His Silence - Chapter 91

Three weeks later

Well, Emma was right about the press following us home. Our faces are splashed across the daily newspapers; it’s mainly the pictures taken of us outside the hospital. I thought this would’ve driven Emma mad, but even she’s stopped worrying about what people think of her, I don’t think she’s checked her horoscope app for days. I peek out the curtains. A couple of photographers are sitting outside the drive eating from bags of crisps. Surely there must be something more worthwhile for them to go and pursue?

‘This stinks,’ I say, flicking the curtain shut.

‘It’s only temporary,’ Callum replies. ‘There are so many people across the country, and the world, who are interested in what happened to you, it was bound to blow up.’

Callum’s been round here near enough every day since we got back. It’s weird to think of him as my boyfriend now. Every time I think of it, a warm fuzziness spreads through my belly. I’d asked him a couple of weeks ago, not worried if he might say no. I’m sure if he had we’d still be friends, and that would’ve been fine. I would’ve been cool with it. Who knows what the future holds for us now. Because of the media interest, we haven’t had the chance to go out on an actual date yet, we haven’t even been able to sit together in the garden, for fear of the media taking photographs of us. I shake my head and sit beside him on my bed. ‘Guess I didn’t think that far ahead.’

Callum rubs my back. ‘Perhaps, when they finally leave us alone, we could get out one day and go to the cinema.’

‘Wouldn’t that be something,’ I say, laughing, lying back against my bedroom wall. ‘Perhaps if I give them a statement, something . . .’

Callum shakes his head. ‘Honestly, Danielle, don’t do that, they won’t leave you alone at all after.’

I bite my lip. I’m about to respond when my mobile starts buzzing in my pocket. I fish it out. Max is calling me.

‘Hey, Max,’ I say, answering.

‘Hey, how’s thing?’ he asks.

‘Um, yep, not too bad, that’s if you don’t mind having the press camped outside on your driveway all day and night.’

‘Ah, something else will crop up soon that’ll grab their attention, people have very short attention spans, you know.’

‘Well, people have certainly been thinking about my family’s case for a long time, I can’t see it disappearing from their minds too.’ I kick myself that sounded like a slight dig at him. If he hadn’t been there for me, I may never have got to the truth. ‘Anyway, how’s things with you?’

‘Pretty mental if I’m honest. I’ve had loads of news stations call me, um; I’ve even been approached by a publisher to . . . to write a book about the case. They said they want to try and get it out before any trial takes place, which’ll probably be in a years’ time or so.’ 

I raise an eyebrow. ‘Really?’

‘But . . . I didn’t want to do anything without your permission first, Danielle.’

I think for a moment. People will be queuing up in bookshops to buy it, I’m sure. Max will become a bigger celebrity than he is now.

‘Go for it, Max,’ I say, sighing. ‘Someone else will try and write something, I’m sure, so I would rather it came from someone who has all the facts.’

Max breathes a sigh of relief. ‘I don’t suppose you’d want a signed copy, will you, when it comes out?’

I let out a slight laugh. ‘Um, I think I’ll pass on that, but, I just also wanted to say, thank you. It can’t have been easy for you to help me, especially with what happened to you the first time,’ I say.

‘It was a pleasure, Danielle,’ he says. ‘And don’t be a stranger, my doors always open if ever you want to talk.’

‘I’ll bear that in mind.’ Perhaps people should know about what happened. The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth and then people can take it or leave it. 

‘Anyway, catch you later, Danielle,’ he says.

‘See you, Max.’

The phone goes dead.

‘A book deal, huh?’ Callum says. He must’ve been able to hear Max.

‘Yep, all sorts of deals will be coming out of the woodwork now.’ I say, thinking back to what Sarah said to me about how things will get easier.

There’s a knock on my bedroom door. Emma eases it open.

‘Danielle, the family liaison officer would like to speak to you.’

‘Is she here?’ I ask my heart pounding. I squeeze my duvet cover tight.

