The Whole Truth by Hunter, Cara (best books to read for women .TXT) 📕

But Somer’s shaking her head. ‘No. They knew what they were doing. They knew she’d never do that – she’d risk losing her job.’

Morgan looks at her and then away. His cheeks are flushed.

‘That’s right, isn’t it, Caleb?’

GQ: You know who we’re talking about, right? Sebastian Young? He’s the one who signed that fancy NDA Ms Kennedy here drew up for you. But just in case you need reminding –

[pushes a photograph across the table and points at it]

Keeping on top of your work, eh?

NK: Oh, please –

GQ: Marina Imogen Fisher, I am arresting you on suspicion of sexual assault against Sebastian James Young, on or about 20th November 2016. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.

* * *

‘Look,’ says Morgan, ‘I’m sorry, OK? We shouldn’t have done it.’

‘No,’ says Somer heavily. ‘You absolutely shouldn’t have.’

He slumps back in his chair, throws up his hands. ‘I just didn’t know what else to do. She was using me – abusing her position –’

‘That’s not the point. It’s perverting the course of justice.’

‘And now you’re telling me she’s done this before?’

Somer sits forward. ‘You say she was abusing her power – why didn’t you just report her for that? Tell the college what was going on?’

He makes a sardonic face. ‘And say what, precisely?’

‘That she was blackmailing you into having sex with her, for a start.’

He scoffs. ‘Yeah, right. They were definitely going to believe that.’

* * *

MF: This is crazy – I didn’t assault Sebastian, any more than I assaulted Caleb. And you know I didn’t do that – you said yourselves –

GQ: [points at the photograph]

Perhaps. But we do ‘know’ you did this.

MF: [takes a breath]

Look – it was just that once and it was a huge mistake. It should never have happened.

GQ: I think we can all agree on that.

MF: You don’t understand. I was really struggling at the time. The relationship I was in had just broken up. I was lonely, vulnerable. And then there was the divorce, I’d just hit forty, it was all just – overwhelming. But I know that’s no excuse – I should never have let myself get drawn in.

VE: You’re saying he seduced you?

MF: [irritated]

Yes, of course he seduced me. What sort of person do you think I am? And then that horrible girlfriend of his marches in and takes that wretched picture and it all turned into a complete bloody nightmare. That’s why I needed an NDA – that girl was blackmailing me – threatening to release the picture to the department, the University –

GQ: So you gave her a dose of her own medicine? Said you’d go to the police and tell them some cock-and-bull story about Zoe grooming Tobin?

MF: [flushes]

It wasn’t like that.

[looking from one officer to the other]

Don’t look at me like that – I’m telling the truth –

GQ: But you got Tobin to lie, didn’t you? That story he told Sebastian Young about being groomed – none of that was true.

MF: But –

GQ: You coached him.

MF: Yes, I suppose, if you put it like that. But just to get them to back off. I’d never have taken it any further. Look, can’t you understand? I didn’t have any choice – I was going to lose my job – my position – everything I’d worked for –

NK: And might I remind you that whatever might have happened then, it doesn’t mean Tobin isn’t telling the truth now.

VE: [silence]

Shall I tell you what I think is the truth?

MF: [looks away]

VE: I think you and Caleb Morgan had sex that night. Straightforward, consensual sex. And it wasn’t the first time, either. So when Morgan came forward and accused you of assault, you were completely thrown – what on earth was he playing at? You couldn’t tell us what really happened because you couldn’t admit you were sleeping with a student, so the only option was to hope it would all just go away. And you’re clever, you worked out pretty quickly that it would only ever be he said/she said. All you had to do was tough it out. Tell us you couldn’t remember. Because there’s no way we could prove it one way or the other, right?

MF: No – that’s not what happened. I never slept with him, never –

VE: But then you were outed on Twitter and everything changed. Your career was on the line now. It wasn’t just the Morgan relationship, either – it could all come out about Sebastian Young as well. You had to do something. So you did exactly what you did the first time round, with Sebastian. You turned the tables. Played Caleb Morgan at his own game.

MF: No – I didn’t –

VE: You made yourself into the victim. But you had to be clever about how you did it. You couldn’t just turn round and start making accusations against Morgan – it had to be a lot subtler than that. You needed us to think we’d worked it out – that us ‘second-rate’ minds had actually managed to crack the case.

MF: [shaking her head]

This is madness.

VE: All that time you’d been claiming you couldn’t remember, hoping it would all go away – it’s only now you realized what a fabulous get-out-of-jail card that could be.

MF: It’s not a claim – it’s the truth.

VE: A date-rape drug. What could be simpler?

MF: No – no –

VE: You’re a scientist – you knew how quickly those things metabolize, so forensics wouldn’t be a problem. But you couldn’t plant the idea yourself. To be really credible, it had to come from somewhere else. And who better than an innocent eight-year-old boy? You used your own son. After all, you knew he’d be convincing. He’d lied for you before.

MF: [becoming distressed]

VE: You told him what to say – what story to