‘Isn’t the alarm linked up to the residence?’ Singh asked.
It should be, Liz replied, but it didn’t go off. I assume it must be faulty. I’ll get an engineer in to look at it as soon as possible.
I immediately wondered if it was simply a malfunction, or if someone had disabled it.
‘Why are you here, Miss Marcek?’
It’s our policy here that teaching staff take occasional shifts in the residence, in order to foster stronger relationships with the students. Tonight was my turn.
Singh looked surprised that the deputy head had included herself on the rota. ‘Did Steve Wilkinson take shifts in the residence too?’
She nodded. Sometimes. Not regularly, though.
A chill ran down my spine at the idea of the man who had been grooming Leon supervising vulnerable children overnight.
Throughout this conversation, Cassie had been sitting with her arms folded and her head down, a sullen expression on her face. She was dressed in purple pyjamas and had fluffy slippers on, so she had clearly crept back into the building after the staff thought she’d gone to bed.
‘Thank you, I’ll take it from here,’ Singh told the two PCs, and they looked relieved to be dismissed.
Taking a chair, Singh sat down opposite Cassie. ‘Now Cassie, what’s been going on?’
It took a moment for me to get her attention to sign the question to her, but when I did she sighed deeply.
I was looking for something, that’s all.
‘What were you looking for?’
She chewed her lip for a moment before replying.
I lost my phone. I thought maybe Mr Wilkinson had taken it.
‘Why would he have taken it, Cassie?’
She shrugged but didn’t reply.
Liz shook her head. Cassie, how did you even get in here?
There was a pause, in which Cassie looked at all of us in turn. A slow smile spread across her face. I’ve got a key, she signed.
A key? How did you get a key?
But Cassie refused to say anything else and couldn’t produce the key when she was asked about it, saying she must have dropped it.
Liz pulled Singh aside. I honestly can’t believe that she got hold of a key to the head teacher’s office. I must have left it unlocked by accident, and then when she opened the door, the motion sensor set off the alarm.
‘I think we should escort her back to the residence now,’ Singh replied. ‘I’m assuming you don’t want to press charges?’
No, don’t be silly. If we pressed charges every time one of the students in the residence came up with a silly prank we’d need a police officer here all the time.
We walked back over to the residence, where the lights were on in the sitting room. Bradley and Courtney were waiting for us.
What happened? Bradley asked.
Is it something to do with Leon? We saw the police. Courtney pulled her dressing gown round her, obviously self-conscious at the sight of us.
No, nothing to do with Leon, Liz told them. Go back to bed. She had a sour look on her face at the two of them sitting there in pyjamas, which made sense now I knew their relationship had nearly cost the school its reputation.
No, Bradley replied, standing his ground. I want to know what happened.
I was looking for my phone, what’s the big deal? Cassie flung herself down onto the sofa. You didn’t have to call the bloody police!
‘Cassie, you set the alarm off,’ Singh explained. ‘The school is linked directly to the police station. They had to come. You’re lucky we’re not going to arrest you.’
What were you doing, you idiot? Bradley asked her.
I’m not an idiot, she replied, her jaw clenched.
To my surprise, Bradley leant over and gave her a hug. You’re right, you’re not. I’m sorry. But what do you mean, you were looking for your phone?
Liz interrupted. Cassie seems to have got it into her head that Mr Wilkinson might have taken her phone. Did he confiscate it while you were on the trip? She directed this question to Cassie.
No, but I thought … Cassie didn’t finish and let her hands drop to her lap.
You had your phone on Saturday, on the trip, Bradley told her.
Cassie nodded.
Well, didn’t you have it in the bus on the way back to school? You showed me the post about Leon going missing and that video of the dog. You know, the one that couldn’t catch the ball?
Cassie stared at him for a moment, as if she was willing him to understand something. Yeah, you’re right. But …
A look passed between the two of them, and Bradley’s expression changed as Cassie’s meaning dawned on him. He turned to Courtney, who frowned, but then she obviously understood too and her eyes widened.
Should we go back to bed now, Miss Marcek? Bradley asked.
The deputy head looked puzzled at this sudden change in attitude. Yes, I suppose so.
‘No, wait a moment,’ Singh said. ‘What is it that you three aren’t telling us?’
The teenagers all put on their most innocent expressions.
Nothing, sir, Bradley replied, laying it on thick.
Singh looked at them. ‘If I find out that any of you are hiding something that could help us find Leon, or find out who killed Mr Wilkinson, we’ll be having a very serious conversation about wasting police time. Do you understand?’
The three of them nodded, but none of them volunteered any new information, so Liz allowed Bradley and Courtney to go back to bed.
Cassie, you wait a minute, the police want to speak to you.
Come on Miss Marcek, she knows what she did was wrong, Courtney said. Can’t it wait until tomorrow?
Absolutely not. You’ve got Paige and DS Singh out of bed in the middle of the night, Cassie. The least you can do is sit here for ten more minutes.
She shooed the other two back to their rooms, watching as Bradley climbed the stairs. It looked like he was going to try and sign something to Cassie behind our backs, but then he noticed me watching him and he carried on up.
