CHAPTER 8

Mitchell was about to ring the doorbell for a second time, when the sound of approaching footsteps reached the two police officers. He immediately dropped his finger and stepped back to wait.

Nigel hunter wore an expression that could only be described as one of resignation when he saw who was on his doorstep. "What's Kelly done now?" he asked as he automatically stepped back to let sergeant Mitchell and Melissa enter his home. "It's not her you know, it's Emma Harper," he said in a well-worn defence of his daughter. "I've lost track of how many times I've told Kelly to stay away from her - she just won't listen. It's only a matter of time before the pair of them get themselves in a real trouble, and I just don't have the money the Harper's do; they'll get Emma off and Kelly will be left holding the can".

"Calm down, Nigel," Mitchell told the younger man as he passed him. " As far as I know, Kelly has done nothing wrong, and isn't in trouble. I do need to speak to her, though, is she in?"

Nigel snorted. "In, she isn't even up yet. if she didn't have to be up for school, she'd never be up before midday".

"Would you mind getting her up?" it's important that we talk to her".

"She won't like it", Nigel said, as though he preferred not to have to deal with his daughter's displeasure at being woken before she was ready to get up, nonetheless he made his way up the stairs after closing the front door behind the two police officers.

While Nigel headed upstairs, Mitchell and Melissa made their way into the living room, where they took seats on the sofa. After almost a minute, the sound of raised voices reached them, and a short while after that, heavy footsteps descended the stairs; it could not have been more obvious that the approaching person was a teen who was determined to make it clear that they were not happy about something.

"What do you want?"

Mitchell gritted his teeth against the urge to respond to the rudeness of the question; he was used to it, but that didn't mean he liked it.

"Good morning, Kelly, sorry to have woken you," he apologized. "But I need to ask you a few questions. would you have a seat?"

"I ain't done nothing," Kelly said automatically as she entered the room and dropped gracelessly onto the sofa. " Neither's Emma".

Mitchell's irritation increased as the teen pointedly ignored him. "I need to ask you about Ava Wilson," he said, speaking loudly to be sure he was heared over the Tv Kelly had turned on. "when did you last see her?"

Kelly scowled. "You already asked me that last week," she said without taking her eyes off the TV.

"I know I did," Mitchell said, he was tempted to turn off the TV and force Kelly to pay attention to him. "Things have changed since then, though, and I'd like to see if you have remembered anything new. so, when did you last see Ava?"

"Last Friday". Kelly waited until the music video she was watching finished to answer the question. "At school," she expanded when she saw Mitchell open his mouth to ask another question. "I saw her at the end of the school; Emma and me were on our way into town , we saw her at the bus station, she was waiting for the bus back here".

"And that's last you saw of her?"

Kelly nodded, though her eyes never left the television; she could not have made it clear that she had no interest in the questions being asked of her .

"You are certain of that, you didn't see her at any point after you returned to the village?" Mitchell wanted to know.

"You've got to be kidding", Kelly said with a laugh. "I didn't get back to the village til well after Ava's bedtime. Before you ask, I don't remember what time I got back , but I've heard Ava say before that she's always in bed by eleven, even at the weekend, and it was way after that".

"I can vouch for that," Nigel spoke up from by the door. "It was half- one when Kelly got home. I remember because I was up, waiting for her. I was worried when she wasn't back on the last bus , and spent hours wondering when she was going to get home, and how".