Brian Freemantle - A Mind to Kill

The two men took the chairs vacated by the policewomen.

‘ Why don’t you try to compare the size of their dicks? ’

Jennifer jumped but managed to hold back from replying. The effort made the shake worsen, momentarily. ‘Hear what, exactly?’

‘It was this voice that made you go to London?’ coaxed Hall.

‘Jane, yes.’

‘You couldn’t stop yourself?’

‘It wasn’t me. It was Jane, using my body.’

‘Your husband hadn’t been home the previous night?’

‘No. He stayed away two or three nights a week, on average. But he was always home at weekends. That was the arrangement.’

‘Was there any other arrangement, Mrs Lomax?’ intruded Perry.

‘ They’re out to trick you! ’

‘Jane says you’re trying to trick me.’

Perry sighed, audibly. The other man didn’t. Perry said, ‘You didn’t answer my question.’

‘I didn’t understand it.’

‘Were there any difficulties in your marriage?’ demanded Hall, directly.

‘ What have we got here? ’ Jane’s voice was excited.

‘I still don’t understand,’ insisted Jennifer. A feeling began, a faint nausea, deep in her stomach.

Perry sighed again, more loudly. ‘Were you and your husband happily married? Or did he spend two or three nights away from home for other reasons?’

‘No!’ said Jennifer, as forcefully as she could. ‘Gerald was not having an affair.’

‘ You sure? I’m not! ’

Jennifer shook her head but didn’t speak.

‘I am going to do my best to defend you against a charge of murder, Mrs Lomax-’ said Hall.

‘That’s one of the things I want to discuss with you-’

‘Please hear your counsel out,’ broke in Perry, again. ‘We have to get things clear in our mind before the police interview.’

‘ See! Don’t give a fuck.’

‘Make your point,’ demanded Jennifer, to the younger man. She wouldn’t be bullied.

‘ You will be.’

‘If I am going to do that, defend you, you have to be completely honest with me.’

Jennifer succeeded with a half smile. ‘I know it’s bizarre. Preposterous. But I am possessed by Gerald’s first wife, Jane. She thinks Gerald and I conspired in her murder. Which, of course, we didn’t. The inquest verdict was that she died from an inexplicable overdose of insulin.’

‘ You did! You did! ’

Hall refused to respond to Perry’s look. Instead he stayed upon Jennifer and said, ‘You know full well that is not a viable defence. It is, as you say, preposterous. Unless, of course, you expect a lesser charge to which we can plead diminished responsibility. Which would result in a custodial care sentence, with reviews until you could be declared recovered. And then released back into the community

…’ He paused. ‘Released after a comparatively limited term of imprisonment.’

The heat Jennifer felt was more from anger than from Jane’s presence. Her first impulse was to shout at the man but she stifled the urge. Instead, calmly, she said, ‘How much opportunity have you had to discuss this case with Mr Perry?’

‘Not a great deal,’ conceded Hall. It had, in fact, been less than two hours and that included their conversation on the way to the hospital in the car. It was proving more difficult than he’d expected to get rid of this voice-in-the-head nonsense but she’d obviously prepared it for a long time so he supposed he had to expect some resistance.

‘What has he told you about how I intend to plead.’

‘Not guilty.’

‘Not guilty to murder. And not guilty to any lesser charge,’ Jennifer insisted.

‘ It’s no good. He doesn’t believe you.’

‘Yes,’ accepted the barrister.

‘What has Mr Perry told you about psychiatrists?’

‘That you wish to undergo psychiatric examination and assessment.’

Jennifer let her anger go at last. ‘So what the hell’s all this about diminished responsibility and short sentences! I will plead not guilty to a charge of murder – and only to a charge of murder, nothing less – and be declared sane and be found not guilty.’

‘Mrs Lomax,’ said Perry, patiently. ‘That is not an option. No court – no judge – will accept it. Any of it.’

‘Make them!’

Hall had been sitting almost languidly, one leg triangled over the other: as always the chair appeared too small. Now he put both feet firmly on the ground and leant towards her to emphasize what he intended to say. ‘There are other circumstances in which a charge of murder could be proceeded with-’

Then why are we having this discussion!’ demanded Jennifer, uncaring how often she interrupted.

‘You expect to be declared sane?’ said Hall.

‘I am sane!’ She was irritated by Perry sitting there, taking notes with that ridiculous silver pencil.

‘If you were declared sane – and a court accepted that opinion from psychiatrists – there would be prosecution evidence from sixteen witnesses of your having stabbed your husband to death. The mandatory sentence for murder is life imprisonment. In the circumstances of this case I have to warn you a judge’s recommendation could be for that term to be a minimum of twenty years.’

‘ Got you, one way or another. ’

‘Why should I want to murder a husband I adored?’ pleaded Jennifer.

‘Here comes the man who believes he knows?’ said Perry, as Bentley came forcefully into the ward.

‘It’s time for us to have a proper conversation, Mrs Lomax,’ declared the murder squad detective, confidently.

The tiny room became as crowded as it had been for the magistrate’s hearing. Hospital tables were moved in again, one almost completely occupied by recording equipment. By apparent prearrangement Malcolm Rodgers became its operator, plugging leads into the mains supply and quietly mouthing into the microphone to test sound levels. Satisfied, he transferred the microphone to the table already positioned over Jennifer’s bed.

‘What’s going on?’ demanded Jennifer.

‘ I can hardly wait. ’

‘Shut up!’ said Jennifer, forgetting herself.

The heavily breathing Perry breathed out again, looking at Hall before saying, ‘We have agreed to a formal police interview, in our presence.’

‘Without discussion with me?’ Jennifer was aware of Rodgers hurriedly identifying the tape, her by name and the place and date at which it was being made.

‘Is there any reason for you to refuse?’ demanded Bentley, at once.

‘ You’re like some experiment, under their microscope. ’

The need to concentrate – an awareness of challenges she refused to anticipate despite the lingering nausea – made it easier to ignore the voice, like turning down a volume.

‘My last legal advice was against making any statement,’ she reminded, stiffly, looking at Perry as she spoke.

‘This isn’t a statement,’ insisted Bentley. ‘It is an interview, to further our enquiries.’

Jennifer looked to her two lawyers for help. When neither spoke she said, ‘But able, according to your official caution, to be presented in any prosecution against me.’

‘I will permit nothing that will endanger your defence,’ promised Hall.

‘ Ask him how many times he’s defended in a murder case! ’ demanded Jane.

Jennifer reminded herself she hadn’t needed any specific reason to insist upon a senior practising, top-of-his-profession barrister to replace Jeremy Hall but if she had this could have provided it. It wouldn’t stop with Hall and she didn’t give a damn about offence, either. She’d get rid of him and the stick-thin idiot with a head like an egg to whom the length of a pencil lead seemed so important.

‘ Who do you know who’s better? ’

‘It could still be produced in court?’ persisted Jennifer. They were treating her like an idiot – like a mad woman – and she wouldn’t allow that. Wasn’t mad, wasn’t mad, wasn’t mad.