Page 185 of The Hallmarked Man
He hadn’t called over the weekend – not that she’d ordinarily have expected him to – but you’d have thought he’d have rung her to ask why her email was so unfriendly, and why she was dropping out of the Scotland part of the trip, and to tell her there’d be plenty of other opportunities to speak to Tia Thompson and Valentine Longcaster, wouldn’t you? But no. So much for friendship…
Maybe I should leave, Robin thought.Maybe I should just find another job.
But this was a form of mental blood-letting: she didn’t really havethe slightest intention of resigning. Walk out on everything she’d helped build? Walk away from nearly seven years of sacrifice, and risk, and hard, relentless work? Throw away the job she loved, just because Cormoran Strike was a lying, manipulative bastard? Because hewasmanipulative, she saw that now: his offer to buy her a new Land Rover, and his Christmas gift, and the repeated mentions of Charlotte’s suicide note, all designed to keep her bound to him and the business, while he was off impregnating Bijou bloody Watkins, and, for all Robin knew, sleeping with a few more women on the side… well, good luck, Bijou, you picked a hell of a father for your baby…
The red sweatshirt-ed throng was growing and Robin scanned the faces of every black girl she could see. Most students were arriving in groups, but when at last Robin spotted and identified Tia, the girl was walking along alone, reading something off her phone while vaping. So intent was she on her screen that as she made to cross the road, twenty yards short of where Robin was standing, the latter shouted out:
‘Tia,be careful!’
Tia started and jumped backwards as a bus trundled past.
‘The hell do you know my name?’ the girl demanded, as Robin hurried towards her.
‘I was hoping to talk to you,’ said Robin, unable to stop herself adding, ‘you shouldn’t be looking at Snapchat when you’re crossing roads.’
‘For your information,’ said Tia, showing Robin her screen, ‘I’m reading a fucking book.’
‘Oh,’ said Robin. ‘Well, even so… I was hoping to talk to you about Sapphire Neagle.’
‘Why?’
‘My name’s Robin Ellacott. I’m a private detective. Sapphire’s missing and I’m trying to find out what happened to her.’
Robin handed Tia her card. The girl scrutinised it, frowning.
‘I’d just like to ask a couple of questions,’ said Robin. ‘If you don’t know the answers, fine.’
Tia looked understandably wary.
‘You can look me up online,’ said Robin. ‘I’m a genuine private detective, and I’m worried about Sapphire. Nothing you say’s going to end up in court, or anything like that. I’m just trying to find her.’
‘All right,’ said Tia slowly, ‘but hurry up. I don’t wanna miss English.’
‘D’you know anything about a man – an older man – Sapphire might have met before she disappeared?’
‘Yeah,’ said Tia. ‘I told ’em about him.’
‘Told who?’
‘Police,’ said Tia. She took another deep drag on her vape and exhaled. Robin smelled candyfloss.
‘What did you tell them?’ asked Robin.
‘He said he was gonna get her a job as a backing singer. Said she could go on tour. With Ellie Goulding.’
‘Did you ever see her with this man?’
Tia shook her head.
‘Did anyone?’
‘Dunno. Don’t think so.’
‘How did Sapphire meet him?’
‘Up the road, in Jimmy’s,’ said Tia, nodding in the direction of the corner.
‘What’s Jimmy’s?’
