Samira let out a sarcastic little huff, but she nodded anyway. Grinding out her cigarette on the brick wall behind her, she kept hold of the butt rather than tossing it onto the floor. She gave me a nod, then walked away, back towards the school.
As I walked through the main entrance I heard my phone start to ring in my pocket. Before I could answer it, Forest looked up from her spot in a doorway and beckoned to me.
‘We have a development. Come with me.’
I followed her into Liz Marcek’s office, which was almost full already: Liz was sitting at her desk, Sasha was leaning by the window, a frown etched on her face, and Singh had a chair opposite the deputy head’s desk. I joined him there, and Sasha moved around behind Liz so they could both see me as I signed.
What is it? Sasha asked, her face showing how worried she was that the worst had happened.
‘There’s still no sign of Leon,’ Forest began, and both the women seemed to sag slightly. ‘However, we’ve had full access to Leon’s messages from his mobile provider, and it’s not good.’
Sasha didn’t take her eyes off me, but Liz’s gaze flicked back and forth between me and the detectives.
Well? she asked. What have you found out?
‘For the last six weeks, Leon has been communicating with someone who claims to be a sixteen-year-old boy called Joe. Leon and Joe started out messaging on a chat forum, where Joe told Leon he was a survivor of abuse. The two continued messaging each other regularly, and gradually the messages moved from being friendly to more intimate. Some of the messages are of a sexual nature.’
I felt a churning sensation in the pit of my stomach. That’s who Joe was, and the other students were talking about him. Singh had told me Leon had been talking to someone online – I should have made the connection. I glanced at Sasha and she grimaced at me; neither of us had realised the significance of the conversation we’d had the previous day.
‘We’re doing our best to find out who Joe is. There’s a chance he really is who he says he is, but in this situation we have to assume the worst. The messages stopped abruptly on Saturday morning.’
So? Sasha signed, interrupting. That doesn’t mean that it had anything to do with Leon disappearing.
‘If you’d let me finish,’ Forest said icily, ‘you’ll see there is a connection. Leon arranged to meet Joe when he was on the trip at Normanby Hall.’
Liz and Sasha looked at each other, the social worker closing her eyes and shaking her head, but neither of them interrupted again.
‘According to what he’s told Leon, Joe lives in Scunthorpe, and when he found out Leon was going on this trip he suggested getting a bus up to the park and meeting him on Friday evening. The messages show that Joe didn’t turn up when Leon was expecting him to, but he apologised and said he’d meet him in the cricket pavilion at nine o’clock on Saturday morning instead. Leon replied to say he would leave the cabin before the teachers woke up, because it would be easier to get away then, and he’d be there waiting for Joe.’
Both Sasha and Liz looked at Forest expectantly but the DI shook her head.
‘What happened after that is anyone’s guess, because the messages end there. But we have to assume that whoever Joe is, they deliberately lured Leon out of the cabin and into the park, even when the snow was coming down heavily. Whoever it is certainly doesn’t have Leon’s safety in mind, and we’re now going to work on the assumption that Leon has been abducted. We also have to consider that Steve Wilkinson discovered what was going on, tried to bring Leon back, and was killed as a result.’
A chill settled on the room that had nothing to do with the weather outside. I waited for one of the detectives to speak, but they were silent, letting the full impact of what they had discovered sink in.
This is ridiculous, Liz told the detectives, bristling. We do a lot of work with the students on internet safety, there’s no way Leon would have done something so dangerous and foolish.
‘I’m sorry, but we have the messages,’ Forest replied bluntly. ‘Leon did arrange to meet Joe, whoever Joe is.’
Liz Marcek stared at the detectives for a moment, then shook her head. How can he have been so stupid? Oh Leon.
‘Is it possible Steve knew about this?’ Singh asked. ‘Could he have found out Leon was planning to meet a stranger while they were on the trip, and tried to stop him?’
Liz seemed to think about this for a moment, then shrugged. I suppose so. If he thought that Leon was in danger.
