‘Not at all,’ she said, standing up and escorting us to the door. ‘I hope you find Leon soon. I’m sure I’m right, you know – he knows what happened, but he doesn’t think you’ll believe him. He’s hiding because he doesn’t have a safe place to go. The school isn’t safe for him any more because he knows someone there is a murderer.’
‘You really think one of the staff members you employed could be capable of murder?’ I asked as we were about to leave, my hand on the doorframe.
‘Oh, of course. I’m sure all of us are capable of murder, given the right circumstances.’
Chapter 30
The drive home was a blur; I was on autopilot and I was surprised to find myself pulling into my usual parking spot. I barely noticed Singh saying goodbye and getting into his own car, so shaken was I by the possibility that Mike could be Steve’s murderer.
By the evening I knew I needed to do something to drag myself out of my own thoughts, so I took Anna into Lincoln for dinner and a film. It was rare to find subtitled showings at the weekend, so I was thrilled there was one, hoping it made up for us missing the Christmas market. There was only one option with subtitles, so we didn’t get to choose, but it had Bradley Cooper in it so that suited both of us just fine.
Popcorn or pick and mix? I asked her as we walked up Brayford Wharf towards the cinema.
Well, you need cheering up, she replied with a mischievous grin. Both.
I laughed. Seriously? I’m still full of sushi.
Popcorn is basically just air, she told me. You can’t be too full for popcorn.
Okay. Sweet or salty?
My turn to choose, so salty.
We had the same argument every time we went to the cinema, and had done since we were teenagers. Anna liked salty popcorn, I liked sweet. Now we were adults, of course we knew we could buy our own, but it was still fun to repeat our childhood bickering and then in the end settle for a mixed tub to share. If I was honest, that was exactly the way I liked it now.
I’d bought our tickets online, so I went to the ticket machine while Anna browsed the sweets. While I was waiting for a machine, a group came in behind us and made a beeline for where she was standing, kids shoving each other in their effort to get to the pick and mix stand.
Sorry, sorry, one of them signed to himself as they bumped into her.
No problem, just be careful next time, my sister replied.
Wow, you sign! the boy replied, getting the attention of one of the others. Hey, Courtney, this lady signs!
My stomach dropped when I realised who the group were, and looked around me to see which adults were supervising them. Mike and Sasha were standing behind me waiting to collect tickets, and when he saw me his face went bright red.
‘Paige. What are you doing here?’
I nodded to the machine. ‘Seeing a film with my sister.’
‘Yeah? Which film?’
I stared at him. ‘The same one as you, obviously.’
Sasha was looking between us as if watching a tennis match, so I switched to BSL.
My sister is deaf, and we were really excited to see a subtitled film at the weekend, I told her.
I know, that never happens, Sasha replied with a smile. We thought it would do these four some good to get out. It feels wrong, somehow, having fun while all of this is happening, but life has to go on, doesn’t it?
I agreed that it did.
And they’re all going mad being stuck at the school, she continued. They’re still teenagers, at the end of the day, and they need to let off steam like any other kids.
Sasha, do you mind if I talk to Paige for a moment? Mike asked, giving her a winning smile. I willed her to refuse, and point out that he was there to supervise the students rather than socialise, but she nodded and walked off. I collected our tickets and considered turning my back on Mike, but then I thought the quickest way to get rid of him would be to hear him out.
‘I’m so sorry about last night,’ he muttered once he’d collected their tickets. ‘I honestly don’t know what I was thinking.’
I nodded. ‘Okay. Is that it?’
He frowned. ‘What? I’ve apologised. What more do you want from me?’
‘Nothing, Mike. That’s the whole point. I don’t want anything from you, and I haven’t for the last three years. Your behaviour last night just showed me that you haven’t changed at all.’
‘That’s not fair. I accepted responsibility for the way I treated you, and I hoped you’d accept some responsibility in return.’
‘Responsibility for what? What is it that you think I’ve done to you?’ I asked, trying my best not to raise my voice in a public place.
He let out a sharp laugh. ‘Well, how about throwing me out of our home without ever explaining why?’
‘You know full well why our relationship ended, Mike. You locked me in and left me for four days. Four fucking days, with no way of contacting the outside world other than shouting through the window.’
‘I was coming back,’ he said quietly. ‘I wouldn’t have left you there. I would never have done that to you.’
‘But you did, Mike. You did do that to me.’ I pulled off my jacket and showed him my scarred arm. ‘I have to see this every day, and remember how scared I was that you were just going to leave me there, without food or a phone.’
He blinked, looking down at my arm. He reached out a hand, and for a moment I thought he was going to try and touch my scar, but then he pulled his hand away again.
Nodding, he turned away. ‘I’m sorry, Paige.’ Without saying anything else, he walked back to the group.
Anna had made her purchase, but hung back during this conversation, to her credit. She could probably tell from my body language that I didn’t need any back-up, but she’d waited just far enough away that she could dash in to support me if necessary.
Should I ask? she signed as I rejoined her.
Same old shit, I replied.
