Chapter 40

“I feel sorry for her, really… Her mum killed herself when she was still a young un. Much of the same illness that Morag seems to suffer and that no good filthy alcoholic father started abusing her.” She looked down at her lap sadly. “Even as a kid, she was never quite right. Something was off about her emotionally, so when it came out a few years ago, she finally spoke up. Well… No one could blame her for being that way… He got five years for sexual abuse, it should have been more, but her testimony was weak. She was too emotional and afraid to tell them everything she should have.”

There was a glaze of emotion in Alice’s eye, and Rose could tell she had probably known the girl a little more than Rose first thought. Alice had been the housekeeper since Rob was a baby. It made sense that she had known Morag as long as Rob had, if not longer, in this tiny community.

“And she ended up in the nut house for a year!” Abby chimed in, seeming a tad smug about it.

“Abby!