Silent Night

by Nell Pattison

  ‘So, Mike lives here?’ I asked, out of curiosity.

  Yes, he has a suite in the residence, as do the other residential staff. The students like him a lot.

  I nodded, holding myself back from saying, Of course, one thing Mike’s always been good at is getting people to like him.

  ‘What can you tell us about Steve Wilkinson?’ Singh asked.

  What do you want to know?

  ‘Start with the basics – how long has he worked here, is he generally well liked by staff and students, things like that.’

  He’s been here since September, Liz explained. The previous head had been here for over thirty years, and she retired at the end of the summer term.

  ‘Where had Steve worked before, do you know?’

  Liz glanced out of the window before she answered; there was a tension in her shoulders that suggested she was choosing her words carefully. The room we were in overlooked a small courtyard, where I presumed students would hang around at break and lunchtime. Steve’s office next door would have a similar view, and I wondered if he would have preferred a view over the playing fields, something a little more picturesque.

  He came from a special school in Birmingham, she replied eventually, her face impassive. A school for children with profound learning difficulties. He hadn’t worked in a residential school before, so that aspect was a bit of a learning curve. She paused, though I had the sense there was something more she wanted to say.

  After a moment, Singh spoke. ‘What about deaf students? Had he worked with any before?’

  Liz shook her head. No. The governors felt his management experience was enough for this position, but he struggled a bit in his relations with the students.

  I wondered if this was the source of her tension. Someone with no experience of working with deaf students might not be well received in such an important position.

  He knew some basic signs before he came here, Liz continued, but not enough for a proper conversation. She gave Singh an earnest look. But he learnt as much as he could, he really threw himself into it. Whenever he had a spare five minutes he’d be practising, and he set up one-to-one lessons for himself with our deaf tutor a couple of times a week. He was coming on very well.

  ‘Was there anyone who had a problem with him?’

  She shook her head. Not that I know of. A change in management after such a long time is bound to be difficult, but Steve did his best to get everyone on side.

  ‘Was there anyone on the staff who was finding it difficult to adapt to working under a new head?’

  She paused for a moment before replying. No, I don’t think so. Steve never mentioned anything that concerned him, and nobody has come to me with any complaints.

  Liz looked poised to sign something else, then thought better of it and sat back in her chair.

  ‘We’ll need access to Steve’s office, as well as his passwords so our tech team can have a look at his emails and online activity. At the moment, we’re looking for anyone who might have a motive to kill him.’

  Liz nodded. I can lock his office until you’re ready to go in. Saul is in today, he’s our IT technician, so he can get you access to Steve’s computer as well.

  ‘Thank you, but a member of our tech team should be here a little later. If your technician could give them access to the school computer network, that would be appreciated,’ Singh replied. ‘Now, we’d like to ask you a couple more questions about Leon.’

  Liz nodded. Sasha will be over soon and she’ll be able to tell you a bit more, but I’ll answer what I can. We both stayed last night, in the residence, but I don’t think either of us slept, wondering what’s happened to Leon.

  ‘I’ll let you know as soon as we know anything. There were no signs of a struggle and he took his bag with him, which suggests he left the cabin of his own free will. I’m hopeful that he had a plan for where he was going and how he would get there, so we can hope he’ll be found somewhere safe.’

  I thought about the pavilion, and Leon breaking in. Had that been part of his plan? Was it just somewhere handy to shelter from the snow? Or somewhere to hide from a killer?

  He’s only fifteen, Liz said, shaking her head in desperation. What was he thinking? If there was something wrong, he could have come to one of us and talked about it. We would have helped him, whatever the problem was.

  ‘Sometimes teenagers don’t feel they can trust adults,’ Singh replied gently.

  She shook herself again, turning around to look out of the window. After a moment, she turned back to us. Leon had been struggling with his lessons recently, but nothing that was a cause for concern. He just found the work challenging. Steve had spoken to him a couple of times, to ask if anything was bothering him, but nothing came of it as far as I know.

