THE CORONER'S COURT was held in a room in the local police station. The police station, barely ten years old, had a reception hall that wouldn't have shamed a four-star hotel. The floor was terrazzo-tiled and decorated with potted plants. The enquiry desk, manned by the station sergeant, was of best quality teak.
Robert Breddon thought with some nostalgia of the room in the town hall where all the earlier inquests had been held. This place, the product of the affluent sixties, put him in mmd of a tarted-up pub. The floor was damn slippy too, he always felt he had to pick his way across it with extreme caution. He had been coroner now for over twenty years, but couldn't learn to like the job. An essential part of it was to view the dead bodies, and most of them turned his stomach. There were a lot of drownings along the coast and some of them had been in the sea a long time. Identification – another essential part of the job – wasn't always easy for the relatives. Road accidents were almost worse. He never ceased to be shocked by what a steering-wheel and shattered glass could do to human flesh This case, today, saddened him, as all cases involving children did The Fleming child had been almost unmarked His light had gone out with no visible brutality At the mortuary he had looked asleep As was his practice he kept away from the court until the last possible moment In a small town like Marristone Port everyone knew everyone else and it wasn't easy to draw the demarcation line between friendliness and formality He'd golfed and had drinks with some of the jury, but it would be impossible to whistle up a jury unknown to him Lessing, he believed, was sufficiently professional to act in a professional mariner, and so were the police, but he couldn't vouch for anyone else The courtroom at ten minutes to two was almost full The public tended as a rule to ignore this type of entertainment, but today's inquest was just sufficiently out of the ordinary to pull them in The major role would be played by Brannigan himself Lessing would carry him as best he could, but nerves did strange things to people The blindfold was a complicating factor Fleming's representative, apart from a brief courtesy call, was an unknown quantity, and Fleming he'd heard was out for blood Before the proceedings got under way he got Lessing to identify Fleming for him and then spoke a few words of sympathy to him Fleming inclined his head in acknowledgment He hadn't known what to expect – certainly not a room like this There were high windows from floor to ceiling overlooking a small yard The weather had suddenly become very warm and the too-bright sun was partially screened by long green curtains which cast a green glow over everyone Even the coroner's white thatch of hair looked green like a dye gone drastically wrong He sat up on a dais with his clerk at a table in front of him The jury were to his right and the witness stand to his left The green sunlight washed over all.
It was like a film set He couldn't believe in any of it.
In a moment the cameras would begin to roll and mood music would play He began to have serious doubts about his sanity He couldn't recall David at all He couldn't even conjure up his features Thirza said quietly to him "You're okay " It was a command "It's like something shot on a bloody stage I can't feel David "
She understood his panic "You probably saw the place quite differently in your mind It's as real as anything you imagined "
She was aware that Breddon was looking over at her and trying to assess her potential He would, she hoped, be as professionally objective as he possibly could be To hope that of the jury would be like hoping for the moon As for Lessing – she disliked him on sight He was mentally divesting her, his eyes busy on her breasts The proceedings began with the identity of the deceased Not you, David, Fleming thought as he spoke the few necessary words, the deceased The place of death came next The hold of the Mariana Fleming tried to conjure up the memory of it and saw it quite clearly like a sketch in a book He could neither feel it, nor smell it, nor be appalled by it It was a hold in a ship – meaningless The police evidence was brisk and catalogued events like a railway timetable They arrived They saw They functioned They departed The blindfold was mentioned but not stressed The pathologist followed the police to the witness stand He identified himself as Edward Blane and spoke the oath in a sharp staccato voice He had, he said, carried out the post-mortem The coroner asked him to read out his report The only relevant findings at the post-mortem were a contusion of the left forehead without an associated fracture of the skull. There was no significant bleeding into the skin, which suggests that the contusion occurred at the time of death The cause of death was a fracture dislocation of the second and third cervical vertebrae with compression of the cervical spinal cord."
The coroner looked up from his own copy of the report. "In layman's terms – a broken neck?"
"That is so."
"Go on."
"There was no other evidence of any injury or illness apart from the findings described above."
"Have you anything to add to your report. Dr. Blane?"
"No The child's neck was broken by the fall. Prior to that he was in a good state of health."
The coroner turned to Lessing. "Do you wish to question the witness?"
