Chapter 27

‘Shit,' Kim said in response to Stacey's news. ‘How the hell did that happen?

‘She refused the assessment, gathered her things and signed herself out. They tried to persuade her to stay and she threatened them with legal action for false imprisonment, so they had no choice but to let her go.'

‘All right, Stace. Thanks for the update,' Kim said before ending the call.

‘Damn it,' she growled, even though the hospital had done nothing wrong. ‘And where the hell is this house?' she snapped.

‘Deliberately hiding just to piss you off,' Bryant quipped. ‘And we're about two minutes away, which is nowhere near long enough for you to shake off your irritation that somebody didn't do what you told them to do.'

‘You don't think it was the right thing to suggest?' she asked. How could he possibly think Katie was stable enough to have been released?

‘Doesn't matter. She didn't want the help, and she'd done nothing wrong except a bit of a performance in the holding cells. And after chucking-out time on a Friday night, any one of our overnight guests might do that just as well.'

‘Hmm…'

‘I know you're not convinced, but there's nothing more you could have done short of inventing outright lies to keep her there. I'm sure that crossed your mind, but luckily you just let that bright idea sail along.'

‘But I'm right,' she insisted.

‘Are you ever anything else? And anyway, she obviously trusts Judith.'

‘A woman without one single qualification is advising impressionable people making serious decisions. Don't open people's boxes if you're not qualified to deal with what you find inside.'

‘And on that note, I'm gonna pull up right behind that Lexus.'

Kim hadn't realised that they'd turned onto a lane where the land was measured in acres rather than feet. The gate to the property was open, and beside the Lexus was a mid-range Ford.

There was no doubt Toyah's father's house was bigger than the one she lived in with her mum.

Kim had the strangest idea of the kids being divided equally in the divorce settlement, but she said nothing as they headed for the front door.

It was answered by Tony before they'd had a chance to knock.

‘We're all in the kitchen,' he said, opening the door wider to let them in.

She stood inside, not knowing where the kitchen was.

‘Sorry, follow me,' he said.

The smell of bacon and scrambled eggs hung in the air, but the three plates on the table looked barely touched.

‘Sorry to intrude,' Kim said, looking from one family member to the other.

‘No, please, come in,' said the man she hadn't yet met. ‘I'm Ben, Ben Shaw, Toyah's dad.'

Bryant shook his hand and introduced them properly, but Kim's attention was on Toyah. Her pale face, now devoid of any make-up beneath the shock of green hair, gave her a ghostly appearance.

‘I came back as soon as I heard the terrible news. Please tell us you've made progress.'

‘There's little I can add at the minute, Mr Shaw, but we do need to ask Toyah some questions. May we?'

‘Of course. What am I thinking? Please sit. Can I get you anything?'

She shook her head as Tony sat down beside his sister.

Toyah turned and gave them her full attention.

Kim's heart ached. The girl was exhausted, and she had the face of someone physically unable to cry any more tears.

‘We really are very sorry to intrude, Toyah, but can you think back to anything suspicious lately? Any unexpected phone calls your mum might have mentioned?'

Toyah shook her head.

‘Anything at all about anyone following her or any strange things happening when she was out?'

‘Nothing. Surely it was just some kind of psychopath who broke in and—' She stopped speaking, unable to say anything that would make the current situation too real.

‘We think that's unlikely.'

She didn't want to use words like brutal or frenzied, but the attack was clearly targeted.

‘You think the killer knew Andrea?' Ben asked, horrified.

‘It's often the case.'

‘What about the kids? If this was personal, are they in any danger?'

Kim considered all the information she had that Ben did not. Their other victim was also a mother, but there'd been no opportunity to kill Katie as she'd been taken into custody immediately. Right now, she couldn't say anything for certain.

‘I don't think so, but I wouldn't let them too far out of your sight for a little while.'

‘But who could have wanted to hurt mom like this?' Toyah asked. ‘She was so sweet to everyone she met. She must have been terrified. Oh God, I can't even think about it. Please just ask me your questions.'

‘Did your mom keep in touch with anyone from your old pageant days?'

‘My old—Are you joking?' The question had taken Toyah by surprise. She clearly hadn't thought about those days in a long time. ‘Why would you ask that? It was years ago.'

‘It's just an avenue we're exploring.'

Great, now the whole room was looking at her like she'd lost her mind. The minute she left, Ben Shaw would be ringing the station to ask for a competent officer to replace her.

‘We have our reasons for asking. Was she still in touch with anyone?'

Toyah shook her head. ‘I can't imagine that she would be. It was so long ago, and I'm sure she would have mentioned it.'

‘Did you keep in touch with any of the other girls?'

