Deadly Motive

by DS Butler

She watched the scenery fly past as the taxi drove along. The driver had been kind when he picked her up at the hospital’s main entrance, opening the door for her and asking if she were okay.

  When she caught sight of her reflection in his rearview mirror, she could see why he had been concerned. She was pale, even more so than usual, thanks to a night without sleep, and there was something etched in her face, like she was bracing herself for something. He probably thought she was sick.

  The taxi pulled into the parking lot outside O’Connor’s offices, and she was relieved to see O’Connor’s Audi parked outside. She pulled some money out of her purse and paid the taxi driver.

  On the drive over, it had started to rain. A very fine rain, almost like mist; it clung and left droplets of moisture in her hair.

  She made her way up the wooden stairs and rapped on the door of the temporary building. Dr. O’Connor’s labs were still under construction, so he had to use these temporary buildings for his office until the new building was ready. Hopefully, the new labs would be ready by the time she started working for him.

  The door was opened by Suzy, O’Connor’s assistant. She was smiling, as usual. She always looked so happy. She apologised, telling Ruby she had shut the door because of the rain. Ruby told her it didn’t matter.

  Suzy went to tell Dr. O’Connor she was here and Ruby shrugged off her coat. It was warm in here. There were no radiators, but Suzy had two portable electric heaters plugged in and running full blast.

  Waiting for O’Connor, Ruby gazed out of the small windows at the grey clouds and shivered. Accepting Suzy’s offer of a cup of tea, she sat down on the small, hard sofa opposite Suzy’s reception desk and listened to her talk about her young son, who had just started school.

  When Dr. O’Connor, finally emerged from his office, coffee mug in hand, Ruby had been waiting for twenty minutes.

  “Ruby, did we have an appointment? Sorry, I must have forgotten,” he said, eyes wide, the picture of innocence.

  Ruby knew better. O’Connor liked to feel important, hence his habit of keeping people waiting. Basically, he liked to have his ego stroked, but Ruby didn’t have time today.

  “No, we don’t have an appointment, but I do need to talk to you quite urgently.”

  He put on a pained expression. “Seeing as it’s you, I can give you a few minutes, but I do have to leave soon for a meeting.” He shrugged with a “What can I do, I’m just so in demand” look. “Perhaps, next time you could make an appointment?”

  “Perhaps, next time I won’t have just come from the hospital,” Ruby said. “Professor Clarkson was attacked last night.”

  “Mike? Jesus, what happened?”

  “Someone hit him with a bottle. Pretty hard, too. He has a concussion.”

  O’Connor put his mug on the reception desk. He leaned against the wall, as if he needed the support.

  Ruby stood and picked up her coat. “But I guess you have a meeting, so I should go.” Ruby knew that was cruel, but she couldn’t resist it.

  “No, no. Sorry. God, how awful. Come into my office. I’ll cancel the meeting. This is more important.”

  He put an arm around Ruby’s shoulders and led her into his office.

  Inside his office, O’Connor fussed around her, pulling out a chair, taking her coat and asking if she wanted more tea.

  She refused the offer of tea and waited for him to sit down. But he couldn’t seem to settle. He sat for a brief moment before getting up again and staring out of the window, shaking his head. A few seconds later, he pulled his chair around to Ruby’s side of the desk and sat opposite her, so their knees were touching. He reached for her hand.

  “Okay, tell me what happened,” he said.

  Uncomfortable, Ruby pulled away her hand. She told him how she had discovered the professor last night.

  Once she managed to reassure him that Professor Clarkson would be okay and probably would be going home tonight, she moved onto the real reason for her visit.

  “I went to the lab to look through the aconite samples you gave me.” Ruby paused, waiting for what she said to sink in.

  O’Connor stopped fiddling with the button on his sleeve and looked at her.

  “I wanted to see if any of the samples you gave me four weeks ago were missing,” Ruby said.

  O’Connor frowned. “And?”

  “Sample 1B. They were all there except sample 1B.”

