Wall of Silence

by Tracy Buchanan

  Jackie Shillingford

  Agreed. Can we calm down with the public lynching, please? Andrea Cooper, the comments on this post are getting out of hand.

  Belinda Bell

  Nothing wrong with airing one’s views, we’re a free country. You can’t blame me for wondering.

  Melissa Byatt

  No need to wonder any more, Belinda Bell. Feel free to ask away!

  Andrew Blake

  Well, this just got awkward . . .

  Jackie Shillingford

  Don’t feed the trolls, Melissa. I’ve reported this post to Facebook. Andrea Cooper, please get on the case.

  Daphne Peterson

  Good luck with that, Jackie. I guarantee Scandrea Cooper is sitting at home with her seaweed-flavoured popcorn, enjoying all this.

  Melissa Byatt

  No, it’s fine, really. So Graham Cane, Belinda Bell, Eamon Piper. I’m here, ready to take your punches.

  Daphne Peterson

  Interesting. It’s gone verrrrry quiet all of a sudden . . .

  Debbie Lampard

  Oh, Melissa, sweetheart, ignore them.

  Andrew Blake

  *Grabs popcorn, takes a seat*

  Belinda Bell

  I was just stating some facts, that’s all.

  Daphne Peterson

  Belinda Bell, you criticise someone’s kid, you criticise them. Right, Melissa?

  Belinda Bell

  What’s this got to do with you, Daphne?

  Daphne Peterson

  Just sticking up for a good friend.

  Graham Cane

  Even though she’s been seen kissing your ex?

  Andrew Blake

  What?!

  Melissa Byatt

  Here are my FACTS:

  Lewis has always been violent: Not true

  Unprovoked attack: Not true

  Behind the vandalism of cameras: Not true

  Me kissing Ryan: EMPHATICALLY NOT TRUE

  Andrea Cooper

  I promised myself I’d keep out of this, but sorry, Melissa, it was an unprovoked attack on Carter! It was a fair tackle, the coach said it herself, the other boys too. Lewis was out of order. I feel sorry for the boy, I really do, but Patrick being in hospital is no excuse to lash out.

  Melissa Byatt

  Really, Andrea Cooper? Ask Carter what he said to Lewis before he tackled him.

  Peter Mileham

  Ladies, come on, let’s take this off Facebook.

  Melissa Byatt

  No, Peter. People can say what they want about me, but when it comes to the kids, I’m not going to turn the other cheek, especially when it’s on a public forum like this.

  Rebecca Feine

  Hear hear, Melissa!

  Debbie Lampard

  Absolutely! Down with the trolls.

  Andrea Cooper

  Comments closed, and any more comments like the one you made about me, Daphne Peterson, and you’re out of this group.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Tuesday 23rd April, 2019

  9.10 p.m.

  Melissa stared at the Facebook page on her phone as she sat in the hospital with Patrick, instantly regretting her outburst. She wished she hadn’t got embroiled in it all, but she just couldn’t help herself. Maybe it was a way of dealing with the stress of having to sit the kids down earlier and deny that she was sleeping with their friend’s father. They hadn’t seemed convinced.

  ‘See, this is where I need you, darling,’ she said to Patrick, stroking his prone hand, the lights of the monitor beside him blinking in the semi-darkness. He hated social media, said it was too easy to lose control on it and give the wrong impression. If he had been awake, he’d have stopped her.

  But he wasn’t, was he?

  She took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair, rubbing at her eyes. She wasn’t sure how much longer she’d be able to stay awake. That didn’t matter, though; she’d already decided she was going to stay the night, give Rosemary and Bill a break. It was about more than that, though. She wanted to be close to Patrick, especially with all those rumours swirling around about her and Ryan. Patrick would hate it. He’d always had a thing about her and Ryan, convinced that her old friend had a crush on her.

  There had been occasions too, after a few too many beers on Patrick’s part, when he even accused her of reciprocating those feelings, coming out with all sorts of wild suggestions. The next day, though, he’d wake with a hangover and not bring it up again, so she’d just put it down to too much red wine. She shuddered to think how he’d react if he was awake now, hearing all the rumours.

