Page 92 of Maybe Tomorrow

‘No. I’ve told you everything.’

‘Are you sure?’

Pauline looked Jennifer in the eye. ‘Yes.’

She smiled. ‘Good. I’ll go and tell Ronald you’ve agreed. We’ll coach you through what’s going to happen and let the prosecution know, too. When it comes to their turn, they’ll go for the mother wanting to protect her son angle, but we’ll be first, so we’ll douse that argument before they begin.’ Jennifer stood up and squeezed Pauline’s shoulder. ‘You’re being so brave, Pauline.’

‘I wish I felt it.’

Jennifer left and bumped into Leo entering the canteen as she made her way out.

Pauline filled Leo in on the latest developments.

‘Are you all right with taking the stand?’ he asked.

‘I don’t have any other option.’

‘The colour’s drained from your face. You look like you’re going to be sick.’

Pauline’s bottom lip began to wobble. ‘Leo, I’ve lied.’

ChapterThirty-Eight

Tuesday 22nd May 1984

Day seven of the trial

Pauline was called to the witness box.

Leo gripped her arm and wished her luck as she handed him her bag for safe keeping. She stood up, smoothed down her best navy dress, took a deep breath, and headed for the front of the court room. Her shoes clacked loudly on the solid wood floor and she felt every pair of eyes from the jury box looking at her, examining her, judging her.

She sat down and, from this vantage point, she could see the entire court room. All eyes were on her, waiting for her to defend her son. She swallowed hard but her mouth was dry. She looked into the crowd and saw DI Bishop. As their eyes met, heturned away. She had never hated anyone as much as she hated him.

A man standing beside her handed her a Bible which she took in her left hand, and she read from a small card she had placed in her right.

‘I swear by Almighty God that the evidence I shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.’

She looked to Leo who gave her an encouraging smile and nodded his head.

She handed back the book and the card quickly.

‘Mrs Winstanley,’ Ronald Montgomery began. He had a warm smile on his face. She knew what questions he was going to ask her as they’d been over them many times over the past couple of days. ‘Please tell the court what kind of a man your son is.’

She turned to the jury, licked her lips, and smiled. ‘He’s a good boy,’ she said. Her voice was shaking. A tear fell and she quickly wiped it away.

‘Take your time, Mrs Winstanley,’ Judge Temple said.

She nodded her thanks. She took a couple of breaths, adjusted the collar of her dress and composed herself.

‘Anthony’s dad died when he was very young. I brought him up on my own. His birth wasn’t easy, and the labour was very long. Anthony was starved of oxygen and it caused an irreparable brain injury. He has low intelligence for his age. He’s not stupid. He simply sees the world differently than the rest of us.’

‘How does he see the world, Mrs Winstanley?’ Ronald asked.

‘He doesn’t see dangers, like we do. For example, he… he’s fascinated by the weather. When we have heavy snow, he likes to go up on the moors, or when there’s a storm he likes to go to the coast and watch it. He doesn’t acknowledge the danger of being stranded or swept out to sea. He thinks in the here and now.’

‘How has that affected his daily life?’

‘He didn’t do too well at school. When he left, he went to a special college, but he struggled with learning things, retaining information and taking tests. He didn’t stay there for long.’