The Closure of Sandbrook
TRIGGER WARNING:
There is a scene of sexual assault in this chapter, but it is not too graphic, but I wanted to warn you as a reader either way.
Chapter Seven
Still reeling from the recent revelation from Rose's parents, Alec returned to Broadchurch with Rose's old mobile and laptop sitting in the back of the taxi beside him. John had readily agreed to give him his daughter's belongings, disgusted at the sight of them, and encouraged that these could be used as evidence to bring Lee Ashworth to justice.
By the time he reached his beach side hut that early evening, his phone was ringing. He paid the taxi driver the fair and got out before answering.
"Hello?"
"How dare you!"
"Excuse me?"
Rose's shrilled voice raised a notch or two. "How dare you go and see my parents without telling me! I've just had my Mum in tears on the phone. What did you do to upset her?"
"I only went with the intention that you were living in the same village as me, and then she started talking. Speaking of which, I need you to come down to the station in about half an hour."
"Why?"
"Because I need to speak to you. I've received some new potential evidence in the case against Lee Ashworth, and I need you to verify it."
"Alright. I'll see you soon."
Alec knew that Rose was a little reluctant, but this needed to be done. He then phoned Ellie, needing her support as well. "Miller, drop whatever it is you're doing and meet me at the station as soon as possible. I went to visit Rose's parents, and they've given me some new evidence. Rose is meeting us down there. See you shortly."
Rose was pacing outside of the station by the time Alec and Ellie arrived, and awkwardly waved. "Sorry about before." She mumbled to Alec. "I didn't mean to yell at you."
"Don't worry about it." Alec reassured her, trying to smile. "It's understandable why you'd be upset. And you're not in trouble by the way, we're here to talk about something but it needs to be done formally. Do you understand?" Rose nodded. "Let's go in then. You'll have to wait in reception whilst Miller and I get set up, and we'll call you through when you're ready." He led the way into the station, and showed Rose where to wait, before following Ellie to set up one of the interview rooms.
"What are we discussing?" Ellie asked, opening the door to an empty interview room, and putting in a new tape into the recording machine. "You didn't explain much in your call."
"I went to visit Rose's parents in Sandbrook this morning." Alec told her, much to her surprise. "I went initially to tell them that I lived in the same village as Rose did, as they didn't feel comfortable talking to me when the case first opened. But then Maureen – Rose's mother – started talking, and told me more about what happened from Rose's point of view. What she said I wanted to discuss with Rose, in hopes that she would confirm it. I knew she'd be less likely to do it if we weren't here, and if she does, then we've got more evidence against Lee to arrest him."
This seemed to uplift Ellie's previously sour mood. "Great. I'll go and get her then."
It was another half an hour before Ellie came to collect Rose, and found the poor girl chewing her fingernails nervously.
"You've got nothing to worry about." Ellie confirmed, trying to calm her nerves. "He just wants to ask you some questions."
"That's what I'm worried about." Rose murmured, following Ellie down what felt like an increasingly long hallway. Her heart was pounding, practically hammering by the time she sat down at the table, opposite Alec and Ellie, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. She placed her hands under the table to stop them from trembling, and sat up straighter in the chair. "What is it you want to talk about?"
Alec cleared his throat, and pressed the recorder button on the machine. "This is DI Hardy, interviewing Rose Tyler at 20:45PM. Also present is DS Miller." He bent down and pulled up the laptop and mobile phone that were now in evidence bags. "Do you recognise these?" He asked Rose. Mutely, Rose nodded, her eyes widening in horror. "Please confirm for the tape."
"Yes, they belonged to me when I was a teenager."
"For the tape, DI Hardy has presented evidence number three hundred and twenty-one, and three hundred and twenty-two. It contains a laptop and a mobile phone." Ellie chirped in, watching Rose's expressions and body language carefully.
"Your adopted mother, Maureen Abbots, presented this to me earlier this morning, and claimed that there was evidence in relation to the defendant Lee Ashworth." Alec pulled out a brown paper file, which contained even more evidence. He pulled out the copies of emails that he'd printed off, and turned one around so that Rose could see. "Can you please confirm as to whether or not this was your email address?"
"Yes. It was the email address that I used at the time."
