by Black, Helen
‘She had a little boy with her,’ DI Hammond told Lilly.
She nodded as if it were an everyday occurrence that a child would be forced to work as a prostitute and take her younger brother with her. The fact was this was perfectly normal for kids like Gem. They had no choice.
‘Where’s your mum, Gem?’ Lilly asked. ‘Where can we find her?’
Tears welled in Gem’s eyes once again and she let out a sound so desperate it was obscene. ‘Please help us.’ She clutched Lilly’s arm. ‘Please help us.’
The ex’s cottage is all rather twee with gingham curtains and herbs growing in pots. I can hardly believe Jack lived here. He must have hated it.
My mobile vibrates in my pocket but I don’t answer. It will be him. We’ve had our first fight, you see. After we bumped into that dreadful woman in John Lewis, the one with the ridiculous name and the baby so ugly I almost gagged, he told me I shouldn’t have interfered. Then when Lilly came round to the flat, screeching like a banshee in labour, he was even more angry. He said I had ‘made matters worse’.
Bless him.
Of course, I pretended to be hurt. I even managed a few tears.
He’s calling to apologize, but I’m going to let him stew just a fraction longer.
Jack needs to understand that nothing else matters now. Just him and me and Alice. We have to finish what we started and can’t be sidetracked by a few bumps in the road.
I move a pair of wellington boots from the step with my foot. They’re garish yellow with lime green spots. What grown woman chooses something so revolting?
I plaster on a smile and ring the bell.
A man answers. ‘Can I help you?’
He’s well spoken and needs a decent haircut. This is going to be a breeze.
‘WPC Knight.’ I hold up my warrant card. ‘May I come in?’
Lilly’s new client was being seen by the FME. She almost laughed out loud at the situation. Only she could pick up a new case on a routine trip to pass on a message.
Still, what was the point of this job if she couldn’t help a kid like Gem? If she’d learned anything in recent times, it was that when a vulnerable child asked for help, she should give it.
While she waited, she began flicking through Lydia’s documents, hoping to find something that would help Chloe. After the news clipping of the Talbots’ arrest there was a pre-sentence report on the mother, then a psychological assessment of the auntie. As Lilly read, a story began to emerge. The Talbot children had been routinely and systematically abused, but sadly their torture didn’t end with their removal from their parents. Damaged and angry, they ricocheted around care homes and foster placements, moved on and separated from the only thing that had sustained them: each other.
Phoebe Talbot, in particular, seemed to have been broken by this treatment, spiralling into self-destruction.
As fascinating and heartbreaking as all this was, it did beg an obvious question: why did Lydia Morton-Daley have these papers? What did it have to do with her?
Lilly ploughed on. Perhaps Lydia would be mentioned later.
When she reached an application by Gigi Talbot for contact with her younger sisters, she stopped short. There was no mention of Lydia but another familiar name caught her eye. In support of her application, Gigi had attached a report by a Dr Piper. Was that a coincidence? Could there be two Dr Pipers?
Lilly pulled out her mobile to call Harry, but she was distracted by the FME coming out of his room with Gem.
‘How is she?’ Lilly asked.
‘I’d say she’s suffering with stress and exhaustion. She needs rest and recuperation.’
‘I know a good place,’ said Lilly. ‘If you can make the calls, doc, I’ll drop her there myself.’
‘Hold on a minute.’ DI Hammond lumbered over. ‘There’s the small matter of an assault charge.’
‘Do you really think the victim’s going to give a statement?’ Lilly asked. ‘A customer in a brothel?’
‘You never know,’ said DI Hammond.
‘I suspect he might be reluctant when he finds out she’s fifteen,’ said Lilly.
‘What with him being a copper an’ all,’ said Gem.
DI Hammond sighed and his shoulders drooped.
‘Bail her to the Grove,’ said Lilly. ‘We’ll come back next week for a review.’
Lilly ushered Gem towards the entrance of the Grove. DI Hammond had rustled up a paper suit for her, but the temperature had dropped dramatically. Minus six and counting, according to the gauge on the dashboard. A fresh flurry of snow whipped round them.
