The witness protection program in Canada is administered by the Commissioner of the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police).My investigation had not one but two major breakthroughs today! One involving Garnet, the other involving her strange little brother, Byron.
The excitement started when my drama teacher set us free a few minutes early. I bolted for the science wing, and by the time the bell rang, I was casually leaning against a locker that gave me a plain view of Room 121, Garnet’s class. Students escaped in a steady stream, chatting loudly. There was a noticeable empty space around Garnet as she walked; no one got too close to her.
I followed her down the hall, keeping an appropriate distance behind so as to avoid detection, when she suddenly stopped in her tracks. I’d allowed myself to get a mere three students behind before I noticed — not an acceptable distance at all! I strained to see what was going on over the heads in front of me.
A tall boy with wavy reddish brown hair and a face full of freckles had blocked Garnet’s path. I recognized him from the boys’ volleyball team. Garnet tried to move around him; he wouldn’t let her, grinning maliciously. Did he have a death wish?
“Get out of my way, Nathan!” said Garnet, after her third attempt to pass.
“What if I don’t? Will you put a spell on me?” he asked, with an unattractive sneer.
“Is that what you want?” she asked darkly.
“What’s good for my brother is good for me!” He took a step forward so that he was only inches from her face.
“Back off, Nathan!” yelled Garnet.
“What’s the matter, Garnet? J.D. not here to protect you?”
“I don’t need anyone to protect me. I can take care of myself,” she snapped.
A girl with short brown hair and dark eyes stepped out from behind Nathan and took his arm. “Forget about her, Nathan, let’s get to class,” she said, leading him away.
As they passed, he shot Garnet a withering look and said, “Leanne, can you believe they let people like her walk the halls of this school?”
Garnet didn’t respond, her face twisted in anger.
Talk about being in the right place at the right time! To catch Nathan Tremball in nasty conversation with Garnet Hopper, his brother’s alleged murderer. I turned to head to science class and bumped into Cori.
“What do you mean?”
“You must have enjoyed that little encounter between Nathan and Garnet; after all, isn’t that why you’ve been following her around everywhere?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say that I actually enjoyed it …”
“Right.” She swung around and walked away.
I made a face at her back.
After science class, Cori escorted me to the cafeteria where we were meeting Stacey and Mindi for lunch, making the possibility of taking a detour to the tech wing (where Garnet would be) impossible. It was like having a babysitter or an impossibly nosy neighbour looking over your shoulder. I actually looked forward to geography class where I’d be Cori-free! And geography’s my least favourite subject. However, my good feelings towards geography were short-lived. Ms. Lytton gave out the dreaded independent project. The one that’ll generate fifty percent of everyone’s final mark. In my case, a failing mark.
I sighed and looked down at the project description, expecting the worst. I wasn’t disappointed. I forced myself to read through the requirements. Was it me or was it written in Greek? I gave up trying to decipher it and tried to focus on Ms. Lytton, who was describing the expectations in more detail. They still didn’t make any sense, so I stopped listening. I was going to fail.
When the bell finally rang, I stood up, ready to bolt.
“Sarah, may I see you for a few minutes, please?”
I stopped mid-stride. It was Ms. Lytton. Reluctantly, I turned and headed back to her desk, fighting against the flow of students rushing to the door.
“Have a seat,” she said, gesturing to a chair by her desk. I sat.
“I sense that you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by this project,” she said, looking sympathetic.
I shrugged. “A little.”
“I’ve noticed that you struggle with the assignments. Have you considered getting a tutor?” she asked.
I sank further into the seat. “No, I can do it,” I said, quietly. A tutor wouldn’t be worth Roy’s teasing.
“Hmmm.” She stared at me a moment, looking thoughtful. “What about a partner for the project, then? Would that be helpful?”
“But I thought it was supposed to be an independent project?” I asked.
“Actually, I’m planning to make partnering a requirement. I’m sure many people will be glad to hear that.”
“Oh … okay.”
“Is there anyone you’d like to work with?” she asked.
“I don’t really know too many people in the class yet,” I said. Suddenly, it hit me. This was a golden opportunity! “Except … Byron Hopper seems pretty smart. Maybe I should be his partner,” I said. It was true. Over the past couple of days, I’d observed him in class. He didn’t do much to participate, but when he was asked a question, he always knew the answer. And he always seemed to have his homework done.
Ms. Lytton’s eyebrows lifted. “Byron, huh?” She tilted her head and considered it. “You know, that might just be a good arrangement for both of you,” she said. “I’ll let him know tomorrow that he’ll be working with you.”
“Uh, shouldn’t we ask him first?”
“Oh, no. I’ll tell him. Now, you’d better get off to your next class before you’re late.”
I gathered up my books and tried hard not to skip out of the room. Not only was I going to be saved in geography, but I was also going to be able to dig deep into the Hopper family! There’ll be no secrets by the time I get through with them!
Tonight, I did some research into the witness protection program, just in case that rumour is true …
The witness protection program in Canada is administered by the Commissioner of the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police).
A “witness” is someone who gives or agrees to give information or evidence, or who participates or agrees to participate in a matter relating to an investigation or the prosecution of an offence. A witness may also be any person who, because of their relationship to the witness, also needs protection.
As part of this protection program, a person may be: relocated; provided a place to live; given a new identity; provided with counselling; and provided with financial support. The goal is to ensure the person’s safety, as well as to help them re-establish themselves and eventually become self-sufficient.
Usually, once people are in the program, they are in it for life. Most protection agreements are reviewed at least every six months. The Commissioner may end the program if the witness does not fulfill their obligations, e.g. to provide the agreed-upon information. Some people refuse the protection because of its restrictiveness and/or their unwillingness to leave their extended families.
It is an offence to knowingly expose information about a person in the program or who is no longer in the program.
So, could this be the real deal with the Hoppers? Have they been relocated and given new names because they were witnesses who agreed to give information? If so, I wouldn’t even be able to tell anyone.