Samantha

‘Faster Danielle. Right here, just after that tree.’

‘Samantha we’re surrounded by these bloody trees. Any particular tree you have in mind?’

‘There, turn there. Good. Now straight on and we’re there. Pull up by Daniel’s Landrover.’

I jumped out of the car and almost fainted with the pain as I had pulled with my hands and the burns sent streaks of impulses screaming from my nerve endings. Half stumbling I crashed into the cottage doorway nearly knocking Daniel over.

‘You can’t go in there,’ said a young but authoritative voice. ‘It’s a crime scene.’

‘Constable it’ll be another bloody crime scene if I don’t come in here,’ I panted as I pushed my way through the door.

‘You can’t come in. Sergeant’s orders.’

‘Who’s looking after the victims constable? Who’s looking after the welfare of Betty Ferris?’

Constable Meadows looked around the room. He turned back to me with a smile on his face. ‘It’s fine Miss,’ he said, pleased with himself, ‘her husband is looking after her. See, he’s over there next to her. She’s fine.’

I tried to contain my fury and frustration. I gritted my teeth and took a deep breath.

‘Constable,’ I said, very quietly and softly, ‘her husband is the last person she wants to comfort her at this very moment. Look how she is trying to shrink away from him. She wants to disappear and she wants her husband to disappear too. Listen, at this very moment Betty Ferris feels dirty, ugly, used, abused and absolutely disgusted with herself. She wants to curl up into a ball and die. She’s just been raped. Constable you can’t imagine what that is like but trust me she feels like shit and I’m going to softly and carefully walk in there, not messing up your bloody crime scene one little bit, and sit down with Betty and hold her. Someone who understands, who can empathise needs to hold her and tell her they love her, they need her and that everything will wash away. And that someone isn’t John Ferris. Look constable, John Ferris isn’t really here either. Just look at his face. He’s miles away.’

I had kept my voice low and gentle and PC Meadows was mesmerised. Daniel had stood there very quietly and not moving. I walked slowly but deliberately past the carnage on the floor and avoiding the blood and the debris until I was standing in front of John.

‘John, John can you hear me? Look at me John. It’s me, Samantha. I want you to get up and move over to that corner by the window please. It’ll be easier for Betty if I sit here. Can you do that for me John?’ In a daze John pulled himself up and looking through me he stumbled over to the corner by the window and slumped down again. I turned and looked at Betty as she tried to make herself even smaller. Very slowly I lowered my aching back down the wall and turned towards her huddled sobbing body. I gently wrapped my bandaged hands over her shoulders and pulled her towards my chest. She opened her eyes and noticed my bandaged hands. ‘Your hands Miss; what have you done to your hands? You poor thing.’

‘Rest Betty. I’m fine. Let it all go. It’s over and you’re still here with me. The kids will wonder where you are but I checked and they are fine too. Here, rest your head on my chest and cry your heart out.’