SILENT NIGHT
Nell Pattison

Copyright

Published by AVON

A Division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

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London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2020

Copyright © Nell Pattison 2020

Cover design by whittakerbookdesign.com © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2020

Cover photograph © Shutterstock.com

Nell Pattison asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780008361785

Ebook Edition © November 2020 ISBN: 9780008361792

Version: 2020-08-26

Dedication

For Stuart

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter 1: Saturday 24th November

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Sixteen hours before the murder

Chapter 6: Sunday 25th November

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Fifteen hours before the murder

Chapter 9: Monday 26th November

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Thirteen hours before the murder

Chapter 12: Tuesday 27th November

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Twelve hours before the murder

Chapter 15: Wednesday 28th November

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Eleven hours before the murder

Chapter 19: Thursday 29th November

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Ten hours before the murder

Chapter 22: Friday 30th November

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Nine hours before the murder

Chapter 25: Saturday 1st December

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Eight hours before the murder

Chapter 28: Sunday 2nd December

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Five hours before the murder

Chapter 31: Monday 3rd December

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Forty-five minutes before the murder

Chapter 34: Tuesday 4th December

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Fifteen minutes before the murder

Chapter 37: Wednesday 5th December

Chapter 38

After

Chapter 39

Chapter 40: Thursday 6th December

Keep Reading …

Acknowledgements

About the Author

By the same author

About the Publisher

Prologue

As he stared at the body on the ground, a snowflake fell on the back of his neck, making him flinch. A moment ago, anger had been boiling in his veins, but now it had frozen into fear. The knife in his hand looked dull in the half-light. It suddenly felt scalding in his palm, and he dropped it. He took a step back, feeling the snow crunch beneath his heel.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a movement. Was there someone in the bushes? What if they’d seen him? He waited for a minute, his breath fogging in front of him, but he saw nothing moving amongst the snow-laden trees surrounding the clearing. Maybe he’d imagined it.

He bent down and felt for a pulse, his fingers trembling as they touched skin, slick with blood. A feeble flutter greeted his fingertips, and he stepped back in shock. The eyelids flickered and the mouth moved slightly, as if the person in front of him was trying to speak, but then the movement faded. Holding his breath, he felt for the pulse again. Nothing. They were gone.

As the realisation hit him that he had just watched someone die, he stood up and stumbled backwards, coming up against a tree trunk. His breath came in short gasps and he looked around feverishly. He couldn’t shake the feeling he’d been seen. Why didn’t they show themselves?

Should he go back to the cabin and pretend he’d never left; that he had been safely asleep with the others? That seemed to be the safest option.

As he turned to leave, he jumped, a hand flying to his mouth. Someone had been in the bushes all along, and now they stepped out onto the path, a look of horror on their face. He had to do something, explain himself, but he couldn’t think through the pressure of the blood pounding in his head. They looked from him to the body, then back again.

What have you done? they signed.

He ran.

Chapter 1
Saturday 24th November

The boy had been missing for at least three hours before I arrived.

Snow had fallen heavily overnight, and it lent an eerie quality to the park surrounding Normanby Hall. I knew it well and I regularly came here in nicer weather; my sister and I would often bring a picnic and sit under the trees in the summer. It looked completely different in the snow. Tree branches sagged under the weight of it, and all sound was muffled as if everything had been covered in a layer of felt. The sun was weak, fighting through the sickly yellow sky. I was sure there would be more snow soon and I worried about getting home later – it had been a precarious drive up here.

Police officers greeted me on my way through the gates and directed me to a part of the car park that had been cleared of snow. It seemed no cars were being allowed in that morning other than those who were there on official business. Once I had found a spot, I pulled on my walking boots and trudged through the courtyard into the main part of the park, where a PC directed me towards the hall, from where the search was being coordinated.

‘Stay close to the tape, please,’ the PC said, indicating a line of blue and white police tape that had been strung up along the path. I didn’t know if it was there to keep footprints to a confined area, or simply to stop anyone getting lost in the woods. With everything covered by a blanket of white it would be easy for me to lose my bearings.

As I approached the huddle of people ahead of me, one familiar figure stepped away from the group and walked towards me. There was no mistaking the broad shoulders and dark skin of Rav Singh, and I felt a little flutter of happiness that he was here too.

‘Paige,’ Singh said, the smile on his face brief in deference to the seriousness of the situation. But there was warmth in his deep brown eyes and I couldn’t help but smile in return.

‘DC Singh,’ I replied, pulling off one of my gloves to shake the hand that was offered. I hadn’t seen him since February, when I had interpreted for the police who were investigating the murder of my sister’s goddaughter, Lexi. It had been a harrowing case that left the Deaf community reeling, and my life had been in danger more than once. That experience had made me reluctant to work with the police ever again, especially after my sister had suffered a life-threatening brain injury when the murderer attacked her, but I’d told myself that this time would be different.

‘It’s DS now,’ he said, turning and leading me back towards the group. ‘I took my exam months ago, but a position only just became available. So, this is my first case since my promotion.’

‘Congratulations,’ I told him, feeling genuinely pleased for him. In my experience he was an excellent detective, compassionate and dedicated.

‘You remember DI Forest,’ he said, nodding at the tall woman in front of us, her dark hair pulled into a severe knot at the nape of her neck, which was covered by a dark blue ski tube. I wondered if he was teasing me; DI Forest and I had locked horns several times when I’d first been asked to interpret for the police. She nodded at me, and I returned the gesture.

‘I’m really pleased you’re here,’ Singh said with a smile, then blushed. ‘I mean because we need you. To interpret. We’ve been working with a member of staff until now,’ he continued, his words coming out in a rush, ‘but he’s not a qualified interpreter.’

‘What happened?’ I asked. Any information they could give me would help when I was interpreting, so I understood the context of the situation and who I would be interpreting for.

‘There’s a group here from Lincoln School for the Deaf,’ Singh replied. ‘Five students and three staff members. They’re staying in one of the cabins in the woods, for the weekend. When they got up at seven thirty this morning, one of the students was missing. The head teacher went out to look for him around eight but hasn’t come back. There’s been no sign of either of them since.’

I checked my watch: 10:45. It seemed strange for the head teacher to be gone for so long without contact.

‘Two people missing? I was only told about the boy,’ I said.

‘Technically we can’t treat the teacher as a missing person yet,’ Forest replied, ‘because he’s only been gone for a few hours, so right now we’re focusing on finding the boy. The staff discovered he was missing when they woke up this morning, but nobody has seen him since half past ten last night.’

I nodded, understanding the seriousness of the situation. A missing deaf teenager would be considered to be at risk, whether he’d disappeared of his own accord or someone had taken him. The communication barrier might make it harder for him to get help in an emergency, and he could be confused and isolated.

‘His name is Leon and he’s fifteen,’ Singh told me. ‘According to the staff, he’s a nice lad and nothing out of the ordinary has happened recently that might precipitate him running away.’

‘What about his family? Are they deaf or hearing?’ I asked, wondering if the police would need me to liaise with them.

Forest shook her head. ‘He’s in care. The five students on the trip are permanent residents at the school. Leon’s mother died when he was eleven, then his father went to prison a year later, so he was taken into the care of the school, which is registered as a children’s home.’

‘As you can see, he’s particularly vulnerable, which is why we’ve brought CID in straight away,’ Singh told me, his face grave.

‘Okay. What do you want me to do?’

‘The staff and students are all waiting in the cabin. We’ve cleared it as a crime scene, so we thought it best to contain them there until you arrived to help us take statements,’ Forest replied. ‘The pastoral support assistant called the deputy head when he realised both Leon and the head were missing, and she told him to call us while she drove up here.’

‘Who’s searching for the boy at the moment?’ I asked.

‘There were some staff from the park, but we’ve asked them to team up with uniformed officers,’ Singh explained. ‘We don’t want anyone getting lost in the woods, so we need people who know the grounds. And I’ve asked them for the CCTV from the gates, but there are several different ways in and out of the park that aren’t covered by cameras.’

‘There’s an awful lot of land to cover,’ Forest said with a frown. ‘There are parts of the park we don’t think have been searched yet, and we have no idea which direction Leon might have gone in. But now you’re here, Paige, we’d better go and see if there’s anything else the school group can tell us.’

The DI strode off through the snow, not waiting to see if we were following. Singh held out his hand to indicate I should go first, and the two of us set off down the path through the woods.

‘No sign of the head teacher where you’ve been searching?’

He shook his head. ‘No. It does seem very strange that he hasn’t turned up yet, but we’re keeping an open mind at the moment.’

We walked in silence through the trees for a few minutes, the sounds of our footsteps eerily muffled by the snow, then Singh stopped short and turned to face me.

‘How are you doing? You know, after …’ His voice tailed off. I knew he was referring to when we’d worked together in February, when my sister and I were both attacked by the person who’d murdered a little girl.

I shrugged. ‘I’m okay. I had a couple of sessions with a counsellor but I wasn’t comfortable talking to her. It’s …’ I shook my head. ‘It doesn’t matter.’

‘No, tell me,’ he said, and I could see genuine concern in his eyes. ‘I’ve been worried about you, not having any sort of debrief afterwards. If you’d been a police officer there would have been support we could put in place. As it was, you were just left, really.’

I scuffed my toe and thought about what to say before I replied. ‘The problem with counselling was that she didn’t just want to go over what happened the night I was attacked, but everything that led up to Lexi dying, and before that. There’s too much in my past that I don’t want to be raking over again. So, I didn’t go back after the second session.’

Singh moved as if about to put a hand on my shoulder, but then let his arm drop back to his side, and I realised how close we were standing to each other. ‘Do you mean about the deaths of your parents?’

I had told him about that back in February. My parents and my younger sister, Anna, were all profoundly deaf, and I grew up as part of the Deaf community. Our dad died suddenly when I was in my first year of a textiles design degree at university, and I dropped out in order to support Mum and to try to get Anna through her exams. Then Mum developed cancer, and all the responsibility fell on me. I became an interpreter to help pay the bills, using the British Sign Language that had been my first language, and somehow never found my way into a different career. But that wasn’t what the counsellor had been trying to delve into. I could have coped with that; I felt like I’d come to terms with the loss of my parents, still being so close to my sister.

‘No. Other stuff,’ I said, running my hand over the trunk of the tree I was standing next to, a dusting of frost clinging to my glove. I could sense that he wanted to ask more, but I wasn’t prepared to talk about it, so we stood in an awkward silence for a moment.

‘How’s work at the moment?’ he eventually asked. ‘Getting plenty of jobs?’

I winced slightly. He’d managed to touch another nerve, but I didn’t feel I could ignore this question.

‘Not really. The agencies have a lot of influence, and it’s difficult working as a freelance interpreter and building up a decent reputation.’ I looked up at him, finally, and gave him a quick smile. ‘Max has been really supportive, though.’

Singh nodded. ‘Max?’ His tone of voice was hard to decipher. ‘Max Barron?’

‘Yeah.’

‘You’re still in touch, then?’ he asked, glancing at me then looking away again, towards the dense line of trees along the side of the path. Singh had met Max at the same time I did, during the investigation into Lexi’s death, because Max was connected to her family.

‘Yeah, we’re …’ I cleared my throat, suddenly feeling embarrassed. ‘We’re seeing each other.’

‘Oh. Well, that’s good,’ Singh said, though his face didn’t match his words.

‘What?’

‘Nothing. I mean … nothing.’

‘Seriously, Rav. What’s wrong?’

He shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I just didn’t think he’d be your type, I suppose.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ I asked with a short laugh, but my stomach was starting to churn with annoyance at his tone.

‘Nothing. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.’

‘You and I don’t exactly know each other very well outside of work,’ I pointed out. ‘I don’t think you’d really know what my type is.’

‘You’re right. Forget I said it.’

He turned and continued walking away from me, and I paused for a moment before I followed him. When we’d worked together before, Rav Singh and I had got on well, and I thought we could have become friends, perhaps even closer than that, but then I didn’t hear from him after the investigation was over. Then again, I hadn’t got in touch either, so I couldn’t really blame him.

We continued in silence for a moment, being careful where we stepped. There was a slushy line of footprints where several people had obviously walked before us, and we stuck to it.

‘So, who are the staff members that were on the trip with these kids?’

‘The head teacher, a support assistant as well as a social worker,’ Singh replied, referring to a notebook he’d pulled out of his pocket. ‘The social worker isn’t technically school staff, but she joined them on the trip. They last saw Leon around half past ten last night, when the kids went to bed. He was sharing a room with two other boys, but they didn’t notice him leaving the room at any point. When they woke up this morning and realised Leon wasn’t in the cabin, they checked his belongings, but his bag had gone.’

He looked up at the branches above us, which were dipping ominously with the weight of the snow on them. ‘It was still snowing when they got up, so any tracks away from the cabin had been covered and they couldn’t tell which way Leon had gone. The head teacher, Steve Wilkinson, went out to look for Leon, but he hasn’t been seen since either, and he’s not answering his phone. The support assistant went out to try and see where he’d gone, but when he couldn’t find them he called the deputy head, and she told him to call the police.’

