Paige was taken by ambulance from the ecologist’s bunkhouse at Whiteford Sands to Morriston Hospital in Swansea. Jenna traveled with her, while Jack, Hanna, and Waffle followed in the car and Kay drove across from Port Eynon with Josh and the twins.
After the doctor finished checking Paige over, the children were allowed to see her. The reunion was boisterous and tearful, and did much to endear them to the staff. However, Paige was apparently still suffering from a mild delirium caused by exposure to the elements, emotional trauma, and a two-day fast, so the young ones weren’t allowed to stay long.
She fell asleep almost as soon as they’d gone, and slept deeply until late afternoon, at which point the doctor said, “I’d like to keep her for further observation, but under the circumstances, perhaps being back in the bosom of her family is where she really needs to be.”
“I think so,” Jenna agreed. “And don’t worry, we understand about the psychiatric assessment. We’ll make sure it happens.”
“I’m sure you realize that working through something like this can be a long process,” he cautioned, “so it’s important that she’s fully recharged physically before she begins. Were you given the number to call?”
After assuring him she had been, Jenna took Paige the fresh clothes Kay had brought in, and Jack went to fetch the car. It was while they were waiting for him to come back that DS Mariner rang.
“How is she?” the detective asked.
“She’s doing well,” Jenna said with a smile, slipping an arm round Paige’s shoulders. “We’re about to go home.”
“That’s good. I’m glad it turned out this way.”
“Thank you.”
“We’ll need to speak to her at some point.”
“I realize that, but not yet.”
“No, of course not. I thought you’d want to know that we’ve identified Julie Morris.”
Yes, Jenna did want to know, but not with Paige sitting right next to her; there would be time later for her daughter to deal with whatever else was to come. So leaving her texting Charlotte, she walked outside. “Who is it?” she asked.
“Her real name is Olivia Masters. She’s at the same school, a year above Paige.”
Jenna was frowning as she tried to recall the name. “Does she have a brother called Owen?” she asked.
“Yes, she does. She was rushed to the emergency room last night after taking an overdose.”
Stunned, Jenna said, “Is she…did she…?”
“She was at home when it happened, so I’m guessing Paige knows nothing about it.”
“Is she going to be all right?”
“I believe so.”
Glad of that, though confused about her feelings for the girl herself, Jenna asked, “Do you know why…?” She shook her head. “There are so many whys. Why Paige? Why change her name? Why try to kill herself?”
“All questions we need answers to, and hopefully we’ll get them when she’s ready to talk. Meantime, if anything should come to light that you think might be helpful, you have my number; please be in touch.”
Paige was at home now in her own bed, surrounded by her siblings, who couldn’t do enough for her, and her dog, the hero of the hour. Jenna thought she still looked tired and anxious, but at least she was managing to put on a show for the children. Her old self was still in there somewhere; it was just going to need some time to find its confidence again.
“She’s always had a strong personality,” Hanna declared when they were in the sitting room later, with everyone asleep upstairs. “It’s what’ll get her through this—and her mother, of course.”
Jenna looked at Jack. He seemed so lost, so beaten, even, that she could only wonder what was going through his mind. “How long are you staying?” she asked him.
“You mean tonight?” he replied.
“Yes, and after that. Will you be booking a flight back to the States once we’ve seen the psychiatrist? Or perhaps you’d rather not stay around for that.”
His eyes went down. “I’m getting the impression she’d rather I wasn’t here,” he said. “She’s barely spoken to me since we found her.”
Irritated by the self-pity, Jenna said, “You know she’s not in a good place, and frankly I don’t think disappearing again is going to help things between you. This is presuming, of course, that you want there to be a relationship between you.”
His eyes showed his pain. “I’m surprised you can even ask it.”
Before Jenna could respond, Hanna said, “I’m guessing she won’t be going back to school for the rest of this term.”
Jenna shook her head. “They break for Easter on Thursday, so I don’t think anyone will be expecting her to. I’ll call Mr. Charles in the morning.”
