‘Were there any witnesses?’ I asked, keeping my eyes on the path so I didn’t fall over in the snow.
Singh shook his head. ‘Nobody we’ve found yet, but there’s already an appeal out on social media and there’ll be something on the local news, so if Leon left the grounds, hopefully we’ll find someone who saw him. If he’s still in the park, though, I think it’s unlikely anyone can help. Theirs was the only occupied cabin, and it’s not exactly the sort of day for people to go for an early morning run through the park.’
‘There’s more snow forecast,’ I said, throwing another glance at the heavy sky above us.
‘All the more reason to search as much of the area as we can now,’ Singh replied. ‘If Leon’s out there somewhere and the weather gets worse, it’s going to make our job even harder.’
As we rounded a corner, I could see a wooden cabin ahead of us. I didn’t often come into this part of the park, and looking around me I could see how easy it would be for anyone to lose their bearings without the paths as landmarks.
‘For now, we’ll interview the staff and discuss the best way to take statements from the pupils.’
‘Do all of the students use BSL?’ I asked. Just because they went to a school for the deaf didn’t necessarily mean their first mode of communication was sign language. Some deaf people sign, some speak, and many use a combination of both.
‘As far as I know, yes. The staff member who was interpreting for us before you arrived certainly signed to all four of the students,’ Singh replied. I was pleased he’d paid attention, but he’d probably learnt from last time not to make any assumptions about the deaf students, and that I would ask questions like that.
‘Are the staff hearing or deaf?’
‘The pastoral support assistant and the missing head teacher are both hearing. The social worker is deaf, and so is the deputy head, but we haven’t had much chance to talk to her yet.’
Forest was standing in the doorway of the cabin, and she gestured at us to join her. We walked into a large communal area with some sofas and a log burner, the seats occupied by a couple of uniformed officers, four teenagers and three adults. One of the women was slim with dark hair, sitting very primly on the sofa, whilst the other was dressed in a brightly patterned jumper that looked hand-knitted, her mass of strawberry-blonde curls making her look a little wild. As I looked over at the third staff member, a churning sensation began to build in the pit of my stomach. I must be mistaken. I blinked a couple of times, but the man who was half turned away from me still looked the same. He had the build of someone who used to play rugby but had spent more time in the pub than on the field recently, with dark blond hair cut close to his head. I took a step backwards, out into the freezing air, and took a deep breath. How the hell could it be him?
‘Paige, are you okay?’ Singh appeared next to me and I swallowed deeply. There was no way I could let my emotions show.
‘I’m fine,’ I replied, taking another deep breath and stepping over the threshold again. The man had his back to me, so I thought he probably hadn’t seen me yet. One of the uniformed officers directed the staff members towards us. I clenched my hands into fists and pushed my shoulders back, preparing to come face to face with him. The three of them got up and crossed the room to speak to DI Forest and DS Singh.
Forest introduced the dark-haired woman as Liz Marcek, the deputy head, and the one with all the curls as Sasha Thomas, a social worker, before turning to the man. He needed no introduction, but the detectives didn’t know that. Mike Lowther, my ex-boyfriend, who I had last seen over three years ago in my hospital room.
Chapter 2
‘Hi Paige.’
I didn’t trust myself to speak and just nodded in response. Singh looked between the two of us, confused, but I didn’t fill him in.
‘How are you?’ Mike asked.
‘Er, busy,’ I replied as I turned to Singh. ‘What do you need me to do?’ I signed as I spoke for the benefit of the two women. Liz Marcek, the deputy head, signed a question to the detectives.
What’s happening? They’ve told us to wait here but we haven’t been given any other information. Have you found Leon? Is he okay? And where the hell is Steve?
I interpreted this for Singh and Forest, who glanced over at the students. Some of them were watching us, and I knew they’d be able to see anything I interpreted for the staff.
‘Do you want to speak to everyone together?’ I asked Singh, nodding at the teenagers who were watching our conversation eagerly, and he understood my meaning. Sign language can be easy to ‘overhear’ even from a distance, so he might as well include them in the conversation.
Singh explained that he’d talk to them all together, and the deputy head moved over to where the students were sitting. I could feel Mike’s eyes on me, but I avoided his gaze. If I’d had time to prepare myself for seeing him, perhaps I could have kept my cool and looked at him with dignity, but as it was I didn’t know how to react. He’d always had his own version of events, so his perception of our break-up might be very different from mine.
On the day I last saw him, I had been in hospital for two days, and then by the time I was discharged the following day he was gone from the flat, leaving me not only with scars but also a mountain of debt. Anna wouldn’t let me sink into the pit of despair that lay in front of me, and dragged me back from the brink. She was also the one who helped me find a way to avoid selling the flat, though even now my finances were still in dire straits because of the mess he’d left me in. What was he doing here, working in a school for the deaf? The last job he’d had when I knew him was in a call centre, though he’d lived off my earnings for the last two years of our relationship. He hadn’t been able to sign before we met, had never even met a deaf person until I introduced him to my sister, Anna, and Gemma, my best friend. I couldn’t put my finger on why, but it rankled that he’d taken the skills I’d taught him and used them to get himself a better job when I was the one still struggling financially.
