by Emily Selby
The hospital it was then.
She drove to the hospital going over and over what she remembered from the previous night. But so much had happened, it was confusing. Maybe she should follow Jane's trail again? She seemed to have completely ignored it.
It was probably because despite all the evidence and logic, she found it hard to believe Jack’s theory.
She parked in the busy hospital car park and rang him again.
No answer.
And again.
'Sorry, Katie. I can't talk now. Is this important?' he asked when he finally answered the call. His voice was impatient, almost harsh.
'I think you're wrong regarding Jane. She couldn't have laced the cake.'
'Katie, I really don't have the time now. Edward Sparrow has woken up and the doctors are working with him to get him ready to be interviewed. I have to go.'
The call dropped, and so did Katie's heart - right down into her boots.
She jumped out of her car, slammed the door and kicked the front tyre.
'Oh, you stubborn DI Logic-and-Evidence, will you ever listen!' she screamed.
An elderly couple passing by gave her a strange look.
'Are you all right, Miss?' the man asked.
'Sorry,' Katie called back and waved at them. 'Just a bit stressed.'
'Just a bit frigging fuming,' she added under her breath. She took a few breaths until a semblance of control returned.
She was going to talk to Jack. She had to convince him to listen.
She didn't know why, she didn't know what she was going to tell him, but that big lump-twist in her gut had nothing to do with missing a meal.
Definitely not. This was a massive hunch, right from the core of her intuition and she was going to follow it, no matter what logic and evidence said.
Katie headed straight for the ICU, determined to use whatever sneaky way she could to get through to her friend. When she stepped out of the lift, she froze on the spot.
Officer Celia Baxter, looking all official in her smartly pressed uniform, was standing by the entrance to the unit.
Katie gulped and pulled all the willpower she could muster to open her mouth and greet her.
'Hi Celia, how are you?'
'Busy,' she barked.
Katie clasped her hands together. Hold it, Katie... Hold it.
'How long have you been here? Would you like a cup of tea of coffee? Not hungry or anything?'
Celia glanced at her. Her jaw, initially set in an intimidating frown, relaxed.
'That'd be nice.'
'Black coffee? No sugar?'
'Yeah.'
'Be right back.'
Katie rushed downstairs to the café and was back with not one, but two hot drinks. After all, Jack might need a dose of caffeine, too.
When the lift dinged, Katie stepped into the ICU waiting area. But this time, Celia had company.
Someone was sitting on one of the chairs, back straight, knees together, neatly dressed in a tweed twinset, carefully coiffed, and holding a Tupperware box on her lap: Mavis Crabtree.
'Hello, Miss Crabtree,' Katie greeted her.
Mavis gave her a barely noticeable nod, while still looking straight ahead.
'Your coffee, Celia,' Katie said quietly, glancing discreetly at Mavis over her shoulder.
'Cheers, Katie!' A smile crept onto Celia's tired face.
'Is he in here?' Katie asked casually. 'I've got one for him, too.'
Celia nodded. 'He's busy.'
Katie moved closer, staring directly into Celia's dark eyes.
'I need to talk to him,' Katie said in a lowered voice.
'He's busy,' Celia repeated, taking a sip from her cup.
'Doing what?'
Celia blinked. A wince crossed her face. Katie wondered what the internal battle was about.
'I'm one of you, Celia. I told you that last time. My job here is to make sure your job runs smoothly. Honestly. I've got something that may be important to the investigation.'
'As does he,' Celia replied, and smiled, baring her teeth. 'Sorry, but he told me to stand here and not let anyone in. Anyone, he said,' she added a little more softly.
Katie's heart pounded against her chest. She clenched her fists.
'I'll wait here, then,' she drawled and sat beside Mavis Crabtree.
Mavis didn't spare her a glance. She was sitting with her eyes closed. She looked like she had nodded off.
'Miss Crabtree, who are you waiting to see?' Katie asked casually. Since she had to wait, she might as well try to have a chat with someone potentially a little less hostile than Celia.
Mavis Crabtree flinched, opened her eyes and glanced at Katie. 'Oh, dear, what did you say?' she asked in a weak voice.
