Watson - The Silent Witness

This book is a work of non-fiction based on the authors experiences. In order to protect privacy, names, identifying characteristics, dialogue and details have been changed or reconstructed.

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First published by HarperElement 2017

FIRST EDITION

Casey Watson 2017

A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library

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Cover layout HarperCollinsPublishers 2017

Casey Watson asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

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Source ISBN: 9780008142643

Ebook Edition June 2017 ISBN: 9780008142650

Version: 2017-04-21

To all the selfless people out there, in all walks of life. When you wonder whether or not your contribution makes a difference, please know that it does. Every act of kindness or compassion touches someone in some way, and down the line it will be remembered and reflected upon. As always, Id like to give a special mention to those that work with children and spend every day trying to make a difference Im with you every step of the way.

Forever grateful to the team at HarperCollins for continuing to have faith in me and for helping me to get my stories out there. During hard times and good I have felt supported and inspired to carry on. Thanks also to my wonderful agent, Andrew Lownie, who never falters in his faith in me. I owe him everything! Finally, special thanks to my inspiration, mentor and good friend, Lynne, who keeps me plodding on regardless, and helps me to always see the sunny side.

Christmas Eve. Early evening. Tools downed. To-do lists ticked. And to say I was excited is a bit of an understatement. I had begged. I had pleaded. I had wheedled and I had whined. And in the end, because there was clearly going to be no stopping me, Mike had caved in and let me open my main present early.

Just ten minutes ago, in fact, accompanied by heartfelt groans from Tyler, whose early mortification had just been endorsed by my first effort at channelling Beyonc.

Yes, it had happened. Id got my wish. My very own karaoke machine.

What? I asked Tyler, who was staring at me open-mouthed, and not, from the look of it, in a complimentary way. But why the face? Hed been our foster son for a good few years now. Our son now. He already knew about my singing abilities.

About which term we had to agree to disagree. I believed I had some, hence my list for Father Christmas, whereas Tyler believed that I must be tone deaf. Mum! he cried, sounding mortified. Have you listened to yourself? Ever? Seriously, he added, glancing at Mike, whereupon they shook heads in unison, you need to.

Well, exactly, I said, beaming, despite the assault on my singing confidence. Thats precisely why I needed to open it tonight. Plenty of time to get some practice in before tomorrows singalong.

Tyler picked up a cushion and covered his face with it, groaning, as any self-respecting fifteen-year-old boy would in such a circumstance. Though he still managed to guffaw from behind it when Mike added thoughtfully that it was less Beyonc than a pastiche of early Shirley Bassey with a touch a big touch of Lee Marvin. I didnt care. I had a karaoke machine and I wasnt afraid to use it. I riffled through the choices and prepared to delight them with some Streisand. And got a belt with Tylers cushion by way of gratitude.

I didnt care. I didnt mind. Exchanges like these were some of the greatest joys of family life. Not just the big things the big moments, the overt displays of affection but also the little things. The everyday and the largely unremarkable. Such as the gentle banter that thrives in an atmosphere of love and harmony. The gentle ribbing. The wordplay. The giggles and all the nonsense. It was Christmas Eve and all was well in my world.

Not that I was consciously thinking about that. I was too busy responding via the medium of song. But was saved, then, from further familial abuse by the sound of my mobile phone ringing. Thatll be Riley, I said, putting my microphone down and heading towards the dining room to take the call. Shed doubtless be calling with some last-minute directive or other, having summoned us to her house at silly oclock the following morning.

Riley and her partner David had blessed us with three grandchildren by now Levi and Jackson, who were ten and eight respectively, and the little mischief-making machine that was their youngest, Marley Mae, who was three going on the usual thirteen.

In previous years, wed done things differently on Christmas morning. Now they were a bit older, they would generally open their presents at home (no sense getting the grandparents up at 4 a.m. when you have two parents already there for the purpose) and then coming over to ours mid-morning for another gift-opening session with Tyler and our other grandchild, Kieron and Laurens darling little Dee Dee.

This year, however, it was all change. Davids parents, who lived some way away now, were staying over with them, and it had been decided (unilaterally, because thats my Riley, bless her) that we should join them at hers for a big Christmas breakfast, so we could chat about Riley and Davids upcoming wedding before they left for home.

The wedding was to be in February scheduled for Valentines Day. I couldnt have been more excited about that either. Oh, yes, all was very well with my world.

But it wasnt Riley. It was a male voice. One I recognised immediately as that of my fostering link worker, John Fulshaw, even though a glance at the clock made his call something of a shock. Hed already delivered my Christmas poinsettia, after all, and, as far as I knew, all was quiet on the fostering front.

It clearly wasnt. Im so sorry, Casey, he said. He sounded weary. I know this is probably the very worst time I could ring you, but we really are stuck. I mean really stuck. We desperately need someone to take a child this evening. As soon as possible in fact.

Mike, from the sofa, mouthed the words Whats wrong? I mouthed back Emergency. Enough said. Tyler, all ears now, turned the television down.

Well, yes, I said, eyeing my abandoned microphone sadly. But thats okay. Go on, tell me then. Whats up?

It was a short call, because this was clearly no time for rambling on. Suffice to say, I would now be working this Christmas. Mike and I both would. And all of us, because thats the nature of the job, would in all likelihood have our Christmas plans changed. We would be looking after a twelve-year-old girl, who was apparently called Bella, and whod already been in the care system for a week. The details were sketchy (the usual Ill fill you in once were sorted) but the gravity of the situation was not. Bella was in care because her stepfather was in a coma on a ventilator in an intensive therapy unit, having been put there with a life-threatening head injury, which had apparently been inflicted by Bellas mother. Attempted murder, by all accounts, which Bella had apparently witnessed, and while her stepdad fought for his life her mother was in prison.