He rolled his eyes. ‘You know, there are people out there who get off on trying to get involved with police investigations. Nutters and fantasists.’
‘You’re probably right.’
Something about Zack’s aggressive reaction, and the way he was looking at me now, was making my skin prickle. Made me want to push a little to see what he would do. Because I hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that the message, referring to people who always get away with things, could have been written about the Grants.
‘The police seem to think he was brought here by some drug dealers he’d got mixed up with. But isn’t it weird that a gang of criminals in Coventry would bring him to Applecross?’ I said. ‘It seems so random.’
‘Hmm.’
‘I mean, I can understand them not wanting to leave his body on their patch, but why here? It’s hundreds of miles from the West Midlands.’
‘I get it.’
As I said it, I realized something that had been nagging at me, something right at the back of my mind. It wasn’t just that the Grants were the kind of people who, with their friends in high places, might evade justice. There was something stronger: they were the only thing, as far as I knew, that connected the West Midlands and Applecross.
Zack glared at me. ‘Go on, spit it out.’
But I didn’t want to say it out loud. I needed to think this through. ‘It’s nothing.’
‘It’s obviously not. Come on, mate, what is it?’
‘I was just… thinking that I need to try to find the person who sent that message. But like you said, it’s probably a nutter. A hoax.’
‘Undoubtedly.’
The way Zack was looking at me was making me feel extremely uneasy. I needed to get away from them, to find some quiet space to think this through. Could the Grants really be connected to Samir’s death?
Charles spoke up. ‘All I care about at the moment, apart from the fact that my son is dead, is finding Jasmine.’ All the people who had been gathered around Charles and Zack had drifted away, to drink and enjoy themselves. No one, it seemed, cared enough to offer to help. I had to assume that if a local woman had gone missing they’d have all been out there with torches, scouring every inch of land. It reminded me: I still didn’t know the full story of why the Grants were so unpopular round here.
Charles asked us to excuse him, heading to the gents, and I was about to turn away when Zack said, ‘Holly and Miranda are driving around,’ Zack said. ‘Perhaps you could help by going out on foot. Asking anyone you bump into if they’ve seen or heard anything.’
‘Yes. Okay.’
‘Good man,’ Zack said, and he turned away, letting me know I was dismissed.
I walked away with a cold sensation in my stomach. This possible connection between the Grants and Samir… it was tenuous, geographical. The West Midlands is a big place with a population in the millions. And Coventry and Birmingham are two different cities.
For the second time that day, I pushed it away, thinkingabout how Holly would react if I voiced this theory to her.Not only do I think Lewis was planning to kill Jasmine, I’m also starting to suspect your family of being connected to Samir’s death.
These felt like dangerous words to speak aloud, and not only because they would upset Holly.
The cold sensation hardened into a knot, and I forced myself to push those suspicions aside. I should concentrate, right now, on helping to find Jasmine, especially as Susan had acted like she didn’t believe my story. There were still four hours to go until midnight, and I had the most awful feeling that if Jasmine didn’t turn up by then, they would all be looking for someone to blame. If the Grants were still outsiders here, after all these years, what did that make me? A stranger.
We had to find Jasmine. Only she could clear all this up.
I didn’t go along with Susan’s theory that she might have left Applecross. None of the family could have helped her, and she didn’t know anyone else here. I knew it wasn’t me. I could feel it in my gut: she was still close by.
The temperature outside was zero. The snow was getting deeper.
Jasmine was underdressed for this weather. She was not used to cold and didn’t have, as far as I knew, the survival skills that would allow someone to get through a night like this.
With every passing second, the chances of her being found alive grew smaller and smaller.
27
I took my phone out to call Holly, but it was too noisy to talk so I headed to the exit.
Outside, I found Morag and Avril, both wrapped in quilted parkas, Avril with her vape in her hand, sending great clouds billowing into the air. They had been talking in low voices, stopping as soon as they saw me.