  And poor Maddy! The look on her face after she overheard what Charlie had said about Melissa and Ryan. Melissa felt bad now, having suspected that Maddy might be the one behind the posters. She was just a kid. She should text Daphne and Ryan, check on Maddy and make it clear she was annoyed about the rumours. Who knows, maybe Daphne would begin to think the rumours were true, despite all her cynicism about the Forest Grove grapevine.

  She reached into her bag, noticing a poster was still inside. She thought she’d given them all to Ryan. She checked nobody was watching through the small glass window in the door, then took the poster out, staring at it.

  I know.

  I know what?

  There was a knock on the door and she looked up to see Detective Crawford peering in through the window. Melissa quickly shoved the poster in her back pocket and beckoned the detective in, heart thumping.

  ‘We come bearing good news,’ Detective Crawford said as he strolled in with Detective Powell.

  ‘I could do with some good news,’ Melissa said.

  ‘There’s been an arrest.’

  ‘Really? Who?’ she asked, hoping to God it wasn’t one of the kids – but then why would he say it was good news?

  ‘Turns out there have been a number of burglaries in the surrounding towns and villages,’ Detective Powell said, ‘and we’ve tracked down the person responsible.’ She sounded almost disappointed.

  ‘Even better,’ Detective Crawford said, eyes dancing, ‘the gentleman in question has previously been in prison for aggravated burglary and assault. He stabbed his last victim in the stomach with one of their kitchen knives.’

  Relief made Melissa’s legs weak. She leaned over and put her head in her hands.

  The kids were off the hook!

  ‘Are you okay?’ Detective Crawford asked, sitting down beside her while Detective Powell stayed where she was.

  ‘Just so relieved we’ve found the person who did this.’ Melissa looked up at the detective, tears in her eyes. ‘I presume he’s not someone we know?’ she asked, just to make sure.

  ‘Unlikely,’ Detective Powell said.

  ‘Is he in custody?’ Melissa asked.

  The detectives nodded.

  ‘And he’s been charged with Patrick’s attack?’

  ‘Not yet,’ Detective Crawford admitted as he looked at Patrick. ‘But we have him for the next twenty-four hours, and can apply for another twelve if he remains tight-lipped. We’re pretty sure he’ll crack. We know this has been incredibly difficult for you, Melissa,’ he added, putting his hand on her shoulder. ‘But we have the fucker, excuse my language.’

  She couldn’t help but laugh. ‘Thank you. Thank you so much.’

  ‘We just need your husband to wake now so he can confirm what happened,’ the other detective said as she regarded Patrick with hooded eyes.

  Melissa followed her gaze. The detective was right, of course. In the end, Patrick would be the one to tell the truth about what had happened, a truth Melissa dreaded hearing. She’d just have to cross that bridge when she came to it. But there were still a lot of questions that needed answering . . . and wounds that needed healing.

  But it was good news. Finally, things felt like they were working out.

  Melissa walked through the forest the next day, heading towards the Forest Grove Shopping Courtyard with Lewis and Grace to meet Lilly at the village’s annu
al book fair. Though she’d considered not going, especially in light of the raffle Andrea was holding and the awkward Facebook argument the evening before, Melissa decided the kids deserved some normal time, especially now an arrest had been made. Not to mention Grace was desperate to go and Lilly had volunteered a while back to work the tills.

  It was busy as they entered the courtyard. Several rows of bookshelves had been wheeled out into the centre and residents wandered around among them, checking the blurbs of over-priced tomes while discussing how chilly it had got after the glorious Easter weekend. Hanging above them all was a banner announcing the Annual Forest Grove Book Fair 24–28 April in looping letters the same colour as the school’s gold-and-green uniforms.

  Around the shelves were the courtyard’s shops, all open and enjoying the increased trade the book fair always brought. There were only eight shops, all adhering to the same colour scheme as the village’s houses: muted greens and browns to mix in with the forest. Daphne had painted the exterior of her shop a bright emerald blue, though, and conveniently kept forgetting to book a decorator to paint it back after being told off.

  The idea was that everything a resident should need was covered in the courtyard, from essentials such as a small library (Grace’s favourite) and doctors’ surgery, the tiny chemist’s and quaint Forest Foods organic store. There was also the Into The Woods beauty salon (Lilly’s favourite), the Neck of the Woods pub (Patrick’s old favourite) and a gorgeous bakery (Lewis’s favourite). There wasn’t a newsagent (‘We don’t want to encourage use of paper’ was how Jackie put it) or a sweet shop.

