Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2016 15:15:41 +0000 From: Reickard Masters Subject: Juvenile Detention 64 JUVENILE DETENTION Happy New Year to all my readers. Please consider making a donation to the site you are reading this story on and then also please write to me at the address given on this page and let me know what you think of my story. Chapter 64 – The News When Josh's shift ended he was on his bike as soon as he could get out the door. He pedalled like mad all the way home. When Simon saw the sweat-soaked boy come through the door he asked if it was raining, because Josh was so wet from his head down. His relatively short hair was plastered to his head where his baseball cap had held it down. "No. I just needed to get home quick. Do you know where Sam is?" "He's still out with mum. I think she's buying him some more clothing. Why?" "The police are coming to see him about his missing mother." "Have they found her?" "I don't know. They wouldn't tell me anything, because I'm not his legal guardian." "Well you had better get in the shower pretty smartly, or you may be in there when they come. I'll call you if that happens, and I'll leave it for you to tell Sam." "I had better phone your mum and let her know, so that she can get him back here in time." "What time are they coming?" "I don't know. The one I spoke to said they would have to get some local police to come and see Sam." "Well I'm sure they won't just pitch up. They'll phone first and make a time to save them coming for nothing." "Shit! Yes, you're right. I had better not use my phone. This is the number they will be given. Look, answer it if it rings while I'm in the shower, please." "Sure. No problem." Josh left his phone with Simon and took off to his bedroom to get some clean clothes. He got in the shower to wash away the sweat and cool down. He was drying when he heard his mobile ring. Wrapping the towel around his waist he made a dash for Simon's room. Hearing the bathroom door, Simon headed in Josh's direction and handed the ringing handset to him. Josh pressed the green button and said, "Hello," then listened. "No, this is Josh Tolmers, Sam's friend. He doesn't have his own phone." ... "He is out at the moment, but I expect he will be home soon." ... "I'm sure if I phone the person he is with, she will get him home in time to see you." ... "Yes, about half past six. Okay, I will tell him." ... "Thank you officer. Can you tell me if it is bad news for him?" ... "Yes, I understand. Thank you." Josh called up Esther's phone number and dialled it. When Esther answered, Josh explained the calls and told her the police would like to come and see Sam at half past six that evening. Esther assured Josh that they would be home in good time for that meeting. Esther had Sam home an hour ahead of time with a bundle of new clothes. Esther looked like the cat that got the milk. She felt so good to have been able to help Sam out. Karl also got home in good time but would not say anything about what he had been able to find out. Josh feared that it might be because it was bad news. Sam of course wanted to know exactly what the police had said and was disappointed that Josh had to tell him they refused to give out any information. The wait until the police arrived seemed like hours instead of just fifty odd minutes. When the police did arrive they spent some time making sure they were talking to Sam and how he came to be where he was and who was acting as his legal guardian. Before they could get beyond checking credentials the doorbell rang, and Karl ushered David Groggen into the room. "I have asked Mr. Groggen to assist us in representing Sam to ensure he gets a fair deal," Karl informed the police. "I first need to get the young man's permission to represent him. As you are the only young man I do not already know, I am talking to Samuel Carruthers, am I not?" David asked talking directly to Sam. "Yes, I am Samuel Carruthers, but who are you?" "David is the lawyer who is representing me in my cases," Josh explained. "You can trust him." "I specialise in cases involving young people. Mr. Silvey asked me if I would help advise you tonight at least. Are you willing to let me do that?" Sam looked over at Josh, who vigorously nodded his head. Looking back at David, Sam asked, "Do I need to be represented?" "We don't know exactly what the police want to see you about, so I can't really answer that question. I suggest that I stay and hear what this is all about. If you do need my help I can give it, and if you don't I can go, and that is all there will be of it." "Uh, I guess that will be okay." "Good. Sorry to have taken up your time, officers. Now, can we hear what you are here for, please?" "I don't think that there will be a need for a lawyer tonight, but he might be in need of one later. I recognised Mr. Tolmers here. If he had had you representing him he would never have been sent down. Before we start, I would like to say how sorry I and many of my fellow officers are for the way your case was handled, Mr. Tolmers. There are some police officers who might not share my feelings, but they are in a heap of trouble over your case and deserve to be. They are not getting any sympathy from the rest of us." "Thank you. But you are not here for my case. I think Sam has waited long enough." "Yes, of course. I'm afraid I was stalling because this is a part of my job that I hate. Samuel, I have to inform you that we have found the body of a woman, and from her fingerprints we have confirmed that she