'Who are you visiting?'
'Linda, of course. But I've heard the nice young vicar is awake as well. I'd like to pop in to see him, too.'
Bold plans...
'It looks like they are not allowing any visitors. I came to see Linda as well,' Katie said, deliberately not looking in Celia's direction. The game of cold shoulder was on!
'Ah,' Mavis waved her little hand. 'Not a problem. They'll let me in. They know me well. I've worked in this hospital all my life. I've done some work for the ICU as well. They love me here.'
'That's great, Miss Crabtree,' Katie said and paused. Poor woman seemed quite self-assured, but then, if she had indeed, worked there for years, she might be right.
'I was very upset when I heard what happened with Linda,' Katie said quietly.
'Were you?' Mavis replied without looking at Katie.
'Yes, Linda is a good friend of mine. She's very fond of you, too, I've heard.'
'Yes, yes, she is. We've been neighbours for years.'
'I hope Linda will make it. I'm worried about her.'
'But there is nothing to worry about, young lady,' Mavis said and finally looked at her. Her stare pierced Katie through.
'Nothing to worry about?'
'Of course, not,' Mavis shook her head, smiling. She yawned. 'Everything will be taken care of.'
The knot in Katie's stomach tightened. She bent forward. Ouch!
'You seem quite certain and calm.'
'Yes, I'm calm, very calm. It's all Linda's fault. She shouldn't have done it.'
Katie's heart flipped.
'Do you think she'd taken all those drugs to die? It doesn't sound like Linda at all.'
Mavis touched Katie's hand. A chill bolted along her arm, up right to her chest. Katie shivered.
'Don't worry,' Mavis croaked. 'Everything will be taken care of.'
Katie flinched and pulled her arm away from Mavis' freezing hand.
She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her galloping heart and swiped at a sticky bead of sweat on her temple. Who said that Mavis had gone a little batty?
'You've brought her biscuits?'
'Yes, I have. For Linda and the young vicar. And maybe even that awful inspector who's been interviewing them.'
'They look yummy,' Katie said lightly and smiled. 'What are they?'
Mavis wrapped her arms around the box and hugged it closed to her lap. 'They are not for you, young lady. Don't be greedy. Greedy people end up in hell.'
'Oh, are you sure?'
This conversation was becoming weird. She shouldn't have started it.
Mavis nodded, staring at Katie intently. Her pupils looked like tiny pinpricks in the middle of her greyish-blue eyes. She yawned again.
'Men are the worst. Their greed is lust. They go after other women. They lie. They use you for whatever they want, and then they dump you.'
A hot wave spread over Katie's body, adrenaline buzzed through her system. She pressed her hands to her stomach and discreetly massaged the sore area.
Greedy men who dump you? Who was she talking about?
Never mind, Katie. Just keep her talking.
The lift pinged again, but Katie barely registered it. She was completely immersed in the weird conversation w
ith Mavis Crabtree.
'You are a very caring person, Miss Crabtree, aren't you? You care about your neighbours...'
'I looked after my dad until he went to that horrible Willow Park place.'
'I know Willow Park. I've worked there.' Katie attempted a smile.
'They kill people there. Don’t send anyone to that place. My dad... He's like a vegetable there.
Katie vaguely remembered a certain Mr Crabtree.
'Who else did you look after?'
Mavis just blinked. Her head nodded off. She straightened herself and yawned again.
'You looked after your niece, Amy, didn't you?' a female voice behind Katie joined in.
Katie glanced over her shoulder to find Emily Robbs standing behind her! She nodded to greet her.
'Did you look after your niece as well? That's lovely,' Katie said, pushing on. The blood in her head was humming so loudly, she could barely hear her thoughts.
'I looked after Amy, ' Mavis said quietly. 'Poor Amy...'
Amy? Where did she hear that name recently? A ditched, used girl?
Mavis leant back. Her head fell backwards.
'She must be very tired, poor thing,' Emily said quietly, sitting beside Katie.