"And who's email address does the other party belong too?"
" … "
"Rose? Who's email address was it?" Ellie asked, hoping that using a softer toner would work rather than Alec's blunt one.
"Lee Ashworth's."
Alec breathed an inward sigh of relief, this time around, he really felt like he was getting somewhere with the case that'd nearly killed him. "Can you please read out what was discussed in these emails? From the beginning."
Rose made eye contact at Alec, as if silently praying him not to make her. But he didn't give in. With her still shaking hands, Rose picked up the piece of paper and pulled it closer to her to read. "It starts off with Lee emailing me," she explained. "I didn't know whose email it was at the time." She cleared her throat and started to read.
"How's your evening going? Mine's totally boring."
"Who is this?"
"Just your best friend's next-door neighbour. It's Lee Ashworth."
"Oh. How did you get my email? I've only given it to Pippa."
"Pippa gave it to me. Is that alright?"
"I suppose so. Isn't it frowned upon though, an older man emailing a teenage girl?"
"I won't tell anybody if you don't. It could be our little secret. Nobody needs to know."
"What about Claire?"
"Like I said: nobody needs to know. What are you doing right now?"
"Homework. At least I'm trying to, I'm finding it hard to concentrate."
"When I was at school, I never did homework. Come to think of it I was never at school. I was the naughty boy that caused lots of trouble and got detentions."
"Somehow that doesn't surprise me!"
"I bet you're the good girl aren't you, the one that always gets good grades and is the teacher's pet?"
"Not necessarily. I'm not perfect, but I try my hardest. The only subject I'm failing at is maths. I rubbish and I absolutely hate it."
"You could come round to ours sometimes, Claire could tutor you. She used to do that sometimes to earn some money on the side."
"I don't have that sort of money to afford a private tutor."
"You could pay us back in other ways."
"How?"
"What are you wearing right now?"
"I'm wearing my pyjamas, why?"
"Send me a picture?"
"Why?"
"Because I want to see the pyjamas you're wearing. Is that okay?"
"I suppose so, just this once."
Rose put the piece of paper back done, having finished reading, and pushed it back to Alec. "That's all there is on here."
"What happened after this email?" Alec asked, putting the paper back in the file.
"I sent Lee a photograph of myself in my pyjamas." Rose responded, unable to make eye contact once again. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment.
"Was it this one?" Alec withdrew the photograph from the file. It wasn't revealing like the others, but he didn't want to overwhelm her.
"Yes."
"Was this the only one?"
"No. This was only the start. Following the first photograph, Lee asked me to remove more clothing on the next photograph, and he said that by doing this regularly it would pay for the private tuition with Claire. He also told me not to tell anybody, that we could both get into a lot of trouble for it, and for it to be 'our little secret'. But he would become more aggressive if I didn't send him a photograph as soon as he requested."
"How would he be more aggressive?" Ellie pressed, trying not to throw up. Rose was only thirteen when this was happening, and what was being done to her was sickening.
"He would send me threatening texts, telling me that he'd send the photographs to my parents and the police. And he would threaten to tell everyone that it was me who started sending him the pictures, that it was me throwing myself at him and being inappropriate." Rose now had tears falling down her face, and leant her elbows on the table, burying her head in her hands. "I was stupid for believing him. I was a stupid and naïve thirteen-year-old at the time, and Lee could be very persuasive."
Start of flashback …
Rose was exhausted.
She'd had a long day at school, and it didn't help that she'd had a detention after school for not handing in an overdue assignment. She'd tried to argue that it wasn't deliberate, and that it'd been a simple mistake. But in return, Miss Edwards had given her a lecture on how to be more responsible and organised in the future, and had made her redo her assignment in the detention. By the time she was walking home from school, it was already dark and she'd missed the bus.
All she wanted to do was to curl up in her bed and scream to let her anger and frustration out. With that sounding more encouraging, Rose quickened her pace, determined to get home quicker. Not long after that however, she heard a car slowly pull up beside her, and was startled when she saw Lee leaning out the window.
"What are you doing out here at this time of night?" He demanded. "You should've been home ages ago."
"I had a detention." Rose explained, trying to ignore the goose bumps creeping onto her skin. "And I missed the bus."
