Connor wasnโt eating. He pushed the food around his plate, scoring deep lines through the untouched pasta with the points of his plastic fork.
Zach had noticed too; Pip accidentally caught his eye across the table as she watched Connor sitting there silently in the deafening cafeteria. It was the comments, she knew. Strangers on the internet with their theories and their opinions.ย Jamie Reynolds must be dead. And:ย Heโs definitely been murdered โ seems he kind of deserved it, though. Pip told Connor to ignore them, but it was clear he couldnโt, their words skulking around him, leaving their mark.
Cara was sitting beside her, close enough that her elbow occasionally nudged Pipโs ribs. Sheโd picked up on Connorโs silence too, hence her attempt to bring up Connorโs favourite topic: Area 51 conspiracies.
The only ones who hadnโt noticed were Ant and Lauren. Ant was supposed to be Connorโs best friend, but he had his back turned to him, side-straddling the bench as he and Lauren huddled and giggled about something. Pip couldnโt say she was surprised. Ant hadnโt seemed all that concerned about Connor yesterday either, only bringing Jamie up once. She knew it was an awkward situation and most people struggled with what to talk about, but you say sorry at least once. Itโs just what you do.
Lauren snorted at whatever Ant had whispered and Pip felt a flash of something hot under her skin, but she bit her lip and talked it down. This wasnโt the time to pick a fight. Instead she watched as Cara pulled a KitKat from her bag and slowly slid it across the table, into Connorโs eyeline. It broke his trance and he looked at her, the corners of his mouth twitching in a small, passing smile as he abandoned the fork and reached out to accept her offering.
Cara passed that same smile on to Pip. She looked tired. Three nights had gone by, three nights that Pip had been too busy to call her, to talk her to
sleep. Pip knew she must be lying awake; the tint beneath Caraโs eyes told her that. And now they told her something else, widening and gesturing up just as someone behind Pip tapped her on the shoulder. She swivelled and looked up to see Tom Nowak standing there with an awkward wave. Laurenโs ex-boyfriend; theyโd broken up last summer.
โHi,โ he said, over the din of the cafeteria.
โUrgh,โ Lauren immediately butted in. Oh, so now she paid attention. โWhat do you want?โ
โNothing,โ Tom said, shaking his long hair out of his eyes. โI just need to talk to Pip about something.โ
โSure,โ Ant charged in now, sitting up as tall as he could, crossing one arm in front of Lauren to grip the table. โAny excuse to come over to our table, right?โ
โNo, itโs . . .โ Tom trailed off with a shrug, turning back to Pip. โI have some information.โ
โNo one wants you here. Go away,โ Ant said, and an amused smile spread across Laurenโs face as she threaded her arm through his.
โIโm not talking to you,โ Tom said. He looked back at Pip. โItโs about Jamie Reynolds.โ
Connorโs head jerked up, his eyes blinking away that haunted look as he focused on Pip. She held up her hand and nodded, gesturing for him to stay put.
โOh, sure,โ Ant said with a sneer.
โWind it in, will you, Ant.โ Pip stood up and shouldered her heavy bag. โNo oneโs impressed, except Lauren.โ She climbed over the plastic bench and told Tom to follow her as she headed towards the doors to the courtyard outside, knowing Connor would be watching them go.
โLetโs talk over here,โ she said outside, gesturing to the low wall. It had rained that morning and the bricks were still a little wet as she sat down, soaking into her trousers. Tom spread out his jacket before joining her. โSo, what information do you have about Jamie?โ
โItโs about the night he went missing,โ Tom said with a sniff.
โReally? Have you listened to the first episode? I released it last night.โ โNo, not yet,โ he said.
โI only ask because weโve built up a timeline of Jamieโs movements last Friday. We know he was at the calamity party from 9:16 p.m. and left the area around 10:32 p.m., if thatโs where you saw him.โ Tom stared at her
blankly. โWhat I mean is, I already have that information, if thatโs what you were going to say.โ
He shook his head. โEr, no, itโs something else. I wasnโt at the calamity party, but I saw him. After that.โ
โYou did? After 10:32?โ And suddenly Pip was hyperaware: the shrieking year ten boys playing football, a fly that had just landed on her bag, the wall pressing into her bones.
