by Tana Collins
‘Well, not exactly,’ said Carruthers pulling up a chair and indicating for Ross to do the same. ‘But we are interested in child abuse from that period as it may relate to an on-going investigation.’
Dr Greg Ross sat down and put a black leather briefcase on the table from which he took out a pen and a notepad. ‘OK, what would you like to know?’ He removed the leather case from the table and tucked it under his chair. He smiled at Fletcher and she could see him trying not to look at the plaster over her eye.
His accent had a hint of Scots and Fletcher judged him to be well-to-do-Edinburgh. Perhaps public school. He used his hands a lot when he spoke. It made him seem lively, vital somehow. Fletcher liked his open face with its smattering of freckles.
‘We’re specifically wondering what effects child abuse can have on the victim in later life,’ she said, joining the conversation and making a serious effort to put any memories of last night’s no-strings sex out of her mind. She felt like blushing when she thought about it.
Gripping his pen, Ross said, ‘And this is child abuse that takes place in a children’s home?’
‘Well, yes, a children’s home, but also in a family environment,’ said Carruthers.
Fletcher suspected that Carruthers was thinking of Paul Fraser.
‘Perhaps you can give us a bit of background,’ said Carruthers. ‘There’s been lot of press coverage about former children’s homes where abuse by staff on the kids took place. What I want to know is how widespread it was and what effect growing up in an abusive environment would have on the child in later life.’
Greg Ross clicked his pen. ‘OK, unfortunately there’s a growing body of evidence to show that child abuse in children’s homes was much more widespread than anyone would have believed. We may well be seeing just the tip of the iceberg with places like North Wales and Kincora Boys Home in East Belfast coming to light. In fact, the report into the scandal surrounding the homes in North Wales has resulted in changes in policy in how authorities deal with kids in care. We’re now able to build up a picture of the most likely homes in which abuse took place.’
‘Go on,’ said Carruthers.
‘Interestingly abuse was much more likely to happen in homes placed in the middle of nowhere, run by men. Up until the 1960s most of the care workers were women. Often it was women whose husbands had died in the war or who had never married due to a shortage of men. Of course, caring was seen as women’s work and naturally it was low paid.’
‘Naturally,’ said Fletcher.
Carruthers looked up. ‘What changed in the sixties?’
‘A lot of these women retired. They were replaced by men. The work was still low paid and, back then, there were no checks made on the people who were employed to staff the care homes. Most were unqualified. A lot of the men were disciplinarians and it appears that the homes where abuse was most likely to occur were run in a military way. But the seclusion seems to be a recurring factor through which abuse was able to flourish.’
Fletcher’s eyes narrowed. ‘What are the long-term effects of being abused as a kid?’ she asked.
‘Certainly in some cases, but not all, those who’ve suffered abuse can start to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.’
‘How might it manifest itself?’ asked Carruthers.
‘The symptoms of PTSD can be quite general,’ said Dr Ross. ‘And can mimic other disorders: depression; anxiety; insomnia; eating disorders or alcohol and drug problems.’
‘Could a victim have outbursts of anger?’ asked Fletcher.
‘Irritability, anger; violence,’ said Ross. ‘Many have problems in their relationships and with trusting another person again.’
‘You said that an abused child doesn’t always go on to develop PTSD. What, in your view, determines whether a child in later life goes on to develop it?’ said Fletcher.
‘There’s a good number of factors. Some professionals believe younger kids may be less at risk of long-term PTSD.’
‘Why’s that?’ she asked.
‘It’s thought younger children are less likely to intellectually understand and interpret the effects of a traumatic situation. Another factor is the level of support the victim has in his day-to-day life. Guilt is yet another. If the child feels somehow responsible for the attack, they’re more likely to go on to develop PTSD. And of course, how resilient the child is will have a huge bearing. Research indicates it’s generally girls that tend to suffer from PTSD but I certainly wouldn’t rule out a boy suffering from it in later life. There’s also another couple of factors you should be aware of.’
