The mountain of paper was increasing as each minute passed. The four officers had spent these last two days from dawn until dusk poring over documents, delivery records, clinic observations and letters, discovering all kinds of things about childbirth that they simply did not wish to know.

Fuelled with tea, biscuits, sandwiches and help that had been willingly offered, the officers believed that they had discounted all of the Maggie's and Margaret's and set aside the Amy's – albeit that there were only four of them – for consideration when they would sit again with Sister Julienne that afternoon to discuss the cases.

There was a knock on the door and Trixie stood. Peter smiled up at her and she took it as her signal that they could be interrupted.

"I'm sorry to disturb you but I was wondering if you could let me know where Angela Roberts has been moved to?" she asked, standing at the side of the table which was laden with scribbled notes.

"I am afraid I can't Nurse Franklin" Peter replied, being formal as he had to. "We don't know ourselves". It was truthful answer as he didn't and the other three parties around the table agreed.

"Could you find out for me?" she asked, wishing with a sneaking hope that he might try to find out as a favour.

"I'm sorry, Nurse", he replied. "We aren't likely to be allowed to divulge that information without her express consent". Peter saw Trixie purse her lips and he was waiting for the retort. It never came.

Trixie's interest in Angela Roberts agitated him slightly though. The whole Roberts household had agitated him somewhat too.

He knew that other officers had been at her new lodgings yesterday, although he genuinely did not know where they were, and she had professed her shock at the find, but it still hung in his mind that she or her husband, or even the older children, had not noticed the appalling smell. The drains could be bad, but not that bad.

He saw the nurse depart with a defeated look on her face and the door close quietly behind her.

An hour later, taking a welcome walk around the corridors to stretch his legs, Peter saw Sister Julienne walking towards him.

"I do hope we are being hospitable, Constable". She said as she smiled at him. He had been resident at Nonnatus not so long ago himself and they all had this ease of familiarity around him, but in his official capacity he was a guest and ought to be treated as so.

"Yes, thank you, Sister. Everyone is being all the assistance they can be". They were about to depart in separate directions when a thought struck him. It was definitely a case of now or never.

"Sister?" he asked.

"Yes?" she replied, seeing him turn, hands clasped behind his back. "Could you find me Angela Roberts records? In confidence from everybody".

"Of course" the Sister replied, curiosity peaking. The fact that he had asked that he alone saw the notes caused her not to ask any more questions.

"And if I might look at them in your office with you?" he asked, seeing her consider his question. "I may need you to answer a question or two for me".

"Come with me" she replied. "I can place my hands on them now".

Half an hour later, the door bell to Nonnatus rang and Sister Evangelina answered it to the Inspector and once again, the line of officers stood in the parlour.

"We will need to speak to you both" Constable Williams advised the two Midwives, Nurses Lee and Franklin, who stood glued to each other's sides. "And I understand that Sister Julienne has asked Nurse Noakes to attend as soon as she can".

"Would you care to speak in any particular order, Constable?" Sister Julienne asked, already knowing from her discussions with Peter why there was this sudden change of mood and one she could not express to either nurse at this stage.

"I think Sister, we will start with Nurse Franklin, then Nurse Noakes and then Nurse Lee", Constable Williams confirmed.

"Well Nurse Franklin and Nurse Lee as you can see are here. I am sure I can attend to young Freddie whilst you speak to his mother". She nodded to Peter who returned her gesture with a small smile, knowing she had already telephoned his wife.

"Thank you, Sister" Constable Williams replied. "Now Nurse Franklin, would you care to follow us?"

Trixie sat opposite Peter and Constable Porter. Constable Williams was seated to the other side, taking notes. She had seen Constable Baxter leave Nonnatus some ten minutes earlier with the Inspector on what seemed to be important hurried business. The sudden change in stance of mere consideration of medical records to questioning had altered the feel of the air and both she and Jenny felt that something was happening. Maybe a breakthrough.

"Nurse" Peter started. "Can you, just for the sake of the record, confirm your full name, date of birth and when you first began working at Nonnatus House?"

"Beatrix Franklin. I was born on 11 November 1931 and I began working at Nonnatus on 4 August 1953" she replied, hands clasped on her lap, back straight and demeanour slight edgy at what might be coming.

"I need to ask you about Angela Roberts. You delivered two of the Roberts' children?" he asked.

"Yes" Trixie replied, disconcerted, before the inevitable question flew from her mouth. "Why are you asking about the Roberts'?"

"Please bear with us Nurse" Peter replied, his voice stern and detached. She had never heard that tone on him before and it commuted her into compliance with his questions.

"You delivered two of her children?" he repeated.

"Yes. Sarah in 1954. She was my first birth on my own on night call and then Annette on New Years Day 1957. She had two in one year. New Years Day 1957 and another that December".

"Yes, we believe another Midwife delivered that child", Peter continued, having seen the initials 'CN' in the notes he had reviewed not so long ago.

"Yes Constable I think so", Trixie responded, remembering that horrific night with the snow and ice that marred their calls.

"What do you make of Mrs Roberts?" he asked.

"Quiet" Trixie replied. "Adores her children; gentle".

"And her relationship with her husband?"

"No worse or better than most of the marriages around here" she replied, having borne witness to the ratta tat tat between them, her despair at his lack of, well, anything, but the generally happy household that between them they had created with not very much to their name at all.

"Now you have seen Mrs Roberts and the baby twice since he was born?" Peter asked, quite deliberately getting his question wrong.

"Once" Trixie corrected. "The second time I was due to see him he was out with his grandmother, but Sister Julienne saw him after I did".

"Saw or examined?" Peter asked, having not seen any reference to Sister Julienne at all in what he had read.

Trixie thought for a moment. "Saw" she replied. "And only from a distance".

"So apart from when Nurse Lee delivered him, he has only had one first hand examination?" he queried.

"Yes".

"Did you notice anything unusual about Charles Roberts when you did examine him?"

Peter did not want to have to feed her the answer to his question, lead her into it as it would never be admissible as evidence in Court, but it was one that needed answering.

"No", Trixie replied, desperately searching her mind. She shook her head.

"No, sorry Constable. Nothing at all".