‘May I ask why?’
‘There was a complaint, and while her actions were commendable…’
‘Can we trouble you for the details?’
‘A boy named Robbie Steele. She had been his case worker for almost eight years. The boy lost both parents to drugs when he was nine years old. Ashley managed to keep him out of the system by placing him with his paternal grandmother. He wasn’t an easy child, and the grandmother wasn’t in the best of health, so Ashley continued to keep watch on them. About six months ago, she began to suspect that Robbie was getting physical with his grandmother as well as stealing her pension. The woman was losing weight and having a few too many accidents.
‘Ashley tried to get her to admit it, but she wouldn’t. Ashley tried to pass it to adult care, who weren’t that interested, and neither were the police when the grandmother refused to talk to them. Ashley knew it was because she was terrified of the boy, and he then got his grandmother to make a complaint. I had no choice but to…’
‘Of course,’ Kim said. ‘If I could have Robbie Steele’s address, I’d appreciate it.’
Out there was one angry kid who had almost had his meal ticket taken away from him by Ashley. That definitely deserved a closer look.
‘We understand that Ashley was also dealing with a problem family recently.’
‘She was. I mean, you have to understand that most families we deal with have some type of problem or we wouldn’t be involved.’
‘But this family is different?’
‘Yes because it resulted in a decision that none of us were happy with.’
‘Go on,’ Kim urged.
‘Ashley was tasked with assisting the Butler family four years ago. Dad Joe, mum Abby and their twin boys, aged three at the time. Abby suffered severe depression and had attempted to take her own life while Joe was on a business trip. With Ashley’s help, they set up a system of support that meant the boys remained in their care. A year later, Abby tried again. It was the final straw for Joe, who took the boys and left.
‘Two years on, Joe had divorced Abby, gained full custody of the boys and was married to a woman who adored his sons. Abby decided she was well enough to get the boys back, and with some financial help from her sister, she took Joe to court. She won.’
‘With Ashley’s approval?’ she asked, wondering what the woman had done wrong.
The man shook his head. ‘No, quite the opposite. After meeting with Abby, her report stated that the boys were best left with their father.’
‘But?’
‘Sometimes no matter what we say, the judge will base their decision on the performance given in court, and Abby performed very well. Unfortunately, Joe chose to put all the blame on Ashley, saying that the decision was made because her report wasn’t strong enough. He made quite the scene when he came here to complain.’
‘He came here?’ Kim asked, getting a measure of the man’s dissatisfaction.
‘Demanded a new case worker. Someone who would help him get his boys back. Called Ashley some terrible names.’
‘Did he threaten her at all?’
‘Just kind of wished bad things on her and her family. He left once we called the police.’
‘Did Ashley report it?’
‘No – she knew it wouldn’t look good for him at the next custody hearing. Despite his outburst, she still felt that the boys were better off with him.’
‘And what’s the timeline of all this?’ Kim asked.
‘The court date was three weeks ago.’
So, the anonymous Facebook user could definitely have been Joe Butler.
‘Is there anything else you know that might help?’ Kim asked.
He shook his head. ‘I’m really not lying when I say what a lovely person she was.’
‘Okay, thanks for your time,’ she said before standing.
