Allegation

by R. G. Adams

  ‘I’m Clare Donald,’ the woman said, without looking up at Kit. ‘I’m the senior complaints officer.’

  This was it then. Kit knew there wouldn’t have been any complaints on any of her other cases; she’d done so little work on any of them, she’d had no chance to do anything wrong. It was the Coopers, she was sure of it.

  Cole Jackson indicated that Kit should sit down and leant forward and cleared his throat. ‘Kit, I’m sorry to have to drop this on you. I know you’ve had a very difficult time recently and this is not going to be pleasant, I’m afraid. We’ve received a serious complaint about you today.’

  Kit did her best to look surprised.

  ‘It’s no surprise to you then?’ Clare Donald said. Kit was taken aback at Clare’s ability to read her, but she thought it best to keep up the facade now she’d started it.

  ‘Well, it is actually, I can’t imagine what it’s all about.’

  Clare Donald picked up her papers and started reading from them. ‘It’s from a Mr Matthew Cooper. I gather he was accused of some quite horrendous offences and was exonerated.’

  Kit felt a spasm of absolute frustration. Was she really going to have to explain that Matt Cooper had not been exonerated at all? She had just enough presence of mind to keep quiet, before Cole Jackson rescued her by intervening.

  ‘Kit, we’ve talked about this case before, haven’t we? I thought the plan was to get it sorted and closed ASAP. From my memory, we had no grounds to be involved anymore.’ His tone was surprisingly kind.

  ‘Yes, that’s right. And that’s what I did.’

  ‘So what’s the nature of this complaint, Clare?’ Cole Jackson asked.

  ‘I spoke with Mr Cooper myself this afternoon. He called in to the office. It seems this gentleman has been through quite an ordeal. He feels that there has been an unjustified determination on the part of the local authority to pursue him, even though he didn’t commit any crime.’

  ‘And what makes him think Kit did that?’

  ‘Well, for one thing, he saw her leaving his house on Friday afternoon, along with someone else. Turned out she had been to see his wife. He claims she had no reason to be there, it was all due to have been closed. He feels this is just one example of Ms Goddard overstepping the mark, which apparently she has done a number of times.’

  Bugger, Kit thought. She hadn’t spotted Matt Cooper near the house when they’d left. But she couldn’t decipher from what Clare Donald had said whether Annie had dropped her right in it or not.

  ‘So, where were you exactly on Friday? You and Ricky Diallo? Because we’ve already established that you two weren’t signed out on the board, haven’t we?’ Georgia was chuffed at being able to lob this into the conversation.

  Kit thought quickly and decided the best policy was to be honest – up to a point. ‘I did call in to see Annie Cooper. Just to let her know that we were closing the children’s cases, that’s all.’

  ‘Is that normal practice in the team? To let people know in person? Sounds like a gold-standard service to me. Surely a simple closure letter would have done the job?’ Georgia was looking at Cole as she said this, vying for his approval. Kit thought longingly of Vernon, and his trust in her. At this point Vernon would have been doing his best to help her cover her tracks, at least until he could find out what she had been up to and give her a bollocking in private. But she was on her own now. It was lucky that she was a bloody good liar.

  ‘Well, no, we don’t usually go in person. But I didn’t think a closure visit could do any harm. Annie Cooper’s been through quite an ordeal as well, you know?’

  ‘So, you were being supportive? Well, that sounds appropriate to me. There’s nothing to prove that Kit did anything she shouldn’t, is there?’ Cole Jackson was looking at Clare Donald, who was gawping at him. Kit couldn’t fathom it out either. Surely he wasn’t defending her?

  ‘Why take someone else with you? That’s a shocking waste of resources,’ Georgia Pritchard snapped.

  But Kit was ahead of her. ‘Annie Cooper can be difficult. I wanted to smooth things over with her, end things on a good note, but I thought it would be best to have a witness, just in case she made any complaints afterwards.’

