Shortly after your birth, I met Arthur and married him. He was already a Christian but we were both Born Again fourteen years later. God has been such a comfort to me. I hope He is in your life. We have two children. Simon is married with two grown-up sons. Ruth is a very successful archaeologist （she has written books!!） and she has a lovely daughter, Kate. I do hope you can meet them all one day.
God bless you.
Your mother
Jean
Ruth finishes this letter in a haze of tears. Our time will come. A wonderful single parent. It broke my heart to say goodbye to you. She has written books!!
She thinks she loves her mother more for those two exclamation marks than for anything else.
Chapter 43
The next morning, Tanya interviews Hugh Baxter in the largest custody suite. His solicitor, Shobna Harris, is present only via Zoom, which is the way they have to do things these days. But Tanya is taking no chances and there抯 an 慳ppropriate adult? a social worker called Belinda Carter, sitting two metres away from Hugh. Shobna is on screen wearing a neat white blouse and black jacket. Tanya wonders if she has her pyjamas on underneath. Tony is also in the room and everyone is masked except Hugh who says he is exempt for medical reasons. Nelson is watching through the two-way mirror.
慣his is DS Tanya Fuller. With me is DC Tony Zhang. We抮e interviewing Hugh Everard Baxter under caution in the presence of his legal representative, via Zoom, and Belinda Carter, acting as an appropriate adult.?
Hugh Baxter blinks at her. He has mild blue eyes, but Tanya is not taken in by this or by his sparse comb-over. When she抎 apprehended Baxter last night, he had flashed her a look that was pure evil.
慏o you understand that this is an interview under caution??she says. 慪ou have the right to silence but it may harm your defence if you do not mention something when questioned that you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.?
Hugh looks towards the screen and Shobna nods. He says, 慖 understand.?
慏o you know Zoe Hilton? She抯 a practice nurse at Westway Surgery.?
慖 do go to Westway. I have angina and high blood pressure.?Hugh gives Tanya a pathetic look, which she ignores.
慉nd do you know Zoe??Tanya pushes a photograph across the table.
慖 think I recognise her.?
慜n Tuesday, thirty-first of March, did you telephone Zoe and ask her to meet you at Steward抯 House tourist information centre? I should remind you that we have your phone records.?
慖 can抰 remember,?says Hugh.
慉nd, when Zoe arrived at Steward抯 House, did you imprison her against her will in the cellar??
慛o!?Hugh sounds shocked. 慖 wouldn抰 do that.?
慦e have CCTV footage that shows you entering Steward抯 House on Wednesday the first and Thursday the second,?says Tanya.
慍CTV??Hugh sounds as if he抯 never heard of it.
慪ou抮e on camera,?says Tanya. The footage arrived that morning. She thanks God for the cathedral抯 security system. 慦e have photographs.?
慖 don抰 remember,?says Hugh.
Tony leans forward, his voice full of sympathy. 慦ould you like a glass of water??
慪es please,?says Hugh quaveringly. Tony pours a glass from the jug on the table.
慚r Baxter,?he says, 憏ou were good friends with Avril Flowers, weren抰 you??
Tanya sees that Hugh prefers this form of address. He says, almost proudly, 慪es. We were very close.?
慏id you visit her house on the morning of Tuesday the twenty-fifth of February??
慖 don抰 remember,?says Hugh. 慡o much has happened since then. This terrible Covid . . .?