"So tell me my dear boy, how have you been," I asked him jovially. I felt that I was doing rather a splendid job of winding the conversation into the area that I had been wanting to delve into for around a month now.
Tim sat across from me in the chair Ivo had sat in all the weeks before when he had confessed to me his actions towards the young boy. I had been debating since whether it was my place to become involved.
He shrugged and gave a small smile, tilting his head down and looking up again through his eyelashes. I swear the boy knows he does it. I told myself that I should probably sit down and found myself already doing so. The room was awfully warm too.
"Tim, there is something I wanted to discuss with you if you are not adverse to it," I ventured, feeling comforted and disturbed by the innocent happiness on his face.
"Sure," he replied cheerily and I winced.
"I worry about the relationship you have with Ivo," I started. I then realised that I should have eased him in further, lulled him into the rapport that was needed for these sorts of conversations. He had flinched a little.
"Oh."
I couldn't decide if that had been phrased as a question or not. I continued regardless.
"He confessed to me that something happened on the cruise," I began slowly, in the hope that he would say or do something that would give me anything to work with.
He looked positively terrified now and seemed to be a little grey. His knuckles were clenched tight around the armrests of the chair.
"Tim," I almost gasped when I could see him visibly shake.
"Tell me what happened," I asked him. I tried to sound as soothing and calm as possible to coax information from him and I felt bad for manipulating him into telling me but I needed to.
He shook his head and brought a hand up to his lips to chew at his sleeve, large tears beginning to flow over his cheeks.
"I didn't mean to," he whispered and I frowned. Of course Ivo had found a way to convince the boy that it was all his fault. I cursed myself for not having gotten involved sooner.
"He hurt you," I ventured and Tim watched me, wide eyed. I felt quite queasy but I needed to know what had happened.
"He told me that he raped you Tim," I told him quietly and watched for his reaction. There was a silence then that stretched on for an age.
"He told you that?"
I nodded at him gently, keeping my features calm and open and moving from my chair to sit on the corner of the desk and look at him.
"Whatever you tell me Tim will not leave this room unless you want it to," I assured him and he seemed to visibly relax a little.
"You can tell me," I spoke gently and offered him a cigarette from the packet left on the table. He took one and smiled.