Shaking myself, I focused on the task in hand. I couldn’t let Mike’s presence affect the way I did my job. It would be humiliating if I screwed up just because he was there, watching me.
‘I need you all to pay attention, please,’ Singh said, addressing the group. He paused to give me time to interpret what he’d said, and I was pleased to see how easily we slipped back into a good working partnership.
‘At the moment we don’t know if Leon has left the grounds of the estate or not. We have police officers and park staff out searching, but there are three hundred acres to cover. There are also police officers going into the local area to see if anyone has any information; if anyone saw him walking outside the park or waiting for a bus. I need all of you to think carefully about anything Leon said or did yesterday that was unusual, or different. If any of you can think of where he might have gone, it’s very important that you tell us. We need to make sure Leon is safe. He won’t be in trouble when we find him.’ He looked at Liz Marcek. ‘We’re still trying to get in contact with Steve Wilkinson. The number you’ve given us is going straight to voicemail.’
A couple of the teenagers turned to look at each other, one continued to stare straight at Singh and the other looked at the ground. It had been thirteen years since I’d left school, and it felt like a lot longer, but I tried to put myself in their position. The five of them were all in care, with the residential part of the school acting as a care home year-round for those students who needed it. Foster carers who could use BSL were rare, so the arrangement worked well and ensured consistency for the students. Anna had gone to Lincoln School for the Deaf, so I knew a little about it already, although I had only been to the school a couple of times when I was a teenager, to watch Anna starring in drama performances.
Just because they all lived together didn’t necessarily mean they were friends, but I knew from Anna’s stories it was likely the residents knew each other pretty well. Leon was fifteen, and there could be all sorts of reas
ons a fifteen-year-old would run away, but until the police discovered why he’d gone it might be harder to figure out where he’d gone. I cast my eyes over the group again, and realised one of the girls was looking at me, her head tilted slightly to one side, one hand fiddling with the pendant around her neck. She was dressed in very drab clothes, dark jeans and a grey jumper that was too big for her, and her mud-brown hair hung limply.
I decided to take the initiative. Have you thought of something? I signed to her.
The girl looked over at the staff members, then shook her head.
Cassie, it’s okay. If you know something, you should tell them, Miss Marcek told her, but the girl shook her head again.
I don’t know where he went, she signed, and I interpreted for the detectives. She looked at me again, something like defiance in her eyes. He’s been looking forward to this trip for weeks.
Forest and Singh had a quick whispered conversation, then asked if they could take the staff aside to speak to them for a few minutes. We went through a doorway off the living area, which led to a small kitchen, leaving the students with the uniformed officers.
‘We need to decide how to proceed from here,’ Singh said. I began to sign his words, at the same time as Mike did.
I turned to him, but still did not look him in the eye. ‘I’m here to interpret, please try not to confuse the situation.’
Singh must have noticed the tension between us because he gave me a look before he spoke. ‘Paige is right. Whilst we appreciate your help earlier, Mr Lowther, we find it best if we use our own interpreter.’
Mike held up his hands. ‘Sorry, it’s just automatic, you know?’ He flashed Singh an apologetic grin, and I felt heat rise up my neck. Swallowing hard, I nodded at Singh to continue.
Why the hell did Steve go on his own? Liz Marcek signed, shaking her head. This is completely unprofessional, he knows the school policy for dealing with an incident like this. When Mike let me know what had happened I thought I’d better come up.
Singh nodded. ‘I understand. I’m sorry to keep you waiting around here, but at the moment I think it’s safest if we keep the children all in one place.’
Can we help with the search? Sasha Thomas, the social worker, asked, her eyes bright with concern.
Forest seemed to consider this for a moment. ‘There’s no reason why you can’t go with a uniformed officer and help,’ she replied. ‘We need all of the help we can get to cover this amount of land. I’ve only got half the number of PCs I’d like for an operation of this size, but they’re all I was allowed.’
One of us will need to stay with the students, Liz Marcek told Sasha.
‘I’ll stay,’ Mike said quickly. ‘Paige and I can catch up while you’re out there searching.’ The smile he aimed at me looked charming, but I wasn’t going to fall for it.
‘No, we’ll leave a PC with you,’ Forest said brusquely. ‘Paige will need to accompany Ms Thomas, if she’s joining the search party.’
I breathed a sigh of relief. Forest had probably said that in order to stop me from putting my feet up while I was being paid to interpret, but I didn’t care what her motives were as long as she didn’t leave me alone with Mike.
Singh led Sasha and me back outside, where he introduced us to a PC.
‘Ryan, I’m adding you to the search party, with Paige and Sasha here.’ Singh pulled a map out of his pocket and handed it over, indicating which part of the estate hadn’t been covered yet. ‘If in doubt, follow your own footprints back here again.’
The uniformed officer nodded and set off away from the cabin, taking us further from the hall and deeper into the woods. Before we turned a corner and lost sight of the cabin I looked back; someone was watching us from the window, but I couldn’t see who it was.
It’s getting darker, I pointed out to Sasha. I think it’s going to snow again.
