Silent Night

by Nell Pattison

  He looked back into the room where the four students were huddled together on a sofa, signing to each other.

  ‘I see no point in you and the students staying here now,’ he told Liz. ‘The roads have been gritted, and were cleared this morning, but I don’t want you to be here any longer than necessary and risk getting stuck. We’ll need to speak to each of the students tomorrow to see if they have any idea what might have happened, and when they last saw Leon and Steve. I think it’s best if we come to you at the school rather than asking you to bring them to a police station.’

  Liz Marcek nodded. I think that’s a good idea. I can sit in on the interviews as an appropriate adult.

  Sasha frowned and turned to her. As the children’s social worker, I think it would be more suitable for me to be with them.

  For a moment I thought the deputy head was going to argue, but she inclined her head.

  Of course, she signed.

  ‘I’d appreciate that, thank you. Now, could you ask the students to collect their belongings and we’ll escort you all back through the park to your minibus.’

  What about Steve’s belongings? Sasha asked. His bag and everything are still here.

  ‘I can pack them up,’ Mike said. There was an eagerness in his eyes that I remembered well, and I wondered if Steve had any valuables that might somehow end up in Mike’s possession, but Singh shook his head.

  ‘No, thank you, the forensics team will want to take those. That’s another reason it’s a good idea to get the students out of the cabin as soon as possible.’

  Of course. I’m reluctant to leave without all of the students we brought, though. Liz looked at Mike and Sasha. Could one of you stay here in case Leon turns up, then get a taxi back to school? You can put it on the school account. I’ll drive the minibus, and come back for my car tomorrow. I would feel more comfortable knowing one of us was still here.

  ‘Sure, I can do that,’ Mike replied, jumping in before Sasha could respond. He kept his hands behind his back as he spoke, flashing me a triumphant smile, as if he expected praise for not signing his response. I ignored him, interpreted what he’d said and waited for Singh to agree to their proposal. Once he had, we went back through to the main room. The four teenagers were signing to each other but stopped the moment we approached.

  Miss Marcek explained to them that they were going back to the school but refused to answer any of their questions, and they all looked dismayed.

  Can’t we stay here and help? one of the boys asked.

  No, the police have it all under control. I need to make sure I keep the rest of you safe and get you back home.

  But what if something’s happened to Leon? What if he’s been kidnapped?

  Mike walked over to the group and signed something to the boy, but he had his back to me so I couldn’t see what had been said. Whatever it was, it must have allayed some of the boy’s fears, because a moment later they were all collecting their bags. We led them out of the cabin, where a group of uniformed officers took over, to guide them back to the car park. I turned to Singh as Mike started walking back towards us.

  ‘What about me? Do you still want me here?’

  ‘For now, yes please. If Leon does come back, or we find him, we’ll need an interpreter.’

  ‘I can do that,’ Mike replied as he approached us. ‘You don’t need Paige here. I’m sure she’s got better things to be doing with her Saturday.’

  I ignored the comment and continued to look at Singh, who was clearly trying to work out what the issue was between the two of us.

  ‘I’m afraid that wouldn’t be appropriate, Mr Lowther.’

  ‘Why not? I can communicate well with Leon. I’m a familiar adult, he’ll respond well to me if he comes back.’

  ‘Because you’re one of the last people to have seen a murder victim alive, and it would be a conflict of interests,’ Singh replied, his voice terse. Mike held up his hands in defeat, his charm having failed for once. I was stunned: Mike was a suspect in Steve’s murder.

  ‘I believe you were sharing a room with Mr Wilkinson. While we’re waiting, can you identify which items in the room belong to him?’ Singh asked. ‘Then you can pack your own belongings.’

  Part of me wanted to speak up, to tell Singh not to trust Mike with anyone else’s possessions, but I knew I couldn’t say anything, not without good reason. My stomach was churning with the stress of being physically close to Mike, my mind flooded with negative memories, and I suddenly felt like I couldn’t breathe.