“Did you see that he rang while you were at the hospital?” Hanna asked. “He wanted to say how relieved everyone was that Paige had been found, and he wants you to call to discuss what’s happened when you’re ready.”
“Did he mention anything about Kelly Durham and what’s going to happen to her?”
“No, but I don’t suppose he would to me. It was about Paige today. As far as I’m concerned, it’s always about Paige.”
“Have you told her about this Olivia girl yet?” Jack wanted to know.
Jenna shook her head. “She’s had enough for one day.”
“Do you know the parents?” Hanna asked.
“I’ve seen them, but I’ve never met them. They always seem…how shall I put it…a bit reclusive, stand-offish even, but like I say, I don’t actually know them. She’s a gifted musician, Olivia. Paige has often talked about her. Apparently she plays in assembly sometimes.”
“So why did she need an alias to make friends? And what on earth drove her to forge a friendship with Paige that ended in a suicide pact?”
“I’ve no idea yet. Just thank God she stood Paige up and acted alone—although, of course, it’s tragic that she did. It seems she’s going to pull through.” She looked around. “Where’s Mum? I don’t think I’ve seen her since the children went to bed.”
“She was going to do some ironing,” Hanna answered, peering through to the kitchen. “Doesn’t look like she’s there, though.”
Going to check, Jenna found her mother in the dining room, standing in the darkness staring out at the starry night sky. “Are you OK?” she asked softly. “I wondered where you’d got to.”
When Kay didn’t answer, Jenna went to stand in front of her. “Mum?”
Kay still said nothing, but as she turned her head Jenna caught the glint of tears on her cheeks.
“Oh, Mum, what is it?” she urged. She couldn’t remember ever seeing her mother cry before, not even when her father died.
“It’s my fault,” Kay stated. “I should have taken it more seriously. She told me—she said people were being mean to her. And because I did nothing we nearly lost her.”
“You can’t blame yourself, Mum,” Jenna protested. “She told me too.”
“But I’ve been through it. I know what it’s like to be bullied.”
“Which doesn’t mean you would automatically understand what was happening, or that you could have stopped it. You were there for her when she needed you, that’s what counts.”
Kay’s face remained strained with grief. “I’ve never been a good enough parent, or grandma,” she said bluntly. “I keep trying, but I know you need more….”
“How can you say that when we’d never manage without you? You’re our rock, Mum. You’re always there for us, and always have been.”
“But not in the way your father was.”
“In other ways. Oh, Mum, please don’t do this to yourself. We love you so much, all of us, and we know you love us too. You’re still crying….I’m sorry, but I have to do this. I know you don’t like it, but I’m going to.”
Kay stood very still as Jenna folded her into her arms and rested her head against hers. Though she didn’t hug her back, she didn’t try to break away either, and after a while she gave her a hesitant little pat.
Jenna smiled through her own tears. “That was lovely,” she whispered.
Kay’s eyes came to hers. “Perhaps if I got some counseling?” she suggested.
“I think we all need it,” Jenna told her. “You, me, and Paige.”
“But she’s our priority.”
“Of course.”
Kay’s eyes drifted back to the garden. “I had some once,” she admitted, “but it didn’t do me much good.”
“Times have changed; therapies are different, more effective. Even so, we love you just the way you are.”
Kay nodded. “What’s happened here, with Paige,” she said, “will change a lot of things for a lot of people. Let’s hope it’s all for the good.”
“You’re kidding,” Paige murmured, torn between disbelief and unease. “Tell me you’re making it up.”
“I swear I’m not,” Charlotte insisted. “Oliver was there on Saturday, helping to look for you.”
Paige’s face remained pale. “Did you talk to him?”
“No. Actually, I only saw him from a distance, but it was definitely him, because Cullum was there too, and their dad.”
Not sure whether she wanted to curl up with embarrassment or allow herself to feel pleased, Paige said, “Do you think someone made him come?”
