No One I Knew by A J McDine

Author:A J McDine [McDine, A J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cherry Tree Publishing
Published: 2021-03-12T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Eight

CORFU

FOUR YEARS EARLIER

A knock at the door made us both stiffen.

‘Who’s that?’ I said.

‘Me,’ Stuart said. ‘Just checking everything’s OK.’

At the sound of his voice Niamh paled, and she jammed her hands into her armpits and curled up like an autumn leaf. I caught her eye and raised my eyebrow, and she shook her head vigorously.

‘Everything’s fine,’ I said. ‘Niamh’s got an upset tummy, that’s all. Bill’s dodgy barbecuing skills, if you ask me.’ I took her hand and gave it a squeeze. ‘Who’s with Nate?’

‘Bill’s watching him. Is there anything I can do?’

‘No, you’re all right, thanks.’

‘We should have some Imodium somewhere.’

I rolled my eyes. Couldn’t the man take a hint? ‘She’s taken some. You’d better check Nate’s OK. I can’t believe you left Bill in charge. He’s the least responsible adult I know.’

Stuart grumbled something I couldn’t catch, and his footsteps disappeared down the landing. I sensed Niamh relax a fraction. It was no wonder the mere sound of a man’s voice terrified her after what she’d been through. But it was something she was going to have to overcome, because we needed to call the police, the sooner the better. There would be physical evidence to collect, the crime scene to examine. Witnesses to question.

I lifted Niamh’s hand. Dirt darkened her fingernails and an angry red scratch crossed the back of her hand, from the base of her thumb to her wrist.

‘Niamh, I’m going to find the number for the local police and call them, OK? We need to report the attack.’

Her eyes widened, and she snatched her hand back. ‘No!’

‘You don’t need to worry. I’ll be with you every step of the way,’ I promised, but she shook her head again.

‘You can’t make me.’

‘But they need to know what happened. What if he rapes someone else? We’d never forgive ourselves.’

‘It won’t happen again.’

‘You can’t know that.’ I touched her knee. ‘The police have specialist officers trained to deal with this kind of thing. And rape victims have automatic anonymity. No one will know it’s you, if that’s what you’re worried about.’ Although this was true for the UK, I had no clue if it was the case in Greece. But that was the least of our worries.

Niamh lifted her shoulders and brushed the hair off her face. ‘I’m not going to the police. I’m fine. It’s my fault for getting drunk. I deserved everything I got…’

Anger bubbled over and my voice was harsher than I intended. ‘No one deserves to be raped, Niamh. Let alone a teenage girl.’ Something terrible occurred to me. ‘Was it your first time?’

She covered her face and nodded.

‘Christ.’ I buried my head in my hands. This couldn’t be any worse. Niamh may have been eighteen, but she was still our responsibility. She’d been the victim of a sexual attack while under our care. An unwelcome thought wormed its way into my brain. Stuart said the party was a bad idea, and I mocked him for it, encouraging Niamh to have some fun with people her own age.

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