‘Cassie, why did you think your phone might be in Mr Wilkinson’s office?’ Singh asked once the other two students had gone.
The girl sat with her hands between her knees, watching us. She shrugged, but didn’t offer any other response.
‘Cassie, I’d like you to answer the question.’
Someone told me it would be there.
‘Who told you that?’
She shook her head. Just someone.
‘Was it another student?’
No response.
‘Or an adult?’
Again, no response from Cassie.
Singh sat back in his chair and thought for a moment. ‘Is there a reason you decided to go and look in the middle of the night?’
Cassie looked up at Singh, her eyes wide. They said I had to go at midnight, then nobody would see me.
Singh gave her a sympathetic smile. ‘Do you think someone might be trying to get you into trouble, Cassie?’
The girl was taken aback at this question, and looked to Liz before she answered.
No, they wouldn’t want that. They wouldn’t want me to get into trouble.
‘They told you to go and look in a locked room in the middle of the night. They probably knew the alarm was going to set off and the police would come. Maybe they thought it would be funny to get you into trouble. Did they give you the key?’
Cassie shook her head, but the hurt in her eyes showed she believed what Singh was saying was at least possible.
‘That sort of person isn’t worth protecting,’ Singh said gently.
For a moment, I thought Cassie was going to tell him the truth, but she shook her head. I can’t remember who it was, she signed, not making eye contact. I must have misunderstood them. It’s my fault.
Singh tried a few different ways to persuade Cassie to talk, but all to no avail. Eventually, Liz sent her off to bed.
‘Is it possible that Cassie is telling the truth about having a ke
y?’
I suppose it’s possible, although I don’t know what she could have done with it between opening the door and her being caught. And where would she have got it from in the first place? Liz asked. I’ve been keeping Steve’s office locked, at least until the governors make a decision about who is going to take over the headship. There are only two keys that I know of – I’ve got one, and the other is in Karen’s office. She’s our school business manager.
‘Surely Steve must have had one?’ Singh asked.
Well, of course he did, but his personal effects are with the police. He will have had his keys with him on the day he died, I assume.
Could Cassie have stolen Steve’s key while they were on the trip? Leaving the mystery of Cassie’s key unsolved, we set off home.
‘What are those kids hiding?’ Singh mused. ‘Did you see the way Cassie looked at Bradley?’
‘Yeah, I don’t know what that was about. He changed his tune pretty quickly. It must be something to do with her phone being missing, but I don’t know what.’
‘Whatever it was, Courtney is obviously in on it too. They all know something and they’re keeping it secret.’ He scratched his chin, his stubble making a rasping noise as he did. ‘Do you think they could be involved in Steve’s murder?’
‘I have no idea,’ I replied, stifling a yawn. ‘I can’t quite see them all banding together to kill Steve, if that’s what you’re wondering. You’d think Mike and Sasha would have noticed the whole group trooping off into the woods on Saturday morning.’
‘You’re not very helpful when you’re tired, are you?’
‘I’m solar powered,’ I replied.
Before Singh dropped me off I turned to him.
‘Was Liz right? Did Steve have keys on him when he died?’
‘That’s what I’m going to check, first thing in the morning. Until then, though, I think we can both manage a couple of hours’ sleep.’
‘I doubt it,’ I replied. ‘Everything is going to be going round in my head, I don’t think I’ll get much rest now.’
He grimaced. ‘I know what you mean. I can’t figure out how everything links up. I mean, now that we’ve found out about the grooming, at least we have a motive for Leon killing Steve, and if he did, then it makes sense that we found his blood at the crime scene. Maybe Forest was right, Leon might have discovered who “Joe” really was, taken Steve’s knife, and cut himself while he was killing his teacher. He must not have realised he was hurt, or he wouldn’t have left the knife there. It feels like the most likely scenario right now. But what’s going on with these kids? What do they know that they’re not telling us?’ He gave me a look of genuine confusion.
‘And who did that charm belong to?’ I added, reminding him of the small letter C that we’d found in the pavilion. ‘Was someone else in there with Leon: Courtney or Cassie? And was he hiding there before he killed Steve, lying in wait, or did he break in afterwards for somewhere to hide?’
Singh made a frustrated noise at the back of his throat. ‘I don’t know. Something still feels wrong to me. We’re missing something, I can tell.’
We sat in silence for a moment before I got out of the car.
‘You’ll figure it out,’ I told him.
‘I hope so,’ he replied with a sigh. ‘I’m worried that if we don’t find the answers soon, it’ll be too late for Leon.’
Ten hours before the murder
Cassie glanced over at Leon sitting on the sofa next to her. Should she tell him the truth now? Bradley had said Leon was making a mistake, and she didn’t know what to do. What would her special friend want her to do?
Come with me, she signed to him. I need to tell you something.
Without waiting to see if he was following her, she got up and went to the room she was sharing with Courtney. Inside, she sat on her bed and waited for Leon.
A few minutes later, the door opened. Leon didn’t sit down, but stood, palms spread.
What? You going to explain why you’ve been reading my messages?
I haven’t been reading your messages.
