Good Girls Don't Die by Isabelle Grey Read Free Book Online Page B

you know Polly?’ she asked.
    ‘She comes in regularly, and we bump into each other in Wivenhoe occasionally.’
    ‘Is that where you live?’ asked Grace.
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘When did you last see her?’ asked Lance.
    Danny thought for a moment, as if the question were unexpected. ‘The end of last week. She came in to talk to me.’
    ‘Friday? Saturday?’ pressed Lance.
    ‘Friday probably.’
    ‘What did you talk about?’
    ‘Nothing much. I seem to remember she needed some books for the summer vacation.’
    ‘Did you ever meet outside the bookshop? Apart from bumping into each other, I mean.’
    Danny shook his head.
    ‘And that’s all you’ve told Roxanne Carson?’
    ‘Yes.’
    Grace saw that Lance’s questions were making Danny anxious, and tried to lighten the tone. ‘Do you like working here?’ she asked. ‘You must be right in the hub of things on campus.’
    ‘I love books.’
    ‘So are you studying for a degree?’
    He seemed pleased by the question, but shook his head. ‘My mum was ill and I had to look after her, couldn’t stay on at school. But I’ve been working here nearly two years now.’
    ‘How old are you, Danny?’ asked Lance.
    ‘Twenty-three. This is like having my own personal library.’
    ‘And you get to know your customers?’
    Danny nodded, his eyes wide and serious. ‘I see their names on the student discount cards. Not everyone’s as nice as Polly, though.’
    ‘And what is she like?’
    ‘Lovely. Bubbly. A bit disorganised.’ Danny smiled, a sweet smile, as if he liked talking about her. ‘She left her phone here on the counter once. That’s how we got chatting.’
    ‘Does she have a boyfriend?’ Grace asked, more interested in his reaction than the reply. ‘Did you see her around with anyone in particular?’
    Danny shrugged with what looked like genuine unconcern. ‘Sometimes. No one steady, though. Not that I noticed, anyway.’
    ‘But you must notice all kinds of stuff,’ she said. ‘Perfect observation post here!’
    Danny peered at her as if uncertain whether or not she was mocking him. ‘I usually read when it’s quiet.’ He made his reply sound like a rebuke. He nodded towards the pony-tailed man at the back of the shop. ‘The manager likes all the assistants to be well-read.’
    ‘But you’d notice if anyone was bothering one of the women on campus, if someone was having problems or disagreements? Anything we should know about?’
    He shrugged. ‘I haven’t seen anything like that. Sorry.’
    ‘OK.’ Grace handed him a card and gave him a friendly smile. ‘In case anything occurs to you later.’
    He accepted the card and placed it carefully into a wallet he took from his back pocket.
    ‘Did Roxanne speak to your manager as well?’ asked Lance.
    Danny shook his head, his eyes on Grace as he put away his wallet. The door opened and a group of students entered, milling out to different sections of the shop. Danny’s attention moved to them, and Grace nodded to Lance: they were done here.
    ‘Thanks, mate,’ said Lance.
    ‘You’re welcome. Anything I can do to help.’
    Lance made as if to leave, then turned back. ‘There is, actually. We’d really appreciate it if you didn’t talk too much to the media. Sometimes that can really get in the way of an investigation, and I know you wouldn’t want that. I can tell that you want Polly to come home safely just as much as we do, right?’
    ‘Right!’
    ‘Great. See you around.’
    ‘Bye!’ Danny smiled and gave a little wave.
    Outside, Grace looked back, but the young man was walking away with one of his customers.
    ‘Do you think he was holding out on us?’ asked Lance.
    ‘What about?’
    ‘About how much he really told your friend Roxanne. Do you think she’d have slipped him some cash?’
    ‘I thought the opposite, that maybe he was bigging up the little he did know.’
    ‘Why?’
    ‘However he likes to tell it, he’s always going to be an outsider, isn’t he?’ she said.