Part   Twelve   "Child Welfare"

 
This is the seventh book in the Tamara's Tales (formerly Tommy & Tamara) series. For the whole saga visit Tamara's Tales
 

 
Boxing Day 2015 (Continued)
 

Once lunch was out of the way, Tammy called a meeting of herself, Suzie and Dave Brown. She updated them with what she had learned.

"This sounds, very promising?"

"It is Dave, but it's fraught with danger. Finlay has made several assumptions that are simply not manageable."

"Well, Tammy, do you know where the studio is?"

"Suzie has done some research for us."

"I've found one called Florence Music Studio in Stourbridge, that's about fifteen minutes away from the O'Shaughnessy's home in Cradley Heath. It's in a commercial building on a small industrial estate by the River Stour."

"Anything else vaguely similar in that area?"

"No, Dave."

"What's the ownership?"

"Florence Music Studio Ltd is the operating name, the website ownership details are for a firm of solicitors in Edgbaston."

"So nothing to tie the O'Shaughnessys to it?"

"Not at face value, no."

"We'd need a warrant to get anything out of the solicitors and I doubt if we'd get one. We'd still need to get into the place, is it a managed building?"

"No, the studio company owns it."

"That rules out getting the property agent to open it up. Thanks Suzie, you've helped."

"Okay," Tammy was assimilating this new information, "can we get in there without Finlay's help?"

"Not without a warrant, locksmith and alerting anyone in that area."

"So, we need his co-operation?"

"Yes, despite my serious reservations.

"How about we book a slot to use the studio?"

"We still wouldn't be able to get at the servers or open any locked doors, not without a warrant, so that's a no go. How stable is he, Tammy?"

"Good question, I don't believe he's unstable but he is a little misguided and has not grieved fully."

"A fair assessment from what I know. What about his sister?"

"Mum tried to ascertain her state of mind and can't see anything at odds with a normal early teenage girl who's lost her parents. She needs Finlay, and Florence. She has, however, been kept at arms length from her parents' work."

"So we wouldn't get anything useful from her?"

"Unlikely, but don't take Finlay off anywhere and leave her behind."

"That could add to the risk."

"Granted, but Finlay could refuse to go without her, regardless."

"True, Tammy."

"So, how do we deal the solicitors who are handling the probate, or the Official Solicitor in regard to the children's welfare & future? Right now we're only looking from an investigatory perspective?"

"Correct, although your mother has in loco parentis responsibilities, does she not?"

"Yes, although I don't know if the Official Solicitor has made any moves to change that?"

"Why don't we ask her?"

Suzie went to find Joan, bringing her into the study a short while later. Tammy had decided Dave would be best to continue the inquiry so went in search of Finlay, whilst Suzie sat with Joan. He was sat at the kitchen table.

"How are you Finlay?"

"Fine, but I'd rather be Florence right now. I wanted to go across to Grandma Elsie's house to change but Mrs Smart told me to stay here. Daisy's gone back there."

Tammy now had a grumpy teenager to deal with, he was probably hormonal but was that because of testosterone or eostrogen?

"We're discussing whether you go with us to the studio."

"You need me."

"Do we? It's in Stourbridge, by the river."

"Hey, that's meant to be private!"

"So private that no-one can find it? You wouldn't get any customers that way, would you?"

Finlay shrugged, this was a partial defeat.

"Also, it was called Florence Music Studio, bit of a give-away?"

"Yeah."

"Now, all that means is we won't have to torture you for the information."

"You would have tortured me?"

"It would have been an option." Tammy did her best at a deadpan but eventually a smile started to form.

"Ah, got you! Torture's illegal in this country, anyway?"

"Tell that to Joanne when you are waxed for the first time."

"Waxing? Why?"

"To your legs, and maybe other parts, free of hair. It's a small sacrifice if you're female or want to appear to be female."

"And it hurts?"

"First time, usually, but it gets easier each time."

He shuddered, clearly having second thoughts.

"So, how often do you have it done?"

"Every month or so if I'm up here, but I haven't found anyone in London I would trust."

"Trust?"

"You just don't let anyone do a Brazilian on you."

"Brazilian?"

"Oh dear, I forgot that St Andrews doesn't educate boys in basic life skills. It's also known as a bikini wax."

Finlay blushed, "too much information!"

