Unsafe Convictions by Alison Taylor Page B

same if anyone laid a hand on Trisha, too. She’s got a real fighting spirit, that one.’
    ‘ Unfortunately, we can never he sure whether or not a girl’s been interfered with,’ he said. ‘Even if they’re asked, they often hide the truth, out of shame, or guilt, or fear.’
    ‘ Trisha was pure as the driven snow when she married that monster,’ Rene insisted.
    ‘ How d’you know?’
    ‘ How d’you think?’ Rene said impatiently. ‘Off the doctors and nurses, of course. When she had the operation.’
    McKenna coaxed her back to the kitchen, and made her sit at the table. ‘Which operation d’you mean? We only know about one, and that was after she married.’
    Sitting opposite Jack, who was forking egg and bacon into his mouth while he listened, Rene turned her teacup round and round in the saucer. ‘I don’t like saying this in front of men. It doesn’t seem right.’
    Not to be coarse,’ Jack said gently, ‘but it won’t be anything we haven’t heard before. We develop hides like rhinos in this job.’
    She nodded. ‘My hubby used to say much the same.’ Picking up the cup, she held it to her lips, then put it back in the saucer after taking only a sip. ‘Trisha’s periods started when she was fifteen, and she had trouble right from the start. Dorothy worried herself sick about it. The poor kid got the most awful cramps and she’d bleed like a stuck pig for days on end. They lost count of the time she missed off school. On top of that, it was ever so embarrassing, because after the first few times they all knew why she was away.’
    ‘ And?’ McKenna asked.
    ‘ Well, she went back and forth to the doctors, but they weren’t much use. She was tired and run down all the time, and looked as pale as a little ghost.’ She picked up the cup again, and took another sip. ‘The doctors were all for putting her on the pill, but Dorothy wouldn’t hear of it, so they gave her vitamin pills and iron.’
    ‘ Did that help?’ Jack asked.
    ‘ She got a bit of colour back in her cheeks, but she was still laid up every month. Dorothy told me she was going to make the doctors do something, then things settled down of their own accord.’ Rene began to twist her wedding band round and round her finger. ‘But her troubles came back, about a year before she got married, and she had to have an operation. She had what they call a D&C. A scrape. She had fibroids in the womb. There was no end of improvement afterwards, although they did say she’d probably have to have it done again. And she did.’ She stopped turning her ring, and put her hands flat on the table. ‘The sister at the hospital told her she’d be a lot better if she was leading a normal life, and it wasn’t good for a young woman of twenty-five to be a virgin. Apparently, the nuns have a lot of problems because of that.’
    ‘ I see,’ McKenna said.
    ‘ So, the hospital could prove what that woman wrote is a lie, couldn’t they?’ Rene asked.
    He nodded. ‘Unfortunately, because Trisha’s dead, the matter can’t be pursued. I’m afraid people can say what they like about the dead, true or not.’
    ‘ What about Linda?’ she demanded. ‘She’s not dead, and that woman’s saying she was molested.’
    ‘ It’s libel,’ Jack commented, pushing aside his empty plate and reaching for the toast. ‘It’s defamatory to say a woman’s been raped or sexually abused when she hasn’t. It damages her reputation.’
    ‘ Does it really?’ Rene’s eyes gleamed in the kitchen light. ‘Can Linda go to a solicitor?’
    ‘ She can indeed.’ Jack nodded. ‘But we’re not supposed to comment or offer any advice, so do me a favour, and forget you heard it from me.’ After a moment’s thought, he added: ‘And, given the implications about the identity of this alleged abuser, Linda’s father should see a solicitor as well.’
    Rene began to stack used crockery, then stood up and made for the sink. ‘What would you like for your meal