Page 102 of Darling Girls

‘She pressed it into my hand. “Good luck,” she said, kissing Amy’s head.’

Dr Warren looks a little teary. ‘That was brave of her.’

I snort. ‘It was for Amy, not for me. When it was just me, she wouldn’t even unlock the bloody door to the basement. Then Amy comes along and she risks everything to give us their entire savings?’

Dr Warren’s silence tells me I’ve made my point.

53

ALICIA

They arrived at the police station at the same time as Bianca, Zara and Rhiannon.

‘You got here fast,’ Patel observed as they all entered the foyer together. ‘Why don’t we head into the meeting room?’

‘Hando told me about Jessica,’ Patel said to Alicia as they walked down the corridor. ‘How’s she doing?’

‘No change.’

The room she led them to looked like any other crappy meeting room – ugly blue carpet, shiny pine table, a whiteboard at one end.

‘What happened to Jessica?’ asked a voice behind them.

Alicia whirled around. It was Miss Fairchild.

‘Don’t,’ Alicia said, holding up a hand. ‘Don’t youdaresay her name.’

Meera put a hand on her shoulder. ‘Al.’

‘What do you mean?’ Miss Fairchild looked surprised and irritated. She didn’t like not knowing things. ‘Where is she?’

A small part of Alicia wanted the woman to be aware of what she’d done. Another didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of knowing the power she still held over Jessica.

‘Alicia?’ Miss Fairchild prompted.

‘She doesn’t want you to know, you stupid woman,’ Dirk said, appearing behind her.

Miss Fairchild glared at him, incensed. ‘How dare you?’

It was chaotic in the little room, with everyone talking. ‘Which ones are the police officers?’ Meera whispered to Alicia. She hadn’t yet introduced herself as their legal counsel.

‘Dirk,’ Patel said. ‘This is a private –’

‘I just have something to say,’ he said. ‘About Amy.’

Now Dirk had the floor. You could have heard a mouse whisper in the room. Even Meera’s professional mask slipped a little as she gaped at him with interest.

‘I lied,’ Dirk said. ‘I did see her.’

The silence that followed seemed destined to last forever. It was too big, too complex a statement. It rattled in the room. Every time Alicia opened her mouth to say something, the words evaporated into the air.

‘This is a significant admission,’ Patel said finally. ‘Are you prepared to put it in a statement?’

Dirk nodded. He turned the baseball cap he was holding around and around in his hands.

‘You can’t be serious!’ Miss Fairchild exploded. ‘The man is a sex offender. He’s probably the one whoputthe body under the house!’

‘I’m not a sex offender,’ Dirk said. ‘My only crime is hooking up with a fifteen-year-old when I was eighteen. We were in a bar, so I assumed she was of legal age. Unfortunately, her dad was a barrister and I was found guilty of having intercourse with a minor.’ He exhaled slowly. ‘I moved to the country to get away from all the talk. I’ve always loved horses, so it was the perfect job. I was supposed to stay at least a hundred metres away from kids.’ He spoke directly to Alicia, Norah and Jessica. ‘Your foster mother was annoyed with me after I let you ride the horses and she did some research. The day Amy supposedly disappeared, Miss Fairchild paid me a visit.’