by M A Comley
Sally turned to face Jack, raised an eyebrow, and motioned for him to take notes. “Sandra Ball?”
Lisa nodded.
“What kind of issues are we talking about?”
“I’m only saying this for Aisha’s sake. The last thing I want is for Sandra to get into trouble.”
“I can’t guarantee that. Please tell us what their relationship was like?”
“Well, before Aisha arrived at the school, Sandra used to be the type of person everyone went to for advice about a pupil or if they wanted to go down a certain route teaching a child. She enjoyed giving that advice, saw herself as a deputy head of the department, I suppose.”
“And that status changed when Aisha began working at the school?”
“Yes. Aisha was a wonderful, caring person, unlike Sandra. She’s... well, I guess the term I would use is officious. You know the type.”
Sally nodded. “I do, indeed. Go on.”
“The children used to be drawn to Aisha like a magnet. They looked forward to attending her classes because they always learnt something new and knew that Aisha would have the patience to explain their faults without screaming at them, unlike...” She motioned with her head towards the door.
“I completely understand. Thinking back to when I was at school, it was the gentle, caring teachers who got the most out of me. So that pissed... sorry, ticked Sandra Ball off?”
“Completely. In the staff canteen, I’d often see her glaring at Aisha. I swear she didn’t deserve that. You truly couldn’t wish to meet a nicer person.”
“Well, someone had a grudge against Aisha, because they set out to kill her.”
Lisa gasped, and her hand covered her mouth for a moment before it dropped into her lap again. “So it wasn’t a burglary gone wrong, like the investigating officer back then insinuated?”
“No, the new evidence has totally put that line of enquiry to bed.”
“Goodness me, why on earth would someone intentionally target a beautiful, talented person like Aisha?”
“At this point, we really have no idea.”
“After all I’ve told you about Sandra, I really don’t think she would be capable of killing anyone.”
“It depends what buttons were pressed by Aisha. Did they have any particular argument that sticks in your mind?”
“Let me think... one time really stands out. Sandra confronted Aisha about taking one of the more talented students away from her. It was daft really; the student wanted extra piano training, and Sandra couldn’t squeeze her into her busy schedule. As the student was entering a regional competition, Aisha bent over backwards, adjusted her schedule to suit the student. As you can imagine, Sandra was livid because she thought it showed that she didn’t care as much as Aisha. Which was true, by the way. Sandra hated the way all the talented students were drawn to Aisha and not to her.”
“That must have stuck in Sandra’s throat. Can you tell me what her mood was like back then compared to now?”
“She’s far more relaxed now that Aish... well, now that Aisha is no longer with us. It all came across as rather childish to me, but because Sandra had been here the longest, nothing was done about it.”
“Are you telling me that the head of the department was aware of the conflict?”
“Oh yes, everyone in the bloody school was aware of it, even the pupils.”
“Do you think the pupils initiated anything intentionally? Tried to play one off against the other?”
“Would kids be capable of doing that, Inspector?”
“I don’t know really. Isn’t it what they do with their parents all the time?”
“I’ve never thought about it that way. I suppose some of them might possibly be guilty of that, but I couldn’t name any names.”
“No, that’s fine. Perhaps you can tell me a little about Sandra’s background. Is she married, for instance?”
“Yes, at least she used to be. She divorced her husband around five years ago.”
“Do you know why the marriage failed?”
“I think he went off with his secretary. That was the rumour I heard. Maybe you should ask her that.”
“I will, thank you. And you say that she’s a much calmer person around here nowadays?”
“Yes. Maybe ditching the husband has more to do with that than Aisha not being at the school now.”
“Maybe. We’ll see what she says.”
“What about the parents of these talented children? Could one of them have had a grievance with Aisha that might have spiralled out of control at any time?”
Lisa thought over the question again and clicked her fingers. “I seem to recall one tiny incident which occurred after school one day.”
Sally sat forward to the edge of her seat. “I’m listening.”
“One of the mothers arrived to pick up her son. He’d forgotten to tell her that Aisha was giving him extra piano instruction that evening. She marched through the corridors and burst into the music room. I was in the room at the time; she didn’t see me initially. She stormed up to Aisha, who was sitting next to her son on the piano stool, and slapped her hard around the face. I stepped forward and stood between Aisha and the woman before anything further could take place.”
“That’s strange. Why did the woman slap Aisha?”
“She screamed that Aisha was grooming her son. Nothing, nothing could have been further from the truth. Aisha, never ever laid a hand on any of the children at this school. She wasn’t the type, for God’s sake.”
“Can you remember the woman’s name?”
“I’m hardly likely to forget it. Mrs. Dawn Ward.”
“Would you be able to supply us with her address?”
“I think so. I’ll go and look in the secretary’s office at the files from back then after I’m finished here.”
“Wonderful. Going back to the incident, can you tell me how Aisha reacted to the assault? Did she complain to the headmaster or mistress or file an assault charge at the police station?”
