Free Saturday Requiem by Nicci French Page A

position with his forefinger. ‘What do you want?’ he asked Frieda.
    ‘Her doctor and her therapist have no doubt that Hannah is of unsound mind. But Andrew and I …’
    ‘Andrew?’
    ‘Professor Berryman.’
    ‘Whoever he may be,’ said Keegan. ‘And I’m not going to ask what he was doing at Chelsworth Hospital with you.’
    ‘We believe that her disordered state and her psychotic episodes are probably a result of profound psychological disturbance and prolonged bouts of solitary confinement, not to mention repeated sedation. Anyone would be mad. It only takes days, hours even, before people show the effects of solitary confinement. There have been numerous studies that demonstrate –’
    Keegan sat on the edge of the table next to Levin. ‘We don’t need this,’ he said. ‘We’ve got enough on our plate without trying to …’ He stopped and frowned. ‘To what?’ he continued, addressing his words to Frieda now. ‘I don’t even know what you want. You’re saying that the case was improperly conducted. Well, thank you, but we know that already and it’s why you were asked to assess her mental condition in the first place. You were meant to tick a box, not open bloody Pandora’s. And then you’re saying she’s been sent mad by being locked up alone and heavily drugged. I’m sorry about that, of course, but it’s way outside our remit.’ He glared at Frieda. ‘Don’t look at me like that. I’m not here to solve the problems of the world. I’m trying to do a difficult job as well as I can. Whatever the reason, she’s mad now. So what do you want?’
    He stopped as though out of breath. Levin picked up his mug once more and peered into it with an air of interest. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘What do you want?’
    ‘I just had this thought,’ said Frieda. ‘If the case is unsafe, and if Hannah Docherty was not of unsound mind, just deeply troubled, at the time, as so many teenagers are troubled, then we should start with a basic principle and see where that leads us.’
    ‘What basic principle would that be?’ Levin sounded genuinely interested.
    ‘The presumption of innocence.’
    Silence filled the room. Levin had taken off his glasses once more. Keegan stared at him. ‘Tell her,’ he said. ‘Tell her it’s out of the question.’
    ‘Why is it?’ asked Frieda.
    ‘Because Hannah Docherty murdered her entire family and some arsehole copper screwing up the investigation doesn’t alter that. You saw the files. She killed them and now she’s in a hospital and she’ll be there for the rest of her life because she’s mad and she’s a danger to herself and others. And anyway …’ His voice rose in volume. ‘It’s not the point. The point is that we’re looking into a senior police officer, Detective Chief Inspector Ben Sedge. It’s a pile of shit and we’re wading through it. That’s our job. That’s what we’re being paid for. Hannah Docherty is just the small print.’
    ‘A means to an end.’
    ‘What’s wrong with that?’
    ‘Everything is wrong with that.’
    ‘Walter.’ Keegan turned to Levin. ‘Tell her.’
    ‘What shall I tell her?’
    ‘Don’t do this. Please don’t do this.’
    ‘It’s OK, Jock.’
    ‘It’s not. Maybe you don’t want to deal with the small, shitty, boring stuff. That’s what I do. Hannah Docherty is a distraction.’
    ‘It wouldn’t be you. It wouldn’t be us. It would be her.’
    ‘Her.’
    ‘Me,’ said Frieda. ‘Just me. And there’s something else.’
    ‘What?’
    ‘If I’m going to talk to people, go to places, it may be a bit of a problem being just a psychotherapist.’
    ‘That sounds right,’ said Keegan.
    ‘So what can we do about it?’ asked Levin.
    ‘It would be useful if someone could come with me. A policeman.’
    ‘Did you have anyone in mind?’ He gave a faint smile. ‘Like Jock here?’
    ‘There’s somebody I’d like to try. But would they be allowed to do it?’
    ‘Check them out and I’ll get