Page 8 of The Truth Will Out (DI Sam Cobbs #18)

Bob downed the rest of his coffee and scrambled out of his seat. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. “I’m good to go.”

Ruth led them past the reception desk. Lucy glanced up and gave an awkward smile, then returned to her work. Ruth introduced Sam and Bob to Doctor Gail Attle, who invited them to take a seat. Her eye make-up was slightly smudged, as if she’d been crying.

Sam sat opposite her and said, “Thank you for agreeing to see us, Doctor. We realise how busy the surgery is.”

“Has Ruth told you how much time I have before my next appointment?”

“Yes, she’s made it perfectly clear.”

“I’ll leave you to it,” Ruth said and exited the room .

“I have to tell you from the outset how shocked I was to hear the news. Robert wasn’t the easiest person to get along with.

He could be stubborn and downright rude most of the time, but that doesn’t excuse someone choosing to kill him.

It’s so wrong. The world is made up of all sorts of different people, both good and bad.

Is that any reason to take someone’s life? ”

“Right now, we haven’t got a single idea why anyone would want to end his life the way they did. Our job is to find out more about his character and see if any of his colleagues can give us an indication as to why his life was ended.”

“You’re not accusing us of having something to do with his death, are you?”

“No, that’s not what I was suggesting at all.

I’m guessing you would have spent more time working alongside him than the average friend or relative, such as his wife.

Therefore, it would make sense that if anything had happened to spark someone’s anger towards Doctor Morgan, it would have taken place here, at the surgery. ”

“Well, if it did, I wasn’t aware of it. Ruth mentioned that he was found at the abandoned clinic in town. That news has baffled me. Why would he go there?”

“I don’t think it was his idea. We believe he was abducted, maybe kept there against his will for the two days he was missing, and then… killed.”

“Oh crap! That’s not something I had even considered. That poor man. Hold on, are you saying that he was tortured before he died?”

“We’re awaiting the pathologist’s report to verify how he died. What we know at present, and I’m only telling you this because you’re a doctor, is that his heart was removed.”

“Jesus. Why? Who would stoop to such a low level? It doesn’t matter how rude or offensive he was; he didn’t deserve to die at the hands of another person.”

“You’re right, no one does. We asked Ruth and Lucy if Doctor Morgan had fallen out with anyone at the surgery. They didn’t divulge any names, but I think he’d had several run-ins with patients over the years, hadn’t he? ”

“That’s true. Ruth did her best to step in and prevent the situation from escalating by switching those patients to either Helen or me.

Most of it was done on the quiet rather than set Robert off.

However, there’s no way any of those patients would have sought revenge; at least, I don’t think they would have. ”

“When was the last time a patient was transferred to either you or Doctor Hagan?” Sam asked.

Doctor Attle considered the question for a few moments, then replied, “Hard to say without checking the system.” She turned to her computer and brought up a file. “Ah, yes. Mr Winchell came over to me nearly a year ago. Surely that would be regarded as too long ago, wouldn’t it?”

Sam sighed. “Yes, you’re right. We’re looking for something that might have taken place within the last couple of months.”

She tapped her keyboard and shook her head. “No, I can’t see anything of note on the system. The last patient who switched to Helen was over six months ago; that was Mrs Cooper.”

“Not to worry. Thanks for your help.”

“It’s the least I can do. Is Melinda all right?”

“She was coping when we last saw her. Obviously, the news came as a shock to her. She’d been expecting him to return, just like you had. Do you all leave the premises at the same time at the end of the day?”

“Mostly. Why?”

“I wondered if Robert might have been ambushed in the car park, maybe after his shift?”

“Ambushed? By a disgruntled patient?”

“Yes, or possibly someone working at one of the neighbouring premises whom he might have had a run-in with.”

“Nothing like that has ever happened around here. We have a large enough car park not to affect the other business owners in the vicinity. I really do think you’re barking up the wrong tree, Inspector.”

“I see. Okay, maybe he dropped his guard with you occasionally and revealed what was going on in his personal life?”

Doctor Attle shook her head. “Sorry, it never came to that. We didn’t have any real personal chats.

I’m sure the others will back me up on that count, too.

He was a closed book to everyone. I honestly wish there was something that I could think of that might help you with your investigation. The truth is, there isn’t.”

“Not to worry, it was worth a shot. Would it be all right if we still spoke with Doctor Hagan?”

