Daddy’s Little Princess and Will You Love Me 2-in-1 Collection. Cathy Glass

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ laughed. The state of the windows in the building was a commonly shared joke. ‘OK, let’s make a start then,’ she said. ‘My manager is hoping to join us later. She’s in a meeting.’ She took her notepad from the top of the pile of folders and unclipped the pen.

      ‘Is it just us and possibly your manager?’ I asked.

      ‘Yes. I needed you to come as I have to clarify some of the things you’ve told me. Let’s start with the photographs. I’ll see them for myself next week when I visit, but I want to hear what you have to say.’

      I was taken aback. Why was she asking about the photographs now? I thought I was coming for a meeting, but it seemed it was more of an interview and I felt ill prepared.

      ‘You mean the framed photographs that Beth has in her bedroom?’ I asked.

      ‘Yes, the ones she brought with her from home.’

      ‘They are all of Beth and her father,’ I said, not really understanding what Jessie wanted from me.

      ‘Yes, I know,’ Jessie said a little impatiently, pen poised over her notepad. ‘You said you thought they were inappropriate. Can I have the details?’

      I shifted in my chair. ‘I’m sorry. I’m confused,’ I said. ‘I thought when I raised this with you before you said I was mistaken and there was no reason to be concerned about the photographs or any of the other issues.’ I felt my cheeks flush hot.

      ‘I didn’t say you were mistaken,’ Jessie said defensively, glancing up at me. ‘But at the time we didn’t have enough evidence to act.’

      ‘And do you now?’ I asked, with unease.

      ‘Possibly. One of the reasons you are here is so I can gather evidence.’ She met my gaze. There was a moment’s silence as the obvious question hung in the air between us: what had changed to make her act now?

      Jessie lowered her pen and sat back slightly in her chair. ‘I’ll explain,’ she said. ‘When I took Beth to see her father at the hospital, I stayed with them for most of the time – not because I had any concerns then, but because I wasn’t sure if Beth would want to stay the whole hour, or if Derek would find her visit too upsetting and have to cut it short. As a result I was able to observe the way they respond to each other, and I was shocked. Some of their behaviour is simply not appropriate for a father and his daughter.’

      I stared at Jessie and felt my pulse quicken.

      ‘Beth flirts with her father,’ Jessie continued. ‘And he does nothing to stop it. In fact, he encourages her. She kisses and cuddles him in a manner that can only be described as provocative or seductive. He allowed her to go round giving kisses and cuddles to some of the other male patients. I stopped that. I also stopped Beth from organizing a game of kiss chase with the other men. She had no idea it was wrong. She gives her affection far too freely and appears to be sexually aware beyond her years. She shows signs of sexualized behaviour. I arranged a meeting with the psychologist who’s been treating Derek, and we’ve agreed that, combined with other concerns raised, there were grounds to act, which is why I stopped contact.’

      I shivered despite the heat of the room. ‘So you think Beth’s been abused?’ I asked.

      ‘It’s possible,’ Jessie said.

      ‘By Derek?’

      ‘It’s possible,’ Jessie said again, and then looked down at her notepad. ‘Can we start with the photographs,’ she said.

      A large knotted ball had settled in the pit of my stomach. I felt sick. Poor Beth, I thought. Whatever had she been through? And how long had it been going on? Yet while I felt dreadfully sorry for Beth, I also felt vindicated. I had spotted something was wrong, as had Marianne and Miss Willow, and I’d been right to contact Jessie and voice my concerns. Pity she hadn’t believed me then, I thought.

      I began by telling Jessie why the framed photographs made me feel uncomfortable: because of the way Beth and her father were posing, and because Beth was wearing make-up, which made her look much older. ‘They look more like boyfriend and girlfriend than father and daughter.’ I said. ‘They’re not touching sexually. It’s more the overall impression. You’ll see it for yourself when you visit next week. It’s difficult to put into words, but there’s an intimacy in the way they are looking at each other that isn’t appropriate for a father and daughter.’

      ‘And the photograph Beth keeps under her pillow?’ Jessie asked. ‘I heard her tell her father that she sleeps with his picture, so it feels like he’s there in the bed with her.’

      I nodded. ‘It’s the largest of the framed photographs and also the most intimate. She kisses it goodnight and then sleeps with it under her pillow. It appears to have been taken while they were on holiday. Beth and her father are in their swimwear. They’re kneeling in the sand, facing each other, and have their lips pursed ready to kiss. I persuaded myself that there was nothing wrong with the photograph, or the others,’ I added reflectively as Jessie wrote.

      When she’d finished writing she looked up at me. ‘Beth told her father you’d taken some photographs of her.’

      ‘Yes, I have.’

      ‘He’s unhappy about that.’

      ‘Why?’ I asked, amazed. ‘They’re family photographs, in the park and on outings. I’ve given Beth a set.’

      Jessie made a note. ‘I’ll need to see those photographs when I visit,’ she said.

      ‘Yes, of course,’ I said with a stab of unease. I felt that I too was being investigated.

      ‘Is there anything else you can tell me about the photographs that Beth brought from home?’ Jessie asked.

      ‘No, I don’t think so,’ I said. ‘There’s fifteen of them and I’ve arranged them on the shelves in her bedroom, but you know that already.’

      Jessie nodded. ‘Now to the telephone calls. I appreciate you stopped staying with Beth when she phoned her father, but can you tell me what you heard when you were present?’

      If only I’d made some notes, I thought, as I tried to think back and remember. Having been reassured there was nothing wrong, I’d put the details from my mind. However, once I started to remember, the phone calls seemed even more significant now, in the light of Jessie’s investigation.

      ‘Beth sprawls on my bed to speak to her father, more like a teenager talking to her boyfriend than a little girl talking to her father,’ I said. ‘She smiles and laughs almost seductively, and twiddles the flex around her fingers. She changes out of her school uniform when she comes home and chooses a pretty dress to wear just to make the telephone call. She always told her father in great detail what she was wearing. He wanted to know everything – the dress, the petticoat and any accessories she was wearing. Beth often says she likes to look nice for her daddy, and he appears to encourage her. Sometimes, when she was describing what she was wearing, she’d lower her voice and flutter her eyelids in a sexy way. I remember once he asked her if she had clean knickers on, which made her laugh. It doesn’t seem funny now.’

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст СКАЧАТЬ