Girl Alone: Joss came home from school to discover her father’s suicide. Angry and hurting, she’s out of control. (24 page)

‘I did too,’ Joss said.

‘Anyway, love, enough of me. I know you’ll want to talk to the others.’

Joss looked at me, puzzled. ‘Grandpa?’ she asked her nana.

‘Yes, he’ll want to speak to you, but talk to your mum first. She will be pleased you’ve phoned.’

‘Mum!’ Joss exclaimed. ‘Is Mum there?’

‘Yes, of course, pet. I’ll call her now.’

‘What?’ Joss said, turning to me, the colour draining from her face.

We heard her nana call ‘Linda!’ Then she said to Joss, ‘She’s coming.’

‘Is Kev there too?’ Joss asked, shocked.

‘Yes, of course. He’s with Grandpa. Speak to them when you’ve spoken to your mother.’

‘Nana, is my stepfather there?’ Joss asked tightly.

‘Good heavens, no, love. Of course not. Not after what he’s done. Your mother’s told us what happened and it’s shocking. I just wish we’d known sooner.’

There are times in life when you don’t have the information you need to make an informed decision, but a decision is required. With no idea what was going on or what part Joss’s grandparents had played in their daughter and grandson’s disappearance, I was tempted to take the handset from Joss and find out. I was sure Joss wouldn’t mind, for she was looking as shocked and confused as I felt. But Linda was already on the phone. ‘Hello, Joss?’ her mother said in a small voice.

‘Mum, what’s going on? You’re supposed to be missing. The police are looking for you.’

‘I can’t talk now,’ Linda said under her breath, presumably so her parents couldn’t hear. ‘I’ll try to phone you later.’

‘No. I want to talk to you now!’ Joss demanded.

‘I can’t, not now.’ There was desperation in Linda’s voice. ‘Please, love. I’m sorry. I’ll phone as soon as I can, I promise. Kevin is fine, so there is no need for you to worry.’

‘Mum!’ Joss said. But the line went dead. Joss and I stared at each other.

Let me phone her back,’ I said, taking the handset from Joss. I cleared the line and pressed redial.

The phone rang about half a dozen times and then Joss’s nana answered. ‘Hello?’ she said tentatively.

‘It’s Cathy, Joss’s foster carer.’

‘Oh, I see. I don’t understand what’s going on here. My daughter was supposed to be talking to my granddaughter, but she’s fled upstairs, crying. She’s saying she has to leave straight away.’

‘She mustn’t do that,’ I said. I didn’t know what Joss’s nana had been told, but I guessed it probably wasn’t the truth. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.’

‘Joan.’

‘Joan, I’m not sure what’s going on either, but we need to ask you – did you know that Linda, Kevin and Eric are registered as missing?’

‘Missing? No. What do you mean?’

‘They left home on Wednesday evening and haven’t been heard of since. No one knew where they’d gone, because Linda didn’t leave a forwarding address. The police have been looking for them.’

‘What?’ Joan exclaimed. ‘But Linda and Kevin have been here with us all the time. I don’t know where Eric is and I don’t care. Linda didn’t tell anyone where she was going because she’s left her husband and doesn’t want him to find her.’

‘So Eric hasn’t been there at all?’

‘No. I wouldn’t have him in my house again after what he’s done.’

‘And the police and social services haven’t been in touch with you?’

‘No. Why should they? It’s Eric they’re looking for.’

I realized Joan knew some of what had happened but not all.

‘Joan, the police are looking for Eric, but they thought the three of them were together. I don’t understand why no one has contacted you, they should have done. Do you know why Linda and Kevin are staying with you?’

‘I told you,’ Joan said a little sharply and clearly stressed. ‘Because Linda has left her husband. She had nowhere else to go. She confided in me. I now know what a wicked man he is and the bad things he’s done to Joss and Kevin. She needs time to adjust and the support of her family.’ Her voice trembled.

‘Joan, I’m afraid there’s more to it than that, and Linda mustn’t run away again. She has to contact the police or social services.’

‘Why? She hasn’t done anything wrong.’

This was so difficult. What I needed to say was going to shock and upset Joan. ‘I’m afraid she has,’ I said. ‘I appreciate why Linda ran away, because she couldn’t bear to lose Kevin as well as Joss, but the social services have a court order to bring Kevin into foster care.’

‘Why?’ Joan cried, distraught.

‘Because Eric has been abusing Kevin, and Linda failed to protect him. She’s been standing by Eric, defending him, and he has been living at the house. The social services had no alternative but to apply to the court for a Care Order to remove Kevin for his own safety. That’s why Linda ran away, and I’m afraid it’s a police matter now.’ Harsh though it was, Joan needed to understand the seriousness of what had happened, and she did.

‘I can’t believe this is happening to us,’ she cried.

‘I’m so sorry, but you had to know. Linda mustn’t run away again with Kevin. It will make her case even worse.’