Bullshit! Leon kicked the corner of her bed and she shrank back.
I haven’t, I promise, she insisted. There’s something I need to tell you. Something about Joe.
For fuck’s sake, not you as well? I’ve had enough of this from Bradley.
He turned to leave, but Cassie stood up and grabbed his arm. You have to listen to me. Stop talking to me like I’m stupid. I know things that you don’t know. I know who Joe is.
Yeah, I get it, he signed, shaking her off. You all know everything about Joe. Joe was your friend first. Whatever. I’ve heard it all, and I don’t give a shit.
No, I mean I know who Joe really is.
Leon stared at Cassie for a moment, and she grinned at him, hoping he realised she wanted to tell him her secret. A moment later, however, she realised she’d seriously misjudged the situation.
Stop trying to mess with other people’s lives, Cassie, Leon snarled. Or one day you’re going to get hurt.
He stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Chapter 22
Friday 30th November
‘Good morning. My name is Ravjit Singh, and I am a detective sergeant with Humberside police. We’re here to talk to you today about safety, specifically how you can stay safe online.’
I stood at the front of the school hall next to Singh, interpreting for him. Given what had come to light about Steve and Leon’s online chats, it had been agreed that it was important for the students to have a reminder of basic online safety. Years Five and upwards were present in the assembly, Liz Marcek having deemed it to be inappropriate for the youngest pupils.
Some officers had been through all the recovered messages, and they had discovered that Leon had told ‘Joe’ an awful lot about himself, including what school he went to, and that he was a residential student. He’d also told him about a few of the activities and trips he’d been on recently, specifying places and times. Of course, Steve had already known this, but if Leon had been talking to a predator from outside the school, they could have used that information to find him.
Bradley, Kian, Courtney and Cassie all entered the hall together and sat down in a line. Bradley’s leg jiggled nervously, and Kian had a groove in his forehead from frowning. Courtney was doing her best to look relaxed, but I noticed her chewing on the edge of her fingernail. Even Cassie was looking worried, but that could have had more to do with her breaking into Steve’s office just a few hours earlier. Sasha came in after the four of them and stood at the side of the hall. She hadn’t been in the school yesterday, but I wasn’t surprised she’d made the effort to be there today.
Once the official presentation was over, DS Singh came back to the front of the stage and addressed all eighteen students.
‘I know you all think you know how to keep yourselves safe, but recent events in the school suggest that not all of you are taking it to heart. It’s so easy to think it won’t be you, but children are targeted online every day by people pretending to be someone they’re not. It’s possible Leon was planning to meet someone he met online, a person he thought he could trust with his personal information.’
Suddenly, all the attention was on Singh. I thought it was most likely because they were desperate for information that felt forbidden, information their teachers had been keeping from them, but I hoped at least some of it was out of concern for their fellow pupil.
‘We still don’t know where Leon is. He might be in hiding, scared to let anyone know where he is. Or, someone might be keeping him away from his friends and the people who care about him. We’ve been looking at Leon’s phone and his online messages. Remember, Leon has had exactly the same education as you. He’s had all the talks about online safety, the same ones you have. He knows the advice and the rules you’re told to follow. He met someone online, and he believed what they said to him, even though we now know they weren’t who they said they were. And
now Leon is missing.’
Singh paused for a moment to let these words sink in. I could see Samira on the back row, biting her lip, tears in her eyes, and she caught my eye briefly before looking away. She looked terrified – but was she scared because she knew what her friend had been doing, or because she didn’t?
A girl put her hand up. I didn’t recognise her; she looked a couple of years younger than Leon. Singh nodded to her.
Did Leon kill Mr Wilkinson?
I interpreted this question for Singh, and I also signed it again for the students who hadn’t been able to see the girl. All eighteen of them stared at Singh, waiting for his answer.
‘We’re still trying to find out what happened. Remember, if any of you think you know anything, we’re here and you can talk to us. If there’s anything you’re worried about, anything that scares you, please come and tell us about it. Our job is to help you and protect you. Even if there’s someone in the school that you’re worried about, please tell us.’
There was a pause as I saw this sinking in, some of the students realising the seriousness of the situation. Was there someone in the school that posed a risk to these students, or had that risk been eliminated now Steve Wilkinson was dead? A thought occurred to me, and I wondered if Singh had been looking into the idea of the murderer being some sort of vigilante, trying to keep the students safe from a predator.
There were no more questions, and Singh dismissed them. As the teachers led their students out of the hall, Liz Marcek came over.
I think that was a little unnecessary, suggesting there might be someone close to them who wants to hurt them. If you’ve scared any of my students, I will not be happy. Her jaw was set in a solid line as she glared at Singh.
‘I’d rather scare them into taking extra precautions than let them think online safety isn’t important, and I want them to realise they can come to us with anything they’ve witnessed or experienced in school that has made them uncomfortable. I’m sorry if that doesn’t quite go along with your ideas, Miss Marcek, but my priority is the safety of these children.’
When Singh got angry, he didn’t shout. He spoke clearly and calmly, and the only indicator that his emotions were high was the flashing of his eyes. Liz held his gaze for a moment, then nodded.
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