by L M Krier
'On my way,' he said shortly, grabbing his jacket and his car keys.
He broke several sections of the Road Traffic Act on his way to the pub. When he arrived, there was a police car outside the front door, its blue lights flashing. He screeched to a halt behind it, two wheels on the kerb, and raced inside.
Two uniform officers he knew by name were standing warily inside, batons drawn. He had worked with PC Susan Heap on occasion. The other was PC Jack Hargreaves. Ted knew the name of every officer in the station.
Trev was over near the bar, in a karate posture. There was an overturned table in front of him, broken glass strewn around the floor. Ted could see that he was very drunk, swaying on his feet, but still dangerous to tackle.
'I didn't want to spray him, sir,' PC Heap told him, 'but we can't get near him any other way.'
'I'll sort it, don't worry,' Ted told her, more calmly than he felt.
'We've got to be seen to arrest him, sir,' PC Hargreaves said, apologetically.
Ted nodded. 'I know, I understand. Just let me speak to him first. I'll get him to go quietly. That way no one will get hurt.'
'Trev,' Ted said, stepping forward.
Trev was drunk enough to take a high karate kick at him. It never found its target. Ted simply moved too fast.
There were still a few late drinkers in the bar, keeping well out of the way. Ted looked across at Dave, behind the bar, still keeping half an eye on Trev, and asked, 'Has anyone been hurt?'
Dave shook his head. 'Not yet,' he said meaningfully. 'What's got into him? I've never seen Trev the worse for drink before, and certainly not punchy.'
'I'm sorry for the disruption, Dave. He's had a bit of bad news today. I'll sort it,' he said again.
Even sober, Trev was no match for the superior technical skills of Ted. Drunk, he stood no chance. On his next attacking move, Ted had him pinned in an arm-lock, face down on the bar and totally immobilised, in a matter of seconds.
Susan Heap moved forward, holding out her handcuffs and putting her baton away.
Ted shook his head and said quietly to Trev, his mouth close to his ear, 'Don't make me cuff you, Trev. Just calm down and go quietly.'
Trev was crying now and just kept repeating, 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry,' over and over again.
All sign of resistance was now gone. The two PCs stepped up on either side of him and took hold of an arm each. Trev went meekly with them, taller and more powerfully-built than either of them but not showing any further signs of fight.
'Please be gentle with him,' Ted said as they walked away. 'I'll be there right behind you.'
He turned back to Dave behind the bar and took out his wallet. 'I'm so very sorry about this, Dave. Please see that everyone who's been affected gets a drink on me. Then add up the damage and I'll make sure that Trev comes in and pays you, and apologises. And thanks for phoning me.'
Before he drove off after the area car, Ted made a quick phone call.
'Bloody hell, Ted, do you know what time it is?' Kevin Turner's voice growled down the phone at him.
'Sorry, Kev, but you know that big favour you owe me? I'm calling it in, now,' Ted told him. Can you meet me down at the nick as soon as possible, please?'
There was more swearing but then Kevin said, 'This better be important. I'm on my way.'
When Ted got to the station, the two officers had taken Trev through and put him in a cell. Bill was on duty yet again as custody sergeant. PCs Heap and Hargreaves were standing talking to him. Ted went over to speak to them.
'I haven't started any paperwork yet, Inspector. I can't find a pen,' Bill told him shamelessly, despite the fact that there was one on the counter in front of him. He was being formal in front of the two constables.
'I appreciate that, Sergeant, but I don't want Trevor treated any differently to anyone else arrested for a disorder offence,' Ted told him. 'I would just like to arrange to take him home with me, on bail, if necessary. I've asked Inspector Turner to come in. I don't want anyone to be compromised.'
'Behave yourself!' Bill told him. 'The officers only had to bring him in for form's sake. It can all be sorted out without the need for bail or charges, I'm sure.'
'Resisting arrest?' Ted said pointedly.
'He didn't resist, sir, we were just having a little discussion when you arrived,' PC Heap told him.
'Criminal damage?' he suggested.
