Chapter 98

Chapter 98

The atmosphere in the room was heavy and hostile. Jackie Reynolds's mood had veered from outrage and indignation to despair and self-pity, before lapsing into sullen silence. She seemed determined to resist any and all enquiries, but Helen's blood was up and she was determined to hold her feet to the fire.

‘You've known all along, haven't you?'

‘Known what?' Reynolds' wife returned truculently, folding her arms.

‘That your husband is a rapist and a killer.'

‘Don't be absurd. Do you really think I'd live with a man like that?'

‘Absolutely I do,' Helen returned firmly. ‘I think you're his willing partner in crime and I'm going to see that you pay for it.'

‘Are you out of your mind, woman?' Jackie replied, aghast. ‘All I do is go for a bloody walk and suddenly I find myself in the back of a patrol car, trussed up like a turkey. I should bloody sue …'

‘Do that, see how far you get. Often go out for a walk in your husband's coat and boots, do you?'

‘They were the nearest things to hand.'

‘Pull the other one, Jackie. You deliberately deceived us. Wearing your hair up, keeping your head down, leading my officers a merry dance …'

For a second, a smile seemed to tug at Jackie's mouth, before she quickly swallowed it.

‘You're hallucinating, DI Grace. Perhaps you've been working too hard. Like I said, it's been a tough day, so I thought I'd go for a long walk and—'

‘Where were you going?'

‘I'm sorry?'

‘Where were you headed?' Helen persisted testily. ‘On this "walk"?'

‘Oh, I don't know. Just to the parade, I suppose. I had a couple of bits to get.'

‘So why did you double-back on yourself? Why head away from the shops, back in the direction of home, before you'd even got there?'

A moment's hesitation now, Jackie Reynolds turning to her solicitor, who shook his head.

‘No comment,' Jackie declared, turning back to Helen defiantly.

‘Where is he, Jackie?' Helen demanded, cutting to the chase.

‘I've no idea – he was gone when I got back.'

‘Sorry, that's not going to cut it, Jackie. I am going to charge you with obstructing police business and I may well add perverting the course of justice and assisting an offender to your charge sheet. That's serious jail time, so I'll ask again, where is he?'

‘Please don't threaten my client,' her solicitor cut in.

‘I'm just stating the facts. She actively assisted in Reynolds' escape from the family home, drawing officers away from their surveillance in order to facilitate his flight.'

‘Can you prove that?' the lawyer persisted.

‘Yes, I can. What's more, I can prove that she's been actively involved in the abduction and rape of a number of underage girls.'

‘That's completely ridiculous,' Jackie exploded. ‘Dave would never get mixed up in anything like that. I would never get mixed up in anything like that.'

‘No, no, no, don't play the betrayed wife with me, Jackie. You knew – or you suspected – what he was doing and you did nothing. '

‘No, no, I don't know anything about any girls …'

‘Yes, you do, because you were one, weren't you? You were a victim too.'

Now Jackie's gaze rose sharply to meet Helen's, alarmed and surprised.

‘We know Reynolds pulled you in when you were fifteen,' Helen continued, softening her tone slightly. ‘Drunk and disorderly, underage drinking, resisting arrest. I bet he laid it on with a trowel, painting a picture of the world of shit that you were about to descend into. I bet he threatened to throw the book at you, tell your parents … unless you did something for him. Am I right?'

Jackie shook her head, but it was a second too slow and lacked conviction.

‘I'm not having a go, Jackie. I'm not here to shame you,' Helen continued. ‘What he did was criminal and immoral, you were the victim in all this. And maybe to some extent you've been the victim ever since. You and Archie. I know there's violence in the family, coercive control, perhaps even sexual assault. Has he raped since you were married, Jackie?'

‘No, no, nothing like that …' she replied, breaking eye contact and dropping her gaze to the floor.

‘Because if he has , we can call him to account for that,' Helen persisted, convinced she was on the right track now. ‘And if you and Archie don't feel safe, there are places you can go, accommodation we can provide for you where you'll be free of fear, free of his presence.'

Jackie didn't respond, her eyes glued to the floor.

‘This is your chance to get out, Jackie. You and your son. We can make that happen, but I do need something from you. I need you to tell me where Dave has gone.'

Helen stared at the crying woman in front of her, praying that she would finally see sense. Slowly, Jackie lifted her gaze once more, looking beaten and hollow.

‘I've told you, I don't know where he's gone, he wouldn't say.'

‘Jackie, please …'

‘But even if I had, I wouldn't tell you …'

Now her eyes met Helen's, defiance wrestling with desolation, as she added:

‘He's all I've got.'