Lisa’s brow furrowed as she thought. “I know I called a halt to the tuition that day and escorted the woman and her child off the premises. When I returned, Aisha was sobbing her heart out. We both ended up in tears. Our role as teachers is to nurture our students, not bloody abuse them. What Mrs. Ward’s logic was behind the accusation is beyond me. She said nothing when I walked her out to her car. Mind you, she probably saw how livid I was so thought it would be best to keep quiet.”
“Do you know if Aisha told her husband?”
“She didn’t say anything to me. After that day, Aisha never mentioned the vile incident again.”
“Did anything else happen after that day?”
“I know what you’re getting at, and yes, Aisha changed. She stopped tutoring the students after school, said if she wasn’t being appreciated, then why should she put herself out. It wasn’t as if she got paid for it. She did it because she felt proud of seeing the students flourish.”
“Can you remember how long after the incident occurred that Aisha lost her life?”
“It was only a matter of a few weeks, I believe.” Tears welled up in her bright-green eyes.
“That’s very sad. Would you say that Aisha became withdrawn?”
“I suppose you could put it that way. Although the day she died, a group of us had arranged to go out for a meal and to see a show. That invitation had pulled her out of the doldrums, and she seemed like her old self once more. We were devastated when she didn’t turn up that evening. I dropped by the house later on, and that’s when Patrick told me what had gone on. I was in shock for weeks. She had such a beautiful soul, and all the people around her tried to damage her in one way or another.”
“By that you mean Sandra, Mrs. Ward and Aisha’s parents? What about the husband?”
“No. Patrick loved his wife; any idiot could see that. They were meant to be together. Soulmates. It proves it because he’s never moved on, as far as I know. He’s a good-looking man. Dozens
of women out there would feel honoured to be in his life. He just can’t get over Aisha.”
“And you know that for a fact? You’ve spoken to him since her death?”
“Yes, he confided in me a few times after the funeral. I gave him my number and told him that if he ever needed to chat to ring me, night or day. Derek didn’t mind at the beginning, but once Patrick rang at midnight. We were in bed asleep, and my husband answered the phone and shouted at Patrick to leave us alone. I was furious with Derek. He had no right to speak to him like that. I tried to ring Patrick to apologise the next day, but he refused to accept my call. I rang a few times. The last time, his partner answered his mobile and told me to ‘back off’ and that ‘Patrick didn’t need me hanging around reminding him of what he’d lost’. So that’s what I did: backed off and never made contact with him again.”
“I’m sorry that happened. Patrick seems to have come to terms with his wife’s death over the years. Maybe he threw himself into his job more to avoid having a social life and getting involved with anyone else.”
“Maybe. It’s a shame, though. I would have preferred to have stayed in contact with him, offering my support.”
Sally glanced at her watch and sighed. “Time’s marching on. Is there anything else you think we should know?”
“I think we’ve covered everything. I hope I haven’t got anyone into trouble.”
“You haven’t. If you can get me Mrs. Ward’s address and send Sandra in for a chat on your way out, I’d appreciate it.”
Sally watched Lisa walk out of the room. “All very interesting, eh, Jack?”
“The suspect list is certainly growing, boss. The question is: are any of them likely killers?”
“Yeah, all these interviews are making our job harder instead of easier, that’s for sure. Let’s see what Sandra has to say for herself.”
The woman flounced into the room, plonked herself into the chair opposite, and folded her arms before Jack could reply.
“Hello again, Sandra. Sorry to keep you waiting so long.”
“I hope this won’t take an eternity. Some of us have a home to go to and a life to lead, Inspector.” Sandra glared at Sally, and the corner of her eye twitched in what appeared to be anger.
The hair on the back of Sally’s neck stood on end, the way it always did when she either didn’t trust someone or took an instant dislike to a person. She wasn’t sure which category Sandra belonged in yet. “We’ll try not to take up too much of your time, I promise. Perhaps you can tell us what your relationship with Aisha Thomas was like?”
“Relationship? Do you mean friendship?”
“I stand corrected—your friendship.” Sally was seething, saw the correction as a time-wasting exercise by the woman. Lisa was right. The woman did come across as being too damn officious.
“Let’s say that we tolerated each other.”
“Tolerated? In other words, you disliked her. That’s what I perceive the word to mean. Why, when everyone else seemed to get on with her?”
“There are some people in this life that no matter how hard you try, you still can’t make friends with them.”
“Is that how things panned out with you and Aisha?”
“Yes, I suppose so. I tried on several occasions to have a conversation with the woman, but she turned her nose up at me and said that she wasn’t at school to make friends with people. Huh! That wasn’t the case with the rest of the staff. She seemed on good terms with all of them.”
“So you felt left out. Is that right?”
Sandra’s eyes drifted down to the desk in between them as she unfolded her arms and placed her hands in her lap. “Maybe. Wouldn’t you? If all your colleagues excluded you from their banter in the staffroom?”
“I’ve never found myself in that position, so I really couldn’t say. Did you try and heal the rift between you?”
“On more than one occasion, but she ignored me. Over time, I learnt to accept we were never going to be good friends and went on with my life.”
“That must have been hard to deal with. Did your colleagues empathise with you?”
