Page 49 of Dying Truth
‘Could have been anyone,’ she said. ‘In all the chaos the murderer could have gone to Sadie’s dorm room, rifled through her things and changed the letter. It could have been Saffie. It could have been the parents who are convinced Sadie took her own life.’
‘Do you think they’ve held the diary back from us?’ Bryant asked.
Kim thought for a minute and shook her head. ‘I’ve got a feeling that anything in a diary of Sadie’s would support the suicide they’re so desperate to believe. I think the diary was in her missing backpack. Where else would you keep something that held your most intimate thoughts?’
‘Jesus, guv, you think the killer has her diary?’
Kim was prevented from answering by a knock on the door.
* * *
Bryant called out for their interviewee to enter.
Kim recognised the man that came into view as the one who had been sitting on the ground beside Saffie two days before. Kim guessed him to be around six feet tall, with a skinny frame. His smart black trousers were topped with a plain white shirt and red tie.
‘Mr Steele,’ Bryant said, standing to greet the psychologist who worked as a counsellor for the school.
‘Please call me Graham,’ he said, pleasantly.
‘Graham, please take a seat,’ Bryant said, pointing to the other side of the desk.
‘And thank you for making time to see us today,’ Kim said, pointedly. ‘I hope your personal business was not too harrowing.’
He smiled politely. ‘My aunt was taken into hospital with a suspected heart attack.’
Bryant leaned forward. ‘Sorry to hear—’
‘It was a bad case of indigestion, officer. Tomato seeds do not agree with her.’
Bryant nodded his understanding.
Kim sat forward. ‘As you know we’re here investigating the circumstances of Sadie’s—’
‘Suicide,’ Graham offered.
‘Death,’ she clarified. ‘And I see here you’ve been at Heathcrest for seven years now,’ she asked.
‘I have indeed, officer.’
‘And as the school counsellor you’ve probably dealt with all kinds of minor grievances from the pupils?’
‘And major ones too,’ he defended.
‘And what about Sadie Winters?’ Bryant asked. ‘Was she a minor or a major problem?’
‘Aah, poor Sadie. She was a troubled young lady,’ he said, shaking his head.
Kim felt that if she heard that word used one more time to describe the child she might scream. It was as though a memo had been circulated listing key words and phrases.
‘When did you first meet with her?’ she asked.
‘It was just a few weeks ago. I met with her a total of three times.’
‘Why?’ she asked, directly.
‘I’m sorry, what…’
‘There are almost a thousand students here and you can’t chat with them all, so what was the reason for the sessions with Sadie?’
