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positioned above the fireplace and the framed religious tapestries adorning the walls of the cottage, Amos had
assumed the ex-housekeeper was a practising Christian and he added, ‘I think I’m right in saying that the sixth commandment declares, “Thou shalt not commit murder”.’
    â€˜The seventh says “Thou shalt not commit adultery”,’ Jemima retorted, ‘but she paid no heed to that one, so don’t quote commandments to me when you’re talking about Kerensa Tonks, young man. I’ve spent my whole life living by them, but I doubt whether she had even heard of them.’
    â€˜Then we should feel sorry for her, Jemima, but my job is to uphold the law here in Cornwall and the most serious crime that can be committed against that law coincides with one of the Commandments. Whatever Kerensa Morgan had done, she is the victim of a very serious and particularly violent murder and it’s my duty to bring whoever did it to justice. It is your duty, both as a law-abiding citizen and a Christian, to give me all the help you can, so I’ll ask you once more. What did you mean when you said baby Albert Morgan might be able to live a better life than the one he had with his rightful parents?’
    For some moments Jemima Rowe remained silent and Amos thought his pleas had fallen upon deaf ears, but suddenly her shoulders sagged and she said resignedly, ‘You’re right, of course, I’m being unchristian. I’ve never liked the girl, but no one deserves to die the way she did and the baby might have brought some real happiness into her life – there was little enough of it there before he was born.’
    â€˜Wasn’t she happy with her husband?’
    â€˜Him? Horace Morgan gave her his name and a respectability she hadn’t known before, but little more than that. He wasn’t a generous man in any way. He was as tight with his money as he is with praise for anyone who does anything for him.’
    â€˜Yet he gave her baby Albert.’

    It was a policeman’s baited statement, and Jemima responded as Amos had hoped.
    â€˜As long as Horace Morgan believes that it’s not for anyone else to say otherwise, whatever they may think.’
    â€˜Is there any other man you can think of who might have been the father?’
    Jemima gave an unladylike snort of derision. ‘I’m trying to be charitable towards the girl’s memory but there are limits! Had Horace Morgan not come along when he did a great many men would have been quaking in their boots for fear she’d name them as the baby’s father.’
    It hardly narrowed down the list of possible suspects for Kerensa Morgan’s murder and Amos returned to his earlier line of questioning. ‘Explain what you meant when you spoke about the possibility of the baby being better off now … if he’s still alive.’
    Jemima looked uncomfortable, ‘I was referring to something that happened years ago … just gossip, no more.’
    â€˜I’d still like you to tell me about it.’
    â€˜All right, but it happened some years ago and couldn’t possibly have anything to do with the disappearance of Albert Morgan.’
    â€˜Let me be the judge of that,’ Amos persisted.
    â€˜Well, as I said, it was no more than a rumour concerning simple Annie Dawe, daughter of Harold Dawe who farms at Bowland, out on the moor. She wasn’t seen for a long time and word went around she’d got herself in trouble – by her own father some said. Then the Dawes were snowed in for weeks during the bad winter we had some years ago and when folks were able to get about again Annie told old Bessie Harris, the midwife at North Hill, that she’d had the baby and her father
had paid one of the gypsies camped out at Sharptor to take it away and give it to someone he knew who desperately wanted a child.’
    Amos frowned, ‘You’re not suggesting