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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

She was paces away from the building site when Renshaw emerged through a gap in the hoardings dressed in the protective coveralls that forensics demanded. Her manner bore witness to what she’d seen on the other side of the wall – solemn and wan, her hands shook slightly as she removed her gloves and she greeted Maggie with a grimace.

‘Sometimes I really fucking hate this job,’ she said.

‘That bad?’

‘His head took the brunt. Didn’t stand a chance.’

‘Has he been ID’d yet?’

‘Yeah, Benjamin Tyler, but everyone called him Benji. Just turned eleven. He only started after Christmas, moved here from Somerset with his mum. She’s inside,’ Renshaw added, nodding towards the main school building. Two-storey, red-brick, it had high arched windows that required a pole to open them on the inside.

‘She wasn’t here when it happened, was she?’

‘No, thank God. She turned up about ten minutes ago. Another parent had texted her.’

‘How did they know?’

‘Usual Chinese whispers. The school didn’t manage to get a message out in time to say it was shutting, so parents started arriving as usual to drop their kids off and it didn’t take long for them to work out what had happened when they saw us here. Benji’s mum got the text, realized he wasn’t in his bedroom like she thought he was, then ran all the way here.’

‘Has she seen the body?’

‘No. She keeps asking to but we can’t yet, not in the state it’s in,’ said Renshaw, flashing Maggie a strained, knowing look.

‘We’re sure it’s her son?’

‘Yep. Benji’s got a strawberry birthmark on his lower back and so’s the body.’

Maggie hugged her arms to her chest, feeling a chill that didn’t make sense on a day already so warm. ‘His poor mum,’ she said.

‘I know, I’ve been thinking the same: how do you even begin to deal with something like this? The teachers say he was a lovely boy too. Not that it would be any easier if he wasn’t,’ Renshaw added hastily.

Maggie swallowed hard. If Benji was eleven, that put him in Year 6, the same as Scotty. Who knows, they might’ve ended up as friends if Scotty had stayed at Rushbrooke.

‘What about his dad?’

‘Looks like she’s a single mum. We haven’t confirmed that with her, though, she’s too upset to talk right now.’

‘Who’s the SIO?’ Maggie asked. ‘I need to pass on something one of the first responders just told me.’

Renshaw pulled back the hood on her blue coverall and shook her auburn hair loose.

‘As the ranking officer, I am. And before you ask, no, there isn’t anyone else.’

‘I wasn’t going to.’