In the briefest of moments, Katie saw it all. The girl, the drugs, the revenge.
'Get Jack, now!' she snapped looking at Celia.
'He's busy.'
'Now! Do it!' Katie barked. Celia set her jaw and didn't budge.
Katie nudged Mavis. 'Miss Crabtree, when did you eat the biscuits?'
The woman grunted.
Katie jerked her head toward Emily.
'Bleep a nurse. Now. She's taken some of that morphine stuff. It's in the cookies.'
'Are you sure?' Emily stared at her.
'Check for yourself, doc,' Katie jumped to her feet, letting Emily take her place.
'Go and get him. Now!' she shouted to Celia before turning to Mavis. 'Miss Crabtree,' she said, trying to keep the urgency in her voice under control. She touched the older woman's shoulder and Mavis slowly opened her eyes. Emily moved swiftly to look at them.
'He was a horrible man, that Keith Starr, wasn't he?’ Katie said. 'He hurt your niece.'
'He did. She was such a lovely girl. So full of life. And he just used her and dumped her. A married man! A so-called Christian.'
Emily moved away and rushed to the corner by the lift. Her voice blended with the buzzing inside Katie's head.
'That's really bad, Miss Crabtree.'
'It's a sin. It has to be punished.' The woman's voice slurred.
'But you killed him. Killing people is a sin, too. You drugged his coffee, didn't you?'
'I did what I needed to do. He deserved to be taken out of this world. God will decide.'
'But why the vicar? He's God's man. He hasn't betrayed anyone. And Linda. Linda is your friend...'
'Oh, yes. Linda shouldn't have said that.'
'And the vicar? Was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time?'
Mavis nodded.
'That's why you had to kill them?'
Again, the old woman nodded.
'I think you’re very tired, Miss Crabtree. I'll take that box from you. I promise I'll pass it onto the right people.'
Mavis pulled the box closer, but Katie wrenched it from her grasp.
The lift pinged again, and the corridor filled with voices.
'Who's not well?' A female nurse rushed towards Mavis Crabtree. 'Mavis, are you all right?'
Katie moved aside, letting the medical team take over. A few seconds later, they’d taken Mavis from the waiting area.
Excellent organisation!
Katie leant against the wall. Her legs started to tremble. Her back was covered in cold sweat.
'Katie,' a soft whisper tingled her ear. Katie jumped. She’d been so engrossed in the conversation with Mavis she hadn't noticed what was happening around her.
'Jack! What are you doing here?' she croaked.
'You wanted me to come, so here am I.'
'Did you hear any of it?'
He smiled at her, his tired blue eyes sparkling. 'I think I heard the most important bits. I wish I'd listened to you earlier.'
You bet!
'Lesson learnt?' she said weakly, a tide of weariness washing over her body.
'Yes. Sorry. And thank you to Celia, too.'
Katie glanced over her shoulder. Celia was standing by the door.
'Sorry, Katie. I should have called him earlier,' Celia said and smiled.
'I'm really happy you did give me the chance to hear at least some of what Mavis had said.'
Katie shivered. Her teeth chattered. She pressed her back to the wall.
'Are you okay?' Jack asked softly.
'It's the stress and the tension coming down now,' Katie whispered.
'Let's go somewhere nice and have a hot drink,' Jack said and put his arm around her shoulders. A warm tingling spread over the back of her neck. He guided her toward the row of chairs.
'I just need to do one thing. Sorry, Katie. If I don't do it now...'
'I know,' she said quietly. 'I'll wait here. You go.'
'The box?' He stretched out his hand.
'I forgot I was holding it.' She passed him the plastic box with the chocolate chip cookies.
He disappeared behind the door. Celia followed him.
Katie stayed in the waiting area, her eyes closed, breathing slowly, forcing the muscles of her face to relax. She was so focused on that, she missed the moment Jack reappeared in the hallway.
'Let's go downstairs to the café.'
Katie opened her eyes and smiled, seeing Jack's pale, tried face beaming at her.
'Is Miss Crabtree okay?'