"Not really, if you want to become Florence then you do need to know these things. Who helped you until now?"

Tammy already knew the answer. "Mum."

"Well, the good news is that you have a reasonable fashion sense. Have you discarded anything that Zara bought?"

"Yes, they either didn't fit or I didn't like them."

"Fine, maybe we'll go to see Sarah after the weekend."

"Sarah?"

"The Boutique, I used to work there."

"Oh, I saw you through the window a few times."

"You knew she was me?"

"Yes, it wasn't difficult, but I did wonder how you managed to look male in the school, especially when you didn't clean your make-up off properly."

"It was a challenge, at times. Never mind, if we do go down to Stourbridge then we do it under a load of rules, understood?"

"Sure, can you make sure it gets me out of rugby?"

Tammy laughed, "sure, the bruises take a load of make-up to cover."

"Being treated as a punch bag on the field isn't fun, especially when it's the day before I was heading home." Finlay started to sob, Tammy had been standing but now crouched next to the skirted boy and gave him a hug.

"It gets easier, but never ever be afraid to have a cry if you need one."

"Thanks Aunt Tammy."

She reached for a packet of tissues and dabbed his eyes. "Good job you aren't wearing any mascara!"

"I didn't have any available."

"I'll see if I have a spare, one I haven't used."

"Thanks, Auntie." Finlay gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Suzie walked in, "you're both needed."

The study was a bit cramped, Dave Brown was in the chair, in both senses.

"Right, Mrs Smart has acknowledged that we don't have many options available, and that passing the studio company over to a solicitor would be counter-productive, for now." He paused.

"However, Finlay, are you prepared to abide by any rules or restrictions that are necessary should we go to the studio?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Will you be able to give us copies of the most recent files today?"

"Yes, Sir, I'll just need my laptop."

"Now, Mrs Smart tells us that the will can be read at any time, I suggest we make an appointment to hear the will as soon as possible. Apart from that, we will not make contact with any other persons or parties, understood?"

The room agreed.

"With regards to the studio bookings, Finlay, I suggest you don't take any bookings for the second full week of January."

"There's already one booking for the Monday and Tuesday, the eleventh and twelfth."

"If I recall, that's the first two days of the new school term. Do you have the name of the booking?"

"Yes, but I can't remember - it's one of the regulars."

"Okay, we'll work around that."

The meeting broke up, although Dave, Suzie and Tammy would still have write their reports. Suzie returned Tammy's laptop and settled in the study to use Pru's PC. Dave went back to Elsie's and took Finlay, who now had a new mascara, but lacked a few essentials.

Tammy found herself alone in her room, she put on a radio and tried to gather her thoughts. One issue that had arisen, if the Gores had checked out of the hotel who had killed the O'Shaughnessys? Finlay hadn't said if the voices on the recording were male, or female, and that irked her. She wondered about calling over but dismissed it, Tammy's problem was that there were just too many unknowns at this point.

An hour later she was done, she uploaded it to the safe inbox on an innocuous website, Suzie would probably fax it and she had no idea how Dave would submit his report.

"Tammy, are you free?"

"Sure, mum." Tammy shut the lid on her laptop.

"Finlay looked like he'd been crying when you brought him in?"

"It was a little bit of grief, I've told him it's okay to cry."

"None of his teachers had reported any problems with him in the first few weeks after the murders, so I had wondered if he was suppressing it?"

"I've read it that way."

"It seems he's told you about those breasts?"

"Yes."

"I need him to see the Doctor."

"I warned him that would probably happen."

"I'll exempt him from PE for the next month or so, I really don't want him exposed in the changing rooms."

"He's been playing rugby and presumably done gym as well for the last three months, all without a problem."

"Well, now I know, I have a responsibility for his safety, even if that isn't likely to be an issue in St Andrews. Tell, me, Tammy, how did he get them?"

"Pills, although he's run out and there aren't any more."

"Pills?"

"Birth control pills."

"How?"

"His mother's supply, obtained at the beginning of September."

"I really should have him seen by a psychologist?"

"He won't repeat it, I'm certain, but could you hold off any shrinks until we've concluded the trip South?"

"I'll veto it if I don't think he's fit."

"Mum, believe me, that wouldn't stop anything. The best way is to work with the system not against it. We'll all look out for Finlay, and Daisy."

"It sounds like you're on the side of the system and not my side?"

