Page 94 of No Safe Place
‘Yeah.’ She nodded. ‘Fine.’
Field escaped to the solitude of the kitchenette, mercifully empty this early on a Saturday. The limescale-ridden kettle rattled as it boiled, but Field didn’t hear it. This case was like two fistfuls of sand, and Field was desperately trying not to let it slip through her fingers.
Chapter 65
Saturday | Morning
Field
‘Thank you for joining the Zoom, especially on a Saturday,’ Field said, exhaling. ‘I have DS Riley and DS Wilson in the room with me here.’
Her internet connection wasn’t great, and some of the faces were frozen. Riley and Wilson were next to her, hands clasped around steaming mugs.
Bellamy was using his phone, walking through Callum’s house with headphones in.
Zara was in Penny’s garden. Professor Robinson – Prof – had a backdrop of books, on ancient-looking oak shelves.
Young was in her modern, Scandi living room, sipping from a Le Creuset espresso cup Field had got her as a set last Christmas.
Last to join the call was Dr Maxwell, frowning down the camera from his cupboard-sized office.
Field addressed Maxwell first, keen to get his take and theninvite him to leave the call, so they could speak openly about Mulligan.
‘Dr Maxwell, can I ask – is it still your intention to discharge Callum tomorrow?’
‘Yes,’ he said, curtly. ‘I spoke to him at length last night. My assessment is that on his normal medication Callum is perfectly lucid, and doesn’t pose a threat to himself or others. He’s recovered from the stress he was subjected to at the scene. The social worker will be here tomorrow to sign him out.’
Wilson made a note, as Riley sat up straighter.
‘When will he be able to go back to his house?’ Maxwell asked.
Bellamy, who had turned his camera off, suddenly reappeared. ‘I’d expect us to be out of here by tomorrow morning. Obviously, if we find anything it could be longer.’
‘That’s good,’ Maxwell said. ‘Staying in a hotel wouldn’t have been an option for Callum.’
‘In your opinion, has he been affected by the attack on Sam, beyond witnessing it?’ Field asked.
‘Well, yes.’ Maxwell shifted in his seat. ‘She was a friend, in the past. They hadn’t been in touch for some time, but he was still upset.’ He sighed. ‘I can’t really say any more than that, without breaching my patient’s confidentiality.’
Field added a line on her “patient confidentiality” tally.
‘If we want to speak to him again today—’ Field said, letting her question hang in the air.
Maxwell looked reluctant. ‘Yes, it would be admissible.’
‘Right, okay,’ Field said, with a smile. She did a quick mental calculation of exactly how many people she needed to speak to, and how many different places she had to be in. ‘In that case, we will see you tomorrow morning. Before the social worker. Thank you, again, Dr Maxwell.’
‘No worries.’ He added a curt goodbye and signed off.
‘Nice chap,’ Prof said, cheerfully.
‘Right, so we believe we’ve traced Paige Jacobs’ family address,’ Field said. ‘We’re going to head there next. Riley has spoken to—’
‘The sister,’ he said, keenly. ‘Ruby Jacobs.’
Field nodded. ‘She’ll be expecting us, Wilson. The RTC report suggests the accident was caused by a combination of deep water on the road, a mechanical fault with the car and possibly excessive speed. It was a long time ago, so nothing to suggest it’s related to this case.’
‘I’m happy to take a look at the pathology report,’ Prof chimed in. ‘If that would be useful.’
