Kesey sighed. ‘I’m so very sorry to hear that. It must have been truly awful for you. But it’s going to be different this time.’
‘Mike found me again on the first day he was out. He followed me down a backstreet after dark and dragged me back to his place. He told me he’d kill me if I ever spoke to the police again. And I believed him too. I still believe him. He’s one vicious bastard. I think he’s capable of almost anything. The quicker you’re out of here, the happier I’ll be. Because someone will tell him, they always do. He knows a lot of people in this town. They like him. He’s got spies everywhere.’
Kesey bounced a knee. Her question seemed redundant, pointless in the circumstances, but she had to ask it. What other choice did she have? ‘So, am I right in thinking you’re not ready to make a statement?’
‘Not a fucking chance.’
Kesey swallowed again, wondering why her mouth felt so very parched. She knew the system was inadequate. She knew it sometimes let victims down. But it was all she had. She had to work with it, failings and all. ‘Okay, I get that. I understand where you’re coming from. And I’m not going to try to pressure you into doing something you don’t want to do.’
Sally’s expression hardened. ‘Is that it, then? Are you going to piss off and leave me alone?’
Kesey moved to the very edge of her seat, leaning forward. ‘I’m not ready to give up on you quite yet.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘You’re in control. I won’t try to force you into anything you don’t want to do. You’ve had more than enough of that in your life. But that doesn’t mean I can’t help you. I can ask the Crown Prosecution Service to prosecute Pearson without the need for you to appear in court. There should be more than enough evidence for a GBH charge. I can’t promise you it would be successful, but there’s an excellent chance, even without your direct involvement. Pearson may even plead guilty when his lawyer sees the full weight of evidence. The photographs alone would be more than enough to persuade most juries to reach a guilty verdict.’
Sally’s face took on an ugly, twisted sneer as she shook her head. ‘No, not a chance, don’t even think about it. The bastard would make me drop the charges. And I would too. I’d do it in a heartbeat. Look at the state of me. It’s too dangerous. I can’t take the risk.’
The detective took a deep breath, inhaling through her nose and then slowly exhaling from her mouth for a silent count of three. ‘You’re not grasping what I’m telling you. I understand everything you’ve said, honestly, I do. I’m sure I’d feel much the same in your place. But putting pressure on you to drop the case wouldn’t help Pearson at all. I can talk to the prosecuting lawyers later today. If they go for it, I can tell him he’s being taken to court despite your wishes to the contrary. I’d make it crystal clear that it’s totally beyond your control. That you’ve got no say in his being prosecuted, none whatsoever. And I’d do all I could to get him remanded in custody. I think it’s highly likely I’d succeed given his history of violence. He could be safely banged up in the remand wing at Swansea Prison by tomorrow at the latest. How does that sound?’
Sally wiped away a tear, nodding. There was the hint of a smile on her face but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. ‘Yeah, yeah, I’ll believe it when I see it. Harris was full of crap. One empty promise after another. Maybe you’re the same.’
‘I’m sorry if he let you down.’
‘If? Fucking if! I don’t think there’s much doubt about it, is there?’
‘I’ll do everything I can to change your situation for the better, that’s a promise. You have my word, one woman to another.’
‘I don’t want you coming here again.’
Kesey’s disappointment was almost palpable. She’d really thought she was winning. ‘Oh, come on, Sally, you could be lying there worrying unnecessarily if I don’t keep you informed. I can keep in touch by phone if you’d prefer.’
‘What happened to me being in control? That didn’t last very long. What was it, about two minutes?’
Kesey felt inclined to argue, but she decided against. The girl had a point. ‘We can do this your way, whatever’s best for you.’
‘You want me to talk to you on the phone? Are you winding me up? You haven’t got a fucking clue. If Mike gets out, he’ll check the thing. He’ll go through every call. He always does.’
Kesey silently admonished herself for her lack of insight. ‘Okay, so how about I provide you with a new pay-as-you-go with a few pounds credit? Pearson needn’t know about it. What do you think? I could have it delivered to you today, here on the ward. All you have to do is say the word.’
Sally paused before responding. ‘There’s a payphone in the dayroom. I could call you from there. Although I can’t see that happening. You lot are next to useless. What would be the point?’
Kesey blew the air from her mouth. ‘Are you okay for cash?’
‘There isn’t exactly much to spend on in here.’
‘I was thinking about the payphone.’
‘It’s not a problem. I’ve got my benefit money. If I decide to ring, I can.’
Kesey rose to her feet, pushing her chair aside. She handed Sally a small card with her name and the central switchboard number printed on one side in bold capitals, black on white. ‘Call that number and ask for me. I had a quick word with your consultant. It’ll likely be days rather than weeks before you’re out of here. Have you got anywhere to go?’
Sally stared into the distance, shoulders hunched over her chest. She looked suddenly smaller, almost childlike. As if the situation had carried her back in time. ‘No, there’s nowhere.’
‘What about your sister’s place? You’ve stayed there before. Why not again?’
‘She’s got a new bloke in her life. A right miserable git who can’t stand the sight of me. He threw me out the last time I slept on the sofa. He rushed me right out into the street. I didn’t even have time to get dressed. I was out there in my knickers and a T-shirt until he threw my things out after me. The bastard’s off his fucking head!’
Kesey pressed her lips together. ‘Is there nowhere else, your parents’ place, maybe?’
Sally laughed, a harsh laugh that had nothing to do with humour. ‘I grew up in care from the age of six. Foster homes and then kids homes when I got a little older, one move after another. My birth parents weren’t the nicest people in the world. Mum was on the game. Dad was her pimp. He’d sell her to anyone who’d pay. All that mattered was the heroin. And he never knew what to do with his hands. He didn’t know whether to punch me or stroke me. Neither was great. I don’t know which I hated the most. I think it was probably the stroking. I still feel his filthy hands on me sometimes when I’m alone in the dark.’
‘It can’t have been easy. I’m sorry you had such a hard time.’
‘Oh, he was always sorry. Until he did it again. And Mum didn’t give a shit. I haven’t seen either of them for years. Hopefully, it will stay that way. They had fuck-all interest in me, and I feel the same about them, good fucking riddance. I thought I’d won the lottery when I first met Mike. A mature bloke, the odd spliff, a place of his own. But that all went sour pretty quickly. He didn’t show his true colours until I moved in.’