you do. I’m sure many
people miss him. He was a popular young man.’ Martin fell silent for a
moment. Kate felt a little awkward. What could they talk about now anyway?
There was nothing else to say. Then he continued suddenly, ‘You know the other
day I was remembering something Steven said to me once. It confused me. I’ve
thought about it time and again ever since, but I’ve never been able to work
out what he meant by it.’
‘Oh?’ Kate was intrigued.
‘I think I remember it because what
he said was so odd, but still nothing I could report to the police or that
would help in the investigation. It was half time in a football match that
Steven was playing in and I was refereeing and he and I were sitting at the
edge of the pitch together. Something seemed to be bothering him, certainly he
had something on his mind and he muttered, “I wish he was here to see this.
Then maybe it wouldn’t have to be this way.” I don’t have a clue what he
meant; when I asked him he told me it was nothing, he was being daft and he
went on and played the rest of the match. His team won. After that he behaved
as though nothing was wrong, but even so I could sense that things weren’t the
same with him as they had been.’
‘I wish I could have sensed that,’
Kate sighed. ‘Then maybe I could have helped him.’
Martin shook his head. ‘I have a
feeling that neither of us would have been able to help him.’
‘You think he killed himself?’
‘I don’t think so. Obviously I
can’t be sure but his behaviour... it was something else I think. We couldn’t
have helped him because it wouldn’t have been within our power.’
‘I think I know what you mean.’
Kate told Martin what William had said. He nodded thoughtfully.
‘That’s interesting. You say the
man was in the middle of nowhere, pretending to be selling something. He got
aggressive when he thought this man William wouldn’t help him. It all seems
very strange. It’s plausible that he was after Steven. But we mustn’t make
assumptions. It could be that he intended harm towards Steven, but equally he
may have had nothing to do with him.’ Seeing Kate look sceptical he went on,
‘That doesn’t mean this isn’t a lead, Kate. Your information could be very
helpful but we mustn’t get our hopes up.’
‘We?’ Kate asked surprised.
Martin nodded. ‘I’d like to help
you, Kate.’
‘Help me?’
‘Help you find Steven.’
Kate was surprised. ‘That’s very
kind of you,’ she said slowly, ‘but it’s been eight years since he
disappeared. If he was going to be found, surely it would have happened by
now. And if you don’t mind me being frank, why do you suddenly want to help
me? No offence, but you haven’t seen me or been my teacher for a long time.
Why the sudden interest?’
Martin looked around him as though
surveying the room.
‘Would you mind if we had a little
chat somewhere a bit quieter, Kate?’ he asked.
She thought that his behaviour
seemed a bit odd, but Kate’s desire to try to piece together what had happened
to Steven got the better of her. She followed Martin as he walked out of the
classroom and down the corridor to a small room where there were a few easy
chairs. He switched the light on, gestured to her to sit down and shut the
door.
‘There’s something you should know,
Kate,’ he said. ‘I was Steven’s guardian when he disappeared.’
Kate was shocked. ‘Why didn’t you
tell me?’ she demanded.
‘Because I wasn’t allowed to. The
authorities wanted to protect him; they thought he might be at risk of harm.’
‘So why didn’t the police look into
his situation, investigate to find out who might have wanted to harm him?’
‘They did all that they could but
it was no good. It was as though he’d vanished off the face of the earth.’
‘That’s the way it seemed to me
too.’ Kate frowned. ‘But surely if he
people miss him. He was a popular young man.’ Martin fell silent for a
moment. Kate felt a little awkward. What could they talk about now anyway?
There was nothing else to say. Then he continued suddenly, ‘You know the other
day I was remembering something Steven said to me once. It confused me. I’ve
thought about it time and again ever since, but I’ve never been able to work
out what he meant by it.’
‘Oh?’ Kate was intrigued.
‘I think I remember it because what
he said was so odd, but still nothing I could report to the police or that
would help in the investigation. It was half time in a football match that
Steven was playing in and I was refereeing and he and I were sitting at the
edge of the pitch together. Something seemed to be bothering him, certainly he
had something on his mind and he muttered, “I wish he was here to see this.
Then maybe it wouldn’t have to be this way.” I don’t have a clue what he
meant; when I asked him he told me it was nothing, he was being daft and he
went on and played the rest of the match. His team won. After that he behaved
as though nothing was wrong, but even so I could sense that things weren’t the
same with him as they had been.’
‘I wish I could have sensed that,’
Kate sighed. ‘Then maybe I could have helped him.’
Martin shook his head. ‘I have a
feeling that neither of us would have been able to help him.’
‘You think he killed himself?’
‘I don’t think so. Obviously I
can’t be sure but his behaviour... it was something else I think. We couldn’t
have helped him because it wouldn’t have been within our power.’
‘I think I know what you mean.’
Kate told Martin what William had said. He nodded thoughtfully.
‘That’s interesting. You say the
man was in the middle of nowhere, pretending to be selling something. He got
aggressive when he thought this man William wouldn’t help him. It all seems
very strange. It’s plausible that he was after Steven. But we mustn’t make
assumptions. It could be that he intended harm towards Steven, but equally he
may have had nothing to do with him.’ Seeing Kate look sceptical he went on,
‘That doesn’t mean this isn’t a lead, Kate. Your information could be very
helpful but we mustn’t get our hopes up.’
‘We?’ Kate asked surprised.
Martin nodded. ‘I’d like to help
you, Kate.’
‘Help me?’
‘Help you find Steven.’
Kate was surprised. ‘That’s very
kind of you,’ she said slowly, ‘but it’s been eight years since he
disappeared. If he was going to be found, surely it would have happened by
now. And if you don’t mind me being frank, why do you suddenly want to help
me? No offence, but you haven’t seen me or been my teacher for a long time.
Why the sudden interest?’
Martin looked around him as though
surveying the room.
‘Would you mind if we had a little
chat somewhere a bit quieter, Kate?’ he asked.
She thought that his behaviour
seemed a bit odd, but Kate’s desire to try to piece together what had happened
to Steven got the better of her. She followed Martin as he walked out of the
classroom and down the corridor to a small room where there were a few easy
chairs. He switched the light on, gestured to her to sit down and shut the
door.
‘There’s something you should know,
Kate,’ he said. ‘I was Steven’s guardian when he disappeared.’
Kate was shocked. ‘Why didn’t you
tell me?’ she demanded.
‘Because I wasn’t allowed to. The
authorities wanted to protect him; they thought he might be at risk of harm.’
‘So why didn’t the police look into
his situation, investigate to find out who might have wanted to harm him?’
‘They did all that they could but
it was no good. It was as though he’d vanished off the face of the earth.’
‘That’s the way it seemed to me
too.’ Kate frowned. ‘But surely if he
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