Read Online What She Saw by Mark Roberts - Free Book Online

me. When his fist. . . hit me. . . I smelt petrol. If I had to swear on the Holy Bible, the hitter had petrol on his hands.’ Her eyes looked sad, as if the awful truth about the world had descended like a foul night. ‘But I couldn’t swear the other one did.’ Her face clouded over again and she leaned back in her seat, the memory of what had happened brought alive in her eyes by the mention of those words.
    â€˜Macy, can you read a street map?’ asked Bellwood, retrieving a large white sheet from the nearby desk.
    â€˜I like Geography.’
    Bellwood lay the map on the floor at Macy’s feet and sat on the floor of the Portakabin. Macy slid off her seat and sat next to Bellwood, who indicated Bannerman Square on the map.
    â€˜Show me where you ran away from them, stop where they caught you.’
    Macy traced her finger along Lydia Road, stopping not far from thestart of the chase, about four hundred metres from where the road led directly to the high street.
    â€˜And how long did you listen before their footsteps were gone?’ asked Rosen.
    â€˜It felt like a minute.’ Macy looked up at Rosen.
    â€˜Is it true?’
    â€˜Is what true, Macy?’
    â€˜There was a boy in the car.’
    â€˜I’m sorry to say there was.’
    â€˜So they set him on fire?’
    â€˜We don’t know—’
    â€˜They said they’d come back, that they’d burn me alive.’ The blood had drained from Macy’s face and it seemed that she was about to faint. Rosen took her by the hands, picked her up from the floor and settled her back on her chair. Bellwood was up and pouring water from a bottle as Rosen opened the door to let fresh air in.
    She sipped the water, staring into the middle distance, a film of sweat forming on her brow. Rosen sat down again and leaned in gently.
    â€˜Why?’ she said.
    â€˜Why what, Macy?’ asked Rosen.
    â€˜Why’s the world so. . . bad?’
    â€˜Do you know what, Macy,’ Rosen replied, ‘I’ve been a policeman for thirty years and I still ask myself that question every single day. I never get the whole answer, but I always come up with some of the answer. It’s also a wonderful world with lovely people in it. Do you want to know who I met today who’s a really good, good person?’
    â€˜Who?’ She looked intrigued to the point of amazement.
    Rosen leaned a little closer, dropped his voice. ‘You.’
    â€˜Me?’ Macy’s face unfolded in a smile, a bud opening to the light. Then a shadow appeared. ‘Are they going to come and get me, Mr Rosen?’
    â€˜I think. . . if they were going to get you, I mean make sure that you couldn’t tell anyone what you’d seen. . .’
    â€˜Kill me?’
    â€˜They’d have done it last night when they had a chance. If they come back to Bannerman Square, it’s a huge risk for them. There are going to be lots of policemen around here now.’
    â€˜Promise?’
    â€˜I can promise you lots of extra policemen.’
    Macy looked at Bellwood for further reassurance.
    â€˜Macy, if you’d committed a serious crime, would you go back to where you’d done it if there were loads of coppers around?’
    â€˜No way.’
    She drank the rest of her water and looked around for the bin. Rosen took the cup from her and felt the clammy heat from her hands on the plastic surface seep into his fingers. Macy still looked sick.
    He looked at her mother.
    â€˜Why don’t you keep her off school for the afternoon?’
    â€˜I want to go to school. Can I go now?’ Macy insisted.
    Rosen understood her sudden, urgent prompting to be in school, a place where she felt safe. He also reckoned that she had more information. But to detain her further at that moment would be cruel.
    He took out his mobile phone and said, ‘Macy, can I take a photograph of your face?’
    â€˜Yes, but