Chapter 32

1st October 2015: 23:45 pm.

“Emma Ann Rogers, you’ve been charged with kidnapping of two minors and the bodily harm of one of the minors, you are also being charged with breaking and entry. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. The reason for your arrest is due to a witness’s claim of seeing you enter their house and removing Elizabeth Rogers from her house, and then entering your car,” Officer Brenda said as she led me from the interview room to another room.

“What about my lawyer?”

“You’ll be able to see him once we take some mug shots and finger prints. First we’ll take your finger prints and then you’ll be led to a room. You are to remove your clothes. Put them in that bag and then we’ll take the mug shots and finally you’ll be led to a holding cell and then we will see if you have a court hearing today or tomorrow for bail.”

She was handling me roughly as if the sight of me was making her feel sick.

“It would be easier if you just told us where Barbara was, if you did then maybe they’ll let you off gently.”

“I don’t know,” I whispered as she directed me to take the finger prints. I looked at her for a few seconds and her lips were pressed together; she wanted to say more, but something was stopping her.

Why would I hurt my own daughter?

I came to the station to find out my daughter who was lost. I closed my ears as the officer informed me of the reasons for my arrest. They started to talk about code G and part of me felt as if I was listening to a foreign language.

As soon as we got to the station, they wasted no time in taking photographs of me, like a lab rat. I didn’t protest, I said nothing as they took fingerprints and then DNA samples from a mouth swab. They didn’t ask for my permission, not that I would have protested. I needed Barbara back and the idea that I would cause a scene or even stop them from doing whatever it was that they felt the desire to do assured me that I needed to comply. That was the only way that I would get my little girl back safely.

After they finished, they were walking me to a cell. I thought that they would let me go. But it was as if the nightmare was only getting worse.

“Why am I going to a cell?”

“Until a duty officer can be appointed to you.”

I said with such urgency as my voice trembled, “But I have a lawyer!”

“We were told by your family that you need to be appointed one.”

I realized that Elizabeth had cast her evil spell on Ralph and probably told Bentley not to represent me. I hated her even more as they took me to the custody cell until I was ready to be questioned. Some stranger would sit there and listen to my story. He’d probably be on his break and not be interested in hearing my cry.

My daughter was out there and I was here, helpless, and all the police wanted to do was arrest me for taking Ted’s love child. He’d had another child and all this time I never knew. I should have asked Ralph and Elizabeth if they knew. Then again, by the look on Elizabeth’s face I doubted that she’d known. She’d looked as shocked as I had when the name was read out as I was being arrested.

“How long will I be here?” I said as they closed the custody cell and left me to rot. Or that’s what it felt like as I looked across and saw a man sitting there just staring at me. I wondered what he was doing here, but then as I thought about Barbara, I decided that I didn’t care.

“You can be held here for up to 96 hours. It depends when we question you and whether we do charge you.” It was the same motionless police officer that had been in the room with me earlier when I was here, being questioned about the disappearance of Barbara. His eyes were still as cold as ice, and so were his hands every single time he touched me.

I was confused, none of this made sense. When they’d come to the house, I thought that they had arrested me.

“I thought that you had already charged me.”

He shook his head. “We arrested you on suspicion. We needed to interview you prior to you being formally arrested.”

I didn’t know how much time I was sitting there, but it was time to be moved again as she came back and called out my name. She said the words that I didn’t want to hear as we sat in the interview room, and then I noticed that the man sitting next to me. The man that I thought would be Bentley was probably a duty solicitor. One that I didn’t know. One that probably didn’t care about my case.

“You do not have to say anything. But, it may harm your defense if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.”

What did she say when she was talking to me earlier?

Don’t I have a chance to talk to him and tell him about my case?

This wasn’t going to go down well, I thought that if I was calm that things would work out. I remembered that they said something about I could reject the solicitor that had been appointed to me. That was exactly what I intended to do. The man sitting next to me wasn’t my lawyer and I knew one thing for sure. He certainly didn’t care about me. Or Barbara.