Carrig Of Dromara Page 17
Carrig jumped and turned around when suddenly he heard a voice from behind him: “Hey, boy, what d’ye think yer doin’ here?”
“Oh, I just thought your garden needed a bit of weeding.”
“Oh, ye did, did ye? What’s yer name and where did ye come from?”
“My name is Carrig Anderson. I love gardening. I just came in for a drink, and then I noticed the garden needed a wee bit of attention, and so I began to weed, and you know how it goes on.”
“You’d better come in for a drink, and you can bring some of that wood with you,” he added, pointing towards the woodpile.
The two entered the cottage and Sarah was surprised to see the young man.
“Who’s this ye’ve brought with ye?”
“I found him in the garden working.”
“Working? What do ye mean?”
“Well, go and have a look.”
Moments later Sarah McMaster returned with a surprised look on her face.
“You must have been there for ages to do all that work. Sit down, son – I’ll soon have you a drink and something to eat.”
Sarah returned moments later with a large plate of food and a mug of hot cocoa.
“I’ll just wash my hands, if you don’t mind.”
“Just follow me through to the bathroom. There you are, and plenty of hot water. Just come through when you’ve finished.”
Carrig drank the hot drink, savouring every mouthful. It was so long since he’d had a hot drink. The old couple watched him closely until he had finished.
“Where have ye come from, now, Carrig? Yer not a local boy.”
“No, I’ve ridden my bike from the other side of the Waimakariri river. I was running away from home.”
John spoke next: “I hope you haven’t brought any trouble with you. I’ll call the police if I have a mind to.”
The young man had existed for so long without the love and close contact of family that he quickly adopted certain people as friends, in his own mind, sometimes before he had properly made their acquaintance, and this was one such time. Already in his mind he thought of John and Sarah McMaster as the grandparents he never knew. Somehow it made his life more bearable. He knew that one day he would experience the happiness that close family life would bring him. In the meantime he would be strong and rise above any difficulties that came his way.
John had gone outside for a while, and Sarah drew a chair up close to Carrig’s.
“Now, you don’t have to tell us why you’re on the run, but sometimes it’s good to talk to someone about what’s troubling you – you know, get it off your chest.”
“Oh, I don’t mind telling you – it’s a long story though, and may take a while.”
“Well, Carrig, there’s one thing we have now, and that’s time. John is very deaf and I am deaf on one side, but I can hear everything you say. You have a lovely way of speaking, which makes it easier to understand.”
Carrig began slowly to unfold the story of the accident which killed his parents.
Sarah put her arms around the boy’s neck. “Sure, you’re the wee boy who was left by himself when your parents were killed in that awful accident. Sure, I remember it well. But what happened? What happened to bring you all this way, and for what?”
John came into the kitchen just at that moment, and quickly realised that a serious conversation was going on between Sarah and the boy. Pulling up a chair, he joined in listening to the boy as the story unfolded.
“Did you call the police, Carrig?”
“No, no, that wouldn’t have worked. Believe me, we had to do it this way. I’m so sorry I had to get you two people involved – you lovely people who have been so kind to me, a stranger. I don’t know how I will ever be able to repay your kindness. I will though – one day I will.”
“Now, this girl, Elsie – she knew all about your plan to run away?”
“Yes, she did, and was very kind to me all along. And when I discovered what was going on I knew then I had to draw attention to the home.”
Sarah pulled her handkerchief from her overall pocket and wiped her eyes. “I have never heard anything like that in all my life. I can believe how you were brought to our door, Carrig. While I have breath in my body you will never suffer again.”
Carrig wiped his eyes and thanked the elderly pair for listening.
“What can we do next, Carrig?” Sarah spoke quietly. “What do you think would be the best thing to do?”
“Well, I suppose we should inform the police that I am OK and then we should ring Elsie and let her know that I am safe. I know she will be worried.”
Sarah reached into a small cupboard and brought the phone book out to look up the number of the home.
“Carrig, maybe you can find it more easily than me. My eyesight is not so good these days.”
Sarah dialled the number and, sure enough, as luck would have it Elsie herself answered: “Erindale home.”
“Is that Elsie?”
“Yes, I’m Elsie.”
“My name is Sarah McMaster, and we have a young man with us called Carrig.”
Before she could say any more, Elsie cried, and asked how Carrig was.
“Oh, he’s all right now, Elsie. You mustn’t worry – we won’t let anything happen to him. He’s been through enough in his short life. You can rest assured no harm will come to him here.”
“Thank you so much for what you are doing for my friend. I think of him as my brother. Do you think I could speak to him?”
“Hello, Elsie. Good to talk to you. Yes, I am being well looked after here. I will see you soon. Can you please ring the police station and tell them I am OK? Don’t mention any names yet. All they need to know is that I am all right and safe.”
“Please come back soon, Carrig.”
“I promise – as soon as I can, I’ll come and see you. Goodbye for now.”
