The Kate Fletcher Series

by Heleyne Hammersley

  Her words had exactly the desired effect. Maddie stopped and turned round.

  ‘Look,’ she said. ‘I appreciate your help but that doesn’t make us friends or anything. I’ve told you that I’ll pay you back as soon as I can. If you want you can have it in writing, we’ll draw up a payment plan so I can give it back in instalments. Whatever you want.’

  ‘What I want,’ Caroline responded, ‘is for you to come and have a drink with me. I just need somebody to talk to for an hour or so. I don’t care about the sodding money.’

  Maddie stared up at her, her expression unreadable. Caroline waited.

  ‘Okay,’ Maddie conceded. ‘One drink. And I’m buying this time.’

  She marched off along the pavement, leaving Caroline to hurry after her.

  Maddie’s choice of pub was very different from the wine bar that Caroline had chosen for their previous meeting – a chain establishment with a strangely inappropriate tartan theme running through the bar area. The carpet was green plaid, the dusty-looking curtains dark blue and black checks, and the seats were upholstered in varying shades and patterns possibly representing various Scottish clans. It looked like a Highland gathering had vomited across the whole pub.

  It was fairly quiet for a Thursday night, the traditional big night out in Doncaster, probably linked to the day that factory workers used to get paid – when there were still factories in the area. There was a group of women crowded round a table in an alcove next to the roaring log fire and a couple of older men nursing pints at the bar but the rest of the tables were empty. Caroline wondered if Maddie had chosen the place specifically because she’d expected it to be quiet.

  ‘What can I get you?’ Maddie asked, draping her damp jacket across the back of a chair.

  ‘Half a lager, please.’

  Caroline watched her as she crossed the cavernous room to the bar. The set of her head and her purposeful stride suggested that she was angry with Caroline for manipulating her, but that wasn’t important. They were here. It was time for the next part of the plan and Caroline had a good feeling about Maddie’s willingness to comply. Especially if she’d judged the nurse correctly.

  Maddie plonked the drinks on the table – coke for herself, Caroline noticed – and sighed heavily. ‘So, what do you want to talk about?’

  Caroline took a big gulp of her lager, relishing the cold fizz as it cooled her throat. ‘My dad,’ she said. ‘He’s in a bad way.’

  ‘It’s only to be expected,’ Maddie stated, her tone devoid of sympathy. ‘You knew what you were getting into when you decided to look after him. He’s only going to get worse.’

  ‘I know. It’s just not what I anticipated, though.’

  Maddie leaned forward, frowning as she urged Caroline to say more. ‘In what way?’

  ‘He’s not sleeping and he’s in constant pain. I’ve tried the Diazepam but it barely calms him down, and the Oramorph barely seems to touch the pain.’

  Maddie looked down at the table-top as though she was deciding whether to get involved. ‘Has he seen his GP? That should be your first port of call, really. Get the doctor in and he might be able to prescribe something stronger.’

  Caroline shook her head. ‘I’ve tried that,’ she lied. ‘Dad won’t have him in the house. I got the GP round but Dad refused to speak to him or to be examined. It’s like he’s determined to suffer through this and there’s nothing I can do.’

  ‘To be honest, Caroline, that’s his choice. If he won’t see the GP there’s not much you can do.’

  Maddie didn’t seem as sympathetic as Caroline had expected. She was clearly following rules and protocols but that was probably to be expected. She wouldn’t risk her career over one patient – unless she had to.

  ‘I need something stronger,’ Caroline said. ‘Something to kill the pain and get him to sleep.’

  ‘Then ask your GP.’

  ‘I’ve already asked. He won’t prescribe without examining Dad first. I feel like I’m just going round in circles. I thought you might help.’

  ‘How?’ Maddie’s voice was cold.

  ‘Like you did before. Prescribe something.’ Caroline was careful to emphasise before. Maddie had already crossed a line and a reminder might make her aware of her precarious situation – but even before she’d finished her sentence, the nurse was shaking her head.

  ‘You know I can’t do that. I’ve already put my job on the line once. I can’t risk it.’