  Singh tilted his head to one side. ‘Did Steve and Leon have a lot of contact? More than would be usual for a head teacher and a student?’

  Well, Steve did tutor him a little, in science, because that was his specialism and he thought it might help, Liz replied.

  ‘What about Sasha? What was Leon’s relationship like with her?’

  Sasha doesn’t work for the school directly, though of course we have regular meetings about the students’ welfare. There’s a possibility Leon confided in her, but I’m sure she would have told us anything relevant.

  ‘Was Leon a student here before he was taken into care?’ Singh asked.

  Yes, he’s been attending here since he was eight. Before that, he was at his local mainstream school with support from a teacher of the deaf and a teaching assistant, but he was struggling socially. Being the only deaf child in a school full of hearing children can be very lonely, especially when there is a communication barrier.

  ‘And he became a resident after his mother died, is that correct?’

  No, it was around a year later, Liz replied. Leon’s parents had separated, and after his mother died he was in his father’s custody full time. The man was abusive, but it was only discovered when Leon fought back and injured his father, and a neighbour called the police. In that situation no one was going to blame an abused twelve-year-old boy for defending himself, especially one who was going through the turmoil of having lost his mother.

  ‘Does he have any other family? Anyone he might go to for help?’

  Liz frowned. Not that I know of. His father is in prison, and I certainly don’t think Leon would want anything to do with him.

  Singh made a note of this. ‘We’ll need his name so we can access the case file. Are you sure it’s not possible Leon could have been trying to see his father?’

  I can’t imagine that he would want to see him, Liz replied, looking sceptical. Besides, if Leon had wanted to see his father he could have spoken to Sasha and she could have arranged it, if she thought it was appropriate. There’d be no need for him to run away.

  ‘Still, it’s an avenue we need to look into,’ Singh replied. ‘We’d also like you to make a list of who Leon is closest to at the school, which students are his friends and which staff know him well. Then we can prioritise our interviews.’

  I’ve been thinking about that, Liz replied. His closest friend is Samira. She’s not a residential student so she won’t be back until tomorrow, but I’ve emailed her family explaining the situation and asking for their permission for her to speak to you.

  ‘Thank you, that’s very helpful,’ Singh said with a reassuring smile.

  There was a knock on the door, and a light flashed above it. In a school full of deaf students and several deaf staff, there would be a number of adaptations to make daily life accessible for all. Liz moved out of her chair to answer it, but Forest got there before her. Sasha stood in the doorway, wearing a long bohemian-style skirt and a bright red shirt, her curly blonde hair making her seem taller than she was.

  Sorry, I’ve been busy with Cassie, she signed. She offered her hand to both of the detectives then sat down next to Liz Marcek. Have you found Leon yet?

  I got the
feeling that this was going to be the first question anyone asked us until the boy was found.

  ‘I’m afraid not,’ Singh replied, the frown on his face mirroring her concern. ‘We’re doing all we can to find out what happened and where he might have gone after he was in the pavilion. Miss Marcek has told us about his family history, and we want to rule out the idea that he might have wanted to visit his father.’

  That’s very unlikely, Sasha replied, confirming what the deputy head had told us. I can get you his details if you want to make sure. Leon is such a lovely young man, but he went through a lot in a short space of time, with the death of his mother and then his father’s abuse. The school had given him the option to become a residential student before, but when he’d just lost his mum the last thing he wanted was to end up living at his school.

  Sasha spread her palms wide. After his father’s arrest, it became the only option, and actually it ended up suiting him surprisingly well. As far as I’m aware, he’s well liked, and he didn’t tell me of any difficulties he was having.

  ‘Had there been any incidents of bullying, anything like that?’

  We’re very strict with our bullying policy, Liz interjected, before Sasha had a chance to reply. We don’t tolerate anything like that, whether it’s in class or in the residence.

