‘That’s exactly what she told me. So I had to refuse to give the baby back. I had to protect Daisy from her mother. If she’d killed once, who was to say she wouldn’t do it again? I had to keep that baby safe. When she threatened me, I told her she could do her worst; only, if she took Daisy away from me, I’d tell the police what she’d confessed to me, about doing away with her husband. That shut her up.’ She grinned. ‘I never did tell, of course.’

‘What happened then?’

‘She complained to me that her money had run out and she couldn’t afford to pay me any more. She thought that would make me give her back her baby, but I couldn’t do that, could I? So I told her father what she’d done. I figured he’d be willing to pay a fair amount for my silence. He wouldn’t want anyone else finding out what she’d done.’

‘You blackmailed him?’

‘No. I never did. It wasn’t like that. I just wanted him to help me out now and again. Just a few quid here and there, for his granddaughter. He’s a wealthy man. I was right. He wanted me to keep quiet about it only before he even gave me a penny someone topped him. Talk about bad luck!’

Geraldine and Ian exchanged a glance. With Ella’s statement, the whole sorry story was beginning to unravel.

‘So according to Ella’s statement, which may or may not be reliable, Jessica killed her husband, allegedly to protect Daisy from his violent outbursts.’ Eileen gazed around the assembled team. ‘Ella says that Jason had hit Jessica on more than one occasion, and she was concerned for her daughter’s safety. After handing the baby to Ella, Jessica murdered her husband and then asked for her baby back. Ella refused to give Daisy up, and went to David when Jessica refused to give her any more money. Shortly after that, David was killed.’ Eileen paused. ‘Did Jessica kill her father? She had a strong motive for silencing him once Ella had told him about Jason’s murder.’

‘I wonder why she didn’t try to kill Ella, not her father?’ Geraldine said. ‘With Ella out of the way, the only accusation against Jessica would be hearsay, and in any case she could probably have convinced her father that she was innocent. Plus she would have been able to take back her baby.’

Eileen frowned. ‘Let’s see what Jessica has to say about her father’s death.’

‘She denies having killed her husband,’ Ian said. ‘But the forensic evidence points to her.’

Eileen sighed. ‘If you can persuade her to confess, it would make our lives a lot easier.’

Jessica stared belligerently across the table at Geraldine and Ian. ‘When can I go home to Daisy?’