  ‘I know. I understand,’ Caroline said. ‘But if I went to the hospital and asked for a repeat of the prescription that you gave me, would that put you at risk?’

  Maddie flushed. ‘You wouldn’t.’

  ‘I wouldn’t want to. But I’m trying to help a dying man. It’s not like I’m going to kill him – he’s not got long left anyway. I just want him to be comfortable. Come and see him if you want. Put your mind at rest that I’m trying to do the right thing.’

  ‘You know I can’t,’ Maddie repeated. ‘I can’t go to see him and I can’t give you another prescription. Even if I wanted to, it would look suspicious if I went into his patient record this long after he’s been discharged. Look. I’ll give you all the money back that you gave me. I’ll borrow it from somewhere else. I’ll pay you back next week.’

  Caroline smiled. ‘I don’t suppose it would look good if a patient’s daughter had given you a lot of money and suddenly you’re writing unofficial prescriptions for her?’

  Maddie’s shoulders sank in defeat. She couldn’t explain her way out of the money if anybody questioned her behaviour towards Dennis. It would look like she’d been paid for the prescription. One word from Caroline and her career would be in tatters.

  ‘You really are a bitch, aren’t you?’ Maddie said, dark eyes flashing with anger and humiliation. ‘You’ve got me exactly where you want me and I didn’t see it coming.’

  Caroline risked a wry smile. This had been almost too easy; she hadn’t expected Maddie to capitulate so quickly. Caroline hadn’t wanted to have to threaten Maddie but she could understand why the nurse was so reluctant to help. She tried to picture herself as Maddie must see her; ruthless, manipulative and without a conscience. Dennis had done his work well. His little girl was a real credit to him when she had to be. But, even as she heard her barely veiled threats, Caroline hated what she’d allowed her father to mould her into; what he’d made her. She needed this to be over so that she could move on and finally become her own person, if she could work out who that might be. And, for it to be over, she needed to use Maddie.

  ‘I’m sorry you feel that way,’ Caroline said. ‘All I’m trying to do is what’s best for my father. I know how people can suffer when they’re in the last stages of cancer and I don’t want that for him. I know he’s not helping himself but I still have to do something. Nobody needs to know about this arrangement; nobody needs to find out. All you have to do is prescribe a stronger tranquilliser and up his dose of morphine. As I said, it’s not like we’re killing him. If anything, I think it’s the compassionate thing to do.’

  Maddie stared at her as if she was listening to a foreign language. ‘Compassion? I doubt you’d know the meaning of the word. What about doing the right thing? The ethical thing?’

  ‘What’s the right thing?’ Caroline asked, surprised that Maddie was showing a spark of resistance. ‘Is it right to let somebody die in agony? Is that ethical?’

  Maddie shook her head. ‘There are regulations around drugs and end-of-life care. They’re there for a reason. How do I know you’re not just going to give him a massive overdose because you’re tired of looking after him?’

  So close, Caroline thought. Maddie had nearly hit on the truth but the plan was much more complex than she could ever have guessed and Caroline’s reasons were rooted much more deeply than in the events of the past few weeks. For a second, she was tempted to tell the nurse everything. The whole story. But what good would that do? She’d only end up sounding insane, and Maddie would probably go to th
e police just as Dennis had threatened to do all those years ago. No, this was the best way. Keep quiet and stick to the plan.

  ‘You’ll just have to trust me, I suppose,’ Caroline said. ‘If I wanted to kill him I could probably have managed with everything you prescribed the last time. Or I could give in when he asks for a large whisky.’

  Maddie took a small sip of her coke.

  ‘Will this be the last time?’ she asked, eventually.

  ‘It will,’ Caroline assured her, even though she had no idea how much longer she would keep Dennis in his current state. ‘If you give me enough to get him through the next few weeks – he can’t have much longer left. Are you sure you don’t want to check up on him?’

  ‘I think the less I’m seen with you the better, don’t you?’ Maddie said bitterly. ‘I’m hoping that I won’t have to see you or your father again after this evening.’

