Where is your own store, sir?
Out on the Derby Road. You know where you turn off to the Airfield Industrial Estate? Were there. We used to be in the centre of town too, of course. But rents got a bit high for us.
Where is your own store, sir?
Out on the Derby Road. You know where you turn off to the Airfield Industrial Estate? Were there. We used to be in the centre of town too, of course. But rents got a bit high for us.
Mrs Nield brought a tray of cups in. Proper cups and saucers, something he never bothered with at home.
Mr and Mrs Nield, said Cooper as she poured the tea, Im sorry to ask you questions at a time like this. I know youve made statements for Sergeant Wragg, but could I ask you to go over again what happened in Dovedale yesterday?
Dawn sat in the chair next to her husband, and grasped his hand for reassurance.
We didnt really see what happened. Not exactly, said Dawn. We told the sergeant. It must have happened very quickly.
Yes, I understand that, said Cooper.
Nield nodded. I understand why you need to know, DC Cooper. Or could we call you Ben?
Yes, of course.
It seems that our dog, Buster, ran into the water to fetch a stick. Emily ran in after the dog.
Who threw the stick?
Were not sure. One of the children.
And you saw Emily go into the water?
Not really. We were chatting on the bank. I think I was watching out for Alex he tends to wander off on his own, you know. The next thing I knew, someone shouted, and when I looked round Buster was coming out of the river, shaking himself, spraying water everywhere. And then we realized we couldnt see Emily.
He paused, appeared to be doing his best to recall events accurately.
Go on, sir.
Well, I suppose it was a minute or two before we realized what had happened. We thought she was just hiding behind a rock or something. Children play like that, dont they? Butshe wasnt playing.
Dawn had brought out the tissues again while her husband was speaking. Cooper was beginning to feel uncomfortable, but there was an important point here.
If Ive got this right, Mr Nield, you didnt actually see Emily go into the water, and you didnt see her fall or hit her head on a rock?
I suppose thats true. But thats what happened, isnt it? Well, isnt it?
Yes, Im sure it was, said Cooper, because that was what you said in these circumstances. One more thing did you happen to see anyone near your daughter in Dovedale? A stranger?
They shook their heads.
No, said Nield. Well, there were a lot of people around. All of them were strangers, I suppose.
But no one in particular showing an interest in her?
Not that I remember. Dawn?
No, sorry, she said. What is this about? These are strange questions to be asking. I dont understand them.
Im just trying to clear up the details.
Mrs Nield rose unsteadily and left the room. Cooper took a drink of his tea, found it was already starting to get cold.
Shell be all right, said Nield. It takes a bit of time.
I know. Cooper looked out of the window at the outline of Thorpe Cloud. By the way, what was Alex doing when the accident happened?
Taking photographs, I think, said Nield. We bought him a digital camera for his birthday. He loads them on to his computer and creates effects with them. He has some software. Im not sure what they call it
Photoshop?
Thats it. Hes very creative, you know.
So what was he taking photos of in Dovedale?
I dont really know. Rocks, water, trees.
Not people?
No. He isnt really interested in that. He likes to look for patterns. You know the bark on a tree, moss on a stone, sunlight through the leaves. He makes images from them, and uses them as background on his computer screen.
Nield smiled at Cooper.
There are a lot worse things that a boy of his age could be doing, arent there?
Yes. Cooper smiled back. I was thinking, Alex might have caught a few people in the background. If he was taking photographs of the river, for example. There were so many people around that day, it would be hard to avoid them altogether.
Nield frowned. Well, I suppose so. But he would edit them out. Why are you so interested?
How to explain to him? How to tell the father that he would like to track down some more witnesses to what had happened? Independent witnesses, whose memories might not yet have been distorted. Well, he couldnt. Cooper hesitated for a few moments, then backed off.
Oh, no reason. Just in case there were any loose ends.
Nield was still frowning, but before he could ask whatever question was on the tip of his tongue, his wife came back into the room. She looked better, as if shed splashed cold water on her facer and combed her hair. It always helped, somehow.
How is Alex? asked Cooper.
A bit quiet, she said. Do you want to talk to him?
Well
Hed be glad to see you. He quite took to you yesterday.
Really?
He said he thinks your job must be interesting.
Cooper suspected that Alex Nield was probably just another teenager whod watched too many episodes of CSI and The Wire to have an accurate picture of what police work was all about in Derbyshire.
Go on up, said Nield. Hes in his room. Second door on the left. Hell only be playing on his computer.
Youre sure you dont mind? Hes a minor. Strictly speaking, I shouldnt talk to him without one of you being present.
