No Going Back by Lyndon Stacey Read Free Book Online Page A

Wasn’t I meant to? I’m sorry. You didn’t say.’
    â€˜I didn’t think of it. It’s not your fault.’
    â€˜So what did you want her for? Do you know her?’
    â€˜I know of her – if she’s who I think she is, and that’s beginning to look increasingly likely. You say she didn’t come with much gear?’
    Tamzin shook her head. ‘Hardly any. Just the clothes she was wearing – jeans, jumper and a jacket – and she had a tiny rucksack bag, you know, like the kids carry to school. I had to lend her some jodhs – she didn’t even have those. To be honest, I wondered if she was a runaway, but she swore she was sixteen.’ She took two wine glasses from the kitchen cupboard and, from a drawer, a corkscrew, which she handed to Daniel. ‘Here, make yourself useful. So, was she a runaway?’
    â€˜In a way, yes.’
    Tamzin paused in the act of taking stir-fry ingredients from the fridge and turned to face him. ‘Are you going to tell me any more, or do I have to prise it out of you? Because – I don’t mind telling you – I’m getting just the teensiest bit fed up with all these bloody guessing games!’
    â€˜I’m sorry.’ Daniel couldn’t blame her for losing patience with him. He handed her a large glass of ruby-coloured wine and, settling his rump against the edge of the granite worktop, proceeded to tell her the tale, including his subsequent doubts.
    â€˜And you think Kat is the missing girl?’
    â€˜I think it’s possible, don’t you?’
    â€˜But you don’t know for sure she’s still missing. I mean, why would this Reynolds guy lie about finding her?’
    â€˜Because he quite plainly doesn’t want the police involved and I think he guessed that if he admitted she was still missing, I’d call them myself.’
    Tamzin put a pepper on her chopping board and began to slice it. ‘So why all the secrecy? What’s he trying to hide?’
    â€˜I think he’s scared of what they might say – I mean, he made damn sure I didn’t get close enough to Elena to speak to her.’
    â€˜Oh my God! You don’t think they’re being abused?’ Tamzin turned round with a pepper in one hand and a knife in the other, her face twisted with disgust.
    â€˜I don’t know. It’s one possibility, but there are others. Tell me, would you have said that Kat was English?’
    â€˜No, she wasn’t, but that’s the norm for this industry. Almost all the lads who come through the yard are Eastern European or Irish. I’m becoming multilingual. I can say, “Get a move on with that stable!” and, “Stop mucking around!” in six different languages. Kat speaks pretty good English, but Rafa – that’s Rafail – says she’s Romanian. I asked him.’
    â€˜I thought she might be. I’m pretty sure Reynolds and his so-called brother are too. I’m wondering if the authorities know they’re here. That might explain the nervousness about getting involved with the police.’ There were other possible explanations too, but he decided to keep them to himself for now.
    â€˜Will you go to the police now you’ve seen her?’
    â€˜And tell them what, exactly?’
    â€˜Well . . .’ Tamzin hesitated. ‘Yeah, I see what you mean. So what now?’
    Daniel shrugged. ‘Think again, I suppose.’
    â€˜I wish I hadn’t told Kat you were coming. I’m sorry. It was stupid.’
    â€˜Don’t be daft – you weren’t to know. I expect she was afraid Reynolds had sent me after her. She might even have seen me with him on the moor the other day.’
    â€˜I wonder where she’ll go, poor kid. She won’t know anyone.’
    â€˜You say she seemed competent with the horses?’
    â€˜Oh, yes. She’s been around them before, without a