him.
‘No, I’m OK on my own.’
Ms Porter’s expression suggested she would have preferred to stay, and he couldn’t blame her. As well as her school being linked to a murder, there was a possibility that the press would get hold of the pregnancy pact story. If they did, the school’s reputation would take a further battering. He was surprised the multiple pregnancies had remained a secret until now – it only went to show that affluent Glaswegians were very good at keeping their problems out of the public domain.
He waited until Ms Porter had left before joining Sandie at the coffee table.
‘I’m very sorry about what happened to your friend.’
She gave a little sniff. ‘She just went for candyfloss. No one else likes it, so we went on to the dodgems.’ She gave him a pitiful look. ‘I should have gone with her.’
‘Did she ask you to?’
She looked uncomfortable. ‘Not exactly.’
‘What happened wasn’t your fault.’
‘I know.’
‘Tell me about Kira.’
She seemed unsure how to answer. ‘We were friends,’ she said finally.
‘Best friends?’
She shook her head. ‘Kira had lots of friends. No one special, except maybe David.’ Her tone changed when she mentioned his name.
‘They were close?’
She sounded peeved. ‘They had this thing. Always whispering to one another like you weren’t there.’
‘How long had they been going out?’
She gave him a sharp look. ‘A while. He wasn’t the father, if that’s what you think. He said he didn’t care it was someone else’s. How weird is that?’
A little weird – if it were true.
‘Was Kira seeing someone else?’
‘Well, she must have been if it wasn’t David’s.’
‘But you didn’t know who?’
She shook her head.
‘Why do you think Kira went into the Hall of Mirrors on her own?’
She looked irritated. ‘She was like that sometimes. Just did things on her own. She even went to the cinema alone.’ She looked to him for confirmation of how odd that was.
Bill didn’t find it strange at all. He’d done the same thing himself during his suspension and was surprised by the variety of people who’d shared the daytime showings with him.
‘She never thought it was sad to do things on her own.’
‘And you do?’
She struggled for a moment, then shook her head. ‘Nothing Kira did was sad.’
‘Even getting pregnant?’
‘She was happy about it.’
‘What about the other girls?’
Sandie gave a brief look round as though someone might be listening at the door.
‘We’re not supposed to talk about that.’
‘I’ve spoken to Ms Porter already.’
‘My father threatened to take me out of the school if word got out.’
‘And you don’t want that?’
‘I need to pass my exams. I want to study Medicine at Edinburgh.’ She said this as though it was a passport to prestige and riches.
It probably was.
He was silent for a moment. It hadn’t been obvious in her statement, but Bill was gaining the impression that Sandie hadn’t liked Kira very much. He wondered how many of the gang had. People tended to become leaders because others were in awe of them or simply feared them. Leaders who were loved were thinner on the ground.
‘Did you see yourself as one of Kira’s gang?’
‘I didn’t get myself pregnant just to please her if that’s what you mean.’
‘Did Kira ask the others to get pregnant?’
‘No! I don’t know. She didn’t talk to me about it, anyway.’ She sounded relieved and annoyed at the same time.
From what Bill had read, Slater hadn’t known about the daisy chain reference on Kira’s palms when he’d initially interviewed those with her at the funfair. Bill didn’t want to make it common knowledge, but if it was linked to this pact he needed to know.
‘Have you heard the phrase “daisy chain”?’
Her face coloured a deep red, then went white. She looked as though she might throw up.
‘Are you OK?’
Her hands gripped the sides of the leather chair.
‘Is
‘No, I’m OK on my own.’
Ms Porter’s expression suggested she would have preferred to stay, and he couldn’t blame her. As well as her school being linked to a murder, there was a possibility that the press would get hold of the pregnancy pact story. If they did, the school’s reputation would take a further battering. He was surprised the multiple pregnancies had remained a secret until now – it only went to show that affluent Glaswegians were very good at keeping their problems out of the public domain.
He waited until Ms Porter had left before joining Sandie at the coffee table.
‘I’m very sorry about what happened to your friend.’
She gave a little sniff. ‘She just went for candyfloss. No one else likes it, so we went on to the dodgems.’ She gave him a pitiful look. ‘I should have gone with her.’
‘Did she ask you to?’
She looked uncomfortable. ‘Not exactly.’
‘What happened wasn’t your fault.’
‘I know.’
‘Tell me about Kira.’
She seemed unsure how to answer. ‘We were friends,’ she said finally.
‘Best friends?’
She shook her head. ‘Kira had lots of friends. No one special, except maybe David.’ Her tone changed when she mentioned his name.
‘They were close?’
She sounded peeved. ‘They had this thing. Always whispering to one another like you weren’t there.’
‘How long had they been going out?’
She gave him a sharp look. ‘A while. He wasn’t the father, if that’s what you think. He said he didn’t care it was someone else’s. How weird is that?’
A little weird – if it were true.
‘Was Kira seeing someone else?’
‘Well, she must have been if it wasn’t David’s.’
‘But you didn’t know who?’
She shook her head.
‘Why do you think Kira went into the Hall of Mirrors on her own?’
She looked irritated. ‘She was like that sometimes. Just did things on her own. She even went to the cinema alone.’ She looked to him for confirmation of how odd that was.
Bill didn’t find it strange at all. He’d done the same thing himself during his suspension and was surprised by the variety of people who’d shared the daytime showings with him.
‘She never thought it was sad to do things on her own.’
‘And you do?’
She struggled for a moment, then shook her head. ‘Nothing Kira did was sad.’
‘Even getting pregnant?’
‘She was happy about it.’
‘What about the other girls?’
Sandie gave a brief look round as though someone might be listening at the door.
‘We’re not supposed to talk about that.’
‘I’ve spoken to Ms Porter already.’
‘My father threatened to take me out of the school if word got out.’
‘And you don’t want that?’
‘I need to pass my exams. I want to study Medicine at Edinburgh.’ She said this as though it was a passport to prestige and riches.
It probably was.
He was silent for a moment. It hadn’t been obvious in her statement, but Bill was gaining the impression that Sandie hadn’t liked Kira very much. He wondered how many of the gang had. People tended to become leaders because others were in awe of them or simply feared them. Leaders who were loved were thinner on the ground.
‘Did you see yourself as one of Kira’s gang?’
‘I didn’t get myself pregnant just to please her if that’s what you mean.’
‘Did Kira ask the others to get pregnant?’
‘No! I don’t know. She didn’t talk to me about it, anyway.’ She sounded relieved and annoyed at the same time.
From what Bill had read, Slater hadn’t known about the daisy chain reference on Kira’s palms when he’d initially interviewed those with her at the funfair. Bill didn’t want to make it common knowledge, but if it was linked to this pact he needed to know.
‘Have you heard the phrase “daisy chain”?’
Her face coloured a deep red, then went white. She looked as though she might throw up.
‘Are you OK?’
Her hands gripped the sides of the leather chair.
‘Is
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