Ryan yelled more expletives as he was restrained. His arms were twisted behind his back and handcuffs clamped around his wrists.
‘Thank you, thank you,’ I repeated over and over again to the officers. ‘I thought he was going to kill me.’
‘You should be arresting her!’ Ryan spat, squirming and clearly in pain. ‘She killed my wife and now she’s trying to ruin me!’ But the police weren’t listening. One read him his rights, while the other called for back-up on a radio.
‘Sir, I need you to calm down,’ the officer continued, his knee on the base of Ryan’s spine, pinning him to the floor.
I shed my crocodile tears as Ryan was pulled to his feet and bundled out of my house, into a police car and driven away.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
RYAN
I was handed a transparent plastic bag containing my car keys, mobile phone, belt, some coins and my shoelaces, and asked to sign for them by the duty desk sergeant.
Johnny remained by my side until the paperwork was complete. I’d called him twice in the last two days – once to tell him I’d been arrested and needed a solicitor, and a second time to inform him I was being released on police bail. I begged him not to worry our mum and dad by telling them what I’d done. Judging by his heavy brow and refusal to make eye contact with me, he was furious. He wasn’t alone. My enforced timeout made me as angry at myself as he was at me.
We left the grounds of the police station and I skulked several paces behind him as we made our way towards the pay-and-display car park across the road. It wasn’t until we entered the car that I spoke.
‘I’m ready. Let me have it, both barrels. Tell me what an idiot I am.’
Johnny said nothing. He removed his glasses and wiped them with the sleeve of his hoodie.
‘Tell me I’ve fucked up,’ I said. ‘Tell me I’ve put my job at risk. Tell me I could get a criminal record. But just so long as you know, I’m aware of this already.’
‘You smell,’ he replied.
‘So would you if you’d been wearing the same clothes for two days.’
‘You told them what she did to you though, didn’t you? Charlotte, the baby, stabbing you, the dead pig?’
He flew off the handle when I didn’t reply.
‘What? Ryan! You have to be kidding me. That was your chance to explain everything, you fucking dick! Otherwise you just look like some nutter who was terrorising her and broke into her house!’
‘If I’d have dropped her in it, I’d have dropped myself in it too, about what I did to Effie and stalking her family. And I’m in enough trouble already.’
‘Why didn’t you give them tape recordings of her telling you how to kill yourself ?’
‘They’re still with Janine, Laura’s boss.’
‘Well, why hasn’t she done anything with them yet?’
‘I don’t know.’ I was wondering the same thing myself, as I’d given them to her weeks earlier. Unless she had, of course, and that had sent Laura over the edge and into my flat. I had this awful feeling that she was really gunning for me now. ‘I need you to do me a favour,’ I asked.
‘Another one?’
‘I need you to pick up my car.’
‘Why can’t you do it yourself ?’
‘Because it’s parked outside Laura’s house and my police bail conditions won’t allow me anywhere near her.’
‘Why, of course – where else would it be other than outside the home of the woman who killed your wife and baby and who tried to murder you.’
‘Please don’t start, Johnny.’
‘Oh, don’t worry, I won’t. I’m far from starting. I’m done, actually. I’m finished. I’ll drive you back to the flat. I’ll bring your car back, but then I don’t want to see your stupid little face for a while.’
‘Come on, that’s not fair. I thought I’d drawn a line under this, too. I made amends with Effie and put her grades back up after you made me see what I’d done to her. As far as I was concerned, it was all over.’
‘Until you turned up at Laura’s house threatening to kill her.’
‘I was angry and upset! What would you have done?’
‘Called the police and let them handle her.’
‘I told you, that’s not an option.’
‘Because you don’t have the balls to man up and admit your part, you’ve made things a shitload worse for yourself.’
Johnny shook his head as we pulled up outside the flat.
‘This has to be the end of it,’ he added. ‘No matter what she says or what she does from here on, you have to accept the consequences. As much as you hate it, Laura has won. The end. All you can do is hope she sees it that way too.’
CHAPTER NINETEEN
LAURA
Effie and I sat outside her head teacher Mr Atkinson’s office, waiting to be called in.
The school secretary was photocopying papers in a room opposite us, and cursed under her breath when the machine jammed. Effie looked anxious and nibbled at the skin around her fingernails. She got that habit from me. I brushed her hand away from her mouth.
‘Are you okay?’ I asked.
She nodded, but I wasn’t convinced. She needed a final pep talk.
‘You know how proud of you I am, don’t you?’ She gave a slight smile. ‘I’m so glad you’ve been able to trust me to help you. It’s meant the world to me. We are doing the right thing, so please don’t be worried. I’m right here by your side.’
The door to Mr Atkinson’s office opened and he ushered us inside. I sat up straight and cleared my throat.
‘I’ll get straight to the point. One of your teachers has been making sexual advances towards my daughter.’ I squeezed Effie’s hand and she nodded. ‘I’m not sure where to begin,’ I continued, making myself sound like I was on the verge of tears. ‘Effie’s form tutor, Mr Smith, has been behaving inappropriately towards her and has launched a campaign of terror against me.’
‘Mr Smith? Ryan Smith?’ The poor fool looked utterly bemused.
‘I assume the police have informed you he was arrested three days ago for breaking into our house?’
His eyebrows knotted and he shook his head. ‘No, they haven’t. As far as I was aware, he’s been poorly with the flu.’
‘I’m a volunteer for the charity End of the Line, and somehow Mr Smith has become convinced that our organisation played a role in the tragic death of his wife. It’s quite ludicrous, of course, but it appears that for some reason he has singled me out for blame. And on Saturday he broke into our house and began hurling threats at me. I hate to think what would’ve happened had the police not arrived.’
‘Well, Mrs Morris, um . . . I can’t comment on this until I know the full facts—’
‘These are the facts, Mr Atkinson,’ I interrupted, and passed him my mobile phone so he could see the footage of a raging Ryan for himself. ‘I thought he was going to kill me.’ I blinked hard and dabbed at the corners of my eyes, as if tears were forming. ‘When my daughter arrived home, she was so scared by what had happened that she told me Mr Smith had been behaving inappropriately towards her. She’d been too frightened to say anything before now.’
Mr Atkinson turned to Effie.
‘I appreciate this must be difficult, but can you tell me a little about what happened?’ He took a pen from a pot and began writing on a pad.