"It shouldn't, I want to see their parents' killers brought to justice and to make certain they have a safe future. I would have thought you had the same aims?"

"I do. Now, are you persuading Finlay to dress like a girl?"

"No, and I had no idea what he'd be wearing today, or any other day. He has said that he'll be Florence, for Daisy's sake, later."

"Well, he can't flit between roles at school."

"I realise that, can you ensure he gets his single room?"

"If the work has finished, although he's third on the list."

"I would suggest he needs to go up the list?"

"That's not for you to say."

"Maybe not, but I am trying to ensure his safety. Martina Gore is a problem, however."

"He wouldn't tell me what was said."

"The Head spoke to him, but couldn't let anyone at the school know what was said."

"So I wasn't trusted?"

"You would have to have entered it into his records, how many other staff have access?"

"A few, including Tanya."

"Well, the risk was clearly unacceptable."

"In whose opinion, Tammy?"

"The Security Service."

"So I'm not allowed to know?"

"Well, he told the Head Martina would make sure the job was finished, although he's told me that she warned him he wasn't safe anywhere. So the real conversation is somewhere between the two. He didn't know about the connection between his parents and the Gores."

Tammy wondered how much she should tell her mother, the minimal necessary, perhaps.

"I see. Maybe we'll have to arrange another foster family for the Easter Break?"

"I can't see how that would improve their security. Didn't you hear Elsie and Cathy's words, yesterday?

"Making them McPherson in name?"

"No, it looks like Cathy will adopt the pair."

"Is that what they want?"

"Was Daisy happy when you spoke to her earlier?"

"Yes, I've never known her so animated, she's normally quiet."

"I would say she's got a future and a family again. She needs Finlay and that can't happen in school, does she have a mobile phone?"

"I don't know, surely she does but why?"

"How does she contact her brother?"

"I don't know, they can use the pigeon holes?"

"How could they have a conversation? They're not allowed in each other's common room, nor in each other's dorm. They could meet in the library but can't speak in there? They could walk in the grounds, but it's freezing out there?"

"I'll have to ask."

"Why wasn't that checked when she arrived?"

"She didn't go through the normal admission procedure, students haven't had difficulty before."

"There's never been a brother and sister at the school before."

"Okay, that's something else for the next review, but why didn't one of them say something?"

"That's for you to determine, but they were grieving and maybe Finlay didn't want to make a fuss? There's two weeks before they have to be back over at the school, that's enough time to review them?"

"I'm supposed to be on holiday! Having Daisy in the school isn't ideal, she isn't getting enough PE."

"I heard the school was starting a dance class?"

"Where from?"

"It was when Ellie Sturgeon was accepted back, she's in Year 11 and would have to do PE."

"Well, the dance sessions never happened, instead they do a Zumba workout several evenings a week and Daisy has a library period when the rest of Year 9 do games."

"Zumba?"

"High energy aerobics, not many of the boys last the session and some were only there to ogle the females. It wasn't an ideal arrangement at first but it's settled down and has a regular clientèle."

"Does Ellie do Zumba?"

"She does now, it looks like Martina persuaded her. Most of the sixth form girls do at least one session a week, I'm thinking of doing it myself."

"Might be fun, I might join in if I'm still here when school starts back?"

"You wouldn't be insured on the premises, if you hurt yourself, so the Head would have to agree."

"Maybe we can use the gym here and crank up the music?"

"So long as Elsie didn't complain?"

"Sure, mum."

Tammy rang Daisy's room.

"Is Finlay with you?"

"Florence is changing."

"Ah, okay. Do you have a mobile, Daisy?"

"Yes, but it hasn't worked since November. Neither of ours has, not for phone calls at least."

Tammy guessed the parents' bank accounts had been frozen so the mobile phone payments had stopped, why hadn't anyone thought of the children?

"So can you still use them?"

"We can message each other using the wifi, it's difficult to do a voice call as the internet connection sometimes drops out."

"Okay, we need to get your phones working again?"

"No-one used to call me, except my parents and my brother."

"I'm sure that will change."

Tammy put the phone down, there was a shout from downstairs. Tammy went to the top of the stairs, her father was in the hall.

"There's been an incident, John and Tanya are in hospital."

"When, where?"

"This morning just outside the school, I'm told they're in a pretty bad way."