A Seat of Learning

A Seat of Learning By Jonah

More of the adventures of Simon and Garret and their boys. This is a loving story of good people. It features men looking after boys but do not expect to find any indecency here. Only genuine love. Not one of the characters in this story is a real person or is, in any way, based on a real person. At least one character, however, is the creation of another author. I wish to thank Jacob Lion, in the USA, for his permission to use his characters in my stories.

I hope you will enjoy this story, and I'm grateful to Nifty for enabling me to bring it to you. Nifty does not charge either me or you for doing so, but it does cost money to do it. Please consider donating to Nifty at https://donate.nifty.org/ to help keep this site going.

Chapter 4

I was not at my best for the remainder of the day and, when I told Lloyd and Philip, they weren't either. Simon, who had cooked dinner as soon as he got home, was more sympathetic.

"I can see why the police think that's the best option for Barry, but it's a pity it has to be you. Do you really think Jean is trying to kill two birds with one stone?"

"I don't know what to think," I replied honestly. "She says she isn't and, in any case she still regards it as temporary."

"It looks like the best thing you can do is to regard it the same way."

Next morning the weather seemed to have matched itself to my mood. Simon even offered to drop off the boys so that I could go straight to Eastwold. In sulk mode, I hadn't even noticed that both boys were walking on eggshells whenever I came near. I was unfairly taking out my frustrations on those who loved me.

I didn't avail myself of Simon's offer. I was not due at Eastwold until half past nine, so there was no rush. I was even silly enough to hang around in the staff room until Jean came in.

"What time do you have to be there?" she asked.

""Half nine," I muttered.

"You've got time for a cup of tea then," she observed.

"Not really," I said stiffly. "I'd better go."

She clearly wanted to pursue the matter but I left anyway.

Eastwold Children's Home is in a fairly posh part of the city outskirts. It is a building that was formerly a forces hospital in World War II. It is not a large establishment but is as pleasant an environment as parentless children are likely to find. Most of the staff are new owing to a scandal that occurred a few years back when Lloyd was one of its inmates. The new manager, Mr. Tolliver, was a pleasant and lively character with a keen sense of humour.

"We've got Barry up and fed him some breakfast," he told me. "I'll take you to him in a moment. Is there anything you need us to provide? We're not set up as a school and have never had to do it before. "

"Not for the moment," I replied. "It would be silly to try to carry on the curriculum he was on before, which was written for other children. I need to assess what Barry personally needs."

"Okay! Well I'll take you to his room then. You'll have a classroom assistant for some of the time. Superintendant Greenwood sent him. Let me know when you want him to assist. We've found him other work around the place for the rest of the time. Come with me"

Surprisingly he took me straight to the kitchen where I met a startlingly handsome young man in his early twenties. Simon would have had a contest on his hands if I weren't already married to him.

"This, " said Mr. Tolliver, "is PC. Druce. He'll be on the premises all the time Barry is, and will be acting as a member of my staff. If there are any concerns that need police attention he will be in here, except when you need him in the classroom."

He next led me to a room on the first floor where I found Barry lounging on a settee with his nose in a book. His feet were bare but otherwise he was fully dressed.

"I'll leave you two to it, " said Mr. Tolliver. He left, closing the door behind him.

I sat down next to the boy.

"What're you reading Barry?" I asked conversationally.

The boy glanced at me and then returned his gaze to the book. I spoke more quietly.

"Are they looking after you OK?"

This time he didn't deign to look up but shrugged his shoulders.

I stood up.

"Right, " I said briskly. " There are one or two things you need to know so you'll need to put the book down, sit up straight and listen up."

He immediately swung his feet to the floor and sat up straight. I continued the tirade.

"Do you usually come to school without socks on? Go and put some on immediately. I want you back here in less than a minute."

I would have sooner kept the atmosphere informal but he was clearly in the same sort of mood that I had been in earlier, so informality wouldn't work. He disappeared into the next room.

He was back in less than a minute and was wearing socks and shoes. He stood to attention in front of the settee.

"Sit down Barry," I told him.

I couldn't tell whether the expression on his face was one of fear or anger. I didn't like either but there was only one way to get through to him.

"Barry, it's the law in this country that you have to have an education. Your father broke the law by keeping you out of school the other day and that's why your parents aren't allowed to look after you at the moment. We're trying to sort that out but, in the meantime I've got to come and give you lessons."

