On the kitchen table I found her laptop. I opened it and the glow from the screen lit up my fingers, poised over the keyboard. It asked me for a password. I watched the cursor blinking as I tried to think what it might be. I knew it wouldn’t be the name of any of her daughters. She’d lectured me once on password security and the foolishness of using your children’s or pet’s names. I tried ‘Rosedown’, which was the name of the cottage we grew up in. ‘Incorrect password’ was the computer’s response. I tried ‘rhubarbcustard’ – a reference to Nicky’s blog. It didn’t work. I had one more shot at it, and no clue what to try. On a whim, because it was my password in spite of her advice, and because my exhausted brain couldn’t come up with anything else, I tried ‘Benedict’.
It worked. I leaned back in my chair in surprise, but then I felt a rush of affection towards Nicky: my bossy sister, a proud enough aunty to use Ben’s name as her password.
Now that I was in, I searched ‘Benedict Finch Missing’. News items from all different sources appeared on the screen. The story had exploded. Images of me from the press conference appeared alongside Ben’s photo: my bleeding head, my white pallor, my body language and my angry eyes. Many of the news headlines were blatantly aggressive towards me.
But I still couldn’t help myself.
Like a moth to a flame I clicked on the Facebook site.
There were hundreds of posts. The top one was from somebody called Cathy Franklin.
Cathy Franklin The mother has done something to him thats obvious
2 hours ago · Like
Stuart Weston Police wouldn’t have let her tlk at press conf if they suspected her
2 hours ago · Like
Cathy Franklin Stuart that’s not true has been seen before that people crying in press confs have been convicted.
about an hour ago · Like
Rich Jameson Some people hang themselves like that perhaps they’re trying to catch her out. U wouldn’t believe how many people have done this go to www.whereisbenedictfinch.wordpress.com u be amazed.
42 minutes ago · Like · 6
Write a comment…
I clicked on the link. My heart was pounding, my mouth bone dry.
The page appeared instantly:
WEB PAGE – www.whereisbenedictfinch.wordpress.com
WHERE IS BENEDICT FINCH? For the curious…
FACTS
Posted at 03.14 by LazyDonkey, on Wednesday, 24 October 2012
Benedict Finch went missing at 15.30 on Sunday, 21 October.
The last person to see him was his mother.
She let him out of her sight.
And she never saw him again.
Yesterday, she appeared at a press conference to appeal for help finding Ben.
This blog wants to draw your attention to some things that have happened in the past.
CASE HISTORIES
Ian Huntley
This man appeared on television shortly after the disappearance of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. He was later convicted of their murder. He was the last person to see them alive.
Shannon Matthews
Shannon’s mother appeared on television on numerous occasions after the disappearance of her daughter. She was later convicted of her kidnapping.
Tracie Andrews
This woman appeared at a televised press conference to appeal for help finding her fiancé’s killer. She blamed a road rage incident. She was later convicted of murdering him herself.
What do these things tell us?
They tell us that nothing is what it seems.
Comments
54 people are discussing this post with 94 comments
Cathy_07926
I’m very troubled by what I’m reading here. Why don’t we all stop persecuting the mother. Have any of you ever heard of ‘innocent until proven guilty’?
Jen loves cookies
Cathy, I agree with you. As a human being who lives and breathes I want to hold out my hand to Rachel and Ben and the father so they know there are people out there praying for them and their little boy. I was awake all night thinking of them. What that family must be going through.
SelinaY
OMG you only have to look at that mother to know she’s done something. She is guilty until innocent for me, get real everybody how else will we stop evil scum hurting our kids.
Mountain biker
Why did the mother let her kid run off like that? Asking for trouble. And what about the father?
JuliaPeachy
That dad is a doctor. Saved my baby girl’s life. Heart goes out to him at this time.
JohnDoe
A kid running alone in the woods? Seriously? Did she want something to happen to him? That’s out of a nightmare.
Joker_864
Trees can walk. Ivy wraps around your feet. Branches carry you up and away. Little finches are prey for bigger birds.
RichNix
I wouldn’t want her for my mum. Scared me.
Cloud99
She shouldn’t be allowed a kid. It’s disgusting what she did. U don’t realise how stupid people are till you read this stuff. A child is a gift. I wouldn’t let my kids run off doesn’t she know the risks.
HouseProud
I feel sorry for Benedict Finch with that mum I hope his dad can take him after this.
Forever twenty-one
As a mum of four I would want people to stop speculating and start praying for that little boy.
Rational_Dawn_to_Dusk
Speculation is a drug. It fuels our society.
Happyinmydressinggown
People need to stop being sat in front of their screens and get out there and help look for this little boy. Police should give us more information. Whatever the mother has done we must pray for god to protect this poor little boy wherever he is.
The kitchen light came on suddenly. Nicky was standing in the doorway. She looked crumpled and sleepy in her nightie.
‘What are you doing?’
I gestured to the laptop. ‘Who would write something like this? Do you know what they’re saying?’
She took a quick look, and pushed down the lid of the laptop.
‘Don’t look at it! You mustn’t. There’s no point. It’s sick people using Ben to get their moment. It’s grotesque. It’s a feeding frenzy. Promise me you won’t look again. Promise me!’
‘It’s not just people. It’s the newspapers too.’
‘Promise me you won’t look!’
I promised, but my hands shook for a long time afterwards.
JIM
I spoke to Emma before I left for work, a quick call because I’d missed her the night before.
She answered her phone quickly – ‘Hey how are you?’ – but I could hear the drag of fatigue in her voice and she yawned generously.
‘Good. You? Did you sleep well?’
‘What do you reckon?’
‘I reckon you were awake half the night like me.’
‘I was.’
‘Are you OK?’
‘I’ve survived on less.’
‘Everyone on the investigation’s going to be feeling it.’
‘I know.’
She still sounded flat, and I didn’t like it, because it wasn’t like her to let things get to her. I wanted to buoy her up.
‘But it’s what we do it for, isn’t it? A case like this.’
‘Yes, you’re right. If we get a result that is.’
She stifled another yawn, apologised for it, and then she snapped back into something resembling her usual efficient tone, as if she’d suddenly realised how dispirited she sounded.