Page 38 of Child's Play

‘We met up for an evening drink, non-alcoholic of course as Belinda didn’t drink. We started chatting about a recent documentary on African burial rites but it was cut short.’

‘Why’s that?’ Kim asked.

‘Her sister must have called a dozen times during the short time we were there. Belinda was clearly annoyed at the intrusion but wouldn’t switch the phone off. Eventually I left realising I’d get a more focussed conversation from my cat. I don’t actually have a cat but you know what I mean. Strangest thing, though,’ she said, looking up and to the left.

‘Strange?’ Kim asked. She liked strange. Strange lived in the same house as unusual and anything out of the ordinary could produce a lead.

‘Could have swore I saw her sister on the car park outside but that wouldn’t make any sense, would it?’

‘Did you mention that to Belinda?’ Kim asked.

‘No, not at all. By the morning I was sure I’d been mistaken.’

Right now Kim wasn’t so sure.

‘And that was the extent of the friendship?’ Kim asked.

Ida shook her head. ‘A week or so later Belinda asked if I’d like to grab a coffee after work, but conveniently her sister had some type of fall right before we were due to finish. I mean I can’t be sure but—’

‘Officers, I’m ready to see you now,’ said a voice from behind.

Kim hadn’t heard the door to the principal’s office open.

‘Yes, we’ll be with you in a minute,’ Kim said, without turning. ‘Please continue, Ida. What were you going to say?’

‘Oh nothing much, really. I was just going to say that I got the impression that her sister didn’t much like her spending time with anyone.’

Twenty-Five

Kim knocked and entered the door that had just closed behind her.

A plump woman with a severely cut shock of blonde hair offered her hand. Bryant stepped forward and shook it while introducing the two of them.

Kim watched the woman make her way back to the other side of the desk and got the impression the three-inch heels were not adding as much height as she would like them to.

‘We’re sorry for the loss of one of your colleagues,’ Bryant said, taking one of the seats with blue cushions on the door side of the desk.

A laptop sat open on the generic desk, and Kim noted that while spacious and pleasant the office was by no means opulent. The furniture was mismatched and appeared to have hailed from whatever department had been budgeted a refit.

‘We are very shocked as you can imagine. Belinda only left us a few months ago, although we begged her to stay.’

‘You did?’ Bryant asked.

Kim was happy to allow him to lead while she fought down the irritation at being kept waiting. Ida had more than adequately filled the time, revealing little about Belinda except that she tried to keep her life completely compartmentalised. Ida clearly knew nothing of her friend’s sexual appetites and probably wouldn’t have believed them had they been honest with her. More interesting was what they’d learned about the sister that wasn’t dead. If they disliked each other so much, why the involvement in each other’s lives?

‘Of course we asked her to stay,’ Felicity Astor said, turning her full attention towards Bryant. ‘She was one of our most popular professors. Standing room only in her classes.’

‘Any particular reason?’ Bryant asked.

‘Child Psychology is always a popular class. The qualification is an asset in so many professions: counselling, teaching, social work and your own police force but Belinda’s class was particularly popular.’

Bryant said nothing but nodded for her to continue.

‘She didn’t teach the subject, she lived it. I make a point of sitting in once a year on all my professors, and her lessons were just electric. Her knowledge of the child’s psyche was encyclopaedic especially in the area of mistreatment.’

‘Go on,’ Kim said, sitting forward.

Felicity turned her way. ‘Belinda was particularly expert on the long-term repercussions of early mental cruelty.’