The demon headmistress

Tom had hated school as a child. The authority the teachers had didn't seem fair. He smirked slightly, knowing he would never really do well with authority - even as a five year old in infants school he railed against it. Now, as a forty year old man he saw no real reason to change. He ushered Mared into the head teacher's office knowing that the petite brunette would be in a better place to deal with the woman he had instantly taken a dislike to. He took a deep breath, determined to speak English for the entire time that they were there. He preferred Welsh but the fact the English language upset the teacher so much he decided to stick with it.

"Hello again." He smiled affably as the woman glared at him.

"DCI Mathias, DI Rhys."

"You knew we were coming?" Mared asked as the woman nodded towards two chairs opposite her desk. Tom smiled slightly. The woman clearly annoyed his partner. Mared was an astute judge of character, if she didn't like someone there was usually a very good reason for it. He tried to focus on what they were doing rather than let his mind wander back to their conversation in the car. He had no idea why her mother behaved as she did. It was clear the older Rhys woman loved her grandchild, so why wouldn't she accept having another? Was it just the fact he and Mared weren't married or was it more than that? Mared in a happy relationship clearly took some control away from the pensioner. Now that Elin knew her parentage another aspect of control had been taken. He didn't really care but he knew it hurt Mared, so it mattered. He felt her looking at him as he was shaken from his thoughts.

"Yes, there was a dress rehearsal here that night." Mrs Evans paused.

"Why didn't you think to mention that? When we were here last?" Mared asked. Tom watched the hard faced woman closely. He knew she had been hiding something. He just didn't know what.

"It was all a bit of a shock."

"All the more reason to mention it." Tom stated. Mrs Evans glared at him. He refused to look away. Mared cleared her throat.

"I suppose I should have. But the theatre group often use our hall when they have a play in the area. This was no different to that. I just didn't expect it. I suppose it threw me. I wasn't thinking."

"Fair enough." Tom smiled at her. Mared raised her eyebrows. She knew him well enough to know he wasn't a bout to leave things as they were. He had Evans on the run and he wasn't going to let her go that easily. "We have the names of all members of staff? Of everyone who would have had access to the premises in the school holidays?"

"Ydw."

"Ok." Tom stood up, signalling to Mared that the interview was over. They paused as Tom turned back to the older woman. "Oh, your ex husband. Ivor. He is part of the theatre group, isn't he?"

Mared smirked. She had known he had been planning to drop that little bombshell. There was no way he was going to let the woman think she was going to just shoo them away like naughty schoolchildren.

"Yes, I think he is. We don't speak unless we have to."

"Divorced on bad terms?"

"No, DI Rhys. Just, well, I don't like to keep in touch with people I have no need of. Ivor has contact with my daughters Andrea and Hollie. They see him quite regularly. He has no need to speak to me and I have no wish to converse with him." Her eyes narrowed as she spoke. Mared raised an eyebrow. "Well, DI Rhys. Do you have contact with your daughter's father?"

"With respect." Mared glared. "A dead body hasn't been found in my place of work. Your ex husband may be able to help our investigation. Now I suggest you stop stalling and give us the contact details for Ivor."

"I don't have them."

"Ok." Tom paused. "I think we can contact the girls. See if they know where their father is."

"Leave my girls out of this."

"Well?" Mared paused. "They are grown woman. Andrea was in my year at school."

"And yet she managed not to get pregnant at sixteen."

Tom glared. He stepped forward slightly. Mared's eyes bore into the woman in front of her. She nodded once.

"Yet, my private life has no baring on this."

"Mared."

"Mrs Evans." Tom glared. "Unless you want to face a possible charge of Perverting the Course of Justice I suggest you start cooperating."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sian left the small interview room barely able to keep her temper. Lloyd had wanted to continue the interview but she had seen that they were going nowhere fast. The death of a man seemed to cause no reaction from their suspect- it was almost as though he wasn't human. The thought bothered her more than she was happy to admit.

"Hey." Lloyd appeared behind her. "Beth sy'n bod?"

Sián rolled can her eyes. She was angry. A man was dead. The suspect unwilling to talk. Part of her wondered if he was trying to protect someone.

"Ef. Mae'n ymgripiol fi allan. Seicopath. Sut ydych chi'n lladd dyn mewn gwaed oer, yna eistedd yno drwy'r dawel?"

"Dunno." Lloyd sighed. "But we'll find out."

xxxx

a/N please review.

welsh translation- "hey, what's wrong?"

"him. He's creeping me out. Psychopath. How can he kill a man I coke bliorcabe just st sit there all quiet."