The Silent Ones: An absolutely gripping psychological thriller(10)
‘The lawyer is on her way. Don’t let them interview the girls before she gets there,’ Bryan advised her. ‘Don’t you tell the police anything, either.’
Chloe felt like she was in one of those police dramas on TV, but there was nothing fictionalised about the awful mess Brianna was in right now. She could feel concern bubbling away in her guts, but she pushed the emotion down again.
She glanced sideways at her sister and brother-in-law walking beside her and felt a familiar pang, wishing she had someone special to share her worries with. She’d suffered a massive drain of confidence when Jason had left her. It might have been five years ago now, but sometimes it still felt as raw as if it were only yesterday. He’d broken her heart, and although there had been other men – a handful even lasting for a few dates – she hadn’t found with anyone else what she’d had with Jason. That depth of passion and understanding.
Tom had always been a man of few words, but to Chloe, Juliet seemed uncharacteristically quiet, already beaten. Yet this was the very time they needed to show strength and not compromise one iota.
All siblings had their irritations with each other, but right now, Chloe felt protective towards Juliet, like she used to when they were kids. She leaned in and squeezed her arm as they walked, and Juliet pressed her lips together in a grateful but sad little smile.
They’d get through this, Chloe felt confident of it. And once they had, perhaps it would be easier for her to find a way to finally sit her sister down and tell her the awful truth.
The officer slowed and stopped at a door on the right, tapping before pushing it open.
He stepped aside to reveal Brianna and Maddy sitting side by side. A plump woman in casual civilian clothing with glasses and permed brown hair stood up and smiled.
‘Here we are, girls,’ she said brightly. ‘I told you your families would be here soon.’
Brianna jumped up and ran full pelt to Chloe, crashing into her and nearly knocking her over. Chloe wrapped her arms around her, buried her face in her daughter’s hair. She smelled different. Strange.
They’d taken her clothes for forensic examination, and the ones they’d provided hung too big on her. Chloe knew she’d hate that. Brianna was always picky about what she wore. Cheap-looking stretchy grey leggings bagged at her ankles, and a blue and brown striped long-sleeved tunic covered most of her hands. It was about as far from Brianna’s usual clothing choice as they could have got.
She could hear Juliet crying, and when she looked up, Tom was sitting with Maddy on his lap, holding and rocking her like she was a toddler again. Her niece sat perfectly still, like an oversized doll. While Juliet sobbed, Maddy stared ahead at the wall, her eyes wide and haunted. It was creepy to witness.
Chloe’s own heart ached, like it had split in two, but she had to stay strong, had to set an example for Brianna.
Maddy had both her parents to rely on for support; Bree only had her.
She loosened her grip on her daughter and gently tipped her chin up so she could study her forlorn face. She saw with revulsion that there were tiny blood spots dotted around her cheeks… Could it be the old woman’s blood? Somehow she managed to keep her expression impassive.
‘What happened?’ Juliet asked Maddy between sniffs. ‘How come you were so far away from Grandma and Grandad’s house?’
‘You can tell us the truth, but you mustn’t say anything to the police until the lawyer gets here, do you understand?’ Chloe told Brianna.
The girls glanced at each other and then immediately looked away again.
‘Come on, Bree.’ Chloe squeezed her daughter’s shoulder. ‘Tell us why you were at Mrs Wilford’s house. Did you know her from Grandma’s? You’ve never mentioned her to me before.’
‘What happened, princess?’ Tom stroked Maddy’s hair. ‘You have to tell us so we can sort this out.’
A tap on the door and a young uniformed officer opened it and stuck her head through.
‘Your lawyer has just arrived and we’ve briefed her on events so far. You can see her for a few minutes before we begin interviewing the girls. She’s ready for you now, in the juvenile interview room.’
Six
The village
Dana Sewell thought every day about the girl who’d died, but the nights were the worst. In the cold, empty early hours, Collette Strang came to her, her pleading fifteen-year-old eyes boring right into her heart like a laser.
Dana had arguably done more than anyone else: she had listened to Collette, she’d believed her when she said she’d had nothing to do with her best friend’s overdose. But Dana had also dithered and been too late in taking action, and for that she would never forgive herself.
She’d ignored the orders of her superiors and the police and driven over to the Strang family home, banging on their door at nearly midnight. At her insistence, they’d gone upstairs to wake Collette, and found she’d hanged herself in her own bedroom.
Dana had acted unprofessionally, the board of trustees had told her. Hadn’t followed official procedure. They’d seemed more concerned about that than the fact Collette had taken her own life.
Dana had been thinking of moving away from the area for a while now, but couldn’t seem to find that final push to do so. But she knew she couldn’t stay in the village much longer, bumping into Collette’s family and other locals who knew everything that had happened with the case.