Lessing shook his head.
"Miss Crayshaw, is there any question you wish to ask on behalf of Mr. Fleming?"
Thirza stood up. "Please – if I may. Dr. Blane, does your phrase 'any other injury' cover sexual assault?"
"Yes."
"Were you requested to examine the child with that in mind?"
"My examination would have included that – without a request being made."
"But the request was made?"
"Yes – by Dr. Preston."
"There was no evidence of this?"
"As I have stated m my report – no."
Thirza turned to the coroner. "I believe Dr. Preston is being called as a witness?"
"Yes, immediately following Dr. Blane."
"Then that is all I wish to ask this witness. Thank you." • The exchange of question and answer was to Fleming like the sharp bouncing of a ping-pong ball across a table. He still couldn't connect it with David. That the pathologist's hands had actually touched and explored David's flesh was a fact he could accept intellectually but not emotionally. The post-mortem had seemed more real to him when he had sat at The Lantern with Shulter and had tried to blot it out of his mind This tall thin man with the staccato voice was as far removed from David as David now was far removed from this green-lit circus Dr Preston was sworn in He stated that he had seen the body in the hold and had pronounced the child dead He then went on to report on the removal of the body to the mortuary.
The coroner turned to Thirza again "You have a question for this witness0"
"Yes. sir " Thirza took the sketch out of her briefcase and requested that it might be passed to Dr Preston The coroner agreed "But if I see it first, and then Mr. Lessing and the jury, we'll understand where your questions are leading "
The sketch passed from hand to hand. One of the jurors tittered, the rest, together with the coroner himself, looked puzzled Lessing's glance was brief and dismissive, he looked slightly amused.
Thirza asked, "You've seen this sketch before. Dr. Preston?"
"Yes. In my surgery. The child's father showed it to me."
The coroner interrupted "Would you describe the drawing to the rest of the court, Dr Preston, please – and then explain its significance."
Dr Preston looked down at the sketch and then up from it towards Fleming. He acknowledged him briefly with a little nod of sympathy. "It's a sketch of a caterpillar – a caterpillar hugely out of proportion – on a bed Under it is written 'Wolly (a child's mis-spelling of Woolly) Bear on D's bed'. It's significance lies in the fact that it's regressive. By that I mean that David Fleming at the age of twelve – within a week or so of his death – drew a picture that was symptomatic of a period of distress he went through at the age of six. At six he awoke alone in a strange room at night and was terrified – the caterpillar was on his face. From then on for a period of two years or so he had nightmares. The caterpillar was the projection of his fear. He drew it to show his state of mind and left the sketches where his parents could find them and tear them up… graphic representation of something he couldn't bring himself to speak about." He paused and looked at Fleming. "The child's father could put it better than I can, but that is roughly how he explained it to me."
Thirza said quickly, "I don't think we need ask Mr. Fleming to add to that. You've explained it quite clearly. David drew the sketch as a child of six would draw it. He wrote the words as a child of six would write them. He was twelve and had the intelligence of a twelve-year-old. His other work showed no sign of regression. A shock, either sexual assault, which has been discounted, or some form of intolerable bullying would perhaps result in this sketch. It could have been a cry for help. Would you agree to this, Doctor?"
"It's possible."
"Wouldn't you say probable?"
"I'm not a psychiatrist, I found the sketch disturbing. So much so that I mentioned it to the pathologist. Beyond that, anything I say is conjecture."
The coroner, aware that what should have been a brisk and sympathetic walk from a to be was taking an awkward and unforeseen turn, asked for more clarification. "Are you trying to say that the boy's state of mind was suddenly unbalanced by something – and that his fall might have been deliberate?"
Thirza said, "I saw the hatch to the hold this morning. He couldn't have tripped and fallen – the edge of the hatch came too high. The fact that he wore a blindfold is extremely worrying."
"You're implying suicide?"
"I'm open-minded. The doctor, on his admission, is worried by the sketch."
Lessing was on his feet "Dr Preston-I have the greatest regard for your competence as a general practitioner, but on your own admission your knowledge of psychiatry is slight. Wouldn't you say that only an expert witness in the field of psychiatry would be competent to give an opinion?"
