Frozen Minds

by Cheryl Rees-Price

  ‘It was Jane,’ Edris said. ‘According to the call history she phoned him at 9 p.m.’

  ‘Interesting,’ Meadows nodded. ‘That would tie in with what Melanie Whitby told us. Run a check on the number to make sure that it is Jane Pritchard’s and he wasn’t using her as a cover name on his phone. We’ll talk to Jane later; we need to find out why she was meeting him. Were they having an affair? And who else was with them?’ He turned to Rowena. ‘I see you have Alan Whitby’s laptop, did you get any useful information from Melanie Whitby this morning?’

  ‘Not from Melanie, she’s sticking to the story that her husband was a well-liked man. Good husband, good father. No recent arguments. I did get to speak with her daughter Claire alone. She told me that four years ago there were allegations of abuse at Bethesda House. Two members of staff involved, Alex Henson and Rhys Owens. Alan gave evidence at the tribunal.’

  Meadows felt a spike of anger at the thought of someone in a position of trust abusing those too vulnerable to defend themselves. ‘Did she elaborate on the nature of the abuse?’

  ‘No, but she thinks the men were prosecuted. I’ll look up the details of the case. If it went to court it should be on file.’

  ‘Bastards,’ Blackwell hissed.

  So he does have a heart after all. Meadows turned and added the names to the board. ‘Both men would certainly have motive to kill Alan.’

  ‘Why wait four years to get back at him?’ Val asked.

  ‘They could have just got released from prison,’ Edris offered.

  ‘I doubt it,’ Meadows said. ‘Sadly very few cases of neglect and abuse get a custodial sentence. The longest I’ve heard of is two years and that was only because an undercover reporter recorded it.’

  ‘I saw that documentary. It’s fucking disgusting, they should have been locked up and had the same treatment.’ Blackwell glowered.

  Meadows didn’t condone Blackwell’s language or his eye-for-an-eye attitude but the injustice of the case riled him too. ‘I agree the sentences were lenient in that particular case. In most cases of this kind it’s difficult to get sufficient evidence for a prosecution. The victim may not have the capacity to give evidence. It’s the word of the whistle-blower against the accused. In this case it sounds like Alan may have been the one to report the abuse. Once Rowena has all the details, we will interview these two as priority.’ Meadows underlined the names of the two men on the board.

  ‘I’ll go and interview them,’ Blackwell offered.

  An image of Blackwell throttling the suspect flashed across Meadows’ mind. He was about to decline the offer when Kevin came to his mind, the big man with his child-like eagerness had touched his heart. Maybe they deserve to have Blackwell inflicted on them. ‘OK, you can take Alex Henson – better take Rowena with you. Edris and I will interview Rhys Owens, see if their stories tally. Try and keep your temper in check.’

  ‘I’ll play it strictly by the book,’ Blackwell smirked. ‘I won’t leave any marks.’

  Edris sniggered and Meadows groaned inwardly, hoping that Blackwell was joking.

  ‘OK, while we wait for the information on the abuse case, I would like to make a start interviewing the residents of Bethesda. Blackwell, would you like to fill us in on what you gleaned from the personal files? I think we will all benefit from some insight before we start the interviews.’ Meadows smiled then took a seat allowing Blackwell to take the floor.

  ‘The files were very enlightening,’ Blackwell said. ‘Of the six residents in Bethesda two are severely autistic –Edward, known as Eddy, and Nicole. Most of you are probably familiar with autism, especially if you’ve watched Rain Man.’ He looked around the team and smiled.

  Meadows gave a nod and leaned back in his chair, giving Blackwell his full attention.

  ‘The condition varies according to where you are on the spectrum. Nicole for instance is non-verbal, she can communicate but you’re going to have to rely on her key worker Danielle. Nicole responds better to women. It’s doubtful you’ll be able to get much information from this resident.’

  ‘All the same, it will be interesting to see if we get a reaction when we mention Alan’s name,’ Meadows suggested.

  ‘I agree,’ Blackwell said.

  Meadows smiled, surprised. That’s got to be the first time you’ve agreed with anything I’ve said.