  ‘Well, it looks like that was a good judgement, Kit,’ Cole Jackson said. ‘As it turns out, you were right to be cautious.’ He looked at Clare Donald. ‘This doesn’t need to get too complicated, does it, Clare? Surely if Ricky Diallo bears out what Kit is saying, we can get this wrapped up? I can’t afford to lose her for long – if something’s going to blow up, it’s going to be in that team. I need competent staff down there.’

  ‘Lose me? Lose me where?’ Kit asked, but no one bothered to explain. Clare Donald was sucking the end of her pen thoughtfully.

  ‘Well, you may be right, Cole . . .’

  ‘Can we really afford to take Ricky Diallo’s word?’ Georgia had spotted Clare Donald’s hesitation and she was in like a shot. ‘I can’t imagine Mr Cooper being satisfied with that. Surely this should go for full investigation? And we’d have to explore what Mrs Cooper has to say about the purpose of this so-called closure visit?’

  Clare Donald nodded. ‘Mr Cooper is pressing for an independent investigation. I think we need to cover every angle. Plus, they’ve always got the option of the Ombudsman, not to mention Social Care Wales. This could rumble on for a bit. Frankly, Cole, you might want Ms Goddard to keep a low profile for the next six months or so. I understand the Coopers are quite well connected.’

  ‘Yes, they are. They could stir things up a lot. We don’t need that right now.’ Cole sat back, looking anxious. Kit decided she had had enough of this. Something was going on and she was not a party to it. She didn’t like it one bit.

  ‘When you say “keep a low profile”, what does that mean exactly?’

  She directed her question to Clare Donald, but it was Georgia who replied. ‘Cole could suspend you right now,’ she said, in a tone which implied that she would be thrilled if he did just that.

  ‘Is that what you’re doing then?’ Kit asked him, irritated beyond belief. ‘Because if you are, then fine, I’ll go and clear my desk.’

  Cole was looking at Clare Donald now, and Kit could see he was appealing to her. But her heavy face was set like a slab. Cole sighed.

  ‘Yes, Kit, I’m sorry, but it’s for your own sake. You need to be right out of the picture. Look on it as a chance to have a break. I’m sure we can get you back into work in no time.’

  Cole Jackson was smiling at her, but his tone was firm. Kit was furious. Without a word, she got up and left the room, slamming the door on the way out, not caring that it made her look childish. She headed for the office to collect her bag, a serious intention to go and get very drunk already forming in her mind. The office was empty, for which she was grateful – no explanations necessary. Ricky would find out what was going on soon enough. She collected her bag and headed for the car park. Then she got into her car and sat there, not even feeling like she wanted a fag.

  She stared out of the window at the drizzle that had gone on and on all afternoon. Should she drop the car at home and go to the pub as soon as it opened? The idea still appealed, but she didn’t think she should be alone. She couldn’t tolerate Ricky right now; their friendship was too new and she’d have to keep thinking what she was meant to say and do next. She couldn’t bother Vernon, even if she could get past Nell. Her thoughts turned to Danny, but she pushed him away; no point in wishing he was there to look after her, that was just going to make her feel worse. Tyler had his own stuff to deal with, she was worried enough about him already, he wasn’t up to helping her. When it came down to it, she was just a kid from the care system, and like a lot of them, she had a useless family and hardly any good friends.

  The self-pity of this snapped Kit back to her senses. She did have somewhere to go. She had been luckier than most, after all.
She threw some clothes into a rucksack along with her toothbrush, phone and charger. Then she went out to the car and drove to the pet shop, where she bought a bone and some of Jess’s favourite biscuits. She lit a fag, turned the car in the direction of the coast road and set off for Cliffside.

  Chapter 16

  An hour later, Kit pulled up outside Huw and Menna’s house. She got out of the car to open the gate, holding it carefully at the top with her fingertips to avoid splinters. She paused to look out over the sea. This was a wild and isolated part of the coastline; the cliff paths were rudimentary and outright dangerous in places and the weather was dramatic in the winter months. But Kit preferred it to the manicured gardens and twee beach huts that featured on the more expensive bay where Matt Cooper’s parents lived. Even breathing the air here made her feel a little better. The rain was stopping as she got back into the car and drove up the long, stony lane to the house. As she pulled up outside, Huw opened the door, his folded newspaper in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other. When he recognised Kit, a wide smile appeared on his face.

