Part 39 (1/2)

'So, you say you were here last night,' Harry said. 'Did you see anyone at all? Speak to anyone on the telephone?'

'No, I don't think so.'

'Can you remember the last time you saw Katie?'

'At the hospital.'

'And before that?'

'I'm not sure. A few days ago.' Gwen closed her eyes to force her brain into proper activity. 'She came round after school on Monday. We made cakes.'

Harry nodded. PC Albion wrote something down in his notebook.

Gwen waited.

'And how would you characterise your relations.h.i.+p?'

'She's my niece,' Gwen said.

'Do you get on well?' Harry said.

'I think so. Yes.'

'How would you characterise her mood?'

'In general?' Gwen said.

'The last time you saw her.'

'On Monday?'

He nodded.

'She was fine,' Gwen said. 'A bit wound up from school, I suppose, but fine.'

'Has she seemed depressed lately?'

'No.'

'Angry?'

Gwen shrugged. 'She's fourteen.'

Harry gave a small smile. 'I'm trying to ascertain her state of mind last night.'

'Why not ask her?' Too late, Gwen realised that he couldn't. She felt her throat close up.

'Once Katie's awake, I'm sure we'll be able to clear all of this up,' Harry said, 'but, in the meantime, I've got to write a report.'

'I don't know why you're asking about her state of mind. Why does it matter?'

'What do you mean?' Harry said.

'She went missing. That's not like her. She's a really good kid. And she was found unconscious. Clearly something happened to her.'

'Clearly.' Harry paused. 'What we don't know is how she got to the folly and what she was doing there.'

'What if she was taken there? She could've been abducted.' Gwen shook her head in frustration. 'Why are you asking me? Isn't it your job to figure out what happened?'

'Oh, we will, Ms Harper,' PC Albion said and Harry shot him a filthy look.

'The thing is,' Harry said, 'there's some question as to how you found Katie. If you weren't involved with her, um, mishap, how did you know where to look?'

Gwen felt sick.

'And you do have a history. Of this kind of thing, I mean. The Stephen Knight case.' Harry looked uncomfortable.

Gwen felt the room swoop to the left. 'I had nothing to do with his accident. Or suicide. Whichever you people decided it was.' Gwen's hands were curled into fists and she dug her nails into her palms.

'Gwen has a supernatural ability to find things that are lost,' Cam said calmly and Gwen almost fell off her chair.

PC Albion's head shot up, while Harry just gazed steadily at Cam.

'I don't understand it,' Cam said. 'I don't know whether it's a special kind of intuition or what, but Gwen can find things. That's how she knew where Katie was.'

'You want that on record?' Harry said.

'I am willing to swear to it in court,' Cam said. 'However, this interview is at an end. If you want to charge Gwen, charge her. Otherwise you're going to have to leave.'

'It would be best if she cooperated. Certain allegations have been made, and we have to investigate those allegations fully.'

'I'll cooperate. I want to help,' Gwen said, standing up. Harry shot her such a look of sweet exasperation that she felt her knees buckle. She sat down again.

Cam didn't turn around. 'Harry is doing his job, but he wants you to listen to me. Can you do that? Please?'

'Okay,' Gwen said, giving up on understanding what the h.e.l.l was going on.

Cam followed Harry and PC Albion to the door. When he came back into the living room, his expression was grim. 'They're coming back with a warrant. Apparently they received some kind of tip-off.'

'But I haven't done anything.'

'I know. But we need to prepare.'

Gwen stood up. 'But-'

'Trust me.' Cam tried to smile. 'I'm your lawyer.'