‘But, taking Laura – he knew that would hurt her. And you know what? The more Rosie would have objected, the more it would have pushed Laura towards him. And he knew that too. I know he didn’t hurt Rosie physically, but he was a cruel and selfish bastard and Laura was a convenient target. I should have seen what was going on.’

  ‘She wasn’t living at home. She kept it secret. How could you know?’

  ‘I was focusing so hard on “reinventing” me, and on feeling sorry for myself too. I forgot that maybe other people needed me.’

  ‘This wasn’t your fault,’ Judith said. ‘You need to tell yourself that over and over, till you really believe it.’

  ‘I drove Rosie away. After twenty years of trust. She couldn’t even bear to tell me about the blackmail. She went to him instead – Jason.’

  ‘She probably wanted to protect you.’

  Debbie walked over to the window, placed her hand on the glass and looked out, just like the morning at Denmow prison. A cloud outside moved across the sun and the room was suddenly dark.

  ‘I knew it was recorded,’ Debbie said, suddenly.

  ‘What?’

  ‘My performance, my Rapunzel act. I looked out into the audience, part way through and I could see this young girl with her phone in her hand, pointing it at me. She didn’t keep it secret. I thought about it afterwards, that night, lying in bed with Rosie next to me. I know what I said to you about being embarrassed, horribly embarrassed, and it was all true, but part of me was waiting for that moment, to see that film played back sometime. I wanted Rosie to see it and to understand.’

  ‘Jason said…’

  ‘I’m sure Rosie understood,’ Judith cut across Constance and Constance closed her mouth tight.

  ‘Can I ask a question?’ Constance began, Judith frowning at her to rein her in.

  ‘As long as I don’t have to answer it.’

  ‘I just wondered why Laura stopped playing football. Was it really her knee?’

  ‘Poor Rosie. Her kids were all messed up; her daughter wanted to be a professional footballer and her son wanted to be on the stage. She would have been OK if it had been the other way around. She blamed me, of course, said I had “poisoned genes”. She didn’t mean it. Words were the only thing she could fight me with, in the end. But Laura heard us arguing about it and, after that, her knee injury was suddenly too bad for her to play again. I think she felt that if she gave in to Rosie, went off and had a sensible career, then Ben had more chance of getting his dream.’

  ‘How’s Laura’s knee now?’

  ‘I haven’t asked recently, but she joined us, me and the Mail reporter, when we had the knock-around in the park. I’m hoping she’ll have another go, but no pressure from me. Now I have a question for you.’ Debbie stared at Judith.

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘Where did you get the vegetarian stuff from?’

  ‘You mean about Rosie? It was in an article I read; Grazia I think.’

  ‘She told people she was vegetarian because that was what they wanted to hear, but she had lapses, lots of them. She liked Italian food too much – one dish especially.’

  ‘I think I can guess what that might have been,’ Judith replied.

  Debbie smiled for the first time and then moved towards the door.

  ‘He called me, you know?’ She paused with her head tipped to the side and her chin raised, the same pose she had held at the end of her Rapunzel performance.

  ‘Who?’ Constance asked.

  ‘You mean Mr X, don’t you?’ Judith said.

  ‘Yes. Mr X. Eddie. That’s his name. Said he was sorry. Said he had watched all the trial and always voted for me in the polls. Asked if we could meet up.’

  ‘What did you say?’

  ‘I told him to piss off, that’s what!’ Debbie roared with laughter and Judith and Constance followed suit.

  ‘Goodbye,’ Debbie said, once she had stopped laughing, extending a hand to each of them in turn. Constance looked out through the front window and thought she saw the curtain opposite twitching. ‘I do appreciate what you did,’ Debbie said. ‘I think what I appreciate most is that you both believed in me, when I wasn’t even sure if I did.’

  Constance and Judith both nodded and smiled, as it was easier than more words, and Constance leaned forward and hugged Debbie tight.

  Then they chorused ‘goodbye’, in unison, as they exited the house and headed off, shoulder to shoulder, along the road.

  THE END

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  This time around I seem to have an inordinate number of people to thank for helping me write my fourth Burton & Lamb story: The Rapunzel Act. I think (I hope) this reflects its evolution and many layers, rather than my having forgotten anyone the previous three times.

  I have dedicated this book to my three wonderful boys: Noah, Nathan and Aron, who are a constant source of joy and pride, as I watch them grow and flourish. Importantly, without them, I would not have known what a nutmeg was or a golden goal and Debbie Mallard’s back story might well have been quite different.

  Particular thanks also go to Isabella Segal, for sharing her inspirational story with me with such clarity and honesty, and for all her support in the writing of this book. I am also grateful to All About Trans with its professed aim of seeking to ‘positively change how the media understands and portrays trans people’ for providing a wealth of information on its website, focusing on how to treat people in the trans community with respect.

  Thank you (again) to Dr Stuart J Hamilton, Home Office Registered Forensic Pathologist, for input on the forensic medicine content; our conversations are always so colourful and informative – I hate to think what anyone listening in might think.

  I must also thank Professor Paul Thaler, whose two wonderful and illuminating books, The Watchful Eye: American Justice in the Age of the Television Trial and The Spectacle: Media and the Making of the OJ Simpson Story, provided much food for thought when this story was beginning to take shape, and whose encouraging words and support were most welcome.

  Thanks also to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Henry Allen, for allowing me to use his quote at the beginning of the story and for making me laugh a lot, in our recent correspondence. And to Verso Books for giving permission to use the quote from the late Jean Baudrillard.

  And to my dear friend, Pen Vogler (aka @PenfromPenguin), for, once more, being a wonderful sounding board and providing a thoughtful, constructive and kind critique.

  My thanks, as always, go to all the team at Lightning Books: to Dan Hiscocks for his continued support and belief in my abilities, to Scott Pack for his incredible editing skills and guidance, to Amber Choudhary at Midas PR for her superb marketing skills and Simon Edge for his novel and highly creative publicity drives, to Hugh Brune for his enthusiastic sales campaign, to Nell Wood for the fabulous cover design and to Clio Mitchell for meticulous copyediting and typesetting.

  I must, of course, also acknowledge the enormous contribution of my parents, Jacqie and the late Sidney Fineberg, both inspirational teachers, who encouraged me and my sisters to spend all our waking hours reading.

  Finally, a gigantic thank you goes to everyone who has reviewed this story or The Cinderella Plan, The Aladdin Trial or my first novel, The Pinocchio Brief, for taking the time to read my books and share their views in a variety of ways, including in radio broadcasts, space in some of our most prestigious national publications, hosting me on their blogs and websites and taking the time to post online reviews. Their support has provided me with the confidence to continue writing, and without their backing I would not have been able to reach such a wide audience; I am forever indebted.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Yorkshire-bred, Abi Silver is a lawyer by profession. She lives in Hertfordshire with her husband and three sons. Her first courtroom thriller featuring the legal duo Judith Burton and Constance Lamb, The Pinocchio Brief, was published by Lightning Books in 2017 and was shortlisted for the Waverton Good Read Award. Her follow-up, The Aladdin Trial, featuring the same legal team, was published in 2018, with The Cinderella Plan following in 2019.

 

 

  Abi Silver, The Rapunzel Act

 

 

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