Preston looked at Fleming again "Unfortunately the child's parents didn't call in a psychiatrist during the early years when the symptoms occurred fairly frequently. This last drawing was after a lapse of time during which the boy had no nightmares. Something triggered it."
Lessing looked at the jury and then at the public in the courtroom. "One of the jurors saw the drawing and laughed – quite honestly, it's a funny picture. The kind of thing a lad might have drawn as a joke. I'm not a psychiatrist – any more than Dr. Preston is a psychiatrist. It didn't strike me, when I saw it just now, as being sinister. Dr. Preston might not have seen it as sinister if the child's father, who was naturally very overwrought, hadn't backed it with lurid tales of long ago…"
Fleming's anger until now held in control suddenly burst to the surface. "What the hell are you trying to say – that I'm a liar?"
Thirza said an agonised, "Please!"
The coroner spoke above her. "Mr. Fleming-Miss Crayshaw is representing you here. There are rules of procedure and I can't allow you to disrupt them. Mr. Lessing's turn of phrase was unfortunate. I'm sure as from now he'll choose his words with more care."
Lessing. who had made his point shrugged slightly and smiled "All parents here have the greatest sympathy with Mr Fleming Bereavement – especially when it's sudden and shocking – tends to colour our judgment We can't think clearly We see shadows where they don't exist"
And now, dear Christ, Fleming fumed he's implying I'm mad Thirza's eyes held his in warning and heeding her he remained silent The coroner suggested dryly that Mr Lessing might have a question to put to the doctor Lessing said he had "Did you treat David Fleming professionally at any time, Dr. Preston?"
"Yes He had mumps recently "
"Apart from the physical discomfort, did he seem otherwise normal '"
"Yes "
"Not obviously depressed or frightened?"
"During the periods of my visits – no "
"In retrospect, you weren't in the slightest degree worried about him until his father produced this silly sketch?" He corrected himself with a comical side-glance at the coroner intended to be seen by everyone "I beg your pardon, not the right choice of adjective – let me re-phrase that this disturbing sketch '
There-was a titter again from the same juror The coroner mentally cursed Lessing for playing it the way he was playing it A child lay dead The child's father was just a few yards away In this sort of situation laughter was obscene The doctor thought the same He answered with ill-concealed animosity, but he answered honestly "I had no reason to feel any concern about his emotional state "
The coroner, quite patently relieved by the answer, was about to dismiss him when Thirza indicated that she had one more question to ask "Is it true, Doctor, that statistic ally the number of child suicides has risen dramatically in the last few years''"
The coroner protested before Lessing could "That's a generalisation Miss Crayshaw It isn't relevant "
As Leasing had earlier she had made her point and was prepared to withdraw gracefully "I'm sorry It seemed relevant to me "
Dr Preston answered her ' I can't quote statistics You might well be right The Samaritans have received more distress calls from children m recent years "
The coroner picked up the reins again "We have to deal with facts – not conjecture We know the child fell We know the nature of the injuries which caused his death We don't know his state of mind You produced the sketch, Miss Crayshaw, but you haven't explained how it got into Mr Fleming's possession Can you tell us that now?"
"David gave it to the school matron " Jenny's surname had gone out of her mind "The matron gave it to Mr Fleming "
The coroner knew that the school matron wasn't on the list of witnesses He could see her at the back of the courtroom sitting with Mrs Brannigan Alison Brannigan looked as grimly composed as if she were listening to a case at the Old Bailey He hadn't met her socially for several months, but she looked years older than she had then The girl at her side didn't look too well either Anything she might have to say about handing over the sketch probably wouldn't affect the verdict either way It was best to let matters lie Now that the medical evidence was over, Brannigan himself was the next witness He spoke the oath quite firmly The fact that he was amongst friends was calming He was careful not to look at Fleming and he was careful, too, not to look at his wife He reminded himself that he mustn't answer the coroner with too much familiarity – he was Bob Breddon on the golf course and at the Rotary Club, but he wasn't Bob Breddon here The jurors were, as Lessing had said, very well known to him, too After a first quick glance at them he hastily looked away There was a strong bias in his favour and Fleming would be blind not to see it The coroner's first question was a gentle leading in "As a headmaster of many years experience, Mr Brannigan, you know the minds of young children rather better than most Would you say that David Fleming had settled happily into the Grange?"
"I would say so – yes "
"What is your opinion of the sketch he drew?"
