grew
braver and began passing round cans of beer. Their laughter grew as the night deepened.
‘That seems to be the lot,’ Hendry said, just after midnight. ‘Shall we join them for a chat?’
The noise of the boys, and the light from the fire, made it easy for us to get close to them before one of them noticed us. Straight away three of them were on their feet. One in particular was
slightly crouched as he stood, tensed as if to run if the need arose. He wore a puffy black jacket over a hooded top, and his trousers hung low on his hips, flapping loosely around his legs in the
light breeze blowing across the factory yard.
‘No panic, men,’ Hendry said, lighting his torch and holding it aloft so they could at least see where the voice was coming from. ‘We’re only looking for your
help.’
One boy who had turned to look at us as we approached groaned and theatrically turned his back on us again, muttering something to the others and gaining the approbation of their laughter in
return.
The three boys who had stood up relaxed a little, though none of them sat down again.
‘There was a murder across in the playground during the early hours of Sunday morning, men. Did any of you see anything?’
No one responded.
‘Were any of you here on Saturday night into Sunday morning?’
Again nothing. I realized that several of the teenagers sitting around the fire were not boys at all, but teenaged girls. I recognized one of them as a young girl called Claire, a friend of
Penny’s. When she saw that I had recognized her she turned her head away quickly and muttered something to the boy in the puffed jacket who stood next to her. I tried to dismiss the thought
that my own child might spend nights in such surroundings and company.
‘Come on, fellas,’ Hendry said. ‘We’re not looking for your blood.’
‘What about you, girls?’ I asked.
A few of the boys with their backs to us began to snigger, encouraging the girls to do likewise. The one to the other side of Claire smiled at me.
‘Fuck off, Brit,’ she said.
The circle exploded into laughter at this; all except Claire and the boy in the puffed jacket. He smirked a little, but remained on edge, wetting his lips briefly with the tip of his tongue. He
was trying to play it cool, but the alcohol he had consumed caused him to exaggerate his actions. Still, it didn’t mean he knew anything; he could have been carrying something; drugs, a knife
maybe.
‘He’s not a Brit,’ Hendry said. ‘He’s more Irish than you are, love. Do your parents know you’re out?’
If anything was likely to clam them up, it was threatening them with their parents.
‘We just need some help, folks,’ I said. ‘A man was killed in the playground two nights ago. We’re just wondering if any of you saw anything. We know there were people
here that night. Maybe you saw something?’
If I had imagined appealing to their sense of decency would prove any more fruitful, I was mistaken. Nervous laughter rippled around the group but none of them spoke.
Hendry took out his radio and clicked on it twice. We heard the static, then a voice said ‘Sir?’
‘We’re across the street here,’ Hendry said. ‘I need someone with luminol, as soon as you can.’
‘Sir?’ the voice sounded bewildered, but Hendry cut off the radio quickly.
The youths feigned nonchalance, but it was clear that their interest had been piqued. As had mine; Hendry was clearly working a bluff, for there would be no one with luminol at a
reconstruction.
‘We have very good forensics people,’ Hendry said. ‘They’ve already told us that they found a footprint in the blood of the victim the other night, possibly from the
killer; a trainer footprint. They were even able to tell us the make; Adidas Ambition Powerbounce.’
‘2.0,’ I added.
‘Just so,’ Hendry agreed. ‘And the size; 7.’
He had the whole group’s attention now. I could see a few of the girls scanning the ground,
braver and began passing round cans of beer. Their laughter grew as the night deepened.
‘That seems to be the lot,’ Hendry said, just after midnight. ‘Shall we join them for a chat?’
The noise of the boys, and the light from the fire, made it easy for us to get close to them before one of them noticed us. Straight away three of them were on their feet. One in particular was
slightly crouched as he stood, tensed as if to run if the need arose. He wore a puffy black jacket over a hooded top, and his trousers hung low on his hips, flapping loosely around his legs in the
light breeze blowing across the factory yard.
‘No panic, men,’ Hendry said, lighting his torch and holding it aloft so they could at least see where the voice was coming from. ‘We’re only looking for your
help.’
One boy who had turned to look at us as we approached groaned and theatrically turned his back on us again, muttering something to the others and gaining the approbation of their laughter in
return.
The three boys who had stood up relaxed a little, though none of them sat down again.
‘There was a murder across in the playground during the early hours of Sunday morning, men. Did any of you see anything?’
No one responded.
‘Were any of you here on Saturday night into Sunday morning?’
Again nothing. I realized that several of the teenagers sitting around the fire were not boys at all, but teenaged girls. I recognized one of them as a young girl called Claire, a friend of
Penny’s. When she saw that I had recognized her she turned her head away quickly and muttered something to the boy in the puffed jacket who stood next to her. I tried to dismiss the thought
that my own child might spend nights in such surroundings and company.
‘Come on, fellas,’ Hendry said. ‘We’re not looking for your blood.’
‘What about you, girls?’ I asked.
A few of the boys with their backs to us began to snigger, encouraging the girls to do likewise. The one to the other side of Claire smiled at me.
‘Fuck off, Brit,’ she said.
The circle exploded into laughter at this; all except Claire and the boy in the puffed jacket. He smirked a little, but remained on edge, wetting his lips briefly with the tip of his tongue. He
was trying to play it cool, but the alcohol he had consumed caused him to exaggerate his actions. Still, it didn’t mean he knew anything; he could have been carrying something; drugs, a knife
maybe.
‘He’s not a Brit,’ Hendry said. ‘He’s more Irish than you are, love. Do your parents know you’re out?’
If anything was likely to clam them up, it was threatening them with their parents.
‘We just need some help, folks,’ I said. ‘A man was killed in the playground two nights ago. We’re just wondering if any of you saw anything. We know there were people
here that night. Maybe you saw something?’
If I had imagined appealing to their sense of decency would prove any more fruitful, I was mistaken. Nervous laughter rippled around the group but none of them spoke.
Hendry took out his radio and clicked on it twice. We heard the static, then a voice said ‘Sir?’
‘We’re across the street here,’ Hendry said. ‘I need someone with luminol, as soon as you can.’
‘Sir?’ the voice sounded bewildered, but Hendry cut off the radio quickly.
The youths feigned nonchalance, but it was clear that their interest had been piqued. As had mine; Hendry was clearly working a bluff, for there would be no one with luminol at a
reconstruction.
‘We have very good forensics people,’ Hendry said. ‘They’ve already told us that they found a footprint in the blood of the victim the other night, possibly from the
killer; a trainer footprint. They were even able to tell us the make; Adidas Ambition Powerbounce.’
‘2.0,’ I added.
‘Just so,’ Hendry agreed. ‘And the size; 7.’
He had the whole group’s attention now. I could see a few of the girls scanning the ground,
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