Page 4 of The Truth Will Out (DI Sam Cobbs #18)

They moved to the large lounge, which had a modern feel to it—not what Sam was expecting at all. Melinda sat in the easy chair, and Sam and Bob chose the sofa.

“Where was he? Why did someone abduct him? Do you know?”

“Not yet. His body was found in the abandoned clinic in town, the one they’re supposed to be demolishing soon. ”

Melinda pulled a tissue from the box next to her and dabbed at her eyes. “Was he gone when you got there?”

“Yes, he was already dead. We’re not sure how long he had been there or why the killer chose that location. Do you have any ideas about that?”

“No, none at all. I’m not sure if he ever went there. I’m sorry, my mind is a blur. I can’t think straight. How? How did they kill him?”

Sam always dreaded when a relative asked that particular question. “I’m going to be honest with you. It wasn’t pleasant, but I really don’t think I should go into details, not right now.”

Melinda groaned and covered her face. She sobbed for a few moments and then dropped her hands and stared at Sam. “Don’t tell me he was cut up. I couldn’t bear the thought of him suffering while someone cut him into pieces.”

“No, not exactly, although an organ was removed from his body.”

Shaking her head, Melinda asked, “An organ? Why? Which part of him was taken? Oh God, please don’t tell me someone stole it to help out another person? You hear about these dodgy backstreet kidney operations going on all the time.”

“As I said, we’re unsure how or why your husband was killed at this early stage.”

“You haven’t told me which organ the bastards stole.”

After a moment’s pause, Sam confirmed the truth: “It was his heart.”

“That’s sick,” Melinda yelled. She rose from her chair, but her legs gave way beneath her, and she sat again.

“Why? Was he alive when they took it? He must have been if they intend to give it to someone else. My God, I don’t want to think about this, but I need to know.

This is too horrendous for words. I hope Robert didn’t suffer for too long. ”

“Without having the pathologist’s report to hand, I’m sorry, I won’t be able to answer your questions. I know that’s little to no comfort to you at this time.”

“You’re right, it’s not. What kind of warped individual rips out the heart of a doctor who has served this community well over the last fifteen years?

I can’t believe he’s gone, and in the manner that he was taken from me.

Do you have any clues as to who did this?

I doubt if they left a signed confession at the scene, but they might have left some form of evidence behind. Did they?”

“There was a message written on the wall of the room where your husband was found, which read, ‘Do no harm’.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean? My husband was a doctor. He never harmed anyone, not knowingly. Jesus, why has this person taken him from me? We’ve just celebrated our eighteenth anniversary, only last week, in fact. Now my life as I know it is going to change forever.”

“It’s too early to say why they chose your husband. Can you tell us if he’d received any threats over the last few months?”

Melinda thought about the question for a while, then shook her head. “Not that he told me.”

“What about the neighbours? Any issues there?”

“No, we’re quite friendly with all of them. Newcomers are arriving all the time, and sometimes it takes a while to get to know them, but I wouldn’t say any of them are nasty towards us. Far from it.”

“I have to ask, what about at the surgery? Had he fallen out with either his colleagues or any of his patients?”

Her head dipped, and she hitched up a shoulder. “I don’t really know; you’d have to ask them. Robert wasn’t really the type to bring his work home with him. He preferred not to discuss what kind of day he’d had, and I never pushed him on the subject either.”

“It’s the Hawsland Surgery, isn’t it?”

“That’s correct. Two other doctors work there.”

“We’ll pay them a visit. Are they aware that your husband had gone missing?”

“Yes, I rang them right away. They told me that my husband had visited an elderly patient on his way home. I’m assuming whoever abducted him forced him off the road after he left Mrs Evans’s house.”

“You gave us that information before. We’ve been reviewing the cameras in that area ever since but haven’t come up with anything as yet.”

“Where do we go from here? Can I see him, or is it too soon?”

“The post-mortem will take place over the next few days. I’ll pass on your details to the pathologist. He’ll be in touch when you can see your husband.”

“Thank you.” She plucked another tissue from the box and blew her nose. “What am I going to do without him? I left everything to him. He sorted out all the bills and was in charge of our finances. I don’t know how I’m going to cope now.”

“Is there a family member who can help you?”

“I have a sister living in Coventry. I hope this doesn’t come across as being unkind, but she’s worse than me when it comes to things like this.

I remember when our parents died over ten years ago, she left everything to me.

She struggled to handle the stress, so she’d be worse than useless if I rang and asked for help. ”

“I can appoint a Family Liaison Officer, if that will help?”

“Would you? I’m just lost. I don’t know which way to turn for the best.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll help you get everything sorted. Is there anything else you can tell us before we leave?”

“No, I can’t think of anything.”

Sam and Bob stood.

“Stay there,” Sam said. “We’ll show ourselves out. I gave you a card the other day, didn’t I?”

“Yes, when I popped into the station to report Robert missing—that seems like an eternity ago. I’ve barely slept a wink since then.”

Sam patted Melinda’s forearm. “Hopefully that won’t be the case today. Be kind to yourself and rest when you can.”

“Thank you, Inspector, for everything, and most of all, for being kind to me.”

“You’re welcome. I’m always here if you need me. I’m going back to the station now. I’ll get the FLO organised as soon as I return. Someone will be in touch before the end of the day, I promise. ”

Melinda nodded and leaned her head back in the chair. “Thank you again.”

