Maggie stared at Rain’s lifeless body. She was barely able to step inside the room where her daughter lay. She seemed so small and frail, almost transparent, as if her blood had already drained away. She was lying on a white sheet on her back, arms down by her sides. She was dead still, her thin eyelids pressed closed as if someone had set her face to look angelic – nothing like the feisty girl she knew. A police officer stood at the door, glancing at Maggie sympathetically as she edged past.

A nurse was at the foot of Rain’s bed, watching as she approached. From chubby, inquisitive toddler, to cute little girl keen to explore, to a hot-headed and troublesome teen intent on self-destruction, Maggie never believed she’d ever have to face this – a mother’s worst nightmare. Rain was a survivor, had always got on with life, somehow dodging trouble around her yet leaving a trail of it in her wake. Or had she got it wrong? Was her daughter way more vulnerable than she’d ever realised?

Maggie covered her face, allowing the first agonising sob to travel up her throat and out into the cup of her hands. She couldn’t bear to imagine what vile and ghastly ordeal her daughter must have gone through to end up like this. No one had told her anything yet. She wondered if it was better that way, not knowing the details.

‘For fuck’s sake!’ Rain snapped angrily, suddenly sitting up. Maggie screamed, jumping back as Rain swung her legs out of bed. The nurse was immediately beside her, steadying her, coaxing her back down onto the pillow again.

‘You can’t go anywhere, my love, you’re hooked up to a drip,’ the nurse said. ‘Lie back and rest,’ she continued, trying to settle her.

For a moment, Maggie couldn’t move, feeling lightheaded, as though she was going to pass out, but then the relief surged through her.

‘Fat fucking chance of that around here,’ Rain said, catching sight of her mother. ‘Why doesn’t everyone just leave me alone?’ She hurled her head back against the pillow, curling up her legs.

‘Oh, Rain…’ Maggie lunged for her, wrapping her arms tightly around her. ‘You’re alive!’ She’d never been so relieved to see her daughter so angry. ‘Oh, thank God, thank God…’

‘Of course I’m fucking alive.’ She scowled at her mother, though there was something else behind the hard stare – something broken and hurting that gradually took over from the anger. ‘I just want to get out of here. Please let me go… I have to …’ Rain trailed off. Her voice changed, became softer, tinged with a sob. She hugged her arms around her body. ‘Mum, will you tell them I’m fine, that I just want to go home? I don’t have to see the police again, do I?’ She was shaking now, her whole body trembling as her eyes rolled back.

‘She’s in a bit of shock,’ the nurse said. ‘And very dehydrated.’

‘Oh, my love,’ Maggie said, not failing to notice that she’d called her Mum. She hugged her tightly again and, for once, Rain didn’t protest. ‘I’ve been worried sick about you. We all have.’ She allowed herself a moment to breathe in the familiar scent of her daughter, pressing her face into her hair. That delicious scent was still there, faintly, but there was something else too, something slightly dirty and almost feral, as if she’d been living wild these last few days. Something earthy about her.

‘Mum, tell them I just want to go home.’ Rain’s voice was thin and weak. ‘Please?’

‘I think it’s best you do as they say,’ Maggie said, the nurse nodding in agreement. When she’d arrived at the hospital, PC Wyndham had handed her over to a doctor who had brought her straight to Rain, but before they’d even got inside the room, the doctor’s bleep had sounded, and she’d rushed off to an emergency, saying she’d be back as soon as she could. She hadn’t told her anything.

‘Just take me home, Mum.’

‘Stay here a little while longer, love. You need to see the doctor.’ Maggie studied her daughter. There was definitely something different about her – the childlike way she curled up in bed, the sad look in her eyes seeping out. ‘And you keep calling me Mum,’ she said, smiling. ‘I like that.’ Then she held her at arm’s length, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her daughter’s ear. Rain looked up at her, as if she wanted to say something, but whatever it was wouldn’t come out.

