by M A Comley
“So do we. Can you ask Mrs. Laughlin to send Mr. Briggs in next, please? Oh, and here’s my card. Ring me day or night if you remember anything that you think we should know.” Kayli handed her a business card and watched her leave the room. Once Samantha was on the other side of the door, Kayli turned to Dave and said, “Crap, I really would hate to be in her shoes. Poor girl must be going through hell. I didn’t think I’d have much sympathy for her, but my heart went out to her in the end.”
“Yeah, but then, it was her responsibility to keep an eye on the kids.”
“You’re all heart, Davey boy.”
The door opened before Dave could respond. The tall man Kayli had locked gazes with in the staffroom entered and approached them.
“I’m John Briggs, Jamillia’s teacher.” He extended his hand.
Kayli slipped her hand into his. “Ah, yes. Any help you can give this investigation will mean that we can track down the suspects before they kill another child.”
“I realise that, Inspector. I know how these investigations pan out,” he said abruptly.
Another one who sits at home watching the True Crime channel. Suddenly, everyone is an expert in police procedures.
“Then perhaps you can tell us what type of child Jamillia was at school?”
“She was a very happy child, most of the time, very willing to learn. I would actually put her in the top two in the class for aptitude,” his tone softened as he spoke about the child.
“You said ‘most of the time’. Care to enlighten us on what you mean by that?”
“Every child has good days and bad days during their time at school.”
“Are you saying there were some bad days just before she went missing?”
“Yes and no. I’m not one to cast aspersions, Inspector, but sometimes, Jamillia arrived at school in a quiet mood, which usually dissipated during the morning lessons. She loved being at school, interacting with her fellow pupils.”
“Not wishing to cast aspersions, but in saying that, you’re hinting that things weren’t well at home for the little girl. Am I right?”
“Possibly. Maybe you should ask her parents that,” he said, fidgeting in his seat.
“Oh, I will, but first, I want to know if Jamillia ever suggested there was anything wrong at home.”
“She used to say the odd thing now and again.” He looked down at his clenched hands on the desk in front of him.
“Come on, Mr. Briggs. I feel you’re deliberately being evasive. Be open with us... unless you’d rather conduct this interview down at the station.”
He sighed. “She told me once that her father had touched her inappropriately.”
Kayli turned sharply to look at her partner, whose eyes were as round as footballs. Turning back to Briggs, she asked, “Did you report this conversation to Mrs. Laughlin?”
“No.”
“May I ask why?”
“I was in an awkward situation. The child confided in me and also told me not to tell anyone else.”
“Doesn’t this school have some sort of school rule that if a child confides in her teacher, that conversation should be noted down in the school’s records, shouldn’t it?”
He kept quiet for the longest pause. “I’m at fault there. This is the first incident of its kind that I’ve come across. I was put in an impossible position.”
“Have you made the head aware of this conversation since Jamillia’s disappearance?”
“No. It’s been torture knowing that I could have saved that little girl when she reached out to me for help.”
“Yes, I can understand that and really think it was your responsibility to speak out about this. Isn’t that what teachers are supposed to do? Shield the children in their care from the dangers in this life? Or am I overstating things there?”
“You can’t make me feel any guiltier, I assure you. If I could turn back the clock, I would do it in a heartbeat. It’s not me you should be angry with, Inspector—it’s Jamillia’s father who touched her inappropriately.”
“I wasn’t aware that I was showing any anger, Mr. Briggs. I apologise if you feel that was how it was coming across. I’m just baffled that you let this situation fester instead of doing all you could to put a stop to it.”
He remained silent, wringing his hands together as he thought.
“Mr. Briggs?” Kayli prompted.
He shrugged. “What more do you want me to say? I’ve told you what occurred, and yet you’re making out all this is my fault.”
“I apologise, as that was not my intention. All I’m trying to ascertain is why a person in your authority would neglect to tell someone if a sexual abuse case was presented to them. Surely, the investigating officer should have been made aware of this when the child went missing, right?”
“I don’t know. Yes, maybe I’m at fault. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. The second a child utters anything along those lines again, I will go straight to Mrs. Laughlin’s office to inform her.”
“What did Jamillia actually tell you?”
“Just that her father had touched her somewhere he shouldn’t have.”
“I see. If a child said that to me, I would have mentioned it to my superior immediately. Never mind, setting that debacle aside for the time being, leading up to Jamillia’s abduction, did you see anyone hanging around the school who shouldn’t have been here?”
“Not that I can recall. It was a few weeks ago, though.”
“Anything at all? A person, persons, or a white van?”
“No, nothing is coming to mind.”
“How long have you been a teacher at this school, Mr. Briggs?”
He lifted his head, and their eyes met. “I don’t see what that has to do with anything, Inspector.”
“Humour me,” she snapped back.
“I’ve worked here for five years.”
“And before that?”
“I was working as a private tutor. I really don’t see what this has to do with anything.”
“We’re just trying to obtain as much background information about the witnesses as we can. We’re not singling you out for any reason other than that you likely knew Jamillia better than the other teachers. I promise you that.”