'Nothing deliberate, sir,' PC Hargreaves joined in. 'He just lost his balance and knocked the table over.'
Kevin Turner must have broken a few traffic laws himself, as he came into the station at that point and, with a nod at his officers, he invited Ted to follow him to his office, where they both sat down.
'Now what's all this about Trev?' he asked Ted. 'I phoned Bill on the way and he filled me in. It's not like Trev to get stinking drunk. What's going on?'
'He's had some bad news today and it's knocked him for six,' Ted told him. 'Both of us, really, just Trev hasn't handled it very well. I don't want any special treatment, I just want to be able to take him home. I don't want him spending the night in a police cell.'
'You didn't need me here for that. You know Bill would have been happy to sort it for you,' Kevin said. 'My officers think a lot of you, and of Trev. I don't think there need be any charges.'
Ted started to protest but Kevin interrupted, 'Shut up, Ted. If it went to court he'd get a slapped wrist and a fine, which you'd probably pay. What's the point? Take him home, dry him out and make sure it doesn't happen again.'
Ted tried to thank him but Kevin waved it aside. 'The home staff tell me my dad's had a few visitors these last few days. I really appreciate that. This is the least I can do.'
The two men shook hands warmly and Ted went off to the cells to collect Trev. He was sitting on the cot, knees drawn up, arms wrapped round them. He had clearly been sick on the drive to the station. There was vomit on his normally immaculate clothes and he smelled strongly.
'Come on, you, let's get you home and cleaned up,' Ted told him gently.
Trev was in tears again, his voice thick with them. 'I'm dying, Ted,' he wailed forlornly.
Ted smiled. 'You're not dying. You're just very drunk. Come on.'
'I am! I'm going to die young and I don't want to. I want to grow old, with you.'
Ted took his arm, helped him to his feet and took him home. He had to stop a couple of times for him to be sick again. When he got him home, he had to practically undress and shower him as Trev was beyond doing much to help himself.
He got him into bed, carefully positioning him so that if he vomited again he would not inhale it. Then he left him to sleep, checking on him frequently to make sure he was all right.
He knew he would not sleep much himself but he tried to catch whatever he could downstairs on the sofa. The cats, who doted on Trev, refused his company on this occasion, smelling as he did, even after the shower.
As he sat on the edge of the bed on one of his trips upstairs, Ted looked at Trev's perfectly toned and fit body. He wondered how it could be that the generous heart beating inside that muscular chest could possibly be so treacherous.
In the morning, he took him up a cup of tea and a large glass of water. He was worried that the stimulant effect of coffee might not be a good idea.
'Right, let me tell you how it's going to be,' he said quietly. 'When you've had your tea, you're going to get a shower. You still stink of booze. Then put your walking gear on. We're going to the Dark Peak. We're going to walk and talk, and I'm going to tell you everything I've found out about this condition and what we can do about it. It's going to be all right.'
'I'm scared though, Ted,' Trev said in a small voice. 'Scared and feeling dreadfully betrayed. They were so disappointed with me that they had to make another child immediately. And I never even knew I had a sister.'
'I know. I understand. But first we have to make things right. So tomorrow, after work, you're going to call in at the nick, grovel to Kevin and then apologise
to the two PCs, if they're on duty. Then you're going to go and see Dave to pay him for the damages.
'In the meantime, I'm going to see about getting you an early appointment for these tests. The sooner we know what we're dealing with, the easier it will be to handle. And none of this is negotiable.'
He gave Trev a brief hug then pushed him away to arm's length.
'But you really do still stink. Go and get in the shower.'
Chapter Twenty
Monday morning. Traditionally the worst day of the week for absenteeism and unpunctuality. Ted was pleased to see that Jezza was almost on time. Perhaps there was hope for her yet.
Sal was not in. He was taking a lieu day after working the weekend. Virgil had also worked the weekend but he was saving his day off until Friday. He was constantly in the doghouse with his wife as she didn't like his chosen profession and kept trying to persuade him to change. He had booked a surprise long weekend in Paris, hoping it might at least get her off his back for a while longer.
