Free The Outcast Dead by Elly Griffiths Page B

‘No screams in the night.’
    ‘No,’ says the woman, deadpan. ‘None of that. The thing is, we’ve got a different angle.’
    ‘What Dani is saying,’ Frank leans forward, ‘is that we’ve got some pretty compelling evidence that Jemima Green may have been innocent.’
    ‘Mother Hook innocent?’ exclaims Phil. ‘You’re kidding! What about all that
Don’t cry little darling
stuff?’
    ‘A myth has grown up around her,’ says Frank, ‘but that’s all it is. There was never really any evidence against her.’
    ‘I thought she killed all those children and gave their bodies to the grave robbers?’
    ‘She obviously knew the Resurrection Men,’ says Frank, and Ruth thinks that he’s choosing his words carefully, ‘but there’s no evidence of any murders. Some of her charges did die but then infant mortality was high.’
    ‘She was convicted of one murder,’ says Dani. ‘Joshua Barnet, the child of a single mother, died in Jemima’s care. The mother, Anna Barnet, accused Jemima of murder and the court believed her.’
    ‘She couldn’t produce the body,’ said Frank. ‘That counted against her.’
    I bet it did, thinks Ruth. Aloud she says, ‘So this programme is going to be an exoneration of Jemima Green?’
    Dani and Frank exchange glances. ‘It’s not quite that simple,’ says Dani at last. Ruth finds the producer rather intimidating. She’s a small woman with close-croppedblack hair and precise bird-like movements, who gives the impression of knowing exactly what she’s doing. Phil is completely mesmerised.
    ‘Frank has his theories,’ Dani is saying, ‘but we’ve no evidence one way or another. The trouble is that the producers are wanting to make a very different sort of programme – this hook-handed monster, this evil woman. You know the sort of thing.’
    Phil, who has been saying this sort of thing ever since they found the bones, says, in a shocked voice, ‘God, I hate all that sensationalism.’
    ‘Me too, Phil,’ says Dani. Phil looks smug. ‘But we’ll have to put a bit in because that’s what this series is all about. What I hope is that Frank – and Ruth here – can balance it with some hard-headed fact.’
    ‘If there’s anything about the bones themselves,’ says Frank, looking at Ruth, ‘that gives us a more rounded view of Jemima, that would be a real boost.’
    Ruth notices that Frank, like so many other academics before him, is now on first-name terms with his subject. She also sees that Phil is dying to be included amongst the hard-headed experts.
    ‘Bones can tell us a certain amount,’ she says cautiously. ‘Age, health, diet, that sort of thing. Generally speaking, bones can’t always tell you how someone died but they can tell you how someone lived.’
    Phil looks rather irritated. ‘Bones can tell us a bit more than that, Ruth. Tell them about the case up in Lancashire.’
    ‘No,’ Dani interrupts him. ‘That’s just the sort of thing that we’d like to hear Ruth say on camera. There’s too much guesswork in documentaries these days.’
    ‘We could get a facial reconstruction,’ says Phil. ‘They’re always good. Pricey though, but if the TV company’s paying …’
    Dani grimaces slightly. ‘We haven’t got a massive budget, I’m afraid. Anyway, that’s the sort of thing I want to avoid. I’d rather hear a few sober facts from Ruth.’
    Ruth tries to look suitably sober. She can sense Phil’s frustration from across the table. He had been so sure that his particular brand of charm would be perfect for TV but it turns out that they’re looking for dull professionalism instead.
    ‘I’d love to have a look at the place where you found the bones,’ says Frank. ‘Is that possible?’
    ‘Yes,’ says Ruth. ‘I’ll take you, if you like. It’s about an hour’s drive away.’
    ‘We can go in my car if it’s easier,’ says Frank.
    ‘No thanks,’ says Ruth. ‘I’d rather get there in one piece.’
    *
    ‘Jesus, when