“Glad to hear it. I’ve never had a blemish on my career in the past and would appreciate it if that remained the case going forward, Inspector. I hope you’re delving deep into the Watsons’ backgrounds also?”
“We are. Don’t worry about that. Is there anything else you can tell us that you neglected to tell the original investigating officer?”
“There’s no need to take that tone with me. How many more times do I have to tell you how sorry I am that I didn’t speak out? The impact of my silence will live with me for years to come.”
“Just answer the question, Mr. Briggs. There’s no need to keep repeating yourself. It’s my duty as Senior Investigating Officer in charge of a murder enquiry to ask probing questions. That’s how we catch ninety-nine percent of the criminals on our radar. Surely you can understand that?”
“I do,” he mumbled, reluctantly. “I have nothing further to tell you. May I go now?”
“You may. Can you ask the next person to come in and see us, please? Oh, and here’s my card. If you think of anything else I should know about Jamillia, please ring me day or night.”
He snatched the card off the desk and pushed back his chair.
Kayli frowned as she watched him storm out of the room. “Anyone would think I spoke harshly to him, but did I?”
Dave shrugged. “No more than usual. You probed, and he got antsy. His problem, not yours I’d say. He was in the wrong for not highlighting possible abuse. Do you think the father is behind this?”
“I’m not sure. It’s a tough one. Why didn’t Briggs report his conversation with the girl to the head? Too many questions and not enough answers at the moment for my liking, Dave.” Kayli smiled as the door opened and a petite woman wearing half-moon glasses walked towards
them. “And you are?”
“Mrs. Taylor. I’m one of the longest-serving teachers here at the school.”
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Taylor. What can you tell us about the incident involving Jamillia Watson?”
She shook her head and looked sad. “Nothing really, I’m afraid I was off sick the day she was abducted. I was shocked to see the news last night relating to her death. Such a waste. She was such a happy child.”
“We won’t keep you long, in that case. We just need to ask everyone what their perception of the child was. You would have had contact with her during break times, I’m presuming. You say she was happy? All the time?”
“I understand. Yes, we all take it in turns to carry out playground duty. I believe she was one of our happier children. She was every time I saw her anyway, although I didn’t really have much to do with her, only during playground duties.”
“That’s right, Mr. Briggs was her teacher. Do you get on well with him?”
The woman’s brow furrowed. “Yes, very well. Of course, we don’t go out socialising as such. I’m far too busy at home looking after my brood of four to consider doing that kind of thing.”
“Four children? Wow, that’s brave of you, given the career path you’ve chosen.”
She laughed. “Yes, you’re being kind. Most people think I’m just plain stupid when they hear I have four at home as well as looking after a class of twenty-five during the day.”
Kayli chuckled. “I can’t even begin to imagine how daunting that is. Maybe you can tell me if you saw anyone hanging around the school in the weeks leading up to Jamillia’s abduction.”
“No. I don’t believe so. I’m usually vigilant about things like that when I’m involved in playground duties. We all are, generally. I was surprised to hear that Samantha had let her guard down on that day. That was very remiss of her. I know she’s shrouded in guilt now. It must be awful to have a child’s death on your conscience.”
“I can’t even begin to understand how she must be feeling. Is there anything you’d like to add, Mrs. Taylor?”
“I don’t think so. Such a shame I was off at the time. I’m a dive-in-and-ask-questions-later type of person. There’s no way that bitch would have taken Jamillia on my watch. Sorry for my bad language, but these things infuriate me. It’s horrible to think of what the kids go through at the hands of such menaces in society today. Sickening. I don’t know how you guys arrest people like this and don’t stick the boot in.”
Kayli wanted to laugh at the woman’s sudden change from meek and mild into vigilante mode but knew she would upset her. “It’s hard to show some restraint with certain individuals we arrest. That’s for sure.” Kayli handed her a card. “Ring me if anything comes to mind that you might have forgotten to tell me. Thanks for talking to us.”
Mrs. Taylor pushed back her chair. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more assistance. I hope you’re successful in your hunt for this vile creature and Jamillia gets the justice she deserves.”
“Thank you, we hope so too. Can you send in the next teacher please?”
Dave waited until the door shut and then said, “She’s right you know. Most coppers would willingly castrate a kiddie fiddler when the bastards are arrested.”
“I know, but you’re forgetting one vital thing here, Dave.”
“What’s that?” he asked, tilting his head.
“The kiddie fiddler in this case happens to be female.”
“Hmm...you’re right. Although, my guess is that a male accomplice was probably driving the van.”
“Are you being sexist there? Saying that it’s unlikely a woman could have been driving that van?” she teased.
He fidgeted in his chair and glared at her. “Twisting my words again. Shame on you, boss.”
“Just teasing. What I am saying is that we need to stick with the facts and not jump ahead of ourselves. Only a few more teachers to interview.”
The remainder of the school teachers were interviewed. All of them had taught at the school for years and had never experienced anything such as an abduction of a child before. Though they added nothing further, they were furious and disappointed that Samantha had dropped her guard. Kayli issued each woman a card with clear instructions to contact her straight away if anything sprang to mind.
