The Runaway Schoolgirl Read Free Page A

stupid rumours, safe in the knowledge that I would be able to put the record straight. I told them that I had already spoken to Mr Forrest and it was all lies, just tittle-tattle put around by school kids, and that I had also spoken to Gemma about it. There was nothing to be concerned about.
    The next thing DC Pawson said hit me like a ton of bricks.
    ‘Gemma is believed to have indecent pictures of Mr Forrest on her phone and we need to speak to you both about it.’
    I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and so I phoned Gemma straight away, trying to keep calm. ‘Hi darling, where are you?’ I said breezily. ‘When will you be home?’ Gemma could obviously tell from my voice that something wasn’t right. ‘I’m at school, Mum, what’s the matter? You’re scaring me.’ I pulled myself together and tried to sound as normal as possible: ‘No, no, it’s nothing. How long do you think it will take you to get home?’
    As we waited for Gemma, I bumbled about trying to change Lilly’s nappy as DC Pawson carried on talking to me. To be honest, it was like white noise; I was too shocked to concentrate on what he was saying. Meanwhile, I could sense his colleague’s eyes burning into me, watching my every move. It turned out that Gemma had previously shown the photographs to another girl at school. She had then told her parents about what she had seen, and they in turn had contacted the police.
    Unbeknown to me, Lee was upstairs in his bedroom and had heard us talking. He rang Gemma and told her that two people were at the house asking questions about her. At this point, I was later to find out, Gemma worked out what was going onand proceeded to delete the incriminating photographs from her phone. She also went to see Mr Forrest to warn him that people were at her house, waiting to speak to her.
    When Gemma eventually arrived home, she looked quite frightened and wanted to know what was going on. DC Pawson was very nice to her and calmly explained that they needed to speak to her about some pictures that she may have on her phone.
    With that, Gemma shoved the phone at him. ‘See for yourself,’ she said. ‘There’s nothing on it. I don’t know what you are talking about.’
    But DC Pawson pressed Gemma a bit more. He explained to her that the police would be able to retrieve any photographs she may have deleted and that this was her opportunity to put the record straight.
    It soon became plain that Gemma wasn’t going to say anything more and shortly afterwards they left. DC Pawson said he would be back in touch on the Friday once he’d had a chance to investigate the phone.
    At the time I believed Gemma was telling the truth. When they had gone, I turned to her, saying: ‘Is there anything I should know? I do trust you, you know …’
    ‘Good,’ she replied. ‘You should.’
    With that we ended the conversation and carried on as if nothing had happened.
    Not surprisingly, I found it hard to sleep that night. My mind was all over the place and Lilly was unsettled. Paul and I talked and eventually we both fell asleep on the sofa and at around 3am I woke up when I heard Gemma coming down the stairs, dressed in her school uniform. Half awake, half asleep, I asked her what she was doing. ‘It’s the middle of thenight, sweetheart, go back to bed,’ I told her. And as if she was sleepwalking, back upstairs she went.
    In the early hours, just as the alarm clock went off, I felt Gemma snuggling up to me. It was like she was a little girl again when she had climbed into my bed when she was ill or needed to be comforted. ‘I just wanted a cuddle,’ she explained. It was sweet, and yet I also remember thinking how out of character it was, even though we had an affectionate relationship. Of course, it all makes sense now …
    Later that day, Gemma called me from Ben’s phone – hers had been confiscated – and asked if she could stay at Louise’s that night. I told her that I didn’t really like her staying