She nodded, happy with this assessment. Here, I got snacks. She waved a huge bag of pick and mix. You’re queueing for popcorn, though. I need the loo.
Keeping an eye on where Mike was, I joined the other queue and five minutes later brought her the tub of salty popcorn she’d requested.
I didn’t think you were actually going to buy it, she said, looking at me askance. What’s going on? We always get half and half.
I know. I shrugged. But I figured you didn’t get to choose the film, so at least you could choose the popcorn.
She laughed, and we went in to find our seats. The screen was only a third full and we sat near the back. The group from Lincoln School for the Deaf were further forward, and we needed to pass them to get to our seats. I studiously ignored Mike, but I could feel Sasha’s curious gaze on me as I climbed the steps.
About an hour in, I needed the loo, so I got up and went to the ladies’. While I was standing at the sink, washing my hands and wondering if I could ask Max to grow a beard like Bradley Cooper’s, I heard a flush from a cubicle and Courtney came out. I moved over to dry my hands, watching her out of the corner of my eye. She hadn’t realised it was me, and before she washed her hands she pulled her phone out of her pocket to send a message. Then she put it away and took out a second phone. The first had been in a sparkly silver case, but the second was all black. I blinked, and the second phone went away again. Why did a teenager need two phones?
Courtney smiled at me in recognition as I passed her, and as I made my way back to my seat I looked at the other kids. They were all watching the film, none with their phones out, and I cursed them for being so polite. Normally when I was in the cinema there was at least one teenager with their phone out the whole way through, if not a whole group of them. It was a wonder why they paid the extortionate ticket prices if they weren’t going to bother watching the thing.
I managed to sit through the rest of the film trying to think of reasons why Courtney would have a second phone. As we walked out, I found myself steering through the crowd
until we were behind the school group. I wasn’t sure if Anna noticed, but I saw her raise an eyebrow at me as I moved nearer to them. With a slight shake of the head, I let her know to just follow my lead.
Out in the lobby, the kids were hanging around and waiting for Sasha. Mike was standing nearby, staring at the floor and brooding. I stood at the side of the room and took my phone out, pretending to scroll through it whilst watching the kids. My focus was on Courtney, wondering if she was going to pull out that second phone. Some of the things that had been happening at the school were perhaps making me more suspicious, but I had a feeling something wasn’t right.
My patience paid off, but not in the way I expected. As I watched, Kian pulled a phone out of his pocket, shortly followed by a second phone. I thought I was mistaken for a moment, as his both had blue cases, but they were two different makes. Bradley spotted what Kian was doing and elbowed him, causing Kian to slip both phones back into his pocket. Did they all have second phones? Surely the school didn’t have enough money for all the looked-after kids to have two phones each? Or was it a coincidence that Courtney and Kian both had two?
What are we doing, Paige? Anna asked, staring at the school group. Is it something to do with Mike?
I shook my head. Why would a teenager have two phones? I asked her.
She shrugged. Maybe they thought they’d lost one, got a replacement, then found the old one.
But then wouldn’t they just keep using the better one? I asked. Rather than carrying two around and using both.
Yeah that sounds right, she replied. Two phones would be confusing.
Exactly. So, I don’t understand it. I looked down at the floor with a frown, trying to work it out.
What are you talking about? Anna asked, confused.
Sasha hadn’t come back from the toilet, so I ignored Anna’s question and made an excuse, going back down the corridor. I managed to catch the social worker coming out of the ladies’.
Hi, Sasha, I waved to get her attention.
Hi Paige, are you okay? She stopped for a moment, so I seized the opportunity.
Why do the kids have two phones?
She frowned. Two phones? What are you talking about?
I saw Courtney with two mobile phones earlier, I told her, and now I’ve just seen Kian has two as well.
Why would they have two phones? she asked, looking puzzled.
That’s what I’m asking you. I stared at her for a moment, but either she was a good actress or she didn’t know what I was talking about.
Maybe that’s not what you saw, she replied. These kids are always messing about with each other’s phones. Maybe Kian was using Bradley’s, then you saw him take his own out?
No, he put them both back in his pocket. I knew what I’d seen. And there weren’t any other students around when I saw Courtney.
Why are you watching the kids, Paige? she asked with a concerned frown. Have the police asked you to do this?
I was taken aback. No, it’s just coincidence that we’re here at the same time as you.
She nodded. Okay. But this is feeling a bit weird now. Maybe you should go home.
I took a step back. Fine. I just thought it was odd, that’s all.
I watched as Sasha walked past me and back to the group, then waited until they’d left the lobby before joining Anna again.
I explained the full story when we were on the way back to the car.
That does sound suspicious, Anna signed. But what do you think it means?
I don’t know, I replied. And why was Sasha so quick to defend them? Was it just because she thought I was talking rubbish, or was it because she was trying to put me off?
I was wrapped up in my own thoughts on the drive home. Did all of the kids have second phones? That would explain what Cassie had been trying to get Bradley to understand the other night, that the phone she was looking for was a secret. I had been sure the kids were hiding something, and maybe the phones were connected.
