Anxious wasn’t the word.
They were there to get a statement, but Jenna’s heart gave a small skip of trepidation as Trudy pushed open the doors into the huge, high-ceilinged lounge.
Jenna had carried out her duty, to protect and preserve life. But her soul knew it was more than just duty. There was a connection, a bond, a feeling of continued responsibility for the young girl whose life she’d helped save. A desire to know that not only would she be safe, but she would thrive and flourish despite the horror she’d suffered.
The floor-to-ceiling windows allowed the softening evening sun to flood through and soak the room in golden light.
Three enormous cream sofas dominated the centre of the room in a U-shape around an antique woollen rug in muted hues of blues and greys.
On the middle sofa, Sophie stretched out with her back propped against cushions wedged against the high arm of the sofa. Cradled in her arms under a thick blue throw was a pale, sleeping Poppy. Smudges like bruises feathered from beneath her lashes fading across her ashen cheeks.
Sophie raised her head, her eyes widening as her gaze fell on Jenna. Her mouth popped open to form an ‘o’ and she nudged her friend awake.
Slow to move, Poppy struggled up as though every muscle in her body protested.
Before she could get up, Jenna stepped into the U and stood in front of Poppy.
The wild, anguished howl wrenched at her heart and tore her soul out, jerking unexpected tears that clogged her throat and filled her eyes before she could even stop them.
Wordless, she leaned forward, blinking rapidly, but the fat tears rolled down her cheeks and continued to blur her vision as she reached out and placed a wriggling, whining, hysterical Fleur into Poppy’s arms and stepped back to give them time and space.
55
Thursday 23 April 1810 hours
Heart still stuttering, Jenna cradled the coffee Trudy placed in front of her on the vast kitchen island and sent Mason a quick sideways look. He blew his nose into a clean tissue and mustered up a wobbling smile. If she’d thought to threaten him not to say anything, she had no need. His heart was as bruised as hers.
She cleared her throat. They’d come to do a job, but the right thing was to give Poppy her time alone with Fleur.
‘We need to take a statement from Poppy, I’m afraid. Do you think she’s up to it?’
Trudy drew out a stool and perched on the edge of it. ‘Physically, she’s exhausted, but she’ll recover. The operation went well. They managed to remove the bullet from her rib, leaving little damage, but she’s on a hefty dose of antibiotics for the infection that set in. Emotionally, she’s drained.’
‘We can take it a little at a time.’
‘She’ll be here. We’ve spoken with social services. Poppy has no next of kin. Apparently, she has a godmother somewhere she doesn’t even know.’
Aware of that, Jenna nodded and held her breath, willing the other woman to tell her what she wanted to hear.
Trudy raised her cup to her lips, paused. ‘Because of Poppy’s age, she gets a say in who she would like to stay with.’ Trudy’s gaze flickered to Jenna’s. ‘We discussed it in some depth last night. She chose us.’
Relief flooded through Jenna, and she struggled to keep from wilting onto the island as another flood of tears threatened.
Trudy’s voice thickened. ‘And we chose her.’
Jenna blinked and this time ignored the tear that plopped from her eye to run down her cheek to the corner of her mouth. Her breath shuddered in.
Without drinking, Trudy placed the cup back down. ‘I have no doubt this won’t all be smooth sailing, but Poppy and Sophie are best of friends and I couldn’t imagine for one moment allowing Poppy to do anything but come to us. It will be for the best. The girls will continue with their A levels and then we’ll see what paths they take. If it’s university, then so be it. Poppy wants to be a vet. Sophie wants to follow in her dad’s footsteps and be a barrister one day.’
Jenna poked her tongue out and tasted the salt of her tears. She raised her cup and took a sip, letting the coffee wash the taste away and out of the corner of her eye noticed Mason surreptitiously wipe his nose again.
‘I think it’s very noble of you, Trudy.’
‘There’s no nobleness involved, Sergeant. The girls have always been close from the first day they started at the high school. We were already family.’
A warmth filled her chest and spread down to her stomach.
Trudy picked up her cup and this time took a sip. ‘What happened with Mrs Crawford?’
Mason gave a small cough. ‘She’s under arrest for murder.’
‘Surely not? At her age?’
Mason spread his hands wide. ‘A crime is a crime at any age.’
‘Won’t they see it as self-defence?’
Jenna shook her head. ‘No, I’m afraid not. It wasn’t self-defence. Mrs Crawford loaded a gun with the sole intention of using it.’
‘Oh dear.’ Devastation filled Trudy’s eyes. ‘She’s such a lovely lady.’
‘She is. But the law is the law, and this is what I’m invested in upholding. For everyone.’
Cool and thoughtful, Trudy narrowed her eyes. ‘Can she plead diminished responsibility?’
Jenna’s gaze met Trudy’s and she gave her an acknowledging smile. ‘I’d leave that to her barrister to decide.’
Acknowledgments
What She Saw involved a great deal of background information and research into weaponry, fires and as usual police procedure. I’d like to thank the following for their immense support, advice and patience when I asked the most obvious questions, and pressed and prodded for more detail. Although I don’t go into depth, I hope the research I carried out gives the story a genuine and authentic feel. Any mistakes are my own.
Charlie Cartwright – I also borrowed his name for one of my characters. As I told him, it was a ‘solid’ name.
Derek Taylor
Peter Wright
Andrew Parkes
As always to my hugely patient family who always understand when I say ‘I’m on a deadline.’
Andy
Laura
Meghan
And to my sister Margaret who said, ‘If you’d given it to me earlier, you wouldn’t have had to write the last part again, I’d have told you it was wrong.’
More from Diane Saxon
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Chapter One
Friday 26 October, 15:45 hrs
Felicity Morgan jammed her car into third gear and took the tight bend down the hill to Coalbrookdale with fierce relish.