Page 98 of No Safe Place
Surprise was written all over Wilson’s face.
Ruby chewed the inside of her cheek, then her anger seemed to pass. ‘She had her whole life ahead of her.’
‘I’ve seen a photo of her,’ Field lied. ‘She was beautiful.’
Ruby nodded, miserably.
‘It was actually Lily, who told us about Paige,’ Field said, watching closely for a reaction. ‘Lily spoke very highly of her. It sounds like she was a force to be reckoned with.’
‘She was,’ Ruby squeaked. ‘She was amazing.’
‘And she was in the Maudsley for just under two years?’
‘Yes.’ The girl exhaled. ‘She went in a kid, and then it was like she came out a grown-up. It changed her, being in there. I missed having her at home, even if life was easier—’
She broke off, looked stricken.
‘I understand. It can be hard, watching a loved one go through something like that.’ Field’s voice cracked, and she reddened, clearing her throat like she had a frog in it. ‘Did you see David Moore there, when you visited?’
‘Yes, of course.’ Ruby picked at her nail varnish. ‘And Paige never stopped talking about him, even after she came home.’
Field wasn’t really sure where to take their conversation next. The big win had been Andrew Levey’s name.
‘It must have been very hard for your parents, Ruby. Losing Paige, after she’d worked so hard to get better.’
Ruby waved a hand around the kitchen. ‘Well, look how long it took them to move out of our house.’ Ruby sniffed. ‘Her room was the same as it was. Totally untouched for years, until a couple of months ago. They couldn’t face it, so—’
‘You had to pack her things away?’ Field asked.
‘Yeah.’
Field couldn’t blame them for staying on in the house for so long. Losing a child, especially in an accident—
It seemed like Ruby wasn’t happy about the move. Field wondered what she saw when she looked at the empty rooms, whether she visualised them full of their old belongings.
‘Are you going with them, Ruby? To the coast?’
‘Yes, I am. Someone has to look after them. I work in a pharmacy, so I should be okay.’
With her gothic look and dark eye make-up, Field couldn’t imagine Ruby offering out cheerful greetings alongside prescriptions.
Field needed to wrap up the interview. She needed to call Bellamy, get him onto tracing Andrew.
But it was clear Ruby was wrestling with something.
Ruby chewed the inside of her cheek, then let the words out in a torrent. ‘It’s hard to explain, but the five of them were so close. Like they knew each other inside out – and I find it weird. They all went their separate ways after the trial, like it was just all done, you know?
‘Paige didn’t really speak to them anymore, and I wonder if she was struggling. The car accident – it was raining and she’d seemed tired that week, like she was getting ill.’
Field didn’t need to ask what kind of ill Ruby meant.
Ruby reached across the table, gripping Field’s hand, withsurprising force. ‘You have to understand, I’m all she’s got. My parents have this golden view of her, off to RADA, cured – but I think there was more to it all.’
Ruby’s intensity was unsettling.
‘More to it all?’ Field echoed.
Ruby puffed out her cheeks; her grip went limp. ‘I sound crazy. I don’t know.’
