Ms. Rossi’s face gave nothing away. She looked stern but calm.
“Where have you been?” she asked. “Tell me. I am interested to hear this.”
Her tone of voice warned Cassie that trouble lay ahead. Her hands felt icy cold as she realized that Abigail must have betrayed her, because it was clear Ms. Rossi already knew.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
As she prepared to face the onslaught of Ms. Rossi’s anger, Cassie resolved not to lose her nerve. Ms. Rossi could just be trying to bully her into making a confession. If so, all she had to do was stand up to the pressure and keep her secret.
“I was running a few errands,” she said, trying to sound casual and unconcerned.
“Really?” Ms. Rossi smiled, and Cassie’s stomach knotted tighter. The knowing smile was not a nice, or kind, expression.
“That’s not what my friend Mr. Dellucci said when he called me just now,” she continued in the same calm, smug tone.
Cassie’s hand flew to her mouth in horror.
Her gut feeling was right. She had been betrayed, but it had come from a different, and completely unexpected, source. Mr. Dellucci had sold her out. The man who had been entrusted with the children’s well-being had deliberately chosen to inform their mother, instead of acting on the tip-off Cassie had given him. She felt as if her world was collapsing around her. How could this have happened?
“It’s fortunate that I have good relationships with the authorities,” the businesswoman continued.
Her smile widened, giving Cassie a clear indication how this relationship worked. Ms. Rossi was paying people to turn a blind eye. This was corruption, pure and simple, and it shocked her to her core.
“Luckily he took the time to call and explain that you had wasted his time with pointless and unfounded accusations, while rambling on about your own childhood. He called to warn me, because very often, people who have suffered past abuse can become abusers in turn. He asked if he should come round and perform a surprise inspection this afternoon, as you’ve spent a lot of time alone with the children.”
Cassie berated herself for not having realized something was very wrong from the time her visit wasn’t registered in the recording system. She hadn’t received a number, so there would be no official record of her complaint. She wished she’d been more suspicious when the conversation went off track and he started asking her those irrelevant questions. Now the finger of blame was pointing right back at her. Their collusion had stripped her of all her power—in fact, even of her credibility, and she had no doubt that the two of them could very easily manufacture a case against her if they chose to do so.
How could a social worker turn his back on children in need? She felt shocked to the core by the unfairness of his choice, especially after she’d described the horrors in such graphic detail. He’d decided that the extra money, the bounty bestowed on him by this wealthy, influential woman, was more important than the needs of innocent and helpless children and that the bribe justified his ignoring their plight.
After a pause, which Cassie guessed was deliberately timed to make sure her words had sunk in, Ms. Rossi continued.
“I told him that since you were leaving tomorrow, there would be no need for the inspection. Even so, I decided to come home so that I could warn you in person that you are wasting your time trying to cause trouble. Who would you like to try next? The police, perhaps?”
She stared triumphantly at Cassie, who dropped her eyes. Angry and humiliated, she realized that she’d failed these children, and all her efforts had been in vain.
“Trust me, the local police are my friends. I doubt you would find it possible to open a case against me at all—and my lawyer would immediately intervene with a very strong counter-accusation of theft. Theft committed by you, while I watched the footage.”
Cassie clenched her teeth. She wished she could leap at Ms. Rossi and grab her by the throat and throttle her, to stem the taunting flow of words. She had never met anyone so evil. She’d met flawed people and arrogant people and abusive people, but never anybody who had gone to such lengths to ensure that she was immune from any consequences, and could continue tormenting her children without the smallest stain on her reputation. Too late, Cassie realized that Maurice’s words had been accurate. This woman would not hesitate to ruin anyone who stood in her way, and she had the means and influence to do it.
“I have had my say. Now go inside,” the businesswoman ordered her. “I do not want you to be alone with the children so you may go directly to your room and stay there until my mother arrives. The cook will bring you lunch.”
She stood aside and Cassie walked in. As she passed Ms. Rossi, she was tempted to slam a hand into her chest and send her stumbling back on those ridiculous heels. But she knew that the children would suffer for anything she did. Her efforts to help today had most likely earned the two girls long hours of pain and fear, while Ms. Rossi vented her anger on them.
Cassie stomped up to her room and did some packing, seething with rage and helplessness. She couldn’t bear the fact that she was being forced to leave. She felt like a rat, trapped in a maze, unable to think her way out of the situation—if there was even a way. She looked again at the number Abigail had given her earlier and wondered if she should try and get