Ted gestured to Mike that he would be joining them shortly. He had been glued to his mobile phone since first thing, trying to get through to the surgery to make an appointment for Trev. The number seemed to be permanently engaged. Even normally mild-mannered Ted was getting close to losing his temper with sheer frustration.
Eventually, he managed to get through and secure an appointment for early evening the following day. Once that was done, he went through to the main office to start the briefing.
'Sorry about that, just something important I needed to take care of. Right, where are we up to?'
Jezza spoke up first. She never seemed to show any reticence in doing so, even as the newest member of the team. A shrinking violet she was not.
'Jane Applegate. Limekiln House elderly care home. Small, friendly but clearly the same problem as in the others. Even if they had enough staff to keep giving the residents enough drinks, then taking them to let it all out again, they clearly don't do it. It seems she wasn't the only one to have to be carted off to hospital with dehydration and UTIs on occasion.
'The manager and staff confirmed she used to have visits from her former cleaner, from when she lived at home. The manager told me her name was Annie, described her as short, plain, grey hair and glasses, local accent, late forties, wearing what she called cheap clothes which she said stank of cigarette smoke. And yes, she always used to take in some home-baked cakes and treats for Mrs Applegate.'
'But Annie this time, not Angie or Angela?' Mike asked.
'I'm just coming to that, hold your horses,' Jezza told him, but it was more a joking tone than her usual sarcastic one. 'I had a long chat with the manager, Margaret. Nice woman, clearly kind-hearted and does her best for the old folk. But she's under constraints from the higher management in the group, which is why she doesn't have enough staff to do the job as she'd like it to be done.
'I noticed something else, too. She's really quite deaf and she doesn't appear to use a hearing aid, so she often gets words wrong. I asked some of the staff about Annie and they were all convinced she's called Angie. Another positive sighting, I think.
'It looks like, for some reason, Angie hadn't yet dished up a fatal dose to Mrs Applegate in the home before she was carted off to hospital with the UTI. So she's clearly gone there to finish the job off while she had the chance.'
She looked round expectantly, clearly hoping for some praise, or at least acknowledgement, of her work. It was not Mike's style. Ted would normally have said something encouraging but he was too distracted.
'We have to find this Angie,' Ted said. 'Jezza, I want to get you in undercover in one of the homes, see if you can spot her. At the very least, get an address and preferably a real name so we can check her out.'
'Which home, though, boss? There are a lot and she's already hit four of them, in all probability,' Mike said.
'I favour the fondant fancy home, whatever that's called,' Ted replied.
'Cottage Row,' Jezza said. She had clearly been doing her homework on the case and had the details off pat. 'Our Angie seems to have been getting ready to strike there but has probably had to bide her time if they're implementing the food ban rigorously.'
'I don't want any heroic stuff, trying to apprehend her or anything at this stage,' Ted said warningly. 'We haven't a whisker of a case against her. All we want at the moment is an address, but how do we go about getting that without arousing her suspicion?'
'I had an idea,' Jezza responded. 'What about a customer satisfaction survey? Get the home to fill one out, tick-boxes on how visitors viewed the home, that sort of thing, and asking for contact details?'
'You really think an intelligent poisoner is going to fall for a trick like that?' Steve asked, to everyone's surprise.
'Have you got a better idea, genius?' Jezza snapped back.
'All right, settle down,' Ted said levelly. 'No need for in-fighting. It achieves nothing and it's not how we work.'
'Why not just watch initially? Make sure the food ban is in place so the risks are minimal. Then if this so-called Angie person comes in, try to get a car registration number? That way we can at least run a PNC check on it?' Rob suggested reasonably.
'And if she clocks me looking at her number plate, then does a runner?' Jezza asked, her tone now taking its familiar sharp edge.
'Don't let her, then,' Steve retorted. 'You're in undercover, you need to keep a low profile. If she clocks you she'll just go underground.'
'At least that would stop the killings,' Jezza spat.
'But it wouldn't get justice for the families of the victims.' Steve was looking red in the face and surprisingly angry now.
