The Puppet Master Page 18
In a small voice, Eric told Adam how this girl, Billie, had told the police that he had been sexually abusing her since she was twelve. Eric was about to leave the house when he was taken in by the police and asked when it was he started grooming Billie for sex.
Adam was horrified. He didn’t know what he could say. Uncle Eric looked up and must have seen the expression on Adam’s face. He seemed to pull some strength back into his body and became more like the person he knew and loved.
“Don’t worry, Adam, it will all be cleared up, she’s got no proof. I’ve just got to get through this patch until they realise that they have got it wrong.”
“What does Sylvia make of it?” Adam asked.
“Well that’s the thing, she doesn’t believe a word of it either; she says she wants nothing more to do with any of them. But the damage is done, Son. We are pariahs in our village. I’ve lost my job over it.” Adam didn’t know his uncle had a job but this fact made him angrier. Although, Adam felt slightly better after hearing that. The fact the girl’s own grandmother doesn’t believe it just showed how ridiculous the whole thing was. For the rest of the weekend, Adam comforted his uncle as he swung from sadness at the suffering Billie must have experienced to make up such lies, to anger at how she had taken advantage of his help and repaid him in this way. Adam thought it was lucky Billie lived hundreds of miles away because he wanted to kill her for the pain she was causing his uncle.
Chapter Thirty-Two
2010
Billie
When she finally saw Eric again, it was the day he came to her front door. She hadn’t been expecting it, because with them both being the talk of the village, she was constantly being told that he would never do that. But he did. He forced his way in and slammed the door behind him. She didn’t move from shock. She hadn’t realised till that moment, how much she had enjoyed not seeing him again and had got used to it, even. Her brain couldn’t process that he had just walked in through the front door. He turned on her immediately, pressing his lips against hers. Restraining her with his hands, one on each wrist, holding tightly. She was pretty sure that he was gripping hard enough to leave her bruised again.
“You need to stop this, Billie. You are never going to win. I will never leave you alone. I’m not going to prison. I’ve been too clever and you were too stupid.”
“You shouldn’t be here,” was all she could get out. Her voice betrayed how scared she was.
“If you stop this now, then everything will die down, and then in a little while, things can back to how they were… I can see how you are suffering. I told you this would happen. You need to trust me when I say there is nothing you can do that will keep me away from you. I will keep coming for you. If you don’t do as I say, your family are going to suffer and hate you. I will eventually have to hurt one or all of them too.” He stopped. Letting his words settle in.
When he could see that they weren’t going to have the desired effect, he pulled back his fist and punched her with all of his force. She realised at the last second what he was going to do and she managed to twist her body. His fist landed on her arm. She felt an explosion of pain rocketing through her body. She fell towards the door. Leaning on it, she pushed off the door at the last minute in an attempt to get around him, stumbling to get away from him. When she heard a thud and felt another wave of pain, more excruciating that then the last time, she registered her mistake. Why the hell did she turn her back on him? She went down hard and just couldn’t get back up. Her body was completely unresponsive. No longer allowing her control, in case she caused it more pain. She could tell from the dark shadow that fell over her that Eric was standing over her.
“Take this as my final warning. Withdraw your statement. Stop this stupid investigation.”
He stopped speaking and stepped over her and knelt down by her head. Grasping her hair, he pulled her head up until she was face to face with him.
“I know you thought that you had got rid of me, but I have been watching, waiting for my perfect moment. I know everything about your family, I know where Matthew is, and I know that your mum and sister have gone to the shops to buy a birthday present for your cousin. I know that you didn’t want to go because you said you had a headache. I actually laughed when I heard that, we both know you just hate being second best when your sister is around. I thought about threatening to kill you. I actually have considered how easy it would be. But then I realised that I am not done with you yet. I need this investigation to stop, Billie. You are going to do that for me, or I will kill your sister, then your mother and anyone else I want to. And it will all be your fault.”
He released her hair and her head fell back to the floor. “It’s funny, the one person that you are the most jealous of, is the one person that I have been able to use to get what I want. It’s a powerful thing – love. I wonder if your sister even knows how much you have done for her. Oh well, not my problem. I’ll be off now. Just remember what you need to do, Billie, and everything will be fine. You can stop all this heartache and do the right thing for everyone.”
She heard the front door slam and just lay there on the floor. She was still there when her mum came home. Both her sister and her mum ran to her prone body. They hefted her up between the two of them. They were shouting questions at Billie. Not even waiting for her to reply. She wasn’t even sure she had one. She didn’t know what to do for the best. She wanted to tell them what happened. But maybe Eric was right. She was just going to cause more heartache and she was the only one that could fix it.
In the end she didn’t need to tell them because they worked out what had happened for themselves. She supposed it was obvious there was only one person that could leave her a broken mess lying on the floor. Eric must have been really angry because he was normally smart enough to leave bruises only in places she could easily hide but there was no hiding from the fingerprint bruises around her wrists.