Carrig replaced the receiver.
“Is there anything I can do around the place?”
“You can bring in the firewood if you like.” The little man spoke to Carrig.
“Oh, great – I can do that.”
The two went towards the woodpile. They filled the wheelbarrow, and Carrig steered it towards the back door, where he unloaded it against the wall of the cottage in a neat stack. He then proceeded to refill his barrow again and again, until there was enough to last several days.
“Any more jobs to do?”
“Oh, there’s always plenty of work around here, Carrig. You might be sorry you came.” John spoke with a twinkle in his eye.
“Never will I be sorry I met you two good folks. You were an answer to a prayer, you were.”
“Well, many a thing I’ve been, but never an answer to a prayer, but there’s always a first time for everything.”
A beautiful smell drifted out from the kitchen. Carrig in his curiosity removed his boots at the door and entered the cottage.
“How are you getting on, my boy?” Sarah’s voice was full of happiness. She was smiling and seemed so glad to have him around.
Jimmy had found the note from his friend and taken it into the bathroom to read it in private.
Dear Jimmy,
You know I had to get away from this place – I couldn’t stand it any longer, knowing that you are being treated badly. I hope you will forgive me for not telling you about my plan. I had to keep it secret. I thought it would make it easier for you, if you can say you honestly knew nothing. The police will be asking all sorts of questions. You must be strong and tell them the truth, exactly how it is. I will come back and get you soon, I PROMISE,
Carrig.
Jimmy slipped back into the dorm and pulled back the bedclothes on Carrig’s bed. He could see that Carrig had fixed it to look like he was still in th
e bed. The young boy smiled to himself as he wondered what Carrig was doing. He trusted his friend implicitly, and smiled to himself as he drifted off to sleep again.
The older boys came downstairs and tucked into their breakfast straight away. Most of them had sports meetings on Saturday mornings. Today they were playing a tough game and had to be early.
“Where’s Anderson?” Henry asked.
“I don’t know.” Rob looked at Jimmy as he spoke. “Don’t you know where he is?”
“No, I don’t know. How would I know where he is?”
Elsie always slept over on Friday nights so she could serve breakfast and wash up before Mrs Wright took over from her at ten o’clock, when she was off until Monday morning.
Old man Wright appeared at the top of the stairs, looking bleary-eyed and unkempt.
“What’s all the commotion? What’s up?”
“Carrig Anderson’s missing, Mr Wright. We can’t find him anywhere.”
“Oh, stuff and nonsense! He’ll be around somewhere. You, boy,” he said, pointing at Rob, “check if his bicycle is in the bike shed.”
A few minutes passed, and Rob returned.
“Yes, sir, his bicycle is still in the shed.”
“Right then,” the headmaster said, moving towards the office.
The old man’s hand shook as he reached for the phone.
“Mrs Russel, I’m sorry to trouble you at such an early hour. It’s Ronald Wright here from Erindale. I’m just calling you to let you know that young Carrig Anderson has gone missing from the home. I’m just checking that he hasn’t turned up at your place.”
“I’m shocked to hear that. Carrig is such a level-headed boy – whatever can have got into him? Can I help to look for him?”
“That’s very kind of you. If you think of anywhere he would be likely to go, please let me know.”
“Don’t worry – if he should turn up, I will ring you immediately.”
“Thank you, Mrs Russel.”
Mr Wright came into the kitchen and spoke to Elsie. “Can you possibly work on today, Elsie?” he asked, placing his hand on her arm. “It’s just until this boy comes back.”
She really wanted to throw the pan of porridge over the little runt, but decided to remain calm and collected until this was over; instead she gritted her teeth and smiled at him.
“Of course I’ll work on.”
The police were eventually informed about the missing boy, later in the morning, and called at Erindale at eleven thirty. Elsie answered the doorbell and invited the two police officers in.
“Follow me and I will inform Mr Wright you are here.”
The two policemen waited in the entrance hall until he came downstairs and walked towards them holding out an outstretched hand.
“I’m Ronald Wright.”
“Oh, right. I’m Inspector Wells and this is my assistant, Sergeant Thomas. Now, I believe one of your boys is missing?”
“That’s right. We think he may have gone this morning early.”
“Who would have spoken to him last? Do you have an office, Mr Wright, where we can speak in private?”
“Please follow me.”
They were shown into a small office down the hall.
“This young man is the same one who lost his parents in an accident a while back, is he not?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“He was living with the Russel family, as far as I remember?”
“Yes, correct – he came to us from the Russels’ place several months ago.”
“Now, we will have to question everyone here, beginning with yourself. I’m sure you have a lot of work to do, so we’ll make it as brief as possible. Now, your full name is Ronald Joseph Wright?”
“That’s correct.”
“How long have you been here at Erindale?”
“Must be five years now.”
“And where were you before that?”
“Oh, well, we came up from Timaru.”
“Do you have any family?”