Another nurse came in wheeling an equipment trolley, making chit-chat as she strapped the blood pressure cuff around Rain’s arm. Her skin was dirty – patches of grime covering her forearms, with dark stuff under the crescents of her nails. Rain lay there as the machine gripped her arm, allowing these things to be done to her as though she’d given up fighting.

‘Remember last Christmas, Mum?’ she said, after the nurse had finished. Her voice was flat and quiet. ‘I was so excited about you fetching me from school at the end of term, thinking we’d have a lovely time gift shopping together, decorating the tree, just the two of us. But then I got a message from the secretary telling me to go home with Katie for a few days, that you’d gone to Barbados with that guy, Gareth. Next thing I know, we’re moving in with him.’ She drew up her knees, covering them with the gown. ‘So now, for once, would you please just take me home and…’ A little sob burst from between her lips which, unusually, weren’t daubed in bright lipstick. Instead, they were chapped and dull. ‘…and just keep me safe.’

‘Oh, my darling…’ Maggie moved closer to hug her, but this time Rain turned away.

‘I’ll leave you two alone for a moment,’ the nurse said. As she opened the door, Maggie caught sight of PC Wyndham along with Shona, Claire and Nick waiting in the corridor. They looked concerned, so she gave them a nod, indicating to give her a moment.

Maggie wanted to explain to Rain how hard it had been for her over the years; how the men in her life had been a compensation for her loneliness and childhood pain; how she’d never truly been happy; how she believed if she kept on running everything would somehow be OK. All she’d ever wanted was for her and Rain to be settled, to feel secure and loved. She knew she’d failed. And she also knew this wasn’t the right time to discuss it, especially as PC Wyndham had just come into the room. She touched Maggie on the elbow, giving her a relieved smile.

‘How are you feeling now, Rain?’ she asked.

Rain pulled the sheet up to her chin, as if she wanted to hide behind it. She was on the verge of tears. Maggie reached out a hand, resting it on the knot of her daughter’s fists.

‘The police have worked so hard to find you over the last few days,’ Maggie said, hoping she would talk, tell her what had happened. Instead, she just gave a small nod, her face turned down to her chest. Her shoulders were shaking. ‘Oh, Rain,’ Maggie said, glancing at the officer with an apologetic look. ‘Maybe talking about it will help?’

Rain twisted the sheet, her thin fingers working the fabric. ‘I told them some stuff already. But you won’t understand everything. No one will. Ever.’

‘It’s OK, love,’ Maggie replied, knowing that forcing anything out of her was usually counter-productive. ‘All in good time.’ But she couldn’t get Callum’s arrest out of her head.

‘When you’re feeling more up to it, Rain, we’ll need to take a statement from you,’ PC Wyndham said, pausing, hoping to elicit something. But all she managed was a small nod.

‘A statement?’ Maggie looked between the two of them.

‘I want you both to know that we’re taking what happened extremely seriously. We’ll do everything we can to help you.’

‘Just tell me what’s going on,’ Maggie said, gripping the officer’s arm. ‘No one’s told me anything.’ Her voice wavered.

Rain’s head jerked up. ‘But I haven’t done anything wrong,’ she half-sobbed, burning crimson. ‘It wasn’t like that.’

‘I know you haven’t, Rain. You’ve suffered a terrible ordeal and we’ll do everything in our power to get justice. But we do need to get the facts from you. You won’t have to see him.’

‘See who?’ Maggie said, on the verge of tears. She didn’t understand – or rather, was it that she didn’t want to understand?

‘As you know, Maggie, we arrested Callum Rodway on suspicion of…’

Maggie suddenly felt dizzy, her chest tightening when she heard his name, hardly able to take in what she was being told. She’d tried to block out the implications of his arrest, but hearing the words direct from PC Wyndham made it painfully real. As she listened, she couldn’t stand to think of that bastard – someone they’d all known and trusted for years – doing such a vile thing to her daughter. She knew he’d been arrested, and now her worst suspicions had been confirmed. She needed to stay calm for Rain, but the anger was boiling up inside her. All she wanted to do was find him and punch his disgusting face.