Joan was crying, and Joss, who had heard some of the conversation, was looking at me, concerned and close to tears herself. Then I heard a male voice in the background say, ‘Joan, whatever is the matter?’

‘Oh, Andrew,’ I heard her sob. ‘The police are looking for Linda. They want to take Kevin into foster care, like Joss.’

There was a pause and then the man came on the line: ‘Hello, I’m Andrew, Linda’s father and the children’s grandfather. Please tell me what is going on. My wife is very upset.’

‘I’m Joss’s foster carer, Cathy,’ I began. ‘I appreciate how upsetting this is for you both.’ I then told him the sequence of events that had led to Linda fleeing with Kevin and arriving at their house, finishing with the present position – that there was a court order to take Kevin into care and the police were looking for Linda, Kevin and Eric, as no one knew where they were.

Andrew gave a long, heartfelt sigh. ‘What a mess,’ he said. ‘My wife and I had no idea. Linda told us she’d left Eric because he’d been abusing the children. We didn’t know the police were looking for her, or that Kevin was going to be taken into care. But once we tell the social services that Kevin is with us then everything will be all right. Linda, Kevin and Joss can stay here until they can return home.’

I knew it wasn’t going to be that simple. ‘It may take a while to sort out,’ I said gently. ‘There’s a court order in place for Kevin, and the child protection services will need to be satisfied he’s safe.’

‘Of course he’s safe with us,’ Andrew said brusquely.

‘I know, but the social services will need to see for themselves, so what I’m saying is, it may take time to sort out.’

‘I can’t see why,’ he said bluntly. ‘We’re the children’s grandparents.’

‘I know,’ I said, and left it at that. Andrew clearly didn’t know the workings of the social services as I did and that grandparents had very few rights when it came to children in care.

He cleared his throat. ‘So what is the next step? How do we progress?’ he asked a little more amicably. ‘Linda can’t return home while Eric is there.’

‘No,’ I agreed. ‘One of us will need to contact the police or social services to tell them they’ve been found and where they are.’

‘Then what will happen?’

‘I’m not sure of the exact procedure,’ I said honestly, ‘but someone, probably a social worker, will visit you.’

‘And when they see that Kevin is fine they’ll get rid of that ridiculous court order and concentrate on finding the person responsible for all of this – and hopefully lock him up for a long time. I know what I’ll do if I find him first.’

‘The police
are
looking for Eric,’ I said, ‘but they thought he was with Linda and Kevin.’

‘He’s not, and never has been. He won’t come here if he knows what’s good for him. So we need to phone the social services or the police and tell them they’re here?’

‘Yes. As soon as possible.’

‘Perhaps you should do that as you’re used to dealing with them. Linda told me you have a lot of experience and know how to talk to the social worker. I might make things worse if I get angry with them.’

‘I can phone them,’ I said. ‘I’ll need your contact details.’

‘I’ll give them to you now.’

I reached for the pen and paper by the phone. ‘Go ahead,’ I said, and I wrote down the address Andrew gave me. ‘I should phone them straight away.’

‘I understand, but before you do I’d like to speak to my granddaughter, if that is all right?’ he asked in a more conciliatory tone. ‘And I’m sure she’ll want to talk to her brother. Her mother is too upset to talk now.’

‘I’ll put Joss on,’ I said, and passed the handset to her.

‘Hello, Grandpa,’ she said in small voice. ‘I’ve missed you all very much. I’m sorry I’ve caused you so much trouble.’ And the tears that had been building in her eyes now escaped and ran down her cheeks.

I passed her a tissue and she wiped her face as her grandpa spoke. I couldn’t hear all of what he said, but I caught the gist of it. He sensibly reassured her that it wasn’t her fault and that they all loved and missed her very much. He said Kevin and her mother were safe and well, and that she mustn’t worry about them, as everything would be sorted out soon and they would all be reunited. Joss nodded and managed a small smile. I just hoped he was right.

When they’d finished Kevin came on the line and Joss’s tears fell again. She told him she missed him, loved him loads and blew kisses down the phone. ‘I forgive you for all the horrible things you’ve done to me,’ she said, smiling through her tears. ‘I even forgive you for putting those slugs in my shoes and salt in my orange juice.’

Kevin must have said he was worried he would never see her again, for Joss said, ‘Don’t worry, Kev, you’ll see me soon. Grandpa is going to sort everything out. You be a brave boy and give teddy a kiss from me. We’ll all be together soon.’

Blowing a final farewell kiss down the line, Joss passed the phone back to me. ‘Grandpa wants to speak to you,’ she said, wiping her eyes again.

I put the phone to my ear. ‘Hello?’

‘Cathy, you can make that call now,’ Andrew said sombrely. ‘But please make sure they understand that Linda was only doing what she thought was best. She didn’t mean any harm. She loves her children more than anything. Tell them, Cathy.’

‘I will,’ I said.

I felt as though I was betraying them as I pressed the number for Homefinders, but as bad as I felt, I had no choice other than to notify the authorities. For an agency carer it’s usual practice to contact the agency first, unless it’s an emergency, when the carer would obviously call the emergency services. The phone rang, and Joss stood. ‘I’m going upstairs to tell the others Mum and Kev have been found,’ she said.

