by Liz Lawler
She slipped her hand in to feel by the side of it and then shifted her fingers to the back of it and felt her hope rise as she touched something smooth and hard. She took hold of it but all she pulled out from the hiding place was a small toy car. She was about to put it back when she shot her hand forward to stop what was happening, but it was already too late. The pale beige folder toppled to the floor and opened with its contents sliding out.
Working furiously she gathered the scattered papers and put them on the desk so she could put them tidily back into the folder. Her hands stopped as she saw a black-and-white photograph of the house. The photo looked old but the house looked just the same. She turned it over to see if there was any writing on the back but found nothing. She placed it to the side with some papers that looked like certificates and land registry maps and picked up a yellowing folded newspaper clipping. She should really just get the contents back in the folder and back on the shelf. It was going to be tricky already to restore it exactly as it was without being caught red-handed.
Her hands nonetheless unfolded it and the headline almost had her fingers ripping through the paper in shock as she saw the words: DOCTOR ACCUSED OF KILLING WIFE AND LEAVING CHILD FOR DEAD FOUND GUILTY.
She sank down on his chair. Her mouth went dry and she was overcome with a sense of foreboding for what she was about to read, sure this headline, this story, had something to do with her husband.
The secret life of one of Bath’s best-known doctors, an Oxford graduate and renowned heart specialist, was laid bare at Bristol Crown Court yesterday as David Simmonds was found guilty of the murder of his wife, Rachel Simmonds, and for the attempted murder of his three-year-old son, Daniel. In a trial that lasted just three weeks, all 12 jurors reached a unanimous guilty verdict. Simmonds, aged 40, showed no remorse upon hearing the verdict.
In a case which has shocked colleagues and patients, Simmonds was accused of bludgeoning his wife to death and leaving his three-year-old son, Daniel, for dead. The boy, who was initially thought dead at the scene, was covered in blood. Paramedic Scott Kelly told the jury that when he found Daniel Simmonds he thought the child was covered in his own blood. On closer examination he discovered the blood was in fact from the dead woman, Rachel Simmonds, and that the child was mercifully sleeping as he lay huddled beside the body of his mother. Daniel Simmonds was taken to the children’s hospital in Bristol where he spent three days before being placed in the care of social services.
The body of Rachel Simmonds, 28, was discovered in her home in her bedroom by the couple’s housekeeper, Ellen Bowden. It is thought the body lay there for three days before the gruesome discovery on September 12.
A bloodied meat mallet was found wrapped in a surgical glove in the boot of Simmonds’s car. Simmonds told police he had used it to put a cat out of its misery after knocking one down in the road. Examination of the mallet found considerable microscopic characteristics of human blood. Two hairs collected from the metal teeth of the mallet were analysed and confirmed to be human hair. More damning was the discovery of rows of pyramid-shaped indents found on the victim’s skin during the post-mortem.
In his closing speech, prosecutor Robert Whitwell said: ‘The Crown’s position is that he bludgeoned to death his wife, Rachel Simmonds, and attempted to murder his three-year-old son, Daniel, with a significant blow to the boy’s head which caused a fractured skull. He then left the scene of the crime believing that life was extinct for both his victims. We have heard that Daniel Simmonds, the child, lay huddled beside the body of his dead mother for three days. Simmonds carried on about his life as normal for three days until the discovery of his wife’s body by their housekeeper Ellen Bowden on September 12. For three days his child lay in a pool of blood and not once during that time did Simmonds raise the alarm. In a statement to the police he stated he had not stepped foot inside his home during that time as he found it painful to be at the family home because he believed his wife had taken their child to be with her lover. Simmonds cannot account for where he was during that time. If it is the case that he was in fact in the family home during that time we can only wonder if he heard anything. Did he hear his child cry, hear him still alive and choose to ignore it?’
Tess was shivering all over by the time she read the last word. There was no first wife. The date at the top of the paper put Daniel at only three when this happened. The old lady had got it wrong. She’d been talking about Daniel’s mother. His father’s wife. This story was about his father. The three-year-old boy named Daniel Simmonds was their son. The parents she went to see were not his birth parents, her impression of them being childless was more true than she knew. This house had been Daniel’s first home. This is where he had lived with his mother until she was murdered. It was her scent that haunted him. She was the woman he spoke so vilely about. Hers the book found under that mattress. Mrs Bowden was Ellen Bowden, and the poor woman had found her.
Holding her hand to her mouth Tess managed to get up from the chair and rush to the kitchen sink to spew out brown fluid from a stomach that had only tea inside it all day. She scooped a handful of water to rinse out her mouth and then sank to the floor a shivering wreck.
Her husband’s father was a murderer, his blood running through the veins of the man she married. Why had he brought her to this house? Why had he ever come back to it? Was it any wonder he changed almost the day he stepped inside. He had known what had taken place inside these walls, known what happened to him. What could have possibly motivated him to come back to the home where his mother was murdered and then to sleep in her bed? Had he thought he could handle it only to find himself tormented by the memory of a scent? Or had he gone mad because he had real memories of what happened here? The newspaper said he lay beside the body of his mother for three days – was he awake for any of that time?
