“That’s not really part of our territory.”

“It seems like the ideal place for people up to no good to hang out. Hey, Jason?”

“Why look at me?”

“You know. Lads get up to all sorts. I did, myself. Smoking. Maybe sharing a bottle of whisky. You know the sort of thing.”

“No.”

“So, Mr. Bartlett, you never had any trouble down there?”

“As I said, we don’t patrol the park, specifically, but if anyone had seen or heard anything, I’d certainly know about it.”

“Lisa? I know the memory might be painful for you, but do you know anything about what goes on in the park?”

Lisa shook her head. “I was on the shortcut through the car park at The Oak to the hill. I didn’t walk through the park. I never do. It’s too scary after dark.”

“Why?”

She hugged herself as if she were cold. “No reason. It’s just a scary park, that’s all.”

“But if nothing ever happened there . . . ?”

“I wouldn’t walk through there alone. That’s all.”

“OK.” Banks leaned forward and looked at Jason. “We think that Samir, the Syrian boy, ran from Hollyfield Lane up to the park on the night he was killed, but we don’t have any reports of him going anywhere else after that. It’s a bit of a puzzle. Can you help us?”

Jason just shrugged and averted his eyes. His father said, “But he must have gone to the East Side Estate. Isn’t that where his body was found?”

“Yes,” said Banks. “But that doesn’t mean he was killed there. Besides, it’s quite a long walk from here.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s a matter of timing. Do you have a car, Jason?”

“No.”

“That’s right. Mr. Bowen told us. But Chris Myers does, doesn’t he? Your best mate. He gives you a lift to school and back.”

“So what? And why have you been talking to Bowen about me? What’s he got to say?”

“We’ll get to that later,” said Banks. “In the meantime, we think Samir’s body was dumped on the East Side Estate. Most likely by car.”

“Now, wait a minute,” said Gus Bartlett. “You’re not accusing our Jason of this murder, are you?”

Banks glanced from one to the other. “I’m not quite sure yet,” he said. “We’re still waiting on the lab results of traces we found in the park. At the scene. I have a suspicion it might be one or the other of the boys, though. Unless you also smoke marijuana.”

“That’s ridiculous,” said Gus Bartlett.