Page 5 of The Truth Will Out (DI Sam Cobbs #18)
S am arrived back at the station thirty minutes later. The new desk sergeant was on duty and welcomed her.
“Hi, Jason, how’s it going?”
“Pretty good, thanks, ma’am. Sorry you got called in.”
Jason Collins had been at the station for years.
He’d jumped at the chance to fill Nick Travis’s shoes.
Nick had joined Sam’s team after the death of Alex, another team member.
There had been a lot of sadness for Sam to contend with in the past eighteen months or so, not forgetting the loss of two dogs, Sonny and Benji.
But that’s what life throws at you at times.
The good news was that she and Rhys had a wedding to look forward to in a few weeks.
Her sister, Crystal, who ran a bridal boutique in Workington, had everything covered on that front.
She’d told Sam to leave all the preparations to her to sort out.
Sam had made it clear they were on a limited budget, and Crystal had agreed to bear that in mind.
Whether that would be the case, she wasn’t sure.
Sam entered the code into the keypad and stepped into the inner sanctum of the station, where the public was forbidden access.
Bob made her a coffee as soon as she entered the incident room and brought her up to date. “I think we should visit the surgery ASAP, if only to see what kind of doctor he was.”
Sam took a sip from her coffee, then confessed to the team, “Ah, I already know.”
Bob retook his seat and frowned. “What? You’ve already been there?”
“Nope, I think we should go tomorrow. I was chatting to Doreen, my neighbour, when I dropped Tilly off, and she told me that Morgan had been her family doctor for years.”
“Wow, that’s a pretty big coincidence, considering the number of doctors we have registered in the area.”
Intrigued, Sam asked, “How many?”
“Twenty-odd. Saying that, the numbers have dwindled drastically over the last few years.”
“Doctors leaving the NHS?”
Bob nodded. “Yep, and who could blame them? It’s a bloody shambles, any idiot can see that, apart from the politicians, apparently.”
“That’s true. Let’s not go down that route. Let’s deal with the hand we’ve been dealt, eh? Anyway, Doreen told me that he was a bad doctor and often treated her appallingly.”
“Wow, is that right? Poor Doreen. Did she complain about him?”
“No, because the surgery is the closest to her, and she’s really not the type to air her grievances, as it were.”
“People need to complain. It’s their right to be treated properly by doctors. It’s the doctors’ job to care for people in their community. If he failed to do that, then he should have been reprimanded by the General Medical Council. Hey, I might contact them. What do you think?”
“That’s a great idea. Yes, we should get in touch with them as soon as possible. Has anything come through from the CCTV yet?”
“Not yet. The incident happened out in the sticks; no cameras were available.”
“Well, other than visiting the surgery, I don’t know where else we can turn. What about the clinic where he was found? Any connection to Morgan showing up there?”
The usually reliable Claire shook her head. “I had the same thought, so delved into it. I couldn’t find anything on record.”
“That’s not to say he didn’t visit the place,” Sam said. “Do we know what sort of clinic it was?”
“Alternative medicine,” Claire replied.
“That could mean anything. Let’s not rule it out yet. According to his wife, everything was hunky-dory at home and with the neighbours. Therefore, that only leaves us with one possible angle to tackle: a disgruntled patient, doesn’t it?”
“Unless there’s something going on in his past that Mrs Morgan wasn’t aware of,” Bob added. “And don’t forget what Des said about the way his body was dissected, or should I say, his heart removed?”
Sam placed a finger and thumb on either side of her chin. “That’s right. He told us the task was carried out with precision, suggesting that someone knew what they were doing.”
Bob clicked his fingers. “What about another doctor? Maybe he’s stepped on a colleague’s toes over the years, and they’ve found a way of getting their revenge on him.”
“By killing him and removing his heart? That’s a little far-fetched, even for you, Bob.”
“Worth looking into, if we’ve got nothing else to go on yet.”
The rest of the team nodded their agreement.
Sam sighed. “Reluctantly, I agree. I’ll leave you folks to it. There’s bound to be a desk full of mail awaiting my attention. Let me know if you find anything. Our hands are tied until the PM results come through.”
“We could visit the surgery,” Bob called after her.
“On my to-do list for tomorrow,” she reminded him, then closed the office door behind her.
She let out a weary sigh; so much for having some time off.
The last few months had been full-on for her and the team, with no reprieve between cases.
At least, that’s how it had felt at times.