'That's enough, you two!' Ted said sharply.
All of the team members looked at him in amazement. It was so unusual for him to raise his voice at all that they were shocked. Maurice spoke first.
'Are you all right, boss?' he asked anxiously.
'Perfectly fine, thank you, Maurice,' Ted replied more calmly. 'I just don't want bickering in the team. You're professional police officers. Please behave as if you are.'
He took himself off to his office. He needed time to regain control. He was so worried about Trev he had passed another nearly sleepless night. It had left him feeling scratchy and on edge.
Mike followed him in, again with the briefest of knocks before he came in.
'Seriously, boss, are you all right?' he asked. 'You're not yourself.'
Ted sighed. 'Sorry, Mike. I shouldn't have snapped, but it was getting like the playground out there. What's got into Steve?'
Mike chuckled. 'He certainly doesn't like the newcomer daring to criticise, that's for sure. Give them time, they'll settle down together. And we will crack this case, boss, like we usually do.'
'Can you make arrangements with the home to get Jezza in there, posing as a care worker, please, Mike? What was the name of the home again?'
'Cottage Row, boss,' Mike said, with a frown. It was not like DI to forget a detail, either. He knew there was no point in pressing him about it, though. The boss could make a clam look open and talkative when it came to his private life.
Ted sighed again and rubbed his hands over his face, as if he could rub away the tiredness and anxiety he felt. Then he looked at Mike and said again, 'Sorry, Mike, I'm not totally on top of it at the moment. Trev and I had some bad news at the weekend. It's a bit knocked the wind out of us both.'
The DS looked concerned. 'Anything I can help with?'
Ted shook his head. 'The advantage of not sleeping much, though, is that I had an idea about your bed-blockers theory. One for Steve.'
He got up and went to the door, opened it and called across the room to Steve.
'Can you come in here a minute, Steve?'
The TDC got to his feet looking stricken. He could see that the DS was also in the boss's office and was worried about what might be in store for him. Neither Ted nor the DS had ever had to reprimand him before. His behaviour was normally exemplary.
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There didn't seem to be a spare chair. The DS was sitting in the only one he could see so he stood stiffly, looking anxiously from one man to another.
'I'm sorry about before,' he began.
Ted waved his apology away. 'Just don't let it happen again. I have enough on my plate without breaking up playground fights in the incident room.
'Now, the DS's idea about bed-blockers. I think there could be something to it. I'm going on the assumption that Mrs Protheroe was the first victim. She's certainly the first one we know about. I want you to go through the local papers, weekly and evening, starting at least three months ago, possibly six to be on the safe side.
'You're looking for anything about a relative of someone who died complaining of lack of beds. Particularly anything with a suggestion that old people were blocking beds. You know the sort of thing, and you've got the computer skills to find it. Anything at all, no matter how tenuous.
'Mike, get someone on to the hospital. I want to know if there have been any complaints over the same time-frame from anyone saying the same thing. I suspect they might not be all that unusual, but they will all need checking, even any which were later withdrawn.
'Right, Steve, get on with it, and let's have no more aggro, please.'
The TDC scuttled out of the door, clearly relieved, and headed straight back to the comfort of his computer.
'Mike, you'll need, of course, to send Jezza in at whatever time this Angela has been going to this home. Is it afternoons again? And you'll need to impress on her she must be there for those hours, no sloping off. If necessary, she can come in a bit later to even out her shift, as long as she puts the hours in.
'Let's hope she can get us a lead. I don't like being four victims into a murder enquiry without a single reliable name for a suspect.'
Ted headed for his kettle as Mike was leaving the office. Through the open door, he saw the Ice Queen stride into the main office, looking formidable, as she always did. All of the team members leapt to their feet at the sight of her. Jezza reacted just sufficiently more slowly than anyone else for it to be noticeable.
'Good morning. Please sit down everyone. I don't wish to disturb you in the middle of a trying case,' the Ice Queen said. 'DC Vine, I'm sorry I have not had the time before now to welcome you to the station. I hope you are settling in well?'