Brannigan hesitated His honest answer would be to say that it worried him in the extreme But what good would it do? Breddon would ride him with a very easy hand on the reins and the hurdles would be as small as he could make them If he gave the wrong answer now then this hurdle would be one of many that could bring the school down. One could pay too high a price for a clear conscience He had a mental image of Alison and one or two of the older members of staff crawling out from under The child was dead – why hurt them unnecessarily "I was perturbed by it. It could mean a lot or it could mean nothing I didn't dismiss it out of hand, but equally I think it would be foolish to read too much into it In the teaching profession we're fed a somewhat indigestible diet of psychology We tend Jo see the Child Mind m capital letters We even think we understand it Children are very diverse creatures – but for the most part they behave quite logically I believe that if the sketch had been a cry for help it would have been followed by a more practical and understandable spoken plea for help The boy would have gone to one of the •staff and stated his case "
"And would have been listened to sympathetically?"
"Of course "
"Did you – or any member of your staff-notice any change of mood in the boy recently?"
"No "
"Why do you suppose he had bandaged his eyes before the fall?" He had been about to say accident but checked himself in time "I don't know "
"Was he an imaginative child?"
"Yes He had a flair for visualising scenes He came up with some good ideas tor the school play He could have been acting out a fantasy at the time of the fall ' He caught Lessing's eye Lessing looked pleased The coroner showed no emotion whatsoever but his support was like a strong shorewards current in a treacherous sea Fleming thought, "That's right – heel your conscience into the mud, God damn you A grudging respect that had been growing slowly for Brannigan during the past days was dissipated and became contempt He wished Thirza would stand up and say something and tried to will her into action but she resolutely kept her face away from him The coroner went on quietly "It's an explanation that seems to me quite feasible – but we're still in the realms of conjecture I think we should proceed to examine the facts of the case as we know them As headmaster you sanctioned the visit of the boys to the Maritime Museum?"
"Yes – the responsibility is mine The boys were working on a shipping project Last year the school produced work on marine biology It's my policy to use the environment of the school as fully as possible "
"Did you inspect the Maritime Museum before arranging the boys' visit?"
"Yes It seemed to me no more hazardous than our visits to the beaches and caves of last year There is always some danger"
"Quite It's the degree of reasonable care that counts in a case of this kind How many boys were put in the care of one teacher?"
"Eight The boys ranged in age from eight to sixteen Their master, Mr Hammond, is a highly responsible man I had no qualms whatsoever "
The coroner leaned back in his chair satisfied "Mr. Hammond will be our next witness Before he is called have you anything to ask this witness?" The question was to both Lessing and Thirza Lessing said no Brannigan, so far, was doing extremely well His father-in-law would have been proud of him Thirza said, "Yes When you inspected the Mariana, Mr Brannigan, did you notice that one of the hatches was uncovered?"
Brannigan's confidence slipped a little He hadn't noticed His inspection had been cursory "It didn't seem dangerous to me at the time "
"So you did notice it – and took no steps to have it covered "
Brannigan was silent "You'll agree, Mi Brannigan that it was dangerous Had it been covered David Fleming would be alive now "
Lessing without any formal request to speak rushed in with, "Not necessarily The accident could have occurred anywhere – off the harbour edge, off a gangplank It could equally have occurred crossing the road You can't wall boys up behind plate glass All living is dangerous The school has always taken every possible care of the boys Its degree of contractual care has always been of the highest "
The coroner stopped him "We're trying to determine why the child died in that particular way He spoke to Thirza "We know through hindsight that the uncovered hatch was dangerous Do you want Mr Brannigan to answer you, or was your question rhetorical?"
Thirza said crisply, "I'm sorry if I was pointing out the obvious There was danger A child died "
"Have you any other question for this witness?"
