Excellent Stacey visits Susannah's school The Fix : The Fix - Chapter Twenty by Jacob1395

Warning: The author has noted that this contains the highest level of language. Background Stacey knows her son Joshua is innocent of killing a young woman, and when a jury finds him guilty, she's certain the police have made him a scapegoat. For a summary of what's happened, please see author notes. *************** 3rd September 2023 Rachel’s left me at home again today. At least it seems she’s beginning to trust me. If she still thought I was speaking to Lucie, there’s no way she would be leaving me on my own. I didn’t question her about what she spoke to Daniel about. I pull out my phone. Lucie hasn’t been in touch since we met Ruth the other day. Part of me wishes I could go with Ruth to speak to people. She might not ask the questions I’ll be able to think of, that’ll help drive the investigation forward. The police certainly wouldn’t have thought to ask them. I shake my head. Sod it; I can’t be done with this waiting. It’s driving me mad. I dive into the hallway, pick up my car keys from the console table, and head outside, the bright sunlight temporarily blinding me. The school where Susannah worked is about a fifteen minute drive from here. At the time of her murder, it was the centre of media activity, as it was the last place where she was seen alive. Up until now, there’s been nothing that’s prompted me to want to go and visit it, but after what Ruth said to me the other day; I need to find out more. Perhaps there might be someone there who I can talk to. My heart beats against my chest as I near the school. I park in a similar position to where Joshua must’ve parked on the day he went to meet her. The autumn term doesn’t actually start until next week, so at least there’ll be no kids around. I get out of the car. The street seems too quiet. On the other side of the road, a middle aged woman walks a golden retriever; her focus is on her phone, at least she hasn’t noticed me. I try to picture this scene a year ago, Joshua sitting here, getting more and more frustrated in the car as he waited for Susannah. What would I have done if I’d been in his position? I scan the area and begin to walk up to the school, my heart rate increasing. I’m walking the exact route Joshua took a year ago before his life fell apart. What was going through his mind? I stop at the gates and peer through. The grounds inside the school are empty, of course they would be. I clasp my hand around the metal gates. Something was going on with Susannah in the days before her murder, something Joshua wasn’t aware of. I try to picture her, leaving the building in a hurry. Where was she going? Who did she meet?   ‘Can I help you?’ I blink rapidly. A dark haired woman wearing a purple dress has stepped out of the main door of the school. She’s staring right at me, there’s a phone in her hand; her eyes are wide. Shit, she must’ve seen me on CCTV. I stumble back. ‘I . . . I,’ I say. I can’t get the words to form on my tongue. ‘You do realise this is private property,’ she says, taking a step further. I compose myself. ‘I’m sorry, I’m Joshua Hall’s mother; I know Susannah worked here a year ago before she was killed. Please I’d just like to speak to you about her.’ The woman glares at me. ‘You’re the one who sent the journalist round.’ This must be the person who Ruth said didn’t want to speak to her. Ruth’s face fills my mind. ‘My son is innocent. Something was going on with Susannah before she was killed, whatever it was; it might reveal who killed her. Please, you have to help me.’ ‘If you don’t leave now, I’m going to call the police,’ she says. She’s halfway across the car park now. ‘I’m sorry, I.’ Tears begin to fill my eyes. She’s making a call on her phone now I can see. ‘Don’t worry, I’m leaving.’ I sprint back to my car. Sweat patches are forming on my arms. Before I slip into my seat, I glance back towards the school. She hasn’t come out onto the street. The gates haven’t opened, she’s still standing in the car park; her phone is clamped to her ear. No, she can’t be calling them. I twist my key into the car engine, swing my car out of its parking space and onto the road. **************** Characters: Stacey (mother of Joshua)  Lucie (foreman of the jury) Joshua (Stacey's son) Susannah (murder victim)  Rachel (Stacey's daughter) Daniel (Stacey's ex-husband)  Ruth (journalist)  DI Dominic Hitchens (lead detective)  Author Notes Stacey attended the last day of her son's trial and was devastated when he was found guilty of the murder of his girlfriend, Susannah, when she believes he is innocent. She is certain one of the jury members, the foreman, knows this too. Stacey is now desperate to prove her son's innocence. On her way out of the courtroom, Stacey spots the foreman and decides to follow her, following her to her home in Romford. Before Stacey has the chance to speak to her she collapses outside her front door. Stacey has a brief conversation with the foreman, Lucie, but before they can have a proper chat, an ambulance arrives and she's taken to hospital. In a flashback scene to a year before the trial, Stacey discovers her son, Joshua, is seeing someone after her daughter, Rachel shows her a post on Instagram. Her ex husband, Daniel has now urged Stacey to move on with her life and to forget about what's happened. Lucie tells her she will try to help her prove her son's innocence. In a flashback scene from over a year ago, Joshua tells her that he has started dating a girl called Susannah. Lucie's now agreed to contact a friend who might be able to help them. Stacey has now met with Lucie and her friend, Ruth, who agrees to help them look into the case; Ruth suggests to Stacey that she visit her son in prison; Rachel agrees to organise the visit. When they visit Joshua, Stacey is shocked to see he has a black eye and fears he's become a target inside prison. He also tells Stacey the court was right to convict him, but she feels there's something he's keeping secret from her and this pushes her to continue to fight for him. A flashback scene to a year ago has shown Susannah questioning Stacey about her relationship with her ex-husband. Ruth has now given Stacey an update and tells her she's discovered Susannah appeared to be in a good mood about something the day she died. As the investigation proceeds, Stacey receives a visit from her ex-husband and they talk about what happened, and something that Daniel said arouses Susannah's suspicions.

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