The Affair

by Amanda Brooke

  ‘Not with you, perhaps, but you’re not the first, are you? I doubt you’re even the second. We only need one girl to be brave enough to come forward and testify.’

  I didn’t answer. The interview had officially ended and I wasn’t going to let her trip me up.

  ‘How will that make you feel, Scarlett?’ Alice asked, ‘To find out that you’re not so special to him after all? Will you wait for him if he does get convicted? And then what? Do you think he’ll be interested in you when you’ve grown out of your uniform? Men like Rob Swift aren’t interested in women who have a mind and a will of their own. He prefers silly little girls who don’t even realize he’s pulling their strings.’

  ‘Not even the amazing Mr Swift could get me to do anything I don’t want to,’ I said. ‘I’m a stubborn cow, aren’t I, Mum?’

  Mum didn’t answer. At this point, she only talked to me when she was giving an order, like, ‘Put your coat on, Scarlett,’ or, ‘Answer the question.’

  ‘So why did you lie about being pregnant?’ Alice asked. ‘It wasn’t only to protect your friend, was it? You wanted to get back at him after finding out his wife was pregnant, didn’t you? If you thought you were so in control of the situation, why did you need more leverage?’

  It was a good theory, but I said nothing. I was shit-scared, if I’m honest. Scared about what might happen if she did manage to find evidence somehow that would send the man I loved to prison, but I didn’t let it show, I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction. I just glared at her, not even blinking once. ‘If you want to ask more questions, shouldn’t we go back into the room so you can record it? Is this questioning even legal?’

  Alice took a couple of steps towards me until I could smell her coffee breath. ‘Now you listen to me. My job is to protect young girls like you from predators like Rob Swift, and if that means breaking the odd rule, fine, I’ll take that chance. I’m sorely tempted to throw you in a cell and charge you with obstruction. I don’t think your mum would have any objection.’

  ‘Only if you released her before she’s eighteen,’ Mum muttered.

  ‘So you are panicking,’ I said.

  Further down the corridor, a policeman appeared. He was the miserable-looking desk sergeant who had let us in earlier, only now he was smiling. ‘We have a couple of new arrivals for you, Alice.’

  ‘They’re here?’

  ‘I’ll put them in Room 4.’

  Alice had this smug grin on her face when she turned back to me. Whoever had arrived, she thought what they had to say was going to be a game changer.

  27

  When Elaine parked up in front of the Swift family home, Vikki had no intention of getting out of the car. It had been as much as she could do to drag herself out of bed that morning and it was her mum who had got Freya ready. When Vikki had failed to make an appearance after breakfast, Elaine had returned upstairs and repeated the process of washing and dressing her grown daughter.

  They had gone together to drop Freya off at nursery, but rather than return home, Elaine had driven to the house where Vikki had lived for the last five years. It looked like the perfect family home, but it would seem that looks could be deceptive.

  ‘You need to pack a bag,’ Elaine said. ‘I have precisely two sets of clothes and one set of pyjamas for Freya and it’s not going to be enough. And as lovely as you look in my dress, it’s swimming on you.’

  Staring at the front door, Vikki could remember feeling anxious the day before as she locked it behind her. She had been worrying about her mum’s impending hospital appointment and something else, something that she hadn’t been able to name. If only she had kept her promise to go to the hospital with her mum, if only she had been allowed to share in her mum’s relief, if only Rob hadn’t …

  ‘I can’t,’ she said, tearing her gaze from the front door to plead with her mum. ‘You said I didn’t have to go back if I didn’t want to.’

  ‘But what are you so afraid of?’ Elaine asked softly.

  Vikki frowned. ‘I don’t know,’ she said, and for a fleeting moment wished that Rob was there to tell her she could do this, but she could no longer trust his judgement, or her own for that matter. She didn’t know how deep Rob’s guilt ran, but she had this sick feeling he was guilty of something. Doubting every promise he had ever made, she said, ‘Maybe I’m scared that nothing I had before was real.’

  ‘Of course it was real, it still is,’ Elaine said, her soothing voice replaced by one that hinted at her frustration. ‘You have to think of Freya, Vikki and the new baby too.’