Nield laughed. Youre not going to interrogate him, are you? Itll do him good to talk to someone outside the family. And it might get him away from that computer screen for a few minutes.
Cooper looked at Mrs Nield, who nodded. Well, it was against procedure, but he was doing it at the request of the family. It would be a private conversation, not an interview with a witness. As long as he kept it that way, hed be fine.
On the first floor of the Nields house, he found a galleried landing, and counted the doors to five bedrooms. One door stood open, and when he glanced in he saw a desk, laptop, bookshelves, a small filing cabinet. Two of the others had small ceramic name plaques on them. He knocked on the door bearing Alexs name in Gothic lettering, and got a muffled yeah. He took that as an invitation to enter.
The boy was sitting at a desk in front of a PC screen, his legs curled round the seat of his chair. On the screen, Cooper saw a graphic representation of a medieval castle with individual buildings inside its walls a barracks, a stable, a granary and warehouse.
What is it youre playing?
War Tribe. Its a morpeg.
Oh, okay.
Alex snorted, as if he was used to adults just pretending they understood what he was saying. But Cooper thought he might have a bit of an advantage.
An MMORPG, he said. A Massive Multi-player Online Role-Playing Game.
Mm. Yeah.
Theyre usually programmed in PHP, arent they? What browser are you using?
Safari.
Thats good.
Alex gave him a sly sidelong look. Cooper decided it was the moment to shut up. It was best not to push his luck too far. The boy would open up, if he wanted to.
Cooper noticed he was using a War Tribe mouse mat with a screen shot from the game.
Hanging on the side of the wardrobe was a white T-shirt with the slogan Cranny Up, Noob!
Where did you get the mouse mat?
Uh, they have a Cafe Press website. You can get all kinds of stuff there.
Right.
He felt like adding cool. But it might, or might not, be the wrong expression this month.
Down one side of the screen was an inventory of resources iron, wood, wheat and a list of the troops available. He saw that this particular castle contained three thousand axemen and a thousand mounted knights.
Are you online a lot?
You have to be, to build up your cities and watch out for attacks. Anyway, if youre offline too long you go yellow, and you get kicked from your tribe.
Right. And that would be a bad thing.
Of course. Youve got to be in a tribe.
Absolutely.
Anyway, Im not online as much as the big players. Some of the guys play on their mobiles, said Alex.
Oh, okay. But not you?
My phone is too old. Its rubbish.
Maybe your dad will buy you a new one.
Yeah, right.
So whats your log-in name?
Alex narrowed his eyes. Youre not going to ask me for my password, are you? Thats wrong. Besides, its illegal.
Illegal?
In the game. You can get banned for sharing your password.
Why?
People try to bend the rules all the time. They try anything to get an advantage. Even blackmail.
Youre joking.
Oh, yeah. Big players threaten to catapult your cities unless you give them resources.
A protection racket.
Thats illegal too, though.
Well, I dont want to know your password. I only wondered what you call yourself.
Im Smoke Lord.
Really? But you dont smoke, do you?
What, cigarettes? Of course not. It means your cities will be smoking ruins after Ive attacked them.
With your catapults?
A lock of dark hair fell over his face as he turned to stare at the screen again.
Im a Gaul, he said. I have fire catapults.
And attacking people and setting fire to their cities isnt illegal?
Dont be stupid. Its the whole point of the game. Its called War Tribe. Its a war game.
Yes, that was a stupid question, admitted Cooper. I think I must be out of my depth.
I guess so.
Cooper stood up. Do your parents not mind you playing on the computer all the time?
Alex snorted. They keep a check on me, if thats what you mean. Theyve got a lock on it. Parental controls. And while Im at school, Mum comes into my room and checks my browser history, to see what sites Ive been looking at. Can you believe that?
Mum likes to be the one in control, does she?
Too true. You ought to see her at meal times.
Cooper could sense the boy starting to close up. He decided it wasnt the best time to ask Alex about the photographs hed taken in Dovedale. He left the teenager to his game and went back downstairs.
Thank you, Mr and Mrs Nield. I think Ive bothered you enough. Im sorry to have intruded.
Its all right, said Dawn. It helps to talk, to have things to do. Youve got to keep busy at a time like this. Theres no point in turning inwards.
Cooper could see that she was the sort of woman who would put her energies into organizing things, into organizing anyone who came within her orbit. But the danger was that the grief would hit her later perhaps at the funeral, or in the long, dreadful weeks to come. He searched for something to say that wouldnt sound too trite.