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Back False Witness Save as PDF
Chapters (100)
  1. Cover
  2. Title page
  3. Dedication page
  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. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. 60
  64. 61
  65. 62
  66. 63
  67. 64
  68. 65
  69. 66
  70. 67
  71. 68
  72. 69
  73. 70
  74. 71
  75. 72
  76. 73
  77. 74
  78. 75
  79. 76
  80. 77
  81. 78
  82. 79
  83. 80
  84. 81
  85. 82
  86. 83
  87. 84
  88. 85
  89. 86
  90. 87
  91. 88
  92. 89
  93. 90
  94. 91
  95. 92
  96. Acknowledgements
  97. DEAD GUILTY
  98. 1
  99. FALSE WITNESS
  100. Also by Michelle Davies

With the quick action of someone who’d done the same thing before, Alan pulled up the recording for one of the cameras that spanned the playground and rewound the footage until he saw the two children come into view. The time stamp read 07:02. He was curious to see how they’d been before they got on the wall and to his surprise he saw it was the boy leading the girl towards the building site, pulling her along by the hand – and she didn’t appear too happy about it. He peered closely at the screen. Was she crying? It looked as though she was.

He shook his head, then closed the footage down. It didn’t matter if she was crying, laughing or banging a bloody drum. She wasn’t his biggest concern right now.

With a shaking hand he clicked on a camera labelled ‘Corridor 8’. If anyone else at the school saw it they’d question its existence immediately – because there was no Corridor 8 inside Rushbrooke.

This was a camera Alan had secretly installed inside the Pavilion, a wooden, chalet-style building on the far side of the playing field that a lack of funding had allowed to fall into disrepair. Erected when the school was first built and used over the years as changing rooms, it was out of bounds to pupils now, and Mrs Pullman thought Alan used it for storing old sports equipment. Should she ever check for herself, she’d see the rotting gym mats and broken benches had long been removed and either side of the partitioned wall that once separated the girls’ and boys’ changing areas were two sofas that pulled out into double beds.

If she knew what they were being used for, the death of a pupil on school premises would be the least of her worries.

Alan steadied his hand as he clicked through a series of options to disable the camera and remove its technical presence from the CCTV system. The actual camera would have to stay where it was until he could sneak across to the Pavilion and remove it.

A couple more clicks later and every recorded frame of footage vanished with it.

7

The police had baulked at the idea of Dylan accompanying Julia to the school and insisted she ask a family member or friend to look after him while she was there.