Child's Play (D.I. Kim Stone #11)(77)

‘And?’

‘She doesn’t pay me. Carrie’s mother does.’

Kim liked the way the woman had stayed calm in the face of the woman’s anger. She suspected that Serena was used to being in charge. She could barely remember what her brother, Jared, had sounded like at all.

‘Do you know about the murder of the victims connected to the event?’

‘No, Inspector, because I’ve been under a rock for the last few days,’ she snapped, and then offered an apologetic smile. ‘I’m sorry, tiredness seems to be linked directly to my enjoyment of sarcasm.’

‘I don’t generally need an excuse for mine to put in an appearance,’ Kim admitted. There was something about this woman she liked. Probably her direct approach.

‘Did you know any of them?’

‘All of them, in passing, if you know what I mean.’

‘You mean you just met them a couple of times?’

‘No, I met them many times. I’ve been doing this event for fourteen years but I prefer to know people only in passing.’

Kim almost offered the woman a high-five. She resisted and frowned.

‘Forgive me but you look a little young to have attended so many times.’

‘I was twenty-four when I first attended and I’ll accept the compliment. Thank you.’

‘And how did you get into?…’

‘Do you have any further questions for me, officer?’

Wow, when this woman didn’t want to talk she shut you down pretty quick.

Kim made a mental note for later. There was a story here, she could feel it, but pressing her further would result in total shut down.

‘So, you probably know some of the kids and the parents?’ Kim asked.

‘The ones that pay for my time, yes.’

‘Like Damien Crouch?’ she asked, not yet ready to let go of a perfect fit for her suspect profile.

‘Damien pays me to play with his daughter for a couple of hours so he can keep up with work. No learning, just playing,’ she said, almost smiling. ‘She’s a pretty special kid but he won’t push her.’

‘How do these parents even know their child is a genius?’ Kim asked.

‘They don’t. They normally look to Mensa for clarification, and they have seventeen signs or behaviours that gifted children may display.’

Kim’s eyes widened.

‘Including unusual memory, hobbies, intolerance of other children, passing intellectual milestones early, setting themselves high standards, liking to be in control… to name a few but genius is rarely maintained into adulthood.’

‘But how can that be?’ Kim asked.

‘Kids can eventually fall behind due to lack of effort, such as when success comes at an early age with little to no effort. Some kids then believe they can succeed without effort in the future.

‘It’s understood that genius kids have five special needs. Firstly, they struggle to pay attention in class – many have originally been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. They lack the motivation to complete certain tasks. Often, they become perfectionists and struggle to achieve their own expectations and finally they can struggle with speaking; may hesitate or stutter as they try to translate complex ideas from their heads into language that a similar age can understand.’

‘Surely the parenting can affect how they’ll develop in later life?’

‘Now you’re getting into child psychology territory that is way beyond my knowledge base but I can speak from what I’ve seen. The authoritative approach is child centred. Kids are taught to regulate their feelings. It’s warm and nurturing. Positive encouragement but with punishments that are measured and consistent. Normally produces independent, self-reliant kids.’

‘Sounds ideal,’ Kim said, wondering if that method of parenting had made it to the Hollytree Estate.

‘Then you have authoritarian which would cover most tiger parents. Children are given instruction without explanation. It’s punishment-heavy with spanking and shouting. The goal is to teach the child to behave, survive and thrive in a harsh world. These kids often experience abuse.’

Kim instantly thought of Belinda.

‘And finally, indulgent style which is pretty much do what you like when you like without fear of consequence. Of course the danger here is that the child never learns to avoid behaviours which will annoy other people and will expect to always get its own way.’

Her mind turned to Veronica. ‘How does this whole thing affect other kids in the family?’ Kim asked.

‘Again, that’s not my area of expertise.’

‘Yeah but you’ve spent more time around kids than I have.’

‘Okay, in my experience, other kids in the family don’t do so well at all.’





Eighty-Six





Penn felt himself bounce up and down as he tried to speed over the potholes gouged into the dirt track that was no longer used.

He reached the gate that screamed ‘No Entry’ and got out of the car. The chain tying the two sides of the gate together had been cut.

He pushed the left side of the gate open and walked through. Whatever was happening here would not be helped by him running in all guns blazing even though that was exactly what he wanted to do.