Page 65 of Butterfly

Ollie lowered his voice further. “I don’t want to get out of here.”

Maggie frowned. “You’d rather be locked in a cell than out, able to spend time with your brother again?”

Ollie flinched. “That’s not what I said.”

“He’s been calling and emailing your old teachers, parents of kids you used to go to school with, even your father’s ex-girlfriends, asking for help, asking for them to back up his claims about what it was like for you and him and do you know what?”

“What?”

“All of the people he’s contacted had a story to tell him. All of them gave him something, and they all want to help. They saw the bruises, they didn’t believe your excuses, they felt an atmosphere, a vibe, a gut feeling. All of them, me included, knew.”

“Knew what?” Ollie snapped.

“You were being abused by your father. He hurt you, and it wasn’t just physical. That man broke you down until you were a shell of yourself, nothing but his verbal and physical punching bag, and he would’ve started on Leo too.”

Ollie’s throat tightened. “Did Leo tell you about his bruises?”

Maggie nodded. “You hit the side of your head on the kitchen table after your father punched you. It knocked you out cold. Leo screamed at him. He kneed Leo several times in the stomach, then went upstairs.”

“I shouldn’t have…. I shouldn’t have—”

“Been knocked out? You had no control over that.”

Ollie glanced over to Leo by the tuck shop. He had a cup of tea in hand, but he didn’t come any closer. He watched from afar, waiting for their conversation to end.

“Was that…was that the only time?”

Heneededto know.

“He told us it was only once.”

Ollie slipped down his chair, exhaling as he went.

“He told us it happened to you all the time, though. He saw. He heard.”

“If you all knew, then why didn’t you do anything?”

Maggie hung her head. “I can’t speak for others, but I…I pushed it to the back of my mind. I forgot about you and Leo because it was easier, because in my head, it wasn’t my responsibility, it was your father’s to sort himself out. I didn’t do anything because I’m a coward, and I chose to do what was easy rather than what was right. I live with that. Always will. I can’t go back and be there, but I can be there now.”

“Thanks, but I don’t need you or anyone else. I won’t appeal to clear anyone’s guilty conscience.” He shook his head. “They shouldn’t feel guilty anyway. I denied everything, kept it secret, didn’t want others getting involved—”

“But they knew it was happening. You were a child. You needed help, and there was no one there. It’s no wonder what happened…happened.”

“You want to help me now?”

“Yes.” Maggie looked like she was about to reach for his hand across the table but stopped herself.

“Tell Leo there’s no point. He should focus on something else and stop telling Howard to send me letters.”

“So you are getting his letters?”

Ollie closed his eyes in a long blink.

Maggie sighed. “He’s set his heart on getting you out of here. It’s the first thing he thinks about when he gets up and the last thing before he goes to bed. He searches the internet at all hours, trying to find people. He’s got a whole folder of evidence he’s pulled together.”

“Evidence of what?”

“Abuse that can support either diminished responsibility or a lack of control plea.”

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