Death Drop

by B M Gill

  "Were you requested to examine the child with that in mind?"

  "My examination would have included that – without a request being made."

  "But the request was made?"

  "Yes – by Dr. Preston."

  "There was no evidence of this?"

  "As I have stated m my report – no."

  Thirza turned to the coroner. "I believe Dr. Preston is being called as a witness?"

  "Yes, immediately following Dr. Blane."

  "Then that is all I wish to ask this witness. Thank you." • The exchange of question and answer was to Fleming like the sharp bouncing of a ping-pong ball across a table. He still couldn't connect it with David. That the pathologist's hands had actually touched and explored David's flesh was a fact he could accept intellectually but not emotionally. The post-mortem had seemed more real to him when he had sat at The Lantern with Shulter and had tried to blot it out of his mind This tall thin man with the staccato voice was as far removed from David as David now was far removed from this green-lit circus Dr Preston was sworn in He stated that he had seen the body in the hold and had pronounced the child dead He then went on to report on the removal of the body to the mortuary.

  The coroner turned to Thirza again "You have a question for this witness0"

  "Yes. sir " Thirza took the sketch out of her briefcase and requested that it might be passed to Dr Preston The coroner agreed "But if I see it first, and then Mr. Lessing and the jury, we'll understand where your questions are leading "

  The sketch passed from hand to hand. One of the jurors tittered, the rest, together with the coroner himself, looked puzzled Lessing's glance was brief and dismissive, he looked slightly amused.

  Thirza asked, "You've seen this sketch before. Dr. Preston?"

  "Yes. In my surgery. The child's father showed it to me."

  The coroner interrupted "Would you describe the drawing to the rest of the court, Dr Preston, please – and then explain its significance."

  Dr Preston looked down at the sketch and then up from it towards Fleming. He acknowledged him briefly with a little nod of sympathy. "It's a sketch of a caterpillar – a caterpillar hugely out of proportion – on a bed Under it is written 'Wolly (a child's mis-spelling of Woolly) Bear on D's bed'. It's significance lies in the fact that it's regressive. By that I mean that David Fleming at the age of twelve – within a week or so of his death – drew a picture that was symptomatic of a period of distress he went through at the age of six. At six he awoke alone in a strange room at night and was terrified – the caterpillar was on his face. From then on for a period of two years or so he had nightmares. The caterpillar was the projection of his fear. He drew it to show his state of mind and left the sketches where his parents could find them and tear them up… graphic representation of something he couldn't bring himself to speak about." He paused and looked at Fleming. "The child's father could put it better than I can, but that is roughly how he explained it to me."

  Thirza said quickly, "I don't think we need ask Mr. Fleming to add to that. You've explained it quite clearly. David drew the sketch as a child of six would draw it. He wrote the words as a child of six would write them. He was twelve and had the intelligence of a twelve-year-old. His other work showed no sign of regression. A shock, either sexual assault, which has been discounted, or some form of intolerable bullying would perhaps result in this sketch. It could have been a cry for help. Would you agree to this, Doctor?"

  "It's possible."

  "Wouldn't you say probable?"

  "I'm not a psychiatrist, I found the sketch disturbing. So much so that I mentioned it to the pathologist. Beyond that, anything I say is conjecture."

  The coroner, aware that what should have been a brisk and sympathetic walk from a to be was taking an awkward and unforeseen turn, asked for more clarification. "Are you trying to say that the boy's state of mind was suddenly unbalanced by something – and that his fall might have been deliberate?"

  Thirza said, "I saw the hatch to the hold this morning. He couldn't have tripped and fallen – the edge of the hatch came too high. The fact that he wore a blindfold is extremely worrying."

  "You're implying suicide?"

  "I'm open-minded. The doctor, on his admission, is worried by the sketch."

  Lessing was on his feet "Dr Preston-I have the greatest regard for your competence as a general practitioner, but on your own admission your knowledge of psychiatry is slight. Wouldn't you say that only an expert witness in the field of psychiatry would be competent to give an opinion?"

