Page 66 of Good Bad Girl

“I was worried about her. She wouldn’t let me visit anymore and I never really liked the Windsor Care Home. I had a bad feeling about the place from the start. My brother chose it, not that we had a lot of choices, it was almost impossible to find residential care for Mum when we really needed it. Whenever I came to visit, the staff seemed so disorganized, disinterested, and incompetent. Nobody I met at the care home really seemed tocare, and a lot of residents were dying. I know it is somewhere people go to die, but they seemed to be having far more deaths than the national average for a home of that size. I wanted to keep an eye on Mum without anyone knowing. Make sure she was safe.”

“If you were so worried about her, and if money was tight, can I ask why didn’t she live with you?”

Clio shrugs. “Would you want to live with someone who had ruined your life?”

DCI Chapman stares down at the red trainers then back up at Clio. “After your mother came to the police station last night, we conducted another search of the bedrooms at the care home. Especially hers. That’s when we found this cuddly bear and discovered the footage from the camera inside. I’m the only one who has seen it. The footage corroborates a lot of Edith’s story. It shows Joy Bonetta creeping into your mother’s room then holding a pillow over her face, just like I’m sure she did to Aunty May a few months earlier. Unfortunately it would seem the camera got knocked over by a dog and the rest of the footage is harder to interpret.” Clio doesn’t say anything. “Either way, what it does or doesn’t show after that is less significant now.”

“Why?”

“Because your mother confessed to killing Joy.”

Patience

“I didn’t do it,” I tell Liberty for the tenth time.

“It doesn’t matter to me what you did or didn’t do,” Liberty says. “I can’t help you get to the prison library—this place has rulesaboutthe rules—all I can do is pass a message on to Miss Fletcher. If she really is your mum then she can decide what to do.”

“What if I went in your place, pretended to be you?”

“The prison officers have lists of who is approved to go where and when. Look, Patience, you’re going to have to start living up to that name of yours, because this is a long game. You might be here for more than a minute so you’ve got to learn to think quick and play smart. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

Not really.

I nod.

“I don’t believe in much, but I do believe that what’s meant to be will be,” Liberty says. “If Miss Fletcher really is your mum, I’m sure she will come up with a plan to help you. That’s what mums do, right? They love us and protect us and the best ones would doanything for their children.” Liberty frowns. “You want to share whatever thoughts inside your head are making your face look so sad and ugly?”

“I’m not really her child,” I say quietly.

“I thought you said Miss Fletcher was your mum?”

“I think I might have been adopted.”

Liberty stares at me. “Did she love you?”

“Yes.”

“Did she protect you?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think she would do anything for you?” I nod. “Sounds like you’ve got a great mum to me. You don’t have to give birth to a child to be their mother. I know plenty of people whodoknow their real mums and wish they didn’t. You should maybe think about that. Not everyone is fortunate enough to be loved, it’s like winning the lottery. If you get those lucky numbers in life it doesn’t matter where you bought the ticket.”

Clio

“You can keep this, we don’t need it anymore,” DCI Chapman says, giving the spy camera bear to Clio. She leaves the hospital room, closing the door behind her, so that Clio is alone with her mother again. She returns to Edith’s bedside, feeling like she needs to sit down. As soon as she does, Edith’s eyes open and Clio leaps back out of the chair.

“Jesus Christ!”

“I thought you didn’t believe in him,” Edith says in a quiet, croaky voice. “Is the detective definitely gone?”

Clio rushes to the door. “I’ll get the doctor.”

“No, no more doctors. Just sit with me for a while.”

Clio hesitates. “I really think that I should—”

“Please. I want us to talk. Before it’s too late.”

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