Shame the Devil, page 13
Denning tried not to feel too sheepish. ‘It looks like Hallam has nothing to do with any of this. If the school is the link, then we can assume Judd was the target all along.’
‘So we’ve wasted a considerable amount of time running round after a man who wasn’t even part of this investigation in the first place?’
It was asked as a question but came across as a statement. ‘Hallam is still up to something. I’m absolutely certain of that.’ Denning felt he had to fight his corner. Even if Tony Hallam wasn’t directly involved in their murder investigation, he was still a man who needed watching.
‘Unless he’s planning to murder someone, or he already has, then it’s not really any of our concern, is it?’ She sighed. ‘Look, I’ve spoken to someone at Serious Crime… they say they’ll keep an eye on Hallam and Meech but, without anything concrete, there’s not a lot they can do. And this is not our call.’
They were disturbed by a knock on the door and Denning was glad of the distraction. Molly Fisher entered the office and looked from Denning to McKenna and back again, as though uncertain which of her senior officers she should speak to first. Out of deference, she addressed McKenna.
‘As I suspected, Rachel Atherton lied,’ she said. ‘Well, OK, maybe she didn’t exactly lie, but she wasn’t entirely honest.’ She turned to look at Denning. ‘Technically, I should arrest for obstructing a murder investigation.’
‘What are you talking about, DS Fisher?’ McKenna asked, the exasperation clear in her voice.
‘Thomas Blake Primary School,’ Molly said. She looked at them as though it was so obvious it didn’t need to be spelled out. ‘I should have realised. In fact, I think I remember reading something about it at the time.’
McKenna looked at Molly. ‘Any chance you could let us in on it? Sometime today, preferably.’
‘I googled it,’ Molly continued, ignoring McKenna’s sarcasm. ‘About two and half years ago a child was killed.’
Chapter Thirty
‘We now know what happened at Thomas Blake Primary School,’ Denning said as he addressed the team first thing the following morning.
They sat at their desks, bleary-eyed. Three murders, which meant the pressure was mounting to get a result.
Denning gestured at the whiteboard behind him. Photos of the victims were pinned to it: Kieran Judd, Susan Elliot and now Euan Livingstone. Underneath was a photo of a park along with a map. The photos of Tony Hallam and Declan Meech had been removed.
‘During a school outing to a local park in early April two years ago, five-year-old Noah Daniel, a pupil at Thomas Blake Primary School, ran out of the park and into the path of an oncoming car. He was killed. His death was a tragic accident. The car’s driver, a seventy-six-year-old woman called Marion Haynes, hadn’t been speeding. In fact, according to the traffic police, she had barely been doing the speed limit. But it didn’t made a difference. Noah Daniel hit his head against the kerb and died later that day in hospital from a bleed on the brain. The traffic report of the incident had been emailed through and the team had read it. The coroner’s report stated it was an accidental death, and Marion Haynes was cleared of any culpability. There were claims that the school had been negligent and there was an official inquiry into its handling of the events that led up to the accident. It was argued that the children were not fully supervised at the time, an accusation the school strenuously denied. There are printed copies of both the coroner’s report and the ensuing inquiry on your desks. It’s worth reading over them to get some background to the case. But as always, don’t take everything at face value; these situations aren’t always black and white.’
‘So this is about revenge,’ Kinsella said. ‘Someone’s going after the teachers who were on duty that day. Surely that makes the kid’s parents our number one suspects?’
‘Not necessarily, Dave,’ Denning said. ‘Obviously we will be speaking to Adam and Peta Daniel, Noah’s parents, but let’s not start jumping to any conclusions just yet.’
‘Not even obvious ones…?’ Kinsella asked.
Denning ignored him and continued. ‘We have a list of all the teachers who were on the school outing that day, and we need to arrange police protection for the surviving ones. Uniform are speaking to them now. Obviously we’ll need to interview them.’
