Page 3 of The Truth Will Out
“Your sort never do. You make me sick. Most of the time, you think you’re so much better than those around you. I’m here to rid you of your delusions.”
“I’m a doctor. I took an oath,” Robert said, his voice hoarse because of the lack of water. “Ihelpedpeople. I continue tohelpthem. It’s part of my job.”
Footsteps sounded behind him as the man slowly circled the table, each step as meaningful as the last. His laugh echoed. It was low and measured. “No, Doctor. You helped yourself. It was never about your patients, was it?”
“I… no, you don’t understand. Let’s discuss this. I’ll make you see sense.”
Panic thundered in his chest as the man paced menacingly backand forth behind him. The man’s breathing was calm and steady, unlike his own.
“The time for talk is over. Today… you are going to be punished.” The figure stepped out of the shadows and came to a standstill beside him.
The overhead light switched on. It was a fierce light that blinded him. Was there someone else in the room he hadn’t noticed?
The man showed his hands; they were covered in surgical gloves. He was holding a scalpel in his right hand.
Robert shook his head. “Don’t come near me with that thing.”
“Why? Afraid I don’t know how to use it? Nothing could be further from the truth, Robert Morgan. I can tell you don’t recognise me. That’s good. It means you’ll go to your grave not knowing who I am or why I would want to kill you. Believe me, I have my reasons. Let’s get started, shall we? You just lie there, nice and relaxed, and everything will go according to plan. Oops, silly me, I forgot to ask. Do you want a sedative?”
“Yes… I mean no, you can’t do this to me. I won’t allow you to.”
The masked man took a step closer and poised the scalpel over Robert’s chest.
“No,” Robert screamed. “Don’t do this. Why are you doing this? There must be something I can do to stop you.”
“There isn’t. I’m getting bored now. Just lie there like a good boy. All of this will be over and done with soon enough. Now, are you ready?”
“NO! Please, don’t do this. I don’t know what I’m supposed to have done wrong.” Robert turned his head away, unable to watch what was coming. The pain erupted in his chest a moment later. He screamed for the man to stop the assault, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. The darkness descended not long after…
1
Sam Cobbs felt contemplative as she sat on the banks of Coniston Water, one of her favourite spots. It was a place she used to visit often with Sonny, especially when he was a pup. It had been three weeks now since she’d lost him. Gone… long before his time, thanks to an idiotic driver who had mounted the pavement. They had been out on their evening walk, heading home to Rhys and Casper. Her fiancé was running late that night and had told her to go ahead and enjoy her walk with her precious boy; they’d meet up back at the house.
She was listening to music at the time, not through her headphones. Spotify was playing quietly on her phone. Even so, it was enough to deaden the commotion behind her until it was too late. She usually walked Sonny on the inside of the pavement, but for some reason, he’d found something interesting to sniff near the kerb and was investigating it. He was still in the same position when a car travelling at speed hit something behind them and spun out of control. Every time she closed her eyes since that evening, all she could see was Sonny flying through the air, his screams etched into her mind.
Sam shook her head and patted Tilly on the head. The little border collie cross wasn’t Sonny’s replacement, but she had healed a piece of her heart that she thought would never mend. It was her sister, Crystal, who had seen the advert for Tilly, a little rescue pup who had been transported to the UK from a kill shelter in Romania. She was the sweetest thing ever. The only downside, if you could call it that, was that she had a tendency to murder her toys. Sam had spent a fortune on her sweet pup since the day she had arrived. Crystal had volunteered to drive to Wigan to meet Lily-Belle, the lady who had fostered Tilly since she’d arrived in the UK. It had been a long day for the pup, and she’d been carsick a couple of times.
The second Sam had laid eyes on Tilly and cuddled her that evening, she knew she’d done the right thing in giving the dog a new home. She and Casper got on great together. They wore themselves out running around the garden, enjoying their zoomies. Doreen, Sam’s elderly neighbour who had cared for Sonny during the day while Sam was at work, had also taken to Tilly, and they’d become best of friends from the word go.
“We’ll never forget him, will we, Tilly? But I truly believe he sent you our way to help all of us heal. Between us, Rhys and I don’t seem to have much luck with keeping dogs safe, not after he lost Benji. But all that is about to change with you, I promise you, sweetheart.”
Tilly looked up at her and then placed her two delicate front paws on Sam’s lap. Sam smiled and bent down for a kiss. Tilly willingly obliged. Every morning, she gave the best hugs and kisses as she jumped on the bed to greet her and Rhys.
The moment of bliss was interrupted by Sam’s mobile ringing. “Hi, Bob. How are you?”
“Sorry, I know you’re supposed to be having a few hours off. Believe me, I hate doing this to you, but I thought you’d want to know about this as soon as the news broke.”
She frowned and continued to stroke Tilly. “What news?” Suddenly, it dawned on her what he must be referring to. “Shit! Has he been found?”
“You’ve just earned yourself a Blue Peter Badge.”
“Do they even exist these days? Is that you, showing your age again?”
“Maybe. The good news is, yes, Morgan has been found. The bad news is… he’s dead.”
“Bugger. Okay, I’m out at Coniston at the moment. It’s going to take me a good hour to get back, plus a further thirty minutes to drop Tilly off.”
“You could always bring her with you and keep her in the car while you attend the scene. I’d love to meet her. I’ve heard you talk about her so much over the past few weeks.”