  ‘Then you’d better make sure I have everything that I need,’ Caroline said with a smile.

  Maddie glared at her. ‘If I add extra prescriptions to his records, there’s a chance somebody might notice. If I get caught I’ll tell the authorities everything. I’ll lose my job but I’ll make sure that you get into a lot of trouble as well.’

  ‘Looks like we both have something to lose then, if this goes wrong. All the more reason to not fuck it up.’

  Maddie flinched at the profanity.

  ‘So,’ Caroline continued. ‘Prescribe more of the same. Enough for a couple of months. Sedatives and morphine. Make the Oramorph a stronger dose as well. It wasn’t working when I used the last of it and I can’t give him a double dose every time.’

  ‘How do you want me to get the prescription to you?’ Maddie asked, her voice unsteady.

  Caroline picked up one of the drip mats from the table, split it with a fingernail and peeled off the branding on one side to leave a blank surface. She dug in her handbag for a pen and wrote down the name and address of Dennis’s local pharmacy.

  ‘Have it sent there; I can pick it up.’

  She gathered her coat and bag and stood up to leave.

  ‘And you can forget about paying me back the fifteen grand. Keep it. At least, that way you’ll not have to have anything else to do with me.’

  Maddie tried to splutter some sort of protest but Caroline held up a hand to silence her.

  ‘I know you won’t believe me but I really did want to help you. It’s just that I need you to help me as well.’

  She put on her coat, draped her bag over her shoulder and walked away from Maddie without looking back.

  It wasn’t until Caroline was in her car that her actions hit her and she shook uncontrollably as she tried to fit the key into the ignition.

  For the first time since she’d come up with her plan, she really believed that it might work.

  And that exhilarated and terrified her in equal measure.

  JANUARY

  Chapter 17

  The young man waiting in the interview room for Kate was clearly agitated. He sat hunched over, his hands clasped together on the table-top, one of his knees jiggling up and down as he tapped his foot. His dark hair was dishevelled and he looked in need of a shave. As Kate approached, his hopeful expression suddenly made him look like a child caught just on the cusp of manhood. His face was mostly angles and edges but his eyes were those of a ten-year-old promised an outing or a treat.

  ‘Finally,’ he said. ‘I’ve been here for ages. Have you got some news about my mum?’

  Kate pulled out a chair and sat down opposite him. She had the details of the autopsy report of the unknown woman in a folder which she had no intention of sharing with this young man, but which she might need to check physical details if he could tell her anything of use. She’d been told his name and that his age was eighteen but, other than that, she had no idea who he was or who his mother might be. She hoped, for his sake, that she wasn’t the woman who had been pulled from the canal two days earlier.

  ‘Right, Ethan, I need to get some details from you and then we’ll look at working out what might have happened to your mother.’

  ‘I think I already know,’ he said, his eyes suddenly bright with tears. ‘I think you found her body in the canal two days ago.’ He was struggling to keep himself together.

  ‘We don’t know that,’ Kate said, trying to reassure him. ‘Can I get some details?’

  Ethan nodded.

  ‘Okay,’ Kate said, carefully opening her folder to the brief notes she’d been given. ‘You’re Ethan Cox, aged eighteen? Is that right?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And your mother, Maddie, hasn’t been seen since she left for work two days ago?’

  ‘I don’t think so.’

  ‘Why did you wait to report her missing, Ethan?’

  He flushed at the question. ‘I wasn’t at home the first night. I went round to a friend’s to study and have a few beers.’

  ‘And your friend will confirm this?’

  Ethan nodded eagerly. ‘I was there all night. His parents and sister were there as well. I can give you their address and phone numbers.’

  ‘Okay. I’ll take those later. Can you tell me about that morning, the last time that you saw your mum? What was her mood? Did you notice anything unusual?’

  Ethan took a deep breath.

  ‘She left before me. She had an early shift; she works as a nurse at the DRI. She’d just had her breakfast when I got up, left me some coffee in the pot and two slices of bread in the toaster. There was nothing unusual.’

  Kate jotted a couple of words on the top sheet of paper in her folder.

