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didn’t receive that information until a few days ago. My assistant is still going through it all.’ Sally put the stubby glass to her mouth, leaving a crimson imprint from her painted lips along the rim.
                  ‘But you know about the hospital letter?’
                  The lawyer nodded. ‘There’s an explanation for that.’
                  ‘ Really ?’ Dani laid her palms flat on the table. ‘I’d love to hear it.’
                  Sally took a healthy swig. ‘Eric says that he and Peggy had an argument a few months before his wife’s death. According to him, it started out as nothing serious. Peggy was accusing Eric of not doing enough to help out with the twins. She said he was always eager to take Callum to the footie or the cinema but it was the little girls that really required the hard work. Peggy became upset and tearful. In the heat of the moment, she said that he shouldn’t bother in future because the twins weren’t even his.’
                  ‘Why would she say that?’
                  ‘Eric doesn’t really know which is why it continued to prey on his mind. As soon as the words were out Peggy retracted them, claiming she’d only said it to get back at him. But Eric found himself thinking about it all the time. Eventually, he persuaded Peggy to allow him and the girls to take a paternity test.’
                  ‘And the results showed that the twins were his,’ Dani chipped in.
                  ‘Yes. Eric said that was the end of it.’
                  Bevan leant forward. ‘But it hardly indicates that the Fishers had the happiest of marriages, does it?’
                  Sally sighed. ‘No. Although Eric insists that they didn’t argue often, this disagreement was unusual.’
                  ‘Neither of us has children, but I still don’t reckon that’s the kind of thing you’d normally say in the heat of an argument, do you?’ Dani finished off her wine.
                  ‘I’m not sure. Perhaps if Peggy was exhausted looking after the twins and particularly frustrated with her husband, she might want to say something that was intended to really wound him.’
                  ‘But once the words were out, Eric began to brood on them. They could have been circling around in his head for months before he persuaded Peggy to agree to the paternity test. During that time he’d been suspecting his wife of all sorts. This could be the psychological trigger for the murders that the prosecution have been looking for.’
                  Sally nodded dejectedly. ‘Yes, it could well be.’
                  Dani’s expression softened. ‘But three months before the killing of his wife and children, Eric Fisher did discover that the twins were actually his. The man’s fears were put to rest. The whole episode says more about Peggy than it does about her husband.’ 
                  ‘How do you mean?’
                  Bevan shuffled forward. ‘I’ve been reading through the files very carefully. What has struck me is how little information there is about Peggy. My suspicion is that she was the primary victim in this attack. In the course of a typical murder investigation, her life would be examined inside and out. I’m not convinced that City and Borders have done that thoroughly enough. If I were you, that’s where I’d focus my attentions.’
                  Sally narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, before lifting the tumbler to toast her companion. ‘Thanks for the advice. I’ll be sure to do that.’
     

Chapter 6
     
     
     
    L ouise Keene collapsed into an armchair in the front room of her parents’ home in Falkirk. She’d just opened the patio doors and allowed her two young sons to race out into the garden to find the