  ‘It is important to remember that there will be a lack of understanding of social cues and the ability to read facial expressions. The sensory world can also be confusing; some don’t like loud noises or bright lights. Nicole can be unresponsive to strangers. According to her file both parents are still alive and she has two brothers. All visit regularly. She has been in Bethesda for five years.’

  ‘How old is she?’ Rowena asked.

  ‘Twenty-eight.’

  Meadows was impressed that Blackwell didn’t have to consult any notes to answer the question.

  ‘Eddy’s life is dominated by routine,’ Blackwell continued. ‘Any deviation from that routine will evoke an outburst.’

  ‘Violent?’ Edris asked.

  ‘On occasions he has had to be restrained, but mostly these outburst involve head-banging, squealing, that sort of thing. His key worker is Harry, who, it appears, has a good connection with Eddy. Eddy always carries a book with him.’

  ‘We saw him yesterday,’ Edris commented.

  ‘He records anything out of the ordinary in his book, an outing or a visitor to the house. The book is used to alleviate his anxiety when there is a break in his routine and it appears to be working.’

  ‘That’s interesting,’ Meadows leaned forward in his chair. ‘There could be some information in the book. I saw him looking out over the car park yesterday. He would’ve had a clear view of anyone entering the back door of the home.’

  ‘He could have noted an argument between Alan and one of the staff or residents,’ Edris said.

  ‘What’s important to Eddy may not be what we deem important – he may just have recorded a change in his breakfast cereal.’ Blackwell smiled.

  ‘It’s certainly worth looking at the book, though. It may hold something interesting,’ Meadows said.

  ‘Good luck with that. Eddy always keeps his book with him. The file does note that he has difficulty sleeping so he may have witnessed something on Monday night. For the record, Eddy has been a resident of Bethesda for six years and receives regular visits from his family.’

  Meadows scribbled some notes and underlined “Eddy’s book”. He looked around at the rest of the team, who were taking notes and appeared equally as interested in the residents of Bethesda.

  ‘Vanessa is the oldest resident, at fifty years of age,’ Blackwell continued. ‘She has Down’s syndrome, which I assume needs no explanation. She requires less care than the others, her key worker is Cillian but he also shares responsibility for some of the other residents. Both of Vanessa’s parents are dead and she has no other siblings.’

  ‘That leaves us with the other three residents whose conditions are a little more complex. Liam has a low IQ; according to his file he suffered from foetal alcohol syndrome. That is, his mother drank heavily during pregnancy. He has a number of issues: poor short-term memory; difficulty in interacting with groups; and anger issues, to name a few. His condition is quite complex.’

  ‘Does that mean he’s violent?’ Rowena looked up from her writing pad.

  ‘He is prone to violent outbursts, yes. There are several incidents recorded in the files; biting, punching and kicking. Two of the attacks were on Alan Whitby.’

  ‘Do the files record what triggered the outburst?’ Meadows asked.

  ‘No, but it’s worth noting that foetal alcohol syndrome can cause a variety of other problems including: kidney failure; poor immune system; and physical weakness. Liam is five foot four and may not be very fit, so I can’t see him lifting Alan into the freezer.’

  ‘Family?’ Meadows asked.

  ‘No, Liam has been in care all his life.
There are no records of any visitors.’

  ‘That’s sad,’ said Val.

  ‘Liam’s key worker is Leah, they have a good relationship and sometimes she’s the only one he will communicate with.’

  ‘Just to remind you all, it was Leah and Liam that discovered Alan’s body yesterday morning,’ Meadows added.

  ‘Kevin, like Liam, has a low IQ, equivalent to that of a six-year-old. Complications at birth left his brain starved of oxygen. He is not known to be violent but can throw a tantrum. According to his file he’s a big bugger, six foot five.’

  ‘He certainly is,’ Edris said. ‘Frightened the life out of me yesterday.’

  ‘It wouldn’t take much,’ Blackwell quipped. ‘Kevin has the physical capability of lifting a body into a freezer, but I doubt he would have the ability to hide a body and keep it a secret.’

  ‘Or drive away Alan’s car,’ Meadows said.

  ‘He could have been acting under instruction,’ Edris commented.