“I’ve got no idea. I’m just telling you, he was there.” Charlotte glanced at the time. “I have to go,” she sighed. “I’ve probably already missed the bus, but your grandma said she’d drive me to school. I just had to come and see you for myself. So we’re good now? All the bad things forgotten?”
“Definitely,” Paige assured her, feeling certain they would be just as soon as she got her head properly straightened out. “Thanks for standing by me all the times you did,” she remembered to add.
Charlotte regarded her sardonically. “You didn’t always make it easy,” she told her. “Anyway, we should find out sometime this week if Kelly Durham’s being suspended or expelled. Let’s hope it’s expelled.”
Instantly feeling anxious, Paige said, “If she is, she’ll find a way to make me pay.”
“No way, we won’t let her. She’s history from now on. She’s the sinking ship no one wants to go down with.”
“What about Bethany and Matilda?”
Charlotte shrugged. “The Durmites are over without her. Are you staying in bed today?”
“I don’t know. Mum wants to have a chat, of course, and I just know Dad will want one too.”
Charlotte pulled a sympathy face. “At least he came back from the States,” she pointed out.
“Big deal.”
“You’d have been hurt if he didn’t.”
Letting her head fall back, Paige said, “I don’t know what to say to him.”
“So let him do the talking. He’s the one who’s in the wrong, so you don’t have to do anything.”
After a while Paige’s eyes went back to Charlotte, a sheepish glint flickering in their depths. “Do you swear you’re not winding me up about Oliver?”
Charlotte grinned. “Cross my heart. I know—why don’t you text and say thank you?”
Paige immediately shrank from that. “No way am I going to be in touch with him.”
“Up to you, but I would be if it were me.”
Reminded of how different they were at times, Paige gave her a hug and watched her walk to the door.
Turning back, Charlotte said, “By the way, have you been in touch with Julie since all this happened?”
Paige’s lips tightened as she shook her head. Lying back against the pillows as Charlotte left, she closed her eyes. She’d messaged Julie dozens of times since her phone had recharged, asking why she hadn’t come and what sort of friend would leave someone out in the woods on their own for two nights in a row, but she hadn’t received a single reply. She wasn’t going to bother trying again. In truth, she didn’t want to have any more to do with her. She didn’t even care who she really was, although she’d definitely like to know, if only to expose her to everyone else.
How could she have allowed herself to be talked into what she’d done? It didn’t seem credible now, yet she hadn’t forgotten how comforted she’d felt when they were in touch. It really had seemed as though Julie was her only friend in the world, and that she’d be there for her when no one else would.
Except that hadn’t happened, had it?
As if on cue, Waffle nosed his way in through the door. Breaking into a smile, Paige patted the bed for him to come and join her. “We’re not dead,” she whispered in his ear. “I know I said we were yesterday, but we’re here, and everyone can see us, just like we can see them.”
Seeming to enjoy this idea, he gave her a hearty lick.
“I thought I saw him sneak in,” her mother said, putting her head round. “Charlotte gone?”
“Just.”
Coming to sit on the bed, Jenna said, “So how are you feeling this morning?”
Paige simply shrugged. She didn’t want to talk about anything, but at the same time she didn’t want to hurt her mum any more than she already had. So in the end she finally admitted to being a bit mixed up. “Like one minute I’m fine and the next I’m all kind of…you know.”
Jenna’s eyebrows rose. “Do you want to try another way of explaining that?”
Paige sighed. “I don’t know the words. It’s just, like, weird, as though I’ve been someone else for a while, and I’m kind of back, but not.”
“You’ve been through a pretty harrowing time, which is why it’ll be a good idea to talk it through with someone.”
“I’m talking to you.”
“I mean a professional.”
Paige’s eyes went down. “I just want to forget it now,” she said.
“I know, sweetheart, and I understand that, but we need to find out how much harm those girls might have caused, and what this business with Julie Morris and all those dreadful websites might have added to it.”
