I must have zoned out. I barely recall having reached the ambulance. The next thing I remember is being wheeled into the hospital and taken to a private room.
“Scarlet,” says a woman I’ve never seen before. She’s mid-thirties, with a V-neck blue jumper that contrasts nicely with her eyes. Funny how I’m thinking about something like this when the world’s just fallen apart around me. I look around and find I’m in a white-walled room with two sofas sitting opposite each other. “Scarlet,” she says again, trying to gain my attention back. I lock eyes with her, looking lost. “My name’s Sasha, and you’re in the rape unit at Bartholomew’s Hospital. Do you understand?” I nod my head again. “We will need to ask you some questions. I know you’ll be keen to get a wash, and we will get to that as soon as we can, but first we will need to examine you. Is that okay?” I don’t want to be examined, but I know that it’ll look bad for Richard if I don’t. I have no idea why I’m protecting him, but I feel the need to do so deep in my gut; it’s instinctive.
“Will you come with me?”
I get up from my wheelchair and follow Sasha out of the room and into another room where a hospital bed with stirrups is placed. I know I’m going to be asked to strip, and for some reason, it makes me feel self conscious.
“We will need to take your clothes for evidence.”
I look from Sasha down at my dress, and it’s then I notice Reid’s blood all over me. I panic, trying to rip them off my skin. “Scarlet, calm down, sweetheart. You’re okay.”
“I want it off me,” I shout, shaking from head to toe.
“I understand, and we will get it off you. Look at me, Scarlet. Look at me.”
I stop at her words and look up into her eyes. “You’re safe now. No one can—and no one will—harm you here. Okay?” I nod my head for the hundredth time. “Would you like me to help you?”
“Yes,” I say, realising how weak I sound.
Sasha helps me out of my dress and places it inside an evidence bag. Once that’s done, she pulls the curtain for me to undress. I do so quickly, desperately wanting this to be over and done with. Once I have a gown slipped on, I quietly say, “I’m ready.”
I see the curtain move, and Sasha comes towards me, smiling. “Take a seat on the bed for me.”
I do as I’m told and watch as she places the bra inside the evidence bag along with my dress. I’d had to explain that the rest of my undergarments were removed back at the house during the attack. She nods with a sympathetic smile and then proceeds to seal the bag and replace her original gloves with a new pair.
“Can you lie down for me?” she asks as she pulls at the gloves on her fingers.
Wordlessly, I scoot down, place my legs in the stirrups, and close my eyes in preparation for what’s going to happen next. Placing one hand over the other, I grip tightly, trying desperately to relax myself down below. I feel the cold, and then I feel the speculum as it’s inserted. The process is uncomfortable, but it in no way compares to the discomfort of Reid forcing his way inside of me. She must be able to see it now. See the scars of what he did to me.
“I’m going to be as quick as I can; I can see you have several abrasions inside.” I close my eyes as I feel something scraping inside of me. I wince. “Sorry. I know this must be uncomfortable, but I’ll be done in a few seconds.”
Keeping my eyes gripped tightly shut, I squeeze my hands together and start counting in my head until this is all over with. It’s when I get to eight that I feel her pull the speculum out. “Well done,” she says, patting my leg. “You did really well.”
After that, photos are taken as I apparently have bruising between my legs. I also have bruises on my shoulders and wrists which I didn’t know I had. As far as Richard’s story is concerned, it’s all looking perfectly bona fide from what I can tell.
It’s only after being plucked at and photographed that I’m allowed to take that shower. I try turning it up as hot as I can to try to scrub away everything that’s happened, but the hospital must have it on some kind of temperature control as I can’t get it past the point of being just barely hot.
Disappointed, I wash what I can before slipping into the oversized red jumper and jeans which the hospital has supplied for me. With my hair still wet, I slip out of the room and find Sasha waiting patiently for me. She smiles before walking forward and placing a hand on my shoulder.
“We just need to ask you some questions, and then it will all be over. I’ve made some tea, and it’s waiting for you in that room there.” She points to the room I first found myself in. “A police officer’s there, but I will be with you every step of the way. Okay?” For the first time since being here, I manage a smile, and this seems to light her own face up. “Let’s get this over with. The sooner this is done, the sooner you can get home.”
Sasha walks towards the door, opening it before motioning me through. I notice as I walk in that the officer who’d asked me the first question earlier is sitting down with his notepad and pen at the ready. In front of him is two steaming cups of tea and a plate of biscuits. All of this is obviously part of an attempt to create a calm, relaxing atmosphere. I do feel better after the shower, but I still feel the shock of Reid’s death coursing through my veins.
The officer looks up when I walk towards him. His face is impassive at first. “Scarlet, how are you feeling?” His face softens as I approach. I must look like a lost lamb.
“I’ve felt better,” I joke, earning a chuckle from both of them.
I hear when the door shuts, and both Sasha and I sit together. The officer clears his throat before saying, “I’m PC Pentworth from Kingston Police Station. I just need to ask you a few—”
“How’s my father?” I ask, interrupting him.
“He’s fine. He’s currently receiving stitches for his knife wound and will need to be kept overnight as a result of the concussion he’s suffered. Other than that, he’s fine. You can go visit him as soon as we’re done here. I can take you, if you want?”
I offer him a light smile. “I would like that. Thank you.”
“This is just an initial interview at the moment. At some point, I will need you to visit the station and sign a formal statement.” I nod, and seeing that, he asks, “Did you know the person who attacked you and your father?”
“Yes. I was his business partner.”
“Did you hold a relationship other than purely business?”
I shook my head. “No, but that wasn’t for the want of Reid trying.”
“Do you know why he attacked you?”
I nod. “Yes. He found out that I was seeing someone else and got angry. That’s when he …” I stop, looking down.
“It’s okay, Scarlet. Take your time.”
After a sharp intake of breath, I pick up my tea and take a sip. “It’s all just so raw at the moment. It’s like I know it’s real, but I don’t want it to be.”
I feel a hand on my arm and look to the source. “That’s perfectly understandable,” Sasha says. “You may feel like that for a while, but things will get better.”
“Will they?” I ask, knowing she won’t have an answer.
There’s an awkward silence for a moment until the officer clears his throat. “Did you let Mr Marks in voluntarily?”
I snap my head back to him. “Yes, I did. I had my father there. I never in a million years thought he would attack me and then my dad like that. Everything happened so quickly.”
“Okay. Take a deep breath, and in your own time, tell us everything that happened from the beginning.”