‘Wondered when you’d be round here,’ Georgie Barclay said, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand.

‘You won’t mind me coming in, then, will you?’ Kate said, keeping the disapproval out of her tone.

‘My mum won’t be back until six, so yeah, you can come in.’

Kate wiped her feet on the door mat as the light dusting of snow began to settle on the ground outside. Taking a final look up at the clouds, Kate could only hope the imminent blizzard would be short.

Georgie grabbed her smart phone, as she settled into the cushion of the sofa in the back room. ‘Alfie said you’re not planning to charge Daisy’s brother.’

Kate’s heart went out to her. With her legs curled under her, cheeks puffy from crying all afternoon, and undoubtedly the stress brought on by the revelation of her guilty secret, Georgie looked every part the frightened child, and not the young woman she professed to be.

‘How long have you and Alfie been seeing each other?’ Kate asked delicately.

Fresh tears filled Georgie’s eyes as she raised her head and looked straight at Kate. ‘About three months. We got together just before Christmas. Neither of us meant for it to happen, but it just kind of did. The first time we kissed, I knew it was wrong, and I told him that we’d both betrayed Daisy, but as much as we tried to fight it, the attraction was too strong.’

‘When I spoke to you on Sunday, and you said Daisy wasn’t sleeping with Alfie, was that the truth?’

A tear escaped as Georgie nodded. ‘I know she wasn’t sleeping with him, because… Oh God, I might as well tell you… I’m sleeping with him.’

‘How old are you, Georgie?’

‘I’m sixteen, and we didn’t hook up until after my birthday. Daisy was one of the youngest in our age group. So, before you start accusing Alfie of doing anything he shouldn’t have—’

Kate raised her hands defensively. ‘My intention is just to make sure you’re okay. When individuals have sex under the age of consent, our concern is only for the safety of the minor. You are old enough to give your consent, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still feel pressured into engaging in activity that you don’t want.’

‘It isn’t like that. Alfie isn’t like that! He would never pressure me into having sex. The first time we slept together it was because we both wanted to.’

Kate’s relief was genuine. ‘I’m pleased you’ve told me that, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still concerned about you, Georgie. Can you tell me how the two of you first realised you liked each other?’

‘It was after my birthday party. We’d gone bowling in Millbrook, and there must have been a dozen of us there, just hanging out, bowling, playing on the arcade games. Daisy asked if Alfie could come along too and I said that was fine, and he gave us a lift home. He dropped me first, and then went on, but messaged me to say I’d left my jacket in his car and did I want him to drop it off. I came out to meet him and thanked him for being so nice. I leaned in to kiss his cheek, but we both lingered and then kissed properly. I felt so guilty all the next day when I was with Daisy, and every time he replied to one of her messages I just wanted to tell her what a terrible friend I was. But she seemed so happy, and I didn’t think it would happen again, so I kept quiet. I didn’t see him again for a week, but the following weekend we were both at a party and we couldn’t keep our eyes off each other. Daisy wasn’t at the party as she’d gone to an aunt’s birthday meal or something. I kept looking over to see if he was still watching me dancing, and when I went to use the bathroom he followed me upstairs, and one thing led to another.’

‘Did you sleep with him that night?’

‘God, no! What do you take me for?’

Kate chose not to answer the question.

‘No, when we were in the bathroom I told him that we shouldn’t have kissed; that it was wrong and we should put it behind us. He agreed it was wrong, but said he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about me all week, and to be honest I’d been thinking a lot about him as well.’ She shrugged apologetically. ‘I don’t know what else to say. We both gave in to temptation and made out in the bathroom.’ She paused as her phone beeped. She read the message and then looked back up. ‘It’s from Alfie, asking if you’ve shown up yet. Should I reply?’

‘That’s up to you.’

Kate watched as Georgie quickly typed a message, before lowering the phone again.

‘Neither of us meant for this to happen. After that party, we arranged to meet up on the nights when Daisy wasn’t allowed out because she was studying. I really got to know him, better than any other guy I’ve ever known. Most of the time we’d just hang out and talk. He’s a really nice guy, I swear.’

‘So why carry on behind Daisy’s back? If he’s so decent why not come clean and tell her the truth?’

‘He wanted to, but it was me who told him to keep quiet.’

‘Why?’

‘Because she’s my best friend. Even if he broke up with her, there’s no way she’d ever be happy with me then dating him. I didn’t want to lose her friendship, and the only way I could see that I could keep her as a friend and him as a boyfriend was if she never found out.’

