Daddy's Prisoner by Alice Lawrence, Megan Lloyd Davies Page B

mean? If they come for me then I’ll make sure I cut you and your mum into a thousand little pieces before they take me away. Bit by bit, piece by piece, I’ll kill you both. Do you hear?’
    I didn’t say a word.
    ‘Do you hear me, you little bitch?’ he snarled as he pushed his face towards mine.
    ‘Yes, Dad.’
    I knew he meant what he said. I, of all people, understood what he was capable of. The baby I was carrying was proof of that.

 
CHAPTER TEN
     
    A knock sounded on the door about half an hour later and Dad opened it.
    ‘What’s this all about?’ he snarled.
    Standing on the doorstep were two officers.
    ‘We need you to come with us, sir,’ a man said. ‘Allegations have been made by your son and we need to talk to you.’
    ‘Simon’s a liar. This is slander. He can’t get away with this.’
    Dad was put into a waiting car and as the door closed he glanced at Mum and me to remind me of the threat he’d made. Fear filled me as I stared out of the window watching the police car drive away. What would he do to us when he got home? A man and a woman officer had stayed behind and he knew they were with us. I didn’t want them in the house because of what it would mean later. I didn’t dare say the wrong thing and give Dad any chance to take revenge on Mum, the kids or me.
    Mum had been crying and didn’t ask questions as the male officer looked at us.
    ‘We need to talk to you,’ he said.
    He was tall and skinny with dirty, fair hair. I led him and the woman into the living room, knowing they’d see the filth, smell the stench, and wonder how we could live like this.
    ‘As you know, your son Simon has made some very serious allegations,’ the officer said. ‘We need to talk to you about them.’
    Still Mum didn’t speak. It was as if she’d lost her tongue and I knew she was so silent because she was scared – scared of saying too much and giving Dad a reason to hurt us when he got home; scared of saying too little and losing her children.
    ‘What’s Simon said?’ I asked.
    ‘He’s alleged that your father threatened to kill him,’ the man said. ‘He’s too afraid to come home.’
    I didn’t speak as the officer shifted forward in his seat.
    ‘He says he and your siblings have been abused by your father for years and that he has beaten and neglected you all. Simon claims your father watches pornography on the TV, keeps weapons that he threatens you all with.’
    Mum sat still. To a stranger, her look might be one of disbelief but I knew different – it was fear.
    ‘He also says that the baby you are carrying is your father’s,’ the officer added.
    My heart pumped as I heard those words. There was a roar of noise, screeching and insistent in my head. Simon knew about Dad and me? About the baby? My stomach swooped as panic filled me. I didn’t want Mum to hear this.
    ‘It’s not true,’ I cried. ‘The baby’s dad is an old friend of my brother’s.’
    The officer sat forward as I shrank back in my chair.
    ‘I know this is difficult, Alice, but we’re here to help you,’ he said. ‘There are things we can do to protect you, measures we can put in place if you decide to talk to us.’
    I couldn’t speak as Mum lifted her head.
    ‘There’s nothing to protect us from,’ she said angrily.
    ‘Your son seems to think there is.’
    ‘Look, officer, I don’t know why he started this but I’m telling you: there’s no problem here. I want to see my children and I want them home. You can’t take them from me like this.’
    ‘We can, because these are very serious accusations and we need to investigate them. But I want to reassure you that if you talk to us, we can keep you safe.’
    I caught just a glimpse of Mum’s gaze as my eyes shifted to her face but it was enough. I looked at the police officers as they sat in front of us.
    ‘No, you can’t,’ I said.
    The house was so still that night when the police had finally left. Later, they’d search for incriminating