‘Were there any witnesses?’ I asked, keeping my eyes on the path so I didn’t fall over in the snow.

Singh shook his head. ‘Nobody we’ve found yet, but there’s already an appeal out on social media and there’ll be something on the local news, so if Leon left the grounds, hopefully we’ll find someone who saw him. If he’s still in the park, though, I think it’s unlikely anyone can help. Theirs was the only occupied cabin, and it’s not exactly the sort of day for people to go for an early morning run through the park.’

‘There’s more snow forecast,’ I said, throwing another glance at the heavy sky above us.

‘All the more reason to search as much of the area as we can now,’ Singh replied. ‘If Leon’s out there somewhere and the weather gets worse, it’s going to make our job even harder.’

As we rounded a corner, I could see a wooden cabin ahead of us. I didn’t often come into this part of the park, and looking around me I could see how easy it would be for anyone to lose their bearings without the paths as landmarks.

‘For now, we’ll interview the staff and discuss the best way to take statements from the pupils.’

‘Do all of the students use BSL?’ I asked. Just because they went to a school for the deaf didn’t necessarily mean their first mode of communication was sign language. Some deaf people sign, some speak, and many use a combination of both.

‘As far as I know, yes. The staff member who was interpreting for us before you arrived certainly signed to all four of the students,’ Singh replied. I was pleased he’d paid attention, but he’d probably learnt from last time not to make any assumptions about the deaf students, and that I would ask questions like that.

‘Are the staff hearing or deaf?’

‘The pastoral support assistant and the missing head teacher are both hearing. The social worker is deaf, and so is the deputy head, but we haven’t had much chance to talk to her yet.’

Forest was standing in the doorway of the cabin, and she gestured at us to join her. We walked into a large communal area with some sofas and a log burner, the seats occupied by a couple of uniformed officers, four teenagers and three adults. One of the women was slim with dark hair, sitting very primly on the sofa, whilst the other was dressed in a brightly patterned jumper that looked hand-knitted, her mass of strawberry-blonde curls making her look a little wild. As I looked over at the third staff member, a churning sensation began to build in the pit of my stomach. I must be mistaken. I blinked a couple of times, but the man who was half turned away from me still looked the same. He had the build of someone who used to play rugby but had spent more time in the pub than on the field recently, with dark blond hair cut close to his head. I took a step backwards, out into the freezing air, and took a deep breath. How the hell could it be him?

‘Paige, are you okay?’ Singh appeared next to me and I swallowed deeply. There was no way I could let my emotions show.

‘I’m fine,’ I replied, taking another deep breath and stepping over the threshold again. The man had his back to me, so I thought he probably hadn’t seen me yet. One of the uniformed officers directed the staff members towards us. I clenched my hands into fists and pushed my shoulders back, preparing to come face to face with him. The three of them got up and crossed the room to speak to DI Forest and DS Singh.

Forest introduced the dark-haired woman as Liz Marcek, the deputy head, and the one with all the curls as Sasha Thomas, a social worker, before turning to the man. He needed no introduction, but the detectives didn’t know that. Mike Lowther, my ex-boyfriend, who I had last seen over three years ago in my hospital room.

Chapter 2

‘Hi Paige.’

I didn’t trust myself to speak and just nodded in response. Singh looked between the two of us, confused, but I didn’t fill him in.

‘How are you?’ Mike asked.

‘Er, busy,’ I replied as I turned to Singh. ‘What do you need me to do?’ I signed as I spoke for the benefit of the two women. Liz Marcek, the deputy head, signed a question to the detectives.

What’s happening? They’ve told us to wait here but we haven’t been given any other information. Have you found Leon? Is he okay? And where the hell is Steve?

I interpreted this for Singh and Forest, who glanced over at the students. Some of them were watching us, and I knew they’d be able to see anything I interpreted for the staff.

‘Do you want to speak to everyone together?’ I asked Singh, nodding at the teenagers who were watching our conversation eagerly, and he understood my meaning. Sign language can be easy to ‘overhear’ even from a distance, so he might as well include them in the conversation.

Singh explained that he’d talk to them all together, and the deputy head moved over to where the students were sitting. I could feel Mike’s eyes on me, but I avoided his gaze. If I’d had time to prepare myself for seeing him, perhaps I could have kept my cool and looked at him with dignity, but as it was I didn’t know how to react. He’d always had his own version of events, so his perception of our break-up might be very different from mine.

On the day I last saw him, I had been in hospital for two days, and then by the time I was discharged the following day he was gone from the flat, leaving me not only with scars but also a mountain of debt. Anna wouldn’t let me sink into the pit of despair that lay in front of me, and dragged me back from the brink. She was also the one who helped me find a way to avoid selling the flat, though even now my finances were still in dire straits because of the mess he’d left me in. What was he doing here, working in a school for the deaf? The last job he’d had when I knew him was in a call centre, though he’d lived off my earnings for the last two years of our relationship. He hadn’t been able to sign before we met, had never even met a deaf person until I introduced him to my sister, Anna, and Gemma, my best friend. I couldn’t put my finger on why, but it rankled that he’d taken the skills I’d taught him and used them to get himself a better job when I was the one still struggling financially.

Shaking myself, I focused on the task in hand. I couldn’t let Mike’s presence affect the way I did my job. It would be humiliating if I screwed up just because he was there, watching me.

‘I need you all to pay attention, please,’ Singh said, addressing the group. He paused to give me time to interpret what he’d said, and I was pleased to see how easily we slipped back into a good working partnership.

‘At the moment we don’t know if Leon has left the grounds of the estate or not. We have police officers and park staff out searching, but there are three hundred acres to cover. There are also police officers going into the local area to see if anyone has any information; if anyone saw him walking outside the park or waiting for a bus. I need all of you to think carefully about anything Leon said or did yesterday that was unusual, or different. If any of you can think of where he might have gone, it’s very important that you tell us. We need to make sure Leon is safe. He won’t be in trouble when we find him.’ He looked at Liz Marcek. ‘We’re still trying to get in contact with Steve Wilkinson. The number you’ve given us is going straight to voicemail.’

A couple of the teenagers turned to look at each other, one continued to stare straight at Singh and the other looked at the ground. It had been thirteen years since I’d left school, and it felt like a lot longer, but I tried to put myself in their position. The five of them were all in care, with the residential part of the school acting as a care home year-round for those students who needed it. Foster carers who could use BSL were rare, so the arrangement worked well and ensured consistency for the students. Anna had gone to Lincoln School for the Deaf, so I knew a little about it already, although I had only been to the school a couple of times when I was a teenager, to watch Anna starring in drama performances.

Just because they all lived together didn’t necessarily mean they were friends, but I knew from Anna’s stories it was likely the residents knew each other pretty well. Leon was fifteen, and there could be all sorts of reasons a fifteen-year-old would run away, but until the police discovered why he’d gone it might be harder to figure out where he’d gone. I cast my eyes over the group again, and realised one of the girls was looking at me, her head tilted slightly to one side, one hand fiddling with the pendant around her neck. She was dressed in very drab clothes, dark jeans and a grey jumper that was too big for her, and her mud-brown hair hung limply.

I decided to take the initiative. Have you thought of something? I signed to her.

The girl looked over at the staff members, then shook her head.

Cassie, it’s okay. If you know something, you should tell them, Miss Marcek told her, but the girl shook her head again.

I don’t know where he went, she signed, and I interpreted for the detectives. She looked at me again, something like defiance in her eyes. He’s been looking forward to this trip for weeks.

Forest and Singh had a quick whispered conversation, then asked if they could take the staff aside to speak to them for a few minutes. We went through a doorway off the living area, which led to a small kitchen, leaving the students with the uniformed officers.

‘We need to decide how to proceed from here,’ Singh said. I began to sign his words, at the same time as Mike did.

I turned to him, but still did not look him in the eye. ‘I’m here to interpret, please try not to confuse the situation.’

Singh must have noticed the tension between us because he gave me a look before he spoke. ‘Paige is right. Whilst we appreciate your help earlier, Mr Lowther, we find it best if we use our own interpreter.’

Mike held up his hands. ‘Sorry, it’s just automatic, you know?’ He flashed Singh an apologetic grin, and I felt heat rise up my neck. Swallowing hard, I nodded at Singh to continue.

Why the hell did Steve go on his own? Liz Marcek signed, shaking her head. This is completely unprofessional, he knows the school policy for dealing with an incident like this. When Mike let me know what had happened I thought I’d better come up.

Singh nodded. ‘I understand. I’m sorry to keep you waiting around here, but at the moment I think it’s safest if we keep the children all in one place.’

Can we help with the search? Sasha Thomas, the social worker, asked, her eyes bright with concern.

Forest seemed to consider this for a moment. ‘There’s no reason why you can’t go with a uniformed officer and help,’ she replied. ‘We need all of the help we can get to cover this amount of land. I’ve only got half the number of PCs I’d like for an operation of this size, but they’re all I was allowed.’

One of us will need to stay with the students, Liz Marcek told Sasha.

‘I’ll stay,’ Mike said quickly. ‘Paige and I can catch up while you’re out there searching.’ The smile he aimed at me looked charming, but I wasn’t going to fall for it.

‘No, we’ll leave a PC with you,’ Forest said brusquely. ‘Paige will need to accompany Ms Thomas, if she’s joining the search party.’

I breathed a sigh of relief. Forest had probably said that in order to stop me from putting my feet up while I was being paid to interpret, but I didn’t care what her motives were as long as she didn’t leave me alone with Mike.

Singh led Sasha and me back outside, where he introduced us to a PC.

‘Ryan, I’m adding you to the search party, with Paige and Sasha here.’ Singh pulled a map out of his pocket and handed it over, indicating which part of the estate hadn’t been covered yet. ‘If in doubt, follow your own footprints back here again.’

The uniformed officer nodded and set off away from the cabin, taking us further from the hall and deeper into the woods. Before we turned a corner and lost sight of the cabin I looked back; someone was watching us from the window, but I couldn’t see who it was.

It’s getting darker, I pointed out to Sasha. I think it’s going to snow again.

She shook her head. I told them we shouldn’t have come, with this forecast. But Steve was determined not to cancel. A bit of snow will make it all the more exciting, he said. She rolled her eyes. This is more than just a bit of snow, but he wouldn’t listen, and he’s the head so has the final decision.

Why did you come with them? I asked.

They needed a woman, she replied with a wry smile. None of the female staff could come this weekend, or so they said, so Steve asked me.

PC Ryan was walking slightly ahead of us and glanced back at us occasionally, but as he couldn’t follow the conversation he carried on trudging through the snow in silence. Sasha and I stopped signing for some time, as we looked around us, searching for any sign of Leon or Steve as we went. The trees along the side of the path were thinning out, and the expanse of virgin snow ahead of us was widening.

‘We’ll go as far as that stand of trees, there,’ PC Ryan told me, ‘then loop back around. According to the map we’re getting closer to where the southern end of the estate meets the road, so we’ll go that way to check for potential entrances or exits.’

I signed this for Sasha and she nodded. How do we know he’s even in the park?

‘We don’t,’ the PC replied with a shrug. ‘But we still have to look.’

As we walked, I wondered why this particular part of the park was so open. The area in front of us was completely clear of trees, and it was an almost perfect square. It was only when I spotted a low, snow-covered building on the far side that I realised where we were.

‘Is this the cricket club?’ I asked Ryan, and he frowned, pulling out the map.

‘Er, yes. Yes, it must be,’ he said, his tone of voice not filling me with confidence. I hoped we were going to be able to find our way back to the cabin.

‘In which case, we’re closer to the road than you thought,’ I pointed out, but he didn’t say anything.

‘We should check the pavilion,’ he said. ‘It would be an ideal place to shelter.’

I signed our conversation for Sasha, and she nodded.

That’s a good idea. If he’s still in the park it’d be a good place to hide. Nobody is going to be playing on this pitch for a little while.

The three of us crossed the pitch and approached the small building.

‘Look,’ I said, pointing to where a pane of glass had been broken.

PC Ryan put out an arm. ‘Don’t come any closer,’ he said. ‘There might be evidence and we don’t want to compromise it.’

‘There’s less snow around the door, as if it was pushed open from the inside,’ I pointed out, and Ryan nodded, already on his radio. He explained where we were and what we’d found, so we then had to wait for the detectives to come and find us. Sasha kept shifting from foot to foot and trying to peer through the window, anxious to see if Leon was inside.

After a few minutes had passed, I felt something soft brush my cheek and looked up.

‘It’s snowing again,’ I said, as more fat flakes drifted down.

‘Just what we need,’ Ryan muttered.

Come on, let’s check round the back, I signed to Sasha, who had been pacing restlessly. She nodded her agreement and followed me. Leaving Ryan waiting for Forest, we stomped through the snow and looped round behind the pavilion.

I feel responsible, she told me. I should have realised something was wrong.

Don’t say that, I replied, trying to reassure her. Nobody knows what happened, yet.

I know, but … She stopped and paused. What’s that?

What?

