Page 20 of The Truth Will Out
Sam smiled, and Ruth walked away from them. Sam stifled a yawn and closed her eyes for a few seconds.
Bob nudged her. “Hey, don’t you go falling asleep on me.”
She faced him and winked. “Would I do that?”
“It has been known.”
“Piss off,” she whispered.
Lucy must have heard her because she glanced up and laughed.
“Sorry,” Sam apologised.
“There’s no need. I can imagine how stressful your job must be. It’s good to have a bit of banter. It can often brighten one’s day.”
“It doesn’t happen that often, but yes, sometimes it’s called for to ease the tension during our day.”
Ruth returned. “Doctor Hagan finished her appointment early and said she’ll see you now.”
Sam and Bob leapt out of their chairs, eager to complete the interview and get back to the station.
“That’s great news.”
Ruth knocked on the furthest door and introduced them to the female doctor. She was in her early forties, had shoulder-length brown hair and was wearing a smart black jacket. Sam assumed that it belonged to either a skirt or trouser suit, but it was hard to tell with the woman still sitting.
“Thank you for agreeing to see us,” Sam began. “We shouldn’t take up much of your time.”
Ruth backed out of the room and closed the door behind her.
“To say I was shocked to learn of Robert’s death would be an understatement. Do you know why or how he was killed?”
“All we can tell you at this preliminary stage is the how. He was murdered. We believe the killer abducted him after the accident he had two days ago. His body was found in the abandoned clinic in town.”
“Yes, Ruth told me that. What can I do to help?”
“We’ve come to ask if you, or any of the other staff, could tell us whether Robert has been in any trouble lately, possibly with a patient, or if he’d had a dispute with one of the other business owners in the area.”
Doctor Hagan stared at the wall behind Sam, and after a moment or two, shook her head. “I’m sorry, no, I can’t think of anything.”
“Did you get on with Robert?”
“As well as anyone else did at the surgery. He was a strange man, to say the least. He didn’t mingle well and pretty much kept himself to himself.”
“That’s what the others told us. Did he open up to you about his home life at all?”
“Not really. He just wasn’t the type. I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be awkward or anything. I suppose the best way to describe him is to say he was angry most of the time and definitely not a team player. To tell you the truth, it frustrated the hell out of Gail and me. We tried our hardest to involve him in activities outside surgery hours, but he didn’t want to know.”
“Okay. I’ll leave you one of my cards. If anything should come to mind after we’ve left, could I ask you or one of the others to give me a call? It would really help our investigation because, quite frankly, we’ve got little to nothing to go on right now.”
“I’m sorry. No doubt we’ll have a discussion about it after you leave. I promise you we’ll get in touch if anything comes to mind.”
“Thank you. Sorry to have disrupted your afternoon.”
“You haven’t, not really. Let’s hope you find the person responsible for Robert’s murder soon.”
Sam and Bob left the surgery. When they returned to the car, Sam noted the time on the dashboard—it was just after five. She sat there for a while without starting the engine.
“Are you all right? Do you want to share what’s going through that complex mind of yours?” Bob asked.