  ‘I’m going outside,’ I told Singh, holding up my phone. ‘Call me if you need me back.’

  Before he had a chance to protest, I turned on my heel and walked away in the direction of the woods.

  For about ten minutes I kept my head down, paying attention to nothing around me, only focusing on my own breathing. I watched my feet as they made fresh imprints in the newly fallen snow. The snow was already finding its way in through a gap between my hat and scarf, and I wasn’t following one of the paths the police had marked, but I didn’t care; I wasn’t thinking about anything other than the situation I’d suddenly found myself in.

  I’d been pleased to receive another call from the police – not pleased that a teenager had gone missing, of course, but pleased to be working with them again. Back in February, I’d hoped I could get some more regular work for the emergency services, but the Deaf community is a small one and so my work had gone back to being sporadic. In the last few weeks I’d even been toying with the idea of signing on with an agency again; they controlled so many contracts and, being freelance, it was hard to get a look in. If it hadn’t been for my debts, I would have been financially stable with the work I was getting, but as it was, I was only just scraping by. And the one person I could safely lay the blame on for it was suddenly back in my life.

  Now I had a dilemma. I could quite easily pass this job on to another interpreter, in order to avoid seeing Mike again. But I wasn’t in a position to give up work, and by walking away I felt like I would be proving Mike right about some of the things he used to say to me, some of the things that still haunted me in weak moments. My involvement with the school would last as long as the investigation into the head teacher’s death and until Leon was found. I’d just have to put up with him until then, and avoid him whenever possible.

  I’d carried on walking as I thought, and when I looked up I couldn’t place where I was in the park. Walking away from the cabin, further away from the mansion house, I’d wandered into part of the park I was unfamiliar with. I knew I should turn around and follow my own footsteps back to the cabin, but I didn’t want to face Mike again until it was absolutely necessary.

  Ahead of me was a stand of trees, so I continued in that direction for a few minutes, trying to focus on the job ahead of me rather than think about my ex. There was a crunch of footsteps behind me, however, and I looked round to see Mike approaching. He’d put on a bulky coat and thick gloves before leaving the cabin, and I wondered how long he’d been on my tail.

  ‘Do they need me back?’ I asked.

  ‘No,’ he said, stopping before he got too close. ‘I just thought we could talk.’

  I looked around me at the snow-covered fields and the woods surrounding them. There was nobody else around, and our voices sounded eerily flat. Part of me was instinctively on edge, being alone with Mike, even in such a wide-open space.

  ‘What about?’ I replied.

  He spread his hands wide. ‘Anything. Everything. We didn’t exactly get any closure, did we?’

  I folded my arms and didn’t reply. What did he expect me to say? Anna and Gem had removed all of his stuff from the flat while I was in hospital, and had the locks changed just in case. He’d never tried to talk his way back into my life, although I’d had a few calls from him to begin with that stopped when I continued to ignore them.

  ‘How have you been?’ he asked, taking a step forward and giving me the smile that used to make me melt. I reminded myse
lf that it had probably worked on dozens of women before and after our relationship, and during as well. I knew I had to stay strong in the face of his charm, though.

  ‘I’m not interested in catching up, Mike. Let’s just both do our jobs and leave it at that.’

  He came closer again, but I turned and took a few steps towards the stand of trees.

  ‘Paige, I think there are things we need to talk about, to work through.’

  I was about to reply when I heard a shout.

  ‘Where did that come from?’ I asked.

  ‘Does it matter? I’m talking to you, Paige.’ I detected a tone in his voice that set off alarm bells in my head. Even after three years I recognised when his emotions were on the edge; the difference was this time I didn’t care.

  Pushing past him, I set off back in the direction of the cabin, wondering what had happened. Suddenly I felt a tug on the back of my coat, one of my feet slipped and I sprawled face first into the snow. The fall knocked the wind out of me, and I lay there for a couple of seconds before rolling onto my side.

  Mike loomed over me, and I instinctively pushed my body away from him along the ground. He reached down and took my arm but I shook him off.

