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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

She silently wept with her face buried in her hands, but after a minute or so forced herself to stop. How would it help Poppy if she fell apart now? Her job was to hold the family together. However awful the circumstances were, she needed to stay strong for her daughter.

Gazing up at the stars, Julia wondered if Imogen was managing to get any sleep. She couldn’t begin to fathom what she must be going through. Devastated probably didn’t come close. But as an image of Imogen took root in Julia’s mind it was not as she’d seen her today, but a younger version, the one she’d known at school – and a familiar sick feeling began snowballing in the pit of her stomach. With a start Julia realized the passing of time had done nothing to dilute her body’s physical response to her former classmate, nor had her mental reaction softened: she hated her just as much now as she had done then.

She was eight when the bullying began. It started with teasing and name-calling, then rapidly escalated to shoving and pinching and hitting when no one was looking. For a while Imogen acted alone but then she realized there was more fun to be had in a crowd and roped in the rest of the class to ape her behaviour. Pretty soon it was twenty-odd kids pitched against Julia, friendless and defenceless.

She’d spent many tearful hours trying to work out what she’d done wrong to provoke Imogen, but she always came up blank.

Imogen bullied her just because.

It only ended when the girls left Rushbrooke three years later and went their separate ways. Imogen had sailed through the test to gain a place at one of Buckinghamshire’s renowned grammar schools but Julia, who was expected to pass too, deliberately flunked hers so she could attend the secondary modern nearest her home. She preferred to fail, even if it meant disappointing her parents, than spend another five years at the same school as Imogen. Then she heard Imogen’s family had moved away, so it was all for nothing.

But even though the bullying thankfully ended, Julia never quite shook off its effects. Imogen’s treatment of her had ingrained a tendency to retreat at the first sign of confrontation and in adulthood she was a people pleaser who put others’ needs above her own, often to her detriment, because she couldn’t bear the thought of being disliked and feared being shunned again.