‘Which are?’ asked Carruthers.
‘By the time a child is put into care he or she may already have been the victim of abuse in the family home. Sometimes kids are put in to care because they’ve already suffered abuse at home. Unfortunately, a survey commissioned by the NSPCC shows that kids who had been sexually abused in the family home were more likely to be victims again in care.’
‘You said there were a couple of factors? What was the second?’ said Fletcher.
‘Don’t assume abuse that takes place in a children’s home is done solely by the employees. I’m afraid some of the abusers are other kids.’
‘Like the Jamie Bulger case? I think I remember reading that one of the child abusers of the toddler had himself been abused,’ said Fletcher.
‘Dreadful case. Different circumstances of course. But like I said it’s not uncommon for victims of child abuse to go on to be abusers. It’s all they’ve known. Of course, it throws up all sorts of interesting moral questions about culpability when the child’s very young, but,’ he glanced at Fletcher before adding, ‘I’m getting off track here.’
Fletcher felt queasy. Dr Ross crossed his legs. ‘What you need to remember is when we talk about abuse, whether it’s in care or at home, in a lot of cases it’s not just about these kids being sexually abused.’
Fletcher glanced over at Carruthers to see him raising an eyebrow. ‘Although that’s terrible in itself,’ Ross continued, ‘it’s much broader than that. It’s about the removal of basic human rights. Quite often the abuse that occurred in these homes went hand-in-hand with a systematic process of humiliation.’
‘What sort of thing?’ asked Fletcher.
‘Well, to give you a few examples, there’s shocking reports of the kids being made to wear nightwear all day with bare feet, having no access to writing or reading materials or TV, sometimes for weeks on end.’
‘That sounds like a form of torture to me,’ said Fletcher.
‘Exactly right,’ said Greg Ross. ‘Perhaps this doesn’t sound so awful in itself but what it amounts to, especially if it went on for several weeks, is a form of sensory deprivation that, as you rightly said, did amount to torture and illegal imprisonment. It was all about intimidation, coercion and, as I said, a denial of basic human rights.’
‘I’m not sure how this is going to help our case but it’s useful to know. Thank you,’ said Carruthers, leaning back in his chair. ‘I’ve got one final question for you. What’s likely to happen if a child abuse victim comes in to contact with their abuser in later life? Say thirty to forty years later?’
Greg Ross shook his head. ‘One couldn’t say with any degree of certainty. Again, it would depend on the specific circumstances and the individual child. It would certainly bring back a lot of bad memories. The victim may feel anger; hatred; despair. There could be a whole range of emotions ranging from internalising the anger–’
‘You mean engaging in self destructive behaviour?’ asked Fletcher.
‘Yes, maybe drinking to excess or even self-mutilation.’
‘Even suicide?’ said Fletcher.
‘Yes, it’s a possibility. Sadly there’s a number of victims of child abuse who do go on to commit suicide. Or the victim may externalise the anger.’
‘When you say “externalise the anger” you mean they could be driven to commit violent acts?’ asked Fletcher.
/> ‘It’s possible.’
‘Including murder?’ asked Fletcher.
Ross thought about this for a moment or two. ‘The longer the abuse continued, the higher the risk of causing severe symptoms, so yes, it’s possible.’
‘OK,’ said Carruthers standing up. Fletcher and Ross followed suit. ‘This has been really helpful. Thanks for coming in to see us here. It’s much appreciated. Sorry we couldn’t make time to meet you in a more informal setting.’
‘I understand. It’s been my pleasure,’ he said looking at Fletcher. She blushed. ‘Here’s my card,’ he said, giving it to her. ‘If you think of anything else you need to ask me just give me a call. Perhaps next time we can meet over a bite to eat and a drink. Even the police have to wet their whistles once in a while, if you’ll pardon the pun.’
‘What are you thinking?’ asked Fletcher a little while later when they were on their own. They’d gone back in to his office. She laid her mobile down on his desk.
Carruthers turned to her smiling, ‘Amongst other things that Dr Greg Ross has the hots for my DS.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ she said reddening again.