Emma nods. ‘She’s downstairs.’

I get up from the bed, my head spinning. ‘Let’s go,’ I say to Callum.

Emma follows us as we both hurry down the stairs. The woman, Hannah Jones, I think she said her name was, is sitting on the sofa underneath the front window. She smiles at me as we both step foot in the living room. The television's been paused, I think its Bargain Hunt, one of Emma's guilty pleasures. 

‘Danielle,’ Hannah says.

‘You . . . you have an update for me?’ I ask my head spinning. Keep calm. You’re past the worst of it all now. You’re safe.

‘Yes,’ she says, as Emma slips into the room behind us, I feel her hot breath on the back of my neck. ‘I’m sure you’ll be pleased to know that Mary has confessed.’

My eyes widen. Emma let's out a gasp. ‘She’s confessed,' I say.

‘To your parent’s murder and Noah’s.’

I hold my hand to my forehead and collapse into the sofa. ‘I thought . . . I thought her solicitor was advising her to –’ I can’t get the words out; it’s like my brains not functioning right.

‘I think she’s in mourning, because of what she’s lost with the house and everything else, she may well have seen that there was no point in holding on. I don’t think her solicitor was best pleased though, when she did break her silence. We have conducted lengthy interviews with Oliver and he’s also confessed to his part in what happened, although he’s not likely to face the same sort of sentence as Mary, perhaps the most we can expect, is he could be sentenced for perverting the cause of justice.’

‘What about the DNA?’ I ask.

‘We’re still waiting for the results, which we should receive soon, but it is likely the DNA is going to be a match for Mary, but at the same time, it may not, so don’t get your hopes up. But we have Mary’s confession, and that’s a big thing.’

I swallow; she could still retract that at any time. She could say the police bullied her into confessing, it’s happened before. These people, it gives them some sort of kick. I squeeze my fists.

‘And what about Harvey?’

‘We have sufficient enough evidence now to recommend his immediate release,’ she says.

I gasp. He’s going to be released. My brother’s going to be released.

‘Danielle, are you OK?’ Emma asks.

I nod, but inside my head’s like a tornado. ‘Yep, I’m fine, Mum.’

‘Where will he go?’ I ask.

‘I think that’ll be up to Harvey and you what happens next,’ Hannah says with a faint smile. Up to me. I sink into the sofa. Harvey could live here with us for the time being. ‘There’s just one more thing before I go, Danielle. Oliver asked if we could forward this letter to you, given the circumstances, it was agreed that this could be done. But you don’t have to accept it, you –’

‘No it’s fine, you can give it to me,’ I say. Oliver’s written to me. I think back to our last moments together at the house, he was on the floor, blood pooling around him.

Hannah hands me a white envelope and for a moment I feel I’m back where this all started, with the letter from Harvey. I take it. 

It’s only when Callum leaves half an hour later that I take the letter to my room and open it. Oliver’s handwriting is scrawled. What must’ve been going through his mind as he was writing it? My heart pounds as I sit on my bed to read it.

            Danielle, I know I will have to pay for the part I played in everything that’s happened over the past thirty years, but I couldn’t start this next phase of my life without speaking to you in some way. Believe me, your mother and I did love each other, in our own way. If there was a chance we could’ve been together, I would’ve been the best father to you. It’s your choice if you want anything to do with me from now on; I’m not going to force you, especially with what you’ve been through. But I wanted to let you know, I’ve left you Raven House. It’s up to you what you want to do with it, you can live in it, or, and I assume you might prefer the latter, you can sell it. It’s the least I can do for you. But please know this, Danielle, I will always think of you, until the end of my days.

            Oliver

He’s leaving me the house. I sink back into my pillows, tears sliding down my cheeks as I think of his words over and over. This could be the start of a brand new life for me. There’s no way I want to keep the house, hell no. Not after everything that happened there. But I could sell it. I read his words again, letting it sink in. I actually own a house.