'I think you caught it early enough. They are giving her Naloxone to reverse the effect of whatever she put in those deadly cookies. Celia will let me know when she comes round.'
30
They sat by the window. Jack ordered hot chocolate for Katie and another coffee for himself. She didn't feel like eating anything: the drug-laced biscuits might have had something to do with it.
It would take her a while to get rid of that particular paranoia.
'How did you guess it was her?' he asked, putting the drinks on the table.
'A hunch. Nothing more than a hunch. I'll give you all the evidence and logic in a minute, but I need to calm my nerves first.'
He cocked his head. 'If you're hoping I can procure a little pink pill to help you, forget it.'
'No, nothing like that,' Katie waved her hand. 'How are Linda and Edward? Did you get anything from them?'
'The vicar has woken up. He's very weak but should make a full recovery. He confirmed he ate some of the cake and about half an hour later started feeling dizzy and unwell.'
'What about the day of Keith's murder?'
'He didn't see anyone on the pavement, or the road, or the bench.'
'I bet she was hiding behind the big flower pot.'
'I wonder what Miss Crabtree's going to tell us when she wakes.'
'How's Linda?'
'She's awake, too. Still a bit confused. I wasn't able to get much sense out of her. She kept repeating that she didn't want to die, and it must have been the same killer.'
'And it was,' Katie said, nodding slowly.
'How did you know?'
'The flask. Did you see a yellow flask in the crafts room last night?'
'I did. I thought you must have forgotten it and was going to ask you about it.'
'You'd better check what's inside.'
'Tea laced with poison?'
'Benzodiazepines, to be exact. Linda told me she'd only drunk a little. I had a sip, but it was too bitter. At the time, I thought the tea was stewed, but now, I’m sure it was the drug. Actually, I felt very sleepy after my sip, but I just put it down to general fatigue.'
'I'll sure check the contents. How did you connect all the pieces of the puzzle?'
'It was an instantaneous realisati
on. I think everything clicked when Emily said the name 'Amy'. Mavis' niece is called Amy, which is also the name of the girl Keith Starr had an affair with. Did you get any details on that?'
'Not yet, but I'll get a friendly team in Carlisle to check on it.'
'I wonder if Emily or Linda know more...' Katie paused and started to twirl the free strand of hair between her fingers.
'You always do that when you're thinking about something very hard,' he said softly.
A warm, soft tingling spread in her chest, and lower - finally releasing the tension that had besieged her stomach. He was paying attention to her. At last!
'I do?' She gave a light laugh. 'Anyhow, it's Emily who has been the key to everything. Last night, when she came to collect her baby from me, after Linda had landed in hospital, she said a few things about her mother. Ever since I saw Linda and Mavis on that walk Monday morning, I felt something was not quite right. Someone told me Linda ran. She doesn't run. Linda abhors getting sweaty. I don’t think she ran to the shop, she walked. Or maybe she ran a little way, got short of breath and had to stop. Either way, it must have taken her much longer to fetch the water for Mavis. And when I was at Linda's house yesterday, when she was preparing the tea for herself, Linda mentioned something about not seeing Mavis on the bench. Mavis insisted she was there and that Linda needed new glasses.'
'Do you think that was when Mavis decided to get rid of Linda, her supposedly dear friend?'
'Yes! She went home to get sugar. I think Mavis managed to find a way to add the drugs to Linda's flask, just as she managed to lace the piece of cake for the vicar. She must have overheard him saying something that worried her.'
He looked at her. 'You've done an amazing job, Katie. And all that just following a hunch?'
'Following a hunch, Inspector.'
He stretched his arm across the table and touched her hand. A tingling bolt shot up her arm.
'Thank you for helping me, yet another time.'
'You’re very welcome,' she said trying to sound as casual as a chest full of butterflies and cotton-candy knees allowed her.
'What convinced you to leave the ICU and come to see me? Was it Celia?'
'No,' he said and chuckled.
'What?'
'You'll laugh at me.'
'I won't!'
'Okay. Here it comes. So, Celia entered in a huff and grumbled something about you talking in an incoherent way with a little old lady and insisting that I come to see you.'
