‘Can you tell us what he was like?’ Kim asked, gently, giving Joanna a moment to collect herself.
‘Very pleasant lad. Well-mannered. Keen to learn. Not that keen to be called upon. He was intelligent and—’
‘Did he have any enemies that you know of?’ Kim asked, feeling ridiculous that she was asking that about a fourteen-year-old boy.
Joanna shook her head as she turned towards them. ‘Not that I know of. I never saw any particular issue with anyone, and why would you even ask that?’
‘We have to,’ Kim said, realising that word of his murder had not yet reached her.
‘What I’m surprised about is that he didn’t have his pen. Shaun was well aware of his condition, as were we all, and he managed it excellently, only ever eating the foods prepared for him or sent in by his parents and checked—’
‘Joanna, it wasn’t an accident,’ Kim said.
‘Wh-what?’ she asked, dropping to the chair.
‘It was deliberate. We know that it wasn’t accidental.’
‘You’re sure?’ she asked, clearly praying for some kind of mistake.
Kim decided to spare Joanna the details of the nuts being forced into his system.
‘We’re sure,’ she said and left it at that.
Joanna shook her head as though unable to accept the facts.
‘First Sadie and now Shaun. It’s just not—’
‘Was there any tie to Sadie at all?’ Kim asked.
Joanna shook her head. ‘Not that I know of.’
‘What do you know about these secret clubs, the cards?’ Kim asked.
After Anthony Coffee-Todd’s admission that his son had been a Spade she had to consider there was some kind of link, even though Sadie’s only tie to the groups was her sister. A quick call to Dawson had confirmed that he was following that lead right now.
‘I know that Thorpe, sorry, Principal Thorpe hates them and has tried his best to stamp them out but…’
‘You don’t agree with him?’ Kim asked, surprised. ‘You approve of these clubs?’
‘Not even for a minute,’ she replied, quickly. ‘But trying to ban them has just sent them underground. It was once a badge of pride, worn by everyone involved, and so you knew who they were, kids, teachers, parents but now they have to hide.’
‘Shaun was a member,’ Kim said.
Joanna smiled sadly. ‘Exactly my point. I would never have known.’
‘So, was he a sociable kid?’ Kim asked, recalling how withdrawn Sadie had been.
Joanna frowned. ‘Not so much one of the popular crowd. He was one of those kids that existed somewhere in the middle. Not with the cool kids but not unpopular either.’
‘One of the invisibles?’ Bryant asked.
‘Probably,’ Joanna agreed. ‘He got a bit of good-natured ribbing about being late to lessons but he—’
‘Late to your lessons?’ Kim asked.
‘Sometimes,’ she said, with a fond smile. ‘My understanding is that he used to hang back in the showers until most of the other boys were done.’
Kim frowned. ‘He comes to you after gym on…’
‘Monday morning and Wednesday afternoon.’
‘And was he late yesterday?’ Kim asked.
Joanna nodded.
‘So, what did you do?’
‘Sent Christian off to get him.’
Kim felt a seed of dread form in her stomach.
‘You sent one of the other children to hurry him up?’
Joanna nodded and frowned. ‘Of course, bloody hell, I’ve already been through this once with Thorpe and Steele,’ she said, exasperated at having to repeat herself.
‘And what did—’
‘Christian Fellows,’ Joanna offered.
‘What did Christian say when he returned?’
Joanna thought for a moment and then tipped her head. ‘He didn’t return. Not before all the noise sounded in the corridor when Shaun had been discovered.’
Kim felt the dread turn into a wave. ‘So, we don’t know if Christian actually saw something when he went to chivvy up Shaun?’
Joanna shook her head. ‘I certainly haven’t asked him. To my knowledge Shaun had accidentally ingested a nut product.’
Kim glanced at Bryant. The alarm was reflected on his face as they both realised what they’d just learned.
Christian and Shaun had been out of the classroom at the same time. There were two possibilities. Either Christian had murdered Shaun or, if not, he might have seen who had.
Whichever scenario was accurate they needed to speak to the boy right now.
Forty-Nine
Christian Fellows now understood that he had never felt real fear in his thirteen years.
Not when he’d climbed the ancient elm tree in the garden and realised that he didn’t like heights. Or when he’d fallen and broken his left arm. Not even when his parents had sat him down for the ‘chat’ five years ago when he was eight years old. They had talked to him of not getting along, of separate houses and they would both still love him whether they were together or not. He now knew that had not been fear.
This was fear running around his body as though it was attached to his blood cells.
Because right now he was on his own.
He had made sure he’d been amongst people since he’d been sent to find Shaun the previous day.
He had heard Shaun’s cries for help, had seen him crawling across the floor, with a scarf covering his eyes, fighting for breath. He’d known that his classmate was dying, and he’d also known someone else was in the room.
He hadn’t seen the person. He didn’t know who it was. But the person didn’t know that. He wanted to put a sign on both his back and front stating ‘I didn’t see you’ so that whoever it was knew they were in no danger from him. He couldn’t tell anyone, in case he was telling the person who had done it.
He still didn’t understand why anyone would want to hurt Shaun. Shaun didn’t upset anyone. He wasn’t the worst at anything or even the best. He was just Shaun.
From the moment he’d run away and hid in the library, trying to form his thoughts, trying to get his own breathing under control, he’d made sure that he was with someone every single minute.
All day he’d attached himself to any group so that whoever had hurt Shaun couldn’t get to him.
But he was alone now.
Mrs Atkinson had instructed him to leave the biology lesson and report to the headmaster’s office.
The hallways were deserted.
One more corridor to go and he’d be outside Mrs Lawson’s office and he’d feel safe again. Just down three stairs and then past the janitor’s room. Just ten more steps and he’d be safe.
He didn’t know why the headmaster wanted to see him. Did he know his secret? Did he know he’d seen Shaun and he’d done nothing but run away in fear? The heat of his shame flushed his cheeks.
If only Miss Wade had sent someone else. Maybe they’d have known what to do. Maybe they wouldn’t have run away, terrified. Maybe Shaun would still be alive.
Please just let me get to the office, he prayed, as a hand grabbed the back of his neck.
Fifty
Kim stepped into the gym hall to either prove or disprove the fear that was growing within her after speaking to Joanna Wade. The room was empty except for an athletic male dragging blue plastic mats to a pile at the side of the room. A pommel horse was the only item of equipment left to move. A line of blue tape was stretched across the doorway to the locker rooms where forensics were searching for clues to help them identify Shaun’s killer.
His face formed an instant frown at the intrusion of strangers into his work area. It faded as he realised who they were.
‘Police officers?’ he said, to make sure.
Both she and Bryant reached into their pockets for their identification.
He raised his hand. ‘It’s fine. I believe you. If you want to talk to my boys they’ve been sent to the pool block to shower.’
Kim said nothing. It took him two seconds to realise she was waiting for him to introduce himself.
‘Philip Havers, sports coach, PE teacher and general fitness expert,’ he said, offering his hand.
Bryant took it and shook it.
‘You found Shaun?’ she asked.
‘Yes, but not quickly enough to save his life,’ he said, swallowing and looking away.