claims to have covered the entire distance on foot. We did all we could within our resources.' He turned to the jury. 'Obviously once Craven had confessed and his DNA was confirmed at the scene, our efforts were better spent elsewhere.'
The power of a taped confession was such, Jenny soon realized, that only the most cynical and experienced of lawyers could resist its allure. As the film played on an old- fashioned television monitor, Jenny observed the jurors frown and shake their heads as Craven told his story about going to visit Eva to help her with her good works, and claimed that she had touched him, saying, 'Fuck me for the devil.' She studied their faces as Goodison teased out his final admission: 'And that's when I picked up a knife from the counter and stuck it in her, right there, in the chest.'
They shuddered, appalled at the casualness of his delivery. His obvious lies and vagueness Over detail only confirmed the impression of guilt. He was the perfect embodiment of the inexplicable face of evil.
'Did you collect the doormat before or after this interview?' Jenny asked Goodison when the film was over.
'We already had it bagged up. It was sent for analysis after Craven said he had urinated on it.'
She cut to the chase. 'I appreciate you had a confession from a man a psychiatrist deemed sane enough to be telling the truth, but once he had said those words, did you consider any other possible explanation for Miss Donaldson's death?'
'No, ma'am,' Goodison answered. 'There was no need.'
'Did you ever doubt the reliability of his confession?'
Goodison considered his answer carefully. 'He clearly wasn't as sane as you or I, but this was a man who had killed before, and once we had his DNA on the doormat there was no question.'
Jenny gestured to Alison and handed her a copy of the list of people Goodison's team had spoken to at the Mission Church of God. Alison passed it to Goodison, who pulled a pair of designer reading glasses from his breast pocket and took his time fully digesting it.
'One of your officers recorded the names of people your team spoke to informally. I presume these conversations happened on Monday, 10 and Tuesday, 11 May before Craven presented himself at the police station.'
'I would presume so,' Goodison said.
'Do any records of these conversations exist?'
'It's unlikely unless anything of interest was said, in which case we would have taken a statement.'
'Did any suspects emerge?'
'No,' Goodison said confidently.
You liar, Jenny thought to herself, but let nothing show on her face. 'Who compiled this list?'
'That would have been Detective Constable Stokes,' Goodison replied. 'He was coordinating the inquiry team.'
Jenny turned to Alison. 'Ask DC Stokes to come to court this afternoon.'
Goodison glanced at Fraser Knight, who remained inscrutable, his only gesture a slight, disinterested raising of his chin. Jenny knew it would be no use her pressing the point any further with this detective. He would bluff and obfuscate all morning.
She changed the subject. 'The time code on the interview tape says you commenced at four thirty-five p.m. According to the duty sergeant's log, Craven presented himself at the police station at two minutes past midday. Did you or your officers have any informal conversations with him during the intervening four hours?'
'Only a brief one,' Goodison said. 'He wanted to talk straight away. I asked him to keep it for the interview. It took four hours for his solicitor to arrive.'
Jenny made a note to check what Craven had to say on the subject.
'One last point: Craven said he picked up the knife from the kitchen counter. Did you check the cutlery drawers to see if there was a seven-inch carving knife missing? Was there an incomplete set, perhaps?'
Goodison said, 'You know as well as I do, ma'am, without concrete proof that a knife was missing, evidence that one may have been missing wouldn't have been let anywhere near a criminal court.'
'Was there or wasn't there a knife missing? You must have a view.'
Out of the corner of her eye, Jenny saw Fraser Knight give the tiniest shake of his head.
Goodison said, 'No, ma'am. I don't.'
Fraser Knight offered no cross-examination of his man, calculating that while Jenny might have revealed her suspicions, the jury needed no reminding of them. Sullivan preferred the head-on approach, and set to with the energy of a boxer stepping up to the mark.
'I think what's being suggested to you, albeit in code, Inspector, is that you had