‘What?’ I clamped my hands over my ears. My heart felt like it had been weighted with lead. Jack swept her up into his arms. Was this my fault? Was this karma?
Jack wanted to call the police. I pulled the phone out of his hand. ‘You can’t,’ I said, ‘once the police are involved, we lose control of the whole situation.’
‘What are you talking about? That bastard raped our child, just like –’
‘Jack!’ We had never told Lucy about the incident. I had barely talked about it in fifteen years, and the version I did tell, I almost believed to be true. But I knew. I hadn’t been raped. I had framed Milo Kelly. I had planted DNA evidence. I didn’t want to have to tell all the lies to my own child.
‘Please, Jack, let me,’ I said. ‘I know what the police will ask.’
Lucy looked from Jack to me, the tears spilling down her face, bewildered.
‘Darling, was this what you were wearing?’ The blouse was high-necked and sleeveless, the jacket was tight, the skirt was short, the sandals were high and her legs were long and bare.
‘Jesus, Ruby, I can’t believe you of all people are asking this question.’ Jack was annoyed.
‘Just shut up, Jack, I’m protecting her.’
‘Mum, why does it matter what I was wearing?’
I made her take off the jacket. Lucy had a beautiful shape, curvy in all the right places, like Erin had been at that age. Men would notice her. But there were bruises on her wrists, her upper arms and one shoulder. Her knees were bruised. I felt faint. I had to keep it together.
‘Is that what you normally wear to the office?’ I asked. Jack groaned and sighed heavily at me.
‘No, but I knew I was going out after work.’
‘Tell me about that again. Who arranged it?’
A blush passed her face. ‘Daniel asked me on Thursday if I wanted to go for a drink with him last night.’
I hadn’t met Daniel before, but I’d heard all about him.
‘I thought you said Simon had asked you and Daniel on Thursday?’
‘Well, he heard Daniel and me talking about it, and then he invited himself along.’
‘When you said in the beginning that Simon invited you and Daniel for an afterwork drink on Friday, that wasn’t true. Do you see what I mean, Lucy? If we get the police involved, they will grill you like this – you must be sure of everything.’
‘Mum, don’t you believe me?’
If she was lying, then she wasn’t raped, and it wasn’t my fault. I prayed that she was lying.
‘Of course I do. How much did you drink? In the pub? Before dinner?’
‘We had two or three with Daniel –’
‘Was it two or three, Lucy? These things matter.’
Jack slammed his fist on the table. ‘For God’s sake, Ruby, all that matters is whether she consented.’
I ignored him. ‘In the pub, was it two or three drinks?’
She looked up at me and I could almost see the cogs in her brain turning. She opted for the truth. ‘It might have been four.’ I looked at Jack. He closed his eyes, appalled by the irrelevance of the question. Or was he appalled by her lie? I couldn’t tell.
‘And Daniel was there all the time, for these four drinks? Was it beer, wine, spirits? What did you drink?’
‘Gin and tonics. Simon said they were proper summer drinks.’ She hadn’t answered the first part of the question.
‘And Daniel?’