‘Don’t worry, it’s like a sauna inside,’ she told Gem.
Despite the cold, Gem lagged behind, shivering into the wind.
Lilly took her hand. ‘It’ll be fine.’
‘I’m not a nutcase,’ said Gem.
‘Of course you’re not, sweetheart,’ said Lilly.
Applying gentle pressure, Lilly pulled Gem inside and introduced her to the nurse on reception. While Gem was being processed, Lilly’s phone rang. It was Jack so she ignored it. Wasn’t it enough that he had accused her of being a bad mother and was threatening to take Alice from her? Did he have to argue with her about Chloe’s case too? He must know now that Foley and Staines had done a bunk. He should be spending his time finding them, not harassing Lilly.
A bleep indicated a text. He was persistent if nothing else.
To: Lilly Valentine
From: Jack McNally
Results of DNA tests do not match either suspect.
Lilly stared in disbelief. No match? There had to be a mistake.
She swallowed her pride and her anger and called Jack. ‘Are you absolutely sure?’ she asked.
‘Yes. If you want, you can check with Cheney,’ he replied.
‘I don’t understand it. It has to be them.’
‘It isn’t,’ said Jack. ‘And no one else had access to Chloe’s room.’
‘No one except Harry.’
‘Harry wasn’t on the list.’
‘Well, no,’ said Lilly. ‘I just assumed you’d test him anyway to exclude him.’
‘Why would I do that, Lilly?’ Jack asked. ‘His name wasn’t on the list and he certainly didn’t volunteer when I was at the Grove taking samples.’
‘Perhaps he didn’t realize he needed to,’ said Lilly.
‘Or perhaps he didn’t want to give a sample.’
‘Oh come on, Jack, I know you don’t like him but you don’t think it was him, do you?’
‘I don’t know what to think, Lilly,’ he said. ‘I just know that he is the only other person who knew the code to Chloe’s room.’ He hung up.
The floor zoomed up towards Lilly and she had to put out her hand to steady herself.
‘Are you okay, Lilly?’ Gem asked.
‘It’s this cold,’ said Lilly. ‘It’s making me light-headed.’
‘Sit down here.’ The nurse proffered her chair.
Lilly sat down and put her head between her knees. It couldn’t be Harry. It just couldn’t be. He was devoted to Chloe and his other patients. He was a man of integrity and honour. Wasn’t he?
‘I need some air,’ she said and rushed from reception.
The night outside was bitter, but Lilly didn’t care. At least she could breathe, let her mind clear. She leaned against David’s car, her hands burning on the frigid metal, and pictured Harry. The way he wore coloured scarves that matched his eyes. The way he smiled at her. The way he made her feel.
This had to be a mistake. Someone else had got into Chloe’s room. Maybe Foley or Staines had given the code to another member of staff. That would explain why they had run away. All Harry need do was take the DNA test. That would prove he had nothing to do with it.
She was starting to feel better, when she saw the padded envelope on the back seat. It niggled her. Why had Lydia kept these papers? Why was Harry’s name in there?
She opened the car door, reached inside and leafed through the file in the
snow. Lydia’s name didn’t appear. Nor Harry after his brief mention. Perhaps it was just a coincidence?
She ploughed on, reading and searching.
When she reached the end, she froze. The last document hit her in the solar plexus. She looked up into the night, snowflakes landing on her face. When she looked back down, nothing had changed. What she thought she’d read was true. In 2010, Phoebe Talbot changed her name to Chloe Church. The magistrate who consented confirmed his ‘sincere hope that this will allow Miss Talbot to put away her past and concentrate on her future’.
The documents weren’t Lydia’s, they were Chloe’s. Her friend had probably agreed to keep them safe for her.
Harry must have known all this. If he’d been involved in Gigi’s application for contact, was it possible that he didn’t know Phoebe had later changed her name? Was it possible he didn’t know who Chloe was? And if he did know, why had he denied any knowledge of how she came to be in the Grove? Why had he said no one had ever tried to get in touch with Chloe?
Lilly shook her head. She needed to sort out Gem then she would find Harry and ask him. No doubt he’d be able to explain everything. She stumbled inside to find the nurse alone.
