Brian Freemantle - A Mind to Kill

Sure he was beyond their hearing, Perry said, ‘You sure it was a good idea to antagonize Bentley quite so much?’

‘It was a good idea to close down any further interviews.’ Hall nodded towards the uniformed women. ‘And insist they remain outside. From now on the prosecution is going to be kept strictly within the rules of exchange and disclosure.’

‘Does that matter, considering the case they’ve got?’

Hall smiled at the solicitor. ‘If they’ve got enough then they’ve got enough.’

It was almost an hour before Jennifer and the doctors left the scanner room. In the tiny outside vestibule Fosdyke said to Lloyd, ‘We’ve got all the samples?’

‘The spinal tap was with pathology an hour ago,’ said Lloyd.

‘Then I’m finished.’ He looked at Mason, who said, ‘I’ve got enough, for the moment.’

‘For a preliminary finding?’ demanded Hall.

Jennifer felt the onset of numbness and blurted, ‘Not in front of me: I don’t want her to know!’

‘ Bitch! ’

‘Too quick for you,’ said Jennifer.

‘She back?’ asked Mason.

‘Called me a bitch.’

‘I’ll need an hour, to go through the tests, apart from my own,’ said Fosdyke.

‘I’d like to think about it too, before we talk. Let’s make it an hour, shall we?’ suggested Mason.

‘My rooms,’ offered Fosdyke.

‘We’ve got some other business to go through,’ said Hall. He looked at Peter Lloyd. ‘And I’d appreciate your being with us.’

No-one spoke during the walk to the upper corridor. Immediately inside the ward again Jennifer said to Perry: ‘Can you arrange for me to get my own clothes in here? Have someone call Annabelle and go down to fetch them…?’ She smiled, as the uninterrupted thought came to her. ‘Would it be possible for me to see Emily?’

There was a moment’s silence between the two lawyers. Perry said, ‘That’s the other business we have to go through, Mrs Lomax. Social Services want to get involved with care provisions for Emily.’

‘ NO!’ screamed Jennifer.

‘ Everything destroyed completely,’ mocked the voice. ‘ I’ll leave you all by yourself to think what it’s going to be like to lose Emily for ever. ’

‘She can’t be taken away! She’s all I have now.’ There was no sensation of Jane and Jennifer forced herself to remain icily calm after the initial outburst. Panic or hysteria wouldn’t save Emily. And saving Emily – keeping Emily – was abruptly the most important consideration. The only consideration. It was still difficult to sit on the side of the bed and not do more, speak louder, to make them understand. Dr Lloyd was beside her, still holding the wrist he’d snatched up to check her pulse rate at the screamed protest.

‘Is she all right?’ demanded Hall, worriedly.

‘Pulse is OK,’ nodded Lloyd.

‘Don’t talk across me!’ demanded Jennifer. ‘I’m perfectly under control: Jane isn’t here. I said Emily isn’t being taken away from me. You’ve got to stop it. Stop it now.’

‘Is there no family, on either side, who could become legal guardians in your…’ Perry hesitated. ‘… in your absence?’

The question unnecessarily reminded Jennifer once more of how totally alone she was and momentarily she couldn’t reply. Swallowing she said, ‘No. No-one.’

‘What about Gerald’s family?’

‘There isn’t one. He was an only child, no uncles and no aunts. And his parents are dead.’

‘The local authorities do have a legal responsibility, although I am surprised they’re exercising it so quickly,’ warned the solicitor, cautiously. He ignored the now vacant chairs. So did Hall. The doctor remained where he was, beside Jennifer on the bed, although he released her wrist.

‘Emily hasn’t been abandoned. Left.’ Jennifer became aware of the two policewomen staring through the window. ‘Must they look in like that? I’m like a bloody freak show.’

‘They’re not being allowed in here any more, so I’m afraid you’ve got to put up with it,’ said the barrister. He should have anticipated the effect upon her of the official approach about the child but hadn’t. But then neither had Perry. At least there’d been the forethought to get Geoffrey Johnson the woman’s power of attorney.

Jennifer made an impatient dismissive gesture. ‘Emily can’t be taken away from me! I won’t let that happen.’

Hall breathed in, heavily. ‘I won’t hold out any false hope. Legally she can be, if you’re convicted.’

‘I’ve not been convicted, not yet,’ seized Jennifer. ‘I’m still innocent, aren’t I?’

‘Yes,’ conceded Perry and Hall regretted the doubt in the man’s voice.

‘Then they can’t do anything. Emily is being cared for by a certificated nanny, in a mansion for Christ’s sake. She’s the best looked after child in England.’

‘That’s probably right, at the moment,’ agreed Hall. ‘You want us legally to oppose any move by the authorities?’

‘Of course I do!’ said Jennifer, with fresh impatience. ‘I want you to do every conceivable thing to block whatever they try to do. I don’t care what it is or how much it costs. Just do it.’ There was a sudden empty feeling of helplessness. ‘Please…’ She half reached out, towards the barrister, before stopping, embarrassed at the unthinking movement. She was glad the man hadn’t instinctively responded.

‘We could prove adequate care provision with an onsite visit: attend ourselves,’ Perry suggested. Halfway through he remembered Jennifer’s dislike of being ignored and turned away from Hall to include her as he spoke.

‘Arrange it,’ said Jennifer, eagerly.

‘This nanny…?’ Hall let the question trail.

‘… Annabelle,’ prompted Jennifer.

‘… Annabelle is definitely certificated?’

‘Norland trained,’ assured Jennifer. ‘She’s been with us since Emily was born… Emily adores her…’

‘There’s no question of her not continuing in the job?’ pressed Perry, careless of the grammar.

‘Of course not! Why should there be!’

‘We’d better establish that positively, before any meeting with the authorities,’ said Hall. He didn’t have any real doubt from the woman’s behaviour with the psychiatrist and the neurologist that she was suffering some mental abnormality. How much worse might it get if the child was officially put into care? He probably could, technically, prevent the child being taken until after a court verdict but it didn’t amount to anything more than postponing the inevitable. He really didn’t intend offering false hope but there was nothing to be achieved, apart perhaps from a worse collapse, from being too honest with her. A doubt began to flicker. It was curious that all talk of voices in her head ended at the threat of losing her daughter. Hall stopped the reflection, positively: wrong to risk preconceived impressions before hearing the professional opinion of the two specialists. Worth mentioning to them, though.

‘You’ll do it all today: stop the process before it begins?’ demanded Jennifer, urgently.

‘Before doing that I think it’s important to get things clear between us,’ said Perry. ‘During the interview with the police I got the feeling you were dissatisfied with your legal representation…’

Hall frowned. It was something that had to be clarified and Perry was the person who had to do it but he wished the timing could have been different. His look towards the bed was for a reaction but for the first time he properly focused on the woman herself. Almost unconsciously his initial impression had been that Jennifer Lomax really had looked like a mad woman, lank-haired, bedraggled and distraught. But today the eyes weren’t black ringed any more, the blond hair had a semblance of a style and what little make-up she’d bothered with wasn’t smudged: the swelling had gone down and the cut lip was scarcely noticeable. She was, in fact, looking more like the woman whose photograph was yet again blazoned over that day’s newspapers, although the head-tilted, almost arrogant confidence of the pictures wasn’t evident in the woman at whom he was looking. But then it would have been impossible to appear elegant in the hospital smock and towelling robe.