Page 78 of Butterfly

“Is it because you don’t wish to be perceived as a victim? Or are you still trying to protect your father?”

“I never wanted to protect him. I wanted to keep Leo safe, and I couldn’t do that if we got taken into care. I could only keep him safe if we were together…or I thought I could. He still got hurt, though.”

He bit his lip, thinking of Teddy.

Maybe on some level, Ollie understood Teddy’s need to get him out of there, away from ‘danger’, even if he didn’t agree with it himself.

Howard nodded. He closed the folder. “As much as this has helped your case, it will not secure a reduced sentence.”

“Then why—”

“But I have something that will.” Howard beamed. “A failed welfare check.”

“A what?”

“Concerns were raised by your school, and social services were notified, but they failed to visit. It seems it was a clerical error, but you slipped through the net. You left school, you began to work, and turned eighteen, no longer of interest to them. They failed to intervene when it was reported there was possible unrest in the household, which led to you taking matters into your own hands to protect your brother.”

“That’s… That’s my defence?”

“Your defence is what I’m calling a hybrid of pleas. Diminished responsibility, self-defence, and loss of control. They’re all linked, all support each other, all brought on by almost a decade of abuse. But my point is, that night would not have taken place if a welfare check had been done on you and your brother. There was more than one concern raised about you, but you were let down by the system. That is why your father is dead.”

“I’m pretty sure he’s dead because I stabbed him.”

“But you wouldn’t have needed to go to those extremes if there had been someone there to help you and your brother.”

“I still might have killed him,” Ollie admitted.

Howard frowned, rubbing his brow. “You do want to get out of here, right?”

Ollie didn’t answer, but Howard chose to understand his silence as a yes.

“Then keep thoughts like that to yourself.” He placed his hand on the folder. “You don’t want all of your brother’s hard work to be for nothing, do you?”

Ollie lowered his gaze.

“The more I look into your case, the more confident I am.”

“Confident of what?”

A slow smile stretched Howard’s lips. “That I can do more than reduce your sentence. I can get you out of here.”

13

SixMonthsLater

Not appealing in the first twenty-eight days of a conviction meant a lengthier process. Ollie had toappealfor his appeal to be heard in the Crown Court. It put him at the back of the list of applicants. But that wasn’t the only reason it took six months to have his date in court.

Letters from Howarddisappeared, and they had to reschedule the date due to Ollie coming down with food poisoning…twice. Teddy made his unhappiness known, especially when Seinfeld stated Ollie might have to be moved to the hospital wing if Ollie continued having spells of vomiting. Teddy had become anxious at the idea of Ollie being out of sight, and Ollie didn’t want to be put there after what hadalmosthappened with Keith.

He promised Teddy he wouldn’t pretend to be ill again, and Teddy had wrapped him up so tight in a hug that Ollie was sure his bones were reshaping.

Whenever the date got pushed back, it was harder to face Leo.

He had no idea Ollie was doing it on purpose.

But Maggie seemed to realise, telling Ollie sternly it wasn’t just Ollie’s life he was messing with.

That made Ollie feel an ant small.

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