When Billie refused to make a statement about the attack to the police, she could see the doubts began to flare in her parents’ and sister’s eyes. They couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t do just one more video interview.
She’d walked in on them talking. Before they realised she was there, she heard her mother say, “I feel awful because she’s my daughter, but honestly, some of it is a bit far-fetched. And she’s no proof. You don’t think she could have beat herself up, do you?” They either didn’t realise she’d heard or they didn’t care as they changed the subject and began trying to coerce her into giving a statement.
In the end, they had tried to trick her into it. They organised for Lisa to turn up at their house without her knowing. But as soon as she saw the car, Billie was up and was running across the fields out of sight. The one advantage to living in the countryside was being able to hide. They didn’t understand. She didn’t blame them. But she couldn’t do it. She felt sick at the thought of entering that room where all the memories of Eric were. It was like when he attacked her, he had beat every last bit of fight out of her and she just couldn’t do it. She was just broken. Like the straw that broke the camel’s back, she was done. She knew if she did give a statement that Eric would be back. But this time, it might be her family he went after.
She tried to do as he had asked but the police would not drop the investigation once her mother had told them of the attack. They said it was coercion and she didn’t have the strength to argue. She didn’t have the strength for anything anymore. Just convincing herself to exist was hard enough. Billie knew this was an indicator that she was getting really low again. She knew she couldn’t try and kill herself again. Mostly because she didn’t know how. Her parents had ensured that the house was Billie-might-kill-herself-with-this proofed. To combat these feeling she read. She lost herself in different lands and different places. Living out a new life, where misery was turned into joy by the end; something that she couldn’t ever visualise happening to her, especially with the knowledge that she had to go back to school the following
week.
Chapter Thirty-Three
2010
Adam
Adam had never spent so much time in contact with Uncle Eric as he did while the police tried to build their case against him. He called his uncle every day. He even tried to go up and visit, but Uncle Eric wouldn’t let him. He would have got the train but his uncle would not have him wasting the little money that he had. There was no defying his uncle when he made his mind up so Adam had to do what he could over the phone.
To his delight, his uncle was coming over today. It would be nice to be able to support him in person. Adam’s father would not dream of going over to support his brother so Adam felt like it was his responsibility to help when he could. When he arrived, Adam gave his uncle the longest hug they’d ever shared. They weren’t really a touchy-feely family so it was the only way Adam knew how to show his uncle his support because he just couldn’t find the words. His uncle laughed it off and asked if they could go for a walk. They decided to walk along the river; it was always nice in the autumn and as Adam later found out, his uncle wanted privacy. Apparently the orchestra of his father’s snores was not the backdrop his uncle wanted for this conversation.
Even though they were walking, Adam could tell that his uncle was uncomfortable. His shifting eyes and his stilted conversation had Adam really concerned. Adam breathed in the heady scent of nature, enjoying the collection of songs the birds were singing. The green grass was glistening from a gentle shower earlier that day. It was such a lovely day, but he didn’t think his uncle noticed anything.
His uncle led them to a bench and they sat down. His uncle’s leg began to shake uncontrollably and he finally met Adam’s eyes. “I need to ask you the biggest favour that I could ever ask of you. I love you as if you were my own son. And it pains me that I have to put you in this position. But I don’t have a choice.” He broke off, it sounded like he got too emotional and it choked off his voice. He smoothed the tops of his legs as if trying to calm the shaking of his legs.
For the last ten years, Adam had experienced the confident, charming and kind nature of his uncle. In the last few months, he’d seen so much sadness and unhappiness in him. He didn’t deserve it. It was getting scarier each time he saw his uncle. He was used to him being the strong one, the one that Adam could rely on, but now it seemed that the roles were reversing. As much as it unnerved him, he would do anything for his uncle. It was sad that his uncle felt that it was a burden, when in fact, the more he thought about it, it felt good to be able to give back to his uncle.
“What is it? You know I’d do anything for you.”
“Thanks, son, I knew I could count on you. Okay, well I’ll just say it and then we can be done with this conversation. I’m having some problems with the investigation. I need to provide evidence of where I was on certain dates so that I can refute all the claims being made. Sylvia was with me for most of them but there are a few dates that I was alone and I can’t prove where I was. Do you think you would be able to say that I was with you? If I gave you the dates? I know it’s a lot to ask but I’m desperate. I’m already guilty in the eyes of the police. I can tell by the way they treat me. But if I can show that I was with you, it will put it all to bed and I can go on with my life. Before you answer, know this. My life has been hell since this happened. I was escorted to the station in a police car. Everyone in my village saw me. I’ve had pervert sprayed on my car. I’ve been spat at in the street. No one believes me. No one believes Sylvia either. We’ve had to move house just to escape some of the abuse I’ve been suffering. It’s awful, Adam.”
