Page 5 of Dying Truth

A child’s problems were no less important or intense than the worries of an adult, she reasoned. It was all relative. A break-up with a boyfriend could mean the end of the world. Feelings of despair were not the sole property of adults.

The sound of tyres on gravel prompted her to turn towards the road. Two squad cars followed by an ambulance pulled to a stop behind Bryant’s Astra.

She recognised Inspector Plant, a pleasant, permanently tanned officer with white hair and beard that contrasted with his skin tone.

He came towards her as Bryant reappeared.

‘Apparent suicide,’ she advised, beginning the handover. Although first on the scene they would not take the case. CID had no remit in a suicide, except to agree that was the cause of death with the pathologist, which they would do following the post-mortem.

In the meantime there were parents to inform, witnesses to be questioned, statements to be taken – but that would not be done by either herself or her team.

‘Her name is Sadie Winters, thirteen-years-old,’ she advised Plant.

A quiet shake of the head demonstrated his regret.

‘Brendan Thorpe over there is the principal, who made the call to us, but she’d jumped by the time we got here.’

Inspector Plant nodded. ‘Thanks, guys, we’ll take it—’

His words were cut short by a female voice emanating towards them.

‘Is it her?’ cried the voice.

They all turned as a blonde girl dressed in the school uniform dodged the principal and barrelled towards them.

‘Let me through,’ she cried. ‘I have to see if it’s her.’

Kim lined herself up in front of the victim and tensed her body ready for the impact. This kid was hurtling towards her like a rugby player; stopping for no one.

‘Got ya,’ Kim said, planting her feet firmly and holding her so she couldn’t pass.

The girl, only an inch shorter than Kim, strained to look beyond, but Bryant and Plant had moved into position and blocked her view.

‘Please, let me past,’ she shouted right into Kim’s ear.

‘I’m sorry,’ Kim said, trying to hold her.

‘I just want to make sure,’ she cried.

‘Who are—’

‘Please, just let me past. My name is Saffron, and Sadie Winters is my sister.’

Four

‘Bloody hell, that was intense,’ Bryant said as they headed back towards the car.

Oh yeah, her ribs were still smarting from the girl barging her to get past. Luckily the school counsellor had appeared and with the help of the principal had managed to drag the girl towards the bell tower.

They reached the car and turned. Inspector Plant and his team were scattered among the melee of students and adults as well as guarding the body for the arrival of Keats.

Sadie Winters’s sister sat against the bell tower with her head down. The counsellor, a thin, wiry man with ginger hair and bushy beard sat beside her, while Principal Thorpe paced and talked to someone on his mobile phone.

And at the centre of it all was the body of a thirteen-year-old child.

Despite her limitations in the sympathy department Kim found herself wishing she’d at least had a chance to speak to the girl, understand what had been going through her head, reassure her that it wasn’t all as bad as she thought. Emotional connection with other people did not lie at the top of her skill set but she couldn’t have done any worse than this.

‘Jesus, Bryant, maybe if we’d just…’