Still, she had her upcoming wedding to look forward to, except, with the death of Sonny, she had to admit that her heart wasn’t really in it.
Although she wouldn’t tell either Rhys or her sister that.
Did she feel railroaded into marrying Rhys now?
Her head was so mixed up, she couldn’t answer that question.
It had seemed a good idea at the time when he’d asked her.
Stop it. I love him. That should be all that matters, not whether the timing is right or not.
She stared at her post for a few minutes, not having the inclination to get stuck into the onerous chore.
At the end of her unexpected deliberation, she gathered the brown envelopes together, dumped them in her in-tray and left her seat.
She removed her jacket from the back of her chair and opened her office door.
“I’ve changed my mind, Bob. Come on, let’s strike while the iron is hot. ”
Her partner leapt out of his seat. “I had a feeling you would.”
She smirked. “You think you know me so well. One of these days, I’ll surprise the hell out of you and do something off the cuff.”
He sniggered. “I doubt it. You’re far too predictable.”
“It’s better to be predictable than… nope, I’m not going there.” Sam glanced over at Nick Travis, whose mouth was gaping open. “You’ll get used to the banter around here, Nick.”
He laughed. “Will I?”
Sam winked, and she shoved Bob in the back to get moving. “If we’re not back by six, pack up and go home, folks.”
The time was three-thirty.
“Are you kidding me? How long do you think this is going to take us?” Bob asked as they raced down the stairs.
“It depends on how long it’s going to take us to get there and back. You know what the traffic can be like at this time of day.”
“I suppose you’re right. I never really thought about it. The traffic seems to be getting worse around Workington.”
“Damn roadworks are a pain in the rear. ”
When Sam drew up, she found the surgery car park half-empty. “This seems promising. It shouldn’t be too busy in there. I’m assuming most of these cars belong to the staff.”
“Possibly. We’ll soon find out.”
Bob opened the door for Sam, and she muttered, “Creep,” as she passed.
“Charming, and I thought I was being the perfect gentleman, for a change.”
“You said it… for a change.”
“You can go off people, you know, whether you’re my boss or not.”
Sam ignored him and approached the receptionist, who had looked up from her work when they entered. The waiting room was empty.
“Hello, can I help you?”
Sam produced her ID. “I’m Detective Inspector Sam Cobbs. Is it possible to speak to the person in charge? Would that be the practice manager?”
“Yes. Umm… Ruth is in with Doctor Hagan at the moment.”
“Could I interrupt their meeting?” Sam pushed.
“Ah, I’m not sure. It depends on why you want to see her.”
“It’s regarding Doctor Morgan.”
“Oh, I see. Let me check with them. Take a seat. I won’t be long.
” The receptionist jogged up the short corridor and knocked on the nearest door.
After an authoritative voice summoned her, she dipped her head into the room.
She returned with an older, officious-looking woman in her fifties.
“This is Ruth Webb, the practice manager.” The receptionist went back to her post but kept an ear open on what was being said.
Sam showed her ID and introduced herself and Bob. “Is there somewhere we can chat privately?”
“This is most unusual—to get a visit from the police. However, in the circumstances, please come with me to my office.”
Sam and Bob followed her to a room off the reception area. She invited them to take a seat once she’d removed a pile of files from one of the chairs .
“Excuse the mess. Because of what’s happened, I’m a little behind on my day-to-day paperwork.”
Sam smiled to put her at ease, then admitted, “I know that feeling. Please, you seem on edge. We’re not here to interrogate you.”
Ruth shook out her arms. “May I ask why you are here then?”
“We have some bad news to share with you.”
Ruth’s hands immediately slapped her cheeks. “No, please don’t tell me Robert is dead?”
Sam gave a brief nod. “I’m sorry, he is.”
“Shit! We were hoping this was all a mistake, that he’d taken himself off somewhere to clear his head, and now you’re telling me he’s not coming back.
Oh God. I can’t believe this. Does Melinda know?
Of course she does. You wouldn’t tell us before you’d broken the news to her, would you?
Oh, that poor woman. I bet she’s beside herself.
I need to give her a call to see if we can do anything to help her. ”
“In time. I’d leave it for today. She’s coping. I don’t think the news had fully sunk in by the time we left her. It would be nice if you contacted her tomorrow, just to let her know that you’re thinking about her.”
“I’ll do that,” Ruth replied, her voice quaking a touch. “I never thought it would come to this. Sorry, it’s come as a bit of a shock to me. I’m not sure if I’m going to be of much use to you.”