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Gwilym nodded. He pushed the mug away from him, across the table, and sat up straighter. Anger flashed in his eyes. “That’s what my uncle said. He said he wouldn’t let it happen as long as he was in charge, because I never hurt them. I shouldn’t have to go to jail. But then you came.”
“Is that why you set fire to my car?” Charlie asked.
“I shouldn’t have to go to jail. I never hurt any of those girls. None of them.” And that was the end of it. Every question got the same answer. Gwilym hadn’t hurt anyone, and his uncle had told him he wouldn’t be arrested or charged.
Charlie told Mags to go home. She looked drawn and exhausted. She insisted that she was fine.
“Either you go willingly, or I make Patsy drive you,” he said.
“I’m going,” she said wearily.
“I’ll walk you as far as the supermarket,” Patsy said, “and if I can get some petty cash, I’ll get a few supplies.” She held her hand out and Charlie gave her two twenty pound notes. Then he rang Eddy, who said he’d be about fifteen minutes.
He was as good as his word, arriving at the same time as Patsy. He dived into the big bag-o-snacks even though Charlie was quite sure (from the faint odour of vinegar) that Eddy had already stopped for fish and chips. He helped himself to a Snickers bar, and dispatched it in a few bites. Charlie wordlessly handed him a cup of tea.
“So,” he said, “is Violet still a contender?”
Eddy shook his head. “Her dad says she never left his side. It was touch and go whether he needed to go to hospital, which he didn’t want. He had pneumonia, or the beginnings of it, and they gave him antibiotics. Thankfully for him, they worked. Apparently Violet goes to visit most weekends and sometimes a day in the week. I asked the neighbours. I asked the neighbours about the van, too. It never moved. Multiple witnesses prepared to swear it was outside the house all the time Violet was there.” Eddy took a sip of his tea, found it cool enough to drink and swallowed half the cup. His suit looked as if it had spent the day scrunched up in a car, which it had, and Eddy’s face showed the first signs of fatigue. He rubbed his hand over his face and through his cropped hair.
“I found something interesting though.” He paused. Neither Charlie nor Patsy spoke. “Really interesting.”
Patsy moved the bag-o-snacks out of Eddy’s reach, and before he could react, tipped the rest of his tea in the sink.
“Hey!” He shouted. Patsy laughed.
“Stop milking it, tell us what you found, and I’ll make you another cup. You found something interesting, Charlie arrested the flasher, and we found where he’d been living. Come on, big man, give.”
Eddy’s eyebrows almost reached his hairline. “The flasher?”
“Waiting for transport to Wrexham.” Patsy said, and folded her arms with satisfaction. “In our interview room, such as it is.”
Charlie sighed. “Eddy, mate, just tell us.” Eddy winked at Patsy.
“You only had to ask,” he said. He glanced over to Charlie, and lost the bantering tone. “I went in a couple of Violet’s dad’s neighbours’ houses. Like I said, I was checking about the van. Anyway, three doors down, there’s a Mr Volker. Elderly chap, dunno where he was from originally, but it wasn’t Lancashire. Inside, there are Llanfair College of Art posters all over the walls. Nicely framed. Exhibitions from students and staff. There was a big painting too, over the fireplace: a seascape. I didn’t get much of a look at it, because Volker stood right in front. I asked about the van, and he said the same as everyone else, only he wasn’t as pleasant about it. Then I asked about the posters and he goes all evasive, says he used to know someone who worked there. But some of the posters are recent — one from this summer. I tried to ask some more and he started talking about having to make a phone call and almost pushed me out the door.”
“The obvious person to be bringing posters is Violet, surely?” Charlie asked.
“You would think so. Only Volker fell out with Violet’s dad ages ago, and they haven’t spoken for years. He told me the van was cluttering the place up, taking up other people’s spaces and that it was typical of that family. By the end he was almost spitting. I didn’t have time to ask anyone what the dispute was about. I came back. I mean, we can always ask Violet. My point is, someone apart from Violet has a connection to the area where Kaylan was found.”
“Which would be a lot more useful if we knew for sure who it was,” Patsy said. But she did make Eddy another cup of tea.
“Let’s ask her now,” Charlie said, and put the number into his phone. “DS Rees,” he said when Violet answered. “My colleague spoke to your father today and I was wondering if you could tell me what is behind the dispute between him and his neighbour, Mr Volker?”
Charlie didn’t know what he was expecting, but it wasn’t laughter.
“The secret is out,” Violet said, and laughed some more. “Sorry. Reinhard Volker is the father of our own senior painting tutor and class A poseur, Inigo Vitruvious. Only no one is supposed to know. Volker doesn’t fit V’s image. He’s a refugee, but he’s also a neo-Nazi, or as near as dammit. So right-wing that almost no one will speak to him, because they’re all sick of being harangued about his latest conspiracy theory. V visits occasionally, but he doesn’t stay long, and he hates anyone knowing. I’m assuming that’s why he’s so obsessed with his small boats stuff. I can’t ask, because V doesn’t speak to me, in case I betray his secret. It’s pathetic.”
Charlie listened to Violet and then watched as Eddy drew a line connecting Vitruvious with Kaylan’s kidnap. When the call ended, they all looked at the whiteboard, with lines snaking all over connecting names and crimes. Charlie stood up, chose a red pen and circled Vitruvious’s name.
“He’s potentially connected to where Kaylan was found, and we know he had contact with Kaylan over the summer. He lives in an expensive village, and drives an expensive car. Is he living beyond his means? Is he the one requesting generous donations from sub-standard students?”
“Maybe,” Eddy said, “but is there a connection between the generous donations business, and the disappearance of Kaylan and Rico? Because I can’t see one.”
Nor could Charlie, and by the look on her face, Patsy couldn’t either.
They were all still staring at the board when the transport arrived for Gwilym, and once he’d gone, there was no need for any of them to stay. Charlie wiped a space on the board and wrote out a list of actions for the morning:
College Financial Records