“It was dark,” Paige mumbled, “like really, seriously dark. Those chat rooms…I don’t ever want to go there again, but it felt kind of OK while I was doing it. It was like everyone was my friend and they all understood me.”
“But you know now that’s not true?”
“I guess so, except a lot of the people I connected to are being bullied, the same as me, some of them even worse, so they did understand.”
“OK, but they need to be helped, not encouraged by others in the chat room to take extreme ways out.”
“I never encouraged anyone, I swear it.”
“But you were encouraged, especially by Julie, and if she hadn’t decided to let you down, I’m not sure where we’d be now.”
Paige’s eyes drifted as she pictured herself back at Whiteford Sands. “I kind of wanted to do it,” she said, “but then I didn’t. I was thinking about you and everyone….I kept wanting you to come, but it was like I had to wait for Julie, so I couldn’t come home.”
“Why did you think you had to wait for her?”
“I’m not sure really. I mean, it wasn’t only that—I didn’t want to come back because it would mean either having to go to school or carry on riding round on buses all day….The police asked me yesterday if I got a bus to Rhossili on Friday, but I didn’t.”
“It wasn’t you? I had a feeling it wasn’t.”
“But you went to look for me anyway?”
“Of course, I had to. My instincts might have been wrong. They were right yesterday, though. I’m so pleased we took Waffle. He made very short work of it all.”
Smiling as she ruffled his fur, Paige said, “When he came in it made me think of that part in The Lovely Bones where the girl realizes her dog can see her, so she knows he’s dead. It was so weird. Then you were there and you could see me too and I got all confused….I didn’t want to come back, but I did.”
Jenna took her hand. “Are you glad to be back now?”
Paige nodded but didn’t look up.
Entwining their fingers, Jenna said, “I’m sorry I didn’t realize sooner what you were going through. I can see now that you tried to tell me, but I was so wrapped up in what was happening with Dad….”
Paige’s head came up. “Has he gone back to Martha yet?”
“No. He’s very worried about you, and I’m sure he won’t be going anywhere until you’ve agreed to see him.”
Heat rose in Paige’s cheeks. “I don’t want to,” she said.
“I know, but I think you should. All those dreadful things Kelly Durham and her friends wrote…”
“None of it’s true.”
“No one believes it was.” She didn’t have to tell Paige about the police enquiries; they’d had a job to do, and it was over now, with no harm done—apart from to Jack, possibly, but he’d have to take care of himself. “And he really didn’t leave because of you,” Jenna added forcefully.
“He left because he found someone who matters more than us,” Paige cried angrily.
“More than me,” Jenna corrected, “not you or the others.”
“See, that’s what I can’t stand,” Paige seethed, her fist hitting the bed, “that he could let someone matter more than you.”
Jenna smiled sadly. “I know it’s hard for you, and I won’t lie, it is for me too, but we can get through it. Almost losing you has taught me a lot of things, and the first is that nothing and no one matters more than you, Josh, and the twins.”
Paige drew back. “Them!” she scoffed. “I thought I was number one.”
Jenna laughed. “You are in that you’re my firstborn, and I think it’s been more difficult for you than I’d realized, having to share me and Dad since Josh came along. You’d got used to having us all to yourself until then.”
“But I wanted brothers and sisters.”
“I know, just a bit sooner than it happened. It might not have been as much of a shock if there hadn’t been such an age gap, but we don’t always get to choose these things.” She looked down as Paige’s phone bleeped with a text.
Just heard KD being expelled. Yay! Cx
“She’s not even at school yet,” Paige said, showing her mother the message, “so I expect it’s still a rumor.”
“I think there’ll be quite a thorough investigation before any decisions like that are made, but there has to be some kind of punishment for the way she’s behaved. And frankly, I don’t want you in the same school as someone who’d treat anyone the way she treated you,” Jenna told her.
“So I could leave?”
“Do you want to?”
Paige shrugged. “I’m scared she’ll come after me if it all goes wrong for her,” she admitted.