‘No. It wasn't like that. You were there to win. The other girls were your competition so you didn't make proper friends. I mean you saw many of the same faces at each pageant and you'd wave and smile, but your team was you and your mom.'

‘Did you enjoy it?' Kim asked.

‘God, yes. Me and Mom had loads of fun. We'd go shopping for dresses and jewellery and shoes. We'd practise a few times each week during pageant season. Mom would do the walk with me, and she'd exaggerate it and we'd collapse on the floor laughing and tickling each other.'

Tony stiffened, and Toyah bit back the laugh that had come out of her mouth as though it had no right being there.

‘It's okay, Toyah. They were good times for you and your mom. Cherish those memories. What made you stop doing the pageants?'

Toyah shrugged and broke eye contact. ‘Got bored, I suppose. It was great fun, but eventually when pageant season came around, I wanted to be out with my school friends, having sleepovers and stuff.'

‘And your mom didn't mind when you stopped?'

‘Wh-Why would she? Mom never tried to make me do anything I didn't want to do.'

‘You're sure?' Kim asked. Tension seemed to have been injected into both siblings.

‘Of course she's sure,' Tony offered, breaking free of Toyah's grip and putting his hands into his lap.

‘Got it,' Kim said. ‘Did it ever bother you that these pageants get a bad rap and a lot of criticism?'

‘No, cos I disagree. You get tiaras, crowns, sashes, bouquets, sceptres. I got savings bonds and prize money. Mom put it all in an account and it bought my first car.'

‘Do you feel it harmed you at all?' Kim asked.

‘How could it harm me? It was good fun. It was exciting. It was a laugh, but I learned loads. My confidence grew, I was comfortable on stage and I got better at public speaking, which had terrified me before I did pageants. I suppose I also learned how to be a good sportsman and lose gracefully.'

‘Okay, thanks for?—'

‘I also learned how to be respectful to adults. I learned manners. How could any of that be negative?'

It seemed to Kim that Toyah could talk about the enjoyment of the events with far more eloquence than her reasons for stepping away.

‘Okay, thanks for sharing your experience, Toyah,' Kim said, getting to her feet. ‘One last thing. Did you ever meet a woman named Judith Palmer?'

The girl thought before shaking her head. ‘The name isn't familiar. Is she a judge or something?'

‘Never mind,' Kim said, satisfied that Judith Palmer wasn't linked to both girls.

‘I'll see you out,' Ben said, crossing the room.

It was on the tip of Kim's tongue to refuse, but often there was a reason for the offer.

Her suspicions were proved correct when he closed the front door behind him.

‘For the record, I didn't like the pageant thing, and it wasn't quite as rosy as Toyah makes out. I only mention it because you did.'

‘Please continue,' Kim said.

‘Well, it's fair to say that Andrea took it a bit more seriously than Toyah did.' He rubbed his hand through his hair. ‘God, I feel awful for saying this.'

‘The loss of a person doesn't change the facts,' Bryant offered.

‘Toyah is being truthful when she says it was a laugh. It started out that way. Andrea loved Tony very much, but she'd always wanted a girl she could dress up. Oh dear, I don't know if this is coming out right. She got fully into it. Buying the dresses gave way to having them custom made. The list of accessories grew, the entrance fees got larger, the hotel rooms, a make-up artist. It all spiralled because Andrea wanted Toyah to do well. She didn't want her confidence battered due to not competing on the same level as the other girls. Luckily, we could afford it, but it was no cheap hobby.

‘What started as fun dress up with a bit of make-up and a sparkly dress turned into emails to organisers about rules and age ranges, arguments with dress designers who didn't deliver. Over time, the fun aspect was replaced with rivalry and the desire to win. It took up more and more time.' He paused. ‘Other things suffered.'

‘Tony?' she asked.

He nodded. ‘It wasn't something he could join in with. Distance grew between him and his mom.'

‘Ben, may I ask if it was the reason for the divorce?' Kim asked, hoping she wasn't overstepping the mark, but he'd been fairly candid himself.

‘It would be easy to say yes, but that would put all the blame on Andrea, which isn't fair. Still, us growing apart was certainly a factor.'

‘You couldn't find a way to get involved, to spend some of that time together?'

‘I had no wish to see my little girl parading on stage like a small adult. Those years were short enough as it was.'

‘Okay, Ben, thanks for being open. We'll be in touch,' she said, heading for the car.

She couldn't help wondering how two people could have such opposing views of the same period in time.

‘Ooh,' she said as her phone vibrated in her pocket. ‘Text from Keats.'

She read his message and then looked at the attached photo.

‘Jeez,' she said.

‘What?' Bryant asked, glancing over her shoulder.

‘The foreign body found in Andrea's throat. Eyelashes,' she said, holding the phone towards him. ‘A pair of false bloody eyelashes.'