‘Crimes aren’t always committed by bad people, Zoe. Even the nice ones can do terrible things if circumstances drive them to it.’
Zoe lowered her eyes. ‘I’ve traced Rhoda’s son,’ she said. ‘Do you want me to talk to him?’
‘Give him a call and then pay him a visit if you feel you need to. What about Lucas? Has he located Julie Desmond yet?’
Zoe pushed the last piece of chocolate into her mouth and licked her fingers. ‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘Shall I send him in?’
‘Do that,’ Isabel said. ‘And thanks for the tea, Zoe.’
***
Lucas gave her door a cursory knock before sloping into the office and flopping onto the chair on the other side of her desk.
‘You wanted to see me, boss?’
Lucas was a nice lad and good at his job. His manners, on the other hand, left a lot to be desired. Isabel felt sure he didn’t mean to be rude. To Lucas, it came naturally.
‘How are you getting on with tracking down Celia Aspen’s niece?’ she asked.
‘I’ve got an address for her in Melbourne. Turns out she’s actually Celia’s great-niece. Julie’s paternal grandmother must have been Celia’s sister. I got the address from Julie’s mother, Mary Summers. She lives in Matlock. She was also questioned at the time of Celia Aspen’s disappearance, so we might want to talk to her again at some point.’
‘I’m sure we will. For now, we’ll start with Julie Desmond. Email the contact details to me and I’ll get in touch with her.’
***
Isabel left the office just before five o’clock, but instead of heading straight home, she decided to drive to Ellie’s school to see the art exhibition. She was feeling increasingly guilt‑ridden about not staying to see it after the parents’ evening, especially as art seemed to be the one subject her daughter was taking seriously.
From an early age, Ellie had loved to express her creativity through a variety of artistic media, and Isabel was determined to do everything possible to encourage her talent. Viewing the exhibition at the school seemed an obvious way to do that.
There was something weird about walking into the unnatural silence of an empty school. It was like lifting the lid of a piano and discovering the keys were missing. The main entrance was deserted and the reception area shuttered, but Isabel knew where to find the main hall. Forty years ago, she’d been a pupil here herself – she was familiar with the building’s puzzling architectural layout.
Her shoes squeaked on the polished floor as she approached the hall. Pulling back one of the double doors, she stepped into a space illuminated by a set of brash lights. A huge showcase of student artwork had been pinned to large boards positioned along the walls. Each piece had the artist’s name printed above it, together with their age and the title of the piece. Three other people were wandering around, admiring the exhibition.
It was easy to spot Ellie’s work among the displays. Her style was distinctive and detailed and used bright, bold blocks of colour. Isabel went straight over to the first of her daughter’s paintings, which was called Distance. It showed Bainbridge’s main shopping street from above, as though viewed from a drone. Next to it was a pop art style cartoon. Ellie had drawn herself alongside a male figure Isabel didn’t recognise. A speech bubble coming from the man’s mouth said Why, Ellie, this painting is a masterpiece. Soon you’ll have all of Bainbridge clamouring for your work.
‘It’s a play on Roy Lichtenstein’s Masterpiece,’ said a voice. When Isabel turned, she found herself staring at the man from the cartoon.
‘That’s you … in the picture.’ She laughed.
‘Yes, I’m David Allerton, Ellie Blood’s art teacher.’
‘And I’m her mother.’ Isabel shook his hand.
‘Your daughter really is very gifted. I hope she’ll continue with her art through to A level and beyond.’
‘I hope so too,’ said Isabel. ‘My husband’s an illustrator and I think Ellie must have inherited his artistic gene. She certainly doesn’t get it from me.’
David Allerton smiled good-naturedly.
‘We came to see Ellie’s form tutor yesterday,’ she said, wondering if he might be able to offer an insight into Ellie’s recent behaviour. ‘My daughter seems to have acquired a bad rap with the teachers. Your report was the only one that said anything positive about her.’
The art teacher looked disappointed and a little embarrassed. ‘The trouble with Ellie is, she’s easily influenced,’ he said. ‘A couple of her mates have been displaying very negative behaviour this term, and I think some of that has rubbed off on her. The good news is she’s started to be more selective about her friends over the last couple of weeks. She’s been hanging out with a new girl … Lily Nashwood. Have you met her?’
‘No, not yet.’ Isabel speculated on whether Nathan knew about this burgeoning friendship. ‘Is she a good kid?’
‘I’d say so,’ David Allerton replied. ‘She and Ellie seem to have a lot in common. I’d try to encourage the friendship if I were you.’
‘Thanks,’ Isabel said. ‘I will.’
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