Killer Women - Devasting True Stories of Female Murderers. Wensley Clarkson
so far, she had no firm evidence. She had never caught them actually kissing. Not even touching and certainly nothing sexual. The torture of not knowing for sure was, in some ways, even worse than knowing for certain. At least then she could get on with her life and find another man. Start afresh. She was only 27. Easily young enough to meet and marry someone new. Someone who would make her happy. But, without any evidence, it was difficult to confront them.
Once, she cornered Janet on her own, while Graham was outside washing the car.
‘Are you having an affair with him? Just tell me the truth.’
Janet was astounded. She had no idea what her sister was thinking. As far as she was concerned, Graham had a silly crush. She would not have even entertained the thought of having an affair with him. As far as Janet was concerned, she had never once encouraged Graham. It was all in his head.
She assured her sister there was ‘no truth in it whatsoever’. But she knew that the atmosphere in that house could only get worse.
Gillian kept watching, waiting for the signs.
She became convinced her sister was lying. How could he get that infatuated with her unless she was returning his affections?
Gillian could not get the relationship out of her mind.
Janet and Graham had just gone out Christmas shopping together. That would give them all sorts of opportunities for a liaison. A chance to express their love for one another. He could even be assuring her that he would leave his wife.
All these thoughts were rushing through Gillian’s mind as she sat alone at the house one afternoon. She had to know one way or another. The anguish could not go on much longer. There had to be a way to find out for certain.
She went upstairs to Janet’s bedroom, determined to discover the truth. She felt no guilt as she systematically rifled through her twin sister’s bags. There had to be some evidence. Some shred of proof that they were having an affair. Underneath a pile of clothing in one case, she found an envelope. Inside it was a card. Something within her cried This is it.
On the cover, it looked like a perfectly normal Christmas card. But inside, the message was loud and clear ‘To my darling, I wish you every happiness at Christmas. I am so fortunate to spend my life with you always.’
Gillian began to cry. Now she had found out the truth, it really hurt. Maybe she should never have gone snooping for it in the first place.
Then she could have carried on in the hope they could mend their marriage. Now she was faced with the facts. But she had wanted to know. She had to find out.
The tears streamed down her face. The feeling of betrayal. The disappointment. But she had to get a hold of herself. She had to confront them. This was it. This was all the evidence Gillian required.
She went back downstairs and waited. She knew they had to come back from that shopping trip eventually. Then she would destroy them. She would tell them what she thought of them.
She first heard them approach as they walked up the short driveway to the house. Janet was laughing. Graham was telling her a joke and she was responding warmly. Gillian watched through the net curtains that hid so many secrets in the suburban world she lived in. It incensed her to see them so happy together.
As she heard the key being turned in the front door lock, she braced herself for her onslaught. This time they could not deny it. There was no way they could claim this Christmas card was anything other than a token of their love for one another.
Janet and Graham looked up and smiled as Gillian approached them in the hallway. But, within moments, they could tell that something was wrong. Gillian looked flushed with fury. The tears had long gone. Their place had been taken by seething anger. The time had come.
‘She’s got to go.’
Janet was stunned to hear what her twin sister – her own flesh and blood – was saying.
Graham was not so surprised. He knew it would come to this one day. He wanted it to reach a head, so that Gillian could no longer control it.
‘Then you will have to go as well.’
Graham’s voice was cool, collected. The words spoken almost silkily, but with menace underneath.
The tables had turned. Gillian – the one who had just discovered her sister was having what she thought was an affair with her husband – was now being made to feel like the villain.
For a few moments these three relatives looked at one another.
But the anger that had been building up inside Gillian had turned to fear. Fear that she was about to lose her home and her husband. Underneath it all, she hoped that by confronting them both she could drive Janet out of the house and then they could start afresh.
But now her world had been turned upside down. She was confused. She knew that deep inside, she still loved Graham – no matter what he had or had not done with her twin sister.
‘Please love me.’ She begged. ‘Not her.’
Gillian was feeling desperate now. Her sister had run upstairs to pack her things leaving the couple alone to face each other.
‘Have all the affairs you want, if I don’t satisfy you. But you’ll never find another woman who would do all the things I did for you.’
Gillian was getting hysterical. She was straining her face to avoid crying.
‘I’ll do anything you want to make our marriage work. You must believe me. I love you so much.’
Graham Philpott did not react to her pleas. Instead, he said coldly, ‘I want a divorce from you.’
Gillian was allowed to continue sleeping in the house – but only in the spare bedroom where her sister Janet had once slept. To all the neighbours in Mungo Park Way, who wished them ‘Happy Christmas’ when they passed in the street, Graham and Gillian Philpott seemed as close as ever that December. They went to a stream of parties in the area as man and wife – never once revealing the anguish of their break up.
Janet had left the house on the day of their big confrontation, never to return. She was as bemused as she was hurt by the whole episode. Graham flooded her life with cards and messages. His obsessive love had not in any way been dampened by those scenes at the house. Instead, he thought about how they would be together one day. He sent her a loving note saying, ‘Thank you for giving me a lovely year. It is so lovely living with you.’
It was signed: ‘From your loving Graham.’
Now, Gillian and Graham were keeping up a huge pretence to the outside world. Deceiving everyone into believing they were as happy as ever.
Christmas Day was a disaster. They barely spoke to one another. It was supposed to be a time of year for rejoicing. For Gillian and Graham it was a time for silence.
The only respite for both of them were the parties they attended in the neighbourhood. These seemed to provide them with an escape from the appalling situation at home. As soon as they arrived at any party, they would split up and head off for conversations with people on opposite sides of the room. It was a bizarre existence. No communication at home but a smiling veneer at every public function.
By the time New Year 1990 was almost upon them, the strain was really starting to tell.
On December 30, Gillian and Graham managed just enough conversation between themselves to agree to go to a neighbour for a drinks party. As usual, within seconds of arriving, they split up and headed in different directions.
But, as other guests were later to remark, they still made a point of making it absolutely clear just how much in love they still were. In one extraordinary conversation, Graham told a friend, ‘We are thinking of going to Bali for a second honeymoon.’ Perhaps he was thinking of Janet at the time? It was an astonishing remark to make when one considered the circumstances.
Gillian may have hated him for his obsession, but she still