His face changes, there’s a pause and he’s writing again, faster now. ‘And you’re absolutely certain about that?’
A pause.
‘OK, I see. Can you email me copies of everything you have? Brilliant, thanks for your help.’
He puts the phone down, takes a long breath and looks up at me.
‘Noah Seidler was born at 3.45 a.m. on 14th September 1997. He was seven weeks premature, with severe breathing problems, and was transferred immediately to the neonatal ICU, where he was put on a ventilator.’
I think I know where this is going and I don’t like it –
‘He stayed there several weeks, and the records show him making good progress and being transferred to a general paediatric ward on December 20th. Then suddenly, out of the blue, the following day, he had a bad relapse – had some sort of seizure and stopped breathing –’ Baxter swallows. ‘He died at 2.30 that morning. It all happened so fast the parents were still on their way.’
Gis has gone pale; he’s had a premature baby. So have I.
‘Shit,’ Gis says under his breath. ‘Those poor bastards.’
‘What do we know about the parents?’
Baxter glances down at his notes. ‘David and Renee Seidler. Address in Edgbaston at the time, though they’re both Americans. He’s in the hospital records as “Professor” and she’s “Doctor” so one or both could have been academics teaching over here. If so, we should be able to find them easily enough.’
There’s a long silence. Everyone’s moving the jigsaw pieces about – trying to work out what the picture looks like now.
It’s Quinn who speaks first.
‘So the Seidlers took Camilla’s baby?’
Ev glances across. ‘Or bought it,’ she says darkly.
But Thomas Hansen is shaking his head. ‘It still doesn’t make sense – if Camilla gave them the baby, with or without money changing hands, why didn’t she say so, right up front, when South Mercia first questioned her? Why come up with that ludicrous story about “Tim Baker”?’
Ev nods. ‘You’re right. Even if it was a dodgy adoption, it would have been way better to admit to that than being sent down for murder.’
‘Perhaps the Seidlers stole it,’ says Quinn. ‘The woman saw the kid in a cot – she was grieving, maybe suffering from post-natal depression –’
‘Still doesn’t make sense,’ interrupts Baxter, folding his arms. ‘If the kid was snatched, why didn’t Rowan report it there and then?’
‘Maybe she was glad to be rid of it? Maybe she was planning to have it adopted anyway so thought – fuck it, this is a lot less hassle?’
They’re talking about a baby like it’s a second-hand bike. But it’s not because they’re insensitive, it’s because they’re following the logic of the case. If that’s how Camilla Rowan behaved, if that’s how she thinks, then that’s how they have to think. Even if it does ice my heart.
‘Yeah, OK,’ says Baxter, ‘I can see her reacting like that
Quinn shrugs. ‘Perhaps she thought people wouldn’t believe her?’
Baxter scoffs. ‘Yeah, right, and all that crap about Tim Baker was such an obviously better option?’
‘One thing we do know,’ I say quietly, ‘is that the more we find out about Camilla’s lies, the more truth there is in them. Perhaps there’s some link between the Seidlers and Tin Boekker.’
Baxter looks sceptical. ‘Boekker never said anything. And he struck me as being pretty on the level.’
‘Me too. But maybe even he doesn’t know the whole picture. Maybe he introduced Camilla to the Seidlers?’
Quinn frowns. ‘He was a South African kid on a gap year working in a pub in Stroud, they were Yank academics living in a posh bit of Birmingham – sounds pretty damn unlikely to me.’
‘I agree, but let’s just make sure, shall we?’
Ev nods. ‘I can email Boekker – ask him if the name rings any bells.’
‘Good, and let’s get on to the US embassy too – find out what we can about the Seidlers. But we need to be diplomatic about it, please – and I make absolutely no apology for the pun. Whether it was a kidnapping or an illegal adoption, the Seidlers were quite possibly party to a crime, which means we could be looking at an extradition request at some point, so let’s not piss the authorities off gratuitously.’
‘It’s OK, boss,’ says Gis. ‘I’ll pick that one up myself.’
* * *
CG: Ms Castellano, this is DS Chris Gislingham of Thames Valley Police.
JC: Nice to talk to you, detective, how are you today?
CG: I’m very well, thank you. And thanks for making time to talk to me, especially at the weekend.
JC: No problem, always happy to help.
CG: I believe you’ve received a copy of my email concerning Noah Seidler?