Page 35 of Little Children

Penn said nothing but followed her past the stairs and the lounge to the kitchen, where an assortment of toys littered the floor.

‘Sweetheart, play with your toys for a bit,’ she said, grabbing the monitor she was using to watch the sleeping child upstairs.

She set it down on the table between them. ‘Any news?’ she asked.

Penn shook his head.

The sadness that shadowed her face was genuine.

‘Is Lewis a good kid?’ Penn asked.

‘I wouldn’t say that, but I’ve taught worse.’

‘We’ve heard he likes to fight.’

‘Probably more than most, but it’s not always his fault. He has a bit of a temper, but he gets bullied a lot. He uses his fists to fight back.’

‘Bullied for what?’ Penn asked, knowing there didn’t always have to be a reason.

‘A couple of older kids once saw him rifling through bins, so they called him all kinds of names. Sometimes they have a pop at his parents.’

‘And how do you find his parents?’

‘Not very easily to be honest. They’re always busy with something else.’

‘Parent evenings?’ he asked.

Brenda shook her head. ‘Never come.’

‘But he’s well cared for?’

‘Ah, Sergeant, that’s a tricky one to answer. Has his childhood been picture perfect with attention lavished on him? No. Is he beaten and starved on a daily basis? Also no.’

‘You think he falls somewhere in between?’ Penn asked.

‘We all do. Did he occasionally turn up at school with no lunch? Yes, but many kids do.’

‘Did you ask his parents about it?’

‘Of course. They assured me he’d eaten it on the way to school.’

He waited.

‘No, I didn’t believe them, but it didn’t happen again for a while.’

‘Can you give me your honest opinion about him?’ Penn asked.

Brenda leaned down to her granddaughter. ‘Sweetie, go and watch your sister for a few minutes, eh?’

Poppy turned with a frown. ‘She’s sleeping.’

‘Well, go and make sure she’s doing a good job of it while I say some things I don’t want you to hear.’

‘Okay,’ she said, choosing a cuddly toy to take with her.

Once she was out of earshot, Brenda began.

‘I think the boy is starved but not necessarily of food. I think he’s starved of affection, guidance and general parental involvement. Yes, the lad has learned to use his fists, and he’s pretty handy with them. He wins every fight he gets into, but he doesn’t go looking for trouble. He’s a lonely, solitary figure who gets ignored by pretty much everyone.’