‘What about Euan Livingstone?’ Trudi asked, leafing through the inquiry report. ‘he wasn’t there on the day.’
‘He was head teacher at the time, Trudi,’ Denning said. ‘He was the one who authorised the trip. Ultimately it was his responsibility.’
‘But the school must have authorised dozens of these kind of trips over the years. He wasn’t to know what was going to happen.’
‘None of them were,’ Molly added. ‘Despite the inquiry’s findings about shortcomings regarding the children’s supervision, it does conclude that it was a terrible accident. Ultimately no one was responsible.’
‘We have to assume our killer thinks otherwise,’ Denning said. ‘But, like I said, let’s not jump to any conclusions until we’ve spoken to all the staff members who were there that day. We also need to speak to Rachel Atherton again. She’s the current head teacher at Thomas Blake Primary School, but according to the inquiry findings, she was working at the school at the time as deputy head, so she would have been aware of the facts.’ He paused and looked over at Molly. ‘Despite this, when DS Fisher spoke to her yesterday, she failed to mention any of this. It might be worth our while finding out why.’
Dave Kinsella was looking disgruntled. ‘If this really is all to do with this kid’s death, then you’d go after the driver of the car.’ He looked directly at Denning. ‘I presume we have checked that she hasn’t been knifed too.’
‘Uniform are speaking to Mrs Haynes this morning, Dave,’ Denning said. ‘But there have been no reports of anyone else being killed in similar circumstances.’
‘She could have moved away,’ Neeraj said. ‘No longer be living in London.’
‘I’ve checked HOLMES 2,’ Denning said. ‘Ignoring the usual random knife crime that seems par for the course these days, the only murders matching ours are the ones we already know about.’ HOLMES 2 gathered and collated information relating to all major crimes committed in the UK. It wasn’t fool-proof, as no system was, but it was a helpful tool for cross-checking any similar crimes to the ones they were currently investigating and finding useful connections.
Kinsella sounded like he still needed some persuading. ‘All these people left the school ages ago. If this has got something to do with what happened, why is our killer offing people who no longer work there? And why now?’ He folded his arms across his chest. ‘For argument’s sake, let’s say these murders have sod all to do with what happened to that kid, then we have to consider other motives. I mean, up until the other day we thought this had something to do with Tony Hallam and Declan Meech?’
‘We don’t know, Dave. We don’t even know for certain that this is to do with the incident in the park. But right now, it’s the best lead we’ve got.’
‘Does this mean we’re now officially ruling out any link with Hallam?’ Kinsella asked.
‘If our theory is right, then we have to assume Kieran Judd was the intended target all along. Naturally, we’ll keep all options open and if anything comes to light that suggests Hallam was the intended victim, or if we find anything that links Hallam with either Susan Elliot or Euan Livingstone, then we’ll reconsider. But for now, let’s focus on Thomas Blake Primary School, and Noah Daniel’s death.’
Denning was sure he could see a smug look pass over Kinsella’s face, even though it was Kinsella who’d pointed them in the direction of Tony Hallam in the first place. He could have mentioned that fact, but this wasn’t the time or the place for petty point scoring.
‘We’re assuming our killer is going to go after someone else?’ Neeraj asked. ‘Do you know who the most likely victim could be?’
‘It could be anyone who was supervising the children that day,’ Denning said. ‘Which is why we need to speak to them all.’
Denning noticed Trudi Bell was shaking her head very slightly. ‘Trudi?’
‘I have to reluctantly admit, Dave may have a point about why they’ve waited until now. This all happened over two years ago.’
‘Something’s made our killer strike now,’ Molly said. ‘Something significant.’
‘An anniversary, maybe?’ Neeraj suggested. ‘His birthday? Or something’s happened within the family to trigger this reaction?’
‘Or something else…?’ Molly suggested.
‘Let’s face it,’ Kinsella said. ‘Until we speak to this Adam and Peta Daniel, then we’re pissing in the dark. We should bring them in.’