I nodded as the phone connected. Jill answered, on out-of-hours duty, which I was grateful for as it saved me from going over all the background with a colleague. ‘Linda and Kevin have been found,’ I said with utter relief. Then I told her what had happened – from Joss wanting to phone her grandparents, to the conversation I’d just had with her grandfather.

Jill had been a social worker for a long time and not much surprised her any more. She listened in silence until I’d finished, when she said stoically, ‘Well, at least they’ve been found. I’m glad you explained to the grandpa that the social services will need to make sure Kevin is safe. It won’t happen overnight. They’ll run background checks first and assess them. I’ll phone the duty social worker now and they’ll notify the police. They may leave Kevin where he is for the night if he’s not in danger. Give me the grandparents’ contact details, please, and I’ll get things moving.’

I read out their details.

‘I can’t imagine why they weren’t contacted by the police,’ Jill said as I finished. ‘Family is the first place they look for a missing person.’

‘I know, and I’m sure they were telling the truth when they said no one had contacted them. They both seemed genuinely shocked when I told them.’

‘I guess we’ll find out what went wrong in time,’ Jill said with a certain resignation. ‘I wonder what made Linda change her mind and believe Kevin and Joss rather than Eric.’

‘I don’t know. I didn’t speak to Linda. She was too upset.’

‘And Joss is OK?’ Jill asked.

‘Very relieved. She’s upstairs now telling Paula, Lucy and Adrian that her mum and brother have been found.’

‘I wonder where Eric is, if he’s not with them,’ Jill said.

‘No idea, but Andrew was adamant he wouldn’t go there.’

‘OK. I’ll pass all this on. The police will find him. Thankfully, he’s nowhere near Kevin or Joss. I’ll phone you this evening if there’s anything you need to know, and then a colleague will be on duty over the weekend. Call us if you need to, otherwise I’ll speak to you first thing on Monday. You should sleep easier now they’ve been found. I know I will.’

‘Most definitely,’ I agreed.

There is a common expression that foster carers often have cause to use in their work when a situation is even stranger than fiction: ‘You couldn’t make this lot up.’ What happened next is a perfect example of that: it was so incredible that I struggled to believe what I was seeing.

Having said goodbye to Jill, I went upstairs and headed to Lucy’s room, where Joss was still excitedly telling the girls about her mum and brother being at her grandparents’ house all along. Joss hadn’t told Adrian the good news yet, but given the level of her voice and the girls’ squeals of delight I thought he probably already knew. I’d just stepped into Lucy’s room when the doorbell rang. I went out again and downstairs to answer the door. I thought it was probably a charity collector, or a salesperson, or possibly my good neighbour Sue, who occasionally popped in on a Friday. It was just before seven o’clock, and although it was beginning to get dark outside it was still reasonably early and there was no reason for me to be extra-vigilant (as I’d had to be with some children I fostered), so I didn’t check the security spyhole first before opening the door.

I immediately regretted my decision.

Standing in the porch, unshaven and in a crumpled suit, was Eric.

‘Please don’t be alarmed,’ he said, seeing my shocked expression. ‘I know what you’ve been told, but it’s not true. I’ve come to explain.’

‘You don’t need to explain to me,’ I said sharply. ‘It’s the police and court you’ll be telling.’

‘But I don’t want you to think badly of me,’ he said pathetically. ‘If I could just take a moment of your time and explain.’

‘No,’ I said, and began to close the door.

‘Please,’ he said, putting his hand lightly on the door. ‘Just for a moment. You owe me that.’

‘I don’t owe you anything,’ I said bluntly. ‘I’m going to call the police.’

He glanced at the telephone on the hall table, which could be seen from the door. ‘But you don’t understand, Cathy,’ he said imploringly. ‘If I could come in for a few minutes and explain, you’d understand then.’ It was said so rationally and reasonably you could almost believe him, if you hadn’t heard his stepdaughter describe what he’d done to her.

‘No. You can go to the police station and tell them,’ I said. ‘The police are looking for you.’

‘I know, they came to the house. I had to hide until they’d gone.’

I began to close the door again.

‘No, listen, please,’ he said. ‘Just for a moment. I love those children – I would never harm them. I just didn’t know how to treat them. I’ve never had children of my own. I can see now that they may have misinterpreted some of my actions, but I never meant them any harm, honestly.’

‘Tell the judge,’ I said, and closed the door.

My heart was pounding, my legs were trembling and I felt physically sick. I sat heavily on the chair by the phone table, picked up the handset and dialled 999. The operator asked which emergency service I wanted and I replied, ‘The police.’ I was put through immediately and the woman officer asked for my name and address, and then what the emergency was. I said that a man called Eric – who was registered missing and was being sought in connection with a child-abuse enquiry – had just come to my house. I was asked to hold as she logged the details into her computer.