That, over there?

I followed where she was pointing and squinted into the trees. As I moved closer I spotted what looked like a pile of material at the base of one of the trees, half covered in snow.

I don’t know. Stay here, I’ll have a look, I said, pushing my way through the frozen undergrowth. Sasha shook her head and followed me, and we approached together. As we got closer, we saw it wasn’t a pile of material, but a person.

Oh God, is he okay? I asked as we got closer to the man on the ground. He was lying on one side with his back to us. I could see a head of well-styled grey hair, some high-quality outdoors clothing and an expensive pair of walking shoes, one of which had come off and was lying about a metre away. A thin layer of snow covered him, setting off alarm bells in my head.

Sasha reached out to shake him, and the man’s head lolled in a sickening way. As his head tipped to the side I saw a huge gash on the side of his neck, and a vibrant splash of red on the snow to the side of him, spilling out from the wound. It was clear he was dead.

I retched and took a step back. My head was spinning.

Who is it? I asked, though I was sure I already knew the answer.

Steve Wilkinson, Sasha replied, her face pale. The head teacher.

Chapter 3

It took nearly an hour for the forensics team to arrive from Scunthorpe, with the snow coming down thick and fast by the time they arrived. Sasha and I were back in the cabin with the rest of the school group when Singh came in looking like he’d just returned from an expedition to the North Pole. Forest had informed Mike and Liz that Steve was dead and it didn’t look like an accident, but they hadn’t told the students yet. They knew something was wrong and kept asking questions, so the tension in the atmosphere was almost unbearable.

Singh beckoned to the staff and we all gathered in the kitchen once again.

‘There’s no sign of Leon, but it looks like someone has been in the pavilion today. The forensics officers are collecting evidence at the moment.’

What happened to Steve? Liz asked. I can’t believe this is happening.

‘I can’t answer that question right now,’ Singh replied. ‘We’ll need to wait for a post-mortem.’

Do you think Leon is dead as well? Did someone attack them both?

‘I’m sorry,’ he said, shaking his head gently. ‘I really don’t know, but you need to trust us to do our jobs. I promise you we’ll do our best to find out what happened.’

He looked back into the room where the four students were huddled together on a sofa, signing to each other.

‘I see no point in you and the students staying here now,’ he told Liz. ‘The roads have been gritted, and were cleared this morning, but I don’t want you to be here any longer than necessary and risk getting stuck. We’ll need to speak to each of the students tomorrow to see if they have any idea what might have happened, and when they last saw Leon and Steve. I think it’s best if we come to you at the school rather than asking you to bring them to a police station.’

Liz Marcek nodded. I think that’s a good idea. I can sit in on the interviews as an appropriate adult.

Sasha frowned and turned to her. As the children’s social worker, I think it would be more suitable for me to be with them.

For a moment I thought the deputy head was going to argue, but she inclined her head.

Of course, she signed.

‘I’d appreciate that, thank you. Now, could you ask the students to collect their belongings and we’ll escort you all back through the park to your minibus.’

What about Steve’s belongings? Sasha asked. His bag and everything are still here.

‘I can pack them up,’ Mike said. There was an eagerness in his eyes that I remembered well, and I wondered if Steve had any valuables that might somehow end up in Mike’s possession, but Singh shook his head.

‘No, thank you, the forensics team will want to take those. That’s another reason it’s a good idea to get the students out of the cabin as soon as possible.’

Of course. I’m reluctant to leave without all of the students we brought, though. Liz looked at Mike and Sasha. Could one of you stay here in case Leon turns up, then get a taxi back to school? You can put it on the school account. I’ll drive the minibus, and come back for my car tomorrow. I would feel more comfortable knowing one of us was still here.

‘Sure, I can do that,’ Mike replied, jumping in before Sasha could respond. He kept his hands behind his back as he spoke, flashing me a triumphant smile, as if he expected praise for not signing his response. I ignored him, interpreted what he’d said and waited for Singh to agree to their proposal. Once he had, we went back through to the main room. The four teenagers were signing to each other but stopped the moment we approached.

Miss Marcek explained to them that they were going back to the school but refused to answer any of their questions, and they all looked dismayed.

Can’t we stay here and help? one of the boys asked.

No, the police have it all under control. I need to make sure I keep the rest of you safe and get you back home.

But what if something’s happened to Leon? What if he’s been kidnapped?

Mike walked over to the group and signed something to the boy, but he had his back to me so I couldn’t see what had been said. Whatever it was, it must have allayed some of the boy’s fears, because a moment later they were all collecting their bags. We led them out of the cabin, where a group of uniformed officers took over, to guide them back to the car park. I turned to Singh as Mike started walking back towards us.

‘What about me? Do you still want me here?’

‘For now, yes please. If Leon does come back, or we find him, we’ll need an interpreter.’

‘I can do that,’ Mike replied as he approached us. ‘You don’t need Paige here. I’m sure she’s got better things to be doing with her Saturday.’

I ignored the comment and continued to look at Singh, who was clearly trying to work out what the issue was between the two of us.

‘I’m afraid that wouldn’t be appropriate, Mr Lowther.’

‘Why not? I can communicate well with Leon. I’m a familiar adult, he’ll respond well to me if he comes back.’

‘Because you’re one of the last people to have seen a murder victim alive, and it would be a conflict of interests,’ Singh replied, his voice terse. Mike held up his hands in defeat, his charm having failed for once. I was stunned: Mike was a suspect in Steve’s murder.

‘I believe you were sharing a room with Mr Wilkinson. While we’re waiting, can you identify which items in the room belong to him?’ Singh asked. ‘Then you can pack your own belongings.’

Part of me wanted to speak up, to tell Singh not to trust Mike with anyone else’s possessions, but I knew I couldn’t say anything, not without good reason. My stomach was churning with the stress of being physically close to Mike, my mind flooded with negative memories, and I suddenly felt like I couldn’t breathe.

‘I’m going outside,’ I told Singh, holding up my phone. ‘Call me if you need me back.’

Before he had a chance to protest, I turned on my heel and walked away in the direction of the woods.

For about ten minutes I kept my head down, paying attention to nothing around me, only focusing on my own breathing. I watched my feet as they made fresh imprints in the newly fallen snow. The snow was already finding its way in through a gap between my hat and scarf, and I wasn’t following one of the paths the police had marked, but I didn’t care; I wasn’t thinking about anything other than the situation I’d suddenly found myself in.

I’d been pleased to receive another call from the police – not pleased that a teenager had gone missing, of course, but pleased to be working with them again. Back in February, I’d hoped I could get some more regular work for the emergency services, but the Deaf community is a small one and so my work had gone back to being sporadic. In the last few weeks I’d even been toying with the idea of signing on with an agency again; they controlled so many contracts and, being freelance, it was hard to get a look in. If it hadn’t been for my debts, I would have been financially stable with the work I was getting, but as it was, I was only just scraping by. And the one person I could safely lay the blame on for it was suddenly back in my life.

Now I had a dilemma. I could quite easily pass this job on to another interpreter, in order to avoid seeing Mike again. But I wasn’t in a position to give up work, and by walking away I felt like I would be proving Mike right about some of the things he used to say to me, some of the things that still haunted me in weak moments. My involvement with the school would last as long as the investigation into the head teacher’s death and until Leon was found. I’d just have to put up with him until then, and avoid him whenever possible.

I’d carried on walking as I thought, and when I looked up I couldn’t place where I was in the park. Walking away from the cabin, further away from the mansion house, I’d wandered into part of the park I was unfamiliar with. I knew I should turn around and follow my own footsteps back to the cabin, but I didn’t want to face Mike again until it was absolutely necessary.

Ahead of me was a stand of trees, so I continued in that direction for a few minutes, trying to focus on the job ahead of me rather than think about my ex. There was a crunch of footsteps behind me, however, and I looked round to see Mike approaching. He’d put on a bulky coat and thick gloves before leaving the cabin, and I wondered how long he’d been on my tail.

‘Do they need me back?’ I asked.

‘No,’ he said, stopping before he got too close. ‘I just thought we could talk.’

I looked around me at the snow-covered fields and the woods surrounding them. There was nobody else around, and our voices sounded eerily flat. Part of me was instinctively on edge, being alone with Mike, even in such a wide-open space.

‘What about?’ I replied.

He spread his hands wide. ‘Anything. Everything. We didn’t exactly get any closure, did we?’

I folded my arms and didn’t reply. What did he expect me to say? Anna and Gem had removed all of his stuff from the flat while I was in hospital, and had the locks changed just in case. He’d never tried to talk his way back into my life, although I’d had a few calls from him to begin with that stopped when I continued to ignore them.

‘How have you been?’ he asked, taking a step forward and giving me the smile that used to make me melt. I reminded myself that it had probably worked on dozens of women before and after our relationship, and during as well. I knew I had to stay strong in the face of his charm, though.

‘I’m not interested in catching up, Mike. Let’s just both do our jobs and leave it at that.’

He came closer again, but I turned and took a few steps towards the stand of trees.

‘Paige, I think there are things we need to talk about, to work through.’

I was about to reply when I heard a shout.

‘Where did that come from?’ I asked.

‘Does it matter? I’m talking to you, Paige.’ I detected a tone in his voice that set off alarm bells in my head. Even after three years I recognised when his emotions were on the edge; the difference was this time I didn’t care.

Pushing past him, I set off back in the direction of the cabin, wondering what had happened. Suddenly I felt a tug on the back of my coat, one of my feet slipped and I sprawled face first into the snow. The fall knocked the wind out of me, and I lay there for a couple of seconds before rolling onto my side.

Mike loomed over me, and I instinctively pushed my body away from him along the ground. He reached down and took my arm but I shook him off.

‘Don’t touch me,’ I snapped.

‘Oh for God’s sake, Paige, don’t be so pathetic. I’m just trying to help.’

I ignored him and struggled to my feet. My trousers were soaked through from the snow, but at least it had been a soft landing. Keeping my back to Mike, I set off towards the cabin again, trembling slightly. I told myself it was from the cold, but I couldn’t shake off the memory of the tug I’d felt before I fell.

Chapter 4

The forensics team arrived at the cabin at the same time Mike and I did, so Singh led us back to the hall and out of their way.

‘What happened?’ he asked, looking at my snow-covered clothes.

‘I slipped,’ I muttered.

Singh cast a glance at Mike, but didn’t ask any more questions. He led us into a room in which a few uniformed officers were drinking cups of tea; Mike took it upon himself to join them, but I sat as far away from him as I could. Singh fetched me a drink then disappeared, reappearing a few minutes later with a shiny silver emergency blanket for me.

‘What’s that for?’ I asked, feeling my face flush.

‘You’re soaked, and I don’t really want you freezing to death,’ Singh replied, concern in his eyes. He started carefully tucking the blanket around my legs then stopped, looking embarrassed. I couldn’t help but smile at him. Even when he was busy and stressed he found the time for little moments of kindness, and it was one of his most endearing qualities. I told myself he would have behaved that way with anyone, though I secretly hoped I was getting special treatment.

‘We heard a shout,’ I said, remembering what had sent me hurrying back in the first place. ‘Has something happened?’

‘No, nothing like that. A branch snapped, narrowly missed one of the groups who were searching.’ Pulling up a chair and lowering his voice, he continued. ‘Paige, what’s going on here? With you and Mike Lowther?’ He nodded towards where Mike was sitting alone, now the PCs had left.

I shook my head. ‘Not now.’

He looked at me for a moment and I wondered what he was thinking, but then he sat back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair.

‘My first case as DS and this is what I get: a missing child and a murder all rolled into one investigation.’ He let out a long breath. ‘I’m already worried we’re not going to find this kid. The weather’s against us, and we don’t even know if he’s still in the park.’

I reached forward and squeezed his hand. ‘It’s only been a few hours. If he’s run away he’ll have headed for somewhere to shelter.’

‘We have to assume there’s some connection to the murder. It looks like Leon was in the cricket pavilion,’ he told me, keeping his voice low. I glanced over his shoulder to where Mike was getting a cup of tea and talking to a couple of PCs.

‘No sign of where he went after that?’

Singh shook his head. ‘We think there are two possible scenarios here – either Leon saw who killed Steve Wilkinson and ran away, or …’

‘You think he might have killed his teacher?’ I said, trying to keep my voice down.

‘We have to consider the possibility,’ he said, rubbing one of his temples. ‘There’s evidence he was in the pavilion, very close to where Steve Wilkinson was killed.’

‘Was he alone?’

He gave me a calculating look before shaking his head. ‘We don’t know. But we’re also considering the possibility that he’s been abducted, maybe by the murderer.’

I suddenly felt a lot colder and pulled the blanket tighter around myself.

‘I don’t know how long we can carry on searching in this snow,’ he said, looking out of the window. ‘I’m worried we’re already too late.’

He spoke the last sentence so quietly I almost didn’t hear him. When I had worked with him before it was clear that Rav Singh cared about the victims he came into contact with, but this was the first time I’d seen him this vulnerable. I almost reached out to hug him, but as I moved he stood up and rubbed his hands together. As he turned, he noticed Mike hovering nearby.

