Page 80 of Silent Scream
‘Please do,’ Kim said, unable to see the wild horses that appeared to be dragging words from his mouth.
‘Not long before the fire it was brought to my attention that Arthur had been supplying some of the girls with drugs. Nothing hard, but drugs nonetheless.’
‘Why?’ Kim asked, pointedly. If discovered, his actions would have cost him his job, a criminal record and potentially a few months in Featherstone.
‘William was the night shift caretaker, covered by a relief guy for his two nights off. Occasionally Arthur would step in and earn the overtime. Unknown to the rest of the staff, Arthur was spending the first part of his shift at the pub. A fact easily discovered by a group of occupants, who used the situation to their advantage.’
‘They blackmailed him?’ Bryant asked.
‘That's not really a word I'd like to use, Detective.’
As the person in charge of the facility, Kim felt sure it wasn't.
‘Arthur obviously kept quiet through fear of losing his job.’
‘As well he should,’ Kim exploded. ‘He was responsible for the safety of fifteen to twenty girls aged anywhere from six to fifteen. Anything could have happened to those kids while he was gone.’
Richard eyed her quizzically. ‘You condone the behaviour of these girls, Detective?’
No she did not, but she was yet to find one single person to whom these girls had been entrusted that actually gave a shit.
She chose her words carefully. ‘I do not. However, had Arthur been doing his job correctly he would not have been placed in that position in the first place.’
He smiled his agreement. ‘Point taken, Detective. But the girls concerned were not model citizens.’
Kim fought down the sudden rush of anger. The behaviour of the girls automatically made them amoral delinquents with no future or promise. And with role models like Arthur Connop, she was not the least bit surprised.
Kim wondered at Richard's sudden disclosure about Arthur. What did he have to gain?
Richard sat forward. ‘More tea?’
‘Mr Croft, you don’t seem particularly worried that all your old colleagues are dying at an unnatural rate?’
‘By my count there are two murders, one natural death and an accident that may or may not be fatal.’
‘What went on at Crestwood all those years ago?’ she asked, pointedly.
Richard Croft did not miss a beat. ‘I wish I knew, but I was only there for the last two years of the facility’s operation.’
‘And in that time the number of runaways definitely increased, don’t you agree?’
He met her gaze squarely but a flicker of irritation was threatening his measured composure. Her technique had escalated from general to probing. He didn’t like that she was questioning the management of the facility during his tenure.
‘Some youngsters don’t like rules, no matter how well intentioned they are.’
From Kim’s memories the majority of rules were set down for the convenience of the staff and not the occupants.
‘You've spoken about Arthur but how involved wereyouwith the occupants of Crestwood?’
‘Not very. I was brought in to make organisational decisions, to operate the facility efficiently.’
His constant use of the word ‘facility’ made Crestwood sound more like a secure unit at Broadmoor than a home for abandoned kids.
‘Mr Croft, do you have any reason to believe that any of your colleagues would have wanted to harm any of the girls?’
He stood. ‘Of course not. How could you even ask such a question? That is a terrible thing to say. Everyone employed at the facility was there to take care of those children.’
'For a monthly salary,' Kim said before she could stop herself.
