‘Let’s go back in,’ Constable Lumina said.
‘Sure.’ Sarah butted out her cigarette and picked up her bag.
Constable Peters came back, followed by Sarah and Constable Lumina. The two women were carrying half empty mugs. They smelt of nicotine and mint. Constable Peters set up the recorder and turned it on.
‘So,’ he said, ‘tell me what you and Ashleigh did once you left the house.’ His voice was softer now, it reminded Jo of Grandpa Tom, of sitting on the back veranda with him when she was little, of him saying, ‘Tell me what’s wrong.’ Grandpa Tom hadn’t betrayed her, hadn’t told their secrets, not even to Mandy. With him, she’d been safe. But this was not a safe place. Constable Peters was recording their conversation. Constable Lumina was …show more content…
About asking questions during a police interview. About her and Ash fighting. About how she ended up with a daughter who was a killer.
‘We were singing,’ Jo said. Like a virgin. Laura and Kelly singing and giggling, and rolling down their windows, and singing to the river, to the road, to the bridge. She’d been singing too. But not Ash.
Finally Constable Peters asked, ‘You’d been drinking at the party but you didn’t think about getting a taxi or ringing someone to pick you up.’
‘I felt okay. We didn’t have money for a taxi. I don’t know ...we got in the car.’
‘Did the other girls tell you not to drive? Did they ask you if you were okay to drive?’
Sarah dropped her pen on the table, ‘I think we need to have another break.’
Constable Peters sighed and turned the recorder off again.
When the two cops had left the room for the second time, Sarah stood up. Jo noticed that the skirt she was wearing was actually pants, long black pants with wide legs. Under the pants were red suede boots. Sarah had surprisingly small feet, her body tethered on such a tentative base, she reminded Jo of a stilt walker, though it would be impossible, she imagined for someone Sarah’s size to walk on …show more content…
I remember thinking, don’t put on the brake. I could hear the mechanic’s voice, I could hear him telling me, this car doesn’t have power steering, and don’t put the brake on if the car skids, but it was like my foot, I couldn’t control my foot and I slammed on the brake but the car... I lost control of the car. And then nothing. I don’t remember anything after that until someone, a woman, was standing next to me and telling me to open my eyes. But I didn’t want to open my eyes. I remember hearing screams. Maybe more than one. I don’t know. I don’t know. Someone speaking, someone saying, ‘She’s dead.’ I didn’t know if they were talking about me, if I was dead...’ Jo stopped it was as if she had been running and hit a wall. And it was as if she was back in the car, with her eyes closed, and it was as if the paramedic was shouting in her ear to wake up. Sweat dripped from her right temple, slipping down the side of her
‘Sure.’ Sarah butted out her cigarette and picked up her bag.
Constable Peters came back, followed by Sarah and Constable Lumina. The two women were carrying half empty mugs. They smelt of nicotine and mint. Constable Peters set up the recorder and turned it on.
‘So,’ he said, ‘tell me what you and Ashleigh did once you left the house.’ His voice was softer now, it reminded Jo of Grandpa Tom, of sitting on the back veranda with him when she was little, of him saying, ‘Tell me what’s wrong.’ Grandpa Tom hadn’t betrayed her, hadn’t told their secrets, not even to Mandy. With him, she’d been safe. But this was not a safe place. Constable Peters was recording their conversation. Constable Lumina was …show more content…
About asking questions during a police interview. About her and Ash fighting. About how she ended up with a daughter who was a killer.
‘We were singing,’ Jo said. Like a virgin. Laura and Kelly singing and giggling, and rolling down their windows, and singing to the river, to the road, to the bridge. She’d been singing too. But not Ash.
Finally Constable Peters asked, ‘You’d been drinking at the party but you didn’t think about getting a taxi or ringing someone to pick you up.’
‘I felt okay. We didn’t have money for a taxi. I don’t know ...we got in the car.’
‘Did the other girls tell you not to drive? Did they ask you if you were okay to drive?’
Sarah dropped her pen on the table, ‘I think we need to have another break.’
Constable Peters sighed and turned the recorder off again.
When the two cops had left the room for the second time, Sarah stood up. Jo noticed that the skirt she was wearing was actually pants, long black pants with wide legs. Under the pants were red suede boots. Sarah had surprisingly small feet, her body tethered on such a tentative base, she reminded Jo of a stilt walker, though it would be impossible, she imagined for someone Sarah’s size to walk on …show more content…
I remember thinking, don’t put on the brake. I could hear the mechanic’s voice, I could hear him telling me, this car doesn’t have power steering, and don’t put the brake on if the car skids, but it was like my foot, I couldn’t control my foot and I slammed on the brake but the car... I lost control of the car. And then nothing. I don’t remember anything after that until someone, a woman, was standing next to me and telling me to open my eyes. But I didn’t want to open my eyes. I remember hearing screams. Maybe more than one. I don’t know. I don’t know. Someone speaking, someone saying, ‘She’s dead.’ I didn’t know if they were talking about me, if I was dead...’ Jo stopped it was as if she had been running and hit a wall. And it was as if she was back in the car, with her eyes closed, and it was as if the paramedic was shouting in her ear to wake up. Sweat dripped from her right temple, slipping down the side of her