Carruthers stole a glance at her. ‘Did you get the locks changed OK yesterday? Everything alright?’
‘Everything’s fine. Locks changed and I’m moving on with my life.’
‘Good.’
‘What do you make of Dawson’s flat being ransacked?’ said Fletcher. ‘Done by the same person who ran him down?’
‘Could just be a coincidence,’ said Carruthers, clearing up his notes. There’s been a lot of burglaries in that area recently.’
She looked in to his blue eyes. ‘Is that what you really think? Different MO to the other burglaries, Jim. The place was taken apart. Even the coals from the fire were removed. If someone was prepared to go to that much trouble, then they were looking for something pretty desperately, which they obviously didn’t find when they ran him down,’ Fletcher added.
The long silence was finally broken by Carruthers. ‘The question is, did they find what they were looking for, or is the evidence still out there somewhere? Look, I’m heading for a coffee. Do you want one? I’ll treat you to a doughnut. I need the sugar rush.’
‘Yes please. If you get the doughnuts I’ll chase up John Forrest,’ she said. She picked up her mobile. ‘See if he’s got any printouts for us.’
Fletcher put her head round the canteen door. She spotted Carruthers having a word with a colleague. Managing to catch his eye she said, ‘I’ve just spoken to John. He’s heading over.’
Clutching his bag of doughnuts Carruthers said, ‘I’m on my way.’
With a hammering heart, Fletcher spread a mass of photographs John had given them in front of her. They had commandeered an interview room. It was more private. The photographs covered every square inch of the table. She took a slurp of her steaming coffee and flinched as she burnt her tongue.
Pouncing on the photographs, Carruthers said, ‘Right, what have we got?’ said Carruthers.
‘Look,’ said Fletcher, picking up one particular photograph. It had been taken from the inside of a bedroom. There was an old-fashioned bed in the centre upon which a naked boy of about ten years old lay. There was a window behind the bed. In the background was an eo Gothic looking Victorian building. It looked familiar.
Fletcher pointed at it. ‘Isn’t that building Queens Braids up at Braidwood?’ she asked.
Carruthers peered at it. ‘Yes, I think it is. So if Queens Braids is seen from the window of that building that means the photograph must have been taken from—’
‘Old Braids. I can’t imagine a boy’s dormitory looking like this, Jim. It must be one of the care worker’s rooms.’
‘Jesus, look at this one.’
Fletcher moved one of the photographs to a more prominent place on the table. As well as a naked thirteen-year-old boy, the picture showed a man in his forties. Her stomach lurched.
‘Isn’t that Bob Marshall?’
Carruthers picked up the photograph and examined it closely. ‘Hard to see from that angle. If it is him, I’m surprised he allowed himself to be photographed. After all, he would have laid himself wide open to blackmail.’
‘Probably thought they were untouchable,’ said Fletcher.
‘That’s what Paul Fraser said. Pity a lot of these players are dead. I’d really like to be the one to take them down.’
Fletcher picked up an assortment of other print-outs and passed them to Carruthers. All of them were either of naked boys or various men committing indecent acts on boys. The youngest boy in any of the photographs looked to be about ten years old. Her stomach lurched for a second time. She was embarrassed to find it was making gurgling noises. She wondered how Carruthers was coping with seeing such obscene images.
‘Do you recognise any of the men in these pictures?’ he asked.
‘I don’t know. It’s hard to get a clear image.’
‘Of course, we’ve no idea who any of the boys are.’
‘It’s a pity there wasn’t a photograph of all the kids together with their names underneath,’ said Fletcher.
‘Like a school photograph, you mean? That would be too easy, wouldn’t it?
Fletcher sighed and fanned her hand over the remainder of the photographs.
