The Moors: Some secrets are better left buried by Jody Medland Page A

said a gruff voice on the other end of the line.
    ‘I appreciate that, but like I said, it’s a delicate time,’ repeated Christian, authoritatively.
    Calling from a payphone in town was a rugged man named Andy. Many of the locals were afraid of Andy as he was feisty and never shied away from a fight. This didn’t bother Christian, though. In fact, the Christian that dealt with Andy so sternly cut a very different figure to the man that was often so playful around Amanda.
    He looked up to the locked office door as it was tested from the other side. Frustrated, Amanda banged hard from the hallway.
    ‘Christian, it’s, Amanda. I’d like to speak with you, please.’
    ‘I’ll call you back,’ Christian said to Andy, hanging up before awaiting a response.
    As Christian opened the door, Amanda looked sour and his mother flustered as she squirmed in the background. He monitored the pair of them with intrigue.
    ‘Can I help?’ he asked.
    ‘Yes. I’d like the key to the isolation room,’ said Amanda, bluntly.
    ‘Why’s that?’ asked Christian, calmly.
    ‘He’s been locked in there for far too long! That’s why!’ she simmered.
    ‘Look…’ began Christian, slinking back into his office as he arranged loose pieces of paper into a pile. ‘I appreciate your concern, but we have certain rules here. The children know where they stand with those rules and we can’t just change them without warning. It’ll confuse them,’ he claimed.
    ‘That’s very thoughtful of you but I feel confusion is probably less damaging than isolation,’ retorted Amanda, with a boldness that threatened to shed her false skin.
    Christian took a moment to gauge her and suddenly Amanda became aware she had revealed a significant part of her true self. The exposure made her feel momentarily vulnerable.
    ‘This conversation is over,’ said Christian, reclaiming the seat at his desk and looking down at the paperwork he had assembled like a newsreader playing up for the cameras during the closing credits.
    However, Amanda persevered, stepping into his office without permission – a simple act that seemed to irk Christian and worry Margaret greatly. She knew how particular her son was with his rules and feared Amanda would soon cross a line from which she would be unable to return.
    ‘Amanda love…’ she tried to interject, but Amanda’s cards were brazenly on the table.
    For her, it was time to raise the stakes.
    ‘You know what? You were honest with me today so I’m going to be honest with you,’ Amanda began. ‘When I was young, my stepfather raped me. Repeatedly. Over and over again for almost three years. My mum stayed with him the whole time and when I tried to tell her, she didn’t…’
    Amanda fought to stay focused amidst her emotions.
    ‘She didn’t believe me,’ she eventually added. ‘Looking back now, do you know who I blame for everything? I blame her. Not the man who touched me in ways he never should have; not the man who grossly took advantage of a helpless child, but my own mother, because she had the power to stop it and she chose not to.’
    Amanda took a further step towards Christian’s desk as she locked her sorrow-filled eyes onto his.
    ‘Christian, the children in this house don’t need to be condemned. They can still live a happy life, but when David grows up, he’ll remember that you had the power to help him. He’s just a boy,’ she said, softly.
    Suddenly, Karen marched towards the open office door.
    ‘What’s going on here?’ she spat, incensed at her exclusion.
    ‘Just a minute!’ said Christian, dismissing her as he considered Amanda’s plea.
    He looked towards his mother, who stared straight back at him.‘Do you trust me?’ he asked of Amanda.
    It was not the response she was expecting.
    ‘What kind of question’s that?’ she hesitated. ‘I hardly know you.’
    ‘But do you trust me?’ he asked again, with a little more intensity. ‘I am the homeowner. It’s my name on