‘It’s Robert I pity. It wasn’t his fault, but it happened on his watch and I know he’ll blame himself. I would have done the same in his position. The girls were lagging behind, they were a minute out of his sight, and there had been three of them. Who would have thought that something like that could happen?’
‘How many pupils attend the youth club?’ Grace asked next, wondering why he had chosen to change the subject.
‘It has about seventy kids in total who use it every now and then. They don’t have to attend the school to be a member, though. We take anyone who will behave themselves.’ He smiled. ‘Some turn up every week, on the two nights we open.’
‘Which are?’ Grace asked.
‘Tuesdays and Thursdays. Others appear sporadically. They pay a pound subs and sign in. It covers the cost of the school being open late, and the drinks we provide. I won’t collect any money tonight. It doesn’t seem right. Do you want to see the signing-in book later?’
Grace nodded. ‘Was Lauren a regular?’
‘She came most weeks, twice sometimes. Her and her friends. There’s a group of about five of them, all girls. We offer a safe place for the kids to hang out, and also keep out of trouble in the local area.’
‘Did you get on well with her?’
‘Yes. She was a good kid. It will be weird not to see her around.’
Grace noticed he didn’t stir at the question. As Perry had mentioned earlier in team brief, he didn’t seem fazed by the fact that a murdered girl had a crush on him.
‘Tougher for the kids than me, I guess.’ Jason sighed before standing. ‘Can I grab you a coffee, perhaps introduce you to some of the members?’
‘That would be great.’
‘Nathan’s around, too. He’s been popping in and out. It’s not often we have the headmaster here.’ Jason paused. ‘I must admit, I hadn’t been too sure about opening the youth club this evening. For starters, why would any of the parents want their children out of their sight after one of the pupils at the school had been murdered? But Nathan insisted, saying it would be a good place for the kids to have time to be with each other and grieve.’
‘I expect he won’t be able to stay away.’ Grace knew how much pressure Stiller would be under right now.
A cry rang out and they all turned. One of the girls who’d arrived had burst into tears and dropped into the arms of another.
‘That’s Katie Davies,’ Jason explained. ‘Sophie Bishop is comforting her, with a Piggott twin. I can never tell them apart. They were all close friends of Lauren’s.’
Over the course of the next hour, Grace chatted to lots of the teenagers. Nathan Stiller did indeed come and go, joining in conversations as the students reminisced about Lauren. Some of the teenagers laughed openly about her when sharing anecdotes; others, Grace could tell, felt guilty if they did. But she knew as well as anyone how much better it was to remember the good times. Be comforted by them. Bury them deep within to be resurrected whenever necessary.
Because she’d done the same when Matt had died. It hadn’t lessened the pain, but it had made the days seem more bearable.
She was still struggling with the nights.
At the youth club, Sophie Bishop had been messing with her phone all evening. She’d been doing it under the pretence of looking for what people were saying about Lauren on social media. But really she was waiting.
Finally, a text message came in:
Meet me behind the sheds in two minutes?
She glanced around the youth club until she caught his eye. Her stomach flipped like it did every time he looked at her. She nodded her reply and turned to Courtney and Caitlin, who she was sitting with.
‘I’m going to grab a bit of fresh air.’ She stood, acting casual, even though her heart was pumping fast. ‘I feel like I need some space.’
‘Want me to come with you?’ Courtney asked with a look of concern.
Sophie shook her head. ‘No, you stay here. I won’t be long.’
‘Okay, babes. Message me if you want me and I’ll come out to you.’
Sophie nodded to her friend. Once outside, she let out a breath. Her dad hadn’t been too impressed when she’d said she was going out, but eventually she’d persuaded him that she needed to be with her friends. Teagan hadn’t been allowed to come, which was annoying, but at least she had the twins. She’d told her dad she was being picked up and brought home by Mrs Piggott. Luckily, he’d been okay with that.
She gulped down a sob. She was going to miss Lauren so much. They’d known each other since junior school and even though Sophie never usually cried in public, she hadn’t been able to stop the tears all day. Her eyes were red and sore, but there was no point in trying to make herself look presentable again now. He’d have to take her as he found her. One of them was missing, gone forever, not coming back. How were they supposed to cope with that?
After dropping them off at school, Mrs Piggott had told them she’d be waiting at half past eight, which is why Sophie knew time was of the essence. But as well as being there for the rest of the girls, she wanted to see him. She wanted to be comforted, too.
Finally, her phone beeped:
I’m here.
It was quiet back there but, even so, Sophie glanced around to see if anyone was watching. When she felt it was safe, she ran across to the outbuildings behind the sports hall. As she reached the first shed, he popped his head out and disappeared again. Around the corner, out of view, she ran into his arms.
‘I thought I wouldn’t be able to see you,’ she cried as she held on tight to him.
He rubbed a hand over her hair. ‘I’m glad that we’ve found time.’ He tilted her chin towards him and kissed her. ‘How are you?’
‘I’m okay, but it’s such a shock.’ She wiped away tears that had fallen. ‘I can’t stop crying. She was one of my closest friends.’
‘I know.’ He drew her into his arms again. ‘I feel like I don’t want to let you go. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I care about you too much.’
‘I care about you, too,’ Sophie replied, although she wasn’t really sure. Was he talking about love? She didn’t feel as if they’d been together long enough for that. But then, how would she know? She’d never been in love before.
They’d been meeting for nearly six weeks but she hadn’t told anyone. She’d sneaked out to see him two or three times a week. Knowing that people wouldn’t understand why she was seeing him, she’d fibbed to her dad, saying she was over at the twins’ house, and she’d lied to the twins, saying she was staying in. So far, it had worked out fine. Except when things like this happened and she wanted to see him but couldn’t.
‘I wonder who the killer could be,’ she said. ‘It’s hard to know that someone is still out there.’
‘I guess. But the police will catch whoever did it,’ he said.
She paused for a moment in honour of her friend, then flipped the talk back to herself as only a teenager could.
‘When will I be able to see you again?’
‘Soon.’
‘I hope so.’
She