  On a wooden table nearby, Lilly took payments from people, eliciting a rare smile from Belinda Bell. Melissa grimaced. Belinda was one of the people she’d had a go at on Facebook the night before. Next to her was Graham Cane, Charlie’s dad.

  A wind whipped through the late-afternoon air. Melissa wrapped her arms around herself, feeling the coldness seep into her bones as Lewis and Grace strolled over to see Lilly, leaving her alone. She noticed people watching her, some whispering. People she would usually expect to come and talk to her kept their distance.

  Maybe she really had taken it too far this time by confronting Charlie then having a go on that Facebook post?

  ‘Bloody freezing, isn’t it?’ a voice said. Melissa turned to see Daphne beside her.

  ‘It sure is,’ Melissa said. ‘I texted you last night.’

  ‘Oh yeah, sorry, I went to bed early.’ Daphne put her hand on Melissa’s arm. ‘Don’t worry about those stupid rumours, by the way, I don’t believe all that shit about you and Ryan.’

  Melissa sighed with relief. ‘You shouldn’t, it’s all rubbish.’

  ‘I believe you.’ Daphne raised an eyebrow as she picked up Kitty Fletcher’s book, Raising Children the Kitty Fletcher Way. On the front was a pair of hands formed from trees, ‘nurturing’ several children of different ages. Daphne most certainly wasn’t a follower of Kitty’s ways, the irony of which often made Melissa laugh, as Maddy wasn’t as into her smartphone as other kids her age, even preferring to produce a physical copy of the school paper rather than an online version, like the village newsletter.

  ‘Paper isn’t killing the environment,’ she’d say. ‘Electronics are.’

  Daphne picked up a book, looking at the price. ‘You’ll need to take a mortgage out for some of these books. I mean, seriously, have you seen how much they are? I thought we were raising money to extend the school library, not build a new one.’

  Melissa laughed. ‘Oh, come on, it’s for a good cause.’

  ‘Not the only cause either.’ Daphne jutted her chin towards the raffle stall Andrea was setting up, face all flustered and stressed. Melissa followed her gaze to see Adrian hanging a photo of Patrick above the stall.

  ‘Jesus,’ Melissa whispered. ‘I told them to make it about the Duchenne muscular dystrophy charity.’

  ‘Oh, it just adds to the drama for them all. Look at all of them,’ Daphne said, taking a sip from a bottle of water as she observed the residents wandering around and chatting, some of them peering over at Melissa. ‘I bet all of them are whispering about you and the kids. Like leeches around a sick person.’

  Melissa followed her gaze. Were they still whispering about them?

  ‘I’m surprised she’s here,’ Daphne said, gesturing towards Charlie, who was talking to her father. ‘I thought she couldn’t read.’

  Melissa shook her head, unable to stop herself smiling. ‘You’re terrible, Daphne.’

  ‘And that’s why you love me.’

  Ellie Mileham walked by then, catching sight of Melissa and smiling. Melissa smiled back, pleased at least Daphne and Ellie were still talking to her. ‘Hello, how are you?’ Ellie asked her, kissing her on both cheeks as she gave Daphne a quick smile. ‘I heard they made an arrest?’

  ‘Did they?’ Daphne asked.

  ‘Yes,’ Melissa said. ‘It’s such a relief.’

  ‘For all of us,’ Ellie said with a sigh. ‘I wonder if that’s why they’re here, to reassure people.’

  ‘Who are here?’ Melissa asked.

  ‘The detectives,’ she replied, gesturing to Detective Campbell and Detective Powell, who were watching from a tree nearby. Melissa looked at them in surprise. What on earth were they doing there?

  ‘That’s strange,’ Daphne murmured. ‘Not exactly the sort of place for the police to come.’

  ‘Probably trying to reassure us with their presence.’ Ellie picked up a book, flicking through it. ‘Gosh. A tenner for this. Really? I can get this on Amazon for half the price.’

  ‘It’s all for a good cause, Ellie,’ Daphne said in a sarcastic voice.

  Ellie laughed. ‘Isn’t everything around here? Did you hear about the tickets for The Sound of Music? They’ve added a fiver to the price just because some charity is attached to it.’

  ‘Oh God, speaking of which,’ Daphne said, ‘did you hear about Caitlin Perks?’

