ease.”
“ Yes.”
“ What exactly did she say?”
Nina thought for a moment. “As far as I remember Karen said she wanted to talk to her about something private. And, when Tracey didn’t immediately get up and follow her, she said it was nothing to worry about. It was just something she wanted to ask her.”
“ And when she came back, how did she seem? Was she worried or excited?”
“ Hmm.” Nina thought carefully. “I would say she wasn’t worried. Perhaps she was more excited. But she was - well - she was sort of thoughtful.”
“ But she wouldn’t tell you anything about it.”
“ Actually,” said Nina, “it was as though she wasn’t really listening to me when I asked her about it. You know, as though her thoughts were somewhere else.”
Charlotte was impressed with Nina’s perception. “That’s very interesting, Nina. I think I’ll have to have a chat with this girl, Karen Tilt.”
They continued their talk for another ten minutes but no further useful information came out of the discussion. When she spoke to the other half of the class they were able to provide her with little more detail than she had already picked up from the first fifteen youngsters.
“ But still,” she told Bobbie, “it will all help to give us a fuller picture of Tracey and her typical movements and her usual contacts when we put it on the computer. Now we’d better go back and see the head and ask him about this fourth former, Karen Tilt.”
When they were back in the head’s study and Charlotte asked if she could have a short chat with Karen she was slightly amused to note that the headmaster knew immediately who she was talking about. Obviously Karen Tilt was a girl who got herself noticed.
“ Do you want me to get her for you?” he offered. “It would be convenient for you to talk to her in here. May I suggest that it would be a good idea if I was present, so that her parents couldn’t object if she got emotional later?”
“ I agree that would be a good idea,” said Charlotte.
When he returned five minutes later with the girl, Charlotte saw exactly what the young Barry had meant in his description of her. Despite the fact that she was only fifteen and dressed in the summer uniform of a plain green dress, Karen contrived to look frankly sexy. Her skirt ended several inches above the knees, revealing plenty of shapely leg. She was wearing a broad belt which pulled her waist in so as to accentuate her hour-glass figure. She had on an uplift bra which made the most of her already full breasts. Although the top buttons of her dress were now done up, Charlotte didn’t doubt that at least two of them would be undone when she met any boys who she wanted to impress. The general impression was of a girl very interested in the opposite sex.
“ Sit here, Karen.” The head indicated one of the group of low chairs which occupied a corner of his study and where Charlotte and Bobbie were already sitting.
He introduced the two detectives. “They want to ask you a few questions connected with the disappearance yesterday of Tracey Bostock.”
“ Hello, Karen. Please don’t be worried. It’s only filling a gap in the picture we’re trying to build up of Tracey’s recent movements.”
The girl nodded. In fact Charlotte noted she didn’t seem in the least worried. She was obviously a girl with a lot of self-confidence.
“ I’ve been talking to Tracey’s class-mates and I gather from them that you went to talk to her during lunch-break on Tuesday when she was sitting with some friends near the tennis courts. Is that correct?”
Karen looked from her to the head and back. “What have they been saying?”
Charlotte smiled. “The other girls said you spoke to her and told her not to worry but you wanted to ask her something.”
She replied a simple, “Yes.”
“ And you asked her to go somewhere with you and, according to these friends, it was about ten minutes before Tracey returned to where they
“ Yes.”
“ What exactly did she say?”
Nina thought for a moment. “As far as I remember Karen said she wanted to talk to her about something private. And, when Tracey didn’t immediately get up and follow her, she said it was nothing to worry about. It was just something she wanted to ask her.”
“ And when she came back, how did she seem? Was she worried or excited?”
“ Hmm.” Nina thought carefully. “I would say she wasn’t worried. Perhaps she was more excited. But she was - well - she was sort of thoughtful.”
“ But she wouldn’t tell you anything about it.”
“ Actually,” said Nina, “it was as though she wasn’t really listening to me when I asked her about it. You know, as though her thoughts were somewhere else.”
Charlotte was impressed with Nina’s perception. “That’s very interesting, Nina. I think I’ll have to have a chat with this girl, Karen Tilt.”
They continued their talk for another ten minutes but no further useful information came out of the discussion. When she spoke to the other half of the class they were able to provide her with little more detail than she had already picked up from the first fifteen youngsters.
“ But still,” she told Bobbie, “it will all help to give us a fuller picture of Tracey and her typical movements and her usual contacts when we put it on the computer. Now we’d better go back and see the head and ask him about this fourth former, Karen Tilt.”
When they were back in the head’s study and Charlotte asked if she could have a short chat with Karen she was slightly amused to note that the headmaster knew immediately who she was talking about. Obviously Karen Tilt was a girl who got herself noticed.
“ Do you want me to get her for you?” he offered. “It would be convenient for you to talk to her in here. May I suggest that it would be a good idea if I was present, so that her parents couldn’t object if she got emotional later?”
“ I agree that would be a good idea,” said Charlotte.
When he returned five minutes later with the girl, Charlotte saw exactly what the young Barry had meant in his description of her. Despite the fact that she was only fifteen and dressed in the summer uniform of a plain green dress, Karen contrived to look frankly sexy. Her skirt ended several inches above the knees, revealing plenty of shapely leg. She was wearing a broad belt which pulled her waist in so as to accentuate her hour-glass figure. She had on an uplift bra which made the most of her already full breasts. Although the top buttons of her dress were now done up, Charlotte didn’t doubt that at least two of them would be undone when she met any boys who she wanted to impress. The general impression was of a girl very interested in the opposite sex.
“ Sit here, Karen.” The head indicated one of the group of low chairs which occupied a corner of his study and where Charlotte and Bobbie were already sitting.
He introduced the two detectives. “They want to ask you a few questions connected with the disappearance yesterday of Tracey Bostock.”
“ Hello, Karen. Please don’t be worried. It’s only filling a gap in the picture we’re trying to build up of Tracey’s recent movements.”
The girl nodded. In fact Charlotte noted she didn’t seem in the least worried. She was obviously a girl with a lot of self-confidence.
“ I’ve been talking to Tracey’s class-mates and I gather from them that you went to talk to her during lunch-break on Tuesday when she was sitting with some friends near the tennis courts. Is that correct?”
Karen looked from her to the head and back. “What have they been saying?”
Charlotte smiled. “The other girls said you spoke to her and told her not to worry but you wanted to ask her something.”
She replied a simple, “Yes.”
“ And you asked her to go somewhere with you and, according to these friends, it was about ten minutes before Tracey returned to where they
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