Nowhere Child by Rachel Abbott

Author:Rachel Abbott [Abbott, Rachel]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: N
Publisher: Black Dot Publishing Ltd
Published: 2015-10-13T22:00:00+00:00

14

Tasha looked appalling. Tom had thought she had looked bad enough after a few years living with Rory and Donna Slater, but that was nothing to what he saw in front of him now. She had always been small and slight for her age, but after eight months of living rough she was practically skeletal, and he doubted if she weighed 6 stone – the equivalent of two reasonably heavy suitcases. Her cropped hair made her head look tiny, and the dark tone drained any colour she had in her face, except for her nose, which was red from crying.

But she was alive – and Emma was clearly overjoyed.

He had been half longing for the moment for Emma’s sake and half dreading it – because he knew it wasn’t going to be as simple as Emma thought. He had tried to tell her this a hundred times, but she wouldn’t have any of it.

‘There are a few things we need to talk about,’ he said as they all sat down around the table. Emma didn’t wait for him to start.

‘I know what you’re going to say, Tom, and I’ve been thinking about it. We’ll go away for a little holiday – that will solve all the problems. By the time we’re back, it will all be over.’

Tasha was looking from one to the other, a slightly wary look on her tear-streaked face at the thought that there were problems.

‘Tasha,’ Tom said, ‘I would prefer to have this conversation with Emma while you’re in the room, because I think it’s really important that you don’t think anybody’s hiding anything from you or lying to you. You have to trust us – me, Emma, the police, social services – all of us.’

Tom caught Emma’s look. ‘Social services – what’s it got to do with them?’

Tom sighed. He had anticipated this but not managed to deal with it well. Emma had just ignored every breath he had uttered on the subject.

‘We have to tell them she’s back, Emma. She’s a minor and you don’t have parental responsibility for her.’

‘Yes I do. I’m her stepmother.’

‘Well, actually no you don’t – whatever you would like to believe. You can apply for it, but you don’t have it by default, and Tasha has never lived with you – barring those unfortunate days earlier in the year. So we have to tell them, or you’ll be breaking the law.’

Tom could see Emma’s mouth set in a determined line, and he decided to deal with that later.

‘Of more concern is the immediate threat to Tasha, and by association, to you and Ollie.’

Tasha’s head shot up.

‘But nobody knows I’m here.’

It was clear that Emma had said nothing to Tasha about Finn McGuinness or the phone call she had received, and Tom knew he had to play this carefully.

‘Not at the moment, that’s true. But I’m going to ask if you’ll do something, Tasha, something that will help us to send Finn McGuinness to prison for a very long time.

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