The Frailty of Flesh (27 page)

“Well she would, wouldn’t she? Would she do the same for you?”

Tain didn’t even blink. “Yes.”

He stared at Luke until he saw the man back down. There was a subtle shift in his expression, as though he finally believed Tain was telling the truth.

“Okay. Sorry. It’s just if—”

“If I ever hear you obsessing over this again, criticizing my partner, I’ll give you something real to worry about. You may be more interested in investigating cops than criminals, but if you point fingers without proof there won’t be a cop in the department who’ll have your back. You just remember that. The rest of these guys have worked with us for months and none of them has a problem.”

“Yeah, well, trust goes both ways,” Luke said. “I don’t see you handing me the files or talking over the case with me. I have a laptop here and I’m just as good as Sims at digging up background information.”

“Believe it or not, this case isn’t about you or your pride.”

“I know that. I’m just—”

“Like I said, it’s covered.”

Luke looked like he was about to say something else, but Tain’s gaze turned to Byron Smythe, who’d entered the room from the side door. Through the opening, Tain could see the family. Different clothes, but otherwise unchanged from the day before, Christopher still sitting in a corner. Smythe glared at Tain as the other officers told him there was no news, as though he wouldn’t be the first to know if a call had come in, and Smythe retreated, closing the door to the adjoining office.

Tain’s gaze shifted back to Luke, who was still looking at the door Smythe had just shut.

Luke’s mouth twisted into a forced grin. “Okay. Fair enough.” He went back to where he’d been sitting and pulled out the laptop anyway.

The only good thing about Luke’s overconfidence was the fact that he was probably letting his ego get in the way of his understanding. Either that, or he was a very good actor.

Tain flipped his cell phone open and keyed in a text message. He was aware Luke was watching him, but didn’t look up or react in any way.

Ashlyn had sounded more herself this morning, energetic and on top of her game. He hoped she wasn’t putting on a front just for him. Before Ashlyn he’d preferred to work alone, had always resisted any attempts to make him partner with someone long-term. It had spared him from times like the night before, where he was confronted by personal problems that could get in the way of the job. Working solo had made it easier for him to be objective.

Did he really believe his partner had things covered? Maybe she’d worked things out with Craig the night before, but even that thought left him uneasy. Ashlyn had been more emotional than usual lately. Possibly because of the problems she was having with Craig. The fact that she hadn’t been feeling well probably didn’t help. But Tain didn’t like the idea that her performance on the job might be tied so closely to her personal life.

He’d let his personal life cloud his judgment before, and it had cost him. He didn’t want to see it happen to her.

But he also knew he couldn’t carry her problems for her. And given the choice, he’d put his life in her hands before he’d turn his back on Luke Geller any day of the week.

For him, that faith was enough.

The day care Jeffrey Reimer attended was bright and spacious, clearly for families with money to pay higher fees for all the little extras.

“We maintain better ratios than the minimum government standards in every room,” the director told her.

“It’s very nice,” Ashlyn said as she watched a staff member separate two boys who were fighting over a paint easel. The blond boy had painted the hand of the boy with the curly red hair. The redhead had shoved the other boy, who’d started to cry. “Do you have someplace private we can talk?”

“Certainly.” Mrs. Wu was a petite woman, no more than 5′1″, trim and without a trace of an accent. From what Ashlyn had seen on the tour, the day care featured a multicultural clientele, as well as an ethnically diverse staff, but all the employees had perfect English. Born in Canada. The brochure she’d been given listed optional exposure to French and Mandarin for children “in the early developmental stages.”

The director led the way back toward the entrance, to a spacious office that had multiple paintings and crafts tacked to bulletin boards on the walls. It was a nice gesture, one that suggested the administration really cared about what the children did every day. Mrs. Wu motioned for Ashlyn to have a seat. “Jeffrey was a sweet little boy” Mrs. Wu said as she tucked her skirt under her legs and sat down. “We were devastated by the news.”

“Did any of your staff ever see bruises on Jeffrey, anything unusual?”

The director’s face lengthened. “Constable, I assure you, we run one of the best facilities in the Lower Mainland.”

Ashlyn smiled and put up her hand. “I don’t doubt that, Mrs. Wu. The reason I’m asking is because a little boy was murdered. He was beaten to death.” Mrs. Wu flinched. “I had to go to a park and stand over his body and look at what someone had done to him. I just want to find that person and make sure they don’t hurt another child.”

“You think the parents…?”

She shook her head. A day care could be a hub for gossip, and Ashlyn did not want the staff speculating on their suspect list. At least not because of anything she said. “I have to ask these questions. Unfortunately Christopher told us Shannon killed Jeffrey. I can’t ignore that allegation.”

Mrs. Wu looked away. “I saw that in the newspapers.”

“Did you know Shannon?”

Ashlyn could tell that Mrs. Wu was fighting with herself, conflicted by her need to maintain confidentiality for her patrons and her sense of duty to Jeffrey Reimer. Finally she nodded. “Yes. She was authorized to pick up her brother.”

“And I’m sure you wouldn’t have allowed her to take Jeffrey if you’d had any concerns about his safety.”

“If I had any concerns I would have addressed it with the parents.”

Ashlyn nodded and smiled again. Part of her effort to appear supportive, like she was on Mrs. Wu’s side. “And I understand completely that you would never reveal the substance of any concerns you did raise with Jeffrey’s parents, if you’d needed to address anything. I’m actually expecting my first child. With all the stories in the news about children unsupervised, or centers not meeting the licensing requirements, I’ve been concerned about finding quality care.”

“We have a waiting list here. The best centers do.”

