'Really?'
'Yeah. Back in Ballydehob. Do you know where
that is?'
'Essex?'
'Close enough.' Delaney smiled at her again.
'One time I swung so high and so hard I went right
over the top, flew out of the seat and smashed my
head on the ground.'
He had her attention now, the frown easing off
her lips slightly. 'Honest?'
'Oh yeah. Right on the noggin. Knocked all the
brains out of me. I reckon that's why I ended up
joining the police.'
A slight smile.
'Did you swing here with Jenny?'
'Sometimes. We're not little kids, you know.'
'Of course not. I suppose it's all boys and bands,
eh?'
'No.'
Delaney nodded. 'Not bands?'
'Not boys.'
Delaney smiled again, trying to work his charm;
failing.
'Come on, I bet you and Jenny had a queue of
boys pestering you at school. Couple of pretty
girls like you.'
'Jenny isn't interested in boys.'
Delaney looked at her for a moment. 'You don't
seem to be too worried about her.'
She shrugged again: whatever.
'Only we've got half the Metropolitan Police
out looking for her. Her father is in pieces. But
you don't seem to be too troubled at all. And she's
your best friend.'
'She'll be all right.'
Carol kicked her feet again, setting the swing in
creaking motion once more.
Sally stepped forward and put her hand on the
girl's shoulder to stop her. 'You know something,
don't you?'
'I don't know anything.'
Delaney shook his head. 'See, I reckon that
bump on the head gave me psychic powers as well,
and I don't think you're telling us everything.'
Carol looked away. Delaney looked at the girl's
mother, who nodded and knelt down in front of
her daughter.
'Tell them, Carol; if you know anything you
have to tell them.'
Sally smiled again, reassuring. 'You're not going
to be in any trouble. But if you know anything,
you have to tell us. We need to know she's all
right.'
'She is.'
'How do you know?'
'I promised I wouldn't tell. She made me
promise.'
Delaney stooped down to bring his face level
with Carol's, his voice soft and soothing. 'I know
you made a promise, but things have gone too far
now, haven't they?'
Carol looked at him for a moment, worrying
her lower lip between her teeth.
'She's gone to be with her aunt.'
Delaney looked across surprised to Sally, then
back at Carol.
'She doesn't have an aunt.'
'Yes she does.'
Sally crouched beside her. 'She doesn't. If she
had we would have spoken to her. Maybe she just
called herself an aunt, like family friends
sometimes do?'
Carol shook her head. 'No. She's her real aunt.
She told me. She didn't think she had a real auntie
either, until she met her.'
'Met her where, Carol?'
'On the internet. At school.'
'Do you know what her name is? Did she tell
you that?'
Carol nodded.
'What is it? You have to tell us.'
And she did.
14.
'Do you know what I hate about people?' Delaney
asked Sally as he shifted into a lower gear and
blasted his horn as he overtook an elderly woman
who in his opinion shouldn't be allowed to be in
charge of a bicycle, let alone a Mercedes with God
knows how many horsepower under the bonnet.
Sally wasn't happy with the way he was treating
her car, but he was the boss so she kept her own
counsel.
'No, sir?'
'Everything.' Delaney stepped on the accelerator.
'Because people lie, Sally. They do bad
things to each other and they look you in the face
and they lie about it.'
'Maybe it's your upbringing, sir.'
'Meaning?'
'All that Catholicism, confessions and all that.'
'I wasn't brought up among priests and nuns,
Sally.'
'You weren't?'
'I was brought up by wolves.'
He flashed a humourless grin at her as he
brought the car to a screeching halt outside
Morgan's workshop.
'Let's go and talk to the liar. See if he's ready to
make his confession.'
Inside his workshop, Morgan watched as
Delaney and Sally approached. He wiped the back
of his greasy hand across his mouth and a flicker
of something shifted in his eyes.
'Have you found her?'
Delaney shook his head, and the hope in
Morgan's eyes died.
'Mr Morgan.
