The Corruption of Innocence

Chapter 16

Katherine found her son's interest in the murder of the boy eccentric. For the next two days, he always got up at 6 am sharp to catch the newspaper boy. Then he'd sit eating his breakfast reading it at the bar, ostensibly unobservant of what was going on around him, like when Alice opened all the curtains and said morning to him. She had to shout to get his attention, and he jumped out of his skin.

"What are you reading?" she asked him on the second morning, a week exactly after the murder.

"That about Henry Smith."

"You read about that yesterday."

"Well I'm reading more about it," Jack replied with sass, causing Alice to fold her arms. She paused, watching him intently, and then moved closer to him so she could see the paper.

"What's it said?"

"He was attacked but they think the killer was a child," was the barely audible reply.

"A child? How can that be, are they mad?"

"Children have killed before," Jack replied glumly, before quickly standing up. "I'm going upstairs."

Jack had been asleep for 3 hours before he was awoken by a loud banging. He had needed the rest, as he had not slept the night previous.

Head heavy, he lifted himself up and listened, but being in the attic was hard.

It was not long before Alice came into his room with a pale face. "There's peelers downstairs. They're here for you. You'd better come quickly. Mother's furious."

The pair appeared from behind the bar and Jack's eyes widened as he saw three policemen in the room with his mother. Katherine turned to Jack, giving him a hard stare.

"What's this about then?" she questioned, and Jack lowered his head. One peeler asked Jack to take a seat at one of the tables and the dark-haired man knelt down, so he was face to face with the pale and red eyed little boy, whose legs swung nervously as he was spoken to.

"Jack, we've been sent to arrest you because we believe you may have had a role in the murder of Henry Smith."

Alice shot like a bullet to him, grabbing hold of Jack from behind and putting her arms around him protectively. He was trembling, eyes filled with terror and fear.

"Mother," Jack cried. "I ain't going, I ain't done nothing wrong, I didn't kill that baby." Jack began to cry as two men stepped forward and asked Alice to let go.

"They're just doing their job, Jack," Katherine told him simply. "Let go Alice, don't get yourself into trouble as well as him."

"Who has told you this?" the girl asked the peelers.

"A young boy came to the station and reported he believed you to be responsible."

"Philip Device!" Alice yelled furiously. "It was him, wasn't it?"

"We cannot disclose that."

Biting his lip, Jack began violently weeping.

Could it have been Ryan?

Had he betrayed him like he feared he would?

Jack would be hanged.

Oh God, he thought. Oh God, not death, do not kill me!

He continued to weep as the peelers forcibly removed Alice's hands from Jack and the boy was pulled up out of his seat.

"Jonathan Edgar, you are being arrested under suspicion of murder. You don't have to say anything, but anything you do say may be used in evidence in court..."