“Is there a screening process for the families?”

“Our preference is to focus on children with devoted parents who have their own careers.”

“And your staff?”

“They have the highest level of training. We require that they take additional courses each year. All of our staff members have criminal records checks, of course, and their first-aid certificate.”

Ashlyn nodded as though she approved. She did, but that wasn’t the point. “I heard some centers have cameras installed so that parents can watch their children online. Does your center offer that?”

Mrs. Wu smiled. “We do. We have a transparent staff. Our center welcomes the parents as visitors during the day. This allows parents to have complete confidence in the quality of the care their children receive.”

“With the parents able to monitor their children and the staff all day, what would you do if you suspected a child was being abused?”

Mrs. Wu pushed her cheeks up into a forced smile. “That’s what this office is for.”

Ashlyn nodded. “And let’s say, hypothetically, that a staff member suspected a child was being abused. What would happen?”

“Our staff would begin a journal.” Mrs. Wu stood, removed a key from her top desk drawer and crossed the room silently. She opened a cabinet, removed a notebook, and locked the cabinet again. “Such as this one.” She tapped it as she sat down and replaced the key. “Any visible bruises, cuts, signs of emotional distress, change in appetite, anything questionable is written down. I keep a full shelf of blank books and hope we never need to use them, Constable Hart. With most of our families, this isn’t an issue.”

Ashlyn nodded. “And I assume that you would call social services?”

Mrs. Wu paused. “Not right away. I’m sure that, as a police officer, you can appreciate how difficult it can be to prove child abuse. Our parents hire us to provide a service, and that does not include accusing them of a crime. As you know, children fall and have little accidents all the time.”

“There was a case last year where social services in Ontario removed all the children in the home after a report was filed. It was proven the child had bruises from falling off her bicycle.” Ashlyn heard her cell phone ring, but ignored it.

“Exactly. We document first. If it is something extreme, I make a decision about phoning social services and the police. Otherwise, we wait until we feel we’ve established evidence that supports an accusation of abuse.”

“Do you ever ask the parents about the injuries?”

“Initially yes, with the first incident. No matter what the parent says, we document for a full two weeks, just in case. If there’s no further evidence of abuse and we’re satisfied with the parent’s explanation, we file the book. You must understand that we cannot be sure any abuse is by the parents. It may be a babysitter or relative who visits occasionally Normally, when we approach the family we address it as though we’re bringing this to their attention, assuming they’d like to know that someone could be hurting their child.” Mrs. Wu smiled again. “Of course, that isn’t something we deal with often. Most indications of abuse turn out to be an older sibling who is a bit rough when playing with a younger child.”

“Or an accident.”

“Precisely.” Mrs. Wu looked at her watch. “If you can excuse me, I promised to visit the French teacher this afternoon. Do you have any further questions for me?”

Ashlyn stood and took out her card. “You will call me if you think of anything else?”

Mrs. Wu nodded. “Certainly. Please feel free to look around as long as you’d like. I’ll shut the door so that you can return your call in privacy, and I’ll tell my assistant not to disturb you. Please feel free to use my desk.”

“Thank you.” Ashlyn shook her hand and waited until Mrs. Wu had closed the door behind her, then moved behind the director’s desk as she pulled her cell phone out.

The journal was a hardcover notebook with nothing except a label with a date, room number and the letters
J A R
attached to the spine. Ashlyn read the message on her cell phone and hit speed dial with one hand while opening the book with the other.

“I’m at Jeffrey’s day care. They’ve been documenting suspected abuse for weeks.”

“Let me guess,” Tain said. “Starting around Thanksgiving.”

“You really are more than just a pretty face.”

“Any chance you can get a copy?”

Ashlyn glanced around the office, confirming that she had not overlooked a copier. “I’m going to take photos on my cell phone and e-mail them to you. Can you go over to the office and enlarge them and print them off?”

“Where will you be?”

“I’ll meet you there shortly. You can start moving before I start snapping. Tell Luke you’ll be back after lunch.”

“It’s a bit early, isn’t it?”

“You’d rather order in and eat with him?”

“Forget I said anything. I’ll see you soon.”

Once she’d photographed all the pages and e-mailed the pictures to Tain, she leafed through her notebook until she found the number she was looking for and dialed. Eventually she left a message. Then she put the book back where Mrs. Wu had left it and thanked the assistant before she left.

When she reached the office Tain was waiting, a sheaf of papers in hand. “I’m surprised they turned this over to you.”

“Turned what over? The director graciously let me use her office to make a phone call after our discussion.”

He frowned. “Ash.”

“Look, if we need the documents from the day care, we’ll get them legally. Right now, this is just to help us figure out the truth.” She met his gaze. “The parents aren’t going to talk. I’ve called social services three times now and still haven’t heard back. Come on. I’m buying lunch.”

Once they’d reached the restaurant and ordered, Ashlyn reached for the folder. “Did you read it all?”

“There’s no way the day care will hand over that book, Ash.”

“Why? They let me see it today.”

“Let you?”

“She took it out of a locked cabinet and left it on her desk before offering to let me use her office undisturbed. It wasn’t like I snooped around.” Ashlyn looked up. “I’m serious.”

“I just wonder why they didn’t report this.”

“The director explained the process. She said that in the rare cases it’s necessary, they often approach the parents as though they’re innocent, because it could be a sibling or babysitter who’s abusing the child.”

“Makes sense, but this had been going on for almost two months. Won’t there be questions about why they hadn’t called social services?”

Ashlyn skimmed the final pages, which were the ones she hadn’t read in the office. “Maybe they had.” She turned the page around and showed it to Tain.