Page 82 of The Girl in the Woods

‘I know,’ said Mr Lees. ‘The little bastard beat up a Paki, didn’t he? We never brought him up to be racist. I want to make that very clear.’

Except you just called the lad Paki yourself, thought Ana. ‘No one is calling your family racist,’ she said. ‘We believe that someone who calls himself The Vigilante attacked your daughter.’

‘But why?’ sobbed Mrs Lees.

Ana knew her blood-stained dress was a problem for Mrs Lees and didn’t want to prolong her agony. ‘Was your daughter involved with anyone else besides the lad who claims to be her boyfriend?’

Mr Lees stepped closer to Ana. Ana determined not to be intimidated, didn’t move. ‘She was no slag,’ he retorted. ‘And she didn’t have a Pakistani boyfriend.’

Ana turned to the door. ‘Thanks for answering my questions.’

‘You’ll find him, right? This bastard,’ said Mr Lees sternly.

‘If it’s the last thing we do,’ she reassured him.

Sajid was arguing with the nurse when Ana entered the ward. The surgical smell of hospitals had always had a bad effect on her, and today was no different. The sooner she was out of there, the better. The nurse took in Ana’s blood-stained dress and hurried over.

‘I’m okay,’ Ana quickly assured her. ‘I’m the police officer that came in with the air ambulance. I need to ask your patient a few questions.’ She fumbled for her ID and remembered she didn’t have it on her.

‘Not too long,’ said the nurse. ‘We’ve given him a mild sedative.’

Sajid looked at Ana pleadingly. ‘I need to see Laine,’ he said, his voice breaking. ‘They won’t let me. Is she going to be all right?’

Ana pulled a chair next to the bed. She felt emotionally drained. ‘I don’t know,’ she said honestly. ‘She’s in theatre, so you can’t see her.’

He looked crestfallen, and Ana gently reached out a hand and laid it on his arm. ‘Anything you can tell us, Sajid, will help us catch who did this.’

He wiped his nose with a tatty tissue. ‘We’d argued.’ He sniffed. ‘A few days ago. It was about her brother. He’s a racist. He intimidated me and others on a coach back from a football match–’

‘Hang on. Did The Vigilante stop him?’ she interrupted.

Sajid nodded. ‘Anyway, they started on us at the fair, and we had this fight. I was going to text Laine, but I must have dropped my phone during the fight and I couldn’t find it. Jassy said Laine was upset and had gone into the woods, and as she liked it by the Old Oak, I went there to look for her and…’

He burst into tears and Ana looked around the bedside cabinet for tissues. ‘Here,’ she said, handing him one.

‘She was just lying there. I thought she’d fallen, and then I heard that girl say The Vigilante did it.’

Ana chose her words carefully. ‘Had she been spending more money recently?’

He shook his head. ‘I don’t think so. Why, what’s that got to do with it?’

The nurse approached and said softly, ‘His parents are here.’

‘Okay,’ said Ana, standing up. ‘Someone will be back tomorrow to take your official statement.’

Sajid’s parents were younger than Ana had anticipated.

‘Thank you for coming here with him,’ said the woman, holding out her hand.

Ana took it. It was warm in hers, and a strong memory assailed her and she wobbled slightly on her feet. ‘Just doing my job,’ she said.

‘The police have filled us in,’ said the father, walking towards his son. Ana only had eyes for the mother and realised her hand was still in hers. She pulled it away, said goodbye.

Then she walked briskly from the ward until she came to reception. ‘Can I order a cab?’ she asked. The sooner she was home, the better.

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

Frankie refused to speak to anyone other than Ana.

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