  ‘Hello, stranger. You OK?’ He opened his arms and drew her into a hug.

  ‘Not really.’

  ‘Better come in then. I think Menna’s about to inflict dinner on me.’

  As he led her into the hall, the kitchen door opened, and Jess leapt out, nearly knocking her off her feet. Menna followed behind, smiling with delight.

  ‘It’s good to see you, girl. Come and have some food. You don’t look like you’ve been eating enough to me.’

  ‘I am, trust me. Just not as much as I did when I was here.’ The amount that Huw and Menna could eat had always amazed Kit. Yet they both stayed wiry and lean, which she guessed must be due to their daily walks on the cliffs. Since giving up fostering, they’d managed to keep themselves busy with the walking and the dogs and their numerous hobbies, along with their pretty constant bickering. But Kit sensed how much Huw and Menna missed having a houseful of kids. They’d loved every bit of it, never saying no to a placement and getting taken advantage of by desperate social workers on a regular basis as a result. In spite of the chaos, she’d always felt safe in their house, no matter what was going on with the other kids there. Huw and Menna always knew what to do and she trusted them completely. It felt good to be back and she was glad that she’d come.

  ‘Could I stay tonight?’

  Menna glanced at her. ‘Of course. Anything wrong?’

  ‘Yeah, sort of.’

  ‘Hang your coat up and come and eat. We’ll soon sort it out.’

  Kit disengaged herself from Jess and did as Menna said. Then she followed her into the kitchen, where Menna handed her a bottle of beer. Kit sat down at the table and stared out at the sea glowing in the early evening sunshine.

  ‘What’s up then?’ Huw landed clumsily on a chair on the other side of the table. Menna made an exasperated face at Kit.

  ‘I’m surprised we’ve got any furniture left.’

  ‘Shut up, woman. Can’t you see there’s something wrong with the girl? She doesn’t need to hear you bloody banging on.’

  ‘Your language. That’s what finished our fostering career,’ Menna sniffed.

  ‘It bloody wasn’t. It was your poor hygiene standards. Animals on the beds and all that, they said.’

  ‘Actually, it was both of those things,’ Kit pointed out. ‘Plus, you two telling that social worker to get off your property or you’d set the dogs on him.’

  They all laughed together then, although Kit recalled it hadn’t been funny at the time. The social worker had come to tell Kit that it was thought best she should move to a new placement, one with younger carers who were more compliant with modern fostering standards. He had received short shrift, so the fostering agency had gone ahead and de-registered Huw and Menna, which everyone thought would force Kit to move. It hadn’t worked, though. Huw and Menna had refused to turf her out and she had refused to go, much to the disapproval of the social worker, conveyed from a safe distance down the phone line. With no fostering allowance coming in, Huw and Menna had simply used their own pensions to keep Kit until she finished school. She was grateful to them in a way that she had never yet managed to articulate.

  Huw was looking at Kit expectantly.

  ‘It’s a long story.’

  ‘Go on then. We’ve nothing better to do.’

  ‘It’s work. They’ve suspended me.’

  Huw snorted. ‘Well, they’re idiots then. Why did they do that?’

  ‘I’ve been working on this case. Middle-class couple, three kids, nice house. Allegations of sexual abuse, historical stuff, against the dad. Nothing we could prove but I think the wife’s got her doubts. Now he’s made a complaint. They want me to stay off work for a bit, while it’s investigated. They’re all pretty scared of him.’

  Huw frowned. ‘Do you think he did it?’

  ‘I don’t know. I think he might have. And I think something’s not right with the oldest girl. She’s severely disabled and she can’t tell me, or maybe she won’t. There’s something weird with the grandfather, too, I don’t think she wants to be around him. It’s a muddle, but I don’t feel I can just leave it and close the case.’

  ‘Sounds like a nightmare. What are you supposed to have done wrong?’