‘Is there any reason he wouldn’t want to involve you, let you know his concerns?’
She sighed. I don’t know. Steve liked to do things his own way, and that sometimes meant doing things himself rather than delegating or even discussing it with the rest of the staff. Maybe he didn’t trust us?
She looked sad for a moment, then turned to look at me.
You already knew about this. Why didn’t you tell me the truth?
I was so taken aback by this that I forgot to interpret her words for the detectives until Singh prompted me.
‘I didn’t know about it,’ I said, as the four of them stared at me. I turned to Singh. ‘A couple of days ago I saw Cassie, Courtney, Bradley and Kian talking about someone called Joe, asking if they could trust him. I thought maybe he was another student, so I asked Sasha and Liz about him.’
Singh nodded, accepting my explanation, though Forest’s eyes remained narrowed. Even after I’d proven myself to be good at my job she continued to look for any sign I could be a problem to her, but I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong this time.
Turning back to the deputy head, the DI stood up. ‘In which case, I think we need to talk to your students again, and find out what it is they’ve been hiding from us.’
Chapter 16
Forest left Singh to interview the students, taking the opportunity to liaise with the tech team to see if they’d been able to trace Joe. Sasha took us over to the residence, where we waited for a very long ten minutes until the students shuffled in, dropping their bags on the floor. I was surprised to see Samira, because she wasn’t one of the students who had been discussing Joe, but if Leon confided in her a lot then it was possible she also knew what was going on.
Kian sat on one of the sofas while his brother stood behind him, Courtney leant on Bradley, her phone out and her thumb moving quickly across the touchscreen, and Cassie and Samira sat on another sofa.
What’s going on? Bradley asked. Have you found Leon?
‘Not yet, but we need to ask you all some questions. We’ve found out that Leon was planning to meet someone at Normanby Hall on Saturday. A few of you have mentioned that he was on his phone a lot, so that was probably who he was messaging. Now, if any of you can think of anything he might have said to suggest who he was meeting, or where they were from, we need you to tell us.’ Singh paused and looked around at each of the students. ‘We need to make sure Leon is safe, and the longer he’s away from home, the more risk there is for him.’
There was no response from any of the students. Singh looked at each of them again, his hard stare making a couple of them squirm. ‘He was talking to someone called Joe. I know that name means something to at least some of you.’
Kian looked up at Bradley, who shook his head slightly, but the younger brother ignored him. Leon told me a bit about him. The boy he was talking to, he explained.
‘Thank you, Kian,’ Singh said, then looked at Sasha. ‘Do you think we can talk to Kian in private?’
She nodded and looked at the others. Put the TV on for a bit. Kian, can you come into the library and tell us a bit more?
Kian looked up at his brother again then back at the detectives. Can Bradley come too?
‘Yes, if you want.’ Singh probably realised Kian would feel safer with his brother present, and would therefore be more likely to open up to him.
All five of us moved next door, and once we were all seated Singh looked at Kian.
‘What did Leon tell you about the person he was tal
king to online?’
His hands shaking slightly, Kian signed, He told me he was at school in Scunthorpe, he was sixteen, and he hadn’t told anyone else he was gay. He liked Leon’s pictures, and he sent him some too.
‘Did you see any of these pictures?’
Kian shook his head. Leon said it wasn’t fair on Joe, showing me his pictures without permission.
‘Did Leon tell you his name?’
Yes, I knew he was called Joe.
Singh nodded, conveying to Kian that he was pleased the boy had told the truth. ‘What about any other details, like what school Joe went to?’ he asked.
Kian shook his head. I don’t know. Leon said Joe could sign because there were deaf kids at his school.
Sasha looked concerned, and I could tell she was trying hard not to ask some questions of her own. Singh tapped his fingers on his knee for a moment before he asked his next question.
‘Did Leon tell you he was going to try and meet this boy on Saturday?’
