The Dark Series

by Catherine Lee

  "No. He has soccer practice today, and I'm not letting him miss it. He needs to get back into his regular routine. And I need to talk to him first."

  "Fair enough." Cooper caught himself nodding at the phone. "We'll come around to your house tomorrow after school."

  "Thanks, Charlie."

  Cooper ended the call and turned to Quinn, who'd been watching the last part of his conversation with interest. "Don't ask, I'm not ready to talk about that just yet. Give me some good news. How're Anderson and Baxter going with the Morris case?"

  "They've got nothing, boss." Quinn removed his coat, hung it on the back of his chair, and sat down at his desk facing Cooper. "I spent most of yesterday with them, trying to keep out of Saunders' way, of course. No-one from any of those buildings saw a thing, or if they did they're keeping it to themselves. I have to tell you, I'm kind of glad we're not on that case. It's a bust."

  "Ours isn't much better." Cooper took a sip of his coffee. Quinn had found some magical place on his way to work that made the best flat white Cooper had ever tasted.

  "Did you come up with anything interviewing the boys?" Quinn asked.

  "Nothing concrete. I've just been speaking to Jackie, she's going to let us talk to Ethan again tomorrow after school. Alone, this time — I think the kid knows something, but doesn't want to say in front of his mum."

  "You think he knows who killed his brother?"

  "No, nothing that good. I just got the feeling there was something he wasn't telling us."

  "Right. And the other one? Oscar?"

  "He's quite the little surprise packet." Cooper shook his head. He couldn't discuss this with Quinn yet, not until he worked it through himself first. "Let's concentrate on Ethan for the time being. He said something interesting I want us to follow up on today."

  "What's that?"

  "Marcus Rose wasn't Lachlan's biological father."

  "So?"

  "So, look up the stats on children being murdered by stepfathers. It's not good reading. And Jackie told me Marcus is trying to take the other two kids away from her. Wants them to all go and live in Perth with his new wife and baby."

  "Yeah, I know all that, but we've got three murders, boss, not one. You think Marcus came up with some elaborate plot to kill two other teenagers to cover up murdering his own stepson? And he tried to make all three look like suicides in the first place?"

  Cooper shrugged, picked up his coffee again. "Stranger things have happened."

  36

  "Nope. Wouldn't have picked that one," Liz said to Jackie. "But then, I've never met the kid. What's he like?"

  Jackie had been at work for an hour before Liz had come and stolen her to help with some lab work. It was as if fate had intervened, giving her a chance to talk to her best friend about Oscar's troubles. But not only was Liz a sounding board, she was also quite possibly in a position to help.

  "He seems like a normal kid in most respects. Polite, friendly. But I could tell something was troubling him. I guess now I know what."

  "And you say he doesn't get much support from his own family?"

  "He's an only child, and both parents work. A lot. I think they leave him to his own devices a lot of the time, and that's not good for a kid with his problems. Not that they're aware of his problems."

  Jackie wondered again whether she could be the one to tell his parents. They should know, so they can help him, but it really should come from Oscar himself. But how was she supposed to convince him to open up to them?

  "I think he feels like he's a burden on his folks, to be honest. I can see why. If they're always either at work, or talking about work, it looks to him like work is their priority. He doesn't have anything to do with that, so he's not a priority for them."

  "Yeah, that's probably his perception. Do you think it's the reality, though?"

  "How would I know? I've never met them. I've spoken to his mother, Janet, on the phone a few times. She was quite apologetic when she asked me to sit in on the police interview in her place. I don't know, Liz. What kind of mother…"

  Liz pulled a stool up to one of a series of microscopes set up on the bench behind their workstation. She placed a slide on the stage and made adjustments to bring it into focus. "Try not to judge when you don't know the full story," said Liz, still staring through the eyepiece.

  "I know. It's hard, though. Have you ever come across anyone like Oscar?"