“If she does, at the very first sign of it you know what you have to do.”
Paige swallowed.
“You have to come to me,” Jenna insisted. “You can’t allow yourself to go through it again. You’re not a victim, Paige. That’s not who you are, so you mustn’t let her turn you into one.”
“I don’t want to, but she has all these friends, and her family’s, like…really tough.”
Judging it wiser not to mention anything about Wendy Durham’s visit, Jenna said, “I’ve heard about them, but we have the school on our side, and the police, and I think you’ll find when you go back that you have a lot more friends than you realize.”
Paige didn’t look convinced. “They’ll call me saddo and loser for trying to kill myself.”
“No they won’t, because it’s not what you did. You thought about it, and when the time came you had the courage to pull back and see things through.”
After a while Paige gave a weak sort of smile. “You always find a way to turn me into the heroine of the piece,” she stated.
Jenna’s eyebrows rose. “Because that’s who you are.”
“Like yeah.”
“Like yeah, and if I know you, which I do, in time you’ll find a way to turn this into a positive experience.”
“How the heck am I going to do that?”
“Like I said, you’ll find a way, but right now I can see that’s hard to believe.”
Paige’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You’re brainwashing me,” she accused. “You’re using the power of suggestion to get me to do what you want.”
Jenna laughed. “If only I had such a gift.”
After sitting quietly for a few minutes, Paige said, “Did anyone find out who Julie Morris really is?”
Sighing, Jenna said, “Yes, they did, but we don’t have to talk about it now.”
“I want to. Who is she?”
As Paige’s eyes came to hers, Jenna decided there was no point in holding back. It would have to be dealt with sooner or later, and if she didn’t tell her, chances were Charlotte would find out and deliver the news herself. “OK,” she said, “she’s Olivia Masters, Owen’s sister.”
Paige blinked in amazement. Confusion, anger, and disbelief chased across her face. The quiet, almost ethereal beauty who wafted around the school like a ghost, saying very little, playing her violin like an angel, hating her for posting lies about Owen…it just wasn’t adding up. “I don’t get it,” she told Jenna. “She said she was bullied too. She understood what I was going through. She told me she’d been Kelly Durham’s victim.”
“Maybe it’s true.”
“But Charlotte would have known.”
“Then I’m afraid I can’t explain what was going through her mind. But I do have some more news about her…”
Paige’s expression turned wary.
“She tried to take her own life on Saturday night,” Jenna said softly.
Paige froze in shock. So she really had meant it. She’d actually wanted to die. It was why she’d had to wait for the girl who called herself Julie, she realized—to try to stop her. At least that was how it was feeling to her now. “She didn’t succeed,” she said, making it more of a statement than a question.
Jenna shook her head.
“So how did she…I mean, what did she…?”
“She took an overdose.”
“How do you know about it?”
“The police told me. As far as I’m aware, she’s still in the hospital.”
“The same one I was in?”
Jenna nodded.
Paige thought about it. “Is she going to be all right?” Did she care? She wasn’t sure, but supposed she did.
“I’m not sure, but I expect we can find out.”
Paige was still trying to get her head round it. Olivia Masters, Owen’s sister. She remembered the time she’d gone up to her in school and asked her to tell Owen that she wasn’t responsible for the post saying he was gay. Olivia had looked at her as though she despised her, and yet at the same time she was using an alter ego to befriend her. “She told me her mother was dead,” she mumbled, “but it’s not true. Owen’s mother is alive.”
Unable to explain that, Jenna said, “I’m sure we’ll get to the bottom of it sooner or later. Meantime, do you feel like getting up?”
Paige wasn’t sure. “What are we doing today?” she asked. “I don’t want to go back to school.”
“You don’t have to, but Mr. Charles is asking if he can come here with Miss Willis from the pastoral team to have a chat with you.”
Paige drew back. That was way too much. “Do I have to see them?” she protested.