‘I shouldn’t have gone into his room, Mum, I know that, but I was drunk. I thought it was Marcus’s room,’ Rain said, curling up even more. ‘Then, when I saw him, it was just like a part of me, you know…’ She pulled a pained expression, struggling to find the right words. ‘It was like I wanted to prove I’m attractive, that I’m worth something. He’d already hugged me in the cellar. I guess I wanted him to do that again. It was just nice to be noticed for once.’

‘Oh, Rain,’ Maggie said, holding her. ‘None of this is your fault.’ Though, as a mother, she couldn’t help feeling it was hers.

‘Rain, please trust me when I say we’re going to do everything we can to help you,’ PC Wyndham said. ‘What he did is against the law, and however you felt, whatever you thought the situation was, it was never OK for him to have done this to you. Do you hear me?’

Rain nodded, sniffing. ‘Yes,’ she whispered.

‘You can throw the bastard in jail to rot, as far as I’m concerned,’ Maggie said, unable to control herself any longer. She gripped the bar on the side of the bed, her knuckles flashing white. ‘No one does this to my daughter and gets away with it,’ she spat out. ‘No one!’

Then Rain started crying – hot, powerful tears bubbling out of her, purging the pain. ‘Oh, Mum, I c-c-couldn’t stop him.’ She buried her face in the sheet, her knees tucked up under her chin. ‘After… after he did it, he wouldn’t let me go. I was terrified. I just lay there, trying to pretend it never happened. I was trying to act normal the next day, but all I wanted was to die of shame. I hated myself more than ever. I felt disgusting.’ Maggie handed Rain some tissues from a box on the side table. She blew her nose. ‘I didn’t know what to do or where to go, just that I had to get away. I knew no one would believe me anyway. I’d got some spare clothes in my beach bag, so I ran. It was like a switch flicked inside me.’ She wiped her face with a fresh tissue. ‘I couldn’t face anyone, let alone him.’

‘It’s OK, I understand, darling. I’m here for you. And I totally believe you.’ Maggie forced herself to calm down for Rain’s sake, even though inside she felt far from it.

‘I admit, a part of me wanted to scare you, Mum. To show you how I felt, to show you all my pain. I wanted you to give a shit about me for once and come find me.’ She was silent for a moment. ‘But it’s not just about that now…’ she whispered, shaking her head, covering her face. ‘When I ran away, things got so much worse.’ Rain broke down again.

As she listened, Maggie felt her own tears pouring down her cheeks. Part of her wanted to smash up the room – take her hatred of Callum out on whatever was close – while the other part wanted to wrap up Rain in her arms and never let her go. ‘Love… oh God, love, I’m so sorry…I do care about you. So much.’ She hugged Rain again. Imagining what she would do to that bastard when she saw him would have to suffice for now.

‘Rain, I just need to have a word with your mum for a moment, if that’s OK,’ PC Wyndham said with a kind look. She gestured towards the door. ‘Do you want to come out here a moment, Maggie?’

But Maggie couldn’t let go of Rain. She rocked her back and forth, promising everything would be OK, that they would get through this together.

‘Maggie?’ PC Wyndham repeated, touching her shoulder. ‘Please, just a quick word if you wouldn’t mind?’

‘Sorry,’ Maggie replied, prising herself away. She held her daughter’s gaze until she left the room, mouthing I won’t be long at her. She was lightheaded from adrenalin, anger and shock. Minutes ago, she hadn’t even known if her daughter was dead or alive.

‘Let’s go down here,’ the officer suggested, leading her down the corridor past Claire, Shona and Nick. They all fussed over her as she walked by, asking so many questions she thought her head was going to explode. She put up her hands to stall them, following PC Wyndham into a quiet doorway alcove.

‘Rain will have a thorough medical examination and further checks, which will form part of the case,’ the officer said quietly. ‘She’s the victim of a terrible crime and I just want to reiterate how seriously we’re taking this.’

Maggie nodded, sniffing back another round of tears, swallowing down her anger.

