“Wow, you’ve left Olivia alone.” And now he has pissed me off with the inference of whatever. That I shouldn’t have left her or that I am so pathetic that I struggle to leave her alone. I am really on a roll with people to be pissed off with.
“And why wouldn’t I?” I snap.
“Whoa, calm down, son. I simply meant that you’re worried about her. She’s been hurt and she has this family background, no more.”
“Sorry,” I huff on a long sigh. “I didn’t want to leave her,” I admit. “We had a situation, business, and she was okay with it. She’s with her dad.”
“The birth father I assume?”
Just like that I am fucking furious rather than pissed off. “No, Dad, I have left her drinking tea with Raymond fucking Daniels and am just hoping he’s a changed man and won’t rape her in my absence!”
“Mason Victor Harding,” he snaps right back at me with a firmness only a parent can convey with the use of a middle name. “Calm the hell down. I don’t know why I asked if it was the birth father, but I meant nothing. And as for the stepfather, I doubt he is a changed man based on what I’ve heard.”
My heart is banging against my ribs with nausea, apprehension and fear at what he’s about to reveal and the fact that he has discovered anything in just a few hours surely has to be bad news.
“Shit,” I hiss and wait for him to continue.
“Raymond Daniels is known to several agencies including the local education authority, social services, the Inland Revenue and the police.”
“So why is he still wandering free?” I already know what he’s about to say, evidence.
“Lack of evidence, son. There are various police departments with an interest including vice, the human trafficking agency and immigration to name the major players. Social services have liaised with education because there is a tendency for this church to home school all the children up until eleven and then the boys seem to get sent to a local school, but not the girls.”
“Shit,” I say again. It is amazing to think that at sixteen Olivia left and was able to get a place at college and then university before graduating with that kind of education. “Don’t they have to inspect their school set up?” I already know that they do.
“Mmm…apparently inspections were missed in the past, however they have been inspected and deemed adequate more recently, but there were some concerns about the whole set-up which were passed to social services who visited and they too had concerns, but none sufficient for them to act.”
“Bloody hell. Have any of them made the connection between him and the doctor?”
“Yeah, nothing negative or concrete, but his wives are all treated by the doctor in question…”
“What?” I interrupt, wondering if I have heard my dad correctly, not about who the doctor treats but the fact that he just referred to Raymond having wives, not a wife. “Did you say wives?”
“Oh yes, about fourteen were known of at the last count.”
“But surely that’s bigamy. Can’t they get him for that?” I am desperate in my desire to have the vile excuse for a human beinggot.
“No, because he refers to them as his wives but there are no records to suggest he has entered into a legal marriage with any of them, non beyond Sylvia.”
“Sylvia?” I ask curiously.
“Yes, Sylvia Daniels, formerly Sylvia Carrington.”
“Ah, Olivia’s mum. What about Olivia’s brother, Scott?”
“No mention of him anywhere, but I am still looking into them all. I just wanted to update you, but Mase, keep Olivia close, all indications are that the net is closing in one way or another and that could make Raymond dangerous.”
“He always was,” I almost whisper as I think about what he forced Olivia to endure.
“Yeah, well if evidence or at least significant suspicion begins to gather he won’t have anything else to lose. Oh, and the police are going through Dr Mathers’ files and patient records to make contact, so…”
“So Olivia is likely to be discovered sooner or later.”
“Yeah, just be prepared.”
“Okay. Thanks, Dad.”
“No problem, son. I’ll speak to you soon. I love you.”