  ‘I am,’ Vikki said solemnly as her uncertainty about having another baby came back with a vengeance. ‘I’m trapped, aren’t I?’

  ‘You shouldn’t make any rash decisions. You’re in shock, and I know Rob has questions to answer, but once everything settles down …’ Elaine inhaled deeply to compose herself. ‘Well, you’ll see things differently. This accusation about Scarlett is probably nothing more than childish fantasy, and as for what went on with Sarah’s daughter, it could have happened exactly as Rob said: she was a schoolgirl who misread the signals, that’s all. It’s not like anyone has suggested it was more than one kiss.’

  ‘But the police aren’t going to take Rob’s word for it. They’ll be looking for other girls to come forward. What if they start asking me about how we met? What happens when they find out the school nearly sacked him when they found out about us?’

  Elaine’s body jerked. ‘What? When was this?’

  Vikki squirmed under her mother’s gaze. ‘It was shortly before Mr Taggart retired as head. He found out Rob was dating an ex-student and wanted to launch an investigation. I think it was Mrs Anwar who talked him out of it when Rob explained we were getting engaged.’

  Releasing the breath she had been holding, Elaine said, ‘And rightly so. Mr Taggart always was a cantankerous old goat and I doubt he liked seeing anyone happy. You and Rob didn’t start seeing each other until after you had left sixth form, so it had nothing to do with the school, and that’s how the police will see it too.’

  ‘But—’

  ‘But nothing,’ Elaine said abruptly. ‘Now is not the time to rake up the past.’

  Silenced by her mother, Vikki stared out the window and watched as her neighbours came out of their house. The middle-aged couple had moved in only a few months earlier and their exchanges so far had been limited to polite hellos. The woman, who had a son at Sedgefield High, spotted Vikki sitting in the car but quickly glanced away as if she hadn’t seen her.

  ‘Do you think everyone knows?’ she asked as the couple got in their car and drove away.

  ‘It’s a small town, so I don’t suppose it would take long for the rumours to spread. Which makes it all the more important that you think carefully about how you respond to all of this, and more importantly how you’re seen to respond.’

  When Vikki dropped her head, the first teardrop trickled down her nose and plopped on to her hand. ‘You think I should stand by him?’

  ‘Oh, Vikki, I don’t have all the answers, sweetheart, I wish I did,’ she said, taking hold of her daughter’s hand and giving it a tight squeeze. ‘But I can’t help worrying that, if Rob is charged, the punishment won’t be his alone. It’s not going to be just the police looking to the past. The press will have a field day raking through his private life and, I hate to say it, but they’ll be judging you as much as him. Of course, if he has done something terrible then he must be punished, and we’ll have to deal with the aftermath, but I find that so hard to believe. I understand that you’re angry with him for flirting with these girls, but you can’t let that cloud your judgement. Above all, you can’t let the police see that you doubt him. Let them find the evidence, if it exists – that’s all I’m asking.’

  Vikki released a sob. ‘I’m scared, Mum.’

  ‘I know, and I’m sorry,’ Elaine soothed, ‘but it had to be said. You have to be strong, Vikki, and I promise we’ll get through this together.’ And with that,
Elaine let go of Vikki’s hand. ‘Now, get out of the car, Victoria, and pack some bags. When you’ve done that, we’re going to the police station.’

  Vikki followed her mum’s instructions to the letter because that was what she was used to doing; letting someone else tell her what to do, what to think. But there was a part of Vikki that was resisting this learned response, the part of her that had come to the fore while she was caring for her mum and making decisions on her own. She had liked that person, the one who had impressed Sarah Tavistock so much, the one who wanted a career and not another baby. If Vikki could only get to know that version of herself a little better, she might be able to think her own way out of this mess. She just needed more time.

  Nina couldn’t wait to leave the police station. It had been a long morning and she was desperate for some fresh air. After Scarlett’s interview with DS Cunliffe, they had been cornered by social services and the counsellor who had been assigned to them. For the first time that day, someone had offered kind words to her daughter; not that this tactic had any more effect than the threats. Scarlett told the counsellor in no uncertain terms that she wasn’t interested in talking to her, so it was Nina who accepted the offer on her daughter’s behalf. They needed all the help they could get.