Sandra’s head rose. She looked Sally in the eye and nodded. “Some did. Some chose to be on her side.”
“They took sides? Are you kidding me? I know this is a school, but surely what you’re describing is playground behaviour.”
“Call it what you like. I’ve never fallen out with any of my other colleagues over the years.”
“So why Aisha? Because of her colour?”
Sandra’s eyes bulged. “Definitely not. How dare you call me a racist—how bloody dare you?”
Sally turned to Jack. “Did I mention the word racist?”
“No, boss, you merely asked a question if the woman’s colour had anything to do with Ms. Ball’s reluctance to get along with Aisha at school.”
Sally supressed the laugh tickling her throat. She was glad to see that Jack was paying attention to her line of questioning. “That’s right. I believe you twisted my words, Sandra. Please answer my question.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s how it came across to me. It had nothing to do with her skin colour. It was more about a personality clash. It’s not unheard of, you know, in a workplace.”
“I’m aware of that, thank you. From what we can gather, Aisha was a caring and kind person. Can you tell me what traits you saw in her that warranted the way you treated her?”
“Treated her? I didn’t treat her any differently to the other members of staff here. We simply didn’t get on.”
Sally sighed heavily. “I’m trying to ascertain the reason why you didn’t get on. You’re the one who wishes to get home quickly, Ms. Ball. I suggest you stop dancing around the issue and be honest with me.”
“I have been honest with you. I’ve said it was a clash of personalities. Why do you insist on going over the same questions?”
“I wasn’t aware that I’ve been repeating myself. All I want to know is why you didn’t get along with Aisha and yet everyone else did.”
Sandra inhaled a deep breath and folded her arms once again. “The day she stepped through the main entrance, she took over. The music department was doing very well before she came along.”
“Ah, so you were jealous of her. Is that what this was all about? Because the students preferred her type of tutoring to yours?”
“Not at all. Every teacher is different.”
“Yes, but according to what we’ve heard already, you were like the deputy head of the department and got shoved down the pecking order not only by the staff, but by the students also. Is that right?”
“No, and you wait, I’ll give that Lisa a piece of my mind for leading you down the wrong path.”
Sally leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. “Then why don’t you tell us in your own words what type of ‘friendship’ you and Aisha had.”
Sandra inhaled a large breath, and her eyes narrowed in annoyance. “I really can’t see what this has to do with anything. However, I’m willing to tell you so that I can get home this evening.”
“Very wise. It’ll save us calling you in to have an interview at the station,” Sally said with a taut grin.
“Okay, it’s sort of true. Aisha and I didn’t always see eye to eye over how she carried out her tuition, but there are plenty of other teachers in this school I don’t see eye to eye with, too. I doubt I’m the only teacher in that situation, either.”
“But why didn’t you agree with her teaching methods, especially if the children were keen on her teaching them?”
“I have a strict way of doing things to get the best out of the children. Let’s just say that Aisha’s way was more relaxed.”
“And you came down heavy on her for that?”
“I didn’t ‘come down heavy on her’. I simply didn’t agree with it.”
“Why? Because the pupils preferred her teaching method to yours?”
Sandra glared at Sally. “I wouldn’t say that at all. I had just as
many pupils requesting my help as she did.”
“Really? Maybe we’ll clarify that with the head of the department when we speak to her after you.”
She shrugged. “Do what you like.”
Sally sat forward. “Why the attitude, Sandra? All I’m trying to find out is how Aisha fit in around here.”
“I don’t have an attitude. I’m annoyed that Lisa has sullied my name. I tried to get on with Aisha for months. She was never willing to meet me halfway.”
“Why should she? Is it obligatory that everyone should get on around here? In every workplace—because I know damn well that I don’t get on with all my work colleagues—it doesn’t hamper the way we go about our jobs, though.”
“If teachers don’t get on, then the pupils pick up on any tension flying around and can use it against us.”
“Is that what happened? Wouldn’t your pupils stick to attending your classes and Aisha’s stick with hers? Isn’t that how it works? Or do you teach the pupils in different subjects? Sorry if I sound confused.”
“No, you’re right. The pupils were taught by either one of us, not both of us. I meant that kids talk in the playground. They can be very poisonous in nature, too.”
Sally’s head tilted, and frowning, she turned to Jack. “Am I missing something here?”
His mouth turned down at the sides, and he shook his head. “If you’re missing it, then so am I, boss.”
Sally turned back to the fidgeting Sandra. “Would you care to elaborate on that?”
“Why do I have to spell everything out to you? Kids talk, that’s all I’m saying.”
“I appreciate that, but unless they are given ammunition in the first place, why do you think you and Aisha were the talk of the playground? That’s what’s confusing me.”
Sandra sighed and swept back a clump of her straight brunette hair. “Maybe a few of them overheard Aisha and me chatting one day.”
“Chatting or arguing?”
“All right, having a disagreement, if you will.”
“What about?”
“Her teaching methods. She was too soft with the kids.”
“I’ve heard she was a devoted, very talented teacher who got the best out of her kids. Is that wrong?”