"No, sir "
Brannigan stepped down and Hammond took the stand Brannigan under pressure had become a headmaster with an anaesthetised conscience Now that the pressure was relaxed he felt the blood rushing in He couldn't assess the degree of his own responsibility Now, at this moment, it seemed total The words a child died thrummed through his mind like an unsteady pulse beat Hammond under pressure was a great deal less than calm His hands on the witness box were clenched fists of controlled aggression The coroner handled him carefully "The main function of an enquiry of this kind isn't to apportion blame but to establish facts Tell us in your own words what happened from the time you boarded the Mariana until you became aware of the child's fall "
The hot afternoon sun shining through the green curtains highlighted the sheen of sweat on Hammond's forehead He looked around(the courtroom and saw Fleming He spoke his evidence, looking at him "I boarded the ship with eight boys The three young ones stayed with me all the time, they were never out of my sight The five older ones – including David Fleming – were given jobs to do in different parts of the freighter. It was understood that they would stay at their posts and get on with the job The ship wasn't a playground My discipline isn't lax David Fleming was to have stayed on the poop deck and sketched the rudder machinery It seemed to me reasonable that he should stay there without my mounting a guard over him My eight-year-olds might conceivably have fooled around the hatch and fallen in I credited a twelve-year-old with more sense "
Ml
Fleming half rose in anger and then sat again as the coroner quickly interposed "Just stay with the facts, Mr Hammond and I'd be obliged if you'd look at me as you speak "
"I beg your pardon "
"Carry on "
"During the hour or so before the accident I took the three younger boys to the bridge and supervised them while they did some sketching there During this period I took them to the engine-room Stonley, one of the older boys, was there and I wanted to see how he was getting on with his work on the engines His was the most complicated task and I felt he needed the help I then returned to the upper deck with the three young lads They wanted to see inside one of the lifeboats and I had just lifted them in when " he looked across at Fleming again and some of the brusque-ness left his voice, "I heard David scream " His armpits were suddenly sour with sweat and he moved uncomfortably. "I didn't know what had happened – or how serious it was I couldn't leave the three young boys in the lifeboat, so I had to get them out before investigating " He looked towards the window "It's damnably airless in here "
The coroner let his sympathy show "It was a shocking experience! know how painful it is for you to have to go over it again Are you feeling unwell?"
"No I'm perfectly well It's just a very hot June da) and those curtains don't do much to keep the sun out "
The coroner nodded to one of the police officers who went and opened the slats If fresh air came in, it wasn't perceptible Fleming thought savagely, Bring on the sal-volatile -• bring him a recliner – cosset him – tell him how good and reliable he is wrap his bleeding conscience in bandage' and send him home He felt a heavy sense of defeat Hammond, on the face of it, was blameless The coroner prompted him "You heard the boy cry out. You got the three small boys out of the lifeboat And then?"
"Another of the older boys – Masters – was in the captain's cabin which was nearby I told Masters to keep an eye on the young ones while I went to investigate. Masters, himself, hadn't heard anything The only lad who had heard the cry was Durrant He was in the open air, on the fo'c'sle deck He arrived at the hatch fractionally before I did "
"What was the time lapse between the shout and your arrival on the scene?"
"A matter of minutes – three – four – perhaps five '
The coroner addressed Thirza "The evidence about the drawing was largely conjectural At this stage of the inquest we're dealing with facts As Mr Fleming's legal representative I don't want you to feel you're being restricted in any way If you want to confer with Mr Fleming on any point – then please do "
"Thank you, sir, but Mr Fleming and I had a full discussion before coming to court "
"Have you a question to ask this witness?''
"Please Mr Hammond, wouldn't you say five minutes was an unreasonably long time before you went to investigate?"
Hammond's adrenalin flowed even faster in the face of a new enemy A good-looking, suave, elegant little bitch "I didn't time myself with a stop-watch, it could have been less "
"When you heard the child cry out, how did you know which child screamed?"
"There was only one child in the region of the poop deck "
"Where the open hatch was?"
"Near where the open hatch was "
"When you arrived did you go directly to the poop deck or did you look down the hatch into the hold?"
"I looked down the hatch into the hold."
"You thought it probable that David had fallen down it?"
Hammond, aware of gin traps under soft undergrowth, trod warily. "Durrant – the older boy – was already there. He indicated that David had fallen."
"Indicated? Could you tell me more clearly what you mean? Did he say 'David has fallen down the hold' or 'I saw David falling down the hold'…?"
"I don't remember. I can't see that it matters what he said – or didn't say."
