shakes her head. ‘The whole time, he never spoke. He never said a single word.’
* * *
Adam Fawley
2 April 2018
11.24
I’m halfway home when I get the call. I curse under my breath when I see who it is. I promised Alex I’d be there to meet the health visitor, but I was rather hoping to get back to the office before any of the team realized I was AWOL. Some hope, clearly.
The line is breaking up but I can still just about hear.
‘Sir? It’s Tony Asante.’
I could have guessed it’d be him. He’s been with us a few months now and thus far I can’t fault him. Diligent, intelligent, technically excellent. He does what he’s asked and he takes the initiative when he should. And yet there’s something about him I just can’t get a handle on, and I don’t think the rest of the team can either. Every time I think I have him worked out, he manages to wrong-foot me. It’s almost as if he’s playing a role; going through the motions. As if his real agenda is elsewhere. Alex says he’s probably just extremely ambitious and not very good at hiding it, and I suspect she has a point. It would certainly explain why Quinn has taken such an obvious dislike, and let’s face it, he’s not that good at hiding it either. But unlike Quinn, Asante seems to get on better with the women on the team than the men, which still isn’t that common in this job. Perhaps it’s just that, like them, he knows what it’s like being in the minority.
‘What is it, Asante?’
‘Sorry to bother you, sir. I think I’ve found something.’
I frown slightly. ‘What – Douglas Appleford, you mean? You’ve tracked him down?’
A slight pause. Embarrassment or calculation?
‘No. It’s not that. Look – it’d be easier to explain face to face. I could come to you if you’re off-site.’
Of course I’m bloody well ‘off-site’. He wouldn’t be calling me otherwise.
I can hear the sound of traffic in the background; he must be on the street somewhere.
‘I’m not in the office. I had to go home. Briefly.’
‘That’s Risinghurst, right? I can come there.’
I don’t know why him knowing that annoys me, but it does. It’s not as if people from the office haven’t been to the house before. But not that often. And not since Alex has been pregnant.
‘I’ll only be an hour or so. Can’t it wait till I get back?’
I hear the intake of breath. ‘Actually, sir, I don’t think it can.’
* * *
‘We drove off really fast. Not for long though – just a few minutes. Then we stopped again and he dragged me out of the back. First we were on something hard and then on grass – it was uneven and all squishy in the rain. I could feel my feet getting wet. And then he pushed me inside somewhere and I heard a door shut and it went dark.’
‘It must have been completely terrifying,’ says Somer softly.
Faith looks down, her lips trembling. ‘I thought he was going to kill me.’
There are tears spilling down her cheeks, and Somer reaches across the table and takes the girl’s hands in her own. ‘You are being incredibly brave. Not much more, I promise.’
Faith takes a deep breath. ‘He pushed me on the floor. On my back. It was cold. Gritty. Then I felt him pulling my skirt up. I was screaming and kicking but he grabbed hold of my legs and held them down while he dragged off my knickers.’
The tears are falling fast now and her cheeks are red.
The two women exchange a glance. It’s what they feared. And they have no choice: they have to press her.
‘Faith,’ says Somer gently, ‘I’m about to ask you something very sensitive. Very personal. I’m sorry I have to ask, and please believe me that I wouldn’t if it wasn’t absolutely necessary.’
There’s a pause; she holds the girl’s hands a little tighter. ‘Can you tell me – have you had gender reassignment surgery?’
Faith isn’t looking at them. She shakes her head. ‘Not yet. Later, maybe.’
‘Do you think the person who did this – do you think it’s possible he knew?’
Faith looks up at them now. Her eyes widen. ‘You mean, was he surprised? You’re actually asking me that?’
Somer feels her face flush hot. ‘I’m so sorry, Faith – I didn’t mean that to sound as crass as it did. But you know why I’m asking – it would make a difference. To