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Back False Witness Save as PDF
Chapters (100)
  1. Cover
  2. Title page
  3. Dedication page
  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. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. 60
  64. 61
  65. 62
  66. 63
  67. 64
  68. 65
  69. 66
  70. 67
  71. 68
  72. 69
  73. 70
  74. 71
  75. 72
  76. 73
  77. 74
  78. 75
  79. 76
  80. 77
  81. 78
  82. 79
  83. 80
  84. 81
  85. 82
  86. 83
  87. 84
  88. 85
  89. 86
  90. 87
  91. 88
  92. 89
  93. 90
  94. 91
  95. 92
  96. Acknowledgements
  97. DEAD GUILTY
  98. 1
  99. FALSE WITNESS
  100. Also by Michelle Davies

‘Poppy’s been named on a local Facebook group,’ she said. ‘People are writing all kinds of crap.’

‘Shit. That’s all we need.’

‘Can we ask Facebook to take it down?’

‘I can try, but technically they aren’t obliged to. There are no reporting restrictions in place yet because we’re still treating her as a witness. Right now there’s nothing to stop her being named.’

‘No, but she is a minor and they have a responsibility not to allow the witch-hunt of an eleven-year-old,’ said Maggie tetchily.

‘Given some of the stuff Facebook lets people post I wouldn’t bet on them taking the moral high ground,’ said Renshaw. ‘I’ll apply to have the mentions of her removed on the grounds that she’s a witness who’s a minor and see what they say. I wonder if the Hepworths have seen it.’

‘Probably – the person who wrote the post tagged Julia.’

‘Nice of them,’ said Renshaw sarcastically.

Maggie was scrolling through the comments again when one jumped out at her.

‘Hey, listen to this comment,’ she said. ‘It’s a bit inarticulate but you get the gist . . . “Police should look at whole family, not just girl – if she’s violent it’s ’cause she’s learned it.”’

‘Could be nonsense, someone trying to make themselves seem knowledgeable?’

‘Maybe, but the rest of the message is pretty emphatic. They even used caps.’

‘What’s it say?’

‘“Trust me – I KNOW.”’

14

Wednesday

At 4 a.m. Julia gave up any pretence of sleeping and got up. Ewan stirred as she let herself out of the bedroom but didn’t wake. On the landing she stalled for a moment outside Poppy’s room and with her fingertip traced the pink, sparkly nameplate Ewan had fixed to the door when they moved in. It was worn around the edges now and faded from where sunlight hit it as it streamed through the landing window.

A few weeks ago she and Poppy had rowed about taking it down. Poppy said it was babyish and stupid and her friends had ‘Keep Out’ signs on their doors, so why couldn’t she? Julia wasn’t comfortable allowing such a combative message to be visible inside the house and said no – but now it seemed such a trivial thing for them to have argued over.

Poppy had kept up her wall of silence when they got back from the school and Julia had been unable to fight the creeping unease that Ewan knew something she didn’t. He rebuffed her attempts to talk to him in private, telling her she was making Poppy feel worse. That in turn made Julia feel wretched, so while he and the kids watched a film – they’d collected Dylan from Siobhan’s on their way home – she sat alone in the kitchen.