‘Mr Lowther, can you come with me please?’ he said, professional once again. ‘This seems like a good opportunity for me to take your statement. Then perhaps you can assist with the search, as you’re dressed for the weather.’

I sat around for what felt like hours, but was only around ninety minutes, drinking tea to keep warm and chatting with the various PCs who drifted through. As the day went on and the snow continued, the search was looking more and more like a lost cause. It felt quite frustrating to be waiting around, but Singh wanted all bases covered and if Leon turned up they’d want to be able to communicate with him immediately. Once I’d dried off sufficiently I stood outside the front door to look across the park. The snow had almost stopped, but the light was already fading, giving the blanket of white a bluish tinge. The two-hundred-year-old Regency mansion looked impressive with its coating of snow, and I leant back against one of the columns while I waited.

Eventually, I saw a group of people trudging through the drifts on their way back to the house. Singh peeled off from the group and came over to me, Mike trailing after him.

‘We’re calling it a day,’ Singh said, his face drawn. ‘The weather is making it impossible and I don’t want to put anyone’s safety at risk. It’s going to be a difficult drive out of here as it is.’

‘Okay, what happens next?’ I asked.

‘Now that this is a murder investigation, DI Forest and I will be conducting interviews at the school, in case any of the students remember anything, while we wait for the report from forensics. We’ll try to get access to Leon’s phone and social media, too. Given the circumstances, we’re going to be treating Leon’s disappearance and Steve Wilkinson’s murder as connected.’

‘Where do I fit in?’

‘For now, you’ll mostly be working with us to take statements from the students, those who were here today and any others who are friends with Leon and might be able to give us some information. We’ll also be speaking to staff to try and establish why someone might have killed the head teacher. But can you come to the station first thing tomorrow for the briefing? Then we’ll see if there have been any developments and prioritise from there.’

‘Sure. Can I go home now?’

Singh nodded. ‘I’m sorry for keeping you here in this weather. I’ll come with you and make sure you can get out of the car park.’

Mike had been standing nearby, listening in. When he heard that everyone was leaving, he sidled over and addressed Singh.

‘I’m supposed to be getting a taxi back to the school,’ he said. ‘But I don’t think I’m going to be able to get one out here in this weather.’

‘You’re right,’ Singh replied. ‘I’ll arrange for someone to give you a lift into Scunthorpe, then you should be able to get back to Lincoln from there.’

I thought Mike looked a bit disgruntled that he wasn’t being offered a lift all the way home, but he didn’t comment. That didn’t surprise me. Mike didn’t usually pick fights with men; he found them harder to intimidate.

When we got to the car park, the three of us walked to my car. Thankfully, a couple of the park staff had been doing their best to keep a clear route out of the gates. I paused, waiting for Mike to follow Singh, but he stopped as well.

‘You can travel back to town with some of the PCs,’ Singh told him, and I flashed a brief smile at him to thank him for picking up on the negative energy between me and Mike.

‘It’s okay, Paige can give me a lift, can’t you? It’ll give us a chance to catch up. You’ll need to drive through Scunthorpe to get home.’ He gave me one of his most charming smiles, which I refused to return.

There was a brief pause and I watched my breath fog in the air in front of me. Making eye contact with Singh, I willed him to insist that Mike went with him.

After a moment that seemed to stretch on forever, Singh said, ‘All the same, I think it would be better if you travelled with one of our vehicles. In this weather, I don’t want to ask Paige to divert.’

For a moment I thought Mike was going to refuse, and then we would reach a stalemate because there was no way I would let him get in my car with me, but in the end he gave a nonchalant shrug and followed Singh to a police car.

‘Hopefully we’ll get a chance to talk soon, Paige,’ he said over his shoulder as the two of them walked away from me.

Getting in my car, I leant my head on the steering wheel and took a few deep breaths. Now was not the moment to lose it. After all this time, I couldn’t let him worm his way back into my head. Part of me wondered what he was so keen to say, but I knew it was probably only an excuse to get me in an enclosed environment with him.

Before I set off home I turned on the ignition to warm up the car, then I pulled out my phone to call my sister. I propped the phone up on the holder on my dashboard as it rang.

Hi, she said with a wave as her face popped up on my screen, blonde hair swept back out of the way. The heart shape of her face was similar to mine on my ID badge, an old photo that didn’t reflect how my face had filled out in the intervening years. Apart from the difference in hair colour, mine much darker than hers, my sister and I seemed to look more alike as we grew older. She’d turned twenty-nine quite recently, and I knew she had a bee in her bonnet about her next birthday. Two years older than her, I could reassure her that it wasn’t that bad.

Are you still out on that call?

Yeah, I replied. I’m setting off home now but I have no idea how long it’s going to take me in this weather.

Are you still at Normanby Hall? What happened?

I’ll explain later, I told her, though I wouldn’t be able to give her much information. Still, social media would be full of Leon’s picture by now, so it wouldn’t take her long to figure out why I would be going to Lincoln tomorrow.

Something else has happened, she said, looking at me with a frown. Anna, like many BSL users, was sensitive to even minor changes in body language and facial expression, but I was still surprised she’d picked something up over a video call.

I ran a hand over my face. Mike’s here.

What? she exclaimed. What the hell?

I know, it wasn’t exactly a nice surprise.

What do you mean he’s there?

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, willing my hands not to shake. This job, it’s connected to where he works.

Is this the missing kid? Anna asked, cottoning on. She must have seen the appeal already. Are you talking about my old school?

I nodded.

What the hell is Mike doing working there?

I have no idea, I replied, shifting in my seat. I’d been wondering the same thing since I’d first seen him. I taught him to sign when we were together, so I assume he’s used that to get himself a job.

Anna shook her head, her face contorted into an expression of disgust. I wouldn’t want that man working with kids. He’s not exactly a great role model, is he?

I know. He tried to get me to give him a lift back into town.

Bastard. Hope you kicked him in the balls.

I laughed. No, Singh rescued me.

He can probably see through scum like Mike straight away, she replied.

He definitely picked up on something. I haven’t told him anything, but I suppose I should. At least the basics, then he can make sure I don’t have to be alone with him.

So, this kid went missing on a school trip? And Mike works there, and he was on this trip?

Yeah. Don’t start getting ideas, I told her, not willing to admit I’d already wondered if Mike was involved. I was about to tell her about the murdered head teacher but stopped myself. I couldn’t talk about it until it was released to the media.

Anna raised her eyebrows at me. Don’t assume anything, Paige. Make sure you tell Singh about him, then he can have a look into his background.

I didn’t have the energy to argue with her. Besides, perhaps it was a good idea to tell Singh at least some of what had gone on, so he understood why I wanted to avoid Mike as much as possible.

Have you told Max?

About Mike? God no. I don’t want to open up that can of worms.

No, I mean have you told him you’re still at work?

Shit. She was right, I should have told him earlier, but I’d lost track of time. We were supposed to be meeting up but I wouldn’t make it there in time, especially not in the snow. Saying goodbye to Anna, I hung up and sent Max a quick text to tell him I’d have to postpone. I waited for a couple of minutes to see if he’d reply, and I was rewarded with the ping of an incoming message.

No problem. Maybe see you tomorrow instead?

Sure :)

Seeing his name pop up on my phone screen always made me smile. I had no idea what I’d be doing tomorrow, because it really depended on the weather and if I was able to get to Lincoln, but I really wanted to see him. We’d been dating for nearly nine months, and even though we were taking things slowly I had to admit it felt good to have someone who cared about me the way he did. At the beginning, I wasn’t sure if I was ready for a relationship, though Anna and Gem had been encouraging me to get out and meet someone for a while. Things had been going well, Max had been so understanding whenever I’d been hesitant, and I was finally enjoying being part of a couple for the first time in a while. Now I’d stumbled across Mike again, and the reasons why I hadn’t dated for three years all came rushing back, as well as the reasons why I’d fallen for Mike in the first place. Max was nothing like Mike, I knew that, but the way Mike had treated me still affected how I thought and behaved even now.

Shaking myself, I put the car into gear and pulled out of the gates, careful to avoid the huge snowdrift on the corner. There was a light covering on the road, but the grit that had been spread earlier seemed to have kept off the worst of it.

As I drove, I wondered what Singh and Mike had found to talk about while Mike was helping with the search. Had Mike told him about our relationship? And if he had, which version had he told?

Chapter 5

What was usually a twenty-five-minute drive took me nearly two hours. Some of the roads had been ploughed, but the village I lived in wasn’t a priority, so only the main route had been cleared. After attempting to get near to the flat I’d given up and left my car three streets away and walked from there.

When I got home, I walked in to a scene that surprised me. Max was sitting on the sofa, telling Anna a story, and she was sitting on the floor laughing. The two of them looked so relaxed, I felt like I was intruding rather than entering my own flat. Max, like Anna, was profoundly deaf, and whilst he spoke when it suited him he preferred to use BSL. He worked in a school in Hull that had a specialist unit for supporting deaf children. I’d never seen him at work, but I could imagine he was great with the kids he supported.

Hi, I waved at both of them, dropping my bag on the floor and kicking my shoes off before flopping down onto the sofa next to Max. He gave my knee a squeeze and I smiled at him, leaning over to give him a kiss. His wiry copper hair was in need of a trim, but I quite liked him looking a little dishevelled. The grin he gave me still set butterflies fluttering in my belly, even now.

After nine months of dating, I was glad I’d reached a place where I wasn’t bothered by him turning up unannounced. I never used to like surprises, because they took control away from me, and when I was with Mike I’d had so little control over anything that I had to hold on to what I could.

How was your day? he asked.

Terrible, I replied. I didn’t know you were coming over, but it’s nice to see you, I told him with a smile.

I thought you’d probably be exhausted once you’d finished work and battled your way home through the snow, so I brought wine and … he pulled out his phone, the means to order takeaway.

Anna and I both laughed at this – Max’s awful cooking had become a running joke over the last few months.

If they can get here to deliver it, I pointed out.

He shrugged. We’ll find a way, I’m sure. So, what happened? Where have you been all day?

I looked over at Anna, who gave a shrug to indicate it hadn’t been her place to talk about it. Pulling out my own phone, I found one of the social media posts about Leon and showed it to Max. He scanned it and raised his eyebrows.

You were with the police? Oh, wow. But how did it happen?

They were staying in a cabin in the woods and when they got up this morning he’d gone.

So, he ran away? Max asked.

The police aren’t ruling anything out, I told him, deliberately avoiding going into any further detail.

Could someone have lured him out of the park? Anna asked.

I have no idea, I replied, dropping my head back onto the sofa. I’m going to the police station tomorrow morning, then they can brief me on what’s happening next.

Max put his arm around me and gave my shoulders a squeeze, and I felt myself sinking into him. I was tired and emotional; I just wanted to go to bed, but I felt like I needed to be alone tonight, at least until I made sense of this encounter with Mike. Now Max was here, though, I couldn’t exactly throw him out, and I found his solid presence reassuring.

On the way home, I’d once again considered telling Anna about finding Steve Wilkinson’s body, but then thought better of it. The police hadn’t released details yet, so I had to remain professional and keep it to myself. It would be hard to keep my emotions buried, though.

Are you working next weekend? Max asked me.

I have no idea, it depends on how long this case takes. It’s complicated, I added.

Okay. I wondered if you wanted to do something on Saturday.

Sure, if I’m not working.

Anna was still sitting on the floor, observing this conversation, then she shook her head, got up and walked out of the room.

Max frowned at me. What’s her problem?

Shit, I said. We’ve got plans next weekend, I’d completely forgotten.

I followed Anna through to the kitchen, where she was sitting at the table with her phone in her hand. She ignored me when I sat down opposite her, until I took her phone and made her look at me.

I’m sorry. I forgot.

Since her injury in February, Anna’s moods had sometimes been quite volatile, and I’d learnt that the best option to calm her down was to apologise, then talk it through afterwards. I sat there as she glared at me, until her shoulders sagged slightly and her face softened.

I’ve been looking forward to spending some time with you.

I know, and we will. I can see Max another time.

She gave me a small smile. Fine. But I know it’s only a matter of time before you ditch me for him. You’re going to want to move in together, and then where will I go?

Whoa, slow down. Remember how successful it was last time I moved in with a boyfriend? I’m in no hurry to do that again. It’s not even that serious with Max.

You’ve been together for nearly a year. That’s serious enough.

I shrugged, not in the mood for an in-depth conversation about my relationship with Max. He and I hadn’t discussed the future, and I was perfectly happy with things the way they were, so I wasn’t going to be the one to bring it up.

Is he staying over tonight? she asked, raising an eyebrow.

I rubbed my temples, hoping to dispel the headache I could feel forming. No, I’ll ask him not to. I’m too tired. It’s been a horrible day.

When are you going to tell him about Mike?

I’m not, I replied, giving her a warning look. And you’d better not, either.

I think it’s something you two should talk about.

I shook my head. Not now. I have too many other things going on in my head.

Anna narrowed her eyes at me. Like what? What else happened today?