"I don't want you." he whispered angrily. "It was all your fault."

"It was my fault that, when I asked you what was wrong you wouldn't tell me? If you HAD told me, all this wouldn't have happened."

He was on his feet.

"It was all your fault," he shouted angrily.

"SIT DOWN," I snapped seizing him by his wrist. He gave a howl of pain and wrenched it away.

He sat on the settee and I stood over him.

"Barry," I said, in a quieter tone. I told you to put socks on. I didn't tell you to wear shoes on this carpet. Other than your socks you were already dressed when I got here. Since you were not going out for lessons, why did you put on a long sleeved shirt rather than a T shirt?"

The anger had turned to fear now. I took hold of his left hand and pulled back his sleeve. He pulled it away, but I had already seen the angry red weel on his wrist. Taking hold of his upper arm I reached over and pulled the back of his shirt out of his trousers. The welts on his back had to be two days old, but they were clearly visible.

"Come with me Barry," I told him. "It's all right, you're not in trouble."

I left the room guiding the boy by his arm, and trotted down the stairs to the kitchen. Sure enough Druce was in there cleaning cutlery.

"You're going to need back-up," I told him. "Best come with me."

The three of us headed for the manager's office. Mr. Tolliver looked up as we entered.

"Garret, is there...."

"We need a doctor right away," I told him. "Mr. Druce, can you get hold of a police surgeon. We need the police anyway."

I can do that," he said. "What's the problem?"

"This boy has been beaten," I told him. "Bound and beaten, probably whipped. A doctor will tell us."

Mr. Tolliver seemed to be having difficulty articulating words.

"Garret, I don't... I mean.. What has.. How...?"

"It most likely happened before he came here, but a doctor will tell us for certain."

PC Druce had slipped from the room, he came back in and helped himself to a seat next to where Barry was standing.

Mr. Tolliver found his voice.

"Barry, who did this?"

"Best save that until the police come," PC Druce advised.

"It was him," said the boy pointing to me.

I opened my mouth to protest but, in the space of a moment, realised that no protest could do any good."

"When did he do it?" asked the constable.

"The day before yesterday. He came to my house and he tied me up and hit me with his belt."

"Who else came to your house the day before yesterday?"

"No-one, just him."

"But your dad was there."

A shrug of the shoulders.

"Did your dad hit you?"

"No - just him."

"So why didn't your dad stop him?"

"He couldn't. He tied my dad up as well."

"You weren't at your house the day before yesterday. Your dad took you to the Church."

"He didn't. I was at home and he came and used his belt to tie me up. Then he hit me."

"What with?"

"His... his..."

"Why did he come to your house. He was supposed to be in school, teaching you. You were supposed to be there too."

There was a sharp knock on the door and two uniformed police officers stepped into the room. They were accompanied by Superintendant Greenwood and a civilian - most likely the doctor.

"Carl," the superintendant said. "Can you clear the room of civilians? Ask Mr. Ito and Mr. Tolliver to wait outside."

"We'd best keep Mr. Ito with us Sir. He's a suspect."

"For what?"

"Abusing this child. The child says he tied him and beat him."

"We're not looking for anyone for that Carl. We already have the perp in the cells. The church was littered with evidence and the Reverend as good as confessed. I'm afraid we are going to need to bring in the boy's parents as accomplices though."

The boy's eyes were wide with fear now.

"Barry says I tied him up and beat him." I advised the superintendant.

"And did you?"

"Ask Barry."

He crouched down to bring himelf to the boy's level.

"Barry, telling lies is a bad thing to do, they hurt other people and you risk hurting yourself, but telling lies to the police is worse. It's a serious crime. Fortunately I wasn't here when you were talking to these gentlemen, but I'm here now and I need to know. Did Mr. Ito hit you?"

He was in tears now and beyond talking but he shook his head violently.

"Did Reverend Rathmore take off your shirt and beat you while you were strapped to the radiator?"

"He... Hic...H.. he took off my trousers and pants as well," gasped the boy between sobs.

I hadn't realised the significance of him wearing long trousers. It should have occurred to me that he didn't usually. I felt sick.

"Carl, can you get Barry a drink of water," the superintendant said quietly. The youth slipped from the room.

The superintendant looked up into Barry's face.