‘But I do feel there’s more to this, as if she’s holding something back. I thought I should mention it in case you can throw any light on it.’ PC Wyndham paused, but when Maggie remained silent, looking puzzled, she continued. ‘Rain had a very brief initial chat with a psychologist earlier. The clinician suspected there was something else that Rain wanted to talk about, something she wasn’t ready to let out. While she seems willing to make a statement concerning the sexual assault, I’m wondering if there’s more to this.’

Maggie remembered the look Rain had given her – a lonely, terrified look that had cut her to the core. And what had she meant by things got so much worse. ‘Yeah, me too,’ she said, nodding. ‘But I have no idea what.’

‘A woman from the village brought Rain to hospital. She came across her down on the beach near Trevellin. Apparently, she was on her knees, hysterical and trying to wash herself in the sea. The woman asked her if she was OK and, when she clearly wasn’t, she persuaded her to come here.’

‘Oh Christ,’ Maggie said. ‘Thank God she helped her. Rain must feel so dirty…’

‘Before you arrived, I tried to ascertain where she’d been these past few days. At first, she told me that she’d hitched a lift out of Cornwall and gone to her best friend Katie’s house, that she’d not been in the area at all. It might explain the van sighting. But then she switched her story and said that she’d hit her head and lost her memory, that she had no idea what had happened. Finally, she told me that she’d been sleeping rough not far away, though she wouldn’t tell us where exactly. Like I said, her story kept changing.’

‘None of it makes any sense.’ Maggie felt sick.

‘She told the psychologist that after what she did, she couldn’t live with herself.’

‘Well, she clearly blames herself for what happened.’

‘That’s an understandable reaction, yes. But in this case, the psychologist said she was referring to something that happened during the time she was missing, like she wants to talk about it but can’t.’

Maggie paused, thinking. She’d seen the sadness in Rain’s eyes, felt something essential had changed. But that was hardly surprising, given what she’d been through. ‘I see,’ she replied quietly. ‘I’ll try to talk to her, but Rain won’t ever be pushed.’

‘I understand,’ PC Wyndham replied. ‘Anyway, as you know, we arrested Mr Rodway and he’s now been charged with sexual activity with a child. With Rain.’ The officer paused. ‘It’s a very strong case.’ She took a breath, hesitating. ‘We have photographic evidence.’

‘Photographic evidence?’ Maggie leant against the wall, her head bent back. ‘The bastard took fucking pictures of her?’ She banged the wall with her fists as more tears came and the implications sank in. Would he have shared the photographs online?

‘Actually, the pictures were taken by a third party. And not in the way you might imagine, if that’s any comfort. It strengthens our case enormously.’

Maggie tried to process what she was hearing but couldn’t. She touched her forehead, shaking her head, kicking the wall with her foot.

‘And just so you know, Mr Rodway has been released on conditional bail.’

‘You let him out?’

‘He’s obviously banned from talking to witnesses and being alone with children. And sometime soon, Rain will need to make a video statement for court.’

Maggie was nodding, trying to absorb everything. All she wanted was to block out what he’d done to her daughter, but she didn’t know how. And what did it all mean for Claire, the rest of the family? The repercussions felt endless, made her feel sick.

‘Your liaison officer will still be in touch, and Rain will receive victim support, plus counselling services are available. And we’ll be in close contact, of course, in case there’s anything else she wants to tell us about.’

Maggie just kept nodding. It was all too much to take in. She watched as PC Wyndham walked off, going up to Claire and taking her aside. Claire glanced back, giving her a sad smile and, before she disappeared from sight, Maggie managed a small smile back.

With a couple of deep breaths, Maggie took a moment to compose herself before going back into Rain’s room, avoiding the knot of people in the corridor. She couldn’t face talking to anyone yet. She didn’t feel real, praying that she would wake up from this nightmare and that everything would be back to normal – whatever normal was. She closed the door and sat on the bed, watching Rain who was now dozing. She leant forward, kissing her forehead. ‘I really, really like it when you call me Mum,’ she said, curling up beside her.