‘Where’s Gem?’ Lilly asked.
‘I took her to her room,’ said the nurse. ‘It’s a few doors down from Chloe. Can you find it? We’re short-staffed tonight what with the weather.’
‘I’ll be fine,’ Lilly mumbled.
After a couple of false turns, Lilly saw the picture of the dandelion clocks and knew she was on track. She peeped through the glass of the nearest door and saw Gem asleep on her bed. Smiling, she pushed it open as quietly as she could, intending to tuck her client in. A good night’s rest would hopefully stave off some of Gem’s fears.
She neared the bed and reached for a blanket, but didn’t put it over Gem. Something didn’t seem right. The girl’s skin seemed deathly pale and her breathing too shallow.
‘Gem,’ she whispered, but the girl didn’t stir. ‘Gem.’ She rubbed her client’s cheek. It felt slack.
She wasn’t asleep. She was unconscious.
Lilly turned in panic. She had to get help. How long would it take her to run to reception? Too long.
When she saw a figure outside, Lilly’s heart leapt in relief and she flew to the door, throwing it open. The figure was Harry. Thank God.
‘Harry,’ she called.
He was outside Chloe’s room now and turned to Lilly’s voice.
‘Come quickly.’ Lilly ran towards him. ‘There’s something wrong with this patient. I think she’s unconscious.’
‘Oh my God,’ he said. ‘What’s happened?’
‘I don’t know, she …’ Lilly didn’t finish her sentence. ‘What’s that?’ She pointed at the syringe in Harry’s hand.
‘This?’ He held it needle up, a drop of liquid swelling from the sharp point. ‘Anti-anxiety meds.’
Lilly couldn’t swallow. Couldn’t breathe.
‘I’m having to do the rounds,’ said Harry. ‘With John gone.’
That made sense. Didn’t it?
‘Did you give some to Gem?’ Lilly asked.
Harry smiled. ‘Don’t worry, Lilly, it’s completely harmless.’
‘How do you know that’s what she needs?’ Lilly asked. ‘You can’t have assessed her yet.’
‘The doctor from the police station called me,’ said Harry. ‘He gave me his diagnosis.’
Lilly exhaled. It was true the FME had said Gem was suffering with exhaustion and stress. Lilly was overreacting, being paranoid.
‘God, Harry, I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘Everything’s getting out of control what with Jack calling about the DNA testing.’
‘Oh yes?’
‘Turns out there’s no match for Foley or Staines.’
‘I see.’
‘Someone else must have got the code,’ said Lilly. ‘Someone not on your list. I’m going to suggest to Jack that he tests everyone who works here.’
‘Will he agree to that?’
Lilly see-sawed her hand. ‘He’s not going to be over the moon about it but I think I can persuade him, though you’ll have to go first just to exclude yourself.’
Harry’s smile didn’t slip and that’s when Lilly knew. This man she’d embraced. This man she’d kissed. This man she’d wanted to have passionate sex with … was Chloe’s rapist.
The thought ran through her like a tidal wave and she bent from the waist and retched onto the carpet.
Her next thought was that she was in terrible danger.
Gem can hear screams from outside her room.
She tries to get up but it’s proper hard. Like she ain’t got no control over her arms and legs.
She bets that doctor is up to no good. The minute she set eyes on him, Gem knew he was a wrong ’un. She’s met too many men like that over the years. Men what like young girls.
There’s no way she’s going to let him in here. She’ll barricade herself in if she has to.
She puts all her energy into getting out of bed. She ain’t letting that bastard beat her. Wobbling all over the shop, she makes her way to the door, but when she gets there she sees it ain’t the doctor shouting, it’s her solicitor, Lilly.
She’s been proper nice to Gem. Not like solicitors she’s had before, who write down every word you say but never look you in the eye. Lilly’s different. She makes you feel like you matter. She told Gem not to worry about Tyler, that she’ll try and get a placement for him and Gem together.
Gem opens the door to call to Lilly and sees the doctor dragging her down the corridor by her hair.
Lilly kicked out, her shoes flying through the air.
‘Harry,’ she yelled. ‘Harry, stop this.’
