The Silent Ones: An absolutely gripping psychological thriller(9)

The three of them stared at the detective.

Neary cleared his throat, a guttural sound that seemed to fill the small room.

‘Both girls are refusing to speak,’ he said. ‘They haven’t yet uttered a single word.’





Five





The detectives left the room, but not before emphasising their concern.

‘We’ll give you a few minutes to process what’s happened,’ March said, as if that was how long it might take for the horror to sink in.

‘Then we’ll talk about the girls’ self-imposed silence,’ Neary added. ‘It’s vital we break through that as soon as possible. It can only hamper their defence.’

The sisters looked at each other. Juliet began to weep quietly and reached for Chloe’s hand. They held onto each other, saying nothing, while Tom hung his head wretchedly.

A hard, sour nut had wedged itself in Chloe’s throat the way it always did when something bad happened to her. It meant she couldn’t feel or articulate any emotion that sat below it, and that suited her just fine.

‘What are we going to do?’ Juliet whispered. ‘This could ruin their entire lives.’

‘We fight,’ Chloe murmured, pulling her hand away. ‘We fight with everything we have to get them out of here.’

‘I agree,’ Tom said grimly. ‘These things have a habit of getting out of control very quickly when they’re looking for a scapegoat.’

‘It makes no sense whatsoever.’ Chloe stamped her foot in frustration. ‘Let’s not forget we don’t have to accept everything those detectives tell us. They’re obviously mistaken.’

‘But I don’t get how the girls came to be there, at Bessie Wilford’s house… on that street even.’ Tom frowned. ‘And where were your mum and dad while all this was happening?’

‘We’ve still got a lot of unanswered questions,’ Juliet agreed. ‘Mum and Dad should be on their way here soon, so hopefully they’ll be able to shed some light on it all.’

The detectives returned with lukewarm tea in soft-walled polystyrene beakers. Neary handed out the drinks.

‘We’ll need to interview the girls,’ March said. ‘But before you see them, we’ll have to remove their clothing for forensic examination. We can give them something else to wear until you bring some of their own clothes in. Is that OK with you?’

‘I suppose so. Yes.’ Juliet sounded dazed; Tom simply nodded.

‘When can we see them?’ Chloe said, her voice a little shaky despite her best efforts. ‘We have a right to make sure they’re OK.’ How long were the girls likely to be here if the detective was talking about their parents going home to get clothes for them?

‘And a lawyer,’ Juliet added. ‘We’ll need to contact a lawyer.’

‘Of course. We can arrange for you to make phone calls in a private office.’

Chloe’s stomach roiled. She found herself silently praying that Brianna continued to keep her mouth shut if there was anything that could be used against them, although the thought that they were actually involved in a crime like this was ridiculous.

There must be some other explanation as to how they’d become tangled up in this appalling mess.

Chloe knew her daughter could sometimes speak without thinking. Maddy was the smarter of the pair when it came to words… more calculating. She did better in school assessments, which you might expect given that she had both her parents around, spending lots of time with her. Brianna didn’t have that luxury.

Chloe felt a mixture of emotions about this. She was furious with Jason, who had simply turned his back on Brianna when he left for a new life abroad. Their daughter had been just five years old at the time and yet he had never tried to get in touch again. She was angry with herself for picking such unsuitable father material. But often, although she’d never admit it to anyone, she also felt jealous of Juliet’s neat little family.

‘Pending your arrival, the girls have been in the care of DC Carol Hall, who specialises in the care of juveniles in custody. She confirms that they seem to have made some sort of vow of silence between themselves. Not only are they refusing to speak to officers, they’re not communicating with each other.’

Chloe frowned. That didn’t sound like Brianna at all. She was a gregarious girl, who wore her heart on her sleeve. It was getting her to quieten down that was the problem in class, according to her teacher.

Neary continued. ‘We’re in the process of collating the notes from the attending officers, but as I mentioned earlier, we know both girls were at the house. Hopefully, once they begin to talk, we’ll be able to establish further details and find out precisely what happened. In the meantime, collection of forensic evidence is paramount.’

‘Are we going to be able to take them home after the interview?’ Juliet asked.

‘I’m afraid not. We’re entitled to hold them for twenty-four hours, and a further twelve hours can be added to this if the crime committed is of a serious nature.’

Tom folded his arms. ‘I think we want to call our lawyer now.’



* * *



Twenty minutes later, they followed an officer deeper into the bowels of the building.

Juliet had contacted Bryan, the solicitor they used for business purposes. Bryan, in turn, had contacted a criminal lawyer he knew of. It was preferable to simply googling a suitable local legal firm.