‘I only need her first name. I don’t really want to?—’
‘Please, just a minute,’ Penn said, although he could hear the distance that had come into Kenny’s voice, along with a little bit of fear. Almost like talking about her would take him back to that time. ‘We need to know more about her.’
‘Mate, if you’re a copper, you can find out everything she did. I made enough reports about it. Thank God it was only my tyres that got slashed before she finally stopped.’
‘I’ve got the reports. I know the hell she put you through. But what sparked it?’ Penn asked.
‘I broke up with her. I’d had enough. She was obsessive, jealous, sometimes controlling. She had to be in charge of everything. It was too much. I was suffocated.’
‘What was the last straw?’ Penn asked. Often, abusive relationships evolved over time, but he was interested to know what had broken the camel’s back.
Understanding his question, the man explained. ‘Sometimes, she’d get a bee in her bonnet and she wouldn’t let it go. One time she got a parking ticket for thirty quid. It was fair, but she fought it for months. Eventually cost her over two grand in court costs, but she just wouldn’t let it go.’
‘Was that the…?’
‘God no. I’d got used to that kind of thing. We had a young girl start at the yard. I’m a plumber, and Jazzy was an apprentice straight out of college. I didn’t mention it because I knew how she’d react, but she found out and accused me of sleeping with her. It was never just one accusation, a denial and then done. Oh no, it was an accusation on the hour, every hour until I told the truth. I was telling the truth. I didn’t have the right equipment for Jazzy, if you know what I mean, and she was little more than a kid anyway.’
‘What happened?’ Penn prompted.
‘She started messaging the poor girl, calling her names and telling her to stay away from me. She turned up at the yard trying to catch us up to something. Jazzy was terrified, and my boss wasn’t too chuffed either. That’s when I realised how extreme her behaviour was and it was time for me to end it.’
‘And she wouldn’t leave you alone?’
‘I should have known that’s how she’d react. Once she gets the bit between her teeth, there’s no reasoning with her. I’m just glad the court case finally put an end to it.’
‘May I ask you… did you ever seriously fear for your life?’
There was no hesitation in Kenny Wade’s response. ‘Yes, I can honestly say I did.’
Seventy-Three
‘Where’s the child, Stone?’ Woody thundered as she stepped into his office.
‘Safe,’ Kim said, taking a seat.
She’d made her decision the second she’d seen Ava pulling her pink suitcase out of Stacey’s spare room. No tantrums, no theatrics, just quiet acceptance that she had no control over where she was being sent next.
She’d had no other choice, and she’d known that her boss would be waiting for her. She hadn’t even checked into the squad room before coming to receive her bollocking.
‘You do know that you’ll be facing disciplinary action for this?’ he spat.
‘Absolutely,’ she answered.
She’d known that from the minute she’d knocked on Daniel’s door. She didn’t care. Ava was back where she belonged.
‘I mean, what the hell possessed you to interfere in a child services investigation?’
‘Sir, with all due respect, I would rather swim in shark-infested waters with an open wound than deliver that child to Hollytree. She wouldn’t survive it. I tried everything in my power to stop her being handed over to a family who don’t want her. She’s a child with special needs who was facing years of neglect just so some lazy fuckers could get her disability money. She doesn’t know them, and they don’t know her.’
‘They’re her family,’ he growled.
‘They’re blood relatives, sir. There’s a big difference. When Ashley was alive, she had nothing to do with them and kept Ava away from them. That’s not family. Daniel Reynolds has taken care of her since she was a toddler. He is her father.’
‘He has been accused of sexually abusing her,’ he raged.
‘Only by the scum that want her for the benefits.’ She paused. ‘After all the years you’ve known me, do you really think I did this recklessly, without due consideration?’
‘Right now, I think you’ve lost your damn mind.’
