Die Twice by Simon Kernick

my staff lay a hand on them to try to stop them leaving, they can have assault charges laid against us just like that, and believe me they’d do it. Put bluntly, these kids do what they like because they know they can do what they like. Half of them can’t write their names, but they all know their rights inside out. And often, I’m afraid, they simply decide they’ve had enough of us and walk out the door. Sometimes they come back; sometimes they don’t.’
    â€˜Don’t you try to look for them?’ Malik persisted.
    She looked at him in the way a teacher looks at a particularly foolish pupil. ‘We’re extremely understaffed. It’s hard enough keeping control of the ones who want to be here without worrying about the ones who don’t. And where would we look for her? She could be anywhere.’
    â€˜Did you report her missing?’ I asked.
    â€˜I informed Camden Social Services and they will have informed the police, but I didn’t report it myself. I didn’t see much point.’
    â€˜How old is Molly Hagger?’
    â€˜Thirteen.’
    I shook my head. ‘It’s a young age to be out on the streets.’ It was. Far too young.
    She turned to me now. ‘Mr…?’
    â€˜Milne.’
    â€˜Mr Milne, I can understand if you think I’m not taking Molly’s leaving seriously enough, I can understand both of your concerns, but try to look at it from my point of view. I’ve been a careworker for a long time now, and I’ve tried to help a lot of kids make a better life for themselves. But the older I get, the harder it becomes. You see, a lot of the time these kids don’t want to be helped. They get plenty of offers, I can promise you, but most of them just want to live fast, take drugs, drink. They’re independent, but independent in all the wrong ways. They can’t stand any form of authority but often they aren’t capable of looking after themselves. They’re not all like that of course, some do actually want to listen and learn, and they’re the ones I find myself gravitating to. If I’ve tried to help someone, and they keep turning their noses up at that help, then eventually I have to stop.’
    â€˜And was Molly Hagger like that? Was she one of the ones who turned her nose up?’
    â€˜Molly came from a very difficult background. She was sexually abused from the age of four by both her mother and her mother’s boyfriend. She was taken into care at the age of eight and she’s been in it ever since.’
    I thought of the girl in the photograph and felt mildly sick. ‘Jesus…’
    â€˜It’s far more common than most people think. You should know that, Mr Milne.’
    â€˜It doesn’t make it any easier.’
    â€˜No, you’re right, it doesn’t. But, to answer your question, Molly wasn’t one of our more difficult girls. She didn’t resent her carers in the way some clients do, but she had a very different outlook on life that was a direct result of the experiences she’d suffered.’
    â€˜What do you mean?’
    â€˜Well, she had a very casual and very adult view of sex. She had male and female sexual partners from a very young age, and from the age of ten she was charging for her services to certain individuals.’
    â€˜Has she run away before?’
    â€˜She’s walked out on a number of occasions and not been seen for some time. The last time of any significance was about a year ago when she took up with an older man. She ended up living with him for several months before he got tired of her and threw her out. That’s when she came back here.’
    â€˜So you think that might have happened this time?’
    â€˜I would think, knowing Molly, that that’s a very likely scenario.’
    I nodded, more optimistic now that she was still alive. ‘We’re going to need to speak to all your other, er, clients, and