  Sasha waited for Liz to finish then turned back to us. Not that I know of. There have been disagreements, but that’s natural in this sort of environment. You have to remember these students are always together: they live in close quarters, and they only really socialise with each other. It can mean they’re very close, sometimes so close that no outsider can really understand their group dynamics. At other times it can be like a dry bonfire and the smallest spark will set off an inferno. I try to maintain a strong relationship with the students here, and I visit once a week, but they don’t tell me everything. They’re teenagers, she said with a shrug, as if that explained everything.

  ‘Do you have any idea where Leon might go?’

  I really don’t know, she replied. I don’t know of any other family, and all of his friends are at the school.

  If he’d gone to a friend’s house, their parents would have called the police by now, Liz replied.

  I know, Sasha said, nodding sadly. That’s what I don’t understand. Where could he have gone?

  Forest thanked the two women for their help and the two detectives had a quick conversation.

  ‘We’d like to go to the residence and take statements from the students now,’ Forest said, turning back to address the deputy head. ‘I understand it’s an upsetting time for them, but they’re probably the people who knew Leon best, and maybe one of them has remembered something. We’d also like to see Leon’s room.’

  I’ll come with you, Sasha signed, following us to the door.

  Liz nodded. Yes, please. I’d like Sasha to be present when you speak to the students, in place of a parent.

  The five of us walked out of the room and across the lobby to the front door. Before we reached it, Mike came in from outside.

  Miss Marcek, can I speak to you please? he signed, throwing a nervous glance at the detectives.

  Of course. Sasha, you can take the police over, can’t you?

  Before they disappeared back into her office, Mike smiled at me. I thought back to his phone call the previous night – had he really changed?

  Chapter 8

  The residence was a purpose-built block behind the main house. When Anna had been a student here, this hadn’t yet been built, and her friends who were residential students had rooms in the main building, above the classrooms. She used to tell me stories of how her friends would creep down into the classrooms at night, although I always thought those tales were probably made up to make the non-residents jealous. Children have always had a fascination with schools after hours, and I was sure these kids were no exception.

  As we entered the building, Sasha pointed out the security features. There was a camera above the entrance, as well as a key fob entry system. She let us in, and once we were inside there was another security door before we were in the main communal area. She told us the students’ rooms all locked too, for privacy, although staff had spare keys in order to access them in emergencies.

  ‘We’ll have a look at Leon’s room first, I think,’ Forest said.

  Sasha led us through a door to some stairs. At the top of the stairs we turned right down a short corridor, where the social worker pulled out some keys and let us into a room.

  This room’s his. He’s not the tidiest, but then what fifteen-year-old is?

  I looked around at the unmade bed and the clothes on the floor, and thought it could have been much worse.

  ‘Does he have a tablet or a laptop?’ Forest asked

  No, Sasha replied, shaking her head. The school has electronics they can use for homework, but they try to limit their screen time. All of them have phones, but I assume Leon had his with him.

  ‘We thought the same. Liz Marcek gave us his number yesterday, and we’re set up to track the signal, but it’s been turned off,’ Singh told her.

  If there’s nothing else, I think I should get the other students together before Liz gets here to talk to them, Sasha signed. I have no idea how they’re going to take this news.

  She left us, and Singh started to look through drawers and shelves while Forest checked the wardrobe. I went out onto the landing, feeling awkward but not wanting to get in the way. While I waited, I had a look up the corridor. There were several rooms along here, and some more on the opposite corridor, and one was marked ‘STAFF’. I wondered if that was Mike’s room, then moved away quickly in case he came back and caught me prowling about out there.

  The detectives didn’t need me, so I went back down the stairs, and looked through the glass panel in the door. To my surprise, Liz and Mike were in there with Sasha and the four students; they must have come in while we were upstairs. I would have thought the deputy head would want to wait for the detectives before she told the students about the death of their head teacher.