  Preston looked at Fleming again "Unfortunately the child's parents didn't call in a psychiatrist during the early years when the symptoms occurred fairly frequently. This last drawing was after a lapse of time during which the boy had no nightmares. Something triggered it."

  Lessing looked at the jury and then at the public in the courtroom. "One of the jurors saw the drawing and laughed – quite honestly, it's a funny picture. The kind of thing a lad might have drawn as a joke. I'm not a psychiatrist – any more than Dr. Preston is a psychiatrist. It didn't strike me, when I saw it just now, as being sinister. Dr. Preston might not have seen it as sinister if the child's father, who was naturally very overwrought, hadn't backed it with lurid tales of long ago…"

  Fleming's anger until now held in control suddenly burst to the surface. "What the hell are you trying to say – that I'm a liar?"

  Thirza said an agonised, "Please!"

  The coroner spoke above her. "Mr. Fleming-Miss Crayshaw is representing you here. There are rules of procedure and I can't allow you to disrupt them. Mr. Lessing's turn of phrase was unfortunate. I'm sure as from now he'll choose his words with more care."

  Lessing. who had made his point shrugged slightly and smiled "All parents here have the greatest sympathy with Mr Fleming Bereavement – especially when it's sudden and shocking – tends to colour our judgment We can't think clearly We see shadows where they don't exist"

  And now, dear Christ, Fleming fumed he's implying I'm mad Thirza's eyes held his in warning and heeding her he remained silent The coroner suggested dryly that Mr Lessing might have a question to put to the doctor Lessing said he had "Did you treat David Fleming professionally at any time, Dr. Preston?"

  "Yes He had mumps recently "

  "Apart from the physical discomfort, did he seem otherwise normal '"

  "Yes "

  "Not obviously depressed or frightened?"

  "During the periods of my visits – no "

  "In retrospect, you weren't in the slightest degree worried about him until his father produced this silly sketch?" He corrected himself with a comical side-glance at the coroner intended to be seen by everyone "I beg your pardon, not the right choice of adjective – let me re-phrase that this disturbing sketch '

  There-was a titter again from the same juror The coroner mentally cursed Lessing for playing it the way he was playing it A child lay dead The child's father was just a few yards away In this sort of situation laughter was obscene The doctor thought the same He answered with ill-concealed animosity, but he answered honestly "I had no reason to feel any concern about his emotional state "

  The coroner, quite patently relieved by the answer, was about to dismiss him when Thirza indicated that she had one more question to ask "Is it true, Doctor, that statistic ally the number of child suicides has risen dramatically in the last few years''"

  The coroner protested before Lessing could "That's a generalisation Miss Crayshaw It isn't relevant "

  As Leasing had earlier she had made her point and was prepared to withdraw gracefully "I'm sorry It seemed relevant to me "

  Dr Preston answered her ' I can't quote statistics You might well be right The Samaritans have received more distress calls from children m recent years "

  The coroner picked up the reins again "We have to deal with facts – not conjecture We know the child fell We know the nature of the injuries which caused his death We don't know his state of mind You produced t
he sketch, Miss Crayshaw, but you haven't explained how it got into Mr Fleming's possession Can you tell us that now?"

  "David gave it to the school matron " Jenny's surname had gone out of her mind "The matron gave it to Mr Fleming "

  The coroner knew that the school matron wasn't on the list of witnesses He could see her at the back of the courtroom sitting with Mrs Brannigan Alison Brannigan looked as grimly composed as if she were listening to a case at the Old Bailey He hadn't met her socially for several months, but she looked years older than she had then The girl at her side didn't look too well either Anything she might have to say about handing over the sketch probably wouldn't affect the verdict either way It was best to let matters lie Now that the medical evidence was over, Brannigan himself was the next witness He spoke the oath quite firmly The fact that he was amongst friends was calming He was careful not to look at Fleming and he was careful, too, not to look at his wife He reminded himself that he mustn't answer the coroner with too much familiarity – he was Bob Breddon on the golf course and at the Rotary Club, but he wasn't Bob Breddon here The jurors were, as Lessing had said, very well known to him, too After a first quick glance at them he hastily looked away There was a strong bias in his favour and Fleming would be blind not to see it The coroner's first question was a gentle leading in "As a headmaster of many years experience, Mr Brannigan, you know the minds of young children rather better than most Would you say that David Fleming had settled happily into the Grange?"

