Free Blood, Salt, Water by Denise Mina

them.’
    She stood up and McGrain did too.
    Robin got up and block her way. ‘This isn’t about custody.’ He said it very carefully. ‘As I said: the kids are still here.’
    ‘I didn’t say it was about custody, Mr Walker. She may have tried to contact Mr Vicente—’
    ‘No, she hasn’t. It’s not that . . .’
    They looked at each other, Morrow soft, Walker frightened.
    ‘Is there something you want to tell me, Mr Walker?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘Are you sure? Because I feel like you’re worried about something but not being completely open with me.’
    ‘No.’
    ‘OK.’ She nodded McGrain to the door, ‘We’ll speak to the children.’
    Through the dark hallway and down the back corridor, they stopped at a printer on a table and Robin handed her a B5-sized print of the Botanics picture. It was still damp. They came to two bedroom doors facing each other.
    Martina and Hector were at their respective desks in their respective rooms, both playing dull platform games on their laptops with the sound turned off. They had been listening but now affected surprise that there was anyone there. Martina stood up. ‘May I help you?’
    Robin stepped between them. ‘They want you to tell them about Mummy.’
    Martina spat viciously at Walker, ‘What about her?’
    He took a threatening step into the room, pointing at the girl as if he’d like to slap her. ‘ Has she phoned you? ’
    Martina pointed back at him and shouted, ‘Would we have called the police if she had phoned us?’
    ‘ Since you called the police? Has she phoned you since then?’
    Evidently it was a high-volume household. Morrow raised her voice. ‘I’ll talk to the kids alone, please, Mr Walker.’
    ‘Marty! Has she?’
    ‘ALONE, Mr Walker.’
    Malevolent joy rippled across Martina’s face as Walker backed away. Hector was watching from his bedroom door, still as a hunted rabbit.
    Morrow decided to start with Hector. Gesturing for McGrain to follow, she walked into the boy’s room. Martina followed them.
    ‘Go back to your own room.’
    Martina tried to catch her brother’s eye. Morrow stepped in and blocked her view. ‘We’ll come and see you in a minute . ’ She pulled the door over, not closing it, knowing Martina would listen. They heard the girl step away and shut her own door but felt her vigilance radiating across the corridor.
    Hector sat down on the side of his bed, holding his stomach as if it ached, rocking softly back and forth.
    ‘OK, son, we’re just going to ask a few questions—’
    ‘In the car!’ he hissed in a whisper, watching the door. ‘They had a big fight. Going to school. Yesterday.’
    ‘Yesterday morning?’
    He kept his eyes on the door. ‘ Yesterday. Mummy went crazy because Daddy phoned Martina.’
    ‘Doesn’t he phone, normally?’
    ‘Sometimes. She was furious, though.’
    ‘Why?’
    ‘Something he said about Auntie Maria. It made Mummy really furious.’
    ‘Who is Auntie Maria?’
    ‘Maria Arias. Mummy’s friend in London.’
    ‘What was it?’
    ‘I don’t know. I thought, maybe . . . Daddy had a lot of affairs. Mummy and Daddy don’t get on.’ Hector shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Marty said it was bullshit.’
    ‘Hector,’ Morrow whispered, ‘did you report her missing this morning? Did you call us?’
    He nodded. ‘Marty waited in the taxi. She said there would be cameras and two of us was . . . you know. Obvious.’
    ‘Why didn’t you just call from here?’
    He looked at the door.
    ‘Is it because of Robin?’
    He frowned at his bed.
    ‘Do you think Robin would hurt your mum?’
    He shrugged again. ‘I don’t really know him. What’s he doing here?’
    ‘Isn’t he your mum’s boyfriend?’
    Hector nodded. Morrow thought he meant that he didn’t want Robin to be there, rather than his presence was confusingly pointless.
    ‘On the phone this morning you said, “We don’t know where they’ve taken her.” What did you mean?’
    ‘I don’t know.’
    ‘Why do