"Get in." Lee ordered, nodding to the passenger seat. "I'll give you a lift home." Rose was hesitant at first, and looked around them to see if there was anybody nearby. There wasn't. "Get in the car, Rose." Having no other option, Rose got into the passenger seat, dumping her bag by her feet. "Put your seatbelt on." Rose put her seatbelt on, and Lee started the car back up and started to drive. "Does your Mum know that you're coming home late?"
"I was going to text her but my phone died before I could."
"Here." Lee handed Rose his phone. "Tell her I'll bring you back, and that we're getting some food on the way too."
"We are?"
"Stop asking questions and just do it."
Rose did as she was told, and texted her Mum, making sure to tell her that it was her sending the message and not Lee. Not long after, Lee pulled up in the diner carpark, and led the way into the little café where he chose a booth for them. When the waitress arrived at the table, Lee ordered a burger and a side of fries for the two of them, a root beer for him and a strawberry milkshake for Rose.
"Figured you could use this before you have to deal with your parents." Lee told her, to which Rose smiled with appreciation. "What was your detention even for?"
Rose rolled her eyes, digging into the fries that'd arrived. "I'd forgotten to bring in an assignment, and I swear that Miss Edwards has it out for me to make my life hell. Instead of giving me an extension like most normal teachers would, she instantly gave me a detention after school to write it out. And if she wasn't happy with it, she made me redo it. That's why I'm out so late. It's not by choice, believe me. Why are you out so late?"
"I had a last-minute maintenance job." Lee explained. "Claire knows I'll be home late, so there's no need to worry about her. Now eat your food before it goes cold."
An hour later, the two were back in Lee's car, and were on route to Rose's home. At a junction, Lee was supposed to turn right to take Rose home, but instead, he turned left, and drove down a quiet side road and stopped the car at a gate that led to a field.
"What are we doing here?" Rose asked quietly, unnerved by how dark and eerie it was at night. "I thought you were taking me home."
"Don't worry, I will. I just wanted to talk to you first." Lee told her, switching on the light above them.
"About what?"
"You're late on your payment."
That's what he wanted to talk about? Why now? Why so secretive? "I – I know." Rose stuttered. "I'm trying to be careful. Mum's convinced that I've changed, and she's onto me. She barely leaves me alone now, but I'll get one sorted for you soon, I promise."
Lee placed his hand on her knee, his grip gentle at first. "I want another one from you within the next twenty-four hours." His grip tightened, causing her to gasp in alarm, and started to slowly slide up her leg, and under her skirt. "If you don't, then I'll send copies to your friends at school, and I'll tell your parents." She whimpered when he slipped two fingers inside her panties. "You wouldn't want that, would you?"
"N-no."
"Then you'll send me another one within twenty-four hours, or I'll make your life a living hell, and not just at school."
End of flashback …
Rose didn't care about the tears now, and let them fall freely. "He assaulted me again that night. He threatened me to keep my mouth shut, and then he assaulted me. Lee warned me not to tell anybody what'd happened in his car, and to pass it off to my parents that the car had broken down and that's why I was later than expected."
Alec, was relieved that Rose had finally confessed – at least somewhat had happened – though he still needed to know what actually happened at the sleepover, but for now, that could wait. She'd already been through enough this evening. With a heavy sigh, he turned off the tape recorder, which buzzed and popped out the tape, which he slid into a case.
"Thank you, Rose, I know that this couldn't have been easy. But this will be a big help, and we can use this as evidence when Lee is arrested and brought to trial. If anything, he'll go down for several counts of assault in the first degree. He's looking at the minimum of five years. Are you alright?"
Rose shuddered, wiping the tears from her eyes. "No. But I will be. It's just been a lot really, these past couple of days, it's overwhelming. I'll be relieved when it's all over, and when he's finally in prison where he belongs." She paused. "Can I go home now?"
"Yes, you're free to leave." Alec told her, giving her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Would you like one of us to take you home?"
Rose shook her head, grateful for the gesture. "Thank you, but I'll be alright. The fresh air will do me some good, might help me relax a little bit."
"If that's what you want. But please make sure that you'll let me know when you arrive safely?"
"I will. I promise."