Preston looked at Fleming again "Unfortunately the child's parents didn't call in a psychiatrist during the early years when the symptoms occurred fairly frequently. This last drawing was after a lapse of time during which the boy had no nightmares. Something triggered it."
Lessing looked at the jury and then at the public in the courtroom. "One of the jurors saw the drawing and laughed – quite honestly, it's a funny picture. The kind of thing a lad might have drawn as a joke. I'm not a psychiatrist – any more than Dr. Preston is a psychiatrist. It didn't strike me, when I saw it just now, as being sinister. Dr. Preston might not have seen it as sinister if the child's father, who was naturally very overwrought, hadn't backed it with lurid tales of long ago…"
Fleming's anger until now held in control suddenly burst to the surface. "What the hell are you trying to say – that I'm a liar?"
Thirza said an agonised, "Please!"
The coroner spoke above her. "Mr. Fleming-Miss Crayshaw is representing you here. There are rules of procedure and I can't allow you to disrupt them. Mr. Lessing's turn of phrase was unfortunate. I'm sure as from now he'll choose his words with more care."
Lessing. who had made his point shrugged slightly and smiled "All parents here have the greatest sympathy with Mr Fleming Bereavement – especially when it's sudden and shocking – tends to colour our judgment We can't think clearly We see shadows where they don't exist"
And now, dear Christ, Fleming fumed he's implying I'm mad Thirza's eyes held his in warning and heeding her he remained silent The coroner suggested dryly that Mr Lessing might have a question to put to the doctor Lessing said he had "Did you treat David Fleming professionally at any time, Dr. Preston?"
"Yes He had mumps recently "
"Apart from the physical discomfort, did he seem otherwise normal '"
"Yes "
"Not obviously depressed or frightened?"
"During the periods of my visits – no "
"In retrospect, you weren't in the slightest degree worried about him until his father produced this silly sketch?" He corrected himself with a comical side-glance at the coroner intended to be seen by everyone "I beg your pardon, not the right choice of adjective – let me re-phrase that this disturbing sketch '
There-was a titter again from the same juror The coroner mentally cursed Lessing for playing it the way he was playing it A child lay dead The child's father was just a few yards away In this sort of situation laughter was obscene The doctor thought the same He answered with ill-concealed animosity, but he answered honestly "I had no reason to feel any concern about his emotional state "
The coroner, quite patently relieved by the answer, was about to dismiss him when Thirza indicated that she had one more question to ask "Is it true, Doctor, that statistic ally the number of child suicides has risen dramatically in the last few years''"
The coroner protested before Lessing could "That's a generalisation Miss Crayshaw It isn't relevant "
As Leasing had earlier she had made her point and was prepared to withdraw gracefully "I'm sorry It seemed relevant to me "
Dr Preston answered her ' I can't quote statistics You might well be right The Samaritans have received more distress calls from children m recent years "
The coroner picked up the reins again "We have to deal with facts – not conjecture We know the child fell We know the nature of the injuries which caused his death We don't know his state of mind You produced the sketch, Miss Crayshaw, but you haven't explained how it got into Mr Fleming's possession Can you tell us that now?"
"David gave it to the school matron " Jenny's surname had gone out of her mind "The matron gave it to Mr Fleming "
The coroner knew that the school matron wasn't on the list of witnesses He could see her at the back of the courtroom sitting with Mrs Brannigan Alison Brannigan looked as grimly composed as if she were listening to a case at the Old Bailey He hadn't met her socially for several months, but she looked years older than she had then The girl at her side didn't look too well either Anything she might have to say about handing over the sketch probably wouldn't affect the verdict either way It was best to let matters lie Now that the medical evidence was over, Brannigan himself was the next witness He spoke the oath quite firmly The fact that he was amongst friends was calming He was careful not to look at Fleming and he was careful, too, not to look at his wife He reminded himself that he mustn't answer the coroner with too much familiarity – he was Bob Breddon on the golf course and at the Rotary Club, but he wasn't Bob Breddon here The jurors were, as Lessing had said, very well known to him, too After a first quick glance at them he hastily looked away There was a strong bias in his favour and Fleming would be blind not to see it The coroner's first question was a gentle leading in "As a headmaster of many years experience, Mr Brannigan, you know the minds of young children rather better than most Would you say that David Fleming had settled happily into the Grange?"
"I would say so – yes "
"What is your opinion of the sketch he drew?"
Brannigan hesitated His honest answer would be to say that it worried him in the extreme But what good would it do? Breddon would ride him with a very easy hand on the reins and the hurdles would be as small as he could make them If he gave the wrong answer now then this hurdle would be one of many that could bring the school down. One could pay too high a price for a clear conscience He had a mental image of Alison and one or two of the older members of staff crawling out from under The child was dead – why hurt them unnecessarily "I was perturbed by it. It could mean a lot or it could mean nothing I didn't dismiss it out of hand, but equally I think it would be foolish to read too much into it In the teaching profession we're fed a somewhat indigestible diet of psychology We tend Jo see the Child Mind m capital letters We even think we understand it Children are very diverse creatures – but for the most part they behave quite logically I believe that if the sketch had been a cry for help it would have been followed by a more practical and understandable spoken plea for help The boy would have gone to one of the •staff and stated his case "
"And would have been listened to sympathetically?"
"Of course "
"Did you – or any member of your staff-notice any change of mood in the boy recently?"
"No "
"Why do you suppose he had bandaged his eyes before the fall?" He had been about to say accident but checked himself in time "I don't know "
"Was he an imaginative child?"
"Yes He had a flair for visualising scenes He came up with some good ideas tor the school play He could have been acting out a fantasy at the time of the fall ' He caught Lessing's eye Lessing looked pleased The coroner showed no emotion whatsoever but his support was like a strong shorewards current in a treacherous sea Fleming thought, "That's right – heel your conscience into the mud, God damn you A grudging respect that had been growing slowly for Brannigan during the past days was dissipated and became contempt He wished Thirza would stand up and say something and tried to will her into action but she resolutely kept her face away from him The coroner went on quietly "It's an explanation that seems to me quite feasible – but we're still in the realms of conjecture I think we should proceed to examine the facts of the case as we know them As headmaster you sanctioned the visit of the boys to the Maritime Museum?"
"Yes – the responsibility is mine The boys were working on a shipping project Last year the school produced work on marine biology It's my policy to use the environment of the school as fully as possible "
"Did you inspect the Maritime Museum before arranging the boys' visit?"