‘reading trees’ too, with comfy benches, a particular favourite of Grace’s. It entertained the twins for a while, but the novelty soon wore off and Melissa found herself becoming more lenient again.
Maybe it was something to consider, the kids seeing Kitty? Maybe she could extract what happened out of them.
‘Patrick isn’t a dog, Jackie,’ Ross scolded now. ‘Melissa doesn’t want to go seeing a therapist like Kitty who’ll give anyone who pays her a diagnosis. All the kids need are their family and friends, not strangers poking their noses in.’
‘Kitty’s one of the good ones, Ross, honestly! All I’m saying is,’ Jackie said with a sigh, ‘it’s no good bottling things up.’
‘No, it bloody isn’t,’ Melissa agreed, peering up at the ceiling.
And yet wasn’t that what she was doing too? Not telling the police . . . not telling anyone? Just keeping it all bottled up? But what would Jackie and Ross think if she came out with it right then, that one of the children might have stabbed their own father, because that was one of the possibilities, wasn’t it? Forget immigrants, it was the children on your very doorstep you needed to worry about. And look what happened when a child did cause problems, like Jacob Simms! His promising career in football wiped away with one flick of a match.
She thought of his bruised face when she first saw him a year ago, fresh from St Fiacre’s Children’s Home. Then she imagined one of her kids looking the same.
She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.
Chapter Ten
Friday 19th April, 2019
10.54 a.m.
‘Morning, all,’ a voice called from the hallway. Rosemary shut the front door behind her and walked into the kitchen.
Jackie strolled over and hugged her. ‘Oh, my love, how awful this must be for you.’
‘Any change?’ Melissa asked.
‘Nothing,’ Rosemary replied as she yawned. ‘They were cleaning him up, so I thought I’d come back, give my boy some privacy.’
Melissa took a deep breath, trying to wrap her head around the fact that her strong, handsome Patrick needed someone else to clean him.
Ross stood up. ‘We’ll leave you to it. Jackie did her famous brownies,’ he said, gesturing to the basket. He went up to Rosemary and gave her a quick hug. ‘We’re here for you. Anything you need . . .’
‘Absolutely anything,’ Jackie added. ‘Just shout. You too, Melissa.’
They both waved then walked out, shutting the door behind them.
‘Kids upstairs?’ Rosemary asked Melissa.
‘Yes, getting ready. Bill’s sleeping.’
‘Good, I’ll go and see them. I need some cuddles.’
Melissa paused. She wanted to go straight to the hospital but she really needed to continue her conversation with the kids. But how could she, with Rosemary here now too?
She’d do it on the way to the hospital. The prospect of seeing their dad laid up in that hospital bed with all those tubes coming out of him might help to drag the truth from them.
Sandy padded up to Melissa, nudging at her hand.
Melissa looked out into the forest, suddenly desperate to get out there. The trees always helped her to get her head straight, and God knows she needed some clarity now before she tackled the kids again.
‘You okay with the kids for twenty minutes or so while I take Sandy out for a quick walk?’ she asked Rosemary.
Rosemary’s brow knitted. ‘What if the person who hurt Patrick is out there?’
‘I’ll be fine, I have my guard dog,’ Melissa said, gesturing to Sandy, who was now running around with his lead in his mouth.
‘Okay. But you mustn’t go too far. You know how easy it is to get lost in the woods when your mind’s not on it.’
Rosemary was right. Many people got lost in the depths of the forest. Even residents tended to stick to the outer circle of the woods during walks, taking the designated paths.
‘I know this forest like the back of my hand, remember?’ Melissa said as she pulled on her wellies.
Rosemary wrinkled her nose, the way she always did when she was reminded of Melissa’s origins, living in the woods.
‘Can you make sure the kids are ready so I can take them to the hospital with me?’ Melissa asked Rosemary.
‘I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Melissa. It’s rather harrowing to see.’
‘He’s their father.’
The two women held each other’s gaze. Ever since Melissa and Patrick married, there had been this subtle underlying tug of war between them, especially when it came to bringing up Rosemary’s precious Byatt grandchildren.
Melissa sighed. She shouldn’t think like that about Rosemary, she