Tess didn’t know how to respond to what she had learned. What happened to him had shaped him. There was no doubting it. She would hold that small boy in her arms if she could and make what happened go away. Stuart Myers said he went into a big bed when he was three. Three. Her throat closed over and the lower part of her face ached. Why hadn’t he told her? She drew up her knees and folded her arms around them. If he had only told her. She closed her eyes and tucked her head down.
Before he made her afraid. She breathed raggedly, trying to work out what it was she now felt about him. Saddened, depressed, joyless, heartsick, heartache. Heartbroken.
And then it struck her with how else she felt and she cried out sharply. Paralysed. He’d paralysed her joy, gaiety, spontaneity, dreams, happiness. All the good feelings that made you want to stay with someone forever.
Why hadn’t he told her before it was too late? Making it impossible for them to have a future. She could never now stay. This house had broken them. She was not strong enough to live in a marriage without love. In a house that wasn’t a home. He had made it impossible when he made her afraid.
Chapter Forty-Six
At six o’clock her husband still wasn’t home. She’d rung the hospital on the off chance and was told by the operator Mr Myers wasn’t there. She went back to his study and picked up his address book and took it into the hallway. Her husband was thorough – he would have made a hard copy of his contacts in the old-fashioned way. Under P she saw Porter. Mark was the natural choice to try first. Her husband had been missing all day and Tess’s biggest fear was that he was either dead at the hands of a stranger who had obviously been watching them or he killed this person and was now on his way home to deal with her.
She gathered herself and when she was ready she dialled the number. It was Vivien who answered on the third ring.
‘Vivien, has Mark heard from Daniel today?’
Vivien sounded surprised. ‘I don’t know, Tess. Hang on and I’ll ask him.’ A moment later she came back on the phone. ‘No, Tess, he actually rang him earlier seeing as he didn’t get to talk to him yesterday. He left him a message but he’s heard nothing back.’<
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‘Oh God, Vivien, I’m now starting to worry. He’s been gone all day and I haven’t heard from him at all. I just hope nothing’s happened.’
‘Hey, calm down. Tell me what’s going on.’
‘When I got up this morning his golf clubs were out ready. I thought at first he must be playing golf again today and had popped out for a newspaper or to the shop for something, but they’re still there. I’ve wasted a whole day waiting for him to come home and now I’m not even sure what time he went out. I’ve phoned and left messages but he’s not returning my calls. I called the hospital to see if he was there, but he isn’t. I don’t know where he is.’
‘Hey, calm down, calm down. Have you tried Ed?’
‘No, I was going to do that next.’
‘OK, well, do that now, and ring us back and let us know.’
‘Vivien, do you think…? You don’t think…?’
‘Stop it, Tess,’ Vivien said sharply. ‘There’ll be a good reason he’s not calling back. It’s only just gone six, for heaven’s sake. He’s probably in a pub somewhere.’
Tess heaved a sigh. ‘You’re right. I’m being silly. You’re right. I’ll call Ed now. He might know.’
Tess disconnected the call and heaved a genuine sigh of alarm. With trembling fingers she dialled Ed’s number. Anne answered in a warm voice.
‘Anne Ferris speaking.’
‘Anne, it’s Tess.’
‘Tess! Hello.’
‘Hello, Anne, I’m sorry to bother you, but is Ed at home?’
‘Well, yes. He’s out at his pond. Do you want to speak to him?’
‘I um… well, maybe. Or maybe you could just ask him if he’s seen or spoken with Daniel today.’
‘Daniel?’ Her voice turned concerned as she picked up on the worry in Tess’s voice. ‘Let me fetch him, Tess. Hold on.’
A minute passed before Ed came on the phone. ‘Tess, how can I help?’
Tears glazed Tess’s eyes. Ed was such a kind man. ‘Have you heard from Daniel, Ed?’
‘I haven’t, my dear,’ he replied quickly.
‘Do you know if he had any plans to play golf again today?’
‘I’m afraid I don’t. Look, it’s not a bother – would you like us to pop over?’
Tess inhaled a shaky breath. ‘No, that won’t be necessary, Ed. He probably just needs a bit of time on his own. It’s been a bit of a strain for him…’
‘Yes, Tess, I imagine it has. Look, I’ll ring round too. Call a few of our colleagues. He may be at the hospital.’
‘I’ve tried there.’
‘Well, I can try again. He’s not rostered to be on call this weekend so if it’s only switchboard you called they’ll automatically tell you he’s not there.’
Tess let out a sigh. ‘Thank you, Ed. I didn’t think of that.’
‘OK, dear girl, I’ll be in touch as soon as I hear anything. Go and make yourself a cup of tea and try not to worry. Daniel will be home before you know it.’
Tess did as she was told and made herself some tea. The house was in complete silence. She was keeping noise down to a minimum so that she would not miss hearing the call to say her husband had been found. If she didn’t hear from anyone by midnight she would call the police and report her husband missing.
