husband’s enthusiasm for living in big houses.
They reached the top of the ladder. Alice Sedgewick put her hand out to the left and flicked a light switch on illuminating the entire loft space with four swinging light bulbs. Talith made a mental note of even this small action. She’d remembered to turn the switch off then last night as she’d left the roof space, even though she must have been holding her grisly burden. Not someone in a panic then but a woman calm enough to carry out an action of economy. So she had either been in control of herself, had acted automatically or maybe, just maybe, it was possible that someone else had switched the light off.
Already Talith’s policeman’s mind was starting to look at scenarios, possibilities and ask the relevant questions.
The loft was neatly boarded. There was plenty of headroom and four bare electric lights so they had a good view. Now they could see how huge the roof space was. Big enough for a couple more bedrooms and bathrooms. Talith straightened up and looked around. It held the usual loft contents: a couple of suitcases, a few boxes stacked neatly to one side, beams and spiders’ webs, insulation against the roof. There was a soft, urgent scrabbling in the corner. Mice? Bats? Rats?
It was easy to see where Alice had found the infant. In the far corner stood a hot water tank partly boarded in. Behind it and to the side was a pile of dust and rubble. Talith and the team approached the area. In the rubble was a small piece of tattered woollen cloth so smothered with the dust it was hard to tell what colour it had once been. So, as Delyth Fontaine had suggested last night, Alice must have found the infant partly covered, unwrapped it, taken it downstairs and found the blanket in which she had wrapped the child to bring it to the hospital. She had provided the newer pink blanket herself. From where? It had been no larger than a cot blanket – nowhere near adult sized. But it was surely a long time ago that a baby had been resident here, in number 41. Alice Sedgewick’s children were in their twenties.
As though reading his mind, she followed his gaze. ‘That’s where I found her,’ she said very quietly. ‘I – there was some plasterboard around the hot water tank. I thought I’d take a proper look to see if it should be moved. I pulled off some of the boards surrounding it.’ Alice was walking towards the spot very slowly, in a trance, speaking softly to herself, as though she had forgotten they were there. ‘Then I found her, waiting for me. She was wrapped up.’ Her eyes were wide open now but unfocussed. ‘She’d been lying there all that time. Not buried at all. Just stuffed behind an . . .’ There was a look both of grief and horror in her face.
‘Hey.’ Acantha put her arm around her friend’s shoulders. ‘Hey.’
It looked as though Alice Sedgewick was beginning to lose the plot again, Talith thought. And yet, though the content of her tale was enough to tip the sanest mind into hysteria, there was, around Alice Sedgewick, a complete lack of drama. She had simply related the story in a flat, quiet voice.
The SOCOs had already slipped on their gloves and were stepping towards the spot ready to bag up the tattered woollen rag, but not before Talith had seen some staining on it, dark and rusty. As a policeman he’d seen enough of this particular mark before to know exactly what it was.
Acantha saw it too and intervened quickly. ‘Don’t you think it would be better if all this was continued back at the station while your people look around?’
Talith nodded slowly. The team would work better unhampered anyway.
He took a quick sweep of the area, frowning. He couldn’t really see why Alice Sedgewick had investigated the area around the water tank. If he had been considering converting the loft into further living space it wouldn’t immediately have struck him as that important.
He had a quick, quiet word with Roddie Hughes, the
They reached the top of the ladder. Alice Sedgewick put her hand out to the left and flicked a light switch on illuminating the entire loft space with four swinging light bulbs. Talith made a mental note of even this small action. She’d remembered to turn the switch off then last night as she’d left the roof space, even though she must have been holding her grisly burden. Not someone in a panic then but a woman calm enough to carry out an action of economy. So she had either been in control of herself, had acted automatically or maybe, just maybe, it was possible that someone else had switched the light off.
Already Talith’s policeman’s mind was starting to look at scenarios, possibilities and ask the relevant questions.
The loft was neatly boarded. There was plenty of headroom and four bare electric lights so they had a good view. Now they could see how huge the roof space was. Big enough for a couple more bedrooms and bathrooms. Talith straightened up and looked around. It held the usual loft contents: a couple of suitcases, a few boxes stacked neatly to one side, beams and spiders’ webs, insulation against the roof. There was a soft, urgent scrabbling in the corner. Mice? Bats? Rats?
It was easy to see where Alice had found the infant. In the far corner stood a hot water tank partly boarded in. Behind it and to the side was a pile of dust and rubble. Talith and the team approached the area. In the rubble was a small piece of tattered woollen cloth so smothered with the dust it was hard to tell what colour it had once been. So, as Delyth Fontaine had suggested last night, Alice must have found the infant partly covered, unwrapped it, taken it downstairs and found the blanket in which she had wrapped the child to bring it to the hospital. She had provided the newer pink blanket herself. From where? It had been no larger than a cot blanket – nowhere near adult sized. But it was surely a long time ago that a baby had been resident here, in number 41. Alice Sedgewick’s children were in their twenties.
As though reading his mind, she followed his gaze. ‘That’s where I found her,’ she said very quietly. ‘I – there was some plasterboard around the hot water tank. I thought I’d take a proper look to see if it should be moved. I pulled off some of the boards surrounding it.’ Alice was walking towards the spot very slowly, in a trance, speaking softly to herself, as though she had forgotten they were there. ‘Then I found her, waiting for me. She was wrapped up.’ Her eyes were wide open now but unfocussed. ‘She’d been lying there all that time. Not buried at all. Just stuffed behind an . . .’ There was a look both of grief and horror in her face.
‘Hey.’ Acantha put her arm around her friend’s shoulders. ‘Hey.’
It looked as though Alice Sedgewick was beginning to lose the plot again, Talith thought. And yet, though the content of her tale was enough to tip the sanest mind into hysteria, there was, around Alice Sedgewick, a complete lack of drama. She had simply related the story in a flat, quiet voice.
The SOCOs had already slipped on their gloves and were stepping towards the spot ready to bag up the tattered woollen rag, but not before Talith had seen some staining on it, dark and rusty. As a policeman he’d seen enough of this particular mark before to know exactly what it was.
Acantha saw it too and intervened quickly. ‘Don’t you think it would be better if all this was continued back at the station while your people look around?’
Talith nodded slowly. The team would work better unhampered anyway.
He took a quick sweep of the area, frowning. He couldn’t really see why Alice Sedgewick had investigated the area around the water tank. If he had been considering converting the loft into further living space it wouldn’t immediately have struck him as that important.
He had a quick, quiet word with Roddie Hughes, the
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