"There is rudder machinery on the poop deck. David was supposed to be there on an assignment. The accident could have happened there. You could have been expected to go there directly. The hold itself is fairly dark. If you went directly to the hold expecting to see the child there then you must have had a reason. If the boy, Durrant, told you to look there, then that is a reason. If he didn't, then you must have anticipated the accident. You must have been aware of the danger of the uncovered hatch. If you were and did nothing about it then you failed in your contractual duty of care."
Lessing was on his feet. "I don't like your imputations."
The coroner, who didn't like them either, liked Lessing's interruption even less. He told him to sit again. "Answer Miss Crayshaw's question, Mr. Hammond. Were you aware of the danger of the open hatch?"
"No, sir. If I had been I wouldn't have set the lad's assignment so near it."
"You wouldn't have gone directly to it if young Durrant hadn't made it plain to you that the child had fallen there?"
"No."'.
"And you can't remember Durrani's words?"
"No."
"That's understandable. When you realised the child had fallen down the hatch into the hold, what did you do?"
Hammond felt the salt of sweat on his lips. It was caking at the corner of his mouth. He didn't want to remember the hold – or the climb down into it. He tried to disassociate the mental image from the words, but with no success. The words came out painfully.
"He was lying on his face. I had never seen anyone with a broken neck. I didn't touch him. I could see he was dead. I climbed out of the hold. I thought I was going to vomit. I went to the rail."
The coroner's voice was toneless. "You noticed that his eyes were bandaged?"
"Yes."
"His hands were free?"
"Yes."
"You didn't touch him at all?"
"No."
"What happened then?"
"Mr. Sherborne came over from the ship that was anchored close by. The doctor and police were sent for."
"And we have their evidence. Mr. Hammond, have you any ideas on how the child came to fall?"
"No."
"He was in your House at school?"
"Yes."
"So you knew him quite well?"
"As well as one can know any child."
"It has been suggested – again we're back in the realms of conjecture – that he might have been acting out a game, a pirate game perhaps, anyway some sort of fantasy that involved a blindfold. Does that sort of thing equate with what you knew of the child?"
"It's possible. He enjoyed acting. It could have happened that way."
The coroner addressed Lessing "And now, Mr Lessing, have you anything to ask?" The rebuke was implicit Lessing bounced up from under it "Yes Mr Hammond, has any child m your care ever had an accident before?"
"No "
"You are a conscientious man and you have an excellent reputation both up in the school and here in the town where we have a close liaison with the school I believe that the standard of care shown was first-class You couldn't have done more " He looked at Thirza "Some of Miss Crayshaw's questions were difficult and distressing but you answered them honestly The one other question I want to put to you is a very simple one – is your conscience clear on this matter?"
"Yes'
"Then that, ' said Lessing, "is good enough for me "
And nicely put the coroner thought, if the jury needed convincing – which it didn't The verdict of accidental death was already a foregone conclusion Even so, justice needed to be seen to be done The boy's father was sitting there as if he were witnessing a crooked dice game and was powerless to do anything about it If he didn't feel he had to do everything possible to give him a fair deal he wouldn't call the last witness He didn't like calling on juveniles to give evidence, but Durrant had been the first on the scene It was Durrant who had indicated (blast Miss Crayshaw's insistence on the interpretation of this) to Hammond where the boy had fallen He thanked Hammond for his evidence and told him he could stand down Durrant took the stand Today he looked a man and was in his glory The machine in his mind was functioning at high pilch and was fully controlled He saw the courtroom as a room full of sub-normal aliens from an inferior satellite – a pusil lammous, cretinous bunch of observers The only one there of any account was Fleming himself He dared to look at him and then dared to smile at him The smile he saw with satisfaction, needled him like a poisoned dart He wondered if he should ask to affirm rather than to speak the oath and then decided against it Shulter was sitting midway down the left aisle and if he affirmed now there would be long heart-searching sessions with him later He had dropped God together with his mother yesterday – not that God had ever figured very much He read out the oath and then turned his attention to the coroner Breddon who had not looked forward to questioning a nervous and probably sensitive fifteen-year-old was put a little off-balance by what he saw The lad was tall for his age and he was standing very straight with his shoulders back, almost a military stance Brannigan hadn't described him this way Brannigan's description had been sympathetic – something about a miserable home background, lack of confidence and so on This boy, now, was almost scornful m his attitude as if he dealt with a bunch of fools All the same, he was a child Breddon corrected himself – a child up to fourteen, a young person from fourteen to seventeen He was a young person of relatively tender years and must be treated as such He had already decided to use his Christian name, but found it didn't come easily to him "I'm sorry you had to be called today, Steven, but you realise how important this enquiry is?"
