Page 90 of Dying Truth

‘Okay, updates from yesterday. We found out that ShaunCoffee-Todd’s death was not accidental, although we have uncovered no motive as yet. We have forensics on site but nothing from them so far.

‘Called the hospital first thing to check on Christian Fellows, who is conscious and stable but remembers nothing and didn’t see who attacked him. He doesn’t want to speak to us, and his parents are not going to force him to right now.’

‘He saw nothing?’ Bryant asked, disbelievingly. ‘Or recognise a voice?’

Kim shook her head. ‘Apparently not and it’s too early to push. I’m guessing the kid is terrified. We’ll see how we go and may consider trying to talk to him later.

‘Also found out that Sadie was being fed her mother’s antidepressants, and that Saffie removed them from Sadie’s room.’

‘The mother’s own tablets?’ Stacey asked.

Kim nodded. Bad enough that a thirteen-year-old girl was being medicated, but not even by a doctor.

‘We’ll be asking them about it later today,’ she said, turning to the detective sergeant.

‘Kev?’

‘Found a lot of shit connected with the school yesterday. Just not sure any of it’s connected to Sadie’s death,’ he said, honestly.

‘Share, anyway,’ Kim said. It was only just after 7a.m. and still a bit early to be knocking on doors. ‘We know that Shaun was a member of the Spades, so I’d like to know what you found.’

‘There’ve been a lot of incidents there over the last few years that the school has worked hard to keep quiet and most of them seem to have some kind of link to these bloody secret clubs,’ he said, glancing across the desk expecting a smart remark from Stacey. None came.

‘So, I got the names of three kids that had quietly left mid-year. No fanfare, no drama, no scandal, just disappeared from view. First kid I went to was removed by her mother after an initiation landed her in hospital fighting for her life. The girl was forced to do star jumps until she collapsed in a heap from an asthma attack.’

Kim frowned. ‘To be honest, Kev—’

‘I know, I know,’ he said cutting her off. ‘Could have been nothing more than a prank gone wrong.’

Yes, that was exactly what she’d been thinking.

‘I was on that thought train myself until I visited the second kid; a sixteen-year-old lad who lives with his grandmother. Except living isn’t really a word I’d use for Tristan Rock.

‘He was dared by the top card to drink four gallons of water in one hour. Kid videoed the whole thing on his phone and pretty much drank himself to death.’

‘He’s dead?’ Stacey asked.

‘Might as well be,’ he said. ‘Apparently drinking too much water in a short period of time means the kidneys can’t flush it out fast enough and the blood becomes waterlogged. Cells expand and well… it’s not pleasant. Tristan is completely brain dead. Only being kept alive by machines while his grandmother prays for a miracle.’

‘Jesus,’ Bryant said. ‘His parents?’

‘Accepted an undisclosed settlement and a gag order. No one was punished.’

‘Go on, Kev,’ Kim said.

‘There seems to be a culture at Heathcrest; a complete lack of accountability. No one even got a detention for the things I’ve mentioned never mind any kind of charges. That school is more terrified of scandal than anything else at all. And I don’t even know about the third family.’

‘Why not?’ Stacey asked.

‘They’ve moved in the few months since the kid left school. No forwarding address and contact with the neighbours through a third party only. The man next door with a scary dog spoke of an incident but wouldn’t elaborate.’

Kim frowned. That sounded to her like the actions of a family in fear.

‘Stay on it, Kev,’ she instructed. ‘Stace?’ she asked.

‘Okay, spent a lot of time in people’s financial affairs yesterday, and one thing I can say is that not all parents pay the exact same fee for the education of their kids at Heathcrest.’

‘I thought it was a fixed price per year,’ Kim said.