is Ms. Angeline Carruthers. We believe that she was your mother. However, we need you to make a formal identification. I am so sorry." Sam had paled and sat with an open mouth just staring. Josh immediately moved beside him and put his arm around him. With that comfort Sam found the strength to talk. "Body? ... you mean dead? ... How? ... When? ..." "I am sorry, but I don't have all the details. The information the other division have passed on to me is that she was found at the side of the road, where her body had clearly been dumped. She was found a week ago, but the fingerprint I.D. only came through yesterday. The cause of death has not yet been confirmed, and a post-mortem is scheduled for tomorrow. We are not ruling out foul play. If possible it would be helpful if you could identify the body before they do the post-mortem. But we realise this will have been a real shock to you. If you feel unable to do the viewing tomorrow morning, we will understand." "Where is she now?" Karl interrupted. "I am not certain at this time. Her body was found near Fort William on the A82. It will be brought to the Cambridge Coroner's office if Mr. Carruthers agrees to do the I.D. tomorrow morning. Then the post-mortem will be done in Cambridge under the Fort William Coroner's order. I'm afraid I do need an answer before I leave tonight." "Sam, darling, do you think you can do this?" Esther asked gently. "Yes. I am going to have to do it sometime, aren't I? You do know that I haven't seen her for six months because I have been in the Academy?" "Yes, we are aware of that. However, as her only known relative you are her next of kin. We have no choice but to ask you. I am sorry." "Can I bring someone with me?" "Yes, of course. More than one if you want." At this point the second officer spoke up. "There is another problem we have to sort out tonight. As it appears that your legal guardian is deceased, you have become a ward of the state, and as such we are responsible for your welfare. We need to find you somewhere approved to stay." "Sam, this is where I step in," David interrupted. "I can advise you officers that this problem has already been taken care of temporarily. When Mr. and Mrs. Silvey learnt that Sam's mother was missing they knew that Sam needed somewhere to stay safely. The Silvey's are already fostering Mr. Tolmers here and because Josh and Sam are acquainted from the Academy, the Silveys agreed to take Mr. Carruthers into their home. Mr. Silvey has been granted temporary custody of Mr. Carruthers. That custody will stand until such time as the courts appoint somebody to have permanent custody. The paperwork is all in order, and Mr. Silvey can produce it for you before you leave here tonight. Mr. Carruthers will stay in this home until a new ruling is made." "That's great. It makes my job a lot easier. If I can just see those documents and take the reference numbers from them for our report, we will leave you to get on with your evening." "The coroner's office is open from O Eight Hundred tomorrow. It would be helpful if we could give them an expected time of attendance, please," the first officer requested. "We can be in Cambridge by nine tomorrow, so we should be at the coroner's office by half nine," Karl told them. "That would be very good. Thank you. We will relay this information to the Peterborough police as soon as we leave here. Now it is just the matter of the custody documents and we can get out of your way," the first officer said. Karl produced the documents, and after the police had taken the details they left. Sam looked at David and asked, "They can't have made a mistake can they? I mean with the fingerprints?" "There is always the possibility of mistakes, but it is very unlikely. Your mother has a police record, so her prints will be on the database, and they will have double checked the match before coming to see you. It is also possible there has been a DNA match done too. I'm sorry, but I think there is little chance that the person they have is not your mother." Only then did Sam show some signs of losing control. As Josh tightened his embrace across Sam's shoulders, his head dropped and the tears began to flow. Shortly after his body began to shake as he tried to hold back the sobs. Esther came to the other side of Sam and put her arms around him too. "Don't fight it. Let yourself cry; it will help you." Sam cried silently for several minutes; the shaking of his upper body and the tears dripping from his cheeks the only indication of his grief. As his tears began to dry up he began to ask questions. "What will happen to me now? How can I live without family?" "You heard what David said," Esther began, "you are going to stay with us for the time being. The courts will decide what happens later on, but if you want it, we will ask the court to appoint us as your permanent legal guardian. I spent the day with you today, and I can tell you that I would be more than happy with that." "But you don't even know me." "We didn't know Josh either, and he is still with us. Now we do know Josh, and he vouches for you, so we are happy," Karl said. "And David here will help us get custody." "Another pro-bono case. I am going to have to find some rich criminals to fleece soon," David joked. "Don't worry, Sam. We will look after you. Now if you will excuse me, I have a family at home that I would like to see tonight too. Karl, give me a call after the I.D. viewing, and we'll discuss what we need to do." David left and Karl suggested ordering in takeaways for tea. Sam