Not on Saturday, no. He’d said he wanted to meet him in person, but Joe had said no because he was scared of coming out to his friends and family.
‘Do you think Leon might have told Joe where you were all going on the trip?’
I knew Singh was wondering if ‘Joe’ was really someone else entirely, the sort of person who might want to entice a fifteen-year-old boy away from the safety of his teachers, but I hoped he was wrong.
I don’t know. He said he and Joe talked about everything, though.
‘Kian, is there anything else you haven’t told us?’
The boy shook his head. Singh raised his eyebrows and fixed him with a stern look, but Kian shook his head again.
Stop badgering him, Bradley said. It’s not his fault, I told him not to tell you anything.
‘Why?’
To protect him. What’s happened to Leon is shit, but I didn’t want my brother getting involved with the police, being a witness.
Bradley’s eyes were shining, and I wondered what the two brothers had been through together. I got the feeling that whatever it was, Bradley had been the one to report it and to speak to the authorities in order to save his brother some distress.
‘I understand that Bradley, I really do, but every bit of information we get can help us. Leon might be in danger, he might be sleeping on the streets, or he might be with someone who wants to hurt him. Do you understand that?’
Bradley flinched as Singh spoke. Of course I bloody understand that. I just want to keep my head down and protect my brother.
Singh nodded. ‘Okay. But please don’t keep anything else from us.’
The boys both stood up and left, the older with his arm around the younger’s shoulders. Before Singh had a chance to do or say anything else, the door opened with a bang, slamming back against the wall.
What the fuck is going on? What’s happened? Samira stood in the doorway, her eyes blazing. Has someone done something to Leon?
Singh stood and faced her. ‘Did you know Leon was talking to a boy named Joe online?’
Samira shrugged, but I could tell from her face that she had known.
‘Did you know he arranged to meet Joe on Saturday?’
No, she replied quickly, but her face coloured slightly. She was lying, I was sure of it. But if she’d known, why wouldn’t she have told the police, to help them find her best friend?
‘I don’t know why you’re keeping information from us, when all we want is to find Leon,’ Singh said, his tone firm but gentle. ‘Why didn’t you tell us about Joe?’
Samira shrugged again, the teenager’s punctuation. It was none of your business.
‘Did it never occur to you that Leon’s disappearance could have something to do with Joe?’
The girl’s eyes filled with tears. I told him not to bother with online relationships, that nobody knows who anyone really is, and I thought he’d stopped. He told me he was going to stop chatting to Joe.
‘When did he tell you this?’
About a week ago. I thought he’d actually listened to me for once, but he obviously just lied to me so I’d stop nagging him. A tear rolled down Samira’s cheek and she wiped it away aggressively. Who is he?
‘Joe? We don’t know, but we’re doing our best to find out.’
She thumped the wall, then turned and stormed out. For a moment I thought Sasha was going to go after her, but then she sat down in her seat again and shook her head.
I hadn’t realised they were all keeping such big secrets, she told Singh, and I could see that she was blaming herself.
‘You said it yourself, teenagers keep secrets,’ Singh replied. ‘We can’t force them to tell us what they know, especially when we don’t know what it is they might be hiding. Perhaps I should speak to Miss Marcek about an assembly for all the students, about online safety. It’s possible other students are behaving in the same way as Leon.’
I thought back to what Anna had told me about past safeguarding issues, and I wondered if they had been connected to the students’ online behaviour. Should I ask Sasha what she knew? I considered it, but then decided not to. I didn’t want to throw the cat among the pigeons and confuse the investigation with information that could be completely irrelevant. It’d have to wait until Anna and I had visited Jane Villiers this afternoon.
Singh spoke to Courtney next, but she completely denied having heard of Joe or knowing anything about what Leon had been planning. I knew she was lying, at least about the first part, but there was no way to prove it. Singh dismissed her with a rueful shake of his head, then ushered Cassie inside.
How would I know who Leon had been talking to? she asked, her eyes bright. He never talked to me about anything.
