Page 6 of The Truth Will Out (DI Sam Cobbs #18)

“It’s okay, take your time. We realise how difficult this must be for everyone who knew him. However, in order for us to move the investigation forward, we need to try to understand how Doctor Morgan was murdered and, more importantly, why.”

“I understand that, but I’m not sure if I can tell you anything. Yes, we worked together. Other than that, I didn’t really know him. He preferred to keep himself to himself. He wasn’t the type to join us when we arranged an evening out, not like the other doctors at the surgery.”

“That matches what his wife told us,” Sam said, choosing her words carefully. Although she trusted what Doreen had confided in her, she still needed to get an all-round picture of what Morgan was like from the people who had known him best, his colleagues. “What was he like to work with?”

Ruth fidgeted in her chair, then looked Sam in the eye and said, “Putting it simply, there were days when I got the impression he didn’t want to be here. He could be stubborn, I suppose, more difficult to work with than the other doctors at the surgery.”

“I see. How did that translate when he dealt with his patients?” Sam had a rough idea by what Doreen had told her, but her aim was to see if Ruth would confide in her.

Ruth glanced around the room and heaved out a sigh.

“Oh God, I hope I’m not struck down for saying this, especially now that Robert is dead…

he wasn’t the best. Excuse the pun, but sometimes his patience when dealing with the patients left a lot to be desired.

It could be awkward some days. I’ve been out there, filling in for Lucy on reception, when he’s sent a patient off without appearing to have listened to them.

A couple of them have raised concerns about his lack of empathy in the past.”

“A couple of them? Have those concerns ever turned into a complaint?”

“That’s where I come in. It’s my job to ensure that never happens.

I’ve had to move some of the patients off Robert’s list to one of the other doctors without him realising it.

It’s a balancing act, being a practice manager.

It’s my duty to ensure everyone is happy…

although, saying that, Robert was a tough character to keep happy most days.

” Her gaze dropped to her clenched hands.

“I’m sorry if that came across as being disrespectful; I didn’t mean it to be. ”

“It didn’t. Thank you for being honest with us. Did his attitude towards his patients raise any other concerns for you? By that, I mean, did any of the patients, or possibly a family member of theirs, come to the surgery and make any threats towards him?”

“God, no. Heaven forbid that should happen. He really was a law unto himself. I think his demeanour has changed severely over the last few years. I did my best to try to speak to him about it, but the shutters always came down, and he refused to open up to me. Even Doctor Hagan tried to find out what was going on with him, but he ended up telling her to bugger off. She found it upsetting at the time and backed off. Her attitude towards him changed after that encounter.”

“Are you telling us that there was an atmosphere here at the surgery?” Sam pushed, intrigued to learn more.

Ruth shook her head and then, after a few seconds, nodded. “I suppose there must have been, even though I refused to believe it was possible. I don’t know about you, Inspector, but if there’s a bad penny within the ranks, it can make life awkward for everyone within a workplace.”

“Absolutely, and it was your job to keep the peace at all times, right?”

“I tried. It didn’t always work out that way. Let’s just say I’m glad there aren’t a lot of employees here.”

Sam smiled. “Maybe things will return to normal for you.”

Ruth’s eyes widened. “I suppose they will, not that I would have wanted this outcome to solve the issue. I think his heart was in the right place, maybe some of the time. At Christmas, he always gave a large donation to the charity the surgery chose to raise money for, so he couldn’t have been all bad. ”

“That’s good to hear. Has there ever been any trouble here at the surgery because of his off-hand approach to people?”

“No, not really. Most of the patients just accepted him for the way he was. He’s not the only doctor I’ve dealt with over the years who was a bit off with his patients, but I’d say he didn’t hold back from showing his intolerance to the patients, if that makes sense?”

“It does. Tell me, did he ever confide in you or any of the other members of staff?”

“Confide in us? Regarding what?”

Sam shrugged. “Anything. What was going on with his personal life. If he had any issues, either personally or professionally, that were taking their toll on him, perhaps?”

“No, definitely not. As I said earlier, he generally kept himself to himself. Sometimes we’d meet up outside of work, you know, go for a meal or the theatre as a group, and although we made a concerted effort to invite him, he always declined.