Durrant looked at him with a degree of contempt. "Yes, sir "
"Did you know young David Fleming well?"
"No, sir"
"But he was in your House at school?"
"Yes, sir "
"Feel free to expand your answers, Steven What we're trying to do at this inquest is to understand the circumstances of David's fall."
"Yes, sir."
"You say you didn't know him well – would that be because of the age difference between you?"
"Yes, sir."
"I should have thought in the environment of a boarding school, with its separate Houses, there would have been a family atmosphere."
"No, sir."
Breddon, suspicious that the monosyllabic answers were deliberately insolent, said sharply, "Why not?"
Durrant had a quick mental image of his mother in bed with the photographer. Why was this man going on about families?
"A school is a school, sir."
"Meaning?"
"There is no family atmosphere."
Breddon had to accept it. "I see." He abandoned his attempt to get to know David through the eyes of another boy. "You were called to give evidence, Steven, because you were the first on the scene of the accident "
"Yes, sir."
"Tell us about it."
Durrant, forced into speech of more than one sentence, took his time in answering. He glanced casually at Brannigan, hardly seeing him, and then looked at David's father again The power-house in his mind felt a sudden surge that ramified through his whole nervous system As Hammond had earlier, he spoke to Fleming alone.
"I was sketching in the fo'c'sle when I heard a scream It came from the other end of the ship – the poop deck. I went to see what had happened. I looked down the hatch and saw David lying in the hold. He was dead." He lingered on the word dead. It came out gently.
Breddon, equally gently, asked, "Why did you look down the hold?"
"I could see there was no-one on the poop deck I had to pass the hatch to get to the poop deck It was the obvious place to look."
"You didn't see him fall?"
"No, sir"
"You have heard since that he was blindfolded?"
"Yes, sir."
"Have you any thoughts on that?"
"Kids-do corny things, sir He was only twelve."
Fleming felt the words – only twelve – like a deliberate bruising. The mockery in Durrani's eyes had come and gone. He was looking away from his now and back at the coroner.
Breddon, not insensitive, had been aware of the nuance, but didn't know how to interpret it. The sooner he got the boy off the stand the better. "Mr Lessing, have you any question to ask this witness?"
"No. I think the boy gave his evidence very well."
"Miss Crayshaw?"
Thirza shook her head She felt she walked a foggy landscape on a dark night. The boy gave her the creeps, but she couldn't fault him.
The coroner told him to stand down He made his speech to the jury as brief as possible. "We don't know why David Fleming fell. Had his hands been tied his death might have had more sinister overtones. Fortunately they were not. He applied the blindfold for a reason we'll never know. It's possible he was playing a game of some kind. The sketch you have been shown might indicate a disturbed state of mind, but we have had no expert witness to confirm this. You must consider the possibility of suicide, but there is no solid evidence to support it. The boy came to Marristone Grange almost a year ago, following the death of his mother. There is no reason to suppose that he didn't settle happily into the life of the school. The reputation of the school is high in the town. You might believe that the Mariana was hazardous – indeed, it turned out to be – but the care taken of the children seems to me to be reasonable. The poop deck was a safe area, if the child had stayed there all would have been, well. I shall ask you to retire now, give the matter careful thought, and then return with your verdict."
The jury took less than five minutes.
All seven tradesmen and true were unanimous. The school would continue to be painted and plumbed and cleaned and fed. There wasn't a stain on its character.
The foreman, who was also the local butcher, spoke the verdict. "Accidental death… and may we express sympathy with the boy's father?"
Fleming was already on his feet and on his way out of the court. For the first time that afternoon he saw David – the features, the wing of his eyebrows, the steady look from the hazel eyes.
He felt a terrible sense of failure.
The inquest had been a charade.
"You're dead," he told David in his mind. "My arms are around your shoulders, you're standing out here in the sunshine with me – and there isn't any bloody justice anywhere"
Jenny had followed him out. She was about to put her hand on his, but she let it drop. He wasn't aware of her or of anyone. His isolation was complete. He saw no-one but his son.