an innocent accident. That she’d banged her head and knocked herself out.
‘What did you notice about the blood? Can you tell me where it was?’
‘Do I have to?’ Maybe it was time to stop. They said he was allowed to stop whenever he wanted.
‘You don’t have to. I’m just hoping to find out anything useful.’
‘Useful to find out who did it?’
‘If we can.’
‘The blood seemed to be everywhere. On her clothes. On her hands. Soaked into the carpet tiles. That’s when I noticed the cut and called the police.’
‘Did you touch your wife or move anything in the surrounding area?’
Keisha the non-dancing girl put a hand to her mouth, echoing his own response. ‘They cut her?’
The whole room turned to her and it was a blessed relief to have the attention momentarily away from him.
He held himself then, as if smoothing the skin on his arms would somehow heal the hurt and bring Nancy back. Was it on her arm that she’d been cut? Or was it somewhere else? The image fuzzed in and out of his head like a picture that needed tuning.
‘Can you remain quiet as discussed or you’ll have to leave.’ PC Doyle was quick to scold.
‘Yes,’ Clive said before Keisha was told off further. ‘Nancy had been cut. I knew it was a crime scene so I walked away and called 999.’ Clive was talking to the police officer, but didn’t take his eyes off Keisha. Her hand hadn’t left her mouth. It was easier to observe this woman’s reaction than to cast his mind back to the moment he was describing.
‘Nothing was moved then?’
‘No. I knew she…’ Clive took a deep breath. ‘I knew my Nancy was gone. There was nothing I could do for her.’
‘If you don’t mind me asking, what made you realise there was nothing you could do for her?’
‘She was white. It’s the closest shade to death I’ve ever seen. And there was one other thing. She was curled up, kind of in a foetal position. Like someone had been trying to hide her. She wouldn’t have fallen in that position, someone must have put her like that.’
‘Right.’ PC Doyle made more notes.
‘Is this helpful? Is this going to help you find whoever did it?’ Clive wanted to be sure some good was going to come of this.
‘I have one more question, Mr Ellington. Can you think of any reason why Nancy’s body wasn’t there as you’ve described? Why we haven’t found her?’
As soon as PC Doyle said it, Clive knew it was true, and yet he had no explanation at all.
Fragments. All his memories were fragments.
11
Keisha
Dr Hutchins calls us aside before we leave the ward.
‘We are pretty certain what Clive is telling us isn’t a true recollection of what happened. When he was brought into hospital it was because he’d collapsed near his allotment. None of the account about his wife is true because he doesn’t actually have one. Of course, the police are investigating, ensuring there is no truth to any of it, but nothing is pointing towards any kind of break-in at his house or any mishap elsewhere. We’re putting a lot of it down to delirium as a result of a water infection, which isn’t uncommon in a patient his age and we’re busy locating some of his old notes that have gone AWOL. Despite all of that, he’s still a perfect candidate for the study. We just wanted you to be aware that whatever horror movie played in Clive’s head, it’s not a factual account of what happened. Hence why any police investigations might not be as urgent as Clive might think they should be.’
Lucy and I nod away our concerns. It’s confusing to think what we’ve heard isn’t true, but I’m also filled with relief knowing the story isn’t anywhere near as bad as we briefly thought.
‘What do we do in terms of taking his information? I need to ask what the cause of him becoming unwell was. If he knows why he thinks his heart broke. Is it okay for me to bring it up?’
‘That’s why it’s a bit complicated. As far as he’s concerned, that’s the cause of him being here. In his mind, losing his wife was the reason he developed broken heart syndrome. To all intents and purposes it was, even if he only dreamed it up. Even though we know it’s imagined and we can clarify that fact, take his account of what happened as gospel. Note it down as