Shape of Snakes

draught lager and eyed Sam suspiciously across the table as he wiped the froth from his lips. 'How come you didn't recognize Mr. Drury when your missus brought you here the other day?' he demanded. 'I haven't seen him in years but he hasn't changed that much.'

Sam went on the defensive immediately. 'I only met him a couple of times. As far as I remember, I was more interested in what he was saying than what he looked like.'

'Sam's not very good with faces,' I offered by way of mitigation.

Danny ignored me. 'How about when you made your statement? He must have interviewed you first. Didn't you look at him then?'

'It wasn't Drury who took it. It was a constable. And, no, I was never interviewed ... just asked to write out where I was and what I was doing.' He raised his eyes briefly to mine. 'The statement ended my involvement. I wasn't even required to appear at the inquest.'

Danny was unimpressed. 'Yeah, but you don't walk away when your family's in trouble,' he said. 'You should have insisted on being there whenever your missus was questioned. Christ! I wouldn't let my lady go through Drury's wringer on her own.'

Sam cupped his own glass in his hands but made no move to drink from it. 'You're describing a different scenario. My wife wasn't facing charges, she was the one who was asking for charges to be brought.'

'I don't blame her. That poor black lady looks as though she had the shit beaten out of her. It doesn't make any difference anyway. Your wife is family. You should have been there for her. That's the way it works.'

Sam buried his face in his hands, and I had to harden my heart to his pain because there was no avoiding the issue that my husband was part of the problem ... not part of the solution...

'It wasn't that simple,' he muttered wretchedly.

'Sure it was,' said Danny scathingly. 'Trust me. I know this stuff backward. Families pull together ... rats jump ship.'

Letter from Danny's mother, Maureen Slater, dated 1999

32 Graham Road

Richmond

2 August

Dear Mrs. Ranelagh,

The reason I'm agreeing to see you is because Danny likes you and you did a kind thing for Alan all those years ago when you caught him thieving off of you. He's a fine man now-married with kiddies-and I think you'll be glad you gave him a second chance. Also I appreciated you visiting me in hospital that time. I know I told you I'd fallen down the stairs, but I think you guessed it was Derek who gave me the injuries.

You say a lot's changed since 1978 and that's true. There's hardly anybody left who remembers Annie. I still don't think she was murdered, but like you say there's probably no harm talking about it now. Derek walked out on me twenty years ago and I haven't seen him since.

Around midday next Monday will be fine.

Yours,

Maureen Slater

 

Letter to Sergeant James Drury-dated 1999

LEAVENHAM FARM, LEAVENHAM, NR DORCHESTER, DORSET DT2 XXY

Thursday, August 5, 1999

Dear Mr. Drury,

Following our conversation yesterday, I enclose a copy of a letter I received in 1985 from a colleague of Dr. Benjamin Hanley. the pathologist who performed the postmortem on Ann Butts. In view of your confidence in Dr. Hanley's findings, you may find it interesting reading. The colleague's name was Dr. Anthony Deverill and he worked with Benjamin Hanley from 1979 until Hanley's compulsory retirement on medical grounds in 1982.

Yours sincerely,

M. Ranelagh

PS: Following the investigations referred to in (3) of Anthony Deverill's letter, both cases (believed at the time to be murders) were referred back to the Court of Appeal and the convictions against two innocent men were overturned. The evidence provided by Dr. Hanley was deemed 'unsafe' and the deaths of the alleged 'victims' were subsequently ruled to have occurred from 'natural causes.'

PPS: I have several sets of the postmortem photographs.

DR. ANTHONY DEVERILL, MRCPATH, 25

AVENUE ROAD, CHISWICK, LONDON W4

Mrs. M. Ranelagh

P.O. Box 103

Langley

Sydney

Australia

February 6, 1985

Dear Mrs. Ranelagh,