โYes,โ Tom said. โIt was after that.โ โHow long after?โ
โUm, maybe fifteen minutes, or twenty,โ he screwed up his face in concentration.
โSo, around 10:50 p.m.?โ she asked. โYeah. That sounds about right.โ
Pip sat forward, waiting for Tom to carry on. He didnโt.
โAnd?โ she said, starting to grow annoyed despite herself. โWhere were you? Where did you see him? Was it somewhere near Highmoor, where the party was?โ
โYeah, it was that road, um, whatโs it called . . . oh, Cross Lane,โ he said.
Cross Lane. Pip only knew one person who lived down Cross Lane, with a bright blue door and an angled front path: Nat da Silva and her parents.
โYou saw Jamie on Cross Lane at 10:50 p.m.?โ
โYeah, I saw him, in a burgundy shirt and white trainers. I pacifically remember that.โ
โThatโs what he was wearing,ย specifically,โ she said, wincing at Tomโs butchering of the word. โWhy were you there at that time?โ
He shrugged. โJust going home from a friendโs house.โ โAnd what was Jamie doing?โ Pip asked.
โHe was walking. Walked past me.โ
โOK. And was he on the phone when he walked past you?โ she said. โNo, donโt think so. No phone.โ
Pip sighed. Tom wasnโt making this very easy for her.
โOK, what else did you see? Did it look like he was heading somewhere?
Maybe a house?โ โYeah,โ Tom nodded. โYeah, what?โ
โA house. He was walking to a house,โ he said. โLike maybe halfway up the lane.โ
Nat da Silvaโs house was about halfway up, Pipโs thoughts intruded, demanding her attention. She felt a thrumming in her neck as her pulse picked up. Palms growing sticky, and not from the rain.
โHow do you know he was heading to a house?โ โBecause I saw him. Go into a house,โ he said.
โInside?โ The word came out, louder than sheโd intended.
โYes.โ He sounded exasperated, likeย sheย was the one making this difficult.
โWhich house?โ
โAh,โ Tom said, scratching his hair, switching the parting to the other side. โIt was late, I wasnโt looking at the numbers. Didnโt see.โ
โWell, can you describe what the house looked like at all?โ She was gripping the wall now, fingertips grazing against it. โWhat colour was the front door?โ
โUm,โ he looked at her. โI think it was white.โ
Pip exhaled. She sat back from him, unhooked her fingers and dropped her gaze. Not Nat da Silvaโs house, then. Good.
โWait,โ Tom said suddenly, eyes settling on her again. โActually no, I donโt think it was white. No, I remember now . . . it was bl-blue. Yeah, blue.โ
Pipโs heart reacted immediately, a beating in her ears, quick couplets that almost sounded like:ย Nat-da Sil-va, Nat-da Silva, Nat-da Sil-va.
She forced her mouth shut, and reopened it again to ask: โWhite-bricked house? Vine on one side?โ
Tom nodded, more life in his face now. โYeah, thatโs the one. I saw Jamie going into that house.โ
โDid you see anyone else? Who was at the door?โ โNo. Just saw him go in.โ
Into Nat da Silvaโs house.
That had been the plan after all, for Jamie to go to Natโs house after the memorial. Thatโs what heโd told Connor. Thatโs what Nat had said to Pip. Except she also said he never turned up. That the last time she saw him was when he walked away from her into the crowd to find โsomeoneโ.
But Tom saw Jamie going into her house at 10:50 p.m. After the calamity party.
So, somebody was lying here. And who would have reason to?
โTom,โ she said. โWould you mind if we went over this again, in a recorded interview?โ
โSure. No problem.โ
r/AGoodGirlsGuideToNurderPodcast
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