Hope to Die

PENROSE: It rather argues that the householders got rid of it, doesn’t it? Before your officers arrived?

FAWLEY: We don’t know what happened to it –

PENROSE: But why would they do that? If he was just a random burglar? Unless, of course, they knew who he was?

FAWLEY: I’m not in a position –

PENROSE: What’s the householder been charged with? Murder or manslaughter?

FAWLEY: He’s been released on bail. The CPS has not yet made a decision as to charging.

PENROSE: Because it would make a difference, wouldn’t it? A big difference. If he’s charged with murder there has to be an element of premeditation, and I’m finding it difficult to reconcile that with someone defending themselves against a burglar.

FAWLEY: To repeat, decisions as to charging will be made by the CPS –

PENROSE: But he must have been arrested, if he’s on bail, so what was he arrested for – murder or manslaughter?

FAWLEY: As you well know, we don’t release that sort of information.

PENROSE: I’m sure you understand why I’m asking: if you’re treating what happened here as murder, doesn’t that imply that the householder must have known the victim? Known him or even been related to him? Have you considered whether the people in the house might, in fact, be Dick and Peggy Rowan, Camilla’s parents? Who sold their home in Shiphampton soon after their daughter’s trial and severed all ties with their friends, and haven’t been seen since. Are they the mystery elderly couple at Wytham?

FAWLEY: Given that this is an ongoing investigation, we have not disclosed the names of the people in question.

PENROSE: Have you done DNA tests on them?

FAWLEY: That’s not something we would divulge at this stage.

PENROSE: Land Registry records for the house at Wytham show that it’s owned by a property company, the main shareholder of which is a Mr Richard Swann, who just so happens to have exactly the same date of birth as Dick Rowan. The same first name, the same date of birth – that can’t be a coincidence, surely.

FAWLEY: I think what’s important now is to focus on identifying the dead man and establishing exactly what happened back in 1997. We were hoping that Ms Rowan might be able to help us with this but, unfortunately, she has so far declined to do so.

PENROSE: Is she going to be released?

FAWLEY: That’s a matter for the Ministry of Justice, not the Police.

PENROSE: It’s quite simple, Inspector. She was convicted of murdering someone who we now know wasn’t murdered at all. She is, de facto, therefore, completely innocent and should be released immediately.

FAWLEY: We still don’t know exactly what happened to the baby, and until we do –

PENROSE: We know she didn’t kill it.

FAWLEY: Yes, we do.

PENROSE: So she’s not guilty of murder.

FAWLEY: Not of murder, no.

PENROSE: What then? What is she guilty of that justifies a prison sentence of fifteen years? Because that’s what she’s served, Inspector. Fifteen years.

FAWLEY: As I said, those are questions you need to put to someone else.

PENROSE: It was a pretty shoddy inquiry, wasn’t it? The original investigation?

FAWLEY: Nothing I’ve seen suggests that. South Mercia Police handled the case in the same way any other force would have done.

PENROSE: What about Nigel Ward? It was only thanks to me that anyone started looking at him. Me, working on my own, with no access to official documents or the ability to compel witnesses. Whereas South Mercia had dozens of detectives on that investigation, round the clock, for the best part of a year. It beggars belief that they didn’t at least think it was worth talking to him.

FAWLEY: I can’t speak for South Mercia Police, but in a case like this, it’s standard procedure to follow up all potential lines of enquiry. If they’d found any evidence linking Mr Ward to Camilla Rowan there’s no reason why they wouldn’t have followed it up.

PENROSE: Perhaps they didn’t find any evidence because they were looking in the wrong place. Or looking the other way. After all, half of them were his mates. Rotary Club, golf club, who knows, perhaps another sort of ‘club’ …

FAWLEY: I’m not in a position to comment. You’ll have to ask South Mercia Police. It was their investigation.

PENROSE: And what about your investigation? Have you turned up anything, Inspector Fawley? You’ve got a team of your own, looking at this case. You don’t have an axe to grind, you don’t know anyone involved – your hands are clean. Have you found anything suggesting Nigel Ward may have been involved in the disappearance of Camilla’s baby? Did he help her in some way, either out of the kindness of his heart, or for other, more self-serving reasons, because he needed to keep his own previous ‘association’ with her secret?

FAWLEY: As I said before, we never comment on active investigations.