‘Go on.’
‘What if Scarlett did this? What if she killed Dawson in a fit of rage or jealousy or whatever teenage angst there was going on, and ran. There was clearly some rivalry between Tori andScarlett for Dawson’s attention, what if it all came to a head out there and she lost it.’
She could hear Ben breathing; finally he answered.
‘I suppose she could have. Where did she go though? If they were in Dawson’s car, how did she manage to get off that fell in that awful weather?’
‘I’m not saying it’s a foolproof theory. I’m just saying that we should consider the friends as suspects too. Maybe she did this and ran away, maybe got herself in a bit of trouble out there and that’s why we can’t find her. It’s worth thinking about, just in case.’
‘It is, thanks. I’ll bear it in mind. Are you sure you don’t need us to come get you?’
She hung up. They had no intention of turning back for her; she knew Ben was doing his best to keep her away from the scene. Well screw him and Cain. She’d go speak to the neighbour then drive herself there.
She thought about Ettie, what she had said about the darkness of the land that the summer camp had been built on. Ettie lived in the opposite direction, but… There was no way an elderly woman who lived at least a mile away from the scene heard or saw anything last night. If she had, she would have rung the police. She made up her mind to visit Ettie first, then go speak to the neighbour. Ettie could have some valuable information about Amos and the area that they needed to take into account – there was something she had been holding back.
The mist had finally cleared as the harsh winter sun had burned through it, and despite how cold it was it was a beautiful morning. Covel Wood car park was empty, except for Ettie’s small white van that she used to take her teas and potions to the farmers markets in Kendal and Keswick.
Morgan spied Max, Ettie’s pet raven, perched on a low branch of the tree next to the van, and she smiled. Careful not to slam the car door shut and scare him, she saluted him. ‘Good morning, Max, how are you?’
The bird’s shiny black eyes seemed to look her up and down before it gave her a curt nod, then he took off leading the way through the forest. Although Morgan knew the shortcut now, it was nice to have him for company. He flew slower than normal but still faster than she could keep up with, stopping off on various branches to give her chance to catch up. Her cheeks were flushed with the exertion of trying to keep pace with a bird, and she was no longer bone chillingly cold. It felt good. Not good enough to make her want to take up a new exercise regime, though, because she was too lazy for that, but it was nice to feel the heat radiating through her body again.
Before she knew it Ettie’s tiny stone cottage was in sight, her purple front door and gate to her beautiful, carefully curated herb garden letting everyone know who passed she was a witch. Morgan supposed it was the witchy equivalent of a gay pride flag. Ettie was loud and proud about her heritage and way of life, and she couldn’t love that more.
Max was watching her from atop the purple gate as if to sayfinally, and she grinned at him. ‘Hey, you’re better than any personal trainer. Thank you for the company.’ He began to chatter before taking off once more and soaring high above the trees this time.
Ettie’s front door opened and Morgan rushed through the gate and up the path to scoop her beautiful aunt into her arms and hug her tight, forgetting about the stresses of the morning, if just for a moment.
FIFTEEN
Last night, Ben hadn’t realised just how vast the area was – he could barely see his fingers waving in front of his face. Now, the gate was wide open, and the van belonging to the underwater search and rescue team was parked up and blocking it. Hats off to whoever had driven that up the steep winding road to get this far, he wouldn’t have wanted to do that.
As a crime scene, the summer camp was a logistical nightmare. They were faced not just with the urgency to find the missing girl, but the expansive area. Everywhere had been trampled in search for Scarlett and for Dawson’s killer, so there was little to no chance of forensics even now the fog had lifted.
He could make out Wendy and Joe near to the lake where Morgan had dragged out Dawson’s body. Poor Wendy would be beside herself at the way everywhere had been contaminated. There were positives: at least they knew who Dawson was. He’d been there when bodies had been pulled out of lakes and bodies of water with no identification on them and not much chance of identifying them because of the decomposition. It could take some time if they had to wait for dental records because that meant finding the dentist if the victims were even registered with one. The state of the NHS dental waiting lists was awful,and many people went years without seeing a dentist. But he was getting ahead of himself, they had an ID and as heartbreaking as it was for Dawson’s family who had carried this out with great dignity and strength, at least they knew it was him. They didn’t have to wait weeks or months for that tragic news to be confirmed unlike some families.
Cain was chatting to Mac, the dive team sergeant, and Ben was about to join them when from the corner of his eye he saw a figure hovering near to the decrepit wooden building that both Tori and Morgan had been taken to last night. He headed towards Amos instead.
Amos waved one hand in the air. Shep was lying on the front steps of the building. He raised his head then rested it back on his front paws.
‘Hey, how are you doing?’
‘Not too good, Ben, I feel like a spare part. I’ve walked poor Shep here everywhere except for by the lake where you’re all working and he hasn’t picked up on any scent of the missing girl.’
‘So, you don’t think she left the area?’
‘I can’t say for sure but in my honest opinion, no. I think when your divers get into that lake, they’ll find her body which is a terrible shame.’
‘Amos, I hate to have to do this but…’
Amos held up one hand. ‘I know you do; you need to take me to the station for an interview. Son, I would be more surprised if you didn’t do that. Like I said last night I have nothing to hide or be worried about, so I’m good whenever you’re ready for me. As long as you let me get Shep here fed and settled, he’ll be good for a few hours while we’re busy.’
‘Thank you, Amos, I appreciate your cooperation. And, of course, you go get him sorted out and come back when you’reready. My colleague, Cain, will take you to the station and get your written statement down.’
Ben stepped through the door of the building that was badly leaning to one side. ‘Why haven’t you pulled this down? It looks as if it’s ready to collapse.’
‘Got to give those no-good kids something to look at for their efforts when they make it up here in one piece. It looks scary as shit, and I would kind of feel bad if I razed it to the ground. Don’t get me wrong, it’s probably going to fall down itself anyway one of these days if there’s a bad storm. It’s been up over a hundred and forty years give or take. I guess I also kind of feel pretty attached to it, this is my legacy. I know it’s a rubbish one with all the hassle, but I don’t know how the ghosts would feel if I tore down the last building that tied them to this area. Where would they go? Wander the fells like lost souls. I suppose they’re already lost souls, but I feel obliged to keep it there for their sake.’
This was not the answer Ben had expected, and he wondered if maybe Amos wasn’t quite as sane as he’d thought. The guy laughed and tapped the side of his head with one bony finger.