Sam and Bob left her to it and returned to their cars.

“That went better than I thought it would,” Bob said.

“Still tough. Right, I’m going to shoot Tilly home before I go to the station. I’ll leave you to fill in the rest of the team. I shouldn’t be too long.”

“Take your time, bearing in mind that you’re supposed to be taking time off.”

“That’s over and done with now. We have a killer to catch.”

They jumped back into their respective cars just as the rain started.

“How’s that for timing, hey, little one? Shall we go and see what Auntie Doreen is up to?”

Tilly yawned. Sam sensed she had just woken her up. She was happy being in the car as long as she was with Sam.

Doreen was excited to see them, and Tilly was just as enthusiastic to see her. Her neighbour had also spent a fortune on toys to keep the pup happy during the day.

“Have many survived?” Sam asked.

“A few. Gosh, even the supposedly indestructible toys haven’t stood the test of time.”

“I’ll replace them for you at the end of the month.”

“You’ll do no such thing. It’s human company she’s craving. I’m sure she’ll settle down in a few weeks. Bless her, we don’t know much about her past. It’ll take her a while to get used to a proper routine. Did you enjoy your time at Coniston?”

“We did. We were chilling in the sun over there until Bob rang me. I’ve been at work for the last couple of hours.”

“What? Sam, you really need to tell them no now and again and be firm about it. You rarely get time off as it is.”

“I know. I don’t mind, especially when I have another murder case that needs solving. ”

“My, oh my. What is the world coming to? Until I met you, I never realised how many murders there were in this area. I hope you find the person responsible soon. Can you tell me who the victim is?”

“Doctor Robert Morgan. Without going into detail, he met a very gruesome death.”

Doreen stared at her and then slowly sank into her chair. “But… he’s my doctor.”

“Shit! Sorry, I shouldn’t have told you. Can I get you a glass of water?”

“No, it’s okay. Well, I never expected you to tell me that, Sam. How did he die? Or can’t you tell me?”

“I shouldn’t, but I know it won’t go any further. Sadly, the killer cut his heart out.”

“Did he have one? Oh gosh, I can’t believe I said that.”

Sam frowned and tilted her head. “What do you mean, Doreen?”

“I don’t like to speak ill of the dead, but I don’t think that man had a sympathetic bone in his body.”

“What? Has he always been the same, or has he changed recently?”

“He’s always been a bit off with me as far back as I can remember.”

“Why didn’t you change doctors?”

“You’re right, I should’ve done, but I couldn’t be bothered. The surgery is the nearest one to me, and now that I can no longer drive, I stayed with them because it was convenient.”

“You should have said something. We could have worked around it. Blimey, patients have the right to be treated properly by their own doctor.”

“They do. I put up with it because of my age. I’ve never been one for causing problems.”

Sam sighed. “I can’t believe you’re telling me this. I hope his replacement treats you better. As soon as they take over, I want you to make an appointment and get a thorough checkup, you hear me?”

“I do and I will. Despite his ignorance and the way he treated people, he still shouldn’t have been killed. Fancy removing his heart. ”

“I know. It didn’t make sense before, but now that you’ve told me what he was like towards you, it does. I think we have a lot of digging to do down at the surgery.”

Doreen cringed. “I hope I haven’t opened up a can of worms.”

“You probably have, but I’m glad you were open with me. This kind of information rarely comes out at the start of an investigation.”

Doreen offered a weak smile. “I’m glad I could help out, without realising I had. What will happen next?”

“Once I’ve changed out of my civvies, I’ll head for the station. I’m tempted to visit the surgery on the way back, but I think I’d rather leave that until tomorrow when my head is fully back in the game.”

“You do what you have to do and leave Tilly with me. I hope you manage to solve the case soon, Sam. As much as I detested the man at times, he still didn’t deserve to die, not the way he did.”

“No one deserved that, no matter how appalling he was to his patients. Thanks for confiding in me. You should have spoken up sooner, though.”

“I know. But I’m the type to just get on with life, you know that, Sam.”

“I know, but over the past year I’ve seen a noticeable change in your health.”

Tears brimmed Doreen’s grey eyes. “And there I was thinking that I had hidden it well.”

Sam leaned in and hugged Doreen tightly. “We’re here for you, Doreen. Please, please always remember that.” She released her and took a step back. Tilly jumped onto Doreen’s lap and started licking her face. “Tilly, no. Give Doreen some peace.”

“She’s fine. She’s such a friendly little girl. Go on, leave us to it. We’ll see you later. Does this mean you’ll be late home this evening?”

“I hope not. I’ll give you a call if that changes. Thanks again for looking after Tilly and for confiding in me about Morgan.”

Doreen raised a finger. “Now then, Sam, I know that look. Just because he was a bad man, it doesn’t mean that you can deal with the case differently now. Was he married? I have it at the back of my mind that he was. ”

“Yes. Bob and I visited his wife to break the news earlier.”

“Then do it for her.”

“I will. I promise. See you later.” Sam made a swift exit before Tilly realised what was going on and closed the door behind her.

Poor Doreen. How dare Morgan treat her and other patients badly? What was wrong with him? And a doctor, to boot. That’s his job: to care for his patients, and over the years he’s apparently failed in his duties. Damn, that means we could be dealing with a long list of suspects here.