  Heading for the exit, Nina presumed Scarlett was following but she didn’t care enough to turn around and check. In time, she would remember how much she loved her daughter, but right now she couldn’t stand to be near her, and she suspected the feeling was mutual. Nina hadn’t completely lost all maternal feeling; she was intent on bringing Rob to justice and protecting Scarlett from further physical or emotional harm, but what she had lost was any concern for Scarlett’s feelings. She had to keep reminding herself that her daughter was a victim, but it was a tall ask when Scarlett refused to recognize herself as one.

  Tucking her chin into her chest, Nina stepped outside and marched towards her car. Alice had warned her that the press had started sniffing around, but it wasn’t a journalist who had been waiting for her.

  ‘Nina, slow down.’

  Turning to face Sarah, Nina asked, ‘What do you want?’

  ‘To put things right.’

  Nina was already turning back to the car when she said, ‘Good luck with that.’

  ‘Wait, please. Can we talk? I have news.’

  Scarlett had been following at a distance but the mention of news drew her closer. Nina pointed the keys at the car to unlock it.

  ‘Get in and wait for me.’

  ‘I’m happy staying here.’

  ‘Scarlett, in case you haven’t worked it out yet, your happiness is not on my list of priorities. Get in the car and wait.’

  When Scarlett was safely out of earshot, Sarah said, ‘Charlotte’s giving her statement now.’

  ‘For what good it’ll do. I’m not sure a kiss will be enough to convince the police they have a case.’

  ‘It convinced you, didn’t it?’

  ‘And has it convinced you? Are you ready to accept that Bryn is – was good for me?’

  Sarah ground the toe of her pointed boot into the Tarmac as if she were crushing a bug. ‘For fear of repeating myself, I am truly sorry, and I’ll do anything I can to put things right between us. Rob Swift won’t get away with this.’

  It didn’t escape Nina’s notice that Sarah had avoided giving Bryn her blessing, but there were more important battles to fight. ‘I don’t see how we can stop him if Scarlett doesn’t come to her senses soon.’

  ‘She’s still not saying anything?’

  Nina glanced over to the car where Scarlett was watching them intently. ‘Not a word. Nothing incriminating, at any rate.’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Sarah said, surprisingly confidently, ‘Scarlett isn’t the only schoolgirl he’s interfered with. I’ve had a long talk with Charlotte, and we both agree that she’s had a lucky escape. I can’t imagine what might have happened if I’d accepted his offer for extra lessons rather than getting her some private tuition.’

  ‘I think I can.’

  ‘Well, we’ve gone through exactly what did happen and, more importantly, what she needs to tell the police. There’s no question that Rob was grooming her. She’s pretty sure now that he was the one who initiated the kiss and wanted to take it further. Like I said, he won’t get away with it.’

  ‘You’ve been coaching her?’

  ‘Don’t look at me like that,’ Sarah said. ‘OK, I know my interfering has caused enough trouble, but this is what we all want, isn’t it? She’s not exactly going to lie to the police, Nina, she’s simply seeing the situation from a different perspective.’

  ‘If only I could get Scarlett to do that. Look, I have to go. Thanks for letting me know.’

  ‘Nina,’ Sarah called after her. ‘I’m trying to make amends.’

  ‘In that case you’re going to have to try a bit harder,’ Nina said, and wished it wasn’t true. She had gone through some tough times in her life and Sarah had always been there as her last refuge. She needed a good friend now more than ever and, sadly, she couldn’t be sure that friend was Sarah.

  Vikki’s visit to the police station hadn’t been entirely worthless and she had left with more information than she had been able to offer. Elaine didn’t argue when Vikki insisted they cut short Freya’s morning session at nursery and, with a growing sense of urgency, they had all squeezed into a car already crammed with their belongings, leaving barely enough space for the passengers.