He grabbed Adam’s arm and shook it a little, a look of pure sadness on his face. “No one believes me. They’ve known me all my life, and they think I could hurt a small girl, in my care. I wouldn’t do it. I swear. You’ve got to help me, Adam. If these allegations aren’t disproved now, I don’t know how I will cope. I beg of you. Please help your old uncle. It’s what your mum would want.”
It was a passionate speech and Adam wanted to tell his uncle that it was completely unnecessary. He would do anything to help and he knew that these allegations were false. He didn’t really want to lie. Of all the things he remembered of his mother, it was how much she hated lies.
He had a hazy memory of himself as a boy; he had eaten some chocolate from the cupboard – too hungry to wait for his tea. When his mum had asked him if he had done it, he’d lied. But he didn’t realise that he had chocolate on his face. When confronted again he crumbled and his mother’s disappointed eyes held his as she told him how much she hated liars. So it smarted a bit to hear his uncle use his mother to try and convince him to help. He was wrong about his mum, she hated people that lied and she’d be sad that Adam would lie to the police. He was sure if she were alive, she would tell him not to. But she wasn’t alive. She had left him and the only one who had cared for him was his uncle. So he had to help. Even if it meant going against his principles. How could he not when his uncle was being made to suffer because of someone else’s lie. Hopefully, each lie would count the other out.
“Don’t worry; of course I will help you. Tell me the dates and what you need me to say.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
2010
Billie
Billie walked through the front doors of her school with her head down, her face pale and her heart full of dread. She could tell when people began to notice her because the entrance hall was growing quieter. Normally, it felt like a zoo where the animals screeched to see who could make the most noise. She kept her head down and continued walking. It was such a small school that she knew everyone knew.
The police would not normally tell everyone that they weren’t going to be able to bring a case to court. But her gran had put it in the paper. The village paper. That everyone read. Her gran had given Eric an alibi for everything that she had accused him of. She wasn’t even there but she knew all the details thanks to Aunty Susan. She couldn’t understand why people weren’t making that connection. But alas, as she had known from the start, Eric was too clever. There was no evidence, she had no one backing her and lying on her behalf, so he won, just like he told her he would.
She had been told not to take anything to heart. She walked to the doors that led to the sixth form corridor and breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived. A voice broke out from the silence and just as she opened the door she heard it say, “My granddad is free if you want a go… he isn’t loaded, though.” A cacophony of laughter broke out from behind her as she closed the door. She leant against the wall, grateful that no one was in the corridor. She took deep breaths trying to hold in the hysteria that wanted to break free from her. Didn’t they know that her entire family was being ripped apart by this? Didn’t they know that she was still struggling to eat due to the agony in her stomach? Didn’t they know she had to watch her mother cry herself to sleep because she could never again speak with her mother, knowing that it was all her fault?
She counted to ten in her head taking matching deep breaths. She had caused this mess, it was her own fault, and she had to deal with the consequences. She had to study hard to get away from this place. She saw university as her salvation, her new escape plan that would hopefully not cause her to have indescribable pain her stomach. She knew at some point, Eric would find a way to get to her again. She just had to get through the next the next year and then she could go to university.
Billie stopped reading the notes that landed on her desk. They were all the same; how much money would she charge someone without wrinkles, did dads do it for her or just old men? There wasn’t a single person in the school that believed that she hadn’t wanted any part of what happened to her. No one spoke to her unless it was to stick the knife in further. This isolation was nothing new to her. The only thing that had changed was that the target on her back was visible to everyone. She even heard Carl saying to his friends as she walked past, “She asked me to have a three-way with him, but I told her I don’t do old men like
she does.” She didn’t know what to do with herself, why did the school day have to have so many break times? It was like the school was giving her ample opportunity to truly appreciate how alone she really was.
Billie studied as much as she could, trying not to watch with longing the girls on the other side of the room as they happily talked about the next party they were going to, preening their already perfect hair and make-up. She wanted to fit in so badly and be normal. She shook her head and focused on the work in front of her; she began writing about President Kennedy’s welfare policies, reminding herself that this was her ticket out of here. She would finally be free.
Chapter Thirty-Five
2011
Adam
Adam put his phone down on the table and allowed the flow of relief to travel through his body. Its journey resolved tension and stress he hadn’t realised he had been carrying around with him. Finally, the nightmare was over, his uncle could start to rebuild his life. He could become the strong and happy man that Adam enjoyed spending his time with. It was going to be a long road, though. It was hard because he only had what his uncle chose to tell him. But from what he had said, his uncle had become an outsider in his neighbourhood, he couldn’t get any part-time work to cover his rent and he lost all of his friends. His uncle said that he might even lose his house. It was remarkable that words, even when proved false, had the power to destroy someone’s life. All Adam could do was help his uncle try and put the pieces back together. He would do everything he could to help his uncle.