Morgan continued to talk to Ethan using questions that weren’t pressing or accusatory, but the kid looked uncomfortable. Every now and again he raised his hand to cover his mouth, shooting a nervous glance at his father. Was he seeking reassurance? Or worrying he might say too much?
‘Would you prefer to go somewhere quiet to talk, Ethan?’ Karen asked, aware of the PC standing in the doorway and Doyle sitting at the reception desk, holding a phone to his ear but not talking. She was pretty sure he was trying to listen in.
Without waiting for his son’s reply, Grayson slapped a hand on Ethan’s shoulder again. ‘Good idea. Yes, let’s do that.’
Karen walked over to the desk where Doyle was sitting pretending to be on the phone. ‘Is there somewhere we could talk to the chief constable and Ethan in private?’
Doyle put a hand over the mouthpiece and gave an exaggerated sigh. ‘I’m actually in the middle of a phone call, Detective.’
‘No, you’re not.’
Doyle’s jaw dropped, but he kept the headset clamped to the side of his head. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You’re not on the phone to anyone,’ Karen said, pointing at the display on the telephone, which showed the date and time and nothing else. She had a similar handset, and if a call was active, the telephone number was displayed on the small screen. The date and time were only visible when a call wasn’t connected.
Doyle slowly replaced the handset. ‘Well, I was on the phone. It’s just been disconnected.’ He stood up and huffed, ‘Follow me.’
He led them along the right of the entrance hall and then into another corridor, very similar to the one on the left that led to Chidlow’s study and the library.
He opened the door to a small office. ‘This is the room I’ve been using. You can use it . . . for now.’
He left, closing the door behind him.
Grayson sat on a padded computer chair, and Ethan removed a cream-coloured paperback with a red title from the back pocket of his jeans and put it face down on the floor, before sitting on a stool. There were no other chairs. Karen considered going to look for some but decided they couldn’t afford to waste time. She leaned against the large windowsill, and Morgan remained standing. It wasn’t the ideal way to question Ethan. He was already nervous, and having Morgan tower over him while asking questions wasn’t going to put him at ease.
‘Can you tell me in your own words exactly what happened last night when you saw Cressida and Natasha?’ Karen asked.
‘I was bored. I was hanging around the house, looking for something to do, and I heard them coming downstairs. They were talking and laughing. I didn’t hear what they were talking about, but I noticed they were dressed up and wondered where they were going.’
‘Can you recall exactly what they were wearing? That could be helpful,’ Karen said, getting ready to make a note on her phone.
‘Um . . .’ Ethan looked up at the ceiling and chewed on his lip for a moment before answering. ‘Cressida was wearing blue jeans and a coat. It was black or maybe brown, a dark colour anyway. I think she was wearing a white top underneath.’
‘And how did she have her hair?’
‘It was, um, I don’t really remember.’ His forehead creased in concentration. ‘I don’t think she had it tied up . . .’
‘Okay. And Natasha?’
‘She wore her hair loose. It’s curly and comes to about here.’ Ethan pointed at a spot below his shoulders. ‘She had on a green fitted top and a black wool coat over the top. Black jeans and black boots with a low heel. She had pink lipstick on, silver earrings and a silver chain. She didn’t have a bag with her.’
‘That’s a fantastic description,’ Karen said. ‘Very helpful.’
Ethan smiled shyly.
‘I couldn’t help noticing your description of Natasha was more detailed. Why is that, Ethan?’
Ethan’s cheeks flushed. ‘I . . . I’m not sure. I suppose I just noticed Natasha more.’
‘Do you like Natasha?’
‘Yes, she’s nice. I mean, she takes the time to talk to me in class, but Cressida is always around and she doesn’t like me as much.’
‘Would you say you had a crush on Natasha?’ Karen asked.
‘A crush? That’s ridiculous,’ Grayson said quickly. He’d remained silent up until now. ‘Don’t be silly, Ethan,’ he snapped at his son.
His reaction was understandable. They were looking into the disappearance of two young women, and having a romantic interest in Natasha would lead to them viewing Ethan as a suspect. Grayson didn’t want that for his son.
Ethan looked even more uncomfortable. ‘I, uh, not really. I just . . . she’s just nice, you know?’
Morgan took over. ‘Any ideas as to where they were going?’
‘Maybe the pub.’
‘The one in Harmston?’
‘Yeah. I don’t know for sure. I just heard them talking about it.’
‘Last night?’
‘No, a couple of days ago.’
‘And had they gone out like this before?’
Ethan nodded. ‘Yeah, a couple of times this week.’
‘And students aren’t supposed to leave Chidlow House, are they?’
Ethan swallowed and looked at his father before answering. ‘No, but, you know, since that teacher fell off the roof, it’s only Mr Doyle keeping an eye on us now, so it’s easy to sneak out if you want to.’
‘Did any of the other students go out last night?’
‘I’m not sure,’ Ethan said.
‘Were you aware of Natasha or Cressida being particularly friendly with anyone else on the course? Are they close to anyone?’
‘Not really. I don’t think they hang out with anyone else. I mean, I know Cressida and Natasha go to school with another girl who’s on the course, but I don’t think they’re friends.’
‘And what’s the girl’s name?’
‘Ella. Ella Seaton.’
Karen made a note. She’d be high up on the list of students they needed to question.
‘Is there anything else you want to tell us, Ethan?’ Morgan asked. ‘Anything you can think of that might be important.’
Ethan shook his head. ‘I don’t think so.’
When they’d finished questioning Ethan, he asked if he could leave. Morgan gave his permission and the chief constable’s son practically ran out of the room.
Odd behaviour? Or just a kid with awkward social skills? Being interviewed by police officers could be a nerve-wracking experience, even for a chief constable’s son. His reaction was a bit extreme, but understandable, wasn’t it?
Karen was sure Ethan had a crush on Natasha and that could be important to their investigation.
‘So, what do you think so far?’ Grayson asked, slapping his hands together and looking at Karen and Morgan.
‘It’s early days, sir,’ Morgan said. ‘We’ve spoken to the parents and they’re keen for us to start the search.’
Grayson groaned. ‘It’s not come to that yet, has it?’
‘It might be a bit premature,’ Karen agreed. ‘Especially in this weather.’