by Sally Rigby
Tessa gripped hold of the table with both hands. ‘I didn’t. It wasn’t me who sent it.’
‘We’ve seen the text on his phone, and we know it came from you. As there was only you and me at the house who else could it be?’
‘Um … um …’
Was the truth finally going to come out?
‘Do you have your phone with you?’ Twiggy asked.
‘It’s at home.’
‘How convenient.’
‘The police were there, and they made me come to the station straight away. I didn’t have time to get my bag or phone. I brought nothing with me. Believe me. I promise I didn’t send the text.’ The words tumbled out of her mouth.
‘Enough,’ Birdie said, holding up her hand to silence her. ‘I want to return to my phone and how it ended up on silent after you’d been holding it. It wasn’t an accident, was it? You did it intentionally in case my colleague tried to warn me that Patrick was on his way back.’
‘I don’t know anything about it.’
‘I suggest that when I showed you the photo of Lacey, you changed the setting.’
‘But that makes no sense. Why would I have come to you in the barn?’
‘To cover your tracks. You wanted me to believe that Patrick was the dangerous one.’
‘No. You’ve got it all wrong. I was on your side. Don’t listen to what he said. He’s very clever at making you see things his way. He’s a sex offender and on the register.’
‘According to him, it was you and not him who downloaded the pornographic images to his computer. He took the blame to protect you and the baby.’
‘Why would I want sick images of children? He’s lying.’
‘You told him you wanted to write a book about child exploitation and downloaded the images.’
‘That’s not true. It wasn’t me.’
‘Why would he tell us that? It’s not like he’s going to be prosecuted again for the same offence. He’s served his time.’
‘So he doesn’t go back to prison for what he did to Emily.’
‘What did he do?’
‘I’ve told you already. Stop trying to trick me.’ Her voice wavered. Were they finally getting to the truth?
‘Tell me again, why you left Emily in the town centre.’
‘To protect her from Patrick. He was getting too close.’
‘And not because you were jealous of their relationship. Because you wanted your brother to yourself, and you didn’t like sharing him. Even if it was with your own daughter.’
‘That’s crazy. Why would I do that?’ Her breaths were short and loud.
‘You tell me.’
‘He might have been Emily’s father, but I bet he didn’t tell you he raped me and got me pregnant. That he made me so scared of him I gave up my daughter.’
‘You didn’t say it was rape in our previous interview.’
‘I didn’t say it wasn’t.’
‘According to Patrick, you both got drunk and had sex one night, resulting in you becoming pregnant. He said that he was the one who stopped you from harming Emily and not the other way around.’
‘That’s not true. Why do you believe someone who’s been in prison for sexual offences?’
‘Your offences, that he covered for.’
‘No.’ She thumped the table. ‘I didn’t want to lose Emily, but I had no choice to keep her safe. I don’t know what he’s telling you, but it’s all lies.’
‘I don’t believe you.’ Birdie said.
‘I admit I didn’t want to be pregnant, and he persuaded me to keep her. But after that I didn’t want to lose her.’
‘You told me that Patrick abused you.’
‘He did. You saw that for yourself.’
‘We saw the bruises, but not how they happened.’
‘Why are you taking his side?’
‘Is it true that you harm yourself and cause bruising to your body?’
‘No.’
‘Have you ever thrown yourself down the stairs?’
‘You don’t understand.’
‘Did Patrick harm you, or did you do it to yourself?’
‘That’s crazy,’ Tessa said.
‘Answer the question,’ Birdie snapped, fed up with her avoidance tactics.
‘Okay, we fought. But he wouldn’t hit back. I couldn’t stand it.’
‘So you took your temper out on yourself?’
‘Yes. No. It’s … he was such a Mr Goody Two Shoes …’ her words faded away.
‘Now we have the truth. Do you still claim he raped you?’
She shrugged. ‘I don’t remember, we’d been drinking.’
‘Since we’ve been interviewing you, not once have you asked to see your daughter. Why’s that?’
‘Um … Why does that matter?’
‘Did you forget about her?’
‘Stop putting words into my mouth. I’ve never forgotten about her.’
‘But you don’t want to see her.’
‘Yes, I do.’
‘Why didn’t you ask to? Patrick has.’
‘Typical. I told you how clever he was. You’ve fallen for his words. Just like I used to.’
‘We’re not so gullible as to believe everything we’re told,’ Birdie said.
‘But you still believe him over me, though.’
‘Can we return to the sign that was around Lacey’s neck? You mentioned Patrick made it and they were his words.’
‘Y-yes.’
‘Would it surprise you to learn that he knew nothing of the sign?’
‘He’s making it up. He made it, but I admit to putting it around her neck.’
‘Why?’
‘I wanted whoever found her to know that she’d been brought up strictly, in terms of religion. It was for her own good.’
‘Like your parents did to you?’
‘Yes.’
‘As Patrick was a priest, do you confirm he was familiar with the religious teachings of the Bible?’
‘Yes, and that’s why he made the sign.’