Kate scratched her head. ‘That doesn’t make sense. Why couldn’t he end it with her and you continue to see him privately?’

‘Because if she was single again, she’d want to hang out with me all the time, and then I wouldn’t have time to see him too. This way, he would hang out with her a couple of nights a week, I’d see him a couple of nights a week, and we’d see each other at school and hook up on a Friday night. Then at the weekends I’d get to see them both.’

‘It sounds like Alfie was the one getting the best of both worlds: stringing Daisy along while sleeping with you behind her back.’

‘No! I told you: if he’d had it his way, he’d have come clean after that party. He only kept seeing Daisy to please me.’

Kate studied her, trying to determine whether Georgie genuinely believed she was in control of the relationship or whether she was being a naïve teenager. ‘And Daisy never suspected? The whole time the two of you were carrying on behind her back?’

Georgie bit her lip. ‘We were so careful, but on the day she disappeared, she confronted Alfie.’

‘The argument in the café: that’s what that was about.’

Georgie nodded. ‘I think she suspected he was seeing someone else. She had no idea it was me, but she accused him of cheating; said his behaviour had changed. Something about him being less affectionate towards her. She hadn’t mentioned any of these suspicions to me or Hannah, but it must have been playing on her mind. Alfie denied anything was going on, but she raced out of the café in tears. When she turned up at mine later, I had no idea what had happened at the café.’

Kate sat forward. ‘Tell me about that night, and for once, please tell me the truth.’

Georgie’s hand subconsciously rose up to her mouth and she chewed on a nail. ‘My parents had gone out for dinner to celebrate their wedding anniversary, leaving me babysitting my little brother. Daisy came round as planned at six, and we were just going to drink some wine and watch a film. But about an hour into the movie, I went to the toilet, and that was the moment Alfie decided to text me and tell me what had happened at the café. Daisy saw the message and when I returned she’d put two and two together and laid into me. I guess she saw through my attempts to lie and cover it up.’

‘What time was this?’

‘About half eight, I think.’

‘But she didn’t leave here for another forty-five minutes?’

‘I tried lying at first and denying that anything had been going on, but she didn’t believe me, so I came clean and told her what had happened. We were both sobbing our hearts out, but I was crying because I was worried she’d never speak to me again. She eventually stormed out, saying she was going home. I begged her to stay, to let me explain, but she was so upset. I’d never seen her look so hurt. And it really hit home what a terrible friend I’d been. I wanted to go after her, but I couldn’t because my brother was asleep in his room. I called after her, and tried phoning, but she turned her phone off. I tried calling her a couple of times on the Saturday, but figured she was ignoring me. And it wasn’t until her parents called and said she hadn’t been home that I realised something must have happened.’

‘What do you think did happen? Where do you think she is now?’

‘I have no idea. I genuinely thought she’d run away, but if she had, you lot would have found her by now.’ Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks. ‘I don’t know what happened to her, and it kills me to think that what we did led to whatever it is. I would give anything to see her again and beg her forgiveness.’

Kate moved forward and, crouching down, wrapped her arms around Georgie’s shoulders. Having been on the receiving end of a cheating partner, Kate had never considered the stress and upset it could cause the other parties. ‘Do you know if she made it to the end of the road on Friday night, or whether she hung around for a lift from anyone?’

‘I didn’t see. When she stormed off, the shouting woke my brother so I had to come back inside. You should ask the guy down at number forty-eight.’

Kate pulled away. ‘Why?’

‘He was busy loading something into his car as she headed down the road. I think he asked if she was okay just as I was going back in.’

Chris Jackson’s face popped into Kate’s head. ‘Who’s the guy at number forty-eight? Describe him for me.’

Georgie wiped her nose with her hand. ‘Um… I’m not sure… big nose, fat face, and an even fatter belly. He looked like an egg in a leather jacket.’

‘An egg?’

‘Yeah, he had this line of hair like a bird’s nest just above his ears, but I could see the street light reflecting off the top of his head.’

Kate frowned, as the description didn’t fit the picture they’d pulled from Facebook, but it didn’t rule out the possibility he wasn’t an accomplice. ‘This person who spoke to Daisy: you’d seen him before?’

‘Yeah, a couple of times mowing the lawn, but never spoken to him. He’ll probably be able to tell you which way she went.’