“Not right away, but they’ll need to hear your side of what’s happened at some point, and so will the police.”
Though she understood that, Paige still just wanted it all to go away so she could forget any of it had ever happened. It didn’t matter that she couldn’t think about anything else, especially Olivia now, and Oliver looking for her…She could hardly get her head round either of those things, although Mr. Charles and Miss Willis wouldn’t be coming here to talk about them. They’d want to focus on the bullying and what had driven her to the suicide sites, and the last thing she needed was to play a part in whatever action they decided to take about Kelly Durham. “Can I just stay in bed today?” she asked miserably.
“Of course,” her mother responded. “I’ll call the school and tell them they’ll have to wait.”
Though Jenna was putting on a good front for Paige, inside she was burning with rage over the Durham child’s appalling cruelty. She’d seen enough of the social network postings now, the doctored photographs, the name-calling, and the horrendous accusations concerning Jack to make her determined that not a single one of that despicable gang should be allowed to get away with what they’d done. Which was why she’d left a message for DS Mariner to call back as soon as possible so they could discuss bringing charges.
“I’m not sure we’re going to get very far,” Hanna remarked, looking up from her laptop. “I’ve just been researching it, and I can’t find much in the way of consequences for bullies.”
“There has to be some kind of punishment,” Jenna insisted. “No one, not even a child, should be allowed to get away with the kind of things that were done to Paige.”
“If you read some of this, you’ll see it can be a whole lot worse, but so far I haven’t managed to turn up a single case of a bully being prosecuted.”
“We can’t let that stop us. I don’t care what kind of family the girl comes from—she needs to know there is a price to pay for her actions.”
“Richard’s our man,” Hanna decided. “He’ll know how to go about things.”
“Of course,” Jenna agreed. “He’s in court today, but I’ll speak to him later. At the very least we should be able to get an antisocial-behavior order against her.”
Hanna wrinkled her nose. “An ASBO? I’m not sure they hand them out for bullying, or if they even still exist. Weren’t the Tories going to do away with them when they took office?”
“As it’s not the kind of circle we normally move in, I can’t answer that, but knowing what we do about the Durhams, they’d probably consider an ASBO a badge of honor. So it has to be criminal proceedings, something that’ll go on the girl’s record for as long as the effects of her actions stay with her victims.”
“Which would be an unquantifiable amount of time. However, in principle I like the idea.”
Jenna was scrolling through all the texts she’d received over the weekend, wanting to make sure she hadn’t missed anything vital. Finding a message from her agent that had arrived on Saturday, she reluctantly opened it. The idea of having to empty her bank account and start asking Jack for money was something she really didn’t want to start dealing with now.
Jenna, have seen the news. Really sorry to hear what’s happening. I’m sure you’ll find her soon. My thoughts are with you. Let me know if there’s anything I can do. Call when you can.
Profoundly relieved that he wasn’t intending to embroil her in any difficulties in the immediate future, she continued the search, erasing, saving, and forwarding where necessary, until she came to the most recent message from Jack.
How is she this morning? Can I come over?
Showing it to Hanna, she said, “She doesn’t want to see him.”
“Frankly, none of us do.”
Jenna’s eyebrows rose. “Not helpful. I can’t just exclude him from what’s happening. He cares very much, and I’d like his support for a prosecution.”
“Which you’re likely to get, but how much thought have you given to Paige and how she’s going to feel if it turns out you can bring criminal charges?”
Jenna eyed her worriedly. “Probably not as much as I ought to have,” she conceded. “I guess I should discuss it with her first.”
“I think so, and knowing my niece, I expect she’ll have her own views on what should happen to bullies.”
Jenna nodded slowly as she reached to answer her buzzing phone. “Hello, Jenna Moore speaking.”
“Mrs. Moore, it’s Mr. Charles at The Landings. I’ve just been told that Paige isn’t up to seeing us today.”
“She still needs to rest.”
