Dark Spaces (33 page)

Foley gave Lilly an imperious glare. ‘Problem, Miss Valentine?’

Problem? Of course there was a problem. Only two people could have killed Lydia and one of them was standing directly in front of her.

‘No problem,’ Lilly mumbled.

Harry opened the door to his office. ‘Lilly and I have work to do.’ He nodded for Lilly to hurry inside, which she did, feeling Foley’s eyes drilling holes into her spine as she did so.

‘She’s still here?’ Lilly hissed.

Harry shut the door. ‘Of course she is, Lilly. I have no actual evidence that she’s guilty of anything, do I?’

‘But she had the code.’

‘So what?’ he said. ‘The police clearly don’t think there’s anything in it, do they?’

‘Tell me she doesn’t have access to Chloe’s room.’

Harry slapped his hand on his desk, making Lilly jump. ‘I’m not a total idiot. I told her that there was bound to be an internal inquiry, and until then she shouldn’t attend to Chloe. I told both of them the same thing.’

Lilly nodded. He was in an impossible situation. He could hardly start accusing people of rape and murder.

‘Which one do you think might have done it?’ Lilly asked.

Harry shook his head. ‘That is a path I simply cannot go down.’

He was refusing to engage. Understandable really.

‘Listen, Harry, I need to speak to Chloe before we get started,’ she said. ‘Why don’t you take a breather? Get yourself a drink and sit down for five.’

‘Thank you.’ He still didn’t look at her.

As soon as Lilly let herself out of Harry’s office, she realized she would never find her way to Chloe’s room. The labyrinth of corridors snaked out in all directions. She peered down each one in turn, feeling like a fly trapped at the centre of a spider’s web.

‘Can I help?’ Foley had sneaked up behind Lilly. ‘You shouldn’t be wandering around on your own.’

The other woman was standing too close, her eyes too penetrating. Lilly took a step back.

‘I need to see Chloe,’ she said.

Foley stared for several seconds as if she thought Lilly might not be telling the truth.

‘Follow me,’ she said, snapping her head around and stalking away from Lilly.

‘Thank you,’ Lilly offered, falling into line.

As they passed through the arteries of the hospital, Lilly spotted a picture she recognized. Three dandelion clocks in a row. As a child, she had tried to blow away the seedlings, shouting the hour after each deep breath. When the stalk was bare she would watch them dance on the breeze like fairies.

Chloe’s room was at the end of the corridor, but there was a man hovering outside, pushing a medication trolley. When he saw them approaching, he quickly moved on, nodding at Nurse Foley as they crossed, greasy grey hair hanging over his eyes.

‘Who was that?’ Lilly asked.

‘What?’

‘That man,’ Lilly said. ‘He was looking into Chloe’s room.’

‘I doubt it,’ Foley replied. ‘Just turning round his trolley. Those things have a life of their own.’

Lilly wasn’t so certain. ‘Do you know his name?’

Foley stopped at Chloe’s door and pressed her face to the glass. ‘Here she is.’

Lilly looked over Foley’s head and could see a huge black mass lumbering towards them.

‘Miss Valentine’s here to see you,’ Foley shouted.

There was a movement inside, then the door opened.

‘Hey, Chloe,’ said Lilly. ‘How are you?’

‘She’s fine,’ said Foley. ‘Aren’t you?’

Chloe opened her mouth as if to reply, but instead there came a gut-wrenching sob. Then tears came from a place deep inside her. A place Lilly knew she could never reach. Could anyone?

Lilly waited for Foley to say or do something, but she just watched Chloe, as if rooted to the spot. Disgusted, Lilly pushed past her.

‘I’ll take it from here,’ she said and ushered Chloe back into the room, nudging the door closed with her arse.

When she got Chloe to the bed, she looked around for some tissues and saw the nurse’s shadow still outside. Lilly knew she shouldn’t start asking the question and that forensics would give the answer soon enough, but she couldn’t help herself. Was that woman guilty? There was definitely something off-key about her. A coldness. A streak of cruelty even. Maybe Lilly was just reading too much into things?

