Chapter 14
'Hello Andy sorry for not replying to your texts or phone calls until now. I've just got to my phone as I left it in the office last night, complete accident but I will explain later...I hope nothing to serious has happened and that you are alright. Right, okay, erm...I will talk to you later when we are both free. Okay, see you soon. This was just a quick ring to let you know what happened. See you soon...okay...bye.' Janet sighs and hangs up. She looks up at Rachel and half smiled. Janet looks across to Gill's office and sees her wave Janet into her office. Janet gets up and walks over to her office; she gives a knock on the door and steps in. 'Before we start I want to thank you so much for looking after the girls last night. I really appreciate it. I'm sorry about the really short notice. I hope they weren't too bad for you.' Gills smiles and shakes her head. 'They were fine, really good actually. Elise liked seeing Sammy and he enjoyed seeing her. I just sat and watch telly with Taisie. Then your mum came home so I left. Honestly I didn't mind, I'm just glad you came to me.' Janet takes a seat. 'Tea, coffee?' Gill asked. 'Tea please, if I have coffee I will be up half the night.' She laughs and hesitates.
Gill brings over two cups of tea. She takes a seat behind her desk and opens some paper folders. 'I was looking over the Geoff case last night, as you are interviewing him next week. I want to make it perfectly clear to you that you have a choice; you don't have to do this if you don't want to, and it's not too late to pull out. Dave has been passing round that I am making you do it, I want to make sure you know I'm not. Now, we will go over what happened on the day...' Gill's voice shook '...you know, that bastard tried to kill you.' She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and looked at Janet. Janet could see that this was a sensitive matter to Gill. 'Take your time, tell me what happened. If you need to stop we can.' Gill looks at Janet as she begins to speak. 'Do you what the story from the beginning or just before I was stabbed?' She looked at Gill with her eye brows raised and had a sip of her tea blowing it to cool it down. 'When he arrived at your house that day?' Janet put the cup down and nods.
'I don't remember exactly what happened, it's a little blurry but I will tell you what I know...' She closes her eyes and thinks hard. 'There was a knock at my door; I got up to get it. I was working from home at the time you see, looking over the case notes from when Veronica died. I saw Geoff at the door so I invited him in. At the time none of us were aware it was him that had any participation in anything. I made him a cup of tea, I think. We were talking and the phone rang. I picked up and it was Rach, I think I said 'Hello Rachel' and then all I remember her saying was 'It's Geoff' and then I said 'What's Geoff?' by that time he had grabbed at kitchen knife and came after me. We wrestled through the kitchen and hall way. My main goal was to take the knife off him, or at least try to before he hurt either of us. He cut my cheek. We fought over it a little more and that is when he...erm...'
Janet's voice began to break. She picked up her tea and took a gulp of it. She put the mug down and rubbed her neck. '...that is when he...he stabbed me. I was left sitting on the floor. Then you and Rachel came. Andy carried me out into the car, you drove and Rachel sat in the back with me. My blood was erm, all over Rachel.' Gill looked at Janet, she put her head down. 'Jan, I am sorry. We should have caught onto the fact it was him before he had time to do anything like that to you.' Gill puts her head up and she looks away, tears began to form in her eyes. 'I believe that is all, I try not to think about it too much, it's not really something I like to talk about to be honest.' Gill agrees 'I don't blame you, I would be the same.'
Gill collects the papers from her desk and arranges them into a neat pile. 'There is one more thing; we need to prepare you for every eventuality. We don't know what that bastard is going to throw at you. He may apologise, we don't know. He's requested to talk to you, he should be alright but I've been told to make sure this whole thing goes down without any problems. So we have to devise a plan of a way for us to know if he is pushing it. He should behave alright as this will be a three day holiday for him. Just in case he does what do you want to happen?'
Janet looks at Gill 'I didn't know it was going to be this difficult. I want Mitch in there with me, I know if I am left alone with him I will tell him what I really think of him and that won't help anyone. I think we should make a list of all the possible things that may come up. I will read over them so I will know how to handle it.' Gill nods her head. 'I will put Mitch in with you; he will be there for you to fall back on. If you want me to make a list I will do it for you now, let you have a rest from this and then I will give it to you so you can prepare. Okay?' Janet nods. 'I will leave now, get back to work and get this off my mind for now. Let me know what it is ready. See you later.'
Janet walks out of Gill's office, closes the door and walks to her desk in silence. She looks at her computer screen and opens a document, the silence continues. 'Are you alright?' Rachel asks. Janet shakes her head.
'No, I'm not alright.'