Page 76 of No Safe Place
‘It’s okay,’ Field said, finally. ‘There was nothing more you could have done, Callum.’
His heart was beating fast, like it had done that night.
And he was back here. Back at the Maudsley. The police thought it was him – he could tell. He could end up in prison and then what?
His brain kicked in and he was catastrophising, playing out every scenario, from his arrest to his imprisonment, to his dying alone in a cell – all in a split second.
He couldn’t hear what Field was saying and his panic levels were rising, and then Lily was speaking, the words muffled. Field’s lips stopped moving and Lily’s face was in front of his, and he took a proper breath of air.
He was tempted to ask for Maxwell to bring him a beta blocker, a little life raft of calm. But he needed to be able to focus.
‘Sorry,’ he managed. ‘Could you say that again?’
Chapter 50
Friday | Morning
Field
Callum was getting stressed. The lawyer looked like he was considering getting the doctor back in.
‘We’re nearly there, Callum. I promise.’ Field kept her tone calm. Keep everything calm, that was all this would take. ‘Question six. Did you see anyone else on the street at all, before your neighbour arrived to help?’
Callum shook his head.
He wrapped his arms tighter around his thin frame. Callum was dressed in cheap, grey clothes, and Field wondered what he wore normally – it was hard to get a read on him in the drab, too-large hospital outfit.
‘Okay, that’s fine.’ Field smiled.
Time for the big question.
‘So, Callum, there’s a link between you and David, and Sam. I’m sure you understand, we need to know who elsewas involved in the trial – the other patients David referenced in the paper.’
Callum’s eyes flicked to the girlfriend.Ex-girlfriend.
Field’s gaze followed. Lily Stewart was looking down at her lap, her breathing fast. She had a soft, heart-shaped face – the opposite of Callum’s sharp angles.
Field pressed the point. ‘They could be involved in what happened, or they could be in danger. Can you tell me who they are?’
Callum didn’t respond.
Field kept her voice level, not letting herself speak as rapidly as instinct wanted her to. ‘Callum, I need those three names. We need to make sure they’re safe, and you’re the only person who can tell us.’
Callum’s physical reaction, the jolt that ran through him, was the confirmation she needed, before he’d even spoken.
Lily moved closer to him.
‘I can’t – I can’t tell you that.’ He shook his head. ‘It’s private. They might not want you to know.’
‘Callum. They could be in danger.’
He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around himself.
He was pale and his eyes were flicking left to right. His hands had been shaking since he sat down and his whole body was tense. As he considered his answer he started rocking back and forward, only slightly – tiny movements.
Whatever he had, mental-illness-wise, he wasn’t faking it.
She was pushing him too hard, but she needed answers. Field pulled the sheet from a folder and pointed at the list of participants. ‘Patient A. Patient C. Patient E. They could all be at risk, Callum.’
