Chapter 13

Diane and Steve were laughing so much they had to wait outside the police station and force themselves to stop and put on serious faces before they entered.

Inside they were advised Gabbie and Lucy were in the family room with Katherine and her lawyer. Constable Bennett was on her way to fetch them.

The family room was extra crowded when they got there, Lucy stood to let Diane sit with Gabbie, across from Katherine.

“Hello,” Katherine said, “You’re Lucy’s mother.”

“Yes, I am.”

“You should be very proud, she’s a wonderful girl.”

“Thank you, I like Gabbie a lot, she’s got a lot of character.”

“I understand you are happy to take custody of Gabbie during my incarceration.”

“I am, I’m very happy to take legal custody of Gabbie.”

“That is a huge weight off my shoulders, my lawyer has all the paperwork, she’ll sort out finances as well, because her school fees and spending money will need to be covered.”

“What about Jordan?” Diane asked.

“Jordan is staying with my sister, he’s always liked Alice and especially cousin Saoirse, she’s at his school. She’s such a tomboy is Saoirse, she’s always had a lot of fun with Jordan, so I think it’s best if he goes where he’s happiest, and Gabbie goes where she’s happiest.”

“That’s very sensible. I suppose this means you’ve been charged.”

“Yes, we’ve agreed that I will plead guilty to manslaughter due to diminished responsibility. The Crown is happy with this, it won’t go to trial, Gabbie you helped there, everything you said tallied with my statements. They won’t press for a murder conviction.”

“That’s great news ... I guess.” Gabbie said.

“So, I’ll be going to prison for a few years. They said it could be up to 10, but most likely I’ll be out in three to four years.”

“Four years mum, that’s so long.”

“I killed someone, that’s not something I can expect to get away with.”

“Couldn’t you go to court and plead.”

“That’s what my lawyer said, I could plead domestic violence, the incest, the rapes, all kinds of hair-raising stuff to get the jury on my side, but it would all then be out in public, everyone would know what happened to you, and I can’t allow that, absolutely not.”

“So you’re going to prison to protect me?”

“Yes, and for not protecting Alexa. Apart from you she’s my biggest regret, there’s others, so many I don’t even know them all. I deserve this prison sentence, I probably deserve longer.”

Katherine’s lawyer took Diane to one of the interview rooms where she signed paperwork to take legal custody of Gabbie until her 18th birthday.

There were reams of forms to sign, finances, safeguarding, duty of care, parental responsibility. Diane churned through them all and when she’d finished they returned to the family room.

Diane took Gabbie’s hand, she stood and they hugged a while, then Diane looked at Gabbie for the longest time, “I just signed about a million papers Gabbie, from now until your 18th birthday you’re my daughter, are you ok with that?”

Gabbie looked at her mother, her birth mother, then she looked at Diane, her new legal mother.

Only one of them had a genuine smile on her face, Diane looked like she smiled a lot.

“Diane, I’m very happy for you to be my mum, I guess that makes Lucy my sister.”

“One big happy family,” Lucy said as she hugged Gabbie, her new sister.

“Mum,” Gabbie said as she turned to Katherine, “are you happy with this?”

“Honey, I wish none of this had happened, I wish we were at home around the fire drinking hot chocolate, but that was never our family reality was it. As best as I can work out, it was always going to have to end like this. So whilst it distresses me greatly to lose you, it’s absolutely for the best, and even though I’ve only just met Diane you seem to like her and Lucy, your letters home always made me happy because you talked so much about how much you love Lucy. I trust your judgement here Gabbie and so I’m happy for you to live with your friends.”

There was a knock at the door, Constable Bennett put her head round the door, “I’m afraid we have to wrap this up now, we need to transfer Mrs Dixon to the remand centre.”

Katherine stood, she was still handcuffed, so she couldn’t hug Gabbie, but Gabbie hugged her, then kissed her cheek before they led her away for transfer to the remand centre.

Katherine’s lawyer followed close behind, she turned at the door.

“Good luck Gabbie,” she said, “thank you for making this process as easy as possible, it’s such a weight off Katherine’s mind.”

The door closed behind the lawyer and the room fell silent.

Gabbie broke the silence, “I can’t believe she’s going to prison, just to keep me out of it. I would never have thought she had the heart to do that.”

Lucy was about to hug Gabbie, but Diane beat her to it, “I’d have done the same in the circumstances, well, to be honest I’d have killed the fucker and dissolved him in acid decades ago, but in these exact circumstances, I’d have done the same, because a mother’s number one priority is her children.”

“Diane, you are as much of a badass as Lucy. I think I’m going to enjoy this next phase of my life.”

“I’m going to enjoy my growing family as well. Oh, look at the time, we’d better get home. I’d say race you, but you’re in Jerry’s car, my little Mini won’t stand a chance. and don’t say you drove carefully, Jerry might have been fooled, but I know you’ll have stopped for at least ½ an hour on the way up, if that car stayed the right side of 100mph I’m a Dutchman.”

Steve looked at the floor, ashamed to look in his mum’s eyes.

“I knew it, it’s such a glorious feeling when you put your foot down isn’t it, I’ve no idea why he has such a fast car just to keep to legal speed limits.”

“Can I ride with you Diane?”

“Of course you can Gabbie, you can tell me everything about yourself, well, the bits I don’t already know, tell me the good stuff.”

Lucy looked at Steve, her eyebrows raised in surprise, what had happened to Diane, she was never normally like this, she was being SO nice to Gabbie.

As Gabbie made a quick trip to the bathroom on the way out of the police station Lucy stood beside Diane, “you really like Gabbie don’t you.”

“You know, I really do. I was telling Steve earlier, I wasn’t sure at first, but she has such a great personality, and when she smiles she glows, she isn’t smiling much today obviously, but she did just then when I said she could ride with me, and it was a proper smile. And I see the way she looks at you Lucy, she absolutely adores you.

“That she asked me to be her responsible adult today, it meant so much to me Lucy. I know she likes my books, but she could have picked a social worker, or even Steve, but she wanted me. It made me feel special.

“Yes, I like her very much.”

“So do I mum, she’s so full of life, a little messed up right now, but I’m sure between us we can bring her round.”

“My two almost daughters, you’re such a perfect match and I love you both.”

“Are we ready?” Gabbie said brightly as she emerged from the bathroom.

“We are,” Diane replied and they left the station, Gabbie walking between Diane and Lucy, holding their hands, Steve walking ahead.

They separated on the second level of the car park, Lucy and Steve climbing into the Aston as Diane led Gabbie up to the third level where her bright red Mini was parked almost directly above the Aston, she heard the big V12 engine fire into life below as they climbed the Mini.

“I love that engine sound,” Diane said to Gabbie.

“He drove us through a tunnel the other day, we wound all the windows down as he put his foot down, it was amazing.”

“Don’t mention that to Jerry, ever,” Diane cautioned Gabbie, “he’s got no sense of humour when it comes to that car.”

“Haha, It’s our little secret.”

As Diane drove down the ramp and out of the car park onto the main road she could hear the Aston’s engine burbling as it stood at the traffic lights ahead.

“I’ll hang back a bit,” Diane said, pulling into a parking space at the side of the road, “he’ll feel really self-conscious if he sees me in his mirror. If Steve has one fault it’s his lack of confidence. I wish he was more like Lucy in that respect.”