"Barry, you won't be seeing Reverend Rathmore again. You needn't worry about him. For the time being you won't be seeing your mum and dad either, but so long as they're sensible, and so long as you're sensible and don't tell any more lies, it will all come out right in the end."

Carl returned with a cup of water. The superintendant stood and nodded to him. He took Barry by the hand and led him from the room. The two uniformed officers left too.

"I'd like you to examine the boy Doctor," said the superintendant.

"I'm pretty sure I know what I'll find," returned the doctor.

"Then you'd better find it and make your report."

"Yessir!" said the doctor as he too left the room.

"Sit down Mr. Ito," said the superintendant as soon as the door closed. "Mr. Tolliver."

We both sat.

"I was on my way here when your call came through," said the superintendant. "The doctor was coming too, to examine the boy. As soon as control advised us that Carl had called in, I got uniformed to attend too. you're not going to like any of this."

I swallowed noisily. He continued.

"We fetched the reverend in last night on the school welfare officer's evidence. As a matter of routine we examined his home and the church. We found plenty of pictures of boys at his home but when we got to the church - well I had some pretty mad policemen on my hands. In the minister's vestry there were two leather belts attached to the radiator - one threaded through the other - and a bamboo cane lay on the floor. Next to a table stood a wooden chair. More leather belts were threaded through the front legs and another lay on the floor. Forensic are still going over all those things but I'm pretty sure what they'll come up with. There is blood on two of the belts, which I'm pretty sure will match Barry's, and traces of semen on the floor that will almost certainly contain the Reverend's DNA."

I dreaded to ask, but I had to know,"

"Then what...."

"So far as we can tell at the moment the boy was stripped and laid face down on the floor with his wrists strapped to the radiator, then beaten severely with the cane. The doctor will tell us how extensively but, if the boy says he was naked, that's not a good sign. After the beating he was strapped to the chair and, apparently the reverend masturbated. He'll be going down for that and I can see the other prisoners loving him. Come to that, he's not on my Christmas card list either. What we don't know, and we need to, is, given that Barry's father took him there, at what stage did he leave?"

The expression on Mr. Tolliver's face matched how I was feeling.

"Is there any evidence that...."

He obviously didn't want to believe it either.

"Only a hunch," replied the policeman. "I'm not sure whether the phony reverend could easily strip and bind the boy single-handed, given that he'd be bound to struggle. The father is pretty much under Rathmore's spell and has completely swallowed his twisted sort of religion. Rathmore said he did it out of love because God told him to. Doesn't sound much like the God I know."

"What happens now?" I asked.

"When we've got enough evidence he'll be tried. It's got to be a custodial sentence for the boy's safety. The prison authorities will have their work cut out though."

"I can believe it, but I didn't mean him. My concern is with Barry."

"He won't be going home. Not until we're sure that he won't be at risk there. We need Linda Knight in on this, and probably Mrs. Jenkins as well, but we'd certainly oppose any attempt to send him home until we're sure his parents can look after him."

"Do you still think he needs private tuition?"

"At least until his wounds have healed, yes. You don't get off the hook that easily."

To be honest, I had forgotten that it had been the superintendant, and not Jean, who had initiated my secondment to Eastwold. I was concerned about his assessment of my motives though.

"I'm not trying to," I told him. "I'm here until the police and social services think Barry no longer needs me."

He grinned.

"So you're no longer anxious to get back to your class?" he queried.

"Nope!" I responded. "As long as he needs me, I know where I must be."

That elicited another grin, but no comment.

The doctor re-entered the office.

"Doctor," said the inspector.

"My report will be sent in in the normal way," said the doctor, "but I can give you the basics. Apart from restraint marks on his wrists and ankles, there are welts all over the back of his body from his shoulders to the arches of his feet. They are suggestive of a light cane, birch, willow or bamboo. They show signs of rapid and violent beating with the heaviest concentration being on his calves and buttocks. For the record, they are consistent with a single prolonged beating. There is no evidence that he has been beaten at any other time."

"I don't think anybody suggested that he had," said the superintendant.

"His statement to PC Druce before we arrived might have been taken to suggest it," the doctor replied. "PC.Druce was keen to ensure that we had established that there was nothing in his accusation against Mr. Ito. We've established that," he added, for my benefit.

"Well that seems to conclude that Mr. Ito," said the superintendant. "There's nothing we can arrest you for so you'd better go and do some tutoring."