I can’t talk about it, I said with a sigh. I was getting déjà vu, my mind flitting back to February. I hadn’t tried hard enough to stop Anna getting involved. This time I had to protect her, because I hadn’t protected her then.

That reminds me. I got a letter today, I told her. About the brain injury support group.

Anna rolled her eyes and leant back against the wall. Not this again. I don’t want to sit around in a room full of miserable people talking about how their lives were ruined.

I frowned. Do you feel like your life has been ruined?

No, no, I don’t. Honestly. She gave me a smile that looked more like a grimace as she battled to find the right words. But I don’t feel like the person I was before, if you see what I mean? Things have changed, the way I react to things and the way I function have changed. It’s like I’m learning to be me all over again. The earnest look on her face made me worry that I was forcing her to do something she wasn’t ready for.

That’s why I thought you should go to the support group, because there might be other people with similar experiences who’ll understand what you’re going through, I explained. I can do my best to support you, but I don’t know what it’s like to be in the position you’re in.

She shrugged. I don’t know. What was the letter?

I’d asked if they could provide an interpreter so you could attend.

And?

I shook my head. No funding, of course. They suggested I go with you as your interpreter.

Anna grimaced at this, but I didn’t take offence. The whole point of a support group was that it should be a place where you can vent about your life and the people around you, as well as get support from people with similar experiences. Having her sister with her would skew that experience for Anna, because sometimes there might be things she wanted to say but didn’t feel she could in front of me.

So, I can’t go anyway? she said.

No way, we’re not giving up that easily, I replied. Groups like this should be accessible to all, and that includes providing an interpreter for a BSL user. I just need to work out who to take the fight to next.

Anna rolled her eyes at me and stood up. Come on, you’ve abandoned your boyfriend in the living room.

He’ll be fine, I replied, giving her a wry smile.

You need to keep him happy, he’s buying us pizza, she reminded me, and I laughed.

When we went back into the living room, Max had his phone out. He showed us the takeaway app, already open and waiting for our orders. I explained about our plans to go to a Christmas market the following weekend.

Ah, well I won’t intrude on that! he said. I’d talked to him a few times about my concerns about Anna, my worries about how her accident had affected her long-term, so I knew he understood that there were times when I had to prioritise her. I wished that I could let myself enjoy our relationship without worrying about repeating past mistakes, but there was no way I could put them out of my mind after today.

About half an hour later, the doorbell rang and I went down to the front door to collect our pizzas.

We’d ordered from the kebab shop in the village, and the young delivery guy appeared to have walked rather than try to drive in the snow. He handed over the pizzas without a word then trudged back up the road. As I watched him go, my phone rang in my pocket and I juggled the pizzas to pull it out.

It was a number I didn’t recognise, but I stepped back into the hallway and answered it, checking the front door had shut behind me.

‘Hi Paige.’

I breathed in sharply as I recognised Mike’s voice.

‘Don’t hang up on me, please. I know you probably want to. I just wanted to make sure you got home okay. It’s been a long day, the roads are really bad and I know you get tired doing lots of driving.’

‘I’m fine, thanks,’ I replied, my throat dry.

There was a sigh on the other end of the line. ‘I wish we’d got to talk properly today.’

‘We don’t have anything to talk about.’

‘Yes, we do,’ he said. ‘Paige, I never apologised for what I did, and I regret it. I want you to see that I’m not the man I was then. I made a lot of mistakes, and I’d like to try and put some of them right.’

I was so surprised by this, I leant back against the wall, the heat of the pizzas starting to burn my hand through the boxes.

‘Paige?’

‘I’m still here,’ I said. ‘I wasn’t sure what to say.’

‘That’s okay, you don’t have to say anything. I just wanted you to know I’m sorry, and I hope we can at least be civil to each other. I understand if you want nothing to do with me, but I couldn’t sleep without knowing you’d at least heard my apology.’

‘Okay. Well. Thank you for the apology,’ I said. I didn’t know what else to say in response, because I’d never imagined a scenario in which he actually took responsibility for the way he’d treated me.

‘I’ll see you soon, okay?’

‘Okay.’

He hung up, and I stared at my phone for a moment before walking back up to the flat. I put the pizzas on the table, trying to figure out what had just happened.

You took your time, Max said with a grin. Hope you haven’t eaten half of mine.

He thought he’d brought the wrong order, had to check, I lied. Anna narrowed her eyes at me, but I gave my head a slight shake. Now wasn’t the time.

Just as I’d been getting to a place in my life where I’d put my past behind me, suddenly everything had been thrown into confusion again. Against my better judgement, I saved the unknown number on my phone as ‘M’, not putting his full name in case Anna saw it and had a go at me. I ignored the little voice telling me that if I was hiding it from my sister it was probably a bad idea.

Sixteen hours before the murder

I’m going to have such a shit weekend compared to you, Samira grumbled as she and Leon left their English lesson. He walked with her in the direction of the car park, where she’d be met by the taxi that took her home.

You’ll be fine, you’re going to spend the weekend watching what you want on Netflix, eating takeaway and ignoring your brother when he tries to make you tidy up. That sounds like a dream to me.

Samira laughed. Okay, maybe, but I won’t have you to chat to. You’ll be too busy being all loved up. She started making kissing faces, but Leon frowned at her.

Don’t. I don’t want everyone knowing about it.

Fine, fine, I’m sorry. She sighed dramatically. Just make sure you text me and tell me what’s going on, okay?

I will.

Promise?

Promise.

Leon waved his friend off, then turned to go back into the school. He’d left one of his books in the English room and he’d need it for his homework when they returned on Sunday. On his way back, he cut through the courtyard outside the management offices.

The sky was a gunmetal grey, and he wondered just how many outdoor activities they’d actually manage this weekend. There was snow forecast but Mr Wilkinson had said he wasn’t bothered, they’d still be able to get outside even if there was a bit of snow on the ground.

Leon’s eyes were drawn by the light from the head teacher’s room as he walked past, and he paused for a moment. Mr Wilkinson was in there, pacing across the room, and Miss Marcek was sitting looking at something on the computer. As Leon watched, the head ran his hands through his hair, then signed something that Leon didn’t catch.

Mr Wilkinson went over to the computer and pointed to the screen, then grabbed the mouse and brought something else up.

Don’t worry about it, Miss Marcek signed. It’s obviously a mistake. I’ll sort it out. You need to get ready for the trip.

Yes, you’re right. It’s probably nothing.

The head turned back towards the window and Leon hurried away, not wanting to be caught snooping. He wondered what they’d been talking about – probably something boring like the school budget. His phone buzzed and he felt a frisson of excitement when he realised who it was – not long now, and they’d see each other face to face.

Chapter 6
Sunday 25th November

There was no more snow overnight, and by the time I walked back to my car in the morning the roads were much clearer. My route into Scunthorpe was quiet at this time on a Sunday morning. There were often a couple of walkers parked up at Twigmoor Woods early on, but the weather had kept them away for once. As I pulled out onto Mortal Ash there were some lorries pulling into the steelworks, but that route wouldn’t be too busy until just before Morrisons opened. It was unusual for me to be up and out so early on a Sunday, but they wanted me at the police station by nine.

Singh passed me a coffee when I met him in the station lobby. He’d obviously stopped off for a proper one on his way in rather than offering me something murky from the station drinks machine.

‘Marry me,’ I mumbled.

He laughed. ‘I think you should meet my family first.’

I laughed in return before taking a sip of the coffee, then the laugh turned into a yawn. Yesterday had been a long day, and I had lain awake until the early hours of the morning, thinking. Eventually I’d fallen asleep around three, but the four hours of sleep I’d managed to get weren’t anywhere near enough.

‘What’s happening this morning?’ I asked as he led me upstairs.

‘First, we need to coordinate the team for the case.’

‘You’re treating it as one case, then?’

‘Yes, one case with two branches. One murder, one missing teenager. Currently no solid evidence to say how they’re linked, but the connection between them is too strong to ignore.’

We turned down a long corridor, passing a couple of offices and a conference room.

‘How on earth did you talk Forest into having me at this meeting?’ I asked. The DI was far from being my biggest fan, and back in February she’d been quite glad to see the back of me once the case was over.

‘I reminded her that some of the officers would need advising on the most appropriate way to interview deaf people, and that you could provide that,’ he said, not looking at me.

‘Oh, I’m giving deaf awareness training? Couldn’t you have asked me about that yesterday, rather than springing it on me now?’ I complained, my frustration evident in my voice.

He gave me an apologetic look. ‘I’m sorry. You’re right, I should have asked you about it.’

I looked at him for a moment before nodding, accepting his apology. ‘I don’t mind doing things like that, but next time tell me in advance, okay?’

‘Promise.’

He pushed open the door and we walked into a large room I’d never been in before. Several people were already seated, both detectives in plain clothes and uniformed officers. DI Forest was standing at the front of the room, and we headed towards her.

‘Morning,’ she said, with a nod in my direction. ‘We’re just waiting for a couple of other people then we’ll get going.’

Singh pointed me to a chair at the end of the front row and I sat down, leaning on the wall and trying to shrink into it. I sat there for a few minutes, looking at my phone, until Forest called the room to order.

‘Right, I want to make this a reasonably quick one. We have a complex case, with two very different aspects to it. A young man called Leon Ormerod went missing from a school trip to Normanby Hall, some time between ten thirty on Friday night, when he was last seen, and seven thirty on Saturday morning, when the staff found his bed empty. Leon is fifteen, and profoundly deaf. He wears hearing aids and attends Lincoln School for the Deaf, where he is in care.’

Forest indicated a board behind her, which had a photo of Leon along with the details she’d just given out. Leon looked so small, and I felt a stab of worry for him. Was he running from something? Or had he been taken? I couldn’t bring myself to consider the possibility that he’d killed his teacher.

‘At the moment we don’t know if Leon left Normanby Park or not, and if he did whether he left of his own accord or was abducted. Someone had broken into the cricket pavilion towards the south end of the estate, where we found an item of clothing that a staff member identified as Leon’s. He must have sheltered in there for a short time, but there was no sign of him by the time we searched the building. We’ve been looking through the CCTV covering the park gates, but there are other routes in and out of the park.’

‘We used to climb over the wall as kids.’ A PC near the back had interrupted and Forest glared at him for a moment before nodding.

‘Precisely: there are many points along the park boundary that aren’t covered by CCTV, and Leon could have easily left without being caught on camera. The park is large, however, and with the snow we can’t be certain he left until we’ve searched every part of the grounds. The search of the park was abandoned yesterday afternoon when the snowfall and light became too bad, but will continue today. Some of you will also be speaking to people in the local area to find out if anyone might have seen Leon.’

The DI glanced around the room to make sure she still had everyone’s attention. ‘Whilst searching for Leon, the body of Steve Wilkinson was found. Mr Wilkinson was the head teacher of Leon’s school and was one of the staff supervising the trip. When it was discovered that Leon was missing, Mr Wilkinson went into the grounds to search for him at around eight yesterday morning, and nobody has reported seeing him since then until his body was found.

‘There was no sign of a struggle in the cabin, which suggests that Leon packed his things and walked out of there, so we need to find out if he did this voluntarily or was lured out. The cricket pavilion where he had been hiding has a direct view of where the head teacher’s body was found. At this point in time we do not know if Leon witnessed the murder and then ran, or if he was abducted by his teacher’s killer. It’s also possible that he murdered Steve Wilkinson himself. For now, we’re going to work on the basis that these two incidents are connected.’

Forest looked around at the assembled officers. ‘Due to the fact that Leon is extremely vulnerable, the search for him has to be our top priority. So far we haven’t received any credible information as to where he might be. There are appeals going out on social media, and we’re also going to be looking at CCTV footage from local transport companies. There are two different bus companies with routes that run near the park. No cars were permitted onto the estate yesterday, except for ours, so we’ll also be looking for any CCTV footage of the surrounding roads, because if someone took Leon in a vehicle they won’t have left by the main entrance.

‘DS Singh will be liaising with the team involved in the search for Leon, and he and I will be conducting interviews at the school. Leon’s classmates might be able to give us some insight into his state of mind, or indicate where he might go if he were scared or in trouble.’

A hand was raised at the back of the room, and Forest nodded at the man in question.

‘What about his phone and social media?’

‘We’ve put in a request to Leon’s network provider for access to his text and video call history. Social media will take a little longer. We need to establish which apps and social networks he was using and then submit individual requests for access.

‘I will be joining DS Singh at the school later today,’ Forest continued, looking at the assembled officers. ‘The rest of you will be divided up – some of you will be continuing the search, and others will be following up any reported sightings, anything that comes in from the social media appeal or by phone.

‘The dead man, Steve Wilkinson, lived in Derbyshire. Derbyshire police have informed his next of kin, a sister, of his death, and we’ll be putting out a statement later today. It’s only a matter of time before the media jumps on this and starts spouting theories, so we need to try and keep a tight rein on the information that we’re releasing. Is that clear?’

A chorus of yesses came from across the room. I dreaded to think what Forest would do to any officer she caught leaking information to the press, or even just being a bit lax with what they told their friends down the pub.

