Her Last Tomorrow by Adam Croft Read Free Book Online Page B

the occasional glass of wine every now and again, I barely drink.’
    ‘That’s why?’ Tasha says, quietly and delicately.
    ‘Yeah. That’s why. Because I never wanted to become that person again. When I drink I get stupid. That was the line in the sand, Tash. That was when I became the new Nick.’ I look at McKenna. ‘And that’s why it’s got absolutely nothing to do with what’s happening here and now.’
    ‘I’m afraid the law doesn’t quite see it that way,’ McKenna says. ‘As things stand, what happened yesterday morning is your word against your neighbour’s. And he doesn’t have a history of violent crime.’
    ‘I don’t have a history,’ I say, stressing the word. ‘It was a one-off incident. Years ago. It is history.’
    ‘You have a criminal record, Nick. For a violent crime. I’m not saying your word’s any less valid than his, but you’ve got to look at it on paper. We don’t know either of you personally so all we’ve got to go on is what we see.’
    I take a deep breath and pace towards the window. ‘Well can you not just take my word for it then? I’m telling you the truth here. You might not know me but Tasha does and Tasha knows I wouldn’t lie.’
    I turn to look at Tasha but deep down I already know what I’m going to see. She’s looking at me, the tears still misting her eyes, and she’s saying nothing.
    It’s McKenna who speaks. ‘Nick, I’d like you to come with me.’

14

    They tell me I’m not under arrest, but that it’s a formal interview. I don’t know what the difference is, and right now it doesn’t really matter. The journey to the police station took place in stony silence. Out of the corner of my eye I occasionally caught McKenna glancing at me in the rear-view mirror, perhaps looking for some giveaway or tell-tale sign.
    The interview room is much as I’d expected, but perhaps a little more comfortable. The chairs are padded and there’s a carpet, which is a start. There are cameras in all four corners of the room, leaving nothing uncovered. I don’t feel nervous, but I really don’t want to have to go into any greater detail about what happened with Angela. It was stupid. I know that. But I do have something to hide: the email’s I’ve been receiving from Jen Hood.
    ‘You’ve got to see things from our point of view, Nick,’ McKenna says. I want to tell her I do. ‘Your five-year-old daughter goes missing. You tell us you put her in the car and went back inside. Your sole witness tells us you didn’t. You react by ransacking the man’s house. We dig a little deeper and find out you’ve got previous for abduction.’ She leaves that hanging in the air for a few seconds before speaking again. ‘Do you have any idea how many missing children turn out to have come to harm at the hands of a family member?’
    I shake my head. I don’t, but I bet it’s a lot.
    ‘Most of them,’ she says, pausing again before she leans forward towards me and clasps her hands. Brennan is sitting beside her, watching me with great interest.
    ‘Nick, if you want to tell us something, you can. We always find out what happened eventually. Modern policing isn’t about if we catch the perpetrator; it’s about when . The longer things drag on, the more difficult it’s going to be for you and the rest of the family to deal with what’s happened.’
    I raise my head and look her in the eye. ‘Nothing has happened. Everything I’ve told you is true. I don’t know where my daughter is, I don’t know why Derek’s lying and I don’t know any more about anything than you do.’
    Okay, so that last bit wasn’t quite true.
    ‘What are you hiding, Nick?’ McKenna asks, throwing me off balance. I must have given away some slight involuntary twitch, as Brennan cocks his head to the side and raises an eyebrow.
    ‘I’m not hiding anything,’ I say, sounding a little like the lady who doth protest too much. ‘Like you said, you’ll find out what happened