The first time Kelly appeared unnerved was when David Chidgey, a Liberal Democrat M.P., asked him about his dealings with Susan Watts. Kelly replied that he had met her on one occasion. Chidgey then read out a lengthy quote:

**{: .break one} ** In the run-up to the dossier the government was obsessed with finding intelligence to justify an immediate Iraqi threat. While we were agreed on the potential Iraqi threat in the future there was less agreement about the threat the Iraqis posed at the moment. That was the real concern, not so much what they had now but what they would have in the future, but that unfortunately was not expressed strongly in the dossier, because that takes the case away for war, to a certain extent. **

Chidgey paused, and then read out another quote:

**{: .break one} ** The 45 minutes was a statement that was made and it got out of all proportion. They were desperate for information. They were pushing hard for information that could be released. That was one that popped up and it was seized on and it was unfortunate that it was. **

When Chidgey had finished, he turned to Kelly and said, “I understand from Ms. Watts that this is the record of a meeting you had with her. Do you still agree with those comments?” Kelly hesitated. “I do not recognize those comments, I have to say,” he said awkwardly. Later in the hearing, Richard Ottaway, a Conservative M.P., read parts of the same quote, pointing out that Watts had used it in a report on “Newsnight.” Again, Kelly seemed taken aback. “It does not sound like my expression of words,” he said. Ottaway pressed him further, saying, “You deny that those are your words?” Kelly replied, “Yes.”

Some British journalists believe that these exchanges contain the key to Kelly’s death. When he heard his own words read back to him, they argue, he must have realized that his double game—the practice of saying one thing to reporters and another to his superiors—was over. Chidgey had stated live on television that Susan Watts had identified Kelly as the source of her “Newsnight” report. Once Kelly’s bosses realized that he had misled them about his contacts with Watts, he would be exposed as a leaker and a liar.

It is a plausible theory, but the evidence supporting it isn’t overwhelming. When the hearing ended, Bryan Wells, who had escorted Kelly, congratulated him on his performance. Kelly seemed greatly relieved that his public ordeal was over. Although he had to testify the following day before the Intelligence and Security Committee, the hearing would be held in private. That evening, he spoke with Olivia Bosch. He told her that the questions about the Susan Watts quote had thrown him, but his tone seemed curious rather than alarmed. “Is that the kind of thing I could have said all in one long go?” Bosch recalls him asking.

Kelly also mentioned the Susan Watts quote to his sister, Sarah Pape, who called to find out how he was doing. He added that he had been heartened that a number of friends and colleagues had offered their support. Pape, who is a plastic surgeon, often deals with car-crash victims and other injured people who have suicidal thoughts. In the weeks following this conversation with her brother, she anguished over whether she had missed anything. But she doesn’t think she did. “He certainly did not convey to me that he was feeling depressed; and absolutely nothing that would have alerted me to the fact that he might have been considering suicide,” she told Lord Hutton.

The next day, Kelly answered questions before the Intelligence and Security Committee with no reporters or cameras present. After the session ended, he seemed to have regained some peace of mind. He told a colleague that the pressure associated with the hearings had been worse than his Ph.D. orals. He also spoke with Bryan Wells about his upcoming trip to Iraq, and they agreed to a tentative departure date of Friday, July 25th, which was just nine days away. In the evening, when Rachel met him at Oxford station, he seemed much more talkative than he had been. He said he was eager to return to Southmoor, so he could do some work on his computer. Rachel persuaded him to stay for dinner. Janice Kelly arrived in Oxford from Cornwall at about eight-thirty. After having dinner with Rachel and her fiancé, Kelly and Janice loaded their bags into his car. Rachel promised to visit Kelly the following evening. During the journey to Southmoor, Kelly didn’t say much. When he got home, he went into his study and downloaded some e-mails. Then he went to bed.

On Thursday, July 17th, Kelly got up at about eight-thirty, had breakfast, and went into his study. Andrew Mackinlay, from the Foreign Affairs Committee, had asked the Ministry of Defence to list all the journalists Kelly had met during the previous two years, including Andrew Gilligan, and to supply the dates and purposes of these meetings. In addition, the clerk of the committee had asked Kelly to catalogue all his contacts with journalists, not just meetings. At 9:22 a.m., Kelly sent an e-mail to a colleague, Wing Commander John Clark, who had agreed to collate his replies and pass them on to Bryan Wells for approval. In response to Mackinlay, Kelly named five journalists besides Gilligan that he had met: Jane Corbin and Tom Mangold, of the BBC; Nick Rufford, of the _Sunday Times; Alex Nicoll, of the _Financial Times; and Philip Sen, of _The Engineer. In reply to the clerk of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Kelly provided a list of twenty-four reporters, noting it was “essentially a list of those journalists that I have business cards for or have recorded in my electronic contacts list.” The names included “Susan Wells, BBC,” an apparent typo, but they didn’t include Gavin Hewitt.

At about ten o’clock, Kelly spoke with Clark. He said that he was holding up all right, although his wife had taken things badly and was upset. They talked about Kelly’s return to Iraq and confirmed the departure date. “Dr Kelly was very keen to get back to Iraq to support the ISG,” Clark told Lord Hutton. After the conversation, he booked Kelly a flight. Kelly also spoke with Olivia Bosch, whom he called to ask for a reporter’s name. Bosch got the impression that Kelly was considering adding more contacts with journalists to his lists. “I think I am just going to mention all of them,” he told her.

Shortly before noon, Janice went into the study to show Kelly some photographs. He hadn’t quite finished. Some senior officials at the Ministry of Defence had suggested restructuring his contacts list to distinguish one-on-one interviews from casual encounters and phone calls. Kelly made the changes, and sent them to Clark. He also spent some time replying to friends and colleagues who had sent him supportive e-mails. Judith Miller, of the New York _Times, had written to him the previous evening, “David, I heard from another member of your fan club that things went well for you today. Hope it’s true. J.” Kelly wrote back, “I will wait until the end of the week before judging. Many dark actors playing games. Thanks for your support. I appreciate your friendship at this time. Best, David.”