AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘And the date, Rachel. The twenty-eighth of September. The day you decided to raise your passing acquaintance with a homeless boy to something more. A friendship, with yourself in a maternal role. You wanted to adopt him, in a sense. You wanted to give him a fresh start. You chose the twenty-eighth of September to do that, but you didn’t mention the significance of the date in your story. Do you think you can now?’ She pulls out some tissues. ‘I know it’s hard, but you’re doing so well.’
‘It’s the anniversary,’ I say.
‘Of what, Rachel?’
‘Of Kieron. Of him… of his… I can’t say it. If I say it then… I don’t… I don’t… I don’t want…’ I grasp a tissue, another, another. There aren’t enough tissues in the world. I will cry for the rest of my life and still he won’t come back. He will never come back. My boy. My son.
‘Knifed,’ I manage. ‘Hate crime. How can I say that? How can any mother say that?’
A moment. Two.
I look her straight in the eye. ‘I just wanted to comfort him, that’s all. I wanted to hold him to me so that he wouldn’t have to die alone. Kieron died alone. We got the call and went straight there. We drove all the way without stopping, straight to the hospital, but he… he’d gone. He died afraid and lonely and I wasn’t with him. I wasn’t with him. Do you see?’ I plunge my face into my hands. ‘I wasn’t there for my boy. I wasn’t there.’
51
Katie
Transcript of recorded interview with Katie Edwards (excerpt)
Also present: DI Heather Scott, PC Marilyn Button
HS: And the final date, this Saturday just gone, can you confirm your whereabouts? (Pause) For the tape, Ms Edwards is composing herself.
KE: I was in Warrington with my mates. I wanted to be with my mates. Get wasted, like. It was the anniversary and I just couldn’t take it. I was in a state. I thought Mum would be doing something but she left for work without saying anything to anyone. My dad didn’t say anything to me that morning either, apart from asking if I was all right, which I wasn’t, obviously, and neither was he. None of us were. Dad said he was going out with Roy so I thought Mum must be going out with Lisa. I didn’t realise she wasn’t seeing Lisa anymore. I couldn’t believe she hadn’t asked me what I was doing, but now, with everything that’s happened, I suppose I hadn’t asked her either, had I? I mean, she was ill. She is ill. And that’s what that means, people not behaving like themselves. I mean, you see it on Facebook and Insta and everything but it’s just, like, slogans? When it’s real, when it’s someone you love, it’s actually really hard. After our Kieron died, my mum set the table with four places for weeks. We couldn’t get her to stop. I mean, we say we understand if someone’s depressed or whatever, but then we expect them to behave normally and get pissed off if they don’t. And I was pissed off at her for not taking any notice of me, I suppose. I was grieving too! But I should have got it, you know? Before. We were all in such a bad place. Kieron was so cool. He DJ’d at my eighteenth – all my mates loved him. I loved him. I loved him so much and he was taken. Liam’s mum said that grief is selfish and I was really offended when she said that, but I know what she means now. Grief is selfish. It is.
HS: So did you speak to your mum that evening? For the benefit of the tape, Ms Edwards is nodding.
KE: She rang me. I could tell she wanted to talk. She might even have wanted to talk about Kieron, she might have been ready, but I’ll never know that now, will I? She asked if I wanted to do a late night with pizza and wine. We hadn’t done that since before Kieron died. She was lonely. I could hear it in her voice. I knew I should go to her, get in a cab and go. I told her I loved her but I went back into the club. I wish I hadn’t. If I’d gone to her, this would never have happened. I should have gone to her. She was lonely and I left her alone and now this has all happened and it’s too late. (Breaks down)
52
Lisa
Transcript of recorded interview with Lisa Baxter (excerpt)
Also present: DI Heather Scott, PC Marilyn Button
LB: I saw her walking down her road. I was coming from her house but I kept my eyes dead straight. She looked like she was in a world of her own, to be honest. And then I texted her the next day, the Saturday, because it was the anniversary, you know? I asked if she was OK. I tried to get her out for a drink or just to come round, but she didn’t even reply. I should have rung her. I feel terrible, but at the same time, she wouldn’t have answered, and if someone won’t talk, won’t come out and won’t reply, what else can you do? I should have gone and got her from work and forced her to come to mine or something, anything. I shouldn’t have left her on her own that day. No one should. But you have to be brave to keep chipping away at someone. Brave or stupid. I didn’t know what to do, how to be a friend. Which is weird, because we’ve been friends our whole lives.
HS: And you’re saying you were at home that night, the night Ian Brown was knifed?
LB: Yes.
HS: For the benefit of the tape, can you describe what’s in front of you?
LB: Cigarette ends.
HS: These four cigarette ends were found in a plastic bag hidden in the garage at Rachel Edwards’ house. Can you tell us anything about that?
LB: No. I don’t know why anyone would keep dog ends in the garage. But as I say, Rachel wasn’t herself. I realise now that I didn’t know the half of what she was doing. I only found out about the clip file when Mark showed it to me.
HS: Mrs Edwards says she found evidence of you and Mr Edwards having smoked in her absence. Could the cigarette ends be yours?
LB: Possibly. We did have a sneaky fag because we were both stressed. But why would she keep my dog ends?
HS: Rachel did see you driving past her last Friday, clearly on your way from her house. When she got in, she found the cigarette ends in the kitchen. She kept them, planning to confront you about it later. She believes you and Mr Edwards were having an affair.
LB: An affair? What do you mean, an affair?