  Liz pulled back from the eyepiece and looked at her friend. "Not personally, but I have a colleague who has dealt with a couple of them. As hard as it may seem, Oscar is doing the right thing here. He's recognised that he has a problem, he knows how wrong it is, and he's asking for help. That's a big deal when you're talking about something as taboo as being sexually attracted to children."

  Jackie looked around instinctively, to make sure Liz hadn't been overheard. It was crazy, they were the only ones in the lab.

  Liz put the slide into a box and pulled a second one out to examine.

  "You're right," Jackie said. "It was brave of him to tell me. Oh, God, how must the poor kid be feeling? This affects his whole life. Not only is he going to have to constantly fight his feelings, he's never going to enjoy a meaningful relationship like the rest of us do."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Well, if he's only attracted to children, he's never going to want a wife, is he? Or even another man, a same sex partner. He's always going to want what he can't have."

  "Yes, that's true. But maybe with some therapy he can enjoy something close to a normal life. Don't write him off, Jackie. There's hope for this kid. The fact that he came to you is promising."

  Jackie turned to the box of slides in front of her and started labelling them as Liz had instructed. Liz was right, there was hope for Oscar. He's a good kid, deep down. I can see that.

  "Do you think you can get him in to see your colleague? The one who's dealt with a couple of other patients like Oscar?"

  Liz nodded. "Dr Sharp. I don't see why not. I'll give him a call today. You know, the existence of men who feel sexual urges toward children but don't act on them is higher than people might think. Many men, and even some women, are troubled by these urges, and fight in silence to keep them in check."

  "Really?"

  "Yes, really. I had a very interesting discussion with Dr Sharp about it not that long ago. It's such a social taboo that no help exists, at least not in the form of support groups or self-help books. Or if it does exist, it's not widely publicised, so the people who need it don't know where it is or how to find it."

  Jackie had never even thought about that. Support groups for young pedophiles? She shouldn't call Oscar that; he hadn't acted in any way to deserve that title. But he certainly had a problem, and to meet others like him was probably exactly what he needed. He felt like an outcast, he even called himself a monster. That wasn't good for a fifteen-year-old boy with little or no support at home.

  Jackie thought of the grief group she'd been attending. She'd been reluctant, and things had happened that meant it wasn't exactly a pleasant experience, but she'd been grateful at least for the support of others all experiencing the same sort of feelings she was. She was especially grateful for Simon's support; it was nice to talk to someone who'd also suffered the loss of a child. Yes, Oscar needed to talk to people who were like him. He needed some kind of support group.

  "Do you know if Dr Sharp runs any kind of therapy group? I mean, if he has a number of patients in the same boat, do they benefit from talking to each other?"

  "I really don't know. But I'll ask when I call him today." Liz turned to her. "Look, getting Oscar in to see him is a step forward, but he's still a minor. We can't do it without the support of his parents. He's going to need to talk to them."

  Jackie sighed. "Yeah, I know."

  "Do you think he was abused himself?"

  "I asked him that, he was adamant he hadn't been."

  "And you believed him?"

  "He was pretty convincing.
"

  Liz placed another slide on the microscope's stage. "Not all sexual abuse victims become abusers, and not all abusers were victims. It's a risk factor, but it's not a given. If Oscar was willing to tell you his worst secret, then why would he lie about being abused? If he had been abused, it would give him a sort of excuse, or at least a possible explanation for his feelings. I think he would have told you if that was the case."

  "So do I. No, I don't think he's been abused. I think this is just something he's going to have to deal with, and the more help he can get the better."

  "Agreed. I'll talk to Dr Sharp, but you need to get Oscar to tell his parents. Or at least one of them. At his age, he needs parental consent to see a psychologist."

  37

  As soon as Cooper had untangled himself from the wriggling mass of children who greeted him at the door, he headed straight for the fridge. It had been a very long and fruitless day, and he needed a beer.

  "Get me one, will you?" said Liz, following him into the house. She'd pulled in just behind him, and was now saying hello to her mother. Something Cooper had again forgotten to do.

