The Witness by Jane Bidder

Author:Jane Bidder
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781783751389
Publisher: Accent Press
Published: 2014-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

“Don’t go to court if you love your mum.”

The words rang round and round Kayleigh’s head. Of course she loved her mum, even though common sense told her that she had every right not to. Hadn’t Mum thrown her out in favour of Ron? But something, deep down inside her, couldn’t throw Mum out of her heart.

Just as she couldn’t get rid of the hope that a bit of Mum loved her too.

Wasn’t that why she’d rung? Not just because she was scared of being hurt but because she was worried for her own daughter? That was it! Mum had never been great at showing affection, apart from all that lovey-dovey stuff she showered over the various men she brought back. But she proved it in different ways. Look at the time she’d come back from the market and casually tossed a pair of trainers over to her.

They had been a bit tight but Kayleigh gratefully wore them anyway. It had been the first time Mum had bought her anything for years! That’s why she still wore them.

Kayleigh thought all these things, and more, as she tossed and turned in the bunk bed above Hope on the night before the trial. She’d thought, briefly, of telling Angie about Mum begging her not to go to court. But then she might tell Marc who would spout off about doing the right thing because that’s what “God would want”. He’d probably tell the social worker too and the police might come and put her in handcuffs to force her to give evidence.

That had happened to one of Callum’s friends at his trial.

Even if she gave her evidence on a screen, away from people’s faces like the policeman had said she could, she’d still get Mum into trouble.

No, Kayleigh told herself as the early dawn light poured in through the window. The best thing to do was to fool everyone. To go to court and then run off before they made her say anything. She’d just have to find somewhere to hide, that was all.

There was a knock from the bunk bed below. “Stop moving around, will you?” hissed Hope crossly. “I can’t sleep.”

Even if it wasn’t for the trial, Kayleigh told herself, she’d have to run away. There was no way she was sticking this for much longer.

“Ready?” sang out Angie through the door.

She spoke as though they were going on some kind of picnic. They’d been on one of those the day before yesterday. Marc had made them trek through all these muddy fields and kept stopping to point out some flower or creepy green insect. Then Angie had got them to sit down, right next to a pile of cow poo, and brought out a plastic box of something called hew moss. It was made of chickpeas apparently and had made Kayleigh throw up.

Right now, Kayleigh would have given anything to go on a picnic instead of court.

“Are you dressed?” Angie sang out again.

“Yes,” lied Kayleigh, looking at the black dress Angie had put out for her the night before.

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