Page 129 of Dying Truth
‘My name is Katherine Forbes, Harrison’s mother.’
‘Thank you for coming in, Mrs Forbes. I don’t know if you’re aware that we’ve been investigating—’
‘I’m aware,’ she said, offering nothing more.
‘My colleague has been rather interested in the secret clubs at Heathcrest and particularly in why some students just seemed to disappear mid-term. Harrison was one of those students, Mrs Forbes. Was there some kind of incident?’
‘Incident,’ she spat as her face suddenly spurred into life. ‘Is that what you’d call it? My son’s life in ruins is an incident?’
Stacey was instantly sorry to have caused offence but as she didn’t know exactly what had happened she had no clue what they were talking about.
‘Mrs Forbes, I don’t have all the details of your—’
‘Isn’t that why your colleague called by the house?’
‘All I know is that one term Harrison was at Heathcrest but the next he wasn’t and that my colleague was keen to find out more about it. Can you tell me why, Mrs Forbes?’
‘Because he was tackled, officer, on the hockey field. Both knees smashed by two of his classmates while playing a sport.’
Stacey balked. ‘I’m so sorry to hear—’
‘An accident, they called it,’ she said, coming closer. Seeing the rage in her eyes Stacey found herself sitting back in her chair. ‘The teachers and kids. A tragic incident of overzealous play. My child is sixteen years of age and will never walk unaided again.’
‘But, still, he has—’
‘Without distance running he has nothing. It was his passion. It was his life. The injury was intentional, officer,’ she said.
‘Was it jealousy?’ Stacey asked. Perhaps someone had wanted him off the sports team.
The woman shook her head.
‘And you moved house because of—’
‘Of course not. We moved because of what happened later.’
Stacey sat forward. The kid had been permanently disabled and there was more?
‘On the day that we collected Harrison from the hospital we had a car accident. We were a few miles away from home when a white transit van overtook us at speed and then slammed on his brakes right in front of us. We ploughed straight into the back of him. If my husband hadn’t automatically slowed down, we would all be dead. And that was the intention. The driver and van were never found.’
Stacey tried to process what she’d heard.
The woman shuddered. ‘My whole family was in that car.’
‘So, are you saying all of this happened because someone was jealous of his athletic ability?’
‘Of course not. It was punishment.’
‘For what?’ she asked.
‘Refusing the card.’
‘“Refusing the card”?’ Stacey queried. Now she was lost.
‘Turning down the groups,’ she explained. ‘An ace of spades was left in his bed. He gave it back and said no.’
‘And?’ she asked as dread began to form in her stomach.
‘If you know anything about that damned place you should know by now that no one refuses the card.’
