cars.’
‘Right . . .’
She laughed. ‘It was a silver Audi S6. Do you want the registration number?’
I couldn’t help looking surprised. ‘You remember the number?’
She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again and reeled off the number. ‘Do you want me to write it down for you?’ she asked. ‘Hold on . . .’ She reached into
her rucksack, pulled out a pen, then took hold of my hand and wrote the number on my palm.
‘How come you remember it?’ I said.
She shrugged. ‘I’m good at remembering stuff.’
I looked at her, frowning.
‘What?’ she said. ‘Don’t you believe me?’
‘No . . . I mean, yeah, of course I believe you. It’s just . . . well, you know. It’s pretty unusual to be able to remember something like that.’
‘It’s just a few numbers and letters.’
‘But you only saw it once, and that was quite a while ago.’
She sighed. ‘It’s just something I can do, OK? I have a freakishly good memory. It’s no big deal.’
I was intrigued, and I wanted to ask her more about it, but I got the feeling that she’d rather I didn’t.
‘Did you tell my dad about any of this?’ I asked her.
‘I never saw him.’
‘Mr Ruddy said he talked to everyone here.’
‘When?’
‘About three weeks ago.’
‘That was probably when I was sick. I had a really bad stomach bug for three or four days. I was off training for a week.’
‘So you haven’t told anyone about seeing Bashir in the car?’
‘No one’s asked me about him.’ She looked at me. ‘What do you think’s happened to him?’
‘I don’t know. His parents are saying he’s in Pakistan.’
‘Yeah, that’s what I heard.’
‘Where did you hear that?’
‘Just around, you know – rumours, gossip. Is it true?’
I glanced at my watch and stood up. ‘That’s what I’m trying to find out.’
‘Why?’
‘Why what?’
She got to her feet. ‘Why are you bothering? I mean, you don’t know Bashir, do you?’
‘No.’
‘So what does it matter to you where he is?’
‘It was my mum and dad’s last case. It might have something to do with what happened to them.’ I sighed. ‘I don’t know . . . it just feels like something I’ve
got to do.’
Evie put her hand on my arm. ‘Well, good luck with it.’
‘Thanks.’
‘What’s your mobile number?’ she asked, taking out her phone.
I gave her my number. She keyed it into her phone, waited for my mobile to ring, then ended the call.
‘You’ve got my number now,’ she said. ‘If you need any help with anything, just call me, OK?’
‘Thanks,’ I said.
She smiled. ‘I’d better get going.’
‘Me too.’
‘I’ll see you later.’
‘Yeah.’
14
It was just gone three o’clock when I got back to the office in North Walk. Courtney was still there, still trying to get the place cleaned up, and she didn’t seem
too surprised to see me.
‘I thought you were going home,’ she said, giving me a knowing look.
‘Well, yeah,’ I muttered. ‘I was going to, but . . .’
‘You changed your mind?’
I smiled sheepishly. ‘I just wanted to have a quick word with John Ruddy. You know, the man who hired Mum and Dad?’
‘Right,’ she said, nodding. ‘So you went to the boxing club and talked to him, even though I asked you not to do anything without telling me first.’
‘Sorry,’ I said. ‘I couldn’t help it.’
‘You couldn’t help it?’
I shrugged.
She sighed. ‘You’d better tell me all about it then.’
After I’d told her everything I’d found out about Bashir Kamal, and showed her Dad’s preliminary report, Courtney spent a few minutes reading through the
file, and then she just sat at her desk thinking quietly about things for a while. I didn’t interrupt her, I just waited.
Eventually she looked up and said, ‘What’s the registration number that Evie Johnson gave you?’
I read it off the palm of my hand.
Courtney took out her phone and said, ‘Why don’t you go and
‘Right . . .’
She laughed. ‘It was a silver Audi S6. Do you want the registration number?’
I couldn’t help looking surprised. ‘You remember the number?’
She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again and reeled off the number. ‘Do you want me to write it down for you?’ she asked. ‘Hold on . . .’ She reached into
her rucksack, pulled out a pen, then took hold of my hand and wrote the number on my palm.
‘How come you remember it?’ I said.
She shrugged. ‘I’m good at remembering stuff.’
I looked at her, frowning.
‘What?’ she said. ‘Don’t you believe me?’
‘No . . . I mean, yeah, of course I believe you. It’s just . . . well, you know. It’s pretty unusual to be able to remember something like that.’
‘It’s just a few numbers and letters.’
‘But you only saw it once, and that was quite a while ago.’
She sighed. ‘It’s just something I can do, OK? I have a freakishly good memory. It’s no big deal.’
I was intrigued, and I wanted to ask her more about it, but I got the feeling that she’d rather I didn’t.
‘Did you tell my dad about any of this?’ I asked her.
‘I never saw him.’
‘Mr Ruddy said he talked to everyone here.’
‘When?’
‘About three weeks ago.’
‘That was probably when I was sick. I had a really bad stomach bug for three or four days. I was off training for a week.’
‘So you haven’t told anyone about seeing Bashir in the car?’
‘No one’s asked me about him.’ She looked at me. ‘What do you think’s happened to him?’
‘I don’t know. His parents are saying he’s in Pakistan.’
‘Yeah, that’s what I heard.’
‘Where did you hear that?’
‘Just around, you know – rumours, gossip. Is it true?’
I glanced at my watch and stood up. ‘That’s what I’m trying to find out.’
‘Why?’
‘Why what?’
She got to her feet. ‘Why are you bothering? I mean, you don’t know Bashir, do you?’
‘No.’
‘So what does it matter to you where he is?’
‘It was my mum and dad’s last case. It might have something to do with what happened to them.’ I sighed. ‘I don’t know . . . it just feels like something I’ve
got to do.’
Evie put her hand on my arm. ‘Well, good luck with it.’
‘Thanks.’
‘What’s your mobile number?’ she asked, taking out her phone.
I gave her my number. She keyed it into her phone, waited for my mobile to ring, then ended the call.
‘You’ve got my number now,’ she said. ‘If you need any help with anything, just call me, OK?’
‘Thanks,’ I said.
She smiled. ‘I’d better get going.’
‘Me too.’
‘I’ll see you later.’
‘Yeah.’
14
It was just gone three o’clock when I got back to the office in North Walk. Courtney was still there, still trying to get the place cleaned up, and she didn’t seem
too surprised to see me.
‘I thought you were going home,’ she said, giving me a knowing look.
‘Well, yeah,’ I muttered. ‘I was going to, but . . .’
‘You changed your mind?’
I smiled sheepishly. ‘I just wanted to have a quick word with John Ruddy. You know, the man who hired Mum and Dad?’
‘Right,’ she said, nodding. ‘So you went to the boxing club and talked to him, even though I asked you not to do anything without telling me first.’
‘Sorry,’ I said. ‘I couldn’t help it.’
‘You couldn’t help it?’
I shrugged.
She sighed. ‘You’d better tell me all about it then.’
After I’d told her everything I’d found out about Bashir Kamal, and showed her Dad’s preliminary report, Courtney spent a few minutes reading through the
file, and then she just sat at her desk thinking quietly about things for a while. I didn’t interrupt her, I just waited.
Eventually she looked up and said, ‘What’s the registration number that Evie Johnson gave you?’
I read it off the palm of my hand.
Courtney took out her phone and said, ‘Why don’t you go and
Similar Books