‘We need to be careful, Dave,’ Denning said firmly. ‘We don’t know they’re responsible, and they did lose a child in tragic circumstances. The last thing they need right now is for us to go after them accusing them of murder, with little or no evidence to back that up.’ He looked around his team. ‘We’ll speak to Mr and Mrs Daniel, but we’ll do so with kid gloves.’ He looked at Molly when he said this. ‘But right now our main priority is to protect the surviving staff members who were in the park on the day. Because if there’s another murder, then it’s going to be on our watch.’
‘Exactly what kind of police protection are we talking about here?’ Neeraj asked.
‘At the moment, Deep, whatever we can get. We’ll warn the potential victims, issue them with an Osman warning if necessary, and ask them to take obvious precautions. In addition, we’ll see what uniform can spare, though we’ll be lucky if we have the resources to offer round-the-clock protection.’
‘We don’t even know for certain that they are being targeted,’ Kinsella said.
‘We can’t take that risk,’ Dave. ‘The first three victims are directly involved with what happened in the park that day. We have no option but to ensure the safety of the others involved.’
Denning wished he had something more constructive to offer, because he had a horrible feeling that their killer wasn’t going to stop until they’d finished the job they’d started.
Chapter Thirty-One
Peta and Adam Daniel lived in Hammersmith. They were still living in the same neat, bay-windowed, terraced house they had called home when their only son had gone off to school one morning and never come back.
It was two-thirds of the way along a quiet side-street off Fulham Road. At one end of the road were a row of shops: an off licence; a florist; and a newsagent. At the other end, the District Line trundled past.
The Daniels looked to Molly to be in their mid-forties. Peta was wearing a flowery dress, with her hair tied back in a loose pony tail; Adam was slightly older, with a greying beard, long, wispy hair, slowly edging from black to grey, and large Eric Morecambe-style glasses. They showed Molly and Trudi into a cluttered living room awash with books and esoteric artwork on the walls.
There was a dusty old chaise longue in the bay of the window, which reminded Molly of the grotty old one Jon used to have mouldering in his sitting room, until it collapsed under the bulk of an overweight neighbour during a party earlier in the year. She hadn’t mourned its passing.
The room was comfortably furnished, with what looked like a hessian mat and a couple of heavy bookcases, overflowing with books. There was a faint mustiness about the house; it was in need of a good airing. She spotted a framed photograph on a table beside the fireplace of a dark-haired child in glasses with an unsure smile, who she took to be Noah. It looked very much like a school photo, probably one of the last ones ever taken of him.
‘He’s still in our hearts,’ Mrs Daniel said, noticing her looking at the photo. ‘We think about him every day. It would have been his birthday in November. He’d have been eight.’ She stared impassively at Molly and Trudi when she spoke as though she was talking about someone distant that he barely knew. She suspected this was her way of coping.
‘He was a lovely, bright lad,’ Adam added. ‘I don’t think that school was the best environment for him. I don’t think they challenged him enough. In hindsight, we should have chosen another school for him.’
‘I’m very sorry about what happened to Noah,’ Molly said. ‘I can’t begin to understand what it must be like to lose a child. As much as I hate having to do so, I must ask you some questions about the accident.’
They looked at each other. Molly could read from their faces that even though it happened over two years ago, the wounds had yet to heal. Remorse radiated off them like a pungent smell that no amount of scrubbing would ever remove. She understood their anger.
‘He wasn’t being properly supervised,’ Peta Daniel said coldly. ‘It was as simple as that. If they had been properly looking after him, he would never have run out onto the road into the path of that car. He knew about roads and the dangers of traffic. It wasn’t his fault.’
‘The school claimed it was an accident,’ Trudi said. ‘According to them all the correct procedures were followed at all times.’
‘They never admitted it was their fault he was killed,’ Adam said quietly. ‘But they were entirely responsible. They should have ensured Noah was being watched at all times. I fail to see how the school wasn’t to blame.’