  ‘Don’t touch me,’ I snapped.

  ‘Oh for God’s sake, Paige, don’t be so pathetic. I’m just trying to help.’

  I ignored him and struggled to my feet. My trousers were soaked through from the snow, but at least it had been a soft landing. Keeping my back to Mike, I set off towards the cabin again, trembling slightly. I told myself it was from the cold, but I couldn’t shake off the memory of the tug I’d felt before I fell.

  Chapter 4

  The forensics team arrived at the cabin at the same time Mike and I did, so Singh led us back to the hall and out of their way.

  ‘What happened?’ he asked, looking at my snow-covered clothes.

  ‘I slipped,’ I muttered.

  Singh cast a glance at Mike, but didn’t ask any more questions. He led us into a room in which a few uniformed officers were drinking cups of tea; Mike took it upon himself to join them, but I sat as far away from him as I could. Singh fetched me a drink then disappeared, reappearing a few minutes later with a shiny silver emergency blanket for me.

  ‘What’s that for?’ I asked, feeling my face flush.

  ‘You’re soaked, and I don’t really want you freezing to death,’ Singh replied, concern in his eyes. He started carefully tucking the blanket around my legs then stopped, looking embarrassed. I couldn’t help but smile at him. Even when he was busy and stressed he found the time for little moments of kindness, and it was one of his most endearing qualities. I told myself he would have behaved that way with anyone, though I secretly hoped I was getting special treatment.

  ‘We heard a shout,’ I said, remembering what had sent me hurrying back in the first place. ‘Has something happened?’

  ‘No, nothing like that. A branch snapped, narrowly missed one of the groups who were searching.’ Pulling up a chair and lowering his voice, he continued. ‘Paige, what’s going on here? With you and Mike Lowther?’ He nodded towards where Mike was sitting alone, now the PCs had left.

  I shook my head. ‘Not now.’

  He looked at me for a moment and I wondered what he was thinking, but then he sat back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair.

  ‘My first case as DS and this is what I get: a missing child and a murder all rolled into one investigation.’ He let out a long breath. ‘I’m already worried we’re not going to find this kid. The weather’s against us, and we don’t even know if he’s still in the park.’

  I reached forward and squeezed his hand. ‘It’s only been a few hours. If he’s run away he’ll have headed for somewhere to shelter.’

  ‘We have to assume there’s some connection to the murder. It looks like Leon was in the cricket pavilion,’ he told me, keeping his voice low. I glanced over his shoulder to where Mike was getting a cup of tea and talking to a couple of PCs.

  ‘No sign of where he went after that?’

  Singh shook his head. ‘We think there are two possible scenarios here – either Leon saw who killed Steve Wilkinson and ran away, or …’

  ‘You think he might have killed his teacher?’ I said, trying to keep my voice down.

  ‘We have to consider the possibility,’ he said, rubbing one of his temples. ‘There’s evidence he was in the pavilion, very close to where Steve Wilkinson was killed.’

  ‘Was he alone?’

  He gave me a calculating look before shaking his head. ‘We don’t know. But we’re also considering the possibility that he’s been abducted, maybe by the murderer.’

  I suddenly felt a lot colder and pulled the blanket tighter around myself.

  ‘I don’t know how long we can carry on searching in this snow,’ he said, looking out of the window. ‘I’m worried we’re already too late.’

  He spoke the last sentence so quietly I almost didn’t hear him. When I had worked with him before it was clear that Rav Singh cared about the victims he came into contact with, but this was the first time I’d seen him this vulnerable. I almost reached out to hug him, but as I moved he stood up and rubbed his hands together. As he turned, he noticed Mike hovering nearby.

  ‘Mr Lowther, can you come with me please?’ he said, professional once again. ‘This seems like a good opportunity for me to take your statement. Then perhaps you can assist with the search, as you’re dressed for the weather.’