  As the deputy signed, the four of them seemed to bunch together on the sofa. One of the girls started crying, but the older boy signed something I couldn’t see and she blinked a few times, managing to stop herself. Liz and Mike shared a brief glance, and I found myself wondering what he’d needed to talk to her about so urgently.

  Is there anything any of you want to ask me, or talk about? Liz signed to the students.

  The four of them looked at each other, and something passed between them silently, because they shook their heads in unison. They all seemed shocked, but I still found myself wondering if they were hiding something.

  Singh and Forest came back downstairs in silence, and I was curious whether they’d found anything useful in Leon’s room. Together, we walked into the communal area, which had several sofas, a large television and a couple of games consoles. The four students stayed where they were, sitting in a line on one large sofa as if they’d been placed there. Sasha was standing behind the sofa, leaning against the wall, opposite Mike and Liz. When we entered, they all turned to look at the three of us.

  I had better introduce you, the deputy head said. Cassie here is the oldest of our students, she’s seventeen. She indicated the girl I’d spoken to yesterday when we were at Normanby Hall, the one I’d thought wanted to say something about Leon. And this is Courtney, she’s fifteen. The other girl looked at us with large eyes, expertly made-up. She was sitting with her slim legs stretched out in front of her as if to emphasise their length.

  The other two students were Bradley and Kian, brothers who were fifteen and thirteen respectively. They sat close together, Bradley slightly further forward than his younger brother. I noticed that Bradley and Courtney were holding hands, but they pulled apart when Liz glared at them.

  These two detectives are DI Forest and DS Singh, Liz told the students. They’re going to ask you some questions, and Paige is going to interpret for them. She l
ooked around, her gaze resting on each of them before she continued. Remember what I told you. It’s very important you answer their questions and tell the truth.

  ‘Thank you, Miss Marcek,’ Forest replied. ‘Where would be the best place for us to talk to Sasha for a moment?’

  Liz showed the detectives into a small room next door to the communal area, which contained a couple of bookshelves and two computers. Mike hovered as if hoping to be invited in too, but Liz asked Sasha to join us before excusing herself and steering him away.

  ‘Can you tell us a little about each of the students?’ Forest asked Sasha, before they started on the interviews.

  Sasha nodded and thought for a moment. Kian suffers with anxiety, and when he’s in a stressful situation he tends to run. The last time he got in trouble he ran off and we found him hiding under a table in the art room, his hands over his head. Bradley keeps him grounded most of the time, and we’re doing a lot of work with him on how to control his emotions, but I think he’ll struggle with it well into adulthood, even with the support we’re putting in place.

  ‘What about Bradley?’ Singh asked.

  He will protect his younger brother to the ends of the earth and further if necessary, Sasha replied. But he knows that this school is the safest place for him to be, and he trusts the staff to take care of him and Kian. This will have shaken him more than he’ll let on.

  Courtney is obsessed with social media, documenting every moment of her free time, the social worker continued. We’ve had to do a lot of work with her to stop her giving out her personal details, but she still doesn’t really understand the dangers of talking to hundreds of strangers online. We monitor her social media, but she’s old enough to have accounts so the school only take her phone away as a punishment if she’s done something particularly risky.

  ‘And Cassie?’

  Cassie can sometimes be a bit full-on. She has some learning difficulties, and she’s very immature for her age. The most challenging aspect is the fact that she has no idea of her own limitations – she thinks she’s very mature and very clever. I love the kids to have confidence in themselves, but if she had a better understanding of what she struggles with, she’d be able to work on strategies to counteract them and ways to get support. As it is, she insists she doesn’t need any help, she’ll manage perfectly well when she leaves school, she’ll be able to get a well-paid job, live alone and be completely independent, when in reality she’ll require a lot of support to guide her on the way to independent living. As for her social skills, sometimes she latches on to one of the other students, declares them to be her best friend and won’t leave them alone. Some of them have been teasing her recently, saying she has an imaginary friend.