Page 145 of Silent Scream

‘I’d had a minor car accident, just a shunt really. I wasn’t badly injured but it frightened me a lot at the time. I hadn’t been driving very long.’

‘So, she’s been in and out of your life since leaving Crestwood. Do you have any idea why she might be angry with you?’

Nicola shook her head vehemently. ‘She won’t tell me.’

Kim heard the exasperation in Nicola’s voice and realised this was going to be even harder than she’d imagined.

Kim reached for Nicola’s hand. ‘I need you to think back to the day of the fire. I think there’s something there that you may have forgotten. Do you think you could do that if I’m right here with you?’

‘There’s nothing,’ she said, confused.

Kim squeezed the hand. ‘It’s okay, Nicola. I’m right here. Tell me step-by-step what you remember from that day and we’ll see what we can piece together.’

Nicola stared forward, her eyes focused on the opposite wall. ‘I know it was cold and Beth and I had argued about something. She was giving me the silent treatment so I went to the common room.’

‘Who was in the common room?’ Kim asked, gently.

Nicola shook her head and then frowned. ‘No one. They were all outside, building a snowman.’

‘So, what did you do?’

Nicola tipped her head. ‘I heard voices, shouting. It was coming from Mr Croft’s office.’

‘What did you hear, Nicola?’

Kim was holding onto Nicola’s hand but her thumb rested on the slim wrist. The pulse had quickened.

‘They were talking about William, about covering something up. They were saying he would get into trouble, that he’d go to prison. They were talking about what would happen to Lucy.’

‘Do you remember who you heard in there?’

‘Mr Croft and Miss Wyatt were arguing. Father Wilks was talking quietly and I heard Tom Curtis and Arthur Connop in the background.’

Five of them, Kim thought. ‘What about Mary Andrews?’

Nicola shook her head. ‘She’d been off sick with the flu.’

‘What happened next, Nicola?’

‘Father Wilks opened the door and saw me. He looked angry. I ran away.’

Kim could feel the palm of Nicola’s hand turning clammy.

‘Where did you go?’

‘I went to find Beth. She was in our room. I was sick of people being angry with me.’

Kim’s voice was barely a whisper. ‘So, what did you do?’

‘I told her ... I told her ...’

Kim squeezed the hand but Nicola’s head was already shaking from side to side. Her eyes were darting around, searching her own memory, hoping to rearrange the past.

‘No. No. No. No. No.’

Kim tried to hang on to the hand but Nicola broke free easily.

She paced around the room like a caged animal looking for somewhere to hide.