She shivered with trepidation. She must carry on playing the part of his wife until she knew one way or another where he was or if anything had happened to him. She had to press on and get rid of those postcards. If her husband had been killed she could be accused of being an accomplice.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Since six o’clock she received two more calls from Ed and three from Vivien, both asking the same question. Had she heard from him? At ten o’clock Ed sounded more concerned, but pointed out the pubs were still open. He’d checked with colleagues at the hospital and there had been no sign of Daniel. Off his own back and because of his position he’d contacted A & E in both Bath and Bristol and enquired if they’d had any admissions fitting Daniel’s description. He’d assured her they hadn’t so she could put from her mind any fear of an accident.
At one minute past eleven Tess used the landline to call the police. A caring female voice identified herself as Teresa. Tess continued the lie as she talked her through the timeline since last seeing her husband, which she said was yesterday when he went off to play golf. She assumed he must have come home last night as his golf clubs were in the hallway this morning. She heard the tapping of a keyboard as Teresa took down the details.
‘And you’ve not seen or heard from him all day?’ Teresa asked.
‘No one has,’ Tess replied in a tremulous voice. ‘I’ve tried everyone, and they’ve tried others.’
‘Tess? Can I call you Tess? Or would you prefer Mrs Myers?’
‘No, Tess, please.’
‘OK, Tess, I need to ask you some simple straightforward questions. Is that OK?’
‘Of course.’
‘Is it normal for you not to hear from your husband?’
‘No.’
‘Would you say this is out of character?’
‘Yes.’
‘Has he ever disappeared for a few hours or days before without letting anyone know where he is?’
Tess hesitated. ‘Well, once, but that was work-related.’
‘Does he have any medical conditions we should be aware of?’
‘No.’
‘Any history of depression or other mental health illnesses?’
‘No.’
‘Any alcohol or drug dependencies we should be aware of?’
‘No.’
‘Thank you, Tess. We just need to know these facts to establish his state of mind and health. Can I now ask you if anything recently has upset him? Anything that may have caused him to take off without an explanation?’
Tess went silent and Teresa prompted her. ‘Tess, if we have all the facts we can establish the level of concern for him being missing. I’m—’
‘He’s in trouble at work,’ she said in a rush.
‘OK, can you expand on that?’
‘He’s um… he’s a surgeon. Look, I don’t know if I can talk about this as it’s confidential. I don’t want to cause him a problem.’
‘Tess, it would help if we know why he may be missing.’
‘A patient died and my husband is being held accountable.’
Tess heard Teresa inhale a little louder. It was probably rare for the call handler to hear something like this as the reason for someone going missing. ‘OK, Tess, what’s going to happen now is an officer will attend your home. If you can find a photograph of your husband to have ready to give to the officer, that would be helpful. I’m just going to repeat back to you the details of your husband and then that should do for now. Is that OK?’
‘Yes.’
A few minutes later Tess was alone with just the silence of the house. The call had set the wheels in motion to find her missing husband. There was no turning back now. She could only go forward until either her husband was located alive or his body was found. They would need a photograph to find him and then to identify him. In the sitting room she took the silver photo frame off the wall. It was the only one she’d had framed of them on their wedding day. They were smiling and clearly in love. They looked like a couple who had everything to live for.
Tess lay on her side of the bed, alert so that she would hear the smallest sound outside the room. She had left the door wide open so she would hear any phone calls from the landline or any knocking at the front door. She had been lying there since the departure of the two uniformed officers who’d arrived shortly before midnight, and who insisted on searching the house and garden. The female officer was a similar age to Tess and couldn’t hide her surprise at the grandeur of the place, probably assuming – rightly so – that the wealth was her husband’s.
Tomorrow, if it had not already happened, they would find him. They were searching for him right now. It would only be a matter of time before they c
ontacted her.
Chapter Forty-Eight
On Monday morning when the doorbell rang Tess opened the front door with red-rimmed eyes and stared at the two returning police officers on the doorstep.
The female officer quickly spoke first. ‘We have no news on your husband’s whereabouts, Mrs Myers, but we do need to come in and talk with you.’
Tess let them into the hallway and shut the front door, where she then let out a shuddering breath. ‘So he’s not dead.’
The male officer who looked more in charge, only because of being older, gave an odd shake of his head. ‘Your husband’s car was found around five o’clock this morning by a local farmer with the keys still in the ignition.’
‘So he might have broken down. Or run out of petrol,’ she suggested.
‘Mrs Myers, we are extremely concerned for his wellbeing. The location of your husband’s car was found close to a railway track.’ His eyes turned meaningful. ‘Given where it was found, a place not easy to get to, we think it unlikely he got there by accident. Given also the circumstances you reported to the police it’s possible your husband chose to go there.’
Her legs turned to jelly and she held onto the door. ‘So if he’s there why haven’t you found him?’
Her question caused his expression to change slightly. He looked a little uneasy. ‘It’s not always as straightforward as that on a railway track, I’m sorry to say. Trains are powerful things. At present British Transport Police are searching that line and location. We will be speaking to friends and family, checking with known associates for anything that might assist in tracing his whereabouts. His photograph has been widely circulated and the police are on the alert for any sightings of him. We will be doing everything we can to find him as quickly as possible, but in the meantime can you think of anywhere he might be, anyone he might have gone to? Do you have a second vehicle he may be using or a second home he may have gone to?’