‘Back to our murder victim.’ Forest pointed to a board next to the one with Leon’s information on. ‘Steve Wilkinson had been head teacher of the Lincoln School for the Deaf since September. At first glance it appears he was stabbed in the neck, but the post-mortem will tell us more. There was a penknife lying nearby, covered in blood, so I think we can safely assume it was the murder weapon, but we’ll wait for forensics to confirm. DS Singh and I will speak to the deputy head and find out more about Steve Wilkinson’s professional and personal life. We’ll also look into his work history and speak to his previous employer.’

A uniformed officer raised his hand, and Forest nodded at him.

‘What about his friends and family? Will we be interviewing them?’ he asked.

‘He was new to the area, and as far as we can gather didn’t know anyone in North Lincolnshire,’ Forest replied. ‘As the murder occurred on a school trip, we’re going to focus our investigations on the school for the time being. Of course, if any evidence turns up to point us elsewhere, we’ll follow it.’

At this point Forest turned to me. ‘Our British Sign Language interpreter will be Paige Northwood. DS Singh and I will be conducting interviews at the school to begin with, but there may be occasions during the course of this investigation when the rest of you will need to interview a deaf person. Whilst you’ve all received the general training on working with people with disabilities and speakers of other languages, I thought it best if Paige addressed all of you now to try and avoid any issues in the interview process.’

With that, she stepped aside and held out a hand, offering me the floor. I glared at Singh as I stood up, then plastered a professional smile onto my face.

‘Morning. There are several deaf staff at the school, and of course the other students are deaf, so there are some points you need to be aware of. Firstly, not all deaf people communicate in the same way. Some speak, and don’t use any sign language, making use of either hearing aids or cochlear implants. Some don’t use any aids at all and rely completely on BSL. But many will use a combination of the two. Please don’t make any assumptions – at the start of each interview, check how the deaf person would like to communicate. It might be that they’re happy to speak their answers to you, but would prefer me to sign what you’re saying to be certain they’ve understood. They might prefer to sign their answers, in which case I’ll speak for them. Or they might not want an interpreter at all. Making assumptions can cause offence, which can then affect how the person concerned cooperates with you.’

I saw Forest nodding out of the corner of my eye, and felt my confidence increase slightly. ‘When you work with spoken language interpreters, you’ll often have to wait for them to interpret what you’ve said after you’ve finished a question, but with BSL I can interpret at the same time. However, I still require time to process what you’ve said and interpret it, so there might be times when I ask you to slow down, pause, or repeat something for clarity. As always, when working with an interpreter, please address the person you’re interviewing, not me. I’m not the one answering the questions. The deaf person might only look at me when you’re speaking, or they might choose to look between us, using your lip patterns, facial expression and body language to support their understanding.’

Someone at the back put their hand up, and I nodded at her, not expecting questions.

‘While you’re here, can you teach us some basic signs?’

Forest answered before I got a chance to. ‘I’m happy to put in a request to those on high for some BSL classes, but while Paige is here we’re paying her to facilitate our interviews, not teach you the alphabet.’

A snigger passed around the room, but everyone soon went silent again. I couldn’t think of anything else relevant to say, so I stepped back and let Forest take over again.

‘Right, if that’s everything, we’d better get on and do our jobs. If you come across anything you believe to be relevant to the case, please pass it directly to DS Singh.’

There was a sudden noise as several chairs scraped back and everyone moved to get on with the tasks they’d been assigned. I waited until Singh had finished speaking to Forest, then he beckoned to me to join them.

‘We’re going to the school now,’ he explained. ‘We need to interview the staff who knew Steve and Leon, as well as all the students who were on the trip. One of them knows more than they’re letting on about Leon’s disappearance, and Steve’s death.’

Chapter 7

It took me a little longer to get to the school than I’d hoped, not because of the snow, but because with thoughts of Mike and the bad memories he brought with him swirling around in my mind I missed the turning. By the time I pulled into the drive, I was annoyed and frustrated.

The main building of Lincoln School for the Deaf was an old house, with a couple of purpose-built annexes off to one side, and the residence building out the back. I couldn’t see anyone in the car park, so I walked towards the main entrance, looking around me as I went. Someone had cleared a path to the front door and put grit down, though it looked as if the snow hadn’t fallen as heavily here as it had in the park.

The main building had seen better days, although one of the newer blocks must have been built since Anna was a pupil. I wondered how many they had on roll – since the change in inclusion policies and the development of better assistive technologies, most deaf children now went to mainstream schools. Many schools for the deaf had closed, and those that had remained open often had to find ways to diversify in order to make them more attractive to a wider variety of students. Some opened up their doors to students with autism and communication difficulties, who benefited from the use of sign language to help them access the curriculum and express themselves. Others, like Lincoln, registered as children’s homes, so deaf children in the care system could have a consistent supportive environment and social services didn’t need to worry about finding foster carers who could sign. I had sometimes been involved in meetings when deaf families were looking at different school options for their children, and I knew that the schools for the deaf weren’t above trying to tempt students away from their local authority schools.

I entered the house by the large, imposing front door, putting my shoulder to it when it stuck slightly. There was nobody in the entrance hall when I stepped inside, so I looked around to try and figure out where Singh and Forest might be. The door marked ‘Head Teacher’ was closed, and the sign conjured an image in my mind of Steve’s body lying in the snow, making me shudder. Next to his office was an open door so I pushed it further open and poked my head around it. Inside were Singh, Forest and Liz Marcek; the DI and the deputy head were sitting on comfy chairs, which were pulled up to a small table by the window. On the adjacent wall was a desk, which Singh was leaning against.

When Singh saw me, he looked relieved, and I apologised for taking so long to arrive.

Can we start now? Liz Marcek asked impatiently. I noticed to my surprise that she was wearing a well-cut suit. I suppose I had expected a teacher at a residential school to dress down over the weekend, but perhaps she was putting on a professional face for the police. Her make-up was skilfully applied, but it didn’t quite hide the fact that she hadn’t slept well the previous night, if at all.

Is there any news about Leon? she asked as soon as I’d taken off my coat and sat down opposite her.

‘Sorry, nothing yet,’ Singh replied.

Liz shook her head slowly. I was hoping he might have turned up overnight.

‘We’d like to speak to any of the staff who are in today,’ Forest explained, mostly keeping her eyes on Liz but glancing around the room as well.

A few have come in, Liz said, though not many. I’ll make a list and you can decide who you want to see and when. I’ll make the meeting room available for you.

‘Could you let us know who will require signing?’ Singh asked. ‘Then we can work out times with Paige.’

Of course. Liz crossed over to her desk, took a pen and paper and made a list.

‘Thanks,’ Singh said, taking it from her. ‘We’d like to speak to you first, if that’s okay?’

I assumed as much, she said, settling herself into one of the chairs. I have a lot to do, parents to contact, but I’ll tell you what I can.

Pushing away from the desk, Singh took the chair next to me.

‘Have you told the students about Steve Wilkinson’s death?’

She grimaced. Not yet. I didn’t think it was appropriate last night, and I haven’t managed to bring myself to tell them. I’ll do it once we’ve finished here, though. They need to know what’s happened. That’s unless Mike has already told them, she added, a sour look twisting her face.

‘What is Mr Lowther’s role here?’ Singh asked.

He’s one of our pastoral staff. They live in, and have responsibility for the students in residence overnight and at weekends. The other staff have the weekend off, as we weren’t expecting to be here, so Sasha offered to stay with the students last night.

‘So, Mike lives here?’ I asked, out of curiosity.

Yes, he has a suite in the residence, as do the other residential staff. The students like him a lot.

I nodded, holding myself back from saying, Of course, one thing Mike’s always been good at is getting people to like him.

‘What can you tell us about Steve Wilkinson?’ Singh asked.

What do you want to know?

‘Start with the basics – how long has he worked here, is he generally well liked by staff and students, things like that.’

He’s been here since September, Liz explained. The previous head had been here for over thirty years, and she retired at the end of the summer term.

‘Where had Steve worked before, do you know?’

Liz glanced out of the window before she answered; there was a tension in her shoulders that suggested she was choosing her words carefully. The room we were in overlooked a small courtyard, where I presumed students would hang around at break and lunchtime. Steve’s office next door would have a similar view, and I wondered if he would have preferred a view over the playing fields, something a little more picturesque.

He came from a special school in Birmingham, she replied eventually, her face impassive. A school for children with profound learning difficulties. He hadn’t worked in a residential school before, so that aspect was a bit of a learning curve. She paused, though I had the sense there was something more she wanted to say.

After a moment, Singh spoke. ‘What about deaf students? Had he worked with any before?’

Liz shook her head. No. The governors felt his management experience was enough for this position, but he struggled a bit in his relations with the students.

I wondered if this was the source of her tension. Someone with no experience of working with deaf students might not be well received in such an important position.

He knew some basic signs before he came here, Liz continued, but not enough for a proper conversation. She gave Singh an earnest look. But he learnt as much as he could, he really threw himself into it. Whenever he had a spare five minutes he’d be practising, and he set up one-to-one lessons for himself with our deaf tutor a couple of times a week. He was coming on very well.

‘Was there anyone who had a problem with him?’

She shook her head. Not that I know of. A change in management after such a long time is bound to be difficult, but Steve did his best to get everyone on side.

‘Was there anyone on the staff who was finding it difficult to adapt to working under a new head?’

She paused for a moment before replying. No, I don’t think so. Steve never mentioned anything that concerned him, and nobody has come to me with any complaints.

Liz looked poised to sign something else, then thought better of it and sat back in her chair.

‘We’ll need access to Steve’s office, as well as his passwords so our tech team can have a look at his emails and online activity. At the moment, we’re looking for anyone who might have a motive to kill him.’

Liz nodded. I can lock his office until you’re ready to go in. Saul is in today, he’s our IT technician, so he can get you access to Steve’s computer as well.

‘Thank you, but a member of our tech team should be here a little later. If your technician could give them access to the school computer network, that would be appreciated,’ Singh replied. ‘Now, we’d like to ask you a couple more questions about Leon.’

Liz nodded. Sasha will be over soon and she’ll be able to tell you a bit more, but I’ll answer what I can. We both stayed last night, in the residence, but I don’t think either of us slept, wondering what’s happened to Leon.

‘I’ll let you know as soon as we know anything. There were no signs of a struggle and he took his bag with him, which suggests he left the cabin of his own free will. I’m hopeful that he had a plan for where he was going and how he would get there, so we can hope he’ll be found somewhere safe.’

I thought about the pavilion, and Leon breaking in. Had that been part of his plan? Was it just somewhere handy to shelter from the snow? Or somewhere to hide from a killer?

He’s only fifteen, Liz said, shaking her head in desperation. What was he thinking? If there was something wrong, he could have come to one of us and talked about it. We would have helped him, whatever the problem was.

‘Sometimes teenagers don’t feel they can trust adults,’ Singh replied gently.

She shook herself again, turning around to look out of the window. After a moment, she turned back to us. Leon had been struggling with his lessons recently, but nothing that was a cause for concern. He just found the work challenging. Steve had spoken to him a couple of times, to ask if anything was bothering him, but nothing came of it as far as I know.

Singh tilted his head to one side. ‘Did Steve and Leon have a lot of contact? More than would be usual for a head teacher and a student?’

Well, Steve did tutor him a little, in science, because that was his specialism and he thought it might help, Liz replied.

‘What about Sasha? What was Leon’s relationship like with her?’

Sasha doesn’t work for the school directly, though of course we have regular meetings about the students’ welfare. There’s a possibility Leon confided in her, but I’m sure she would have told us anything relevant.

‘Was Leon a student here before he was taken into care?’ Singh asked.

Yes, he’s been attending here since he was eight. Before that, he was at his local mainstream school with support from a teacher of the deaf and a teaching assistant, but he was struggling socially. Being the only deaf child in a school full of hearing children can be very lonely, especially when there is a communication barrier.

‘And he became a resident after his mother died, is that correct?’

No, it was around a year later, Liz replied. Leon’s parents had separated, and after his mother died he was in his father’s custody full time. The man was abusive, but it was only discovered when Leon fought back and injured his father, and a neighbour called the police. In that situation no one was going to blame an abused twelve-year-old boy for defending himself, especially one who was going through the turmoil of having lost his mother.

‘Does he have any other family? Anyone he might go to for help?’

Liz frowned. Not that I know of. His father is in prison, and I certainly don’t think Leon would want anything to do with him.

Singh made a note of this. ‘We’ll need his name so we can access the case file. Are you sure it’s not possible Leon could have been trying to see his father?’

I can’t imagine that he would want to see him, Liz replied, looking sceptical. Besides, if Leon had wanted to see his father he could have spoken to Sasha and she could have arranged it, if she thought it was appropriate. There’d be no need for him to run away.

‘Still, it’s an avenue we need to look into,’ Singh replied. ‘We’d also like you to make a list of who Leon is closest to at the school, which students are his friends and which staff know him well. Then we can prioritise our interviews.’