‘I understand how you must feel,’ Molly said. ‘But there was an official inquiry into the incident. It established that the school had followed all the procedures as they claimed: a full risk assessment had been carried out before the trip, and there were sufficient staff members to look after the pupils.’ She realised this wasn’t what they wanted to hear, but it was the truth, however unpalatable for the Daniels. ‘The coroner declared it was an accidental death.’
‘The whole matter was covered up,’ Mr Daniel said abruptly. ‘We wanted to take the school to court and charge them with corporate manslaughter, but were talked out of it by our solicitor. He said we didn’t have a case. The school claimed the children were being fully supervised, but it’s clear that wasn’t the case. If it had been, Noah wouldn’t have been able to run out onto the road.’
‘They closed ranks,’ Peta said darkly. ‘And don’t tell us you understand how we feel. You don’t. You can’t.’
Molly let the comment pass. They were angry. And their anger was understandable. They had to deal with pain of losing a child every day of their lives. Molly’s questions were adding to that pain. ‘If you’d felt that strongly, you could have taken out a private prosecution against the school,’ Molly said. She wasn’t sure what it would have achieved, but it might have offered the Daniels some sort of closure.
‘They said if we made an issue out of it then it would come out that Noah was a difficult child. It was lies but they had the upper hand. We were helpless against them.’
Molly suspected they were exaggerating, though it was just possible there may well have been a grain of truth in what they were saying. She could imagine the school would be keen to protect its reputation, even if it meant fighting dirty with two grieving parents. ‘You must have been resentful,’ Molly said. ‘Angry even.’
‘We were at the time,’ Adam said. ‘But there’s no point in carrying all that anger round with you. It won’t bring Noah back.’
It was difficult not to feel sympathy for them. Grief and pain still washed over them like a rainfall. Molly did briefly wonder if they really could be responsible for killing three people in cold blood: the animosity towards the school still festered, and she couldn’t blame them for that, but she didn’t think they were capable of murder. She couldn’t see them inflicting the kind of suffering that had been visited on them on to other people. But she had to push, just to make sure. ‘Did you blame the school? Or did you blame specific people in the school?’
‘What do you mean by that?’ Peta Daniel looked at Molly quizzically.
‘I mean, for argument’s sake, did you ever feel like taking revenge against anyone involved? Specifically the members of staff who had taken Noah to the park that day? You’re right when you said I can’t imagine what it’s like to be in your situation. I can’t, but I’m trying to understand the emotions involved. Has that anger ever spiralled since, I wonder?’
‘I don’t understand what you’re saying.’ Adam Daniel looked like someone had just slapped him on the face. He looked at his wife who just shook her head slowly. Then he turned to look at Molly and Trudi. ‘Yes, we were angry at what happened to Noah, but we wouldn’t take our anger out on other people.’ A realisation seemed to spread over his face as the penny dropped. ‘Oh, I see where you’re going with this. That man, the one on the news last night. The one who was stabbed to death…’ He looked over to his wife again. ‘He was the headmaster at Noah’s school. I told you I recognised the name. Remember, he came round to see us after it happened. Oh, he was very sorry and offered us his sympathies, but what he really wanted was to make sure we didn’t hold him responsible.’ He was still looking at his wife. He turned to face the two detectives.
‘In the end,’ she said calmly, ‘we asked him to leave.’
‘We didn’t murder that headmaster,’ Adam Daniel said. ‘I can see what you’re thinking, and I know you have to ask these things, and I suppose I can understand why we might be suspects, but we’re Quakers. We don’t believe in violence or in retribution.’ He shook his head, looking at the photo on the table of the child he’d never see again. ‘Yes, we were angry at the way he handled the situation. At the way they all handled the situation, but we would never take our anger out on anyone else. Yes, we wanted the school to pay for what happened to Noah, and yes, we felt they got off lightly after what happened. But if you’re seriously suggesting that we were angry enough to actually kill someone over it, then you’re wrong. Very wrong.’