  "Sure, babe. Hi, Ann. Would you like a beer? You must have had a hard day too, managing these little monsters." Michael was back by Cooper's side, trying to show him a drawing he'd done at pre-school today. Ann refused the offer of a beer, so Cooper just opened two bottles and took them, Michael, and the picture to the kitchen table.

  "What have we got here, then?" he said, sitting down and pulling Michael up onto his lap.

  "It's a dog, Daddy. Can we get a dog?"

  "Dog!" shouted Patrick, even though he couldn't possibly have heard what Michael was saying.

  Cooper looked at Liz and Ann. "Can he read lips now?"

  "He's been saying it all afternoon," said Ann, "ever since Michael came home with the drawing. I think you're eldest son might be corrupting your youngest for his own personal gain. I'm off, see you tomorrow."

  Cooper waved to Ann and then smiled at Michael. "That's my boy! But no, we can't have a dog. Are you crazy? I'm not picking up poo. Are you going to pick up poo?"

  Michael considered it. "Patrick can do it!" he decided.

  "Patrick's just as likely to eat it," said Liz, coming to sit with them at the table.

  "Eeeww!" said Cooper and Michael at once, and that ended the dog conversation.

  "Great drawing, little mate. Why don't you find some blu-tack and stick it on the wall with the others."

  Michael ran off to do that, leaving Cooper and Liz to their beers.

  "Long day?" asked Liz, picking up her bottle and clinking it to her husbands.

  "Sure was. Yours?"

  "Interesting."

  "Jackie talked to you, then? She said she might."

  "If you mean about Oscar White, yes. We had a discussion, and I said I'd see if one of my colleagues can fit him in. She's going to need the permission of one of his parents, though. There's only so much Jackie can do."

  "I think she needs to back off, personally." Cooper took a swig from his beer. God, that tasted good.

  "Did you say that to her?"

  "I told her to be careful. She's got a six-year-old daughter, and she's inviting a pedophile into her house."

  "That's a bit dramatic, Coop. He's not a pedophile. Not yet, anyway. Right now he's just a boy with confusing feelings."

  "Confusing feelings? He admitted to Jackie he's sexually attracted to young kids, Liz." He looked over at Patrick, who was playing with a train set Ann must have set up for him earlier today. "No way I'd have him anywhere near my children. No way. Jackie needs to distance herself."

  "And what if everyone thinks like that? Everyone distances themselves, and no-one helps the poor kid. You think he wants to feel like he does? You think he asked for it?"

  "No, of course not. But—"

  "But nothing, Coop. Oscar didn't ask to be sexually attracted to children, just like gay people didn't ask to be gay. He should be admired for speaking up, not persecuted because he's different. He's not alone, you know. This kind of thing is more prevalent than you think. There should be programs to help kids like him. Early intervention is the key, but it's not happening because it's socially taboo."

  "It's not just socially taboo, Liz. It's illegal, it's immoral, it's wrong in every sense of the word."

  "Of course it's wrong. I'm not saying it's right. I'm just saying he didn't choose to be this way. He's doing the right thing by telling someone, by asking for help. The least we can do as a society is try to give it to him. Try to turn it around before he becomes the criminal you already think he is."

  Cooper finished off his beer and got another two from the fridge. As much as he hated to admit it, Liz was right. He'd already lumped Oscar into the category of not just criminal, but the worst kind of criminal in his opinion. The kid could be telling the truth, he may not have done anything wrong. Yet. Jesus, this was complicated.

  "I still wouldn't want my sons anywhere near him."

  "I understand that. I bet Jackie does, too. She won't leave Emma with Oscar unattended ever again, you can be sure of that. But she's a compassionate person, Coop. She wants to help Oscar, and I think that's commendable. I'll help her in any way I can."

  "Did you get him in to see your colleague, then?"

