AF: Was that true?
BM: No, of course it wasn’t true. Daisy’s way smarter than any of those stuck-up kids in her class.
AF: So it was a lie. Instead of taking responsibility for your own decisions, like a man, you put all the blame on your eight-year—old daughter.
BM: For fuck’s sake, it was just a white lie –
AF: I think you’ll find kids aren’t very good at telling the difference, Mr Mason. A lie’s just a lie, in their book.
BM: Whatever. Like I said, what difference does it make?
AF: Did you stop to think for a moment what damage it might do? That Jamie might resent your daughter after what you told him? That he’d see her as the reason why he couldn’t have a relationship with you – that it was all her fault? He already had a criminal record. He’s an angry and unstable young man, and now he has a grievance. Did you think for a moment what might happen, if they met?
BM: They weren’t going to meet –
AF: I know that’s what you assumed, but it’s not what happened, is it? He tracked her down, just like he tracked you down. And this is the result.
[shows still from CCTV]
That’s your daughter, Mr Mason. In the back of a car owned by the brother of a known paedophile.
BM: [looking at picture]
Jesus Christ - are you telling me Jamie did something to her – that he’s the one who took her?
AF: I have no idea, Mr Mason. Because, right now, none of us knows where she is. Do we?
—
Out in the corridor, Quinn turns to me. ‘You know, despite everything, I’m more and more convinced he didn’t do it. The porn, yes; the abuse, perhaps. But not the rest of it – not killing her. I saw his face just now, when you told him about her being in Azeem’s car. I don’t think anyone could fake that.’
‘So like 67 per cent of the shits on Twitter, you think she did it.’
‘If it has to be one of those two, then yes. But right now, my money’s on Jamie Northam. For what it’s worth.’
***
BBC Midlands Today
Saturday 23 July 2016 | Last updated at 15:59
Daisy Mason: Police question teenager
The BBC has learned that an unnamed teenage boy is helping police with their inquiries in connection with the disappearance of eight-year-old Daisy Mason. Despite an extensive search involving hundreds of members of the public, Daisy has not been seen since last Tuesday.
After it was announced that her parents, Barry and Sharon Mason, were being questioned by Thames Valley CID, there has been a widespread hate campaign on social media. The family home was subject to a devastating arson attack in the early hours of this morning, which sources say was connected with this campaign. The family are now believed to be in hiding.
Anyone with any information about Daisy should contact Thames Valley CID incident room on 01865 0966552.
***
I stand for ten minutes, watching Jamie Northam on the video feed from Interview Room Two. He must know we’re watching him, but he doesn’t seem bothered. In fact, I’m prepared to bet he’s putting on a show for my special benefit. Derek Ross has been replaced, to his obvious relief, by someone from Alex’s firm. Though he looks scarcely out of university, and has spent the whole time I’ve been standing here boning up on the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. Gislingham comes up behind me. ‘Anything interesting?’
‘So far I’ve seen him scratch his arse, pick his nose and dig crap out of his ears. All I’m missing is him squeezing his zits and I’ll have a full house. Any news from the search at the Rahijas’?’
‘No sign of Daisy. They don’t have a cellar or anywhere they could have kept her. Challow’s lot are going over it now, just to be sure, but the house looks clean as far as we can tell.’
‘Anything on Azeem’s laptop? He looked shit scared of something.’
‘Well, that something wasn’t porn. Looks like he’s been running a nice little earner dealing ketamine and skunk. Probably to students – always a ready market there.’
‘And he was idiot enough to leave the evidence on his laptop?’
‘Seems he’s doing Business Studies at the Further Education college. He was practising his double-entry accounting.’ He sees my face. ‘No, seriously, I’m not joking.’
I shake my head. ‘Jesus wept.’
‘Anyway, we’re charging him. His mother’s coming in.’
‘OK. So that just leaves us Jamie Northam. Whose mother certainly isn’t coming in. She’s still not answering her phone.’
‘You want me to sit in?’
‘No, I’d rather you made a start on the paperwork. See if you can find Quinn.’
‘Right, boss.’
***
I push open the door and go into the room. The lawyer pings upright as if he’s on elastic, then pushes his glasses up his nose. ‘Right, er, Sergeant – ’
‘Detective Inspector. For the record.’
The door swings open and Quinn comes in and joins me. He’s had a shower – I can smell his Molton Brown bodywash. I wish I’d thought to do that. Too late now.
‘So, Jamie – ’
‘Jimmy,’ he says sullenly. ‘My name is Jimmy.’
‘Fair enough. So, Jimmy, you are not at present under arrest. Mr Gregory is here to make sure that everything’s done according to the regulations. We all clear on that?’
No answer.
‘OK, I’m going to start by asking you some questions about Barry Mason. He says you found out where he worked and came to his office.’
He shrugs, but says nothing.
‘Why did you want to talk to him, Jimmy?’
Another shrug. ‘Just wanted to see what he was like. Mum’s always saying I’m like him.’
Something tells me Moira Northam only says that to her son when he’s pissed her off.
‘Do you get on with your stepdad?’
He looks up at me, then back at his bitten fingernails. ‘He doesn’t like me much. He says I’m fuckless.’
‘Feckless.’
‘Whatever.’
There’s a silence. I looked up Marcus Northam after I spoke to Alex – his big house on the river, his thriving property business, his extensive connections and his son at medical school. Hard to see him regarding this kid as anything other than a royal pain in the arse, and I’m sure he makes his feelings on the subject abundantly clear. And even if Jamie’s every bit the delinquent his stepfather considers him, the question is which came first, the acting-up or the disdain? Either way, it’s no surprise Jamie thought he might have more in common with Barry than either of the parents he’s forced to live with – no wonder he thought he might get a more sympathetic hearing from the man who actually fathered him.
‘So how did it go, when you met Barry?’
‘He said we couldn’t meet up. That it wasn’t a good idea.’
‘Did he say why it wasn’t a good idea?’
He looks away.
‘It was because of Daisy, wasn’t it? He said she was having problems at school. Is that why you tracked her down? Is that why you wanted to talk to her – to see if it was true?’
There’s a silence. He looks suddenly defeated. White about the eyes.
‘When he mentioned her I remembered. I’d forgotten, but then I remembered there was this little kid. She had blonde hair. We met her once at the zoo, me and my mum. She gave me a piece of her chocolate.’