Page 45 of Guilty Mothers

‘No, nothing like that,’ Kim said before Bryant could take the Porsche conversation any further. ‘We understand that your mother died recently.’

‘She was buried two weeks ago, but why would that interest you?’

‘The obituary didn’t mention the cause of death,’ Kim said.

‘Breast cancer. She’d been fighting it for three years.’

‘I’m sorry for your loss,’ Kim said, now aware that they were wasting their time. Although she’d known there had been no brutal stabbing, she had wondered if the woman had met her demise in suspicious circumstances. But even their killer couldn’t orchestrate terminal illness.

‘Thank you. I’m still trying to navigate the world without her.’

‘You used to do pageants together?’ Kim asked.

Carly looked puzzled. ‘Why would you know that?’

‘It’s come up in our current investigation. Were they good years?’

‘Good enough that I got into the business myself,’ she said, sweeping her hand around the boxes.

‘You enjoyed it?’

‘Of course. It was fun. I made lots of friends. Many of us did the same events every year. It was like meeting up with old buddies again every time. We’d run around the venues doing cartwheels and handstands. We’d compare dresses and jewellery.’

Carly’s account was in complete contrast to Toyah’s recollection.

‘No jealously or rivalry?’ Kim asked.

‘We were kids. It was dress up for a few hours. It wasn’t life-changing stuff. We were having a great time. I think maybe some of the parents took it a bit more seriously, but to us it was a few minutes doing what we’d practised and the rest of the time just messing around.’

Kim had a sudden thought. ‘Any particular girls you hung around with?’

‘Blimey. Loads. But can I ask why you’re interested in my old pageant days?’

‘I can’t really elaborate further. Was Katie Hawne one of your friends?’

She frowned while thinking. ‘Katie…Katie…Oh God, no. Never Katie. Her mom wasn’t having any of that kind of nonsense.’

‘Nonsense?’

‘Having fun,’ Carly clarified. ‘Even between rounds, Katie wasn’t allowed to leave her mother’s side.’

‘How about a girl named Toyah?’ Kim asked, thinking the first name was probably enough.

‘Oh, Toyah was hilarious, at first. We had a lot of laughs, but she started to take it a bit more seriously towards the end. Sorry, I have to ask, are they okay?’

‘They’re fine,’ Kim lied. ‘So, why the move?’ she asked, nodding towards the stacks of boxes.

‘I’m not moving. I’ve closed the business. It’s not what it used to be.’

‘How come?’

‘My mom loved the pageant business, so we started our own a few years ago. It wasn’t a major event, but it was growing in popularity. I’ve not got the heart for it any more though. It’s hard to keep defending it, and the repercussions are getting worse.’

‘Go on,’ Kim said, sitting forward.

‘Well, at first it was just trolling online, then emails and now bricks being thrown at the window. That’s why I thought you were here. It’s the pageant haters growing bolder by the day, the insults, the threats. I’m over it.’

‘Is there any way of finding out where it’s coming from?’ Bryant asked.