  I sat around for what felt like hours, but was only around ninety minutes, drinking tea to keep warm and chatting with the various PCs who drifted through. As the day went on and the snow continued, the search was looking more and more like a lost cause. It felt quite frustrating to be waiting around, but Singh wanted all bases covered and if Leon turned up they’d want to be able to communicate with him immediately. Once I’d dried off sufficiently I stood outside the front door to look across the park. The snow had almost stopped, but the light was already fading, giving the blanket of white a bluish tinge. The two-hundred-year-old Regency mansion looked impressive with its coating of snow, and I leant back against one of the columns while I waited.

  Eventually, I saw a group of people trudging through the drifts on their way back to the house. Singh peeled off from the group and came over to me, Mike trailing after him.

  ‘We’re calling it a day,’ Singh said, his face drawn. ‘The weather is making it impossible and I don’t want to put anyone’s safety at risk. It’s going to be a difficult drive out of here as it is.’

  ‘Okay, what happens next?’ I asked.

  ‘Now that this is a murder investigation, DI Forest and I will be conducting interviews at the school, in case any of the students remember anything, while we wait for the report from forensics. We’ll try to get access to Leon’s phone and social media, too. Given the circumstances, we’re going to be treating Leon’s disappearance and Steve Wilkinson’s murder as connected.’

  ‘Where do I fit in?’

  ‘For now, you’ll mostly be working with us to take statements from the students, those who were here today and any others who are friends with Leon and might be able to give us some information. We’ll also be speaking to staff to try and establish why someone might have killed the head teacher. But can you come to the station first thing tomorrow for the briefing? Then we’ll see if there have been any developments and prioritise from there.’

  ‘Sure. Can I go home now?’

  Singh nodded. ‘I’m sorry for keeping you here in this weather. I’ll come with you and make sure you can get out of the car park.’

  Mike had been standing nearby, listening in. When he heard that everyone was leaving, he sidled over and addressed Singh.

  ‘I’m supposed to be getting a taxi back to the school,’ he said. ‘But I don’t think I’m going to be able to get one out here in this weather.’

  ‘You’re right,’ Singh replied. ‘I’ll arrange for someone to give you a lift into
Scunthorpe, then you should be able to get back to Lincoln from there.’

  I thought Mike looked a bit disgruntled that he wasn’t being offered a lift all the way home, but he didn’t comment. That didn’t surprise me. Mike didn’t usually pick fights with men; he found them harder to intimidate.

  When we got to the car park, the three of us walked to my car. Thankfully, a couple of the park staff had been doing their best to keep a clear route out of the gates. I paused, waiting for Mike to follow Singh, but he stopped as well.

  ‘You can travel back to town with some of the PCs,’ Singh told him, and I flashed a brief smile at him to thank him for picking up on the negative energy between me and Mike.

  ‘It’s okay, Paige can give me a lift, can’t you? It’ll give us a chance to catch up. You’ll need to drive through Scunthorpe to get home.’ He gave me one of his most charming smiles, which I refused to return.

  There was a brief pause and I watched my breath fog in the air in front of me. Making eye contact with Singh, I willed him to insist that Mike went with him.

  After a moment that seemed to stretch on forever, Singh said, ‘All the same, I think it would be better if you travelled with one of our vehicles. In this weather, I don’t want to ask Paige to divert.’

  For a moment I thought Mike was going to refuse, and then we would reach a stalemate because there was no way I would let him get in my car with me, but in the end he gave a nonchalant shrug and followed Singh to a police car.

  ‘Hopefully we’ll get a chance to talk soon, Paige,’ he said over his shoulder as the two of them walked away from me.

  Getting in my car, I leant my head on the steering wheel and took a few deep breaths. Now was not the moment to lose it. After all this time, I couldn’t let him worm his way back into my head. Part of me wondered what he was so keen to say, but I knew it was probably only an excuse to get me in an enclosed environment with him.

  Before I set off home I turned on the ignition to warm up the car, then I pulled out my phone to call my sister. I propped the phone up on the holder on my dashboard as it rang.