Page 42 of The Girls in the Lake
‘Should I ring someone to pick you up?’
‘No, bloody hell. As if my night hasn’t been ruined enough. Why can’t you take me?’
He didn’t have a car, that was why; he’d left it at the station. He looked around to see a couple of officers getting out of an unmarked car.
‘Come with me then.’ He gently led the girl to where they were.
‘Evening, can I take this car and you get a lift back? I need to get her home sooner rather than later and she won’t go with Sergeant Taylor.’
‘If you want, Josh. Unless you want us to take you home, love?’
The response officer looked at Tamara, but she shook her head.
Josh sighed. For some reason she had taken a liking to him which might make her more talkative in the car. He needed to find out what had happened. The officer handed him the keys.
‘Thank you.’ He turned to Tamara. ‘Let’s go.’
She did as she was told.
He heard a voice behind him whisper, ‘Good luck,’ followed by laughter and he shook his head. ‘I need all of those people on the boat spoken to about what happened. I need to find out how she ended up in the water; if anyone saw anything; if it was an accident and someone maybe stumbled into her. I also want everyone’s names and addresses for follow-up interviews tomorrow. Get them to leave the boat two at a time and take their details as they disembark. There’s more officers on the way.’
All three of them looked over to the boat. On board, someone, presumably the birthday girl could be heard sobbing and wailing about her party being ruined; the two officers looked back at Josh, who shrugged.
‘Sorry, but it’s nothing to do with me. I didn’t ruin her night. As soon as I’ve taken Tamara home I’ll come back. If anyone points any fingers at a pusher, arrest the person in question and get a full witness statement.’
He ducked into the car before the officers could complain too much.
Inside, Tamara managed a little smile with her still-blue lips. ‘Claudia is going to be so pissed with you for ruining her party.’
‘Actually, I think you were the one who ruined it. I’m not taking all the blame.’
‘I guess that’s me off her guest list for future events. You’re not even in the running.’ She laughed.
Josh joined in, turning the dial on the heater all the way up and looking to check she wasn’t still shaking. A small trickle of blood ran from her right nostril.
‘Oh – your nose is bleeding. Are you sure you’re okay? How old are you really, Tamara?’
She pulled the sun visor down to check her nose. Using the sleeve of the jumper Josh had given her from the back of the car, she blotted it away.
‘What’s that got to do with anything? I’m eighteen.’
‘I just want to make sure you’re above the age of consent.’
She reached out and slapped his arm. ‘Why? Not you as well.’
‘To be questioned without an adult present.’ His cheeks burned as he realised how bad that question might have sounded.
‘Oh, yes, I’m definitely old enough for that as well as voting, drinking alcohol and having sex, although I’ve had sex more times than I’ve voted.’
Josh felt his cheeks turn redder. What was it with this younger generation? They talked about the stuff most people kept private as if it was nothing. He wished Karen had come with them, or that Sam had arrived a bit earlier, because he felt awkward.
For a few minutes they drove in silence, then it was Tamara who broke it.
‘I can be a bit of a nightmare, sorry. I went below deck to use the bathroom and one of the guys serving drinks was down there. I sort of know him through going in the pub he owns. I don’t know what he was doing on the boat.’
‘Marcus Johnson?’ Josh felt his heart begin to race; this was too much of a coincidence to be ignored.
‘Yeah, Marcus. I don’t know his second name. Anyway, he sort of backed me into a corner. His hands were all over me.’
