Girl Alone: Part 3 of 3: Joss came home from school to discover her father’s suicide. Angry and hurting, she’s out of control.. Cathy Glass

said goodbye and I closed the front door. I didn’t know if their decision was based solely on the allegation Joss had made against Zach or if they were aware of the new one too, and it didn’t matter. It was the right decision. Joss didn’t need any more stress right now, and neither did I.

      Joss woke just after 8.30 and came downstairs in her dressing gown. I asked her how she was and she said she felt a bit better and had slept well. I told her of the police visit and she too was relieved that she didn’t have to answer questions about setting the car on fire now. ‘I was very angry then,’ she said pensively. ‘I wouldn’t do that now.’

      ‘I’m pleased to hear it, Joss, and when the police come back you must tell them that.’

      ‘I will.’

      In my experience, once a child starts to disclose the abuse they’ve suffered their anger begins to leave them almost immediately, as a huge burden has been lifted. I could already see a lighter, more open and responsive side to Joss, and she wasn’t always on the defensive now. She poured herself a juice and then went upstairs to shower and dress. Adrian was up and dressed next, and appeared in the kitchen, hungry as usual, just before nine o’clock. I scrambled his eggs while he toasted bread and I explained that I was expecting to spend most of the day dealing with something Joss had told me late last night. From being in a family that had fostered for many years, he understood the implications and didn’t press me for details. He said that once he had his school things sorted and ready for tomorrow, he’d probably see a friend in the afternoon. We ate breakfast together and then he went up to his room.

      Jill telephoned about twenty minutes later, having been updated about Joss’s disclosure in respect of her stepfather by the team member on duty the night before. She began with a heartfelt sigh. ‘Dear me, it never rains but it pours. Do you believe her?’

      ‘Yes.’

      ‘And Joss said she’d told her mother but wasn’t believed?’ This was significant, as Linda could be accused of covering up the abuse and failing to protect her daughter.

      ‘That’s what Joss said,’ I confirmed.

      ‘You know what her mother will say, don’t you?’ Jill said. ‘That Joss has never liked Eric, resented him for trying to be her father, and has made this up to get rid of him.’

      ‘I know, but I’m sure Joss is telling the truth.’

      ‘And Joss is prepared to make a statement to the police?’ Jill asked. This could be another indicator of the sincerity of a young person; if they were lying, they were likely to back down and withdraw the allegations at the mention of making a statement to the police.

      ‘Yes, she is,’ I said.

      ‘OK. I’ll telephone Amelia when she’s had a chance to speak to the duty social worker. She’ll want to talk to Joss as soon as possible. There will be concerns about her brother too, although Joss is saying she doesn’t think he touched Kevin. Is Joss with you now?’

      ‘She’s upstairs.’

      ‘How is she?’

      ‘Relieved that it’s finally out in the open, I think. She looks less anxious. She did say she should have told me sooner.’

      ‘And the reason she didn’t is because she thought you wouldn’t believe her?’ Jill asked.

      ‘Yes. That’s what she said.’

      ‘I guess it makes sense.’

      I then told Jill about the visit we’d had that morning from the police officers about the burning car.

      ‘I’m glad common sense prevailed,’ Jill said. ‘I’ll let Amelia know when I phone her. And when you have a moment, Cathy, can you write up your notes while it’s still fresh in your mind? Then we’ll have a copy ready on file if it’s needed.’

      ‘I will,’ I said.

      ‘And keep Joss with you today. I can’t imagine she wants to go out, but Amelia will want to talk to her at some point.’

      ‘All right.’

      We said goodbye and I replaced the receiver. Lucy and Paula were up now, and I could hear their voices and Joss’s as the three of them talked on the landing. When Lucy and Paula came down in their dressing gowns a short while later, they both looked very shocked.

      ‘Joss told you?’ I asked.

      ‘Yes. It’s awful. What a pervert Eric is,’ Lucy said.

      ‘He was supposed to be her new dad!’ Paula said, disgusted.

      And for a moment an uncomfortable thought flashed across my mind that Joss might have told them for dramatic effect, which would have given credence to her mother’s assertion that she made things up for attention. But then we all handle trauma in different ways, and sharing it with her peers was probably Joss’s way of coping – now that it was out in the open, she felt comfortable telling others she trusted. Not for the first time, though, I worried about the effect all of this was having on my children. Paula had gone very pale.