back to bury it in the garden?’
‘That’s more or less what my husband was saying,’ confided Gina uneasily. ‘I think he thinks …’ Her voice trailed off.
‘What does he think?’ prompted Gordon quietly.
‘That Lucy did it,’ said Gina. She got the words out quickly as if they were unpleasant medicine she didn’t want to have in her mouth.
‘What makes him think that?’
‘Like you say, the fact that he simply couldn’t imagine who else would have done it and also because he remembers what Lucy was like just after Anne-Marie was born, when she didn’t want to know about the baby’s problems and insisted the nurses take her away. Men don’t understand post-natal depression: I had it myself after Luke was born. It’s an illness but you can’t explain that to outsiders. They think that’s the way you really are but you’re not, it’s the illness talking. Lucy got over it just like I did. True, she got a bit down from time to time – who wouldn’t in the circumstances, but she loved Anne-Marie. We all did.’
‘Good, you obviously don’t believe she’s capable of having killed her either,’ said Gordon.
‘No,’ agreed Gina. ‘Nothing would make her do something like that.’
‘But that still leaves the problem of who did and why?’ said Gordon.
Gordon managed to get a meeting with Chief Inspector Davies at ten the following morning: he told him his thoughts about the Palmers. To his surprise and annoyance, Davies seemed singularly unimpressed. He listened throughout with a cynical smile playing round the corners of his mouth. It was almost as if he’d heard it all before. When Gordon had finished he asked, ‘In the great scheme of things Doctor, does it really matter?’
‘Matter?’ exclaimed Gordon, not sure of Davies’ meaning.
‘Which one of them did it,’ explained Davies.
‘But neither of them did it!’ exclaimed Gordon.
Davies shrugged in polite incredulity. ‘Now that,’ he said, ‘I find impossible to believe.’
‘The Palmers loved their child,’ insisted Gordon. ‘They couldn’t have murdered her.’
‘Murder is such an emotive word,’ said Davies, leaning back in his chair like a don about to lecture a student. ‘Maybe it’s the wrong one to use in this instance. Mercy killing? Euthanasia? Cruel to be kind? Take your pick. I can even accept that their motives were honourable if misguided but in my book they still killed that child and it will be up to the lawyers to decide what they want to call it. After that, it will be a matter for the courts as to how much sympathy and understanding they care to dispense.’
‘They didn’t do it,’ insisted Gordon.
Davies began to lose patience. ‘Might I just remind you that one of them has already confessed to the damned crime!’ he rasped. ‘And if he didn’t really do it then it’s only because he believes his wife did! You must be the only person in the world who thinks that neither of them had anything to do with it! If you can come up with one single reason why anyone should break into the Palmers’ house, steal their deformed child, kill it and then come back and bury it in their back garden, let me know. In the meantime I’ve got work to do.’
‘Can I see John Palmer?’
‘No.’
Gordon left the police station feeling frustrated and angry, all the more so because he could understand the police point of view. It was the common sense one. It was the one most people were going to go for.
John Palmer was due to appear in court, first thing on Monday morning. Gordon was naïve enough to believe that he could drive up to Caernarfon and attend the preliminary hearing, thinking that he might get the chance to have a word with John and assure him that Lucy had not killed Anne-Marie. He told Julie Rees of his plan and found her less than enthusiastic. ‘Don’t you think you’re taking concern for John Palmer a little far?’ she asked. ‘I’m sure the police and the lawyers are the
‘That’s more or less what my husband was saying,’ confided Gina uneasily. ‘I think he thinks …’ Her voice trailed off.
‘What does he think?’ prompted Gordon quietly.
‘That Lucy did it,’ said Gina. She got the words out quickly as if they were unpleasant medicine she didn’t want to have in her mouth.
‘What makes him think that?’
‘Like you say, the fact that he simply couldn’t imagine who else would have done it and also because he remembers what Lucy was like just after Anne-Marie was born, when she didn’t want to know about the baby’s problems and insisted the nurses take her away. Men don’t understand post-natal depression: I had it myself after Luke was born. It’s an illness but you can’t explain that to outsiders. They think that’s the way you really are but you’re not, it’s the illness talking. Lucy got over it just like I did. True, she got a bit down from time to time – who wouldn’t in the circumstances, but she loved Anne-Marie. We all did.’
‘Good, you obviously don’t believe she’s capable of having killed her either,’ said Gordon.
‘No,’ agreed Gina. ‘Nothing would make her do something like that.’
‘But that still leaves the problem of who did and why?’ said Gordon.
Gordon managed to get a meeting with Chief Inspector Davies at ten the following morning: he told him his thoughts about the Palmers. To his surprise and annoyance, Davies seemed singularly unimpressed. He listened throughout with a cynical smile playing round the corners of his mouth. It was almost as if he’d heard it all before. When Gordon had finished he asked, ‘In the great scheme of things Doctor, does it really matter?’
‘Matter?’ exclaimed Gordon, not sure of Davies’ meaning.
‘Which one of them did it,’ explained Davies.
‘But neither of them did it!’ exclaimed Gordon.
Davies shrugged in polite incredulity. ‘Now that,’ he said, ‘I find impossible to believe.’
‘The Palmers loved their child,’ insisted Gordon. ‘They couldn’t have murdered her.’
‘Murder is such an emotive word,’ said Davies, leaning back in his chair like a don about to lecture a student. ‘Maybe it’s the wrong one to use in this instance. Mercy killing? Euthanasia? Cruel to be kind? Take your pick. I can even accept that their motives were honourable if misguided but in my book they still killed that child and it will be up to the lawyers to decide what they want to call it. After that, it will be a matter for the courts as to how much sympathy and understanding they care to dispense.’
‘They didn’t do it,’ insisted Gordon.
Davies began to lose patience. ‘Might I just remind you that one of them has already confessed to the damned crime!’ he rasped. ‘And if he didn’t really do it then it’s only because he believes his wife did! You must be the only person in the world who thinks that neither of them had anything to do with it! If you can come up with one single reason why anyone should break into the Palmers’ house, steal their deformed child, kill it and then come back and bury it in their back garden, let me know. In the meantime I’ve got work to do.’
‘Can I see John Palmer?’
‘No.’
Gordon left the police station feeling frustrated and angry, all the more so because he could understand the police point of view. It was the common sense one. It was the one most people were going to go for.
John Palmer was due to appear in court, first thing on Monday morning. Gordon was naïve enough to believe that he could drive up to Caernarfon and attend the preliminary hearing, thinking that he might get the chance to have a word with John and assure him that Lucy had not killed Anne-Marie. He told Julie Rees of his plan and found her less than enthusiastic. ‘Don’t you think you’re taking concern for John Palmer a little far?’ she asked. ‘I’m sure the police and the lawyers are the
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