'Yeah. Back in Ballydehob. Do you know where
that is?'
'Essex?'
'Close enough.' Delaney smiled at her again.
'One time I swung so high and so hard I went right
over the top, flew out of the seat and smashed my
head on the ground.'
He had her attention now, the frown easing off
her lips slightly. 'Honest?'
'Oh yeah. Right on the noggin. Knocked all the
brains out of me. I reckon that's why I ended up
joining the police.'
A slight smile.
'Did you swing here with Jenny?'
'Sometimes. We're not little kids, you know.'
'Of course not. I suppose it's all boys and bands,
eh?'
'No.'
Delaney nodded. 'Not bands?'
'Not boys.'
Delaney smiled again, trying to work his charm;
failing.
'Come on, I bet you and Jenny had a queue of
boys pestering you at school. Couple of pretty
girls like you.'
'Jenny isn't interested in boys.'
Delaney looked at her for a moment. 'You don't
seem to be too worried about her.'
She shrugged again: whatever.
'Only we've got half the Metropolitan Police
out looking for her. Her father is in pieces. But
you don't seem to be too troubled at all. And she's
your best friend.'
'She'll be all right.'
Carol kicked her feet again, setting the swing in
creaking motion once more.
Sally stepped forward and put her hand on the
girl's shoulder to stop her. 'You know something,
don't you?'
'I don't know anything.'
Delaney shook his head. 'See, I reckon that
bump on the head gave me psychic powers as well,
and I don't think you're telling us everything.'
Carol looked away. Delaney looked at the girl's
mother, who nodded and knelt down in front of
her daughter.
'Tell them, Carol; if you know anything you
have to tell them.'
Sally smiled again, reassuring. 'You're not going
to be in any trouble. But if you know anything,
you have to tell us. We need to know she's all
right.'
'She is.'
'How do you know?'
'I promised I wouldn't tell. She made me
promise.'
Delaney stooped down to bring his face level
with Carol's, his voice soft and soothing. 'I know
you made a promise, but things have gone too far
now, haven't they?'
Carol looked at him for a moment, worrying
her lower lip between her teeth.
'She's gone to be with her aunt.'
Delaney looked across surprised to Sally, then
back at Carol.
'She doesn't have an aunt.'
'Yes she does.'
Sally crouched beside her. 'She doesn't. If she
had we would have spoken to her. Maybe she just
called herself an aunt, like family friends
sometimes do?'
Carol shook her head. 'No. She's her real aunt.
She told me. She didn't think she had a real auntie
either, until she met her.'
'Met her where, Carol?'
'On the internet. At school.'
'Do you know what her name is? Did she tell
you that?'
Carol nodded.
'What is it? You have to tell us.'
And she did.
14.
'Do you know what I hate about people?' Delaney
asked Sally as he shifted into a lower gear and
blasted his horn as he overtook an elderly woman
who in his opinion shouldn't be allowed to be in
charge of a bicycle, let alone a Mercedes with God
knows how many horsepower under the bonnet.
Sally wasn't happy with the way he was treating
her car, but he was the boss so she kept her own
counsel.
'No, sir?'
'Everything.' Delaney stepped on the accelerator.
'Because people lie, Sally. They do bad
things to each other and they look you in the face
and they lie about it.'
'Maybe it's your upbringing, sir.'
'Meaning?'
'All that Catholicism, confessions and all that.'
'I wasn't brought up among priests and nuns,
Sally.'
'You weren't?'
'I was brought up by wolves.'
He flashed a humourless grin at her as he
brought the car to a screeching halt outside
Morgan's workshop.
'Let's go and talk to the liar. See if he's ready to
make his confession.'
Inside his workshop, Morgan watched as
Delaney and Sally approached. He wiped the back
of his greasy hand across his mouth and a flicker
of something shifted in his eyes.
'Have you found her?'
Delaney shook his head, and the hope in
Morgan's eyes died.
'Mr Morgan.
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