It was the first time Chloe had set foot in her mother’s office, and she was surprised how small it was. There was just a desk, three chairs, and a couple of tall metal filing cabinets. On the other side of the only window there was a big room with lots more desks and people who looked as though they were really busy.
‘That’s what we call the operations room,’ said the uniformed policewoman who had been told to look after her. ‘It’s where all the detectives work on the investigations.’
Chloe’s eyes were focused on one detective in particular. He had a bald head and was talking into his phone while looking back at her through the window.
He had introduced himself as Max, but others were calling him DI Walker. He was the one who had come rushing down to the reception area after Ryan’s parents had dropped her off here. He seemed really nice and she liked him. Her mum was his boss apparently and Chloe remembered now that she’d heard her talking to him on the phone plenty of times during the past month.
When he ended the call, he smiled at her and walked straight back into the office.
‘That was your mum,’ he said. ‘She now knows that you’re here and she’s told me to tell you that she loves you. She’s been out looking for you and now she’s on her way back. She wants you to know that Tom is in hospital, but he’s going to be OK.’
Chloe caught her breath and felt her stomach go tight. She was so happy and relieved that Tom was still alive. She was looking forward to seeing him, almost as much as she was looking forward to seeing her mum.
‘Sit on your mum’s chair behind the desk,’ Max said. ‘It’s the most comfortable. Constable Bryant here will fetch you something to eat and drink. I know you’ve had a bad experience, but you’re safe now so try to relax.’
He had asked her where she’d been all night and she’d told him about running away from the house after Tom was taken and getting lost in the streets before ending up in Wesley’s flat. He hadn’t pressed her for details and she was glad because she was in no mood to say a lot.
Officer Bryant asked her what she wanted to eat, and until that moment she hadn’t realised how hungry she was. She opted for a bacon sandwich and a Coke, and then settled down in her mum’s chair.
She was glad now that she had washed her face and hands before leaving Wesley’s flat. But she’d been too distressed to eat, especially after Ryan’s dad came back from visiting the fire-ravaged gift shop.
He was crying uncontrollably, and so was Wesley, because they had seen Ryan’s charred body being recovered. Chloe had wept to, and despite what Ryan’s mother had said to her she hadn’t been able to stop feeling guilty. If she hadn’t fallen over in the road their son wouldn’t have stopped to pick her up and he’d still be alive.
Ryan’s mum, whose name was Dominique Claymore, had told Chloe that they would take her to Wandsworth police station. Her husband had given their contact details to the police, and the pair were anxious to get home and away from Wesley, who they held partly responsible for what had happened.
But Chloe viewed him in a different light because he had saved her life. So before leaving the flat she got him to write his name and number on a piece of paper and gave him a hug.
‘Thank you for what you did,’ she told him. ‘I won’t forget it. Or you.’
‘And I won’t forget you,’ he said. ‘For the record do you want me to call you Chloe or Alice?’
Chloe thought about it for a few beats and then smiled. ‘From now on I’m Chloe. Chloe Tate.’