‘Come on now.’ Lilly handed Chloe a box of man-size Kleenex. ‘I’m here.’

Chloe took a tissue and wiped her face. ‘I wish it would all end.’

‘It will,’ said Lilly. ‘I promise.’

Chloe shook her head. ‘How will it?’

‘For one thing we’ll catch the person who did this,’ said Lilly. ‘Then we’ll make the police see that they have to drop the case against you.’

Chloe waited as if she were expecting much more, but Lilly didn’t have a magic wand. She might be able to sort out some of the legal issues, but the damage had been done. Not just by recent events. Chloe’s pain and suffering had started long ago.

‘Chloe,’ Lilly said. ‘Why are you here in the Grove?’

‘The judge said I had to.’

‘No, I mean before all this,’ said Lilly. ‘Why did you come here in the first place?’

‘I’m not well,’ Chloe replied.

That much was patently true. But why? What had happened to Chloe? What had caused the disintegration of her mind?

‘Do you remember arriving?’ Lilly asked.

Chloe shook her head.

‘Do you remember anything before you came here?’

Chloe was about to shake her head again, but stopped herself. ‘I remember a dog.’

‘A dog?’

‘A big fluffy one,’ said Chloe. ‘Everybody loved it.’

‘Was it your dog?’

‘I don’t think so.’

Lilly patted Chloe’s hand. ‘I always wanted a dog.’

‘Did you get one?’

Lilly laughed. ‘No. My mum said they were dirty and smelly.’

‘They are.’

‘I had a hamster,’ Lilly told her. ‘Now they
are
dirty and smelly.’

‘What was its name?’

‘Tammy. It used to run round and round on this wheel all day long,’ said Lilly. ‘Then I dropped it on its head.’

‘Did it die?’

‘Not straight away, but I don’t think it ever recovered,’ said Lilly. ‘It didn’t go on its wheel any more.’

‘It lost the will to live,’ said Chloe and closed her eyes.

Lilly watched her client. The poor kid. How long could she live like this? Locked in a cage, waiting to be hurt? Was there any chance she would ever get better?

‘Can I look at your medical notes, Chloe?’

‘Why?’

‘First, I’d like to know a bit more about you,’ said Lilly. ‘Second, the CPS have asked for copies and I need to know what’s in there in case I want to argue against it.’

‘Fine,’ said Chloe, with a sigh.

I know a lot of police officers detest solicitors, but I’ve never understood that. Most solicitors aren’t that bright and they’re easy to manipulate. I accept that my judgement may be coloured by the fact that my father was a tax lawyer.

Matthew ‘call me Matt’ Pickwood seems standard issue; suit from Marks and Sparks, shirt and tie given to him by his girlfriend for Christmas. The law books lining the shelves behind him all out of date, a hangover from his days at university.

‘I must emphasize that winning residence of a child from their mother is going to be difficult,’ he says. ‘Especially where the mother has been the primary carer since birth.’

‘Difficult, yes,’ I say. ‘Impossible, no.’

Matt looks at Jack. The poor man’s so uncomfortable; given half a chance he’d run from the room never to be seen again.

‘What Kate said,’ Jack mutters.

I need to take charge and remind him exactly why we’re doing this.

‘You have to understand, Mr Pickwood, I mean Matt, that we have no desire to hurt Miss Valentine in any way, shape or form.’ I take Jack’s hand. ‘In many ways she is a good person.’ Jack nods and I give his fingers a little squeeze. ‘But we have to do what’s right for Alice. She’s all that matters to us.’

Matt picks up his pad and scans the notes he’s made. He wears a wedding ring made of dull silver.

‘You say Miss Valentine is resisting any diagnosis or treatment for Alice’s special needs?’

‘She did take her to see a consultant recently,’ Jack replies.