Sasha’s attitude confused me. She was the one who knew the kids best, and she’d told me she was worried about something going on with them, yet she’d brushed off my concerns when I asked about the phones. Did she know more than she was telling me?
Five hours before the murder
The room was pitch black. Kian lay awake, clutching his sleeping bag tightly up to his neck. He didn’t like the dark. He’d never liked it, and in his room at school he always slept with a light on. Bradley would have understood, but Kian didn’t want to look like a baby in front of Leon, so he’d said he would be fine with the lights off. He hadn’t considered that they were in a cabin in the middle of the woods, with no light coming from outside.
He reached into his bag and pulled out his phone to check the time, hiding it under the covers. 02:57. The torch function was quite bright, but he turned it on anyway, making his sleeping bag glow from the inside. Kian quickly shone his torch at the other two beds to check he hadn’t woken Bradley or Leon, and his heart leapt into his throat. Their beds were empty.
Where had they gone? He lay still for a moment, wondering what might have happened. Knowing Bradley, he’d snuck off with Courtney again. But where was Leon? All sorts of scenarios raced through Kian’s mind, each one worse than the last, until he unzipped his sleeping bag, swung his legs out and went to the door.
Leon was probably just in the bathroom, he told himself. If he waited for a few minutes, he’d come back and ask why Kian was awake. He opened the door and saw a light at the end of the corridor, but it was coming from the living room, not the bathroom.
Without thinking, he padded softly up the corridor to where the light was spilling out from under the door, and pulled it open carefully. He poked his head around it.
Leon was standing in the kitchen, a mug on the table in front of him. As Kian craned his head round further, he saw that Mr Wilkinson was there too. Why were they up? Still, Leon was safe, so he should go back to bed.
As he backed away, letting the door close silently behind him, Kian wondered why the head teacher had put his arm around Leon.
Chapter 31
Monday 3rd December
The police hadn’t booked me for anything that morning, but as I was eating my breakfast a text came through from Singh asking me to meet him at the school as soon as possible. I had a rushed shower and was dressed and out of the door within fifteen minutes.
‘What was so urgent?’ I asked, when I met him in the school car park. It was snowing lightly, the sky heavy and grey.
‘I had a message from Sasha Thomas saying one of the students made a disclosure last night that she knew we needed to hear. I also need to talk to Saul Achembe; he emailed me to say there was some more information he’d found but would rather show me in person so he can talk me through the data.’
‘Sounds serious,’ I replied.
Singh nodded, and the two of us went inside. We waited for ten minutes for Liz Marcek to be free, and when she came out to greet us she looked grave.
I’ve prepared the conference room for you, she told us. Sasha is already there, with Kian and the others.
The surprise I felt was mirrored on Singh’s face. Others?
The other looked-after students, to be precise, Liz Marcek continued. Kian persuaded them to speak to you today. She looked at Singh, concern etching deep lines on her forehead. I’m very worried about how deep this is going to go. How many children did this man target?
Singh held up his hands. ‘Right now, I don’t know what’s happened or what any of these students wish to tell me. Hopefully everything will become clear soon, and we can get these children the support they need.’
We made our way to the conference room, where Sasha was sitting at one end of a table, the four students around it. Kian looked up when we came in, his face radiating worry. Bradley sat next to him and he put a reassuring arm around his brother. Courtney was playing with her phone, the one in the sparkly case, and Cassie was staring out of the window.
‘Good morning,’ Singh said to all of them. ‘We understand you want to speak to us.’
Sasha looked relieved that we had arrived, and threw a look at me that was almost apologetic. When Kian spoke to me yesterday, I knew it was something you needed to know about. Then this morning, the other three said they needed to come too.
The three of us sat down and Singh looked across the table at Kian.
‘Kian, please can you tell us exactly what you told Sasha yesterday? Try to remember as much as you can.’
The boy nodded and fidgeted for a moment before he began. I’ve been messaging Joe too. We all have.
My heart dropped into my stomach. Steve had been targeting all of them?
Singh looked around at all four of the students. ‘All of you have been in touch with Joe? The same Joe that Leon was talking to?’
One by one, they all nodded, but then they looked back to Kian. Bradley nodded at him, as if giving his brother permission to continue.
It started at the end of the summer holidays, Kian signed, his shoulders slumped. We all got new phones; they were left in our rooms for us, with a note telling us not to tell anyone about the phone. Since then we’ve all had messages from someone called Joe.
Part of me felt vindicated that I’d been right about the kids having two phones each, but I didn’t enjoy the feeling. If only someone had spotted it sooner, maybe Steve’s grooming of Leon could have been prevented.
Kian had paused for a moment and looked at Sasha.
It’s okay, tell the detective the truth, she told him reassuringly.
With me, it started off friendly, Kian explained. He was asking about football and what I like to do at the weekend. But then it got weird. He was asking me questions like if I like to touch myself and if I’d take photos of myself with no clothes on and send them.
‘Did it worry you, a stranger texting you?’
He said it was a wrong number, at first. Kian hung his head, clearly embarrassed that he’d fallen for a lie. The first text was asking for someone called Matt. I replied and said he had the wrong number, he apologised, and then we started chatting.
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