  "I would say so – yes "

  "What is your opinion of the sketch he drew?"

  Brannigan hesitated His honest answer would be to say that it worried him in the extreme But what good would it do? Breddon would ride him with a very easy hand on the reins and the hurdles would be as small as he could make them If he gave the wrong answer now then this hurdle would be one of many that could bring the school down. One could pay too high a price for a clear conscience He had a mental image of Alison and one or two of the older members of staff crawling out from under The child was dead – why hurt them unnecessarily "I was perturbed by it. It could mean a lot or it could mean nothing I didn't dismiss it out of hand, but equally I think it would be foolish to read too much into it In the teaching profession we're fed a somewhat indigestible diet of psychology We tend Jo see the Child Mind m capital letters We even think we understand it Children are very diverse creatures – but for the most part they behave quite logically I believe that if the sketch had been a cry for help it would have been followed by a more practical and understandable spoken plea for help The boy would have gone to one of the •staff and stated his case "

  "And would have been listened to sympathetically?"

  "Of course "

  "Did you – or any member of your staff-notice any change of mood in the boy recently?"

  "No "

  "Why do you suppose he had bandaged his eyes before the fall?" He had been about to say accident but checked himself in time "I don't know "

  "Was he an imaginative child?"

  "Yes He had a flair for visualising scenes He came up with some good ideas tor the school play He could have been acting out a fantasy at the time of the fall ' He caught Lessing's eye Lessing looked pleased The coroner showed no emotion whatsoever but his support was like a strong shorewards current in a treacherous sea Fleming thought, "That's right – heel your conscience into the mud, God damn you A grudging respect that had been growing slowly for Brannigan during the past days was dissipated and became contempt He wished Thirza would stand up and say something and tried to will her into action but she resolutely kept her face away from him The coroner went on quietly "It's an explanation that seems to me quite feasible – but we're still in the realms of conjecture I think we should proceed to examine the facts of the case as we know them As headmaster you sanctioned the visit of the boys to the Maritime Museum?"

  "Yes – the responsibility is mine The boys were working on a shipping project Last year the school produced work on marine biology It's my policy to use the environment of the school as fully as possible "

  "Did you inspect the Maritime Museum before arranging the boys' visit?"

  "Yes It seemed to me no more hazardous than our visits to the beaches and caves of last year There is always some danger"

  "Quite It's the degree of reasonable care that counts in a case of this kind How many boys were put in the care of one teacher?"

  "Eight The boys ranged in age from eight to sixteen Their master, Mr Hammond, is a highly responsible man I had no qualms whatsoever "

  The coroner leaned back in his chair satisfied "Mr. Hammond will be our next witness Before he is called have you anything to ask this witness?" The question was to both Lessing and Thirza Lessing said no Brannigan, so far, was doing extremely well His father-in-law would have been proud of him Thirza said, "Yes When you inspected the Mariana, Mr Brannigan, did you notice that one of the hatches was uncovered?"

  Brannigan's confidence slipped a little He hadn't noticed His inspection had been cursory "It didn't seem dangerous to me at the time "

  "So you did notice it – and took no steps to have it covered "

  Brannigan was silent "You'll agree, Mi Brannigan that it was dangerous Had it been covered David Fleming would be alive now "

  Lessing without any formal request to speak rushed in with, "Not necessarily The accident could have occurred anywhere – off the harbour edge, off a gangplank It could equally have occurred crossing the road You can't wall boys up behind plate glass All living is dangerous The school has always taken every possible care of the boys Its degree of contractual care has always been of the highest "

  The coroner stopped him "We're trying to determine why the child died in that particular way He spoke to Thirza "We know through hindsight that the uncovered hatch was dangerous Do you want Mr Brannigan to answer you, or was your question rhetorical?"