  O’Connor nodded slowly and stood up. He wheeled his chair back around the desk to its original position and stared out of the window.

  Ruby waited.

  When he turned back to face her he was smiling. “Interesting,” he said and sat down at his desk.

  Ruby leaned forward. “I need to tell the police there is a sample of aconite missing, and I am not going to be able to do that without mentioning your name. I wanted to let you know so it wasn’t a shock when they come to you, to ask questions.”

  O’Connor tilted his head and smiled. “Perhaps you don’t have to mention my name. Why do you have to bring me into it? Could be detrimental to the project, especially when we are trying to get more funding for an extra research scientist next year.”

  His use of ‘we’ wasn’t lost on Ruby.

  “This is much more serious now; I mean, Professor Clarkson has been attacked. You know I have to tell them they’re your samples.”

  O’Connor held up his hands. “Okay, let’s think this through. We both know that these samples can’t have poisoned anyone, right? They were too dilute.”

  Ruby sighed. “I don’t know.”

  “Come on, logically, could the amount of aconite in that sample have poisoned him?”

  “Well it was dilute, but…”

  “But what?”

  Ruby licked her lips and tried to swallow; her mouth was dry, despite the cup of tea she had finished minutes ago.

  “How do I know what was in those samples?” she whispered. “I only have your word for it.”

  O’Connor was silent for about ten seconds before bursting into laughter. He clamped a hand over his mouth in an effort to stop, but he couldn’t. His shoulders heaved up and down.

  “So, you think I put some extra aconite in those samples, just so they would be stolen and used to poison John Weston, who, by the way, was funding my work?”

  “Is he the only one funding the project?”

  He waved away her question. “And you’ve come here to confront me, the dastardly murderer, with your theory. All alone? Aren’t you brave?”

  “Of course I don’t think you poisoned him. I was making a point. You prepared the samples, only you really know what is in them.” Ruby rubbed her eyes. “I’m tired, I’ve been up all night. I just thought I should tell you what I am going to do before…”

  “Okay, look, I promise you, Ruby, hand on heart, those samples contain nothing that would hurt anyone. The thing is if you report this now, the funding won’t go through and you and Alex won’t be working with me next year.”

  “You’re saying if I tell the police, I won’t have a job next year?”

  “It isn’t a threat, Ruby. It’s the truth, I won’t get the funding this time around if they even suspect my work may be involved.”

  He waited a moment for Ruby to think about what he was saying, then said, “You could still tell them a sample was missing.”

  “Just don’t mention your name, right?” Ruby shook her head.

  “I think that would be for the best.”

  74

  It could have been worse. When Larry was leaning over him, trapping him against the car and shouting at him through lips that were greasy from his KFC dinner, Ted had been paralysed with fear. It was a huge relief when Larry called the police.

  Ted thought the police would listen to his side of the story, take one look at the state of the dogs and arrest Larry. But they weren’t interested in Larry, they had come for Ted.

  Ted had tried, unsuccessfully, to tell the police about the dogs. They paid no atten
tion at all, even when he showed them the photographs on his mobile phone. He explained that he was working undercover to get evidence against Larry.

  “Of course you were,” the detective sergeant had replied, in a tone usually reserved for a three–year-old child.

  When Ted was released, the first thing he did was phone his mother to let her know he was all right.

  The second thing he did was return to the lock-up.

  As long as he didn’t get cornered, Ted was confident he could outrun Larry. Larry was a great hulk of a man, but he was at least twenty years older than Ted and would hardly be able to break into a jog, let alone run after Ted.

  If the authorities did nothing to help the animals, Ted had already decided to bring Paul and Jayne back tonight to help liberate all of the dogs.

  As he approached the lock-up, the silence surprised him. No dogs were barking and it was eerily quiet.

  Larry’s van was not parked in its normal spot. It was lunchtime, so he may have gone to get food. Ted doubted Larry or his daughter had ever missed a meal.

