to him, cap in hand, and beg for some kind of allowance.' She gave a helpless shrug at the thought of her brother. 'If I believed there was any point in my trying, I would, but we both know he'd slam the door in my face.'
Celia gave a mirthless laugh. 'What makes you think it would be any different if I tried? That wife of his can't stand me. She'd never agree to keeping her mother-in-law and sister-in-law in what she chooses to call the lap of luxury when her real pleasure in life would be to see us destitute.'
'I know,' said Maggie guiltily, 'and it serves us right. We should never have been rude about her wedding dress.'
'It was difficult not to be,' said Celia tartly. 'The vicar nearly had a heart attack when he saw her.'
Her daughter's eyes filled with humor. 'It was the greenfly that did it. If there hadn't been a plague of the blasted things the year they got married, and if her wretched veil hadn't collected every single one in a twenty-mile radius while she walked from the church to the reception ... What was it you called her? Something to do with camouflage.'
'I didn't call her anything,' said Celia with dignity. 'I congratulated her for blending so well into her surroundings.'
Maggie laughed. 'That's right, I remember now. God, you were rude.'
'You found it funny at the time,' her mother pointed out, easing her bad hip on the chair. 'I'll talk to Mary,' she promised. 'I can probably bear the humiliation of dunning my friends rather better than I can bear the humiliation of begging off Matthew and Ava.'
*4*
Physical/psychological assessment of unidentified toddler: 'Baby Smith'
Physical: The child's general health is excellent. She is well nourished and well cared for, and is not suffering from any disease or ailment. Blood test indicates minute traces of benzodiazepine (possibly Mogadon) and stronger traces of paracetamol in her system. There is no evidence of past or recent abuse, sexual or physical, although there is some evidence (see below) that she has suffered past, continuing, or recent psychological trauma. The physical evidence suggests that she was separated from her parent/guardian within 3-4 hours of being found-most notably in terms of her overall cleanliness and the fact that she hadn't soiled herself. In addition she showed no signs of dehydration, hypothermia, hunger, or exhaustion, which would have been expected in a child who had been abandoned for any length of time.
Psychological: The child's behavior and social skills are typical of a two-year-old; however, her size and weight suggest she is older. She presents evidence of mild autism, although knowledge of her history is needed to confirm a diagnosis. She is uninterested in other people/children and reacts aggressively when approached by them. She is overly passive, preferring to sit and observe rather than explore her environment. She is unnaturally withdrawn and makes no attempt to communicate verbally, although will use sign language to achieve what she wants. Her hearing is unimpaired, and she listens to everything that's said to her; however, she is selective about which instructions she chooses to obey. As a simple example, she is happy to point to a blue cube when asked, but refuses to pick it up.
While she is unable or unwilling to use words to communicate, she resorts very quickly to screams and tantrums when her wishes are thwarted or when she feels herself stressed. This is particularly evident when strangers enter the room or when voices rise above a monotone. She invariably refuses any sort of physical contact on a first meeting but holds out her arms to be picked up on a second.This would indicate good recognition skills, yet she evinces a strong fear of men and screams in terror whenever they intrude into her space. In the absence of any indication of physical or sexual abuse, this fear may stem from: unfamiliarity with men as a result of being raised in a sheltered, all-female environment; witnessing male aggression against another-e.g. mother or sibling.
Conclusions: In view of the child's backward development and apparent stress-related disorders, she should not be returned to her family/guardians without exhaustive inquiries being made about the nature of the household. It is also imperative that she be placed on the 'at risk' register to allow continuous monitoring of her future welfare. I am seriously concerned about the traces of benzodiazepine and paracetamol in her bloodstream. Benzodiazepine (a strong hypnotic) is not recommended for children, and certainly not in conjunction with paracetamol. I suspect the child was sedated but can think of no legitimate reason why this should have been necessary.
N.B. Without knowing more of the child's history, it is difficult to say whether her behavior is due to: (1) autism; (2) psychiatric trauma; (3) taught dependence, which, while leaving her ignorant of her own capabilities, has encouraged her to be consciously manipulative.
Dr. Janet Murray
*5*
It bad been a long twenty-four hours, and WPC Sandra Griffiths was yawning as her telephone started to ring again at noon on Monday. She had done several local radio and television interviews to publicize the abandonment of Lily (named after Lilliput, where she was found), but although the response to the programs had been good, not one caller had been able to tell her who the child was. She blamed the weather. Too many people were out in the sunshine; too few watching their sets. She stifled the yawn as she picked up the receiver.
The man at the other end sounded worried. 'I'm sorry to bother you,' he told her, 'but I've just had my mother on the phone. She's incredibly het-up about some toddler who looks like my daughter wandering the streets. I've told her it can't possibly be Hannah, but'-he paused-'well, the thing is we've both tried phoning my wife, and neither of us can get an answer.'
Griffiths tucked the receiver under her chin and reached for a pen. This was the twenty-fifth father to phone since the toddler's photograph had been broadcast, and all were estranged from their wives and children. She had no higher hopes of this one than she'd had of the previous twenty-four, but she went through the motions willingly enough. 'If you'll answer one or two questions for me, sir, we can establish very quickly whether the little girl is