“Of course. She might come up with something to assist you. I’m sorry to have let you down.”

“You haven’t. Thank you for talking to us. We’ll leave you to get on with your appointments.”

“If you go back to the reception area, Ruth will tell you when Doctor Hagan has a free slot available to see you.”

“Thanks.”

Sam and Bob left the office.

“Another waste of time,” her partner grumbled on their way back.

“Keep the faith, Bob. I’m sure something will come our way soon. It has to.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

Sam sighed. “I haven’t thought about that. Doctor Hagan is our last hope, for now.”

“How did you get on?” Ruth asked as soon as she saw them.

“No good. We’re going to be reliant on what Doctor Hagan can tell us now. Any idea how long she’s going to be?”

Ruth consulted the list on her clipboard. “I’m afraid she won’t be free for another ten minutes or thereabouts.”

“Don’t worry. Can we sit here in the waiting room?”

“Feel free. I’ll let Doctor Hagan know that you’re waiting to speak with her.”

Sam smiled, and Ruth walked away from them. Sam stifled a yawn and closed her eyes for a few seconds.

Bob nudged her. “Hey, don’t you go falling asleep on me.”

She faced him and winked. “Would I do that?”

“It has been known.”

“Piss off,” she whispered.

Lucy must have heard her because she glanced up and laughed .

“Sorry,” Sam apologised.

“There’s no need. I can imagine how stressful your job must be. It’s good to have a bit of banter. It can often brighten one’s day.”

“It doesn’t happen that often, but yes, sometimes it’s called for to ease the tension during our day.”

Ruth returned. “Doctor Hagan finished her appointment early and said she’ll see you now.”

Sam and Bob leapt out of their chairs, eager to complete the interview and get back to the station.

“That’s great news.”

Ruth knocked on the furthest door and introduced them to the female doctor. She was in her early forties, had shoulder-length brown hair and was wearing a smart black jacket. Sam assumed that it belonged to either a skirt or trouser suit, but it was hard to tell with the woman still sitting.

“Thank you for agreeing to see us,” Sam began. “We shouldn’t take up much of your time.”

Ruth backed out of the room and closed the door behind her.

“To say I was shocked to learn of Robert’s death would be an understatement. Do you know why or how he was killed?”

“All we can tell you at this preliminary stage is the how. He was murdered. We believe the killer abducted him after the accident he had two days ago. His body was found in the abandoned clinic in town.”

“Yes, Ruth told me that. What can I do to help?”

“We’ve come to ask if you, or any of the other staff, could tell us whether Robert has been in any trouble lately, possibly with a patient, or if he’d had a dispute with one of the other business owners in the area.”

Doctor Hagan stared at the wall behind Sam, and after a moment or two, shook her head. “I’m sorry, no, I can’t think of anything.”

“Did you get on with Robert?”

“As well as anyone else did at the surgery. He was a strange man, to say the least. He didn’t mingle well and pretty much kept himself to himself. ”

“That’s what the others told us. Did he open up to you about his home life at all?”

“Not really. He just wasn’t the type. I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be awkward or anything.

I suppose the best way to describe him is to say he was angry most of the time and definitely not a team player.

To tell you the truth, it frustrated the hell out of Gail and me.

We tried our hardest to involve him in activities outside surgery hours, but he didn’t want to know. ”

“Okay. I’ll leave you one of my cards. If anything should come to mind after we’ve left, could I ask you or one of the others to give me a call? It would really help our investigation because, quite frankly, we’ve got little to nothing to go on right now.”

“I’m sorry. No doubt we’ll have a discussion about it after you leave. I promise you we’ll get in touch if anything comes to mind.”

“Thank you. Sorry to have disrupted your afternoon.”

“You haven’t, not really. Let’s hope you find the person responsible for Robert’s murder soon.”

Sam and Bob left the surgery. When they returned to the car, Sam noted the time on the dashboard—it was just after five. She sat there for a while without starting the engine.

“Are you all right? Do you want to share what’s going through that complex mind of yours?” Bob asked.

“I’m thinking. This car park is quite open. We know that Robert made a home visit to a patient the night of the accident. What if the killer was sitting in his vehicle, watching and waiting for him to leave work?”

“I’d say that was a given. Ah, I’m getting where this is going now.” He pointed at the small camera on the surgery wall. “Do you want me to go back inside?”