  Unloading and unpacking took quite some time, and only Freya seemed excited at the prospect of sharing a room with her mummy. Unlike their temporary stays, this had a feeling of permanence as they began filling cupboards in the guest room with all of Freya’s favourite toys and clothes, which the little girl promptly took out again.

  ‘Maybe I should take Freya downstairs and start lunch,’ Elaine suggested.

  ‘Good idea.’

  ‘Will you be all right?’ Elaine asked.

  They both looked at Vikki’s mobile phone on the windowsill.

  Vikki nodded. ‘I’ll be fine.’

  She had managed to empty a large suitcase and two holdalls when the call she had been dreading came. Rather than pick it up, Vikki remained at a safe distance and contemplated shouting for her mum. She had to remind herself that she was no longer a child, that she was in control of her own destiny, even if her family’s fate lay ultimately in the hands of one schoolgirl.

  She took her time drawing closer and by the time she reached the window, the call had diverted to voicemail. There was no time to feel relief because a second later, it rang again and the caller display glowed with one single word that felt like a kick in the stomach.

  Home

  Rob was using the house phone and if she didn’t answer, he would keep ringing or, worse still, show up at her mum’s.

  ‘Well, you picked up. I suppose that’s something,’ Rob said when the call was answered. Vikki had yet to speak so he added, ‘That is you, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Vikki,’ he whispered as if her name alone were sweet balm. ‘I’ve missed you so much. The last twenty-four hours have been hell, and all I could think about was getting home to you and Freya. And now I am home, the only welcome I’ve had is a hand-delivered letter from Mrs Anwar informing me that I’m suspended. I need you, Vikki. It feels wrong, being here without you.’

  ‘You’ve managed on your own before.’

  She could hear his breath catching in his throat as he inhaled deeply. ‘I know you’re angry with me, and even though I was awake all night trying to work out what to say to you, I know there’s nothing I can say to make this better.’

  It was his opening shot, but Vikki knew her husband better than that. He would have a plan, he simply wasn’t letting Vikki see it from the start. ‘Why don’t you try,’ she said.

  ‘Do we have to do this over the phone? I want to see you, Vikki. Come home.’

  From downstairs, Vikki could hear Freya singing. The
ir daughter would be excited to know her daddy was on the phone. Rob was a good father and husband; that was what her mum kept saying and it was what Vikki wanted to believe. It would be so much easier to ignore the doubt.

  ‘I can’t,’ she said. ‘Not until all this is over.’

  ‘The police have released me without charge, Vikki.’

  ‘But you’re suspended from school and the police are still investigating you,’ she reminded him. Her pulse was racing but her voice remained surprisingly firm. ‘And what if you are charged? Who knows what’s going to happen when the press get hold of the story. It’s safer for me and Freya if we stay with Mum.’

  ‘But I’ve done nothing wrong.’

  ‘Haven’t you? What about Charlotte? And why would Scarlett send you that photo, unless she thought you wanted to see it? Whatever the police decide, you have done something wrong, Rob. You’ve destroyed our family and wrecked your career. And for what? Was she that good? Was she worth it?’

  ‘I need to explain,’ he said. ‘I didn’t touch her, Vikki, I swear.’

  ‘How can I believe anything you say, Rob?’

  ‘If you won’t come home then at least agree to meet me,’ he insisted. ‘Give me a chance to explain. Please, I love you. I know this nightmare isn’t over yet, but it will be soon, I promise. I need you, Vikki. You can’t imagine how cold and lonely it feels here without you.’

  Listening to his persuasive voice, there was a part of Vikki that wanted the same things he did: for all of this to go away and for life to return to normal. ‘Don’t do this,’ she said, as much to herself as to him.

  ‘Why? Don’t you want to see me? I haven’t changed, have I? I’m still the man you married. Come to the house later, after Freya’s in bed. I won’t pressurize you to stay. All I’m asking for is an hour of your time. After five years of marriage, don’t I deserve that?’

  It wouldn’t be the first time Vikki had sneaked off to be with him while she was living with her parents, but when she tried to recall one of their secret meetings, it was an image of Scarlett in her uniform that sprung to mind.