Page 49 of Watching You
‘A man was killed in this hospital. You recently gave an interview to the press saying there’s a serial killer operating in this area, so of course everyone is now concerned that this latest death is the work of the same person. Is that what you think?’
‘I think it’s very likely. It’s certainly the most compelling conclusion to draw when we look at all the deaths together.’
‘All right. You’re clearly someone who thinks long and hard about these things. But we have patients confined to their beds, the elderly, the terminally ill, cancer patients too weak after treatment to move very far. Those poor people are already dealing with so much, now they’ve to wonder if they’re about to get attacked out of nowhere. We can’t afford to have security guards walking the halls. And as for the staff, they’re already rundown, overworked and underpaid. The man who died was wearing scrubs. It’s a miracle that any porters turned up for work at all.’
‘Oh Christ,’ Connie said. ‘You’re right. I can see how this must be affecting the hospital. The article was a tactical move to try and force the killer to communicate with us. I’m sorry for the fallout.’
‘I appreciate the apology,’ Beth said. ‘But can I ask, what makes you so certain the attack on poor Mr Campbell relates to the other deaths? I operated on Archie Bass myself. That was an outdoor stabbing at night. Please don’t think I’m questioning you. I just need to do all I can to make sure our patients and staff remain safe.’
‘It’s not that there’s a link so much as the absence of—’
‘There is a link,’ Lively said, standing to make a call from his mobile. ‘Salter, it’s me. Yes, I’m back from sick leave … oh, for fuck’s sake, I’ve enough women telling me what I can andcan’t do without you joining their ranks. Just look this one thing up, would you? In what hospital was Dale Abnay going to be donating a kidney? No, don’t hang up. I’ll wait.’
Beth Waterfall’s mouth was hanging open. ‘I don’t believe this. You’re making it worse. Please don’t tell me you’re linking not just one murder to St Columba’s, but two?’
‘I’m actually trying to solve murders rather than making anything worse, but I get how it probably seems unhelpful right now.’ He smiled apologetically.
‘But Archie Bass was only treated hereaftergetting stabbed,’ Connie said. ‘So that can’t be a link in terms of choosing victims.’
‘It was the nearest A&E,’ Lively said. ‘So the rough geographical centre might be this hospital. And we’d need to check his records to see if he’d been treated here in the past.’ He looked hopefully at Beth who sighed.
‘I suppose you want me to do that,’ she said. ‘Give me five minutes, and don’t go back out there discussing murder. Like the NHS doesn’t have enough problems right now.’
‘Thank you, and sorry again,’ Lively said.
Connie stared at him and folded her arms.
‘Detective Sergeant Lively, I do believe you are head over heels in love. Well, who’d a thunk it?’
‘Would you mind your own? Beth and I barely know one another. I’m sure she’ll come to her senses soon enough and kick me out of her home. Probably just feels sorry for me.’
‘Don’t do that,’ Connie said. ‘In spite of your endless sarcasm, questionable sense of humour and intense dislike of learning, I’m sure Beth Waterfall has seen something in you that ticks all her boxes. You deserve to be happy, you know.’
Lively stared at her, and slowly shook his head. ‘Did you just … give me a fuckin’ pep talk? Because I think I’d prefer to be given a hot tar enema than explore my feelings with you.’
‘You’re adorable,’ Connie said. ‘Your cell phone’s squawking.’
He put it to his ear.
‘Hi Salter. Yeah, I’m ready.’ He listened for a few seconds. ‘Right. Got it. Find the dates Dale Abnay was here, the name of the transplant doctor, where in the building he went, see if they’ve got the CCTV on file and check every second of it. I want to know who he bumped into, who he passed in the corridor, who he sat next to in the waiting room. Everything. Then cross-reference it with Vic Campbell’s stay. Yes, I know it’s a long shot, but it’s better than the grade A jack shit we’re shovelling at the moment. I’ll be in later.’
‘You will not, Sam,’ Beth said as she entered. ‘That wound is still healing. Why would you take the risk?’
‘Because,’ he said, walking forward and kissing her tenderly on the cheek, ‘apparently I left a bunch of bampots in charge of multiple murder investigations, not dissimilar to you letting one of the cleaning crew perform open heart surgery. They need me to go and save the day.’
‘He has a delusional hero complex,’ Connie said. ‘It’s been known to happen after a near-death experience.’
Lively waved a dismissive hand at her. ‘Did you find anything in Archie Bass’s medical records?’
‘I’m afraid to say I did. Mr Bass attended here for various vaccinations – Covid, flu and tetanus – but also A&E following a fall down some steps when he sprained his ankle quite badly, and once when he was found unconscious in a public toilet. That looks to have been alcohol poisoning, and there was some suggestion that he’d drunk some sort of chemical mixture. So all in all, it’s fair to say he’s been here a number of times.’
‘Not Divya Singh though,’ Connie said. ‘I’ve seen her medical records. She’d had no hospital treatment for years, long sincebefore St Columba opened. I don’t think she’d even seen her GP for three years.’
‘Doesn’t mean to say she hadn’t visited another patient here,’ Beth noted. ‘And sometimes we offer anonymous advice clinics which wouldn’t have shown up on her records.’
‘Come on,’ Lively looked impatient. ‘You’ve got to admit, it’s the closest thing we’ve found to a connection.’
‘Oh, I’m conceding that one,’ Connie said. ‘But making it work for us is another matter. Thousands of staff and visitors, the population changing on a daily basis with different appointments and clinics. How do we find the killer?’
