‘Did you hear anyone use a name?’ DC Goodman said.
‘No.’
‘What did she do after you bought the drugs?’ he said.
‘She carried on into the other room. Then she went,’ Elise said.
‘You saw her leave?’
‘Yes.’
Home delivery, someone at the party knew a dealer to call on for the occasion.
‘What happened then?’ DC Goodman said.
‘We took the stuff and we sat on the stairs for a bit, just hanging out and erm… Olivia said she felt dizzy, and I said…’ Elise gulped.
Janet could feel the mounting tension in her.
‘… “Isn’t that the point?” We thought it was really funny and laughed but then she said she felt worse. She said she was cold but when I felt her head she was really hot so I said to get a drink of water. We went in the kitchen and erm…’ a wobble in her voice, ‘then she, then she had the fit. Some people thought she was messing about but she wasn’t and then she wasn’t talking or answering. And I rang Mum and then the ambulance.’
‘You both took the drugs?’ he said.
‘Yes.’
‘And you didn’t expect there’d be any harmful effects?’ DC Goodman said.
‘No. We thought it would be fun.’
‘Thank you. We’re going to get your statement written up and then you’ll be asked to check it, tell us if anything isn’t correct or if you’d forgotten anything, and then you’ll sign it. If you do that you are also agreeing to testify in court, if required.’
Janet had lost count of the number of times she’d said the very same words. Elise nodded vigorously. Janet felt a flicker of fear. If charges were brought against the dealer, Elise could be in a vulnerable position, people might try to prevent her from giving evidence. Elise, naïve, sheltered, was unaware of this.
It might not get that far, Janet told herself, and they might not need Elise as a witness. Charges would focus on drugs banned by law, there must be other youngsters from the party who had bought illegal drugs, who would be witnesses to that. If it did come to a trial and they wanted Elise for some reason, they could ask for special measures, so she could give evidence anonymously from a video link or from behind screens.
‘Mum,’ Elise said, while they were waiting, ‘could we get a card for Vivien and Ken, is that what people do?’
‘Yes, if you’d like to.’
Elise gave a nod.
DC Goodman returned and Elise read through the statement and signed it.
‘What happens now?’ Janet asked him, for Elise’s benefit rather than her own.
‘We’ve some more inquiries to make. When those are completed, we consult with the Crown Prosecution Service as to whether there are any grounds for bringing charges.’