  ‘And her mood?’

  He shrugged. ‘Normal. She’d been a bit down, I think. Her work is really stressful and she sometimes lets it get on top of her.’

  His consideration and expression were more adult than Kate had expected. This was a young man who was clearly aware of his mother’s life.

  ‘There’s nobody else at home? It’s just the two of you?’

  ‘Yes. It has been for the last ten years. My dad left us when I was eight and then he was killed in a car crash a couple of years ago. I didn’t really know him.’

  ‘And what about boyfriends? Was your mum seeing anybody?’

  Ethan smiled sadly.

  ‘No. She always said that she didn’t have time for romance. That I was the only man in her life. Daft really. I’m going to university at the end of this year and I’d always hoped that she might meet somebody after I’ve left. You know, company for her.’ He looked down at the table-top and ran his finger along a scratch in the surface.

  ‘I think she needs something more in her life other than me and work. She’s a good person, she deserves to be happy.’

  Kate felt herself warming to Ethan. His compassion and understanding made him seem mature way beyond his years. She really hoped that she didn’t have bad news. ‘Okay,’ she said with another swift look at her notes. ‘You’ve provided a description of your mother. About five feet five, long dark hair, brown eyes. Any distinguishing marks? Tattoos? Scars, that sort of thing?’

  Ethan shook his head. ‘She hated tattoos. Always threatened to disown me if I got one. She had a Caesarean scar from when she had me but there’s nothing else that I can think of.’

  Kate smiled, trying not to allow her dismay to show in her face. The description fitted perfectly and she could see from Ethan’s colouring that he could easily be related to the woman from the canal.

  ‘Do you have a picture of your mum? Maybe on your phone.’

  Ethan scrabbled in his jeans pocket for his phone. He tapped in his password and flicked at the screen, obviously trying to find the best shot of his mother.

  ‘There’s this one,’ he said, passing the phone to Kate. ‘It was taken at my eighteenth birthday party. My mates thought I was a bit sad for inviting her but she’d promised not to stay long.’

  Kate studied the image in the screen. The woman was wearing a dark red dress that made a stunning contra
st with her olive skin and dark hair. She was holding a glass of wine and smiling into the camera, looking slightly self-conscious. ‘Is this recent?’ Kate asked.

  ‘Last October.’

  She continued to look at the phone screen, reluctant to allow Ethan to see what might be in her eyes when she looked up. There was no doubt. This was the woman from the canal. ‘When did you expect her home?’ Kate asked, delaying the inevitable.

  ‘Late evening,’ Ethan said. ‘She sometimes went to a meeting after work.’

  ‘Meeting?’

  Ethan looked down at the table-top again. ‘GA. Gamblers Anonymous. She’d had a bit of a problem. But she was getting on top of it. She told me last month; said I was old enough to know what she was really like. She hoped I’d learn from her mistakes. I don’t think it was her GA night, though. I wondered if she’d been offered an extra shift at the hospital. She did that sometimes, slept at work for a few hours then carried on. She usually let me know, though.’

  Kate nodded, trying to work out the best way to break the sad news to him.

  ‘It’s her, isn’t it?’ Ethan asked suddenly. ‘The body in the canal; it’s my mum?’

  Kate slid the phone back across the table and held Ethan’s defiant stare. He wanted the truth and he was trying to be strong.

  ‘I think so, yes,’ she admitted. ‘The description matches and your photograph confirms it. We may need you to formally identify the body; she’s been examined but they’ll try to make her look just like she did when she was alive. I’m so sorry, Ethan.’

  The young man had started to breathe quickly and unevenly, obviously trying to contain his emotions. Kate wanted to hug him. He reminded her of her son Ben when he was upset, trying to fight the little boy inside who just wanted to cry and run to his mum.

  ‘What… what happened to her?’ Ethan asked. ‘Did she drown?’

  ‘We don’t know for certain, yet,’ Kate admitted. ‘We’re still waiting for some test results to confirm what we suspect.’

  ‘But she wasn’t attacked? It was an accident?’