Free Killing Rachel by Anne Cassidy

gathered up into a scrunchie and pinned up on the back of her head. Rose grabbed hold of a strand of her own hair and pulled it along her chin. She turned away and leant her head against the glass.
    ‘It’s a start, seeing Lev Baranski. I don’t know whether he is important or not but every little bit of information needs to be followed up,’ Joshua said.
    ‘Um.’
    They passed a sign for Mildenhall. She was beginning to recognise the road. She’d done the journey many times with Anna at the beginning and end of each term. There would be a roundabout and they would go off to the second left and go past the Lakenheath Air Base. It was a journey she’d usually done with pleasure, keen to get back to school after spending too much time alone with Anna. The last time she did it, just after Easter, she’d done it with a heavy heart. She was no longer friends with Rachel Bliss and had only dragged herself back to school to sit her GCSEs.
    Now she was gloomy because Joshua had a new friend or perhaps even a girlfriend . Her feelings for him were muddling up her thoughts.
    ‘I might just close my eyes for a while. I didn’t sleep that well last night,’ she said, not wanting to talk any more.
    ‘Use my jacket as a pillow.’
    She leant over the back seat and picked up Joshua’s jacket and folded it in half so that it was bulky. She fitted it between her face and the window and closed her eyes. She heard music come on and after a while she heard Joshua singing, quietly.
    She didn’t sleep, though; just kept her eyes closed, cross with her reaction to the mention of Clara. With everything else going on how could the existence of this girl make her feel worse? Rachel Bliss was dead. Wasn’t that what she should be thinking about?
    They drove for what seemed like a long time. They stopped once at a petrol station and Rose got out to use the toilet. When she came out Joshua was standing by the car with drinks and doughnuts. They ate and drank and then went on their way. The traffic shot past and she saw a sign for King’s Lynn. Soon after that they passed Fakenham and she knew then that it wasn’t far to go. She sat up, making a show of stretching her arms as if she had dropped off to sleep again.
    ‘Nearly there, Rosie,’ Joshua said chirpily.
    ‘Where are you staying?’ she said.
    ‘There’s a pub in Stiffkey. I’ve booked a room for two nights. It’ll give me enough time to scout about, talk to some people.’
    But what do you think you’ll achieve? What are you actually looking for? Is there any point following markings on a map that probably have nothing to do with anything?
    Rose wanted to say these things but she didn’t.
    ‘What about you? Where will you sleep?’
    ‘There are always spare rooms in school. Oh, look. The entrance is a mile or so on. Just drop me at the gates. I’ll walk down the drive myself. I could do with stretching my legs.’
    ‘I’ll come by after lunch on Sunday, say two, and pick you up.’
    ‘Pick me up at the same place. Don’t bother to come down to the school.’
    ‘Why? You ashamed of me?’
    ‘’Course not,’ she said, as the car pulled over on to the grass verge just before the entrance gates of Mary Linton College.
    ‘You’ve got your laptop? And your phone? I’ll send you messages. Let you know what I’m doing. You could send me messages as well, tell me what’s happening about your friend’s death.’
    She nodded. She opened the passenger door and got out. Joshua did the same. She pulled on her coat and, pushing the seat forward, she leant in to get her rucksack out of the back. When she was standing by the car Joshua came over beside her.
    ‘Take care,’ he said, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek.
    She felt his lips on her skin and closed her eyes for a split second.
    Then he was gone and she turned and went through the gates of Mary Linton College, the sound of the Mini pulling away behind her.

TEN
    The school building came into view after