  As the silence continued, Ted wondered if Larry had moved the dogs. He walked around the back of the lock-up, trying to keep his footfalls light. He walked around the corner and saw the front door of the lock-up was open. He froze. There was no barking. This was bad news; The dogs weren’t there.

  He walked to the entrance. He wanted to make sure Larry hadn’t left any sick or injured dogs behind.

  Ted stood just outside the entrance, standing far enough away to make sure he could make a quick getaway if he needed to.

  The inside of the lock-up was in shadow, but he could see that a figure was moving about. The figure was too thin to be Larry or his daughter. Ted stepped forward and his left foot kicked a small pebble on the floor. It only made a soft scraping sound, but the figure turned and walked towards him.

  As the figure moved closer, Ted could see she was a middle-aged woman, with sharp features, and she held a camera.

  “Can I help you?” she asked.

  Her fierce expression contrasted strongly with the polite words.

  Ted took a step back. “Where are the dogs?”

  He saw she was wearing a uniform and read the RSPCA label on her shoulder, and he smiled.

  “Oh, you’re RSPCA, thank God. I was so worried about the dogs,” Ted said and gestured inside the lock-up.

  Her pinched expression relaxed. “Are you the one who reported the owner?”

  Ted nodded vigorously. “Yes, has he been charged?”

  The woman stepped out of the lock-up to join Ted in the daylight and blinked up at him. “Not yet. But we are hoping to get him banned from ever owning animals again.”

  Ted shivered. That meant Larry was still out there, free to track Ted down. “What about the dogs? Are they okay?”

  The woman pulled a face. “They were in a pretty poor state when we got them, riddled with worms and infections. Some will have to be euthanised, but I think the majority will pull through.” She smiled at Ted to soften the news.

  “I was wondering about a couple of dogs in particular... One, a Jack Russell puppy, he had an injured leg?” Ted saw the woman bite her bottom lip and he swallowed the rest of his question.

  She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I think he was one of the unlucky ones.”

  Ted was quiet for a moment.

  “There was an older dog too, a Labrador. She had this funny habit of turning in circles? Do you know if she is okay?”

  The woman frowned. “I’m sorry. I don’t know. I remember the Jack Russell puppy, but not the Labrador. There were a lot of dogs rescued. You could call the centre. They may be able to help you.”

  The woman excused herself and went back to taking photographs, leaving Ted to stare into the lock-up and wonder if he could have done more.

  75

  Charlotte and Mackinnon arranged to meet Ruby in Blenheim Tea Rooms, in Woodstock.

  Mackinnon would have preferred to stay in Oxford all afternoon, but he knew he would have to travel back to London, for the briefing. It would be easier if he could just stay in London, at least until this investigation was over, but he was trying to spend as many nights in Oxford as possible.

  Commuting from Oxford wasn’t ideal when he was involved with a case like this, but Sarah still hadn’t come back home and Chloe was sleeping badly. He felt like he had to be there.

  Sarah had phoned Chloe yesterday, but she refused to tell her mother where she was staying, and the phone call ended in a screaming match.

  Ruby was already sitting at a table when Charlotte and Mackinnon arrived. She waved them over.

  “I’ve already ordered.” Ruby gestured to the pot of tea in front of her. “Wasn’t sure what you would like so I ordered tea. Have there been any new developments?”

  Charlotte didn’t seem to notice the question. She was grinning. “This tea room is brilliant, I couldn’t place it at first...”

  Mackinnon frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  “This place. They filmed a Miss Marple here. Must have been a while back, though,” she said, looking around.

  Ruby smiled. “You’re right, it was an episode called Nemesis, Joan Hickson, I think.” She shrugged. “I’m a Marple fan, too.”

  “Well, as interesting as this is, we have a few more questions for you, Ruby,” Mackinnon said. “We’ve had a very interesting conversation with Gus.”

  Ruby sipped her tea.

  Mackinnon kept his eyes fixed on her. “Why didn’t you tell us you and Gus were an item?”

  Ruby struggled to swallow the tea. “What? We aren’t an item.” She shook her head. “Gus would not have said that.”

