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Back Deadly Revenge
Chapters (60)
  1. CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR LEIGH RUSSELL
  2. Glossary of acronyms
  3. Prologue
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. Acknowledgements

Leaving him in the canteen, gazing morosely at his mug of lukewarm coffee, Geraldine drove to the primary school where Jonathan Edwards had worked. The school was situated at the end of a cul-de-sac of square brick houses. Leaving her car beside a tall hedge at the end of the road, she rang the bell beside a gate in the high metal railings that surrounded the site. A woman’s voice answered over a crackly intercom and Geraldine identified herself. Crossing a tarmac car park, she entered a two-storey flat-roofed building with large square windows. A sign by the door showed a name which was also displayed by the gate: Clifton Primary School. She pushed open a door marked School Office and a middle-aged woman looked up at her with a worried smile.

‘How can we help you, Sergeant?’ the secretary asked when Geraldine introduced herself.

Geraldine hesitated. She had come there to talk to the head teacher, but the school secretary might have useful information.

‘Do you know a man called Jonathan Edwards who used to work here?’ she asked as she stepped into the room and closed the door gently behind her.

The secretary’s neatly permed brown curls bobbed around her ears as she nodded her head.

‘He left us last year,’ she said, adding tersely, ‘cutbacks.’

‘What can you tell me about him?’

‘Has something happened to him?’

‘No.’

‘Is he in trouble?

‘What makes you say that?’

‘Only that you’ve come here asking about him.’

Geraldine smiled. ‘He’s not in any trouble as far as I’m aware, and I don’t know that anything’s happened to him. We’re speaking to him as we think he might be able to help us with an enquiry.’

The secretary’s worried expression cleared. ‘Is there anything we can do to help?’

‘No, thank you, I just wanted to make a few enquiries. We need to establish how reliable he might be as a witness,’ Geraldine said, hoping her explanation sounded sensible. ‘Did you find him honest?’

The secretary frowned at the question. ‘I should certainly think so,’ she replied, sounding slightly affronted. ‘I don’t think Mr Brice would have kept him here otherwise. Working with children we have to be scrupulous about our staff.’

The head teacher smiled sadly when Geraldine explained the purpose for her visit.