‘Who’s doing the filming?’ Reid asked.
‘Marcus. That’s him laughing.’
Reid sneaked a look at his wristwatch as Lena began to fast-forward the footage. He couldn’t understand what point she was trying to make, but didn’t want to appear uninterested or upset her by asking. She showed another scene of Amy sitting reading her book, and then Amy curled in a foetal position at the edge of the water as it gently lapped around her. Reid was becoming impatient as he really had more pressing issues to deal with and although he appreciated being shown the footage, he decided that he should get on with his job.
‘Thank you, Mrs Fulford,’ he said, about to stand.
‘Please, I’m not finished. You may not realize it, but she is never smiling, not on any of the footage, and I have been trying to recall exactly when this was filmed, because what you have just seen is not like Amy, and there is one section that has really disturbed me.’
Reid thought to himself that it was just a growing teenager with angst who didn’t like being filmed. But being polite he waited as she fast-forwarded through what appeared to be candlelit dinners, beach volleyball games, and then she turned to him.
‘This section, and before you ask, I actually filmed this because I remember going into her room; we were going to have dinner on the beach.’
The interior of the cabana was very simple – white muslin drapes, white duvet and sheets, and a mosquito net surrounding the double bed. Numerous flickering candles gave the room a shadowy yellowish glow. The slatted door was open and through it could be seen the soft yellow beach beyond the veranda and the glistening dark sea, like a picture postcard of tropical calm. Amy was naked on the bed, her blonde hair splayed out across the pillow. There was just a few seconds of the film before Amy swiped away the mosquito net and her face distorted with rage as she shouted, ‘Get out and leave me alone!’
The camera was switched off, and Lena turned to Reid. ‘You want to see it again?’
‘I can’t really see the point, Mrs Fulford.’
‘Then you didn’t see what she was doing, and nor did I until I replayed it. She was masturbating and she was only thirteen years old,’ Lena said, distressed.
Realizing how upset she was, he didn’t think it wise to view the tape again.
‘I’m sorry, I missed it, but I don’t doubt what you saw, Mrs Fulford. There could be an innocent explanation…’
‘Innocent? She’s only fifteen – why would she behave like that? I’m worried that she may have been abused.’
Reid himself was more open-minded and wondered if it was just the actions of a young girl who was discovering her body when her mother walked in unannounced. He wanted to try and change the subject and end the matter for now.
‘I will seek the opinion of a child protection expert back at the station,’ he said quietly, without elaborating on what she perceived to be the shocking content of the home movie.
She started walking back and forth, wringing her hands, reiterating that she should have been more aware and how guilty she felt that she had not seen the video before now. Suddenly she stopped. ‘Oh God, it was shortly after we returned from the holiday that Marcus suggested the separation. I remember now.’
Reid wondered if she was trying to cast aspersions on her ex-husband, or was suspicious about Marcus’s relationship with Amy, but he didn’t want to press her in case he was wrong and she became even more upset than she already was. He decided to approach his predicament from a different angle.
‘Has Mr Fulford seen the video you just showed me?’
‘No, no, not yet, but you see when she came home she showed no signs that anything was wrong but there had to be. I feel wretched about it.’
‘Well, maybe you should discuss it with him as well and let me know what he says about it. Amy’s behaviour may be related to something that happened in Antigua, so it will help if you make a list of everyone you can recall who came into contact with Amy during that holiday.’
‘Yes, yes, I’ll do that.’
Reid still didn’t know for certain if Amy had been sexually abused, and with Lena in this nervous state he felt that it was not the right time to start questioning her on the possibility.
As he opened the door into the hall, Harry Dunn entered via the garden doors. Lena turned to demand of Harry in a high-pitched voice why he was there, as she had not asked for him. Harry apologized as he had been told to vacate the garage by a dog handler.
‘I don’t understand,’ she cried, becoming even more agitated. ‘Inspector, just why are you bringing dogs into my house?’
‘It’s a cadaver dog, Mrs Fulford,’ Harry said, and then wished he’d kept his mouth shut as Lena had to grip hold of the back of a dining chair.
‘Why? Why have you got them here – is there something you haven’t told me?’ she asked accusingly. Reid explained it was just a precaution as there had been a lot of movement seen in and around the garage.
‘You think her body was in there?’
Reid, increasingly exasperated, again repeated that it was a precaution, and they had no evidence that anything untoward had happened to her daughter. Lena seemed to calm down, and Reid finally managed to excuse himself and went out to the garden. He crossed the wide lawn and made his way to the rear of the garage, where the dog handler was working with a small spaniel. The dog was wagging its tail as his handler made a fuss of him. ‘Good boy, that’s a good boy.’ The dog handler looked towards Reid. ‘Nothing, he’s been all over the garage with no reaction, I even moved the boxes left on the side there, but it’s all clear.’
In the kitchen Harry hovered at the door, listening as DC Burrows continued fending calls. Agnes joined Harry and jerked her head for him to move further away.
‘They brought in a cadaver dog,’ she said.
‘I know, they’re still out there; it’s just a little black and white spaniel.’
‘It’s because of us packing up the bloody boxes and they obviously think Amy’s dead.’
‘Oh Christ,’ Harry said.
At this point the two forensics officers came down the stairs from Amy’s bedroom carrying plastic boxes. They had removed clothing, bed linen, and a few items from which, with luck, they could lift Amy’s fingerprints. Both men had been taken aback by the immaculate orderliness of the room, and they had found it difficult to find sets of prints, which was unusual. They had been warned about the broken drawer, but every surface had been wiped clean and in the en-suite bathroom they had found no prints at all, although they had removed a toothbrush. Even the hairbrush had been recently cleaned and no stray hairs were caught between the bristles.
‘You find anything interesting?’ Reid asked quietly, appearing in the hallway to meet them. He was not terribly surprised to hear that they had never come across such a well-cleaned room, especially as it belonged to a teenager. In a bathroom cabinet they had found bottles of window spray, bathroom tile cleaner, marble polish and sets of surgical gloves similar to the ones they themselves used.
Reid told them they should get back to the lab, and to get a move on with testing not only the items removed that morning, but everything from Marcus Fulford’s flat. He had also ensured that forensics has been given Amy’s overnight cabin bag. He then went to have a word with Agnes, who was dusting along a wooden cabinet that looked as if it was already polished to within an inch of its life.