‘Except those words don’t have a religious connotation. Patrick knows that. He also mentioned that you used those words a lot, but he hadn’t told you the true meaning. So perhaps now you’ll admit that you made the sign and put it around her neck. Also, that you abandoned Emily not to keep her safe from Patrick, but because you were jealous of the relationship she had with her father. One that you wanted but didn’t have.’
Tessa shook her head. ‘If that’s true, then why did I wait to make sure she’d been found? Why didn’t I dump her and run?’
‘Because you’re not totally heartless. You waited until you knew she was safe and then went home, feeling that your duty had been done.’
‘You don’t understand … it’s …’
Birdie stared at the woman. Were they finally going to learn the truth about Lacey and her life before they knew her?
‘Why don’t you tell us, then? We want to understand.’
Tessa cleared her throat. ‘You’re right. It was me and nothing to do with Patrick. Are you happy now?’
‘You owe Patrick a great deal. He went to prison and ruined his life because of you.’
‘He’s my brother.’
‘Why did you download those images?’
‘He said we were not good for each other and that our fights affected Emily. He said he was going to give up the priesthood and go into a monastery. I couldn’t have that. The images were leverage just in case. But I didn’t realise his computer was connected to a wider network.’
‘Didn’t you feel guilty about causing the end of his career?’
‘What was the point, I couldn’t change anything.’
‘Why did you pretend he beat you?
‘I didn’t want you to think that Emily should come back home to me, she’s better off where she is.’
They were certainly in agreement about that.
‘We’ll be in contact with the Crown Prosecution Service to discuss whether y
ou’re going to be charged with being an accessory to the kidnapping of a police officer.’
‘That was nothing to do with me, and you know it. It was all Patrick’s idea.’
‘To protect me from you.’
‘What were your intentions towards DC Bird?’ Twiggy asked.
‘I had none. You have to believe me. It was all Patrick.’
‘Yet you put my phone on silent, you assisted your brother by fetching the rope and then you whacked me on the head with a saucepan.’ Birdie paused. ‘It will also be decided whether retrospective charges are to be made for the downloading of child pornography.’
Chapter 41
‘Birdie, my office now.’
She glanced up from her desk, cringing at the expression on Sarge’s face as he stared directly at her. She’d known this was going to happen as it was her first day back at work following her annual leave, not counting when she’d interviewed Patrick and Tessa Casey.
‘Coming, Sarge,’ she said as her boss turned and headed out of the room.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Twiggy smirking. She turned and glared, but all he did was wink.
‘Off you go. You know what’s going to happen now, don’t you?’
‘I can handle it. I can handle anything now we know Lacey’s history. It means we’ll be able to talk to her about it and that should help her open up and become more settled.’
‘Patrick Casey should’ve been done for kidnap and assault after what he did to you.’
‘I disagree. He did it to protect me and was given an official warning. He’s paid enough after being in prison. Anyway, wish me luck.’
‘You’ll need more than luck. You better dust off your walking shoes, because my money is on you being in uniform pounding the beat from now on.’
‘Thanks, mate. You really know how to reassure a person.’ She rolled her eyes and left her desk, heading into the corridor towards Sarge’s office.
He was waiting for her by the door, and he closed it behind her. She did her usual scan of his room. It never failed to amaze her how anyone could work in such a mess. He swore blind he knew where everything was but, seriously, how could he?
‘Sit.’ He pointed to the chair in front of his desk.
That was always kept empty. In all the times she’d been called in to his office, and there had been many, the chair never had anything on it.
‘Yes, Sarge.’
‘You’ve got some explaining to do. You asked to reopen the case, and I said no, yet behind my back, you carried on.’
‘Well, I did end up taking annual leave to work with Clifford after asking him to investigate.’
‘Are you telling me you didn’t make use of any police resources, because I don’t believe you.’
She looked away, unable to meet his eyes. ‘I checked CCTV footage and used the databases.’
‘This can’t go unpunished.’
‘What are you going to do?’
‘We’ll discuss that shortly. How come you involved Clifford in the case? I thought he was in London. Did you ask him back specially?’
‘No, Sarge. He’s actually living here now, taking care of his cousin Sarah’s house while she travels overseas. You remember, she was the one who was married to Donald Witherspoon? It was luck that he was here and could help me.’
‘You do realise he’s not part of our team. He’s a civilian.’
‘He’s set up his own PI company, and he’s got a job doing investigative work for the Met, so he’s sort of still on the force. Does that count?’
‘No, it doesn’t. You still haven’t told me why you disobeyed a direct order not to reopen the case.’
‘Well, Sarge … I couldn’t leave it. If you’d seen the state of Lacey when she had the meltdown, you’d have felt the same as me. I knew we had to do something, otherwise, her life could have been ruined forever. Now we know everything, with my aunt’s help, she’ll be able to put this behind her.’
Sarge’s face softened. Did he understand?
‘It was a complicated case, that’s for sure. A mother and father who were related. An ex-priest who’s also an ex-con. It would be more than enough for any person to get to grips with.’
‘Patrick Casey only went to prison to protect his sister.’
‘And now she’s facing charges for perverting the course of justice and downloading pornographic images, as you know.’
‘He protected me, too.’
