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“So why come here?”
Kaylan unwound one hand from his knees, and used the fingers to number off his reasons.
“It’s actually pretty cheap compared to home. It’s in the UK, and who wouldn’t want to study here? There’s easy access to Paris, and Rome, London…” Charlie wondered whether Kaylan had checked exactly how long those trips took from rural north Wales, or if he’d just taken the college website at face value. “But number one was coming to study with Vitruvious. In the States, someone like him would only teach graduate students. Here he teaches everyone.”
“I saw,” Charlie remembered the exhortation to look, really look, at the wall of the main building.
Then Kaylan broke into a big smile. Not one of the innocent smiles Charlie had had from Dilys over breakfast. This smile had echoes of anger and even hatred.
“The best thing about Vitruvious is that my parents hate him. They voted for Trump, and they pretend they believe the 2020 election was stolen. They don’t; they’re just racists, who make more money under a right-wing federal government.”
“You’re spending your parents’ money on supporting someone who disagrees with everything they believe in?”
Kaylan smiled the unpleasant sneering smile again.
“God, no. They would have refused to pay. This is my own money, from my grandparents. I inherited when I was eighteen. They can’t stop me spending it on coming here.”
Charlie kept his face neutral as he considered Kaylan’s use of the phrase my own money used as if he were talking about any other possession. Enough money to pay the costs of a three-year degree in a foreign country. No wonder Kaylan was arrogant. He made a mental note to ask Tom about the costs for someone like Kaylan before remembering that Tom was potentially a liar.
“Having Vetruvious as your tutor was your main motivation? But he didn’t make any kind of fuss when you disappeared.” Charlie wanted to see Kaylan’s reaction to the idea that his hero might not have noticed him, Kaylan. That Vitruvious didn’t care enough about his students that their absence registered.
“But, he knew…” Kaylan bit back the rest of the sentence, and continued, “he knew lots of new students get ill. He wouldn’t have worried. Not straight away. All the tutors talked about freshers' flu, and not coming to classes if we were unwell. Just courtesy to the rest of the class …” Kaylan was gabbling, words tumbling out. In an attempt to hide what he’d begun to say?
“You said he knew. Did Vitruvious know where you were? Kaylan?”
“How could he know where I was? I didn’t know. You’re being ridiculous.”
The arms were back round Kaylan’s knees, hugging tightly, his body closed in on itself, as if to repel questions he didn’t want to hear.
Charlie tried again. He sat back in the chair and kept his voice as gentle as he could. “Some things about your story don’t make sense, Kaylan. Is there some medical condition we should know about? Have you lost big chunks of time before?”
“No! I just don’t know, OK.”
“Did you perhaps take something… maybe without even knowing about it…? Some drugs can cause memory loss.” Charlie knew this was true, though he never heard of anyone losing their memory for a week, not from the kind of drugs available on the streets of a small Welsh town.
“No. I said no. I don’t know what happened or why. I just want to get on with my classes. I don’t want to talk to you any more. I don’t have to talk to you, or has this turned into a police state without me noticing?”
Charlie stood up, managing not to slide on the crisp packets under his feet.
“No, you don’t have to talk to me. But Rico is still missing. I’ve been a police officer long enough to know when I’m not being told the full story. I’m glad you’re back, but I’m not going to stop asking questions until Rico is back, too.
13
Unwelcome confrontation
Tuesday 10am
Tom was wearing another three-piece suit, this one in a very faint pin-striped navy blue. His tie was the colour Charlie’s mother called ‘shocking pink’. Not a colour she approved of. Charlie was prepared to approve of it on Tom, before reminding himself that Tom had lied. Or if not lied, at least not told the whole truth. Like Kaylan. Except while Kaylan had immediately rung his alarm bells, Tom had appeared sincere. Not that it was any of his business whether Tom was a married family man, though it would make it easier to turn down his offers of dinner.
“Charlie?” Tom said.
“Sorry, woolgathering. I came to see whether you had been able to warn the students.” And to find out more about Vitruvious, but that could wait for a bit.
“I did,” Tom said. “We have some kind of software that sends them all a text message. Here.” He opened his laptop and swivelled it around to face Charlie. The message read:
From Dr Tomos Pennant, Acting Principal
We have been informed by the local police that there may be further assaults on women students. We urge students to be vigilant at all times. The college will be increasing patrols around the campus after dark from tonight. Please report anything suspicious to my secretary (Ms Ann Hathersage, room 2.1a) or to the Students' Union.
