Disordered Minds

yourselves. You've got nothing at all if Priscilla can prove she wasn't Cill...' Jonadian cut the voice short. 'That's the first thing that needs sleeping on,' he murmured.

'You think he's lying?'

'No,' said Jonathan regretfully.

George was promptly downcast again. 'That's what I thought when he said it.'

'So?'

'There's no point looking for Cill's parents.'

'Wrong,' said Jonathan affectionately. 'It makes it even more important. How would you feel if someone was masquerading as your daughter? You'd want to know why, wouldn't you?'

George glanced at him in surprise. 'Is that what she's doing?'

'It's as plausible as my transference theory. One's conscious, the other's unconscious ... I guess it depends whether you think the lights are on and no one's at home or if there's method in her madness.'

George was doubtful. 'What's the point?'

'Of a masquerade? Perhaps she's doing an Anna Anderson-reemerging as the Grand Duchess Anastasia in order to lay claim to the Romanov fortune. Cill was an only child, don't forget, so there might be some money to be made out of it.'

'Priscilla lives on Sandbanks,' protested George. 'Her husband must be rolling in it.'

Jonathan shrugged. 'Perhaps Fletcher doesn't own the house ... perhaps he insisted on a prenuptial agreement.'

'Yes, but ... it's absurd,' she said forcefully. 'Even if the Trevelyans managed to buy a house in the West Country, it'll be worth a pittance. They were living in council accommodation when they were in Lacey Street, so the best they could have done was make an exchange, then buy whatever property they ended up in ... and council property's never that valuable.'

'It'll still be worth something.'

'Then why isn't she calling herself Cill Trevelyan? Why hasn't she made herself known to the parents? It's the most far-fetched theory I've ever heard,' she finished indignantly.

'OK, OK,' said Jonathan with a small laugh. 'It was just an idea. The only other theory I've come up with is coincidence-that a woman called Priscilla looks just like a Priscilla who went missing and happened to marry her rapist, Roy Trent-but that seems equally far-fetched. And you know how much I hate coincidences.'

George concentrated on her driving for several minutes. 'Anna Anderson led a comfortable life,' she said, breaking her silence. 'I saw a documentary on her a while back and there were a number of people who believed she was Anastasia. She lived on their charity for years, then ended up marrying a rich American who treated her like royalty.'

'She was a fraud,' said Jonathan. 'They used DNA samples to prove she was a Polish factory worker.'

'That wouldn't worry her ... not once she was dead. It's living like a princess while you're alive that's important.' There was a gleam in her eye. 'Put it this way, if she was Anastasia, then she was robbed of her inheritance, but if she was a Polish factory worker, then she did extremely well out of the deception. But it wasn't the Romanov family who kept her in clover-they refused to recognize her-it was the people she conned...'

From: Dr. Jonathan Hughes [[email protected]]

Sent: Thurs. 5/1/03 11:16

To: [email protected]

Cc: Andrew Spicer

Subject: Roy Trent

Dear George,

Herewith some thoughts re: the tape. As agreed, I have conferred with a psychologist colleague and we have divided Trent's statements into four categories.

Category 1 (statements that we both believe to be true)

1.     The gang bullied Howard with a knife.

2.     Howard subsequently acquired a knife and went berserk.

3.     The gang experienced similar suicidal thoughts to Howard's.

4.     Their stamping ground was Colliton Way.

5.     They got into trouble when they left it.

6.     Trent detested prison and did not want a repeat.

7.     He regrets his behavior.

8.     Priscilla Fletcher is not Cill Trevelyan.

Category 2 (statements that we are undecided about)

1.     Trent and his gang did not know Grace.

2.     David Trevelyan killed his daughter.

3.     Jean Trevelyan told lies to protect him.

Category 3 (statements that may not be true but that Trent himself believes)

1.     Howard killed Grace Jefferies.