She shook her head. I told them we shouldn’t have come, with this forecast. But Steve was determined not to cancel. A bit of snow will make it all the more exciting, he said. She rolled her eyes. This is more than just a bit of snow, but he wouldn’t listen, and he’s the head so has the final decision.
Why did you come with them? I asked.
They needed a woman, she replied with a wry smile. None of the female staff could come this weekend, or so they said, so Steve asked me.
PC Ryan was walking slightly ahead of us and glanced back at us occasionally, but as he couldn’t follow the conversation he carried on trudging through the snow in silence. Sasha and I stopped signing for some time, as we looked around us, searching for any sign of Leon or Steve as we went. The trees along the side of the path were thinning out, and the expanse of virgin snow ahead of us was widening.
‘We’ll go as far as that stand of trees, there,’ PC Ryan told me, ‘then loop back around. According to the map we’re getting closer to where the southern end of the estate meets the road, so we’ll go that way to check for potential entrances or exits.’
I signed this for Sasha and she nodded. How do we know he’s even in the park?
‘We don’t,’ the PC replied with a shrug. ‘But we still have to look.’
As we walked, I wondered why this particular part of the park was so open. The area in front of us was completely clear of trees, and it was an almost perfect square. It was only when I spotted a low, snow-covered building on the far side that I realised where we were.
‘Is this the cricket club?’ I asked Ryan, and he frowned, pulling out the map.
‘Er, yes. Yes, it must be,’ he said, his tone of voice not filling me with confidence. I hoped we were going to be able to find our way back to the cabin.
‘In which case, we’re closer to the road than you thought,’ I pointed out, but he didn’t say anything.
‘We should check the pavilion,’ he said. ‘It would be an ideal place to shelter.’
I signed our conversation for Sasha, and she nodded.
That’s a good idea. If he’s still in the park it’d be a good place to hide. Nobody is going to be playing on this pitch for a little while.
The three of us crossed the pitch and approached the small building.
‘Look,’ I said, pointing to where a pane of glass had been broken.
PC Ryan put out an arm. ‘Don’t come any closer,’ he said. ‘There might be evidence and we don’t want to compromise it.’
‘There’s less snow around the door, as if it was pushed open from the inside,’ I pointed out, and Ryan nodded, already on his radio. He explained where we were and what we’d found, so we then had to wait for the detectives to come and find us. Sasha kept shifting from foot to foot and trying to peer through the window, anxious to see if Leon was inside.
After a few minutes had passed, I felt something soft brush my cheek and looked up.
‘It’s snowing again,’ I said, as more fat flakes drifted down.
‘Just what we need,’ Ryan muttered.
Come on, let’s check round the back, I signed to Sasha, who had been pacing restlessly. She nodded her agreement and followed me. Leaving Ryan waiting for Forest, we stomped through the snow and looped round behind the pavilion.
I feel responsible, she told me. I should have realised something was wrong.
Don’t say that, I replied, trying to reassure her. Nobody knows what happened, yet.
I know, but … She stopped and paused. What’s that?
What?
That, over there?
I followed where she was pointing and squinted into the trees. As I moved closer I spotted what looked like a pile of material at the base of one of the trees, half covered in snow.
I don’t know. Stay here, I’ll have a look, I said, pushing my way through the frozen undergrowth. Sasha shook her head and followed me, and we approached together. As we got closer, we saw it wasn’t a pile of material, but a person.
Oh God, is he okay? I asked as we got closer to the man on the ground. He was lying on one side with his back to us. I could s
ee a head of well-styled grey hair, some high-quality outdoors clothing and an expensive pair of walking shoes, one of which had come off and was lying about a metre away. A thin layer of snow covered him, setting off alarm bells in my head.
Sasha reached out to shake him, and the man’s head lolled in a sickening way. As his head tipped to the side I saw a huge gash on the side of his neck, and a vibrant splash of red on the snow to the side of him, spilling out from the wound. It was clear he was dead.
I retched and took a step back. My head was spinning.
Who is it? I asked, though I was sure I already knew the answer.
Steve Wilkinson, Sasha replied, her face pale. The head teacher.
Chapter 3
It took nearly an hour for the forensics team to arrive from Scunthorpe, with the snow coming down thick and fast by the time they arrived. Sasha and I were back in the cabin with the rest of the school group when Singh came in looking like he’d just returned from an expedition to the North Pole. Forest had informed Mike and Liz that Steve was dead and it didn’t look like an accident, but they hadn’t told the students yet. They knew something was wrong and kept asking questions, so the tension in the atmosphere was almost unbearable.
Singh beckoned to the staff and we all gathered in the kitchen once again.
‘There’s no sign of Leon, but it looks like someone has been in the pavilion today. The forensics officers are collecting evidence at the moment.’
What happened to Steve? Liz asked. I can’t believe this is happening.
‘I can’t answer that question right now,’ Singh replied. ‘We’ll need to wait for a post-mortem.’
Do you think Leon is dead as well? Did someone attack them both?
‘I’m sorry,’ he said, shaking his head gently. ‘I really don’t know, but you need to trust us to do our jobs. I promise you we’ll do our best to find out what happened.’
Silent Night Page 2
