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“That’s me,” said Carly. “I’m studying art history.” She was a slight girl with dyed black hair, a ring through the far edge of her left eyebrow and another through the center of her lower lip, which gave her voice a curious lisp.
They talked about art for a while, then, when they both seemed relaxed, A
“Have you any idea why I’m here?” she asked.
They shook their heads.
“I found someone in the Jolly Roger who told me where you lived. Why haven’t you come forward before now? You must know of all the appeals for information we’ve had out.”
“Information about what?” Alex asked, a puzzled expression on his face. He was good-looking enough, in a boyish sort of way, though his hair looked as if it needed a wash and he had an Adam’s apple the size of a gob-stopper. Could do with a shave, too, A
“About the murder,” she went on. “Emily Riddle’s murder. Surely you know it happened at the Bar None shortly after you left on Thursday night?”
Alex and Carly looked blank. “No.”
“It was in all the papers. On telly. Everyone’s talking about it.”
“We don’t have a TV set and, well, to be honest,” Alex said, “we haven’t looked at a paper in days. Too busy at college.”
Seems like it, A
“I’ve heard people talking about a drug overdose,” Carly said. “But I didn’t make the co
“Why did you leave the club so early?”
They looked at one another, then Carly lisped, “We didn’t like the music.”
“That’s it?”
“It’s enough, isn’t it. I mean, you wouldn’t like to have to listen to that crap all night, would you?”
A
“We didn’t know what sort of music they played,” Alex answered. “Someone at college said it was a pretty good place to have a few drinks and dance, and you know… unwind.”
“And buy drugs?”
Carly reddened. “We don’t do drugs.”
“Is that why you went? To buy drugs? And when you’d bought them you left?”
“She said we don’t do drugs and we don’t,” said Alex. “Why can’t you just believe us? Not every young person’s some sort of drug addict, you know. I knew the cops were prejudiced against blacks and gays, but I didn’t think they were prejudiced against the young in general.”
A
“It still doesn’t give you the right to accuse us of being druggies,” said Alex.
“Oh, for crying out loud! Grow up, Alex. If I were accusing the two of you of being junkies you’d be down in the cells now waiting for your legal aid solicitor.”
“But you said-”
“Let’s move on, shall we?”
They both sulked for a moment, then nodded.
“What kind of music do you like?”
Alex shrugged. “All sorts, really. Just not that technorave-disco crap they play at the Bar None. It gives me a headache.”
A
“Where did you get these?” she asked, noticing that Carly had reddened when she picked up one of the CD cases.
“Shop.”
“What shop?”
“Computer shop.”
“Come on, Carly. You think I’m stupid just because I’m an old fogy? Is that it? You didn’t buy this in any legitimate computer shop. It’s a knock-off, like the music CDs. Where did you buy them?”
“It’s not illegal.”
“We won’t go into the ins and outs of breach of copyright just now. I just want to know where you bought them.”
After letting the silence stretch for almost a minute, Alex answered. “Bloke in the used bookshop down by the castle sells them.”
“Castle Hill Books?”
“That’s the one.”
A
“Are you going to arrest us?” Carly asked.
“No. I’m not going to arrest you. But I do want you to answer a few more questions. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“While you were in the club, did you notice anyone selling drugs or behaving suspiciously?”
“There weren’t many people in the place,” Carly said. “Everyone was just getting in drinks or sitting down.”
“A few people were dancing,” Alex added. “But things hadn’t really got going by then.”
“Did you notice this girl?”
A
“I think that’s the girl who came in with some friends just after us,” Carly said. “At least it looks like her.”
“About five foot six, taller in her platforms. Flared jeans.”
“That’s the one,” Carly said. “No, I didn’t see her doing anything odd at all. They sat down. Someone went for drinks. I think she was dancing at one point. I don’t know. I wasn’t really paying attention. The music was already driving me crazy.”
“You didn’t notice her talk to anyone outside her immediate group?”
“No.”
“Did you see her go to the toilet?”
“We weren’t watching people coming and going from the toilets.”
“So you didn’t notice her go?”
“No.”
“All right. Did you recognize her? Have you ever seen her before?”
“No,” Alex answered, with a sly glance at Carly. “And I think I’d remember.”
Carly threw a cushion at him. He laughed.
“She was too young for you, Alex,” said A
Things were going nowhere fast with Carly and Alex, so she decided to wrap up the interview and call it a day. “Okay,” she said, standing up and stretching her back. “If either of you remembers anything about that evening, no matter how insignificant it might seem to you, give me a ring at this number.” She handed her card to Carly, who put it on the computer desk, then left the flat, ready to head home. It had been a rough day. Maybe she could treat herself to a book and a long hot bath and put Banks and Dalton out of her mind.