  Thirza said crisply, "I'm sorry if I was pointing out the obvious There was danger A child died "

  "Have you any other question for this witness?"

  "No, sir "

  Brannigan stepped down and Hammond took the stand Brannigan under pressure had become a headmaster with an anaesthetised conscience Now that the pressure was relaxed he felt the blood rushing in He couldn't assess the degree of his own responsibility Now, at this moment, it seemed total The words a child died thrummed through his mind like an unsteady pulse beat Hammond under pressure was a great deal less than calm His hands on the witness box were clenched fists of controlled aggression The coroner handled him carefully "The main function of an enquiry of this kind isn't to apportion blame but to establish facts Tell us in your own words what happened from the time you boarded the Mariana until you became aware of the child's fall "

  The hot afternoon sun shining through the green curtains highlighted the sheen of sweat on Hammond's forehead He looked around(the courtroom and saw Fleming He spoke his evidence, looking at him "I boarded the ship with eight boys The three young ones stayed with me all the time, they were never out of my sight The five older ones – including David Fleming – were given jobs to do in different parts of the freighter. It was understood that they would stay at their posts and get on with the job The ship wasn't a playground My discipline isn't lax David Fleming was to have stayed on the poop deck and sketched the rudder machinery It seemed to me reasonable that he should stay there without my mounting a guard over him My eight-year-olds might conceivably have fooled around the hatch and fallen in I credited a twelve-year-old with more sense "

  Ml

  Fleming half rose in anger and then sat again as the coroner quickly interposed "Just stay with the facts, Mr Hammond and I'd be obliged if you'd look at me as you speak "

  "I beg your pardon "

  "Carry on "

  "During the hour or so before the accident I took the three younger boys to the bridge and supervised them while they did some sketching there During this period I took them to the engine-room Stonley, one of the older
boys, was there and I wanted to see how he was getting on with his work on the engines His was the most complicated task and I felt he needed the help I then returned to the upper deck with the three young lads They wanted to see inside one of the lifeboats and I had just lifted them in when " he looked across at Fleming again and some of the brusque-ness left his voice, "I heard David scream " His armpits were suddenly sour with sweat and he moved uncomfortably. "I didn't know what had happened – or how serious it was I couldn't leave the three young boys in the lifeboat, so I had to get them out before investigating " He looked towards the window "It's damnably airless in here "

  The coroner let his sympathy show "It was a shocking experience! know how painful it is for you to have to go over it again Are you feeling unwell?"

  "No I'm perfectly well It's just a very hot June da) and those curtains don't do much to keep the sun out "

  The coroner nodded to one of the police officers who went and opened the slats If fresh air came in, it wasn't perceptible Fleming thought savagely, Bring on the sal-volatile -• bring him a recliner – cosset him – tell him how good and reliable he is wrap his bleeding conscience in bandage' and send him home He felt a heavy sense of defeat Hammond, on the face of it, was blameless The coroner prompted him "You heard the boy cry out. You got the three small boys out of the lifeboat And then?"

  "Another of the older boys – Masters – was in the captain's cabin which was nearby I told Masters to keep an eye on the young ones while I went to investigate. Masters, himself, hadn't heard anything The only lad who had heard the cry was Durrant He was in the open air, on the fo'c'sle deck He arrived at the hatch fractionally before I did "

  "What was the time lapse between the shout and your arrival on the scene?"

  "A matter of minutes – three – four – perhaps five '

  The coroner addressed Thirza "The evidence about the drawing was largely conjectural At this stage of the inquest we're dealing with facts As Mr Fleming's legal representative I don't want you to feel you're being restricted in any way If you want to confer with Mr Fleming on any point – then please do "