The Infirmary (DCI Ryan Mysteries prequel)(47)

“We need to move her,” he explained gently. “I’m afraid she can’t stay here.”

“I just need a minute,” Ryan said.

The other doctor’s pager beeped, and he gave them an apologetic half-smile before heading to the next emergency. Draycott gave him an absent pat on the shoulder as he left.

In his wake, Ryan stepped closer and forced himself to look down at the woman, at her bruised face and body which bore the evidence of days’ worth of torture. Her skin was so pale it was almost translucent, and he had no way of knowing how many days she had survived without food or water. It was a miracle she’d made it this far and yet, he’d hoped. He’d hoped so very much that she would live.

Ryan fell back on training while his heart quietly shattered.

“You were here when they brought her in,” he said, as the nurse moved around disconnecting tubes. “Can I have your name, please?”

“Me? I’m Joan Stephenson.”

“And who was I was just speaking to?” Ryan enquired, glancing over his shoulder in the direction the other doctor had taken.

“That was Doctor Edwards. He’s one of our senior consultants here,” Draycott told him. “You must excuse me, I’m needed elsewhere.”

Ryan gave him a straight look.

“I’d appreciate it if you could make yourself available at the first opportunity. I’ll also need you to set aside time for each of the attending members of staff here today.”

For once, Draycott didn’t argue.

“I’ll see to it.”

After he left, Ryan watched the nurse tuck the dead woman’s hands beneath the blanket and give them a motherly pat.

“I can hardly believe it,” she said. “Nicola was such a lovely girl.”

Ryan gave her a searching look.

“You knew this woman?”

Joan was startled.

“Well, yes. I-I think so. I recognise her from a placement she did in the department last year. She’s a student doctor. I’m sorry, I assumed you knew.”

“Do you know her full name? Anything else about her?”

Joan looked down at the girl’s face and her chest tightened.

“Yes, I think her name was Nicola Cassidy. I remember, because it reminded me of David Cassidy. You know, the singer?”

He made encouraging noises and signalled to Phillips, who was on his phone issuing a series of hushed commands to the team back at CID.

“As I say, she was a student doctor. I think she lived just around the corner. I’m sorry, I can’t remember much else.”

“Don’t worry, you’ve been very helpful,” he said. She had saved them precious time that was in short supply. “Tell me, who did Nicola work with while she was here? Do you happen to remember?”

She screwed up her face while she cast her mind back.

“Well, obviously, anyone who’s been here a while would have worked with her, like me; we’ve had a bit of staff turnover in the past few months, so that’s why I’m trying to think who would have been here. Mr Draycott, of course,” she said, listing a few other names. “Doctor Chowdhury, one of our consultants, and most of the nurses. They’ve been permanent fixtures for a while. I couldn’t tell you how many security guards we’ve had, or hospital porters and healthcare assistants. There was John—” She stopped abruptly, thinking of their former healthcare assistant. “But he’s—he’s gone now.”

“How about Doctor Edwards?” Ryan asked.

“No, Keir only joined the department in the New Year. He’s such a positive person to have around,” she added. “Never complains, just does his job and usually a bit extra, too. He’s just come off the back of a double shift and he was still the last one trying to save this poor lass.”

She tutted, reaching out to place the palm of her gloved hand on Nicola’s head.

“We see a lot come through these doors,” she said. “And, you know, we do our best for everyone. But sometimes it gets you, right here.”

She tapped her other hand against her chest.

“Yes,” Ryan said, simply. “She didn’t deserve this.”

Joan turned, busying herself to hide the sheen of tears.

“Right. Time to get going,” she said.

Soon after, the porter came to wheel Nicola away to the hospital mortuary and into Jeff Pinter’s waiting hands.

Ryan stayed beside her all the way.





CHAPTER 19


With a curious kind of detachment, Ryan oversaw the transfer of Nicola Cassidy’s body to the hospital mortuary and was there to witness Jeff Pinter’s surprise when he uncovered her face.

“I think I know this girl,” he said.

“Oh?”

Ryan’s eyes never moved from the other man’s face.

“Yes,” Pinter said. “She’s a student at the medical school. I’ve seen her quite a few times.”

“Professionally?”

Pinter heard an odd tone in Ryan’s voice and bristled.

“Yes, of course, professionally. What else?” He gave a nervous laugh. “She could almost be my daughter.”

“But she’s not your daughter,” Ryan said. “Tell me, Jeff. Where were you on Saturday evening?”