I’ve been thinking about that, Liz replied. His closest friend is Samira. She’s not a residential student so she won’t be back until tomorrow, but I’ve emailed her family explaining the situation and asking for their permission for her to speak to you.

‘Thank you, that’s very helpful,’ Singh said with a reassuring smile.

There was a knock on the door, and a light flashed above it. In a school full of deaf students and several deaf staff, there would be a number of adaptations to make daily life accessible for all. Liz moved out of her chair to answer it, but Forest got there before her. Sasha stood in the doorway, wearing a long bohemian-style skirt and a bright red shirt, her curly blonde hair making her seem taller than she was.

Sorry, I’ve been busy with Cassie, she signed. She offered her hand to both of the detectives then sat down next to Liz Marcek. Have you found Leon yet?

I got the feeling that this was going to be the first question anyone asked us until the boy was found.

‘I’m afraid not,’ Singh replied, the frown on his face mirroring her concern. ‘We’re doing all we can to find out what happened and where he might have gone after he was in the pavilion. Miss Marcek has told us about his family history, and we want to rule out the idea that he might have wanted to visit his father.’

That’s very unlikely, Sasha replied, confirming what the deputy head had told us. I can get you his details if you want to make sure. Leon is such a lovely young man, but he went through a lot in a short space of time, with the death of his mother and then his father’s abuse. The school had given him the option to become a residential student before, but when he’d just lost his mum the last thing he wanted was to end up living at his school.

Sasha spread her palms wide. After his father’s arrest, it became the only option, and actually it ended up suiting him surprisingly well. As far as I’m aware, he’s well liked, and he didn’t tell me of any difficulties he was having.

‘Had there been any incidents of bullying, anything like that?’

We’re very strict with our bullying policy, Liz interjected, before Sasha had a chance to reply. We don’t tolerate anything like that, whether it’s in class or in the residence.

Sasha waited for Liz to finish then turned back to us. Not that I know of. There have been disagreements, but that’s natural in this sort of environment. You have to remember these students are always together: they live in close quarters, and they only really socialise with each other. It can mean they’re very close, sometimes so close that no outsider can really understand their group dynamics. At other times it can be like a dry bonfire and the smallest spark will set off an inferno. I try to maintain a strong relationship with the students here, and I visit once a week, but they don’t tell me everything. They’re teenagers, she said with a shrug, as if that explained everything.

‘Do you have any idea where Leon might go?’

I really don’t know, she replied. I don’t know of any other family, and all of his friends are at the school.

If he’d gone to a friend’s house, their parents would have called the police by now, Liz replied.

I know, Sasha said, nodding sadly. That’s what I don’t understand. Where could he have gone?

Forest thanked the two women for their help and the two detectives had a quick conversation.

‘We’d like to go to the residence and take statements from the students now,’ Forest said, turning back to address the deputy head. ‘I understand it’s an upsetting time for them, but they’re probably the people who knew Leon best, and maybe one of them has remembered something. We’d also like to see Leon’s room.’

I’ll come with you, Sasha signed, following us to the door.

Liz nodded. Yes, please. I’d like Sasha to be present when you speak to the students, in place of a parent.

The five of us walked out of the room and across the lobby to the front door. Before we reached it, Mike came in from outside.

Miss Marcek, can I speak to you please? he signed, throwing a nervous glance at the detectives.

Of course. Sasha, you can take the police over, can’t you?

Before they disappeared back into her office, Mike smiled at me. I thought back to his phone call the previous night – had he really changed?

Chapter 8

The residence was a purpose-built block behind the main house. When Anna had been a student here, this hadn’t yet been built, and her friends who were residential students had rooms in the main building, above the classrooms. She used to tell me stories of how her friends would creep down into the classrooms at night, although I always thought those tales were probably made up to make the non-residents jealous. Children have always had a fascination with schools after hours, and I was sure these kids were no exception.

As we entered the building, Sasha pointed out the security features. There was a camera above the entrance, as well as a key fob entry system. She let us in, and once we were inside there was another security door before we were in the main communal area. She told us the students’ rooms all locked too, for privacy, although staff had spare keys in order to access them in emergencies.

‘We’ll have a look at Leon’s room first, I think,’ Forest said.

Sasha led us through a door to some stairs. At the top of the stairs we turned right down a short corridor, where the social worker pulled out some keys and let us into a room.

This room’s his. He’s not the tidiest, but then what fifteen-year-old is?

I looked around at the unmade bed and the clothes on the floor, and thought it could have been much worse.

‘Does he have a tablet or a laptop?’ Forest asked

No, Sasha replied, shaking her head. The school has electronics they can use for homework, but they try to limit their screen time. All of them have phones, but I assume Leon had his with him.

‘We thought the same. Liz Marcek gave us his number yesterday, and we’re set up to track the signal, but it’s been turned off,’ Singh told her.

If there’s nothing else, I think I should get the other students together before Liz gets here to talk to them, Sasha signed. I have no idea how they’re going to take this news.

She left us, and Singh started to look through drawers and shelves while Forest checked the wardrobe. I went out onto the landing, feeling awkward but not wanting to get in the way. While I waited, I had a look up the corridor. There were several rooms along here, and some more on the opposite corridor, and one was marked ‘STAFF’. I wondered if that was Mike’s room, then moved away quickly in case he came back and caught me prowling about out there.

The detectives didn’t need me, so I went back down the stairs, and looked through the glass panel in the door. To my surprise, Liz and Mike were in there with Sasha and the four students; they must have come in while we were upstairs. I would have thought the deputy head would want to wait for the detectives before she told the students about the death of their head teacher.

As the deputy signed, the four of them seemed to bunch together on the sofa. One of the girls started crying, but the older boy signed something I couldn’t see and she blinked a few times, managing to stop herself. Liz and Mike shared a brief glance, and I found myself wondering what he’d needed to talk to her about so urgently.

Is there anything any of you want to ask me, or talk about? Liz signed to the students.

The four of them looked at each other, and something passed between them silently, because they shook their heads in unison. They all seemed shocked, but I still found myself wondering if they were hiding something.

Singh and Forest came back downstairs in silence, and I was curious whether they’d found anything useful in Leon’s room. Together, we walked into the communal area, which had several sofas, a large television and a couple of games consoles. The four students stayed where they were, sitting in a line on one large sofa as if they’d been placed there. Sasha was standing behind the sofa, leaning against the wall, opposite Mike and Liz. When we entered, they all turned to look at the three of us.

I had better introduce you, the deputy head said. Cassie here is the oldest of our students, she’s seventeen. She indicated the girl I’d spoken to yesterday when we were at Normanby Hall, the one I’d thought wanted to say something about Leon. And this is Courtney, she’s fifteen. The other girl looked at us with large eyes, expertly made-up. She was sitting with her slim legs stretched out in front of her as if to emphasise their length.

The other two students were Bradley and Kian, brothers who were fifteen and thirteen respectively. They sat close together, Bradley slightly further forward than his younger brother. I noticed that Bradley and Courtney were holding hands, but they pulled apart when Liz glared at them.

These two detectives are DI Forest and DS Singh, Liz told the students. They’re going to ask you some questions, and Paige is going to interpret for them. She looked around, her gaze resting on each of them before she continued. Remember what I told you. It’s very important you answer their questions and tell the truth.

‘Thank you, Miss Marcek,’ Forest replied. ‘Where would be the best place for us to talk to Sasha for a moment?’

Liz showed the detectives into a small room next door to the communal area, which contained a couple of bookshelves and two computers. Mike hovered as if hoping to be invited in too, but Liz asked Sasha to join us before excusing herself and steering him away.

‘Can you tell us a little about each of the students?’ Forest asked Sasha, before they started on the interviews.

Sasha nodded and thought for a moment. Kian suffers with anxiety, and when he’s in a stressful situation he tends to run. The last time he got in trouble he ran off and we found him hiding under a table in the art room, his hands over his head. Bradley keeps him grounded most of the time, and we’re doing a lot of work with him on how to control his emotions, but I think he’ll struggle with it well into adulthood, even with the support we’re putting in place.

‘What about Bradley?’ Singh asked.

He will protect his younger brother to the ends of the earth and further if necessary, Sasha replied. But he knows that this school is the safest place for him to be, and he trusts the staff to take care of him and Kian. This will have shaken him more than he’ll let on.

Courtney is obsessed with social media, documenting every moment of her free time, the social worker continued. We’ve had to do a lot of work with her to stop her giving out her personal details, but she still doesn’t really understand the dangers of talking to hundreds of strangers online. We monitor her social media, but she’s old enough to have accounts so the school only take her phone away as a punishment if she’s done something particularly risky.

‘And Cassie?’

Cassie can sometimes be a bit full-on. She has some learning difficulties, and she’s very immature for her age. The most challenging aspect is the fact that she has no idea of her own limitations – she thinks she’s very mature and very clever. I love the kids to have confidence in themselves, but if she had a better understanding of what she struggles with, she’d be able to work on strategies to counteract them and ways to get support. As it is, she insists she doesn’t need any help, she’ll manage perfectly well when she leaves school, she’ll be able to get a well-paid job, live alone and be completely independent, when in reality she’ll require a lot of support to guide her on the way to independent living. As for her social skills, sometimes she latches on to one of the other students, declares them to be her best friend and won’t leave them alone. Some of them have been teasing her recently, saying she has an imaginary friend.

Singh and Forest listened carefully as I interpreted, then went back through to speak to the four students. While Sasha and the detectives had been talking, the students had closed in and formed a tight group, signing to each other but keeping their hands low so we couldn’t see. I tried a subtle glance over through the doorway, but they were keeping their conversation well concealed. When the teenagers saw the detectives come back into the room they stopped their conversation and turned to look at them expectantly. Bradley shuffled further forwards beside his brother, almost shielding Kian from view. There was no sign of Liz or Mike.

Forest gave all the students a serious look. ‘I understand this is very difficult for you, especially with the news you’ve just received, but there are some questions we need to ask you. I want all of you to think carefully and give us truthful answers. If you think something isn’t important, tell us anyway, because it might be more important than you realise.’

Kian’s eyes widened as I signed this speech; Courtney and Bradley looked at each other, worry lining their young faces, but Cassie didn’t seem to react at all, sitting back with a little smile on her face. Was there something she knew, or did she not understand the seriousness of the situation?

Singh took over, sitting down opposite the four students, getting onto their level so as to not appear intimidating.

‘First, we’d like to know when you all saw Leon last.’

‘We don’t know where he is,’ Courtney spoke up quickly. Her voice was soft, with a nasal quality to it, but her speech was clear. The detectives knew from experience that not all deaf people were fully reliant on BSL, but Forest still looked a little surprised to hear Courtney speak.

‘Don’t worry, we’ll come to that later. Think back to when you last saw him,’ Singh repeated, keeping his voice low and gentle.

A small line appeared between Courtney’s eyes as she thought. ‘Friday night, when we all went to bed. I didn’t see him in the morning.’

Same, Cassie signed.

Bradley looked at his brother. We went to bed about eleven, something like that. We didn’t see him in the morning, did we?

Kian shook his head, but didn’t add anything. I wondered how often he let Bradley speak for him.

‘Did any of you leave your rooms in the night?’

There was a pause before any of the students responded to this question, and I thought I could detect a slight flush on Cassie’s face. A movement caught my eye: Bradley’s hand snaking down to squeeze Courtney’s. This time, however, none of them looked at each other, but each in turn claimed they’d been in their rooms all night.

Singh’s next question established that they’d all been woken around seven-thirty on Saturday morning – Sasha had been in to wake the girls, and Steve the boys.

Mr Wilkinson asked us where Leon was, Kian told the detectives, his anxiety showing in the speed at which he signed. But we didn’t know, did we, Bradley? We said we didn’t know. We didn’t see him leave.

‘Okay, now let’s talk about Mr Wilkinson. When did you last see him?’ Singh asked.

‘He and Mike were talking in the kitchen when we got up,’ Courtney offered, Cassie nodding her agreement. ‘They kept asking Bradley and Kian questions. We didn’t know what was happening until Bradley told me Leon had gone.’

Bradley continued the story. When we were all up, he went out to look for Leon.

‘He didn’t come back to the cabin after that?’

All four students shook their heads.

‘Did you see anyone else outside the cabin?’ Forest asked.

There was a moment of hesitation as the four of them looked at each other again. Well, Mike went out as well, Cassie offered. He said he was going to look for Leon and Mr Wilkinson. But he came back alone.

I felt a sense of unease as a look passed between the two detectives. My head swam as a thought hit me – could Mike have done this?

Singh sat forward and looked at each of the students for a moment. ‘I’d like you to think back before the trip. Had there been any problems between Leon and Mr Wilkinson?’

Oh, come on, you don’t think Leon killed him? Bradley replied, immediately animated and ready to defend his friend. He could never do something like that!

‘We’re not assuming anything,’ Singh replied, holding up a hand to try and calm Bradley. ‘We need to cover everything, that’s all.’

No, they got on really well, Bradley replied, then sat back and folded his arms, showing his refusal to engage with the question any further.

