Кара Хантер - All the Rage

Did what start? What are you talking about?ES: I'm talking about the night Sasha died. Was that just supposed to be another of your little `˜jokes', only everything got way out of hand?PW: What the fuck? Are you actually saying I killed Sasha? Like, s eriously ? Why would I even do that?ES: I don't know, Patsie `“ you tell me. Did you have an argument? Or was it envy? That work placement she got at Vogue ? The way she looked? Or just that she was clearly a lot more popular than you?PW: You're fucking sick `“ you know that? Sick. DW: This is outrageous `“ how dare you `“ES: Do you remember that reconstruction they did at the bus stop, Patsie? One of our colleagues saw a news report about that on the TV. It was in the John Radcliffe hospital so it was on mute. And you know what that's like `“ when the sound's turned down you focus more on the pictures. You notice more. He saw you and Leah talking to each other. It was when they were interviewing Sasha's father. But you were in the background. You were talking to Leah and she was looking very upset. Do you remember that, Patsie?PW: So? Why shouldn't I talk to Leah? What's wrong with that?ES: I suppose that rather depends on what you were saying.PW: And anyway, we were miles from the cameras. No way anyone could've heard.ES: Right. That's what our colleague said, too.PW: Well then, what's your bloody problem.ES: But then he had an idea. He's done some outreach work recently with the local Deaf Club, so he took the footage over there and showed it to an expert in lip-reading. And she was in no doubt at all.DW: What are you talking about? Patsie `“ what are they talking about?ES: [ passing across a sheet of paper ]

It's all here, Mrs Webb. But the relevant part is highlighted halfway down. Leah is talking to your daughter `“ she's clearly in some distress but you can't see what she's saying because she has her back to the camera. But Patsie doesn't. Patsie can be seen quite clearly. She grabs hold of Leah's arm and says, `˜How many more times `“ it'll all be fine as long as you keep your fucking mouth shut.'PW: [ getting to her feet and moving towards the door ]

I'm out of here.VE: [ following and attempting to prevent her ]

You can't do that, Patsie `“PW: [ pushing her away ]

Don't you fucking touch me, you ugly bitch `“ES: Don't be stupid, Patsie `“ this isn't going to help `“PW: [ yelling and hitting out at DC Everett ]

I said get your fucking hands off me `“ES: Patsie Belinda Webb, I am arresting you on suspicion of involvement in the death of Sasha Blake. You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Interview suspended at 17.06.* * *

* * *

`˜I'm not saying you're wrong, Adam,' says Gallagher. `˜I just can't get the timings to work.'

We're standing in front of the whiteboard, in the incident room, looking at a map and a timeline scrawled in Gislingham's untidy capital letters.

And it's all there, in black and white. The bus ticket, the driver, the neighbour, the mother. Things we can't get round. Things we know are true. And from the moment the girls leave Summertown the whole sequence is barely half an hour from start to end.

`˜However much I contort it,' says Gallagher, `˜there isn't enough time. The CPS will never run with this `“ they'd get torn to shreds.'

She's not wrong. I can hear the defence lawyer now, telling us we've got it all wrong `“ that it must have been a random predator, some pervert who happened to pass Sasha at the bus stop. Or someone else who knew her `“ someone who could have been stalking her. Like Graeme bloody Scott, for instance.

`˜But we know Patsie was involved somehow.' I turn fully and look at her. `˜Don't we? Or am I on my own on this?'

Gallagher shakes her head. `˜No, I think you're right `“ not just because of what the lip-reader said but the way she reacted just now. I just don't see how we square the circle on how .' She sighs. `˜And as for why `“'

I turn back to the map and then the timeline. `˜OK, let's start with what we know. The bus arrived at 9.43, Patsie, Isabel and Sasha got on and Leah started to walk home.'

She nods. `˜Which is supported both by Isabel's bus ticket and what we got from Leah's mother.'

`˜Right. But we only have that one ticket, don't we? What if Isabel got on that bus alone? What if Patsie went off with Sasha much earlier than that `“ even as early as 9.00 `“ and Leah and Isabel then hung around on their own for half an hour or so before going home?'

Gallagher's eyes widen. `˜You mean they did it deliberately? To create a fake timeline?' She gives a low whistle. `˜You're talking about a pretty sick conspiracy there, DI Fawley. But OK, let's play it through. Have we ever nailed down where they went after they left the pizza place?'

`˜They claimed they just `њhung out`ќ. You know `“ on those benches up by South Parade. Which are conveniently out of range of any CCTV.'

Gallagher nods. She knows the place, of course she does `“ she lives up that way herself. And there are always kids mooching about there in the evenings. Smoking, drinking cider. `˜Hanging out.'

I take a step closer to the board; my head is buzzing. `˜What if this whole thing is a lie? What if Patsie and Sasha started for home straight after leaving the restaurant? Only they didn't get a bus. They walked.' I trace the route `“ down the Banbury Road and then along the Marston Ferry Road towards Cherwell Drive. And then I stop and tap the map.

`˜Here,' I say, turning to her. `˜This is where they stopped. This is where they turned off.'

The footpath leading to the Vicky Arms. Barely a hundred yards from where Sasha's body was found.

Gallagher considers. `˜It would have been pretty dark along there at that time of night.'

`˜Patsie could easily have brought a torch. If it really was that premeditated.'

Gallagher glances at me. `˜But why would Sasha go with her?'

I shrug. `˜She didn't know Patsie intended her any harm, did she? They were supposed to be best friends `“ they'd known each other since playschool. Perhaps Patsie said she wanted to go to the pub. Perhaps they were supposed to meet some boys. Who knows.'

`˜OK,' she says. `˜Then what?'

`˜As soon as they're out of sight of the road, Patsie turns on Sasha and kills her, then drags the body into the river `“'

`˜Sasha's phone,' says Gallagher suddenly. `˜The last signal was at 9.35. We thought her battery had run out, but perhaps it wasn't that at all. Perhaps the phone went dead then because Patsie had just chucked it in the Cherwell.'

It fits; it all fits.

Gallagher moves closer to the map. `˜And after that Patsie just heads off home on foot as if nothing had happened?'

I nod. `˜And when she gets there, she makes a big point of talking to someone in the street, so they'll remember seeing her. Meanwhile Isabel gets on the 9.43 bus in Summertown, making sure to ask the driver the time when they're approaching Headington.'

`˜Perfect little alibis, gift-wrapped and ready to go,' says Gallagher. `˜All they have to do after that is keep on insisting all three of them were on that same bus.'