  ‘Yes,’ agreed Blackwell, ‘but it would be hell of a risk. Gemma is Kevin’s key worker. He has a brother who visits from time to time. That leaves us with Steven, who suffers from schizophrenia, a condition which I, like many others, misunderstood.’

  ‘You made a mistake?’ Rowena arched her eyebrows.

  ‘Misunderstood,’ Blackwell snapped. ‘Steven’s condition started in his late teens with hallucinations, seeing and hearing things that weren’t there. This developed into delusions, thinking that people were spying on him and listening to his thoughts.’

  ‘So he was perfectly normal before the hallucinations started?’ Edris asked.

  ‘Yes, he was studying for a degree in chemistry.’

  ‘Does it say in the file what triggered the condition? Was there a family history of the illness?’ Edris asked.

  ‘No, why?’

  ‘Just curious.’ The constable leaned back in his chair.

  Meadows glanced across at Edris. He thought he saw an expression of worry flit across his face before he cast his eyes downward to his notepad. Maybe there’s more to his discomfort than he’s telling me. He turned his attention back to Blackwell who was listing other symptoms of schizophrenia.

  ‘Steven takes a mixture of antipsychotic drugs to suppress the symptoms but these cause side effects. Poor sod.’

  ‘Violent?’ Val asked.

  ‘Not according to his file; he can be uncooperative and gets agitated easily. It seems he has difficulty organising his thoughts and his speech can be garbled. I have done further reading on the condition and would like to be the one to conduct the interview with Steven.’

  I guess I should give him a chance. ‘OK,’ Meadows nodded. ‘Edris and I will interview Eddy, Kevin and Liam. Val and Rowena, I think it best that you interview Vanessa and Nicole as they respond better to females.’

  Blackwell took his seat so Meadows stood up and looked at the team. They were all dressed smartly.

  ‘The manager has requested that we dress casually. We also need to use first names. No rank. We’ll take it in turns to go in; too many at once will upset the residents. Any questions?’

  There was a general shaking of heads.

  ‘Good, try to get as much information out of the key workers as you can. Get a feel for how they regarded Alan Whitby and if any of them know about the abuse allegations. Edris and I will go first. Rowena, can you get all the details of Rhys Owens and Alex Henson?’

  ‘I’ll get onto it straight away.’

  ‘Val, how did you get on with the relief staff?’

  ‘Most of them have alibis. I just have to check them out.’

  ‘I’ll give you a hand with that,’ Blackwell offered.

  ‘Good. Come on then, Edris, I’ll take you home to get changed.’ Meadows walked out of the office feeling like he was part of the team for the first time since he took the job.

  Chapter Eleven

  I want Leah. I’m going to stay in my room until she comes. She promised she wouldn’t leave me so she has to come. I hate Jane, I bet she made Leah stay away. She is always making people go away, shouting at them, taking away treats.

  ‘Liam, are you all right, mate?’

  I’m not going to turn around. If I don’t look at him he will go away. He shouldn’t keep coming in my room without knocking, it’s the rules.

  ‘Liam?’

  ‘Go away, Cillian.’ He’s closed the door but he is still here, I can hear him coming up behind me.

  ‘Come on, Liam, you don’t want to stay in here all day. We can go out for a walk if you like.’

  He is standing behind me now. ‘I don’t want to go for a walk. I’m staying here until Leah comes.’

  ‘She can’t come in today, she isn’t feeling well. You want Leah to get better, don’t you?’

  I have to turn around and look at him now or he’ll think I don’t care about Leah. He will tell her I don’t care.

  ‘Is she really ill or are you lying?’

  ‘Of course she’s ill, why would I lie?’

  He wants Leah to himself, always touching her, smiling and laughing. ‘Jane always lies and so does Alan. I’m glad he is in the freezer.’

  ‘You don’t want to go saying things like that. The police will be here soon and they will want to talk to you. It’s OK, I’ll be with you.’

  He’s smiling, he shouldn’t be smiling. He knows. ‘I don’t want to talk to the policemen, they will take me away.’ There’s something heavy in my chest. It’s getting bigger, the red will come. I have to squeeze my hands tight. Cillian is stepping away, he’s afraid. People are always afraid of me. Except Leah. I don’t mean to hurt people, they get in the way.