said he did not feel very hungry but Karl said he would probably find he was hungry when the food arrived. After a bit of discussion they finally settled on pizza, and Karl headed for the phone to place an order. By the time the food arrived, Sam, though still visibly upset, had got a bit more control, and he proved Karl's words right by eating almost as much as Simon and Josh. After they had eaten, Esther sent Simon off to have his shower. Once Simon left the room she suggested that Sam go next as he might feel a bit better after washing. She also suggested that Sam might find it helpful to try and get an early night as the chances were that he would not sleep too well. Josh promised to hold him the whole night. Esther was right. Sam had a very restless night, but Josh kept his promise and held Sam throughout the night, giving him what comfort he could. The household was very subdued when they got up in the morning. Simon complained that it was not fair that he still had to go to school when Sam needed all the support he could get. Karl, however, was quiet but firm, and Simon left the house on time to get his bus to school. The short trip into Cambridge was done in almost total silence. As Karl drove the twisted streets to get to the Coroner's office, Josh could feel the tension building in Sam's body. Josh did the only thing he could think of to do. He put his hands either side of Sam's head and gently pulled him into a kiss. Then he wrapped an arm around Sam's shoulders and held him tightly, letting his love flow through. Sam buried his head in Josh's shoulder and soaked up the comfort. Josh had an idea of the pain that Sam was feeling from when his own father had died; now he was giving what he had sorely needed himself but never got. The sound of the handbrake being pulled on jolted both boys out of their trance-like state. Sam immediately clutched Josh and did not seem like he was going to let him go. Instead of getting out his own side of the car, Josh followed Sam out his side. Esther and Karl moved behind the two teens and put a hand on each of their shoulders to guide them into the building. Once inside Karl spoke to the receptionist, who clearly was expecting them. After asking them to wait a moment she picked up the phone and pressed one button to call an extension. They waited only a few minutes before a door at the side of the room opened and a familiar face stepped through. "Karl, I didn't expect you to be here." "And I didn't expect you to be here either, Joe. You remember Josh and Sam don't you?" "Josh? Of course, he's staying with you isn't he? And Sam, yeah, I remember taking you to the Academy too. Sorry I didn't realise it was you who was coming today. I am very sorry to have to ask you to do this, lad." "And you know my wife Esther as well." "Of course I do. How are you, Esther?" "So is this what you do now?" "Yeah, sort of. When I left the you guys on that transfer to Cambridge I was doing pretty much the same thing, escorting young offenders around to where they had to go. Then I was asked to fill in for a guy who was sick and assist with getting a body moved to another town. It seems I did that well enough that the Coroner asked me to join his team with a nice pay increase. This is only a tiny bit of my job. Apart from the actual post mortems and signing the documents, I just about do a police examiner's job. I'm looking to train a bit more to become an assistant to the medical examiner. It's a different job and not for everyone, but I find it interesting. No two days are the same. But we are not here to discuss me. If you will follow me, please." Joe led them through the door he had just come through and down a passage. They reached a door flanked by several chairs, where he stopped and looked directly at Sam. "This is not going to be easy, but I do need you to talk and say yes or no. I am afraid we are not allowed to accept just the nod of a head. Karl, you might need to be with him in there. He might need someone to hold him up." "I'll be with Sam and will hold him whether he needs it or not!" Josh told Joe. Joe looked at Karl, who nodded his head and said, "We will all be with him." Joe nodded and opened the door. The party stepped through into a vestibule, and as the door they had come through closed, Joe opened the next door and led them through into a room with subdued lighting. Unlike those viewing rooms you see on television this room had no window to look through with curtains to draw back and then close again. This room had just a gurney with the body on it covered with a clean white sheet. Joe guided them up to the head. Going to the other side of the gurney, he gently lifted and pulled back the sheet to uncover the head. Sam gave a strangled gasp and groan which made Josh grip him tightly. He said one word, "Yes," and turned and buried his head in Josh's shoulder. This time there was no stopping the tears and his body began to heave as he cried. Gently his three companions turned him around and guided him out of the room. They helped him to sit. While Josh still held him, Joe said he would be back with some water. Returning with the glass of water he held it out and Esther took it to hold for Sam. Joe asked them if they would like some tea but Karl said he thought it would be better to get Sam home. Joe then asked for a private word with Karl. Karl stood up and the two of them moved down the corridor a short way where they held a short whispered conversation. Karl returned to the others and they left the building to go home.