‘We have reason to believe you knew about Joe, along with Courtney, Bradley and Kian.’
Did they tell you that? Why would they tell you that? I haven’t been talking to anyone called Joe.
Singh frowned. ‘I didn’t say you’d been talking to him, just Leon.’
Cassie paused. Whatever. I don’t know who Joe is or why he’s interested in Leon.
‘The other day you told us you knew things about Leon that nobody else knew. I want you to tell me what it is you know, Cassie.’
The girl shook her head. I don’t know anything. I was only joking.
The flippancy of her comment didn’t hide the tension in her shoulders; I didn’t believe her. Singh asked a few more questions, but Cassie gave the same answers until Sasha suggested they stopped. The DS was frustrated, but he agreed, as he wasn’t getting anywhere.
As we left the library, I caught sight of Bradley sitting on one of the sofas in the common room. He stood up and came towards us.
You were watching us the other day, in the dining hall. You’re the one who told the police what we were saying. Is that what you’re here for, to spy on us?
He was taller than me and was as close as he could be without hitting me as he signed, and I could see the anger bubbling below the surface.
Bradley, that’s not what happened. Sasha came to my defence.
Do you really wonder why Leon ran away? he asked, rounding on Sasha. We’ve all been let down by adults who were supposed to protect us, but we all thought we could trust the adults here. As he became more agitated, his signing got faster until I could only just keep up. But we can’t trust anyone, can we?
He shoved past me, knocking me sideways into Singh, who caught my arms to stop me falling. As Bradley thundered up the stairs, Sasha looked after him with anguish on her face.
‘What was that supposed to mean?’ Singh asked, still holding on to my shoulders. Bradley’s anger had shaken me, but Singh’s touch was reassuring.
I don’t know, but I’m worried there’s still more they haven’t told us, Sasha replied.
Chapter 17
Jane Villiers’ house was a gorgeous little stone cottage straight out of a fairy tale. The garden was a mass of green and white, with evergreen shrubs heavy with snow and bare trees
fighting for space, and it looked well-tended in a haphazard sort of way. A path wound from the low stone wall surrounding the property up to the front door, and the red-tiled roof was a little crooked, adding extra charm. Someone had carefully cleared the snow from the path and sprinkled grit over it. Ivy climbed up and around the front door, spreading its tendrils along and under the upstairs windows.
It was situated down a quiet country lane, and I struggled to find somewhere to park that wouldn’t be blocking the road. Once we’d parked some distance away, Anna and I walked back through the slushy snow to the front of the house. Now we knew about Leon and Joe I was anxious to find out the real reason the previous head teacher left the school. It seemed like too much of a coincidence for such a small school to have two major safeguarding incidents in less than a year – were they connected?
Looks like something from a Disney film, Anna commented, a look of disapproval on her face. I got the feeling she’d had visions of Ms Villiers living in a smart city flat rather than this ramshackle cottage in a sleepy Wolds village.
As we opened the gate and crunched our way up the gravel path, I caught myself admiring the garden. Even in the depths of winter it didn’t feel dead, more like it was on pause. There was an archway that we had to walk underneath to reach the front door, and I could just imagine it covered in roses in the summer.
We approached the cottage and a dog started barking inside; before I had a chance to press the doorbell the door was opened, and Jane Villiers stood framed in the doorway. Tall and broad shouldered, with short grey hair, she was wearing a pair of walking trousers and a heavy woollen jumper. She held the collar of a black Labrador that was straining to get past her.
‘Who are you?’ she asked, looking directly at me and not noticing Anna.
‘Paige Northwood,’ I replied, speaking and signing at the same time. ‘I’m Anna’s sister.’
The frown fell from Ms Villiers’ face as she saw Anna standing behind me.
Of course, of course, come in, she replied, switching to BSL. She backed away, giving the dog a gentle shove so we had space to get in. I hesitated for a moment, but after a nudge from my sister I stepped into the house.
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