He made every excuse under the sun as to why he couldn’t attend, even if we tried to work around him or change the dates for the outing.

He often got nasty if we pushed him too hard.

In the end, we stopped inviting him, which was a shame because I felt it put a wedge between us.

Maybe it did, and maybe it didn’t. It might have just felt that way sometimes. ”

“I understand. Do you think all was well at home with his wife?”

“I think so, but who can tell these days? Maybe he was having an affair, and that’s why he didn’t want to meet up with us. But then again, I might be talking crap. It’s probably the latter, if I’m honest with you.”

“Do you know Melinda very well?”

“I used to. I’d say she’s distanced herself from the surgery in recent years. Again, I’m not privy as to why that would be.”

“That’s interesting to know, thank you. Is there anything else you can tell me that you might have found odd about Doctor Morgan in recent months?”

“No, not really, other than his anger mounting at times at the merest hint of things going wrong.”

“As in, his patience snapping?”

“Yes, that’s exactly how I would put it.”

“Okay, as the surgery doesn’t appear to be busy right now, would it be possible to speak with the other members of staff, including the other doctors?”

“We might not appear busy to you, but at this time of day, the other doctors are in their offices, calling patients or doing the necessary paperwork to keep the practice going.”

“I appreciate that. We’re prepared to wait until they have some spare time, maybe between patients.”

“I’ll need to check with them to see how busy Doctor Hagan and Doctor Attle are this afternoon.

As for the other members of staff, there’s only Lucy, who you met at reception.

I can take over from her for ten minutes if you want a quick chat with her next.

That’ll give me time to assess the doctors’ diaries. ”

“That would be great. Thanks. ”

“You can use my office. I’ll ask Lucy to come in and see you. Would you like a drink?”

“No, don’t worry, we’re fine, thanks.”

Ruth left the room.

“Huh, speak for yourself. My mouth is drier than sandpaper right now,” Bob complained.

Sam rolled her eyes. “Maybe we can ask Lucy to make you one after we’ve spoken with her. How’s that?”

“Better. You need to look after your staff or they’re likely to go on strike. Just saying.”

“Poppycock. You do talk a lot of twaddle when you’re pushed into a corner.”

Their conversation was interrupted by a quiet knock on the door.

Sam jumped out of her seat to answer it. “Hi, Lucy. Don’t be shy, come in.”

“Umm… Ruth said that you wanted to have a chat with me.”

“That’s correct. Take a seat.”

“In Ruth’s chair?”

Sam smiled and nodded. “Why not?”

“Have I done something wrong? I’ve never had a reason to have a chat with the police before, either at work or outside.”

Sam raised a hand. “Please, there’s no need for you to be concerned. All we’re doing is making general enquiries. We’re hoping you can help us with our investigation.”

“Investigation? Into what?”

“I take it Ruth hasn’t told you why we’re here today?”

“No, she’s told me nothing. That’s why I’m bricking it, sorry, why I’m worried about seeing you.”

“Please don’t be. You’ve done nothing wrong. Are you aware that Doctor Morgan went missing two days ago?”

“Yes. Ruth and I have been rearranging his appointments in his absence. It’s unlike him to go off the radar without telling either of us where he’s going or when he’ll be back.”

“Unfortunately, we have some bad news to share with you.”

Lucy frowned and sat forward. “What’s that? Has he been arrested? I know his car was found damaged. Don’t tell me he had an accident and didn’t report it?”

“No, it’s nothing like that. Doctor Morgan was found dead this morning.”

“What? No, you must be wrong. He can’t be dead. How? Was he hurt during the accident? We wondered where he had got to. Did someone take him to the hospital? I rang all of them in the area to see if he had been admitted, but they couldn’t tell me anything. Was he dazed and confused?”

Sam struggled to keep up with all the questions Lucy was firing at her. “Let’s get one thing straight: there is no suggestion that he died because of the accident.”

“I don’t understand. What are you saying, then?”

“That he was murdered.”

Lucy slapped a hand over her mouth and fell back in her seat. The executive chair dwarfed her slight frame. “No, he can’t have been murdered, not Robert.”

The way she uttered her boss’s name caused Sam to question their relationship. “How well did you know him?”