  ‘I did,’ Ellie said with a sigh.

  ‘What about her?’ Melissa asked her friends.

  ‘She’s really ill,’ Ellie replied. ‘Samantha said she had an encounter with some giant hogweed this morning, even rubbed it in her eyes, which is horrible – it can cause blindness, poor thing.’

  Melissa put her hand to her mouth. ‘My God, poor Caitlin. Poor Samantha,’ she added, thinking of her work colleague. ‘They seemed fine yesterday.’

  ‘How on earth did she do that?’ Daphne asked. ‘Everyone knows to steer clear of those plants.’

  Ellie shrugged. ‘No idea, I just got a rushed text from Samantha this morning. Looks like they’ll be searching for a new lead for the play now, though,’ she added. ‘Right, better go and check the kids haven’t pilfered any books.’ She gave them a wink and strolled away.

  ‘I can’t believe that about poor Caitlin,’ Melissa said, making a mental note to text Samantha later to check how her daughter was.

  Daphne looked towards the entrance of the courtyard, raising an eyebrow. ‘Well, well, well, that’s not a sight you see often.’

  Melissa followed her gaze to see Ryan standing with Maddy as she browsed through some books. He looked uncomfortable in his cargo pants and Forestry Commission T-shirt. His blue eyes scoured the crowds then stopped at Melissa and Daphne, a slight blush working up his cheeks.

  Had he heard about the rumours too?

  ‘Better go and say hello,’ Daphne said. She gave Melissa a quick smile then walked towards her ex-husband as people watched her.

  Grace approached Melissa then, with a huge pile of books balancing in her small arms. ‘Can I have all these, Mum?’ she asked.

  ‘I think that’s a tad above the ten pounds you saved, sweetheart,’ Melissa replied.

  ‘That’s some bookworm you have there,’ Detective Crawford said. He picked up the top book on Grace’s pile. ‘Britain’s Taboo Crimes. Interesting.’

  ‘Grace, come on,’ Melissa said, giving an embarrassed laugh. ‘You know that’s too
old for you. Put it back.’

  Grace’s shoulders slumped and she walked off.

  ‘Good reading taste, that one,’ Detective Crawford quipped.

  ‘She doesn’t usually read stuff like that,’ Melissa said quickly. ‘I’m surprised to see you two here.’

  ‘Police officers read too,’ Detective Powell remarked.

  ‘Speak for yourself,’ Detective Crawford joked. ‘No, we’re here because we wanted to come and tell you ourselves.’

  ‘Tell me what?’

  ‘We released the suspect,’ Detective Powell said, watching Melissa’s face for a reaction. ‘Turns out he has a watertight alibi for Thursday afternoon.’

  Melissa tried to control her breathing. This was not good. ‘Oh. That’s a shame. I mean, we wouldn’t want you to have the wrong man, but I thought that meant the case was all sewn up.’

  ‘Sadly not,’ Detective Crawford said with a sigh. ‘We’ll just have to—’

  There was the sound of shouting from nearby.

  Melissa turned to see Graham Cane staggering back against a tree, Lewis standing over him with his hand raised as Ryan tried to pull him back.

  Melissa ran over.

  ‘Take control of your child,’ Graham shouted at Melissa when he saw her, eyes laced with fear. There was a red mark on his face and Melissa realised with horror it must have been Lewis who put that mark there.

  The two detectives strode over, Detective Powell helping Graham up. ‘He hit me!’ Graham said to the detective. ‘Did you see it? The boy actually hit me.’

  ‘More a slap, from what I saw,’ Ryan said, though his brow was knitted as he looked at Lewis.

  ‘Dad?’ Charlie said, running over as people turned to look. ‘What on earth happened?’

  ‘He hit me!’ Graham repeated, pointing a shaking finger at Lewis.

  Charlie’s nostrils flared and she shook her head in disgust.

  ‘Lewis!’ Melissa said, grabbing her son by the shoulders and looking into his eyes. Lilly watched on, biting her lip, as Grace hugged her books to her chest, blue eyes wide. ‘Lewis, what happened?’ Melissa asked.

  His eyes filled with tears. ‘I had to, Mum. He was talking bullshit about our family.’

  ‘Yeah, Mum, he was saying stuff about Joel too,’ Lilly said.