points away from an accident,’ he says.
I think of the stain on the dress collar, it wasn’t brown originally, it was red, bright red.
‘Edie was wrapped in plastic sheeting and weighted down. There’s little room for ambiguity,’ Vilas says. ‘DS Craven will be assigned as your family liaison officer. Edie’s case is being changed from a missing person to a murder inquiry.’
Edie: September 1993
Caitlin needed two stitches in her top lip. If she hadn’t had a reputation as a bully, Tess would have been suspended. Instead, she was dragged before the headmistress. Edie came as a witness. Mrs Stanton declared it to be ‘six of one and half a dozen of the other’. Tess, Caitlin and Deanne would be given lunchtime detention for the next week and a letter sent to their parents.
‘Make sure you give it to Dad, not Mum,’ Edie whispered as they came out of the head’s office.
*
‘Nice one, Tess,’ Raquel said as they were leaving school. ‘Wish I’d been there.’
Raquel wasn’t the only one who admired Tess. The whole school was happy to hear about Caitlin being taken down, and tiny Tess doing it made it even funnier.
‘Are you coming to Roswell?’ Raquel asked.
Mum had told them to keep away from Roswell Park. Older kids went there to smoke, drink and worse. Besides, they’d got in enough trouble for one day.
‘Valentina said to go round and tell her what our first day was like,’ Edie said.
‘She’s always having you over. Mum says it’s cos she’s no kids of her own. But she never asks me. What do you do there, anyway? You’ll have more fun at Roswell.’
‘She makes cakes for us,’ Tess said as if this explained everything.
Raquel looked at her sideways.
‘Suit yourself.’
*
Valentina must have been looking out for them, because she opened the door before they knocked. Her hair was in its usual chignon and she wore a suede skirt and long boots.
‘Edie, Tess,’ she said and motioned for them to come in. ‘You have to help me eat this gingerbread. I always make too much. Mr Vickers never eats it.’
Edie knew Valentina really made it for them. It was their favourite. She skipped into the house without stopping. Tess hovered at the front door.
‘Don’t you want any, Tess?’ Valentina asked.
‘Maybe we should go and see Dad first,’ Tess said.
‘He won’t miss us,’ Edie answered.
Every day Dad sat in the same chair, smoking the same brand of cigarettes, watching the same programmes. It didn’t matter whether she and Tess were there or not. Tess trudged inside.
The Vickers’ home always seemed so much brighter and larger than their own. It had a small extension at the back, so that the kitchen could fit a large chest freezer, for Valentina’s casseroles and stewed fruit. It was so clean and tidy you wouldn’t think anyone lived there. Only Valentina brought it to life, as she filled the air with baking and Chanel No. 5.
One day, Edie would have a home like this, clean and calm, until she arrived, and she would be Valentina, brightening the rooms with her presence, filling the air with warm spice and perfume. People would call her Edith, not Edie. She wouldn’t have a husband who sat in his armchair smoking all day or one like Mr Vickers who came home, only to start barking complaints the moment he stepped through the door. If she ever married it would be to a man like Uncle Ray, handsome and fun. She could never remember Uncle Ray raising his voice or not wanting to take her to the park or saying no when she wanted something. Why did men like Uncle Ray marry Auntie Becca and women like Valentina marry Mr Vickers?
‘And how was your day, girls?’ Valentina asked as she put the tray down.
There was a pause. Edie glanced at Tess, best not to mention Caitlin.
‘Edie’s on the top-stream table, I’m not,’ Tess said sulkily.
‘That’s a shame,’ Valentina said.
‘Tess will catch up,’ Edie said.
Valentina smiled and passed Tess a plate.
‘And you’re so good at drawing, Tess,’ Edie said. ‘You can’t be good at everything.’
Tess seemed to cheer up and took some cake.
‘I was always hopeless at maths and things like that, Tess,’ Valentina said. ‘Much better at cookery and art.’
Neither spoke while Valentina fussed, pouring the tea and cutting the cake. Edie ate her gingerbread and Tess broke hers into small pieces without bringing any to her mouth. Valentina tried to hand her a teacup twice before she noticed.
‘Your mum says you’re going away this weekend,’ Valentina said.
‘We’re going to London with Auntie Becca,’ said Tess. ‘To see Aunt Lola in Kentish Town.’
‘That’ll be fun. Are you going to see all the sights?’
‘No,’ said Tess. ‘We’ve been before. We’ll probably go down Oxford Street.’
Edie was less thrilled than Tess. Aunt Lola gave their cousins money to shop, whereas Tess and Edie could only watch. Still, she liked her cousins, Cassie was too young to be of much interest, but Corrine and Ashley were older and a lot more fun than Tess. She dreamt of being their age or older and living in London by herself. That was until she married and had Valentina’s house.
‘Dad can’t come though, Uncle Ray’s busy with work and someone has to look after Pepe,’ Tess said.
‘Who?’
‘Auntie Becca’s dog. Do you and Mr Vickers ever go away for weekends?’
‘No,’ Valentina said. ‘Not our thing.’
‘Why not?’
‘Mr Vickers doesn’t really like travel. I persuaded him to go to Portugal once, he hated it.’
It was odd how Valentina referred to her husband as Mr Vickers, as if he were a teacher. Edie couldn’t imagine Mum calling Dad ‘Mr Piper’.
Valentina glanced at her watch.
‘You know what,’ she said. ‘I’ll put the rest of the cake in Tupperware and you can take it with you for your journey. You’ll be a few hours on that coach.’
‘We’re taking Uncle