“I understand, of course. She’s been through quite an ordeal, and once again I’m very sorry that this was allowed to go as far as it did—in fact, that it was allowed to happen at all. We have a strict anti-bullying policy in place that follows the government guidelines, but it’s obviously failed us badly in this instance, and of course we’ll be looking into it.”
“That’s good to hear,” she said coolly. As far as she was concerned, the school was as culpable as she was for not having stopped this right at the start, and she would be making that very point just as soon as the time was right.
“I’m sure you understand,” he continued, “that it’s not possible for us to monitor what goes on outside of school hours, but I’m aware that much of the intimidation happened while Paige was here, so please be assured that appropriate action will be taken. We will be deciding on what that should be once we’ve heard all sides of the story.”
Wincing at his use of the word story, as if this were some little anecdote that could be passed around until a better one came along, Jenna said, “Do you have any news about Olivia Masters?”
“Apparently she’s still in the hospital, but I’m told by the doctor that she’s awake and sitting up. I’ve tried calling her parents, but they haven’t got back to me. I’m not sure at this point if the police have been more successful.”
“Is Owen at school today?”
“No, he isn’t.”
Unsurprised, she said, “OK, I’ll let you know when Paige is ready to see you.” Ringing off, she switched to another incoming call.
“Lesley Mariner here. I got your message.”
“Ah yes, thanks for ringing me back.” Jenna turned to Hanna, mouthing who it was. “I’ve been giving this some thought, and I’d like to know if it’s possible to bring charges against Kelly Durham and her parents.”
Hanna’s eyebrows rose. “Parents?” she echoed.
Jenna nodded. In her book they were as responsible as anyone else for the way their daughter had behaved, probably even more so.
DS Mariner sighed. “I was afraid you might be thinking that way, and I wish I could be more helpful, but the only laws we have to cover cases like this fall under stalking and harassment.”
“Then that’s where we should start.”
“However, the Crown Prosecution Service is rarely willing to consider them for bullying—especially when it could end up criminalizing a child.”
Jenna’s temper flared. “So it’s all right for my daughter to suffer at their hands, but not all right for them to face the consequences? Is that what you’re saying?”
“I understand where you’re coming from, truly I do, and in your shoes I’d feel exactly the same, but I’ve been here before, so I know how the CPS will view the case. They prefer the situation to be handled by parents, or the school, or social services.”
“And if Paige had ended up actually committing suicide? What would the CPS do then?”
“It’s highly possible that the same would apply, as no criminal act would be involved in a suicide, unless of course someone is given physical assistance.”
“So these kids can go on websites or send texts to anyone they like encouraging them to do away with themselves, and the law does nothing about it?”
“Mrs. Moore, I swear I feel as frustrated as you do—”
“I don’t think so.”
“—but all I can do is tell you how it is, not how I want it to be. If you’re asking me do I think they should be held to account, then the answer’s yes, in some cases I certainly do. Having to face the full force of the law might make them think twice before they picked on someone again. But the power isn’t with me, I’m afraid. It’s with you and your MP and all the action groups that exist out there who are trying to come up with a better way of dealing with this.”
Realizing she was heading up a dead end, and mindful of the fact that she wasn’t going to do anything without speaking to Paige first anyway, Jenna said, “I appreciate your candor. Thank you. I have one more question before you go. If we end up deciding that we do want to take it further, can we bring a private prosecution?”
“Well, I don’t see why not, but that’s something you’d need to discuss with a lawyer.”
After ringing off, Jenna said to Hanna, “I’d never be able to afford it, of course, but I needed to know.”
“I could,” Hanna reminded her, “and I promise you, if it’s the way Paige wants to go, I’ll back her all the way.”
Touched, Jenna said, “I’ll have to pick my moment to bring it up, and I guess I ought to talk to Richard first to make sure it’s a viable option, because we can’t have her deciding to go for it and then being told it can’t happen.”
