Page 18 of The Truth Will Out
“The hundred grand—is that down as a one-off payment, or has it been drip-fed into that account over the years?”
“The latter. Like I said, I haven’t seen anything suspicious that has caught my attention so far.”
“Hmm… okay, keep digging. Can you get one of the boys to check the archives and see if there has been any scandal written about him over the years, or if he has ever been caught up in anything that could be classed as damning to his reputation?”
“I’ll get Nick on it. I take it the people at the surgery couldn’t shed any light on anything.”
“We’ve only spoken to the two members of staff. We’re waiting to talk to the other two doctors. They’re currently making video calls to some of their patients. So far, just like you, we’ve drawn a complete blank.”
“We’ll crack on with things at this end. Good luck.”
“Thanks. You too, Claire.” Sam ended the call and took a sip from her mug. “I’m sensing this is going to be one of those cases that has ‘frustrating for the investigation team’ written all over it.”
“Nothing new there then. What can we do to combat that?”
Sam shrugged. “I wish I knew. Feel free to throw some inspirational tips my way.”
Bob grinned. “You’ll be the first to know if I come up with anything.”
Ruth entered the room again. “Doctor Attle is free now, if you’d like to see her.”
“That would be great. In here?”
“She’s asked if you can hold the meeting or interview in her office. It would be more convenient for her, as she has another call to make in fifteen minutes, and moving between the two rooms would take up too much of her time.” Ruth bit her lip.
Sam wondered if that decision had been Ruth’s and not the doctor’s. She took another sip from her mug and got to her feet. “That’s fine by us. Are you ready, Sergeant?”
Bob downed the rest of his coffee and scrambled out of his seat. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. “I’m good to go.”
Ruth led them past the reception desk. Lucy glanced up and gave an awkward smile, then returned to her work. Ruth introduced Sam and Bob to Doctor Gail Attle, who invited them to take a seat. Her eye make-up was slightly smudged, as if she’d been crying.
Sam sat opposite her and said, “Thank you for agreeing to see us, Doctor. We realise how busy the surgery is.”
“Has Ruth told you how much time I have before my next appointment?”
“Yes, she’s made it perfectly clear.”
“I’ll leave you to it,” Ruth said and exited the room.
“I have to tell you from the outset how shocked I was to hear the news. Robert wasn’t the easiest person to get along with. He could be stubborn and downright rude most of the time, but that doesn’t excuse someone choosing to kill him. It’s so wrong. The world is made up of all sorts of different people, both good and bad. Is that any reason to take someone’s life?”
“Right now, we haven’t got a single idea why anyone would want to end his life the way they did. Our job is to find out more about his character and see if any of his colleagues can give us an indication as to why his life was ended.”
“You’re not accusing us of having something to do with his death, are you?”
“No, that’s not what I was suggesting at all. I’m guessing you would have spent more time working alongside him than the average friend or relative, such as his wife. Therefore, it would make sense that if anything had happened to spark someone’s anger towards Doctor Morgan, it would have taken place here, at the surgery.”
“Well, if it did, I wasn’t aware of it. Ruth mentioned that he was found at the abandoned clinic in town. That news has baffled me. Why would he go there?”
“I don’t think it was his idea. We believe he was abducted, maybe kept there against his will for the two days he was missing, and then… killed.”
“Oh crap! That’s not something I had even considered. That poor man. Hold on, are you saying that he was tortured before he died?”
“We’re awaiting the pathologist’s report to verify how he died. What we know at present, and I’m only telling you this because you’re a doctor, is that his heart was removed.”
“Jesus. Why? Who would stoop to such a low level? It doesn’t matter how rude or offensive he was; he didn’t deserve to die at the hands of another person.”
“You’re right, no one does. We asked Ruth and Lucy if Doctor Morgan had fallen out with anyone at the surgery. They didn’t divulge any names, but I think he’d had several run-ins with patients over the years, hadn’t he?”