  ‘I pushed the wife a bit, probably shouldn’t have.’

  ‘So they want you out and hopefully it will all blow over?’

  ‘That’s the idea.’ Kit decided not to admit that Annie Cooper could easily ensure she got the sack if she chose to. Kit wanted Huw and Menna to think well of her. ‘But even if they do have me back, Vernon’s gone off with a heart attack. There’s a new woman, I’m not sure I want to work for her. I’m starting to wonder if it’s all worth it.’

  Menna put a plate of stew in front of Kit and then sat down on the other chair. Her face had barely aged in ten years. Kit loved them both, but it was Menna who really understood her and had always been able to give her advice when no one else could.

  ‘Listen to me, flower. You worked hard to get that job and it’s obvious you’re good at it. You’re going to have plenty of problems in your career. You can’t afford to let it get to you this badly. It sounds like you’ve done your best to look after those kids. Surely a few weeks off can’t be that bad, can it? You’re just going to have to grit your teeth and get through it.’

  ‘I wish I could. But I honestly don’t know if I can. Maybe I should go back to the café, ask Alex for my old job back. That’s what Tyler says.’

  Menna was the one snorting now. ‘Yes, because that boy’s full of good advice, isn’t he?’

  Kit laughed. ‘Good point well made.’

  Menna got up and went over to the cabinet in the corner. She held Jess’s lead out to Kit.

  ‘Go on. As soon as you’ve finished, get down the beach. Clear your head. Have you got a coat? It’ll be chilly down there by now. Take one of mine.’

  ‘I will. Actually, no, it’s OK, I think I’ve got a hoody in the car.’

  Kit finished her stew, took the lead and headed out the back door. Jess came bounding after her. Kit stopped at the car and found her hoody on the floor in the back. She must have dropped it at some point. It was still warm out so she tied it around her waist for now. Then she clipped the lead onto Jess’s collar. They walked across the fields, slightly uphill, heading into the brighter light that lay over the cliff, reflected up from the sea below. Her nose and throat tingled with the fresh peppery scent of wild garlic underfoot. Jess pulled impatiently, and after checking for sheep, Kit reached down and let her off the lead, and they began to make their way down the path towards the sand.

  In the distance, she could see the Cliffside Café. She wondered whether to walk over and see Alex. Her stomach lurched at the thought of him but she was too shy to do it. Maybe it was best left anyway. She had great memories of the
café, she’d loved working for Alex, but it was all in the past now. She had a new life, her own flat and a good job. She needed to keep moving forwards.

  As she reached the sand, the sun was reappearing. The sky was glowing with streaks of peach and apricot. She walked across to the far side of the beach and found her old spot, a well-worn ledge on a small rock, just wide enough for her to squeeze onto. She sat for a while and watched the sunset and enjoyed the sight of Jess running frantically in and out of the amber-tinted rock pools. She started to feel calmer and clearer. The muddle in her head was still there, but she felt she could pick at some of the threads of it now.

  She’d changed her mind so many times, that was the thing. Maybe she needed to get it all in the right order first. She thought back to the very start, when she’d fretted over why Jean Collins hadn’t known that Matt took turns in caring for Lucy at night. But then she’d spent time with the kids, and with Matt himself, and she’d totally changed her view of him. His love and care for Lucy had sent her off in a different direction – so much so that, when Steph had withdrawn her statement, Kit had felt outraged on Matt’s behalf, and ashamed of the part she had almost played in destroying the Cooper family. And there was certainly nothing sinister in Jean not having known about Lucy’s overnight care, after all. She hadn’t known the first thing about Lucy spending nights with her grandparents either, which Lucy had suddenly refused to do anymore, leaving Kit to wonder why. But her lurking suspicion that Lucy might be avoiding her grandfather had been swept aside in turn when she’d spoken to Steph Harman, and seen the pain in her thin, strained face. That was when Kit had started to believe that Matt could have abused Steph and Nicolette. And there she was, back at the start, with no clue what might have happened to Lucy in either of the Cooper households.