“I have to advise against it,” Richard told them later that evening. “Not because I don’t believe you have a case—under Sections 2 and 4 of the Protection from Harassment Act you probably do—but the CPS won’t like it, and you also need to consider the amount of pressure it would put on Paige, when she’s already suffered enough.”
“And she’s my first concern,” Jenna assured him. “I just want to know if it’s possible to bring a suit if she decides it’s the way she wants to go.”
“Well, you have my answer, but I think you also need to take into consideration the kind of family you’d be up against.”
“I’m not going to let them intimidate me,” Jenna hotly informed him. “People who’ve committed crimes need to pay like anyone else.”
No one looked at Jack, who was sitting quietly in one of the armchairs, but Jenna could sense his discomfort. She wondered when he’d ever seemed more pathetic, more out of tune with his surroundings. It was as though he was collapsing in on himself, with only the shell intact.
“All this is academic until we’ve consulted Paige,” Hanna reminded them.
Richard nodded. “How is she today?”
“She’s slept quite a lot,” Jenna replied, “and she’s been eating, so I’m going to take both as good signs.”
“She’s concerned about Olivia Masters,” Kay reminded her.
Jenna said to Richard, “We haven’t got to the bottom of it yet, but apparently Julie Morris is really Olivia Masters, Owen Masters’s sister. Do you happen to know the parents?”
Richard shook his head. “I can’t say I do. I’m not even sure I’ve ever seen them.”
Jenna looked at her mother and Hanna.
“Well, what we do know,” Hanna stated, “is that something strange is clearly going on with the girl, but I don’t suppose we’re going to find out much more until they let her out of the hospital.”
“I guess I should be going,” Jack said a couple of hours later. Richard had left a while ago, as had Kay and Hanna. The time since then had been spent getting the younger ones off to sleep, which had taken far longer than usual.
Picking up on his despondency, Jenna said, “She’ll come round.”
He nodded and reached for his coat.
“What do you really think of bringing a private prosecution?” she asked as he put it on. “I know you said you were for it earlier, but you haven’t passed any comment since.”
“What’s there to say?” he replied. “You’ve already decided, and if it’s what Paige wants, it’s what we’ll do.”
“But? I’m sensing a but.”
He took a moment, seeming to decide whether to go further, and then said, “OK, what I really think is that you want a lawsuit to prove to yourself, and the rest of the world, that you’re a great mother who’ll go to any lengths to punish those who mess with her daughter. The trouble is, we’ve already failed her, and everyone knows it. We weren’t there, either of us, when she needed us, and no court case or public hanging is ever going to change that.”
Jenna stared at him hard. He’d hit a truth even she hadn’t seen, and she wasn’t liking it much.
“You asked,” he told her.
“You’re right,” she eventually conceded. “I’m making it about me and my need for revenge, and I’d still give anything to get it, but I promise you it’s not going to happen if Paige doesn’t want it.”
His eyes remained on hers as he said, “I’m not doubting you. And for the record, you are a great mother.”
She didn’t agree, but to try to lighten things she replied, “Is that my cue to say you’re a great dad?”
His eyes clouded again. “We both know that’s not true, so let’s not go there.”
“You always used to be.”
“Until I screwed up.”
How could she deny it?
As he turned to leave, she said, “Am I sensing regret?”
Keeping his back to her, he said, “I’ll always regret hurting you.”
“But you’d do it again?”
In the end he turned to face her. “I’d try to handle it differently,” he admitted.
She swallowed hard and tried to smile past the pain. Despite all they’d just been through, he’d still rather be with Martha than with them.
“Are you and Richard…?” he asked.
“We’re friends.”
“He seems a good bloke.”
“I’m not looking for your approval.”
“Sorry, I wasn’t trying to give it.”
For a while he stood staring off to one side as if there were more he wanted to say and he just didn’t know how to come out with it.
“Mum!” Wills suddenly wailed from the top of the stairs. “I’ve got a toothache.”
As they looked at each other, Jack raised a single eyebrow. Picking up his keys, he said, “I’ll call you tomorrow.”