‘This job’s really hard sometimes. It’s not easy looking at these images knowing you can’t go back and change the past.’ She picked up a photograph of a small naked boy of about ten. ‘Look at his eyes. They’re so sad. They almost seem to follow you about. I wonder what happened to all these kids?’ She picked up a doughnut but found she had lost her appetite. The sweet smell of the sugar made her feel sick. She put it down again. ‘It was such a long time ago. What if the abusers are all dead? What good will it do the victims? What justice can they ever have?’
‘Then perhaps it’ll be about a public acknowledgement of what the victims have been through,’ said Carruthers. ‘We can only hope these sorts of crimes are never allowed to happen again.’ He took a swig of his coffee.
‘It’ll always happen,’ said Fletcher. ‘There’ll always be paedophiles. Look at the amount of information shared over the internet now.’
Carruthers put a hand on her arm. ‘Andie, this must be really hard for you. How are you doing?’
‘It’s OK. Feeling much better. Like I’ve turned a corner. You don’t have to be worried about me.’
‘It will take a while to get over what happened – to get over Mark.’
Fletcher was slow to answer. ‘I think it will take longer to get over the miscarriage than it will to get over Mark.’ As she said this the realisation hit her that throwing herself into these investigations was just what she was needing. And that she’d meant it when she told Carruthers that she was starting to feel better. They weren’t just empty words. She hadn’t thought about her anxiety since she’d been at Agnes Noble’s house. She was even starting to thaw towards Gayle Watson. Perhaps she’d misjudged the woman. She started to leaf through the photos. And yes, she was definitely over Mark. Her thoughts turned to her locksmith. She could feel her cheeks burning again.
‘What aren’t you telling me?’
She glanced sideways at Carruthers and an embarrassed look spread across her face. ‘Let’s just say the locksmith did more than just fix the locks.’
Carruthers threw his head back and laughed. ‘You didn’t? You floozie. I take it from the look on your face you had a good time?’
Fletcher just raised her eyebrows. The self-satisfied look on her face said it all. ‘A lady never kisses and tells. It’s strange though. It’s not like me. I don’t do casual sex. And I would have thought it would have been too soon after the miscarriage. I think my emotions are all over the place to be honest.’
‘Perhaps it’s what you needed,’ said Carruthers.
Picking up a couple of photographs she said, ‘Those IT boys have worked fast.’
Carruthers agreed. ‘Speccie Tech
ie’s done a good job.’
‘Does he have any sort of life outside work?’
‘Of course not. He’s an IT geek.’
‘He’s probably still a virgin, then.’ They both laughed.
‘Do you really think there could be two murderers?’ asked Fletcher.
‘At this stage I have absolutely no idea,’ said Carruthers. ‘Wait a minute. What’s this?’ Carruthers picked up a photograph that had slipped between two others. It was different from the other photos. More recent.
They found themselves staring at a photograph of a boy in a shower. He was unaware he was being photographed. The picture had been taken with a long lens camera from another building. The youth had jet-black hair and looked about fifteen years old. Jordan Hunter.
‘Jesus Christ,’ said Carruthers. They exchanged glances. Fletcher’s heart was beating just a bit quicker. ‘So not just watching him, but taking photos as well. Looks like Fraser’s taken this from his flat, and of course it now means both he and Henry Noble were sharing images.’
‘Not the easiest if Fraser didn’t have a computer. I wonder how Noble got the image?’
‘Perhaps he got sent the photo in the post and scanned it. Or by mobile phone. We can check with Speccie.’
‘What should we do now, boss?’
‘We need to talk to Agnes Noble and the Hunters. Think we also need to speak to Jordan Hunter again. In fact, I wouldn’t mind having a word with Jordan and Anne Hunter whilst Malcolm’s not around.’
‘Do you think Jordan might have been abused?’
‘Doubt it. Hunter and Noble were old men. Jordan’s a strong wiry teenage boy. Wouldn’t do any harm finding out from Jordan just how far their interest in him went, though.’
‘Plenty to keep us busy, then.’ There was a knock on the door. DS Gayle Watson entered the interview room.
‘Boss, just to let you know I’ve checked with the UK Border Agency as well as the ferry companies and airports.’
‘And?’ said Carruthers.