to the toilet on her own? Before or after the drive? Or was there no Portaloo stop at all?’
Luke swallowed, and Kelly knew she had him on the ropes. He was floundering, but she didn’t need an answer, because she already knew that they were all lying about the toilet. She couldn’t help wondering what else they were lying about.
‘I can’t remember.’
‘Luke, you’re an intelligent boy, that much is obvious. How hard is it to comprehend that if I think you’re not giving me everything, that’s going to raise my suspicions? All I want to do is find Faith. We have a witness saying he saw two parked cars at Revelin Moss car park, and it’s likely that one of them was yours. Do you know Danny Stanton?’
He stared at her. Kelly stared back. Mr Miles looked between the two of them. He held up his hand as if in class, needing to ask an important question.
‘Mr Miles has requested to make a statement,’ Will said for the recording.
‘What is going to happen to my son? Are you charging him with a crime?’
‘At the moment, we’re looking for consistency. So far, none of the kids with Faith on Sunday evening have been straight with us. Luke was the driver of the car in question. We will investigate the importance of that and he may well be charged. At that point, he would be remanded in custody.’
‘Could I speak to him in private?’
Kelly nodded, and they turned off the tape. Video recording equipment monitored the room and they went to the screen to watch, leaving father and son to have the most important conversation of their lives. Kelly knew it wouldn’t be long before one of the teenagers broke their silence. Justin was a weak link, but in time, they’d all want to save their skins.