Kate thanked Hardy and made her way to the tent, her mind whirring with ideas as she disposed of the coveralls.
‘There’s a Mrs Kilpatrick in her office inside the school,’ the officer in the tent advised, as Kate was leaving. ‘She’s asked to speak to you urgently.’
Kate thanked him for the message, hurried across the playground and re-entered the school building. Mrs Kilpatrick was unlocking her office door as Kate arrived in the corridor. ‘Mrs Kilpatrick,’ Kate called out. ‘How can I be of assistance?’
Mrs Kilpatrick didn’t respond but ushered Kate into her office. ‘I’m sorry to call you away, but I thought you should know that Mr Watkins is here.’
Kate recognised the name, but couldn’t place why.
‘Our groundsman,’ Mrs Kilpatrick confirmed. ‘He was arriving at the same time as I was, so I verified his identity with the officer at the gate. He said it was okay for us to be here, so long as we stayed clear of the sports hall area. I remembered you saying last night that you wanted to speak with him, so I asked him to wait in one of the classrooms down the hall.’
‘Thank you,’ Kate said. ‘Incidentally, what are you doing here on a Saturday?’
‘I’m often here on a Saturday. Today I have a meeting with one of the school governors to discuss fundraising. But I also thought you or your team may need me on site to answer any other questions.’
‘You’re okay to be here,’ Kate confirmed, ‘but you must not leave the confines of the main building. Is that understood?’
‘Of course,’ she said. ‘Out of curiosity, do you know how long your team will be on site? I mean, do we need to think about closing the school for the immediate future?’
Kate wanted to say yes, but knew it wouldn’t be as easy to order the school be closed until the crime scene had been fully processed. That was a conversation she would need to have with the supe at the earliest opportunity. ‘I’ll let you know.’
‘The thing is,’ Mrs Kilpatrick pressed, ‘we’ll have to notify parents, who may need to make arrangements for their kids for any days we’re closed, and—’
‘I’ll let you know,’ Kate repeated, as gently as she could, understanding the implications of such a decision, but not prepared to make promises she couldn’t keep. ‘Which classroom did you say the groundsman is in?’
‘Before you speak to him,’ Mrs Kilpatrick paused and looked off, as if searching for the right words, ‘there’s something you need to understand. Neil is… how can I put it…? Neil is a wonderful gardener – don’t get me wrong – and I’m proud to have him working here, but… Neil is someone with whom you need to tread carefully.’
Kate’s interest piqued. ‘In what way, sorry?’
‘He’s a great guy, and he does an incredible job with our gardens here, but… he can struggle with communication sometimes; use the wrong word or his behaviour can come across as immature for a man of his age. He’s perfectly harmless, but I wouldn’t want you to misinterpret his behaviour.’
‘Are you saying he has a disability?’
Mrs Kilpatrick screwed up her face. ‘Not exactly, but… you’ll see what I mean when you meet him. He can be wary of strangers, so don’t be surprised if he seems withdrawn; it’s nothing personal. He knows me, so I’ll introduce you, so he understands you’re not a threat. He’s vulnerable, and we, at the school feel very protective of him.’
‘Protective from what?’
Mrs Kilpatrick rolled her eyes. ‘Adolescent children can be quite cruel. We’ve had incidents in the past of a couple of boys taking advantage of him.’
‘Advantage?’
‘Oh, I really shouldn’t be telling you this, as it’ll give you the wrong idea about him. A couple of years ago, two of the Year Eleven boys duped him into buying alcohol for them. They told him they were going to a party and really wanted him to come along because he was so cool, or something; anyway they stipulated that they could only get him into the party if he bought a case of beer for them, and for whatever reason he went along with it and bought the booze.’ She sighed at the memory. ‘The boys’ parents complained to the school when their children were ill over the weekend, and we had to investigate what had happened.’
‘You allowed him to keep his job, even though it’s illegal to buy alcohol for under eighteens?’
Mrs Kilpatrick nodded vigorously. ‘I know, I know, but the two boys came clean and admitted what they had done. He was given a written warning and we’ve subsequently made efforts to keep him away from the children.’
‘How do you do that?’
‘During the week, he doesn’t arrive until the children are in lessons, and is gone before they finish for the day. He works Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. I’ve made him sound horrid, haven’t I? I’m sorry, I just didn’t want you to jump to the wrong conclusions.’
‘He was here Thursday and Friday this week?’
‘Yes, I think so.’
‘Then at the very least he may have seen or heard something that could prove beneficial. Can you take me to him?’
Mrs Kilpatrick frowned, before nodding, and slowly standing.
10
Neil Watkins was wearing a blue and green woollen lumberjack coat, a fur hat with the ear flaps pulled down, and had squashed himself into one of the Year Seven children’s chairs at the back of the classroom. He waved as Kate and the head teacher entered the room.
When he spoke, there was a softness to his tone; he almost sang the words. ‘Hi, Mrs Kilpatrick,’ he gushed. ‘How are you today?’
Kate remained at the door, watching as Mrs Kilpatrick smiled and walked purposefully towards Watkins, keeping her hands by her sides in a non-threatening manner. ‘I’m very well, Neil. And, how are you?’
‘Cold.’ He suddenly scowled, curling his lips down to show his disapproval.
‘Yes, it is rather chilly this morning, isn’t it?’ Mrs Kilpatrick continued, perching on the table nearest him, but keeping her voice bright and alert. ‘I see you wrapped up warm, though.’
He rested a hand on the fur hat. ‘This is my hat. Do you like it? My mum got it for me for Christmas. It’s so warm. Do you want to wear it?’ He made to yank the hat from his head.
‘That’s very kind, but there’s no need,’ Mrs Kilpatrick replied, her smile widening. ‘I’m okay for now. You keep the hat.’
He lowered his hand. ‘It keeps my head and ears warm,’ he said proudly.
Mrs Kilpatrick waved Kate over. ‘Neil, can I introduce you to a friend of mine? This is Detective Matthews. Do you know what a detective is?’
Neil looked warily at Kate. ‘Like Sherlock Holmes?’
‘That’s right,’ Mrs Kilpatrick answered. ‘Like Sherlock Holmes. You like those detective stories, don’t you, Neil?’
His eyes returned to the head teacher. ‘Yeah, he’s so smart. He solves all sorts of puzzles. I could be a detective. I’m smart too.’
‘Detective Matthews would like to ask you a few questions. Would that be okay, Neil?’
He shrugged, keeping his eyes on the teacher.
Kate attempted to mirror Mrs Kilpatrick’s reassuring approach. ‘Hi, Neil, do you mind if I sit down too?’
‘Free country,’ he replied, the smile now gone.
Mrs Kilpatrick glanced at her watch, and leaned towards Kate. ‘I’d better go as my guest will be here in a few minutes—’
‘No! You stay!’ Watkins shouted.
Mrs Kilpatrick made eye contact with him again, her tone remaining friendly, but firm. ‘It’s okay, Neil. I told you: Detective Matthews is a friend. She only wants to ask you a few questions; she wants to know if you’ve seen anything strange at the school this week.’
‘Men. Men at school. Men in white. Policeman at the gate asking who I am.’
Mrs Kilpatrick was about to respond, but Kate got in first. ‘The policeman at the gate was a colleague of mine,’ she said, moving closer, and tentatively lowering herself so she was sitting on the edge of the table. ‘And the men in white are colleagues of mine as well. Did you see them working?’
He looked at Kate and nodded.
‘Good,’ she continued. ‘Being a detective, it’s my job to investigate crimes. Can you tell me what your job is, Neil?’
‘I tidy the gardens.’