After completing the interviews, Kayli and Dave sought out the headmistress once more.
“We’re all done now,” Dave said. “Samantha said that she’d be willing to work with a sketch artist. Would it be okay if that took place here at the school?”
“May I ask why?”
“She lives in a bedsit and thought it would be a little cramped,” Kayli offered. “If it’s not convenient, I can ask her to come to the station.”
“No, here’s fine, in that case. Did you discover anything of interest during your chats with the staff?”
“Sadly, not much. It’s often difficult to answer questions on the spot. Thank you for allowing us to speak to the staff, though. It truly is much appreciated, Mrs. Laughlin.”
“My pleasure. We all want this person caught, as soon as is humanly possible. Good luck with your endeavours.”
As they walked out to the car, Dave said, “Let’s hope something comes of her dealing with the sketch artist.”
Kayli opened the car door and slid behind the steering wheel. “We’ll get back to the station and see what the others have come up with in our absence. Then I want to shoot over to Kelvin’s place of work and have a word with his boss. In light of what Briggs said, I think we’ll have to start looking more at the family.”
“I’ve got my doubts about that one. He didn’t seem the type to me.”
“Neither to me, but we would be foolish to ignore such an accusation.”
CHAPTER SIX
The house was secluded and in the middle of nowhere—where no one would hear the screams. The gang had gathered. Two men and a woman were sitting around the table in the country kitchen that dated back to the fifties.
“We need to get our act together. The police are closing in on us. You screwed up!” Blackbird sneered at Magpie, the only female member of the gang. They made a point of using only nicknames, in case the kids overheard them.
“Fuck you. Like they’re gonna find us,” she said.
“They will. The police are onto us, I tell you,” Blackbird insisted.
“If that’s the case, we need to do something to distract them,” Swift suggested.
“Yeah, like what?” Magpie asked.
“I haven’t thought about that yet.”
Blackbird scratched the side of his face and stared at the couple in front of him. He was older than the other two, and more and more, he regretted getting involved with them... especially after Jamillia’s death. He’d never had a child die on him before and was disgusted that they’d ruined one of his ‘products’.
Magpie sniggered. “Maybe we should nick another one. That would keep the damn cops on their toes.”
Blackbird shook his head. “Too soon for that. Why the fuck you had to kill her, I’ll never know. What harm was she doing?” His question was aimed at Swift.
“You ain’t in charge here. I can do what I friggin’ well like.”
“At what cost? You need to keep a tight hold on that temper of yours, especially around the kids. You’re right, we need to grab another girl to make up the numbers before the big event. But it’s too risky to go near a school again. All the teachers in the area are going to be on high alert because someone screwed up.”
Swift shoved back his chair and got to his feet. “I don’t have to take this shit from you, man. It happened—get over it.”
“Why did it happen? Because she was black?”
Swift placed his hands on the table and leaned forward until his face was inches from Blackbird’s. “If that’s what you wanna think, who am I to argue with ya? What’s done is done. There’s no point dwelling on it. We need to sort out where we go from here. That’s what this meet
ing is about, ain’t it?”
“It’s about everything. The future, the past and how we’re dealing with the girls now. Have they been fed today?”
Swift flung his hands out to the side and paced the floor. “What the fuck do you take me for? Yeah, they were fed first thing.”
Blackbird glanced at his watch and shook his head. “Jesus, man. It’s almost six now.”
“So? Hey, I didn’t sign up to this to play nanny to the kids. You guys have gotta pitch in too.”
Magpie stood in front of him. “You knew we were both busy. You’re the only one out of work.”
“Rub it in, why don’t ya? Okay, let me take over your job, and you stay here and look after the sprogs instead.”
“It ain’t gonna happen. It is what it is. It’s only going to be for a few more weeks. Just think of what the compensation will be at the end of it.”
“It better be worth it. You know I can’t be arsed with kids.”
“That much is obvious if you haven’t fed them. They need three meals a day. You get three meals, don’t you?” Blackbird tackled him. “You want them getting sick on us? They’ll be worth jack shit if that happens.”
“Piss off. I eat when I’m hungry.”
“Yeah, but you’ve got the option. We agreed they should be fed breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
“You do it then. I’ve had it up to here!” Swift jabbed his hand high above his head.
Blackbird withdrew his wallet from his back pocket and threw a twenty-pound note on the table. “Go to the chippy and get five portions of chips.”
“What? There’s only three of them down there.”
“Extra, in case they’re hungry. Stop arguing and just do it.”
Swift snatched the money and the keys to the van off the table and stormed out of the cottage.
Blackbird glared at Magpie. “He’s losing it. You need to have a word. I’m not going to put up with this shit much longer. He either wants the dosh at the end, or tell him to take a hike now.”
“I’ll have a word later. He’s going out of his mind being stuck around here by himself all day.”
“Yeah, we all have our crosses to bear. It’s for two weeks, maximum. Surely he can put up with this situation for that long?”