“No family, apart from my wife, Margaret.”
“What was your job in Timaru, Mr Wright?”
“I was a maths teacher in the high school.”
“That’s Timaru Boys’ High School?”
“Correct.”
At this point the Inspector made a note in his book for the Sergeant to do a police check using the car radio. The young sergeant excused himself and made a beeline for the police car, where he rang the number of the Timaru Police to ask them to do a check on Mr Wright.
“Sergeant Thomas here from Christchurch, calling about a Mr Ronald Joseph Wright. Well, he claims to have worked at the high school in Timaru as a maths teacher until five years ago, when he and his wife came to Christchurch and he applied and got a job in this boys’ home called Erindale. We have been called to the home regarding a missing boy, who apparently went missing this morning.”
“Give me half an hour and I’ll get back to you.”
“Thanks.”
The Sergeant walked back to join his colleague.
“Now I will see Mrs Wright, if you can arrange that.” The Inspector spoke with authority.
“Yes, of course.”
The man wiped his forehead and quickly moved out of the room.
“Half an hour, you say? Right, you keep check on the time and listen for the return call. In the meantime I’ll talk to some of the others.”
“Good afternoon, Inspector. You wanted a word.”
“Yes. I’ll make it brief, Mrs Wright – I’m sure you have other things to do. Now, what exactly is your job at the home?”
“Oh, well, I do the books and generally oversee the others – the cook and Elsie, the home assistant – and generally look out for the boys to see they are eating properly and sleeping well – all that sort of thing.”
“How many rooms do you have?”
“We have two dorms and at present there are four boys in each dorm.”
“I will just ask you to show me the room where Carrig slept, if you will be so kind.”
The wee lady rose to her feet and led the way up the stairway.
“Which bed is Carrig’s?”
“This one here,” Mrs Wright replied, pointing to the second bed from the door.
Opening the drawer of the cupboard beside Carrig’s bed, the Inspector looked at the few things left there.
“He must have taken most of his things with him – would you agree?” he asked, glancing back at the wee lady.
“Yes, indeed. It looks as though he has taken most of his belongings with him.”
“Who sleeps in this bed?” the Inspector asked, pointing to the next bed.
“That’s Jimmy Wallace’s.”
“Can you please find him for me? I would like a word with him. I would also like to talk to the other boys and the cook and home assistant.”
Just at that moment the Sergeant returned with the information from Timaru and gave it to the Inspector, who looked for some time at the report in front of him. All his suspicions were confirmed.
Closing the door behind him, he asked Jimmy to sit down. “Now, Jimmy, I don’t want you to be afraid. Everything you say in this room is confidential and no one but us will know what you have said.”
He glanced again at the report, just to be sure of the content: ‘Tried for child molestation and expelled from his teaching post immediately. Banned from ever teaching schoolchildren again.’
“I believe Mr Wright sometimes sees you alone, perhaps giving you some extra tuition in maths, Jimmy.”
“Yes, he does.”
Jimmy’s face reddened and he looked down at the floor.
“Now, Jimmy, I’m going to ask you something
, and I want you to be absolutely truthful when you answer me.”
Jimmy remembered what Carrig had said in his letter: ‘You must be strong and tell them the truth.’
“Did Mr Wright ever touch you where he shouldn’t have?”
The Inspector waited for the boy’s answer.
Jimmy took his time, and then in a quiet voice he spoke: “Yes.”
“How many times did this happen, Jimmy?”
“A lot – a lot of times.”
“Where did it happen, Jimmy?”
The boy looked around to make sure they were alone.
“It’s OK, son – anything you say in this room will go no further.”
The boy waited for a while and then he answered: “In his bedroom upstairs. That’s where it happened.”
“I would be pleased, Jimmy, if you didn’t say anything to the others.”
The Inspector opened the door and asked if Elsie could come in for a chat. She sat down in front of the two policemen.
“Now, your full name is Elsie Rose Glover, and you have been working here for several years now as home assistant?”
“That’s correct.”
“You know Carrig well?”
Elsie interrupted the questioning: “I have to tell you the truth – I knew Carrig was running away. He had a special reason for doing that. He said the police would be called in and that’s the only way we can be sure they will get him – this evil man.”
The Inspector rose to his feet and opened the door, asking his sergeant to accompany him. He then asked to speak to Mr and Mrs Wright again.
As the pair walked towards the Inspector, he spoke in a deep strong voice: “I must ask you both to accompany me to the police station for further questioning regarding the mistreatment of young children in your care. Now, Miss Glover, can I rely on you to see that these boys will be looked after until further arrangements can be made?”
“Oh yes, sir, you certainly can. And also, I know where Carrig is and I can assure you that he is being well cared for.”
The Inspector looked hard at Elsie and said, “I would like you to look after these boys until we see what is to become of this pair.”
“Oh yes, I have my own bed here and it’ll be a pleasure to stay with them.”