Free Heart of the Demon (D.S.Hunter Kerr) by Michael Fowler Page A

catch the person who did this to your best friend then people will thank you.” Grace rested her hand on Kirsty’s forearm causing her to turn and make eye contact. “I have a daughter your age. I know you don’t want your parents and especially the police to know what you get up or what you discuss but this is different. Someone murdered Rebecca and that someone may well have known Rebecca. You may well know that person.”
    She saw Kirsty shudder. She pulled back her arm.
    “I don’t know anyone who could be as cruel as that,” she responded.
    “Maybe not Kirsty, but let me be the judge of that, and from your phone call yesterday it’s obvious that something has been playing on your mind. And to be honest I sensed that at your house when we talked the other day.”
    Kirsty coloured up again. “Yes I suppose so.” She took on a sheepish look and started twisting her friendship bracelet around her wrist. “I didn’t want my mum and dad to know how Rebecca had changed over the last few months. They might have stopped me knocking about with her if they had.”
    “Changed? How do you mean changed?”
    “Not in a bad way or anything. She was just rebelling you know, because of how her parents were with her.”
    Grace watched the uneasiness in Kirsty’s eyes. “Every teenager goes through a rebellious phase. Just because you probably see me as a level-headed police officer now doesn’t mean I didn’t go through the same thing. God, I caused all kinds of problems for my parents, in fact I’ve asked myself many a time how I came to join the police. It’s something everyone goes through and Rebecca was no exception.” She paused, studying Kirsty’s face. “What do you mean by rebelling? What form did it take?”
    Kirsty’s gaze drifted away, shifting from windscreen to dashboard and back. It was obvious to Grace she was carefully considering her choice of words.
    She cleared her throat and went on. “She used to go on about how her mum and dad wouldn’t let her grow up. She had asked if she could have her hair streaked like mine but they kept telling her she was too young. Then a couple of months ago apparently her dad caught her wearing make-up when she was coming to our house and she told me he flipped. Told her to wash that muck off and stood over her in the bathroom whilst she did it. She was fuming when she came to our house. In fact she made herself up with my stuff. We went round town and she kept shouting to loads of lads, showing off like. She was a laugh at first but then I got bored and wanted to come back home and listen to some music. She wanted to stay out and we had a bit of a fall-out. I ended up calling her a tart.” Her voice trailed off with a hint of sadness, “I wish I hadn’t now.”
    “What’s done is done Kirsty. Don’t beat yourself up.”
    She forced a smile and then continued. “It became regular, the putting on make-up thing and going round town. She’d even spent some of her pocket money on a couple of tops and a pair of skinny jeans like mine and left them in my wardrobe for when she came round.” Kirsty faltered a second. “She’d started to smoke as well.”
    “That’s all part of growing up,” Grace returned, and yet at the same time she suddenly thought of her eldest daughter Robyn; hoping this was an avenue she was not going down. I must have a talk with her, the next time we’re alone, she promised herself.
    Grace sensed a sudden uneasiness about Kirsty. It was the same feeling she had had during their previous talk at Kirsty’s home.
    “There’s more, isn’t there?”
    “Well,” a slight hesitation in her voice, - “yes. It was when we went to the skate park once, with some lads,” her voice tailed off.
    “Come on Kirsty you’re half way there. It can’t be that bad.”
    “It’s a bit awkward,” she dropped her head and her cheeks flushed again.
    “Please Kirsty this could be important.”
    “Okay. Well, Rebecca started flirting, really