  ‘It’s OK, mate, no one is going to take you away. Remember what Leah said?’

  ‘Alan in the freezer, I didn’t do it.’

  ‘No you didn’t, you just saw him when you went to get ice cream.’

  ‘I don’t like Alan. Alan is mean to Leah.’

  ‘Yes I know, but you mustn’t tell the police that.’

  He’s making my head hurt. I can’t remember. ‘Go away, Cillian.’

  ‘OK, I’ll come back and see you later.’

  He’s gone, good. I don’t want him to come back. I don’t want to stay here. My arms and legs hurt, I have to keep moving them. Swing, stamp, jump, swing, stamp jump. Leah told me a secret but I can’t tell anyone. It wants to come out of my head, there is not enough room in my head for the secret. I mustn’t tell.

  Chapter Twelve

  Meadows left Edris in the car with the engine running to keep him warm as he dashed into his house. It was cold inside, the house empty and still. Maybe I should get a cat; at least there would be someone to welcome me home. He went straight to his bedroom where he changed out of his suit and into a pair of faded jeans and a grey and blue striped Baja hoodie. He checked his reflection in the mirror. It’s the most conservative jumper I own so it will have to do. He pulled on a pair of boots then walked onto the landing where he pulled down the hatch leading to the attic. The ladder slithered to the floor and he climbed with ease. Several large boxes stood against the wall. He rummaged around until he found what he was looking for, pocketed the object then climbed back down, closing the hatch.

  ‘You took your time,’ Edris teased as Meadows slid behind the steering wheel.

  ‘I couldn’t decide on a jumper.’ Meadows looked at Edris who was dressed in a pair of loose jeans with a plaid shirt open over a black T-shirt. ‘I didn’t want us to clash,’ he grinned.

  Edris gave a half-smile but didn’t comment.

  ‘Are you OK?’ he put the car into gear and pulled off. ‘You haven’t been yourself since we left the station and you seemed particularly interested in Blackwell’s presentation on schizophrenia. Are you worried about the interviews? Because if it makes you uncomfortable –’

  ‘It’s not that,’ Edris cut in. He sighed and looked out of the passenger window. He remained silent for a few moments then turned to look at Mead
ows. ‘I have an uncle who is schizophrenic, my father’s brother. He used to stay with us sometimes.’

  He wriggled in his seat. Meadows could sense his discomfort but remained silent.

  ‘When I was seven years old he came to stay for a week. He was OK at first, then one night he came into my bedroom when I was asleep. He put his hand over my mouth and dragged me out of bed. He took me into the kitchen and started opening the drawers until he found Mum’s filleting knife. I just stood there too terrified to call for help.’ Edris paused and rubbed his hand over his face.

  Poor bugger. Meadows kept his eyes on the road while Edris composed himself.

  ‘He unlocked the back door then grabbed me again, he had the knife in his other hand. I thought he was going to kill me and chop me to bits. He dragged me down the garden, I remember my whole body was shaking and I couldn’t stop my teeth from chattering. It was winter and I was dressed in pyjamas, no slippers, but I don’t think it was the cold that made me shake.

  ‘We went into the coal shed, he constantly mumbled strange words that didn’t make any sense. He got me to help him pile the coal against the door. I was in that shed for hours. Eventually my parents came. I could hear Dad shouting for him to let them in. It only made my uncle more agitated, he shouted back waving the knife.’

  Meadows could imagine a seven-year-old Edris covered in coal dust and huddled in the corner of the cold shed. And I thought I had some bad childhood memories. ‘How did you get out?’

  ‘It was my mum who eventually persuaded him to come out, she told him he would be safer in the house, they could lock the doors. As soon as my uncle opened the door he was grabbed and taken away in an ambulance. He never came to stay again.’

  Meadows pulled the car into Bethesda’s car park, switched off the engine and turned to face Edris. ‘That explains why this place makes you so uncomfortable. You should’ve said something sooner. I can manage the interviews here, you take the car and interview Rhys Owens. Don’t worry, no one else has to know about this. You can pick me up later.’