‘Which is why I recommended to the CPS not to charge him with kidnapping.’
‘It was the right decision, Sarge. The official warning he received was more than enough. What he did came from a good place. He wouldn’t have harmed me. I can’t say the same for Tessa, though. She could have been far more of a threat.’
She’d played down her fight with Patrick in the house, as she was the only witness to it. And if he’d done it to convince his sister, then she was fine about it.
‘Fortunately, we’ll never know. When is the social services case conference for Lacey?’
‘At eleven this morning, is it okay for me to go?’ She hoped he didn’t say no, as social services had given permission for her to attend with Auntie Catherine and Lacey.
‘Yes, you may.’
‘Is that it, can I go back to my desk?’
‘No. We haven’t yet discussed your future. I’ve been in contact with HR and there’s going to be an investigation into the incident. You can’t break the rules and expect there to be no consequences.’
‘Am I suspended?’
‘No, but until the investigation is complete, you are to be placed on desk duty.’
And she’d sworn to never put herself in a position where she’d have to do that again, after the last time.
‘Will I lose my job?’ The words caught in the back of her throat as she voiced the unthinkable.
‘Not if I have any say in it. You contribute valuably to the team and would be sorely missed.’
‘And Twiggy and I have just solved the carjacking cases,’ she reminded him. The case had been a top priority for so long that surely it would go some way towards mitigating what else she’d done.
‘A massive plus in your favour. Twiggy explained it was down to your quick thinking.’
‘He told you?’
Twiggy could’ve easily shared the credit.
‘He’s your partner and proud of you. You have a bright future ahead of you, if you’d only learn to curb your impulsiveness. Which is what makes this situation so frustrating.’
‘I promise not to break the rules again.’
‘My ulcer and I would love to believe you.’
‘Am I likely to be put back in uniform for a while?’
‘I have no intention of inflicting you on them, but I expect that you’ll be put on probation for a period of time.’
That she could live with. As long as she didn’t lose her job.
Chapter 42
‘Are you okay?’ Birdie’s aunt asked, nudging her arm as they were heading towards the social services office for the case conference.
‘What? Yes. Sorry, I’ve got lots on my mind.’
‘Do you want to talk about it?’
‘No. It’s fine. But thanks. We need to concentrate on what’s going to happen to Lacey. The other stuff can wait.’
She’d thought of nothing other than her meeting with Sarge. He said that he didn’t want her to be fired, but what if HR didn’t accept his recommendation? What if they made an example of her? So they could show officers in the police that rule breaking wouldn’t be tolerated. What would she do then? What could she do?
‘The offer’s there if you want it.’
‘Thanks, Auntie Catherine. I’ll let you know if I change my mind. Right now, let’s go inside and see what they say.’
She pushed open the door into the building and they headed for the conference room where the meeting was being held. Taking part were Auntie Catherine, Birdie, as she was the contact person between Patri
ck and them, Valerie Clark, Dr Miranda Watkins, and Stephen Shaw, the social worker.
‘Thank you all for attending,’ Valerie said once everyone was seated. ‘I’d like to welcome DC Bird, Catherine’s niece, to the proceedings. She helped to discover Lacey’s identity and with her knowledge of the case and the child’s parents we welcome her insight.’
‘Thank you,’ Birdie said.
‘We’re here because Patrick Casey would like to visit his daughter Lacey, who he knows as Emily. Our role is to decide whether we should allow it, bearing in mind our prime concern is with the child and her well-being.’
‘What about the mother?’ Miranda Watkins asked.
‘We have no request from her. DC Bird, what can you tell us about the situation?’
‘Lacey’s mother, Tessa, is currently out on bail pending charges laid against her. Tessa and Patrick are half-brother and sister. When we initially found them, we were led to believe that he was a potential threat to Lacey, and that was why Tessa had abandoned her. It turned out not to be the case. Tessa had been jealous of the close relationship between Lacey and her father and didn’t want her there. It is alleged that she had been physically abusing Lacey, but these charges weren’t added because the CPS believed it too difficult to prove.’ Birdie glanced around the table. What were they thinking?
‘The father had been to prison and is on the sexual offenders’ register, is that correct?’ Valerie asked.
‘Yes, but he wasn’t responsible for the pornographic images on his computer and we expect he will be exonerated. It was Tessa who downloaded them. He took the blame because he didn’t want to leave the child, who was a baby, without her mother. He also carried with him the guilt for breaking his vow of celibacy. Which only happened once, when they’d been drinking.’
‘Have you asked Lacey whether she would like to see him? It couldn’t go ahead without her consent,’ Miranda Watkins said.
‘No, Lacey hasn’t been asked, as we were waiting to hear the outcome of this meeting,’ Auntie Catherine said.
‘Stephen, have you met the father?’ Valerie asked.
‘Yes, I have spoken to him.’
‘Does he wish to have custody of Lacey?’
‘No, he doesn’t. He’s happy to leave her in the foster care of Catherine. I brought up the possibility of having Lacey adopted, and it’s something he’ll consider. He’d like to maintain regular contact with the child, but only if it doesn’t cause any issues for her.’