  Liz nodded. "Dr Sharp, yes." She finished her first beer and pulled the second one towards her. "He said he'd see him next week, but he needs a parent or guardian with him. I told Jackie, she's going to try to get Oscar to talk to his mum." She twisted the top off the bottle and took a sip. "What do you want to do for dinner?"

  Cooper shook his head. "I've no idea. I can't think about food with this on my mind. I understand what you're saying, that he needs help and it's commendable that he's asking for it, but, geez, Liz, I can't help the part of me that wants to lock him up and throw away the key."

  "You're thinking like a father. That's natural, Coop. But what if you were his father? What if this was Michael we were talking about, ten or eleven years from now? Or Patrick?"

  They both looked over at their youngest son, lost in his own silent world and completely happy with his trains. Cooper couldn't picture him doing anything to hurt another soul, and the idea just brought out the protective instinct in him again.

  "We're not talking about Patrick, though, are we? Or Michael. We're talking about a fifteen-year-old who's just admitted to being sexually attracted to young kids. I can't get past that, Liz. It's my job to protect the community. Why do I always have to wait until they've done something wrong? Why can't I just lock up all the people who were born bad and be done with it?"

  Cooper knew it was a gross oversimplification of his job, but he was sick of it. He was sick of being the guy who showed up after the wife had already been beaten to death, after the kid in the playground had already been stabbed, after the violent home invasion had gone horribly wrong. Why couldn't he, for once, see something bad was going to happen and prevent it?

  "It doesn't work that way. You know it doesn't," Liz said gently. "Like I said, Oscar can't help the way he feels, any more than a gay person can help being gay."

  "Pedophiles are the worst of the worst, Liz. You can't seriously be comparing them to homosexuals. Really?"

  "In a lot of ways it is the same thing. None of us can help who we're attracted to. It's taken society hundreds of years to get our collective heads around homosexuality, and while we've come a long way there's still a stigma."

  "You can't seriously be saying that in years to come we'll accept pedophilia the same way we now accept homosexuality?"

  "No, I'm not saying that. Definitely not," she said, shaking her head. "I'm saying they're similar in the sense that we can't help who we're attracted to. But homosexuality occurs between two consenting adults. That's where the difference lies. A child can't consent. A child can't be in a sexual relationship. So anyone attracted to one, can't legally or morally act on their urges. But it doesn't mean they don't have them."

  Co
oper took a long swig from his bottle. "So what do we do about it?"

  "I don't know, Charlie. I don't have all the answers. All I know is, these people are out there. The more they come forward, and the earlier they do it, the more likely our chances of helping them before they become pedophiles. Before they hurt anyone. That's what we need to focus on, and that's why we need to work together to help Oscar White as much as we possibly can. And we need to do it discreetly, too."

  "Discreetly? Don't parents have a right to know, so they can keep their kids away from him?"

  "He hasn't done anything wrong, Charlie. If you out him now, he'll be ostracised. More so than he already is. He'll be persecuted, people will call him all sorts of dreadful names, and he'll start to believe them. He'll believe what they say about him, and give up on trying to do the right thing. He'll become what you fear, the very thing all of you think he already is."

  Again, Cooper knew she was right. He leaned over and gave her a kiss. "Okay. Discretion. You and Jackie see what you can do to help the kid, get him to talk to his mother, whatever you have to do. But I'm a police officer, Liz, and a father. I'll be keeping a close eye on young Oscar White from now on."

  38

  Jackie debated with herself for over an hour, but in the end she decided it was the right thing to do. Ethan was Oscar's closest friend, she had to find out what he knew. Her son had done a lot of growing up over the last couple of months. He could handle this. Besides, a small part of her wanted Ethan to know about his friend so he could keep his sister safe. She had to be a mother to her own children first.

  "Are you awake?" Jackie called out as she knocked on Ethan's door.

  "Come in, Mum."

  She found him not only awake but sitting at his computer. As usual, he closed the screen when she entered the room. She wished he wouldn't do that; it always made her feel like he was hiding something.

  "What are you doing? It's past eleven."