  “He didn’t have to say it, we just read between the lines.”

  Ruby looked at both Mackinnon and Charlotte in turn. “That’s what your investigation has come up with?” She shook her head. “Gus and I are friends, nothing more.”

  “And six months ago?”

  Ruby put down her cup, jarring it on the saucer. “We were friends then, too, DS Mackinnon. I don’t see why this is important.”

  “Were you ever more than friends?”

  “Why is this relevant?” Ruby looked towards Charlotte.

  “Humour me,” Mackinnon said.

  “Fine. We were more than friends, or an item as you call it, very briefly, when we were undergrads.” She shrugged. “It didn’t work out, and we just stayed friends.”

  “So there’s nothing between you now then?”

  “No.”

  “There is nothing between you that might explain why you gave him a cloned copy of your access card and didn’t mention it to us?”

  Ruby’s eyes narrowed. “Actually, DS Mackinnon, I did say the entry recorded on your printout might be due to a cloned copy of my card. If you recall, you responded sarcastically and dismissively to my suggestion, so it is hardly surprising I didn’t volunteer information that would drop my friend in it.”

  “You should have told us,” Charlotte said. “It isn’t for you to decide what is relevant and what isn’t.”

  Ruby didn’t answer at first but eventually shrugged. “Okay, I should have mentioned it. Sorry.”

  “Fine. So to get back to our questions, you gave him the card six months ago?” Mackinnon asked.

  “It would have been about that, yes.”

  “And no one else has one. There are no other cards knocking about we should know about?”

  Ruby shook her head “No, there aren’t any others.”

  “I believe you. I have another question for you, maybe you can redeem yourself?”

  Ruby leaned forward, took a sip of her tea. “Go on.”

  “Even though you’re just friends, I gather you are still pretty close to Gus?”

  Ruby shrugged. “He’s a nice guy. We’re good friends.”

  “Well, this may sound irrelevant to you, but I couldn’t help noticing that Gus is a bit shaky. He’s got an involuntary twitch, like a tic. I mean, it isn�
�t too obvious. I wondered if he has always had it or if it is something he developed recently?”

  Mackinnon had purposefully kept his tone light, but Ruby blanched. She pulled at her scarf as if it were too tight around her neck.

  “Can’t say I’ve noticed.” Ruby stared at her half empty cup of tea.

  Mackinnon tilted his head slightly. “Come on. As close to Gus as you are? You must have noticed it.”

  Ruby looked up. “So it’s just a twitch. Lots of people have them.”

  Mackinnon nodded. “They do. But I was wondering about Gus. Is it something that happens when he gets nervous?”

  Ruby swallowed. “I think you should be asking him, not me.”

  “You’re probably right, but I didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable.”

  “So you’re asking me instead, getting me to talk about him behind his back.”

  Mackinnon shrugged. “It is just a twitch. I didn’t think you would find it such a big deal.”

  Ruby shook her head. “I don’t. It is just like you said, probably brought on by nerves.”

  “I hardly noticed it myself,” Charlotte said. “But I did wonder why he is living at home and not in student digs or in one of the colleges?”

  Ruby pushed her tea away. “It’s his mum. It’s just the two of them there now, so I guess he doesn’t want her to be on her own.”

  “So it is just him and his mum?”

  Ruby looked up. “What are you trying to say?”

  “I’m not trying to say anything, just asking you a few questions about Gus,” Mackinnon said.

  “You sound like you are trying to cast him in the role of sad misfit who would go around poisoning people. You’re wrong. There’s no way he would be involved in anything like that. He’s happy, outgoing and popular. He doesn’t fit your stereotypes just because he lives at home.”

  “No, of course not,” Mackinnon said.

  “Loads of people our age still live at home; they can’t afford to do anything else. In China, it’s normal.”

  “Yes.”

  Ruby leaned forward so she was eye to eye with Mackinnon. “Gus is a lovely guy, he really is. There’s absolutely no way he’s involved in this.”

  “I am sure he is.” Mackinnon said. “So no secrets then?”