‘I understand that often your condition can be caused by experiencing a tragedy or witnessing a violent act?’ Laura said, hoping that might trigger something.
But Joyce just continued eating without taking the bait. Laura began to feel nauseous at the amount of food being consumed, albeit in delicate mouthfuls.
‘So let me get this straight,’ she said. ‘Abena Mensah left your brother around 2004 to 2006, when her son Rodney was seven years old. Is that correct?’
Joyce reached to her bedside to pick up a large bottle of Coke.
‘Mrs Miller, would you please answer my questions? I need to know exactly when Abena Mensah left your brother’s house.’
Joyce unscrewed the Coke bottle and took a long drink. The sweat was now rolling down her face.
‘I was told she did come back, and said she wanted to take Rodney.’
‘When was this?’
‘I can’t remember. I was ill. But that’s what I was told.’
‘By your brother?’
‘Yes.’
‘Was he with Karen when Abena returned?’
‘No, he was living on his own with Rodney. Then he bought a new house.’
Laura decided to change tack. ‘Did your brother love Rodney?’
‘Yes, of course he did.’
‘Did you love him?’
‘Yes, of course.’
‘Did Rodney like Karen?’
Joyce shook her head, and for the first time appeared caught off-guard. Laura decided to go for the jugular.
‘His own mother left him and his father then marries a very pretty young blonde woman and they move into a new house. How did he react to that development in his life?’
Joyce started to eat again, as if she hadn’t heard.
‘His two half-sisters, those adorable little girls, burnt alive...’ Laura said, in a desperate attempt to regain Joyce’s attention.
She stood and picked up the chair, putting it back against the wall.
‘You know what I think, Joyce? Something happened that was so awful, so hideous, that it’s made you hide in here. I believe it’s connected to your brother, and I think that’s why he pays to keep you in this state.’
Joyce drank from the Coke bottle again, then screwed the top back on.
‘Or it is connected to Rodney, who is going to be charged with three murders. You have an opportunity to tell me what drove that young man to kill three innocent girls, Joyce.’
She unscrewed the Coke bottle again and took two gulping mouthfuls.
‘Something happened at the house with Abena, didn’t it? Were you there? Did you witness what happened? Was Rodney with you? Why don’t you answer me?’
Joyce pursed her lips. ‘Leave me alone. Go away. I have nothing to tell you.’
‘Detective Jack Warr, who you met, spoke to two different psychiatrists, who both described Rodney as a lost soul. Perhaps at one time he was, but I think you know what turned the lost soul into an evil one. Now I will leave you in peace to finish your supper.’
Laura walked out as Joyce sat with tears streaming down her cheeks, still unable to face what she had buried in her bulk for years.
Laura stood in the hall, her hands clasped together in frustration. Anik saw her from the kitchen and closed his notebook. He thanked Harold for his time and walked out as Harold scurried behind him to open the front door. Laura hurried out and he followed her to the car.
‘You alright?’ he asked.
‘Not really. I tried every possible way to get her to tell me the truth, but I couldn’t make her talk. She knows something, though. I have a feeling her brother did something horrendous to Abena Mensah, or maybe Rodney did something to her, or he was a witness. I just found it so obnoxious watching her eating and refusing to answer.’
Anik opened the car door for her, then walked round to get into the driving seat.
‘So, how did you get on with Harold?’ Laura asked. ‘If you had seen what he had given her to eat... talk about being a — what’s the word they use to describe someone who is giving an alcoholic drink? An enabler. She’s eating herself to death with his help.’
Anik started the engine. ‘Her brother pays Harold to care for her, and the rest is claimed on benefits. Two carers split the washing and dressing chores, but not on Sundays, when he has to do it, and that includes changing her incontinence pads, which he hates doing, as you can imagine.’
‘Did he say anything useful about Rodney’s mother?’ Laura asked as they drove out of the car park and headed back to the station.
‘He couldn’t remember her name,’ Anik told her, ‘as he only met her a few times, but he said she was very pretty, but very young and naïve. She’d been a student, but her family, who weren’t living in the UK, ran out of money to fund her education, so she got a job in a café and that’s where she met Rodney’s father. He got her pregnant and moved her into his old house. But she wasn’t used to cooking or housework and by the time she had Rodney, she was basically unable to cope.’
‘Yeah, Joyce brought that up,’ Laura said.
‘Apparently the Middleton family hated her, said she was a freeloader. According to Harold, Joyce took on a lot of responsibility with the baby. He also said that back then Joyce was attractive and had a good job as a secretary. She and her brother were very close at this point.’
‘Yeah, I gathered that from Joyce, too.’
‘Harold basically said Rodney was dumped on them. He also said that Joyce later miscarried, almost at full term; they knew it was dead but she still had to go through a proper birth. Harold said Joyce was convinced the stress of having to look after Rodney was the cause.’
Laura looked thoughtful. ‘She never mentioned that. She told me she had to have a gastro band fitted and it went wrong, but must have been a considerable time later.’
‘Yes, apparently after the stillbirth she put on a lot of weight. He said after she had a band fitted, it was impossible for them to have Rodney anymore because it became infected, and she was bedridden.’
‘Seems you got along with Harold,’ Laura said. ‘He certainly told you most of what I got out of her.’
‘It took a lot of patience,’ Anik said. ‘But eventually I was able to steer him to when Abena went missing. He couldn’t remember the exact date, but he didn’t think she’d gone back to Ghana because he remembered a big row on the phone. He said Joyce was shouting at her brother because Abena never really left but had turned up again, wanting to take Rodney back to her family, as they had sent her money.’
‘Wow, this is good... go on.’
‘Harold got a bit anxious at this point. He reckoned Joyce’s brother would gladly have let Rodney go, because by this time he was in a relationship with Karen, and planned to marry her.’
Anik stopped at a traffic light.
Laura nudged him. ‘Don’t keep me in suspense, what else did he tell you?’
‘It was a bit sketchy, but he remembered Joyce going round to her brother’s. Afterwards she came back and told Harold that Rodney’s mother had gone back to Ghana. He thought it was strange because instead of going with her, Rodney remained with his father, even though he’d seemed eager to get rid of him.’
The lights changed and they drove on. Anik explained that Harold had become very anxious again and kept repeating that he didn’t want to get anyone in trouble. ‘He said that when Anthony married Karen they had moved into a new house. Karen didn’t like Rodney, but Joyce wouldn’t have him stay again, so he only saw him infrequently. After the still birth Joyce started to gain weight and was eventually bedridden. She was in a very depressed state and couldn’t attend the christenings of the two little girls, but they were always made welcome at their flat. Joyce adored them but Anthony always stayed in his car when he dropped them off and collected them. He then started paying Harold to look after her.’