Page 9 of Nothing Hiding

"Her friends?" the ambassador repeated, and Juliette saw his expression change from surprise to understanding. "You think she had an arrangement with them?"

"Yes. If she wasn't grabbed, and there's no sign of a struggle, and the door was unbolted from the inside, then it's likely she sneaked out. Her friends might know where she was going, or even have been planning to meet up. It would help us to know where she went."

Juliette glanced at her team.

Sierra now spoke up. "Meeting friends is by far the most likely reason for sneaking out on a Friday night," she agreed, and the ambassador raised his eyebrows as this theory sunk in.

“If she put on make-up, if she tried on clothing, then she was definitely going out for a reason. This wasn't just a random walk." Juliette gestured again to the cosmetics in the room.

The ambassador's face was a mix of anger and concern. "My wife would know about her friends better than me. You need to ask her that question."

"Let's do that now," Juliette said.

They turned and walked out of the bedroom, and as she left, Juliette felt a pang of anxiety, hoping that this daughter, who'd sneaked out to have some illicit fun and escape her father's tight control, might see it again.

They weren't going to get a chance to speak to Mrs. McKay in private. That was clear. Exuding anger and anxiety and the need to regain control of the situation, McKay followed them downstairs.

Mrs. McKay was still waiting in the living room, still in her seat, looking frozen in place. Juliette felt deeply sympathetic. She could not bear to imagine what this woman must be going through, and what she must be feeling.

"I need to ask you about Daisy's friends," she said, taking the seat that McKay had occupied earlier, so that she could be closer to the woman and hopefully establish a rapport.

Mrs. McKay looked up, her eyes red and tear stained. "Her friends?" she repeated, her voice hoarse. "She had a lot of friends. What do you want to know?"

"Does she have a boyfriend, that you know of?" was Juliette's first question.

Mrs. McKay shook her head. "No. I am sure she doesn't. I mean, she's never mentioned one."

The ambassador nodded in agreement, but Juliette wasn't so sure. She didn't think this home was an environment where news of a boyfriend would be well met. If Daisy had met anyone, it was Juliette's personal opinion that she would not have told her parents.

But she would have told her friends.

"Her closest girlfriends, then. The ones she spent the most time with?" Juliette asked.

Mrs. McKay hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. "There's a girl named Gina Baines, and another named Emily Gosling. They're both her school friends, and she's known them a couple of years. She's always calling and messaging them, and I do have their parents' numbers."

"Can you give me their contact information?" Juliette asked.

Mrs. McKay looked briefly confused, as if even this simple request was too much for her stressed mind to handle.

"Yes, of course. My phone," she then said, reaching for her purse. She read out the home numbers of Daisy's closest friends, and Juliette noted them down, together with their addresses.

And then, Mr. McKay said something surprising.

"I want to be part of this," he insisted, stepping closer to his wife, looming over her. "I need to know what's happening in her life. When she’s found, I want to know what she's been up to, so that we can take precautions to prevent it in the future."

No way were teenage girls going to say a word about their friend with him standing over them. That, Juliette knew for sure. It would be difficult enough to get them to open up to her, even without him there.

Luckily, she had case protocol on her side.

"I'm afraid these interviews have to be kept confidential, and if the women are over eighteen then they don’t require an adult to be present, not even their parents," she said. "Plus, we need these witnesses to speak freely, and without worrying about getting into trouble. What's important now is that we find Daisy. If she gets home safely, that's the time for the next step."

"She will get home safely! There’s no ‘if’ about it,” he spluttered.

"We’ll do our best to make that happen. Is there anything else you'd like to share?" Juliette said. "Anything that was bothering you in the past few weeks about her behavior, anything odd you noticed?"

Both the parents shook their heads.

"If you don't mind, I need to go upstairs. I can't sit here any longer. I have to go and rest and call my daughters. I'm exhausted and so worried," Mrs. McKay acknowledged.

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