I gave birth to twins, and it inspired a crime novel
By Kerryn Mayne
I recall my reaction to being told we were pregnant with identical twins all too well. It was something along the lines of, “This is great for committing crime.” The sonographer, rightly so, looked at me as if he was doing an ultrasound on Tony Soprano.
I tried to reassure him, “I write crime”, but I fear the horse had bolted by that point and, besides, my mind was a whirl with possibilities. Not to mention logistics. Plus there was the incredible, overwhelming joy of it all, too.
“Twins are special, despite all the hard work.”Credit: GETTY
One can never say they planned to have identical twins, but we were okay with it, we’d roll with it. Sure it would double our current quota of kids (from two to four), we’d need to get a Kia Carnival (certainly no status symbol, but it’s a bloody good car as it happens) and life was bound to be chaos; but so what? Let them outnumber us, a two to one ratio of children to parents. It was, I assure you, the uppermost limit of children. Hats off to anyone who hits number five, six or more. But this lady knows (usually) when to call it a day.
I dived into research about what this would mean to us and what I could do to make sure this pregnancy ran as smoothly as possible. Having twins comes with many risks, especially for old mums like me (at 39, I was considered “advanced maternal age”, not entirely flattering but kinder than a number of things I’ve been called over the years, to be honest).
We were having identical twins, specifically, in our case, monochorionic, diamniotic (MCDA) twins, which is one egg, one placenta, but two amniotic sacs. This is preferable to monochorionic, monoamniotic (MCMA) twins, who are squeezed into the very same sac together. The equivalent, I presume, of a studio apartment in Manhattan, shared with your best friend. A tight squeeze, not to mention a flurry of extra risks.
The more I learned about the greatness and magic of having twins, the more I discovered about how shit could go south. Ugh. Twin-twin transfusion (where one twin gets greedy), placenta problems, preeclampsia, diabetes, preterm labour … on the list went. Almost all of these things were completely outside my control. I found it was much better to focus on the future for these babies, the one that would allow them to get away with Ocean’s Eleven-style heists. Because I’m a crime writer, not because I’m Tony Soprano, honestly.
Jewellery was stolen in this daring heist and no one was ever charged. As a police officer, I was angered; as a writer I was intrigued.
KERRYN MAYNE
This subject was a bounty filled basket of goodies for fiction writers and I considered myself on the path to becoming a subject-matter expert. In Germany in 2009, one – or maybe two – men escaped prosecution after being involved in a jewellery theft. DNA was extracted from a discarded glove at the crime scene. It led to brothers, identified only as Hassan and Abbas. But, plot twist, they were identical twins; they are genetically the same person. DNA – the great crime solver – was unable to pinpoint a suspect, beyond it being one of the brothers. Neither confessed, CCTV was useless – not only because the criminals were masked, but because only a mother could tell them apart (and, to be honest, sometimes I can’t tell my twins apart). Five million euros of jewellery was stolen in this daring heist and no one was ever charged. As a police officer, I was angered; as a writer I was intrigued, amazed and inspired.
In 1904, infamous English poachers, the Fox twins, were some of the first people to be prosecuted using fingerprint technology. Fingerprints, even of identical twins, are different. They are formed in utero and not a genetic trait, therefore every set is unique. And in 1904 DNA was a long away from being a crime-solving revolution.
The confusingly named Fox twins, Albert Ebenezer and Ebenezer Albert, never committed crime together, meaning that one could always claim innocence. Despite not being their mother, I am incredibly proud of this strategic thinking. While investigators were not as scrupulous about who they arrested in 1904, I have no doubt the confusion meant Al and Eb got away with many a crime over the years.
There are many other cases and references to the confusion around identical twins. DNA evidence, while incredibly helpful, is never going to be the sole reason someone is convicted of a crime. Fingerprints are valuable, although not as easy to lift as CSI: Miami and shows of similar ilk might lead you to believe. Eyewitnesses are great, but human memory can be unreliable, especially around traumatic events. And if Albert and Ebenezer’s own parents had to colour code them with ribbons, how would a passer-by be able to accurately establish who was who when the pressure was on?
Admissions from the suspect are a cherry on top, but not all they’ve cracked up to be, either. There is always the possibility that a tenacious lawyer will have the police interview and admissions thrown out at court. Then it all comes down to the supporting, or circumstantial, evidence. A blessing for a crime writer, but hard work for a detective.
You can also hope that one twin doesn’t want to see their other half going down for a crime they didn’t commit, as happened in Chicago with twins Kevin and Karl Dugar. Kevin had been given a 54-year sentence for a gang murder that Karl had committed in the early 2000s, yet let him languish for years in prison before coming clean. Finally, Karl wrote to Kevin in prison, admitting to the crime.
In a criminal matter, the bar is set at “beyond reasonable doubt”. When you break that down, it’s a huge hurdle to get over. Especially when the very first jump every time is identity. And if Hassan and Abbas haven’t ’fessed to the heist, you can’t very well charge both of them and hope for the best.
Then there are the non-crime committing, but just as intriguing, twins. Let me tell you about Brittany and Briana, identical twins who married identical twins Josh and Jeremy. Brittany married Josh and Briana married Jeremy, or the other way around – not sure, doesn’t matter. What matters is this: identical twin sisters, marrying identical twin brothers, means that their children – should they have them – will be genetically siblings, not just cousins. Imagine sending your DNA off to Ancestry.com to work out your family tree, you’d be none the wiser.
My author brain kept whirling. I wondered how I could write a story where twins were the focus.
KERRYN MAYNE
My twins were born in August 2022 and life got busier and better all in the very same moment. They are a delightful, happy duo who keep me entertained and exhausted. They add to the original two we had, giving us an instant polo team, my own little gang.
My author brain kept whirling. Through the night feeds, the day feeds, the afternoon feeds – there is a lot of feeding – I wondered how I could write a story where twins were the focus.
I wondered if my publisher would think I was losing the plot (pun intended) when I pitched her the idea of a mother in the suburbs of Melbourne with identical twins who was going a bit mad. It is not autobiographical, but definitely inspired by real events. Or at least, real people, two tiny ones at that.
When I started writing Joy Moody is Out of Time, I wanted to show the joys and strangeness of mothering – and of twins in particular. It is an unusual experience, but also incredibly usual at the same time. There is still all the typical things that must be done: bum wiping, sleep scheduling, puréeing, mixing bottles, cleaning bottles, washing clothes (so much washing).
And there is the heart-warming sight of your tiny twins nestled side by side in a bassinet because they are tiny enough to fit, and because they are so used to being next to each other that they cannot sleep alone. There are the “conversations” they have, long before they speak their first words, and there is watching their individual personalities form and wondering how you get to be lucky enough to get front-row seats to it all.
If you’re on the path to twin-parenthood, then first: congratulations. You’ll get a lot of shocked looks from people who are thinking, “Thank goodness it’s not happening to me.” But I think it’s great. Twins are special, despite all the hard work. There’s also the added bonus that one day in the future my twins, or yours, might show up with five million euros worth of jewellery. And just like Tony Soprano would, I’ll say nothing.
Joy Moody is Out of Time (Penguin Random House) by Kerryn Mayne is out now.
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