‘What do you have on the Hodges?’ Matt said. ‘And make it quick, please.’
She flicked a thumb against her chin. ‘Let’s just say that I’ve been wondering if their interest in Holly Wasson wasn’t a little more than … scientific.’
‘It’d be helpful if you could be less vague.’ Keech pulled out a notepad.
‘All I know,’ her voice was low and raspy, ‘is that Joyce and Bob Hodges taught science at our school.’
‘That’s common knowledge,’ Matt said.
‘And I always remember they retired early. Not long before their official retirement was due. Anyway, I’ve been digging into that and it turns out there was a very good reason why they stepped down.’ She pulled out her vapour pipe and gave it a quick suck. ‘Rumour was that they were found with kiddy porn in their work bags.’
Matt waited to compute this. Keech scribbled a note.
‘Were they charged?’ Matt said.
‘No. But that doesn’t mean much, does it?’
‘But if the school found out something like that, they’d prosecute. They’d tell someone.’ He turned to Keech. ‘Do you know anything of this?’
‘News to me.’ He shook his head. ‘Who told you this?’
‘The lab assistant at school told me tonight. He fancied me at the time. He’d have asked me out back then if I wasn’t a student but, hey … I’m not a student now …’ she trailed off with a smirk. ‘I tracked him down and asked him outright. He said they found a picture of naked boys in their bag. They said it was just a prank. Someone planted it on them … The school fell for it and let them off, but he’s not so sure. And neither am I. Plus … guess when all this happened?’ Her eyes sparkled, relishing the drama. ‘Just after Halloween, 2001. When they were …’ she put up her fingers to make air quotes, ‘helping poor little Holly out with her ghost problem.’
‘If the police didn’t prosecute, maybe it was just a prank.’
She shook her head. ‘Think it through. A couple of teachers with busy hands leave school cos they get caught with their filth. So they can’t get their rocks off by spying on pupils any more, so what do they do? They find a kid they can sit alone with for hours on end. They can sit with her in her bedroom with her mum’s complete permission, just so they can,’ she used air quotes again, ‘talk about spooks and video her and God knows what else.’ She blew out another cloud of vapour, on a roll now. ‘Haven’t you ever noticed what the symptoms are?’
‘Symptoms?’
‘Of kids who are supposedly haunted? They’re withdrawn, they’re distant, some of them rush off into fantasy worlds. And some of them even,’ she whispered the words, drawing out each one, ‘kill themselves.’
Keech shook his head, unconvinced, but Matt just waited in the silence. Considering it.
‘Think about it, Matt.’ Kassy leant over, in a cloud of sickly perfume. ‘Aren’t those the exact same symptoms of a kid that’s getting fiddled with?’
He winced and stepped away from her. ‘Do you always have to put things in the starkest way possible?’
‘It saves time, but I’ve got a point, though, haven’t I?’
He thought about it and decided that yeah, the symptoms were very similar indeed. ‘So what are you proposing here?’
‘Proposing?’ she laughed. ‘I’m saying we barge into that seance and tell Rachel she’s got a couple of pervs for friends. And heck, who knows what they’re doing to her right now.’
‘Fine,’ Keech said. ‘Then get in the car.’
‘Huh?’
‘I said get in the car. We’ll go back to Barley Street and ask the Hodges abou—’
‘Barley Street?’ She screwed up her face. ‘They’re down there, dimwit.’ She flicked a thumb back to the fence. ‘Rachel filled me in.’
‘They’re in the vaults?’ Matt flicked his gaze past her.
She was already kicking off her high heels and was pulling out a pair of pumps from her bag. ‘’Course they are. There’s a crack in the fence. So now I’ve you and a copper with me, we can head down and get some answers. Because despite what Rachel thinks, I know it wasn’t the vault that drove Holly to top herself. That’s a complete dead end. I reckon it was those two old buggers. And the state Rachel’s in and the guilt she feels … well. I mean she and Holly were sisters; what if they’re as fragile as each other – know what I mean?’ Kassy pointed at her brain, tapping her temple. ‘What if she’s liable to follow her sister and hang herself, you can see how guilty she—’
‘Enough!’ Matt narrowed his eyes at her. ‘We need to check if they’re okay …’
Keech’s radio suddenly crackled into life.
‘This is DS Forbes. Sergeant Keech? Come in?’
He grabbed his shoulder and spoke into the black box strapped to it. ‘This is Keech, come in.’
‘We need you back at Barley Street. Suspect has been apprehended. Repeat, suspect is apprehended and in custody.’
Matt’s jaw dropped and he rushed over. ‘How? Who?’
‘Matt? Is that you?’
‘Yes. Who was it?’
‘We’ve just arrested Pastor Todd Holloway from Menham Evangelical. We got him climbing over the back wall of Number 29 and attempting entry to the house.’
‘Bloody hell.’
‘Suspect’s admitted he threw the cross the other night. Tonight he was carrying a smaller cross and a bottle of liquid. Might be acid or something for the urine. We’re getting it checked out.’ He paused. ‘Was acid used against witches?’
‘No,’ Matt frowned and stared down at his shoes, thinking.
‘Oh, and one thing. It looks like the Hodges shifted venues on us. They’ve been playing a recording up there the whole—’
‘We know. The seance is here,’ Keech said. ‘At the vaults.’
‘Is it? Oh. Right. Well …’ Larry thought for a second. ‘Well, drag them all out of there, they’re trespassing. And report back to Barley Street straight after. Over and out.’
The radio crackled into silence, and Keech looked up, smiling. ‘Typical. We dick off just when all the action happens.’ He caught