Kian looked nervous, but he nodded. I don’t know Leon as well as Bradley, but I don’t think he ever said anything bad about Mr Wilkinson.

The two girls nodded their agreement with Kian.

‘Okay,’ Singh said, changing tack. ‘Did Leon give any sign that he was upset or worried about anything on Friday?’

Bradley seemed to think for a moment, then looked over at Courtney. He seemed a bit preoccupied, like there was something on his mind, maybe. He was looking at his phone all the time on the bus and once we were in the cabin. Mr Wilkinson told him off a couple of times.

Forest took over. ‘Did he tell you why he was looking at his phone?’

Bradley shook his head. No, and I think he definitely wanted to keep it private.

‘Thank you. We’ll look into Leon’s messages and see if that helps us work out what happened,’ Forest assured the students. Far from relaxing them, however, I noticed a look of panic flit across the faces of Bradley and Courtney. Had the detectives noticed it too?

‘What happened to Mr Wilkinson?’ Courtney asked, a tremor in her voice.

‘I’m sorry, but we don’t know yet.’

‘Leon wouldn’t …’ Courtney began, but then she stopped herself and shook her head.

‘What were you going to say?’ Singh asked.

‘Leon wouldn’t run away,’ she replied, looking down at the table as she spoke. I didn’t think that was what she’d been intending to say at first, but she didn’t speak again.

The detectives stepped out of the room for a moment, had a quick discussion, then came back in and dismissed the students, with an appeal to speak to them if they thought of anything else. The four teenagers barely waited for me to finish signing this to them before they all got up and left the room together, arms folded or hands in pockets, as if they were deliberately avoiding communicating with each other until they were away from us.

I didn’t know what to make of this group of kids. They were all in care, which suggested they all had difficult backgrounds, and who knows what sort of memories this situation might be bringing up for some of them. Still, there was something strange about the way they’d been behaving, as if they were only giving the detectives the answers they thought they wanted. Bradley and Courtney were clearly close, maybe not just friends, and Sasha had told us how protective he was of Kian, so where did that leave Cassie?

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. A tall black man stood there, his head ducked slightly as if he were trying to make himself look smaller.

Hi Saul, Sasha signed with a smile.

He nodded at her, then looked awkwardly at the two detectives, but didn’t say anything.

This is Saul Achembe, the school’s IT teacher, Sasha explained.

‘I’m on speed dial for the residential kids in case the wifi goes down,’ he joked, then suppressed his smile. ‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be making jokes under the circumstances. Liz said you needed some things from me, access to Leon and Steve’s accounts.’

‘Yes please,’ Singh replied. ‘We’re looking at Leon’s social media, but we’d like to see his internet history as well, see if there’s anything he’s been accessing through the school networks that could help our investigation.’

‘I’ll help in any way I can. Do you need me to access Leon’s account for you?’

Forest stood up. ‘I’ll go and see if the tech guy has arrived. You can give him access and he can download what we need for now.’ She turned to Singh. ‘I’ll meet you at the car.’

Saul nodded and stood back to let Forest leave the room first.

When we left the residence, Sasha said her goodbyes and crossed back over to the main building, along with Forest and Saul, whilst Singh and I went to the car park. A fresh dusting of snow had fallen while we’d been inside, and I could clearly see a trail of footprints leading up to my car, despite the scuff marks that showed some effort to conceal them. Had someone been trying to see inside? I looked around, my heart in my throat, but whoever it had been was long gone.

Fifteen hours before the murder

Cassie was bored. Leon and Bradley were having a conversation about the film they’d watched last night in the communal area, which she’d thought was crap. She didn’t enjoy action films, especially not something set in space. She liked romance, the sort of film with a gorgeous lead actor she could fall in love with. Leaving the rest of them in the common room, she went back to her bedroom to get her bag. Mr Wilkinson said they needed to be ready to leave at half past four.

Closing the door behind her, she flung herself down on her bed, then rolled over when she felt something hard against her back. Picking up the object, she examined it excitedly. Another gift!

She tore off the purple paper and opened the little box. It was a necklace, with a small silver pendant dangling from it. At first she thought it was a dog, but on closer inspection she realised it was actually a wolf. Turning the paper over, she looked for the note. There was always a note.

In the end she found it at the foot of her bed. It read:

Dear Cassie,

You have been such a good friend to me, I wanted to give you something special. The wolf represents loyalty – you have been loyal, always helping me when I needed it. Wear this and think of our friendship.

Beaming with pleasure, Cassie put the necklace on and looked at herself in the mirror. The little wolf’s head sat in the perfect position at the base of her throat. Nobody had ever given her jewellery before. She’d had other presents, but nothing as special as this.

When had it been left? She hadn’t been back to her room since this morning, so they could have left it at any time in the last few hours. Smiling to herself, she was sure she knew who her secret gift-giver was, whatever Leon said. He didn’t know what he was talking about, and she’d show him.

Cassie thought about going back out into the sitting room wearing the necklace, just to see if any of the others noticed. But she couldn’t – it had to be a secret, her friend had been very clear on that. If she started telling people about the gifts they would stop, and that was the last thing she wanted. She was special, and she would do anything for her friend to keep it that way.

Chapter 9
Monday 26th November

Why won’t they let us help?

There’s a kid missing, we need to find him.

What are the police doing?

I waved my hands firmly at the group of deaf people who had turned up unannounced at Normanby Hall an hour earlier. A couple of PCs flanked them, giving the group sideways looks as we communicated.

Stop! I waved my hands high in the air to make sure I had their attention. You know I can’t interpret if you all sign at once.

Some of them looked suitably chastised but a couple scowled at me, as if I was the one stopping them from helping. I didn’t have any gloves on, because that would have made my signing really unclear, and my hands were aching from the cold. Rubbing them together, I wondered how much of my morning this was going to take up.

‘What do you need to tell them?’ I asked, turning to DS Singh next to me. He gazed past me towards the tree line for a moment, then looked back towards the crowd in front of us, huddled against the steps of Normanby Hall.

‘I understand that you want to help,’ Singh began, addressing them while I interpreted. ‘A child is missing, a child from your community, and we appreciate all support that’s offered to the police. But there is still quite a bit of snow on the ground in the park, and we don’t know if there is still evidence buried underneath it. If we have too many people walking around, there’s a chance it could make it harder for us to find Leon. Do you understand?’

A big man at the front rolled his eyes once Singh had finished speaking. You don’t care about the boy, he signed, an accusing look aimed directly at the detective. You should be encouraging people to help!

‘We doubt Leon is still in the park,’ Singh replied, doing his best to reason with the man. ‘It would be more helpful if you could share our posts on social media, and ask anyone you know in the local area if they’ve seen him.’

Most of the group were nodding in agreement with Singh, but the man at the front clearly wasn’t satisfied. Seeing his friends were less than keen to start arguing with the police, however, he relented and stepped back, turning to sign something to a woman next to him. A moment later, they started to move towards the main gate, the two PCs trailing in their wake.

The officer who’d phoned me that morning had sounded very flustered when she explained that a group of deaf people had turned up at Normanby Hall. The police officers who were there had managed to establish that they wanted to help, but beyond that the communication barrier had been too great. I’d arrived about ten minutes after DS Singh, and it had taken us a good half hour to calm them down and convince them that their attempt to be helpful was anything but.

I understood why they wanted to do something. In a small community, you protected your own; even if they didn’t know Leon, they identified with him in many ways, and they wanted to make sure he was safe. They’d just gone about it in the wrong way.

‘Want me to wait around in case they come back?’ I asked Singh, as he watched the group trudge away through the slush.

He nodded slowly, deep in thought. ‘Probably a good idea. I’m off to look at the pavilion, if you want to come with me?’

It seemed a strange request, as I wasn’t a police officer, but I knew from the last case that he liked to have someone to bounce his ideas off, and it looked like there was something on his mind.

We walked in silence for a few minutes, following the police tape through the churned-up snow. It was only once the cabins were in sight that I ventured to ask a question.

‘What’s on your mind?’

‘I’m worried about Leon,’ he replied.

I nodded. ‘Do you think he’s alive?’

Singh blew out a long breath. ‘I hope so. If Steve’s murderer also killed Leon, why haven’t we found his body yet? No, I think he’s on the run.’

‘Do you think he killed his teacher?’

‘Either that, or he knows who did it and he’s trying to get away from them. Or they took him with them.’

I shivered. Leon was only fifteen, and whatever had happened I was sure he would be terrified.

We passed the cabins and carried on through the park, until the cricket pavilion came into view. There was blue and white police tape around the building, but Singh lifted it up to allow me to slip underneath, then followed suit.

‘What are you looking for?’ I asked, allowing him to go first as we approached the door to the pavilion.

‘I want to get a feel for the building,’ he replied, glancing at the windows before pushing open the door. ‘I want to try and work out what Leon could have been doing here, see what it’s like inside, find out what he might have seen.’ He gave me a brittle smile. ‘Until we can work out what actually happened, it might help.’

I nodded. ‘Whatever I can do.’ I thought it didn’t really matter who was there, he just needed a warm body to listen to his thoughts as he voiced them, but then he gave me a smile that made my insides glow. I realised he was genuinely pleased I was there with him, and felt flattered that he’d asked me.

Following him inside, I looked around at the bare wood of the floorboards and the panelled walls. The building was fairly basic, with one long main room, then two changing areas off to the right-hand side. Singh wandered through to check these areas, but I knew he wasn’t looking for anything in particular. He’d be letting his brain process his ideas while he looked, then focus his attention on the areas that he felt mattered when he’d had that time to mull things over.

Not wanting to disturb his train of thought, I stayed by the door until he was back in the main room. Plastic chairs and folding tables with chipped veneer surfaces were stacked along the back wall, dust gathering on them. It was hardly the season for cricket, and I doubted this building was hired out for events in the way larger cricket clubs might be used.

‘What am I missing?’ Singh’s voice startled me slightly; I hadn’t realised he was standing right next to me.

‘Why do you think there’s something you’re missing?’ I asked, turning the question back round on him.

‘We know Leon left the cabin at some point during the night or the early hours of the morning, because he wasn’t there when the staff and students woke up at seven. We also know that Leon must have been in here, because the door had been opened and the snow outside was disturbed. No one else would have had that opportunity after the snow started other than Steve, and the few footprints we found were several sizes too small to be his. So, we need to know why Leon came here in the first place, and then why he left.’

‘Maybe he just wanted a bit of time to himself, then realised it was freezing and this was the nearest place to shelter without going back with his tail between his legs?’ I suggested.

Singh nodded slowly. ‘That’s possible. A fifteen-year-old boy would probably be too proud to go straight back if he was in a sulk about something. But if that was the case, why didn’t he stay here?’

I turned to look at the window at the end of the long room, and nodded towards it. Singh and I both approached the window and looked out. From there, we had a clear view of the little clearing in the trees where Sasha Thomas and I had found Steve Wilkinson’s body.

‘He saw his head teacher being killed,’ I murmured, taking a deep breath.

‘Possibly,’ Singh replied, tapping his fingers on the windowsill. ‘Or did he see Steve outside looking for him, then leave here in order to confront him?’

I couldn’t imagine what might drive a teenager to kill one of his teachers, but I didn’t contradict Singh. I knew the police had to consider all possible angles.

Singh turned back to the room and began to pace up and down. I ignored him and continued to look out of the window towards the clearing, almost as if the longer I looked, the closer I got to figuring it out. Why was I so desperate to come up with an answer? I realised it was because of Singh. Even though I wasn’t a police officer, he trusted me with information about the case, and I wanted him to carry on putting that trust in me. On top of that, there was part of me that wanted to impress him. I felt my face flush slightly as I acknowledged that to myself, a slight churning feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I was glad I was still facing away from him.

I cleared my throat to bring myself back to the moment and shake these thoughts out of my head. Max was the one who had asked me out, the one I’d been enjoying dating for the past eight or nine months, and the last thing I wanted was part of my brain playing the ‘grass is greener’ game. Turning away from the window, I offered a suggestion.

‘Could he have come here after Steve’s murder?’ I asked. ‘He saw what happened, then ran and hid in here?’

Singh’s eyes lit up. ‘Of course, that’s definitely an option. We’d assumed he was here before Steve died, but there’s nothing to say he didn’t arrive after. Though that still leaves the question of where he went next.’

I turned back to the window, but stopped myself mid-movement. Something had caught my attention, a slight glint in the corner of my eye. Bending down, I tried to locate whatever it was I’d just seen. Behind me, Singh watched.

‘Here,’ I said triumphantly, pointing at the tiny object I’d found. Singh pulled a pair of latex gloves out of his pocket and carefully picked it up, holding it up to the light from the window to see it more clearly.

‘What is it?’ he asked.

‘It’s a charm, I think. From a bracelet.’

‘It’s a letter C.’

We were both silent for a moment.

‘C for Courtney, or C for Cassie?’ I asked quietly as he continued to look at the charm.

‘I don’t know,’ Singh replied, ‘but I think at least one of these kids has been lying to us.’

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