‘That was only because the GP insisted,’ I point out. ‘You’d been asking to take her yourself for months, hadn’t you?’

Jack looks down into his lap and nods.

‘You also believe that Miss Valentine is attempting to sabotage contact between you and your daughter?’ Matt asks.

‘I used to be able to see her all the time,’ says Jack.

‘Now it’s kept to a bare minimum,’ I say. ‘Miss Valentine decides exactly when Jack can have Alice and if he asks for any more contact he’s turned down.’ I lean forward so that Matt can see down my top. ‘She wouldn’t allow Jack to go to the hospital with her. We don’t even know what the consultant said because she refused to discuss it.’

Matt lowers his pad and smiles at Jack. ‘This is going to be quite a fight. Are you sure you’re ready for that?’

Jack lifts his head and his eyes are shining. At first I think they might be filling with tears, but no, they’re glinting with anger.

‘I’m absolutely ready,’ says Jack.

I want to clap and cheer for him, but I rein myself in and settle for leaning over and kissing him on the cheek.

When Lilly left Chloe’s room, Harry was waiting for her in the corridor.

‘I didn’t think you’d find your way back,’ he said.

‘Thanks.’

He put a hand on her cheek. ‘Sorry I’ve been so grumpy.’

‘This is difficult for you, Harry,’ she said.

‘Shall we?’ He gestured down the corridor.

Lilly nodded and they moved off.

‘Why did Chloe end up in the Grove?’ Lilly asked when they got back to his office.

Harry took the seat at his desk. ‘Before my time, I’m afraid.’

‘Nothing in the notes?’

‘There might be,’ he replied. ‘I remember Dr Cromer, my predecessor, saying something about a psychotic episode but I don’t recall the detail.’ He began tapping on his laptop, fingers whizzing across the keyboard. ‘She’d been in care from a young age so she probably suffered all manner of abuse.’

Lilly cringed. She knew too many children who’d been removed from neglectful parents only to find themselves being looked after by the brutal machine of the state. Out of the frying pan …

‘She doesn’t seem to remember much at all,’ said Lilly.

‘I know,’ said Harry. ‘Could be memory loss due to trauma, could be subconscious blocking.’

‘Do you think it would help Chloe to remember?’

Harry paused. ‘I used to think so, Lilly, but each time we tried Chloe would have an episode. If I tried again, I’m not sure she’d survive it.’

‘Then how will she get better?’

He gave a sad smile. ‘I think we’re going to have to settle for functioning.’

Lilly tried to take it in. At fifteen years old, Chloe could never look forward to an ordinary life.

‘Will she have to stay in hospital forever?’ she asked.

‘I hope not,’ said Harry. ‘I’d like to think that after all this is behind her, she could concentrate on getting well enough to try a supported placement.’

‘And she has no family?’

Harry shook his head.

‘No one’s ever tried to get in touch?’

‘Not to my knowledge.’

God, it was unfathomably sad. What a desolate life Chloe had led.

‘Here you go.’ Harry slid his laptop across the desk. ‘Chloe’s medical notes.’

‘Right from when she first came here?’ Lilly asked.

Harry pulled a face. ‘It’s quite vague to begin with. Dr Cromer was old school. Liked to keep it all up here.’ He tapped his head. ‘When he left I had to cobble together what I could.’

Lilly nodded. She’d worked for a fair few old codgers in her time. Some of them were unconcerned how anyone else would run their case files if they went on sick leave, retired or fell under a bus.

‘I on the other hand have been meticulous,’ said Harry. ‘I could give you a run for your money.’

Lilly laughed. Meticulous was not a word that sprang to mind about the piles of notebooks and scraps of paper Lilly had in her to-do tray.

She opened the file saved, simply, as ‘Chloe Church’ and found herself looking at a document with hundreds, probably thousands, of entries. Each one numbered and divided into three columns. The first for the date, the second for the author and the third, fatter column, to record ‘comments’.