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Chapters (60)
  1. CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR LEIGH RUSSELL
  2. Glossary of acronyms
  3. Prologue
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. Acknowledgements

‘They took the baby,’ she cried out. ‘Where is she? Where’s Lily? You have to get her back. Don’t believe what that other woman says. They took Lily. Ella said I could help take care of her. She said I could hold her whenever I wanted. She’s Ella’s baby. She’s ours!’

‘It’s all right, Christine,’ her social worker said. ‘Calm down. You’re not in any trouble.’

‘But they took the baby,’ Christine wept. ‘They took Lily.’

‘Christine,’ the policewoman said gently, ‘the last time we spoke, at your house, you told me Ella stole money from you.’

‘She did, she did,’ Christine wept. ‘But then she came back and said she needed me to help her with the baby. She only took the money so she could buy food for the baby.’

‘You said she stole nearly three hundred pounds from you?’

‘I thought she stole it, but then she came back. She needed the money to buy us tickets. We were taking Lily to London where we could all be safe. We were going to live together and I was going to help look after the baby. She said I could help take care of her.’

‘That baby was not Ella’s. She’s called Daisy and now she’s been reunited with her mother.’

‘No, no,’ Christine wept. ‘It’s not true. It’s not true. Her name’s Lily and Ella’s her mother. Ella and me, we were looking after her. She loves me. Lily loves me.’

52

52

If anything, Ella was even more distraught than Christine.

‘They took my baby,’ she wailed. ‘They took my baby.’

‘But she’s not your baby, is she?’ Geraldine said. ‘Because your Lily died from neglect when you failed to take proper care of her, didn’t she?’

‘No, no. It was him, it was him,’ Ella replied. ‘He did it, he did it.’ A curious expression flickered across her face. ‘He won’t hurt either of us ever again.’

Geraldine leaned forward and lowered her voice, speaking to Ella as though the two of them were alone together. ‘Who won’t? Look at me, Ella. Who won’t hurt you again?’

‘Pete,’ Ella replied, as though the question surprised her. ‘Who do you think I meant? He was a vicious brute, and when I saw he was doing it to her too, I had to stop him, didn’t I?’

‘What was he –’ Ian began, but Geraldine held up a hand to silence him.

‘Yes, you did,’ Geraldine agreed, smiling at Ella. ‘You had to stop him. So what did you do?’

‘He won’t hurt anyone again,’ Ella repeated.

‘How can you be so sure?’ Geraldine pressed her.

‘Because he can’t get out. He can’t ever get out.’

It was not clear if Ella was laughing or crying. Before long she became hysterical and her lawyer insisted they take a break.