He was tearing her hair from its root, the scalp on fire. She clawed at his hands, but his grip just tightened.
Jesus Christ, he was insane.
Pain seared through Lilly’s skull and she cried out. ‘Harry, please stop,’ she begged. ‘Let me go.’
Tears poured down her face. She knew he wouldn’t let her go.
Out of the corner of her eye, Lilly caught sight of someone. It was Gem. ‘Help me,’ she screamed.
Gem was leaning heavily against the door frame to her room, her eyes heavy, her jaw slack.
‘Gem, please help me.’
The girl gave a slow blink. A gesture Lilly had seen Chloe make a thousand times. Chloe who shut down her systems when Harry was around. Chloe who only came to life when she was away from the Grove. Why hadn’t Lilly seen all this?
Gem swayed into the corridor, saliva trickling down her chin. What could she possibly do in that state?
‘Please,’ Lilly screamed.
Gem looked around her, then up and down the corridor.
‘There’s no one here,’ Lilly shouted.
Gem took a step towards Lilly and stumbled. Then another step, as if in painful slow motion.
‘Do something, Gem.’
Gem swayed from side to side then bent down and picked up one of Lilly’s discarded shoes. She held it up to her face, turning it over as if she’d never seen anything like it before.
‘Gem.’
The girl looked at the shoe, then at Lilly, then back at the shoe. At last she threw it at Harry. Her aim was so weak it barely glanced off him, but it was enough to distract him momentarily, giving Lilly a chance. She seized it, ripping his hands from her hair.
He lunged for her, but she was too quick, throwing herself out of his reach. He lunged again and this time she surprised him by throwing herself backwards, smacking the back of her head into his face. The sound of his lips bursting rang in her eyes.
She crawled a few feet away and jumped up.
‘Run.’ She grabbed Gem by the hand and half pulled, half dragged her down the corridor. But Gem couldn’t run and fell off balance. Lilly hauled her back upright, but it was too late. Harry had bridged the gap. He grabbed Gem by the shoulders, spun her round and punched her in the stoma
ch. The girl deflated like a day-old balloon.
‘Harry, don’t do this,’ Lilly said to him.
He moved towards her, his face unrecognizable. Mouth and chin dripping with blood, eyes haunted. Harry Piper had gone. If he had ever existed at all.
Lilly backed away, until she hit the wall behind her. She put out her hands to stop him. He batted them away and pressed his body against hers, crushing her. She began to sob.
‘You need help,’ she told him. ‘You’re not well.’
His hands came up and he clasped her throat. Lilly’s eyes popped open.
‘You can explain to the police.’ Lilly choked on her words. ‘You won’t go to prison.’
His hands tightened, the thumbs digging into Lilly’s windpipe. She fought for breath, her mouth wide. Her airway was closed.
She pushed her arms out to the side, palms slapping the wall in terror. The end could be only seconds away. Her vision began to blur. Her arms went rigid, the left hand scratching against brick. The right against something smoother. What was it? She strained to look. The picture of the dandelion clocks. No breath left to blow them.
Harry bared his teeth at her as if he might bite. This evil man was going to rob her children. She refused to let his face be the last thing she saw and closed her eyes. Instead, she pictured those dandelion clocks in their glass frame.
Glass. The thought rocketed through her. Glass.
She balled her fist, drew her arm forward and punched backwards. The frame cracked but didn’t break. She punched again. This time the glass shattered and she closed her hand around the nearest shard. It cut deep into her skin but she didn’t care. She grabbed it and pulled it away from the rest. Her hand dripped blood as she brought her arm down to her side. It shook with anticipation.
Harry, she thought, what happened to you?
Then she plunged the shard of glass deep and low into Harry’s gut.
He gasped, eyes open wide, but he didn’t release his grip.
Lilly’s hand was slick with both their blood. She almost dropped her weapon.
One last effort, Lilly, she told herself.
She pushed the shard deeper and drew it upwards, feeling skin and muscle tear.
For a second, Harry looked surprised. Then he smiled. ‘Lilly?’ he said. He coughed, a red smattering rattle. ‘Lilly? Is that you?’