'My Thoughts Exactly' by Sinéad O'Hart

‘Apparently she saw it on a TV show or something.’

‘Jesus.’

‘Yup. My thoughts exactly.’

‘But – I mean, God. What would make a kid do something like this?’

‘Attention? Dunno, really.’

‘And the mother?’

‘Down at the station. Probably mid-interrogation.’

‘How on earth did she inflict these injuries, even? Did she use a hammer?’

‘Hang on – let me check my notes… Here we are. Blunt force trauma to head and eye socket, broken nose and fractured cheekbone, injuries consistent with beating, weapon possibly a domestic iron or a fireplace poker; puncture wound to upper chest, weapon in situ – six inch kitchen knife. So, not a hammer, but pretty close.’

‘And what did the note say again?’

‘Just a minute. It’s here somewhere… yeah, here you go.’

‘“That man u got livin wit u is touchin ur kids take my words for it I noe what a kid whats been intfeared wit looks like an if u want dem kids to grow up haff normal u need to get em away from hear and away from Him.” Man. Unbelievable. This is a copy, yeah?’

‘Of course. I got the original to forensics straight away.’

‘But the kid’s confessed to writing it?’

‘Not in so many words, no. The paper’s consistent with a page ripped out of her maths textbook, though.’

‘And the note was actually pinned to his chest? Well. If you can call being impaled on a knife ‘pinned’.’

‘Exactly.’

‘God. What has the kid said? Or, has she spoken?’

‘Something like ‘Has my mother asked for me?’ I think.’

‘And has she?’

‘Has who what?’

‘Has the mother asked for the kid?’

‘Oh – yeah. She was shrieking about her baby as we were putting her into the car.’

‘What did the kid say when you told her that?’

‘I don’t think she said anything. She smiled, I guess.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, it wasn’t really a smile. More a look of relief.’

‘Relief? At what?’

‘Maybe she’s glad her plan worked?’

‘Jesus.’

‘My thoughts exactly.’