The Infirmary (DCI Ryan Mysteries prequel)(59)

The room was filled with the sound of his heart-rending sobs as he rested his head on his arms and let out all the grief and worry, all the lonely hours he’d spent contemplating ending it all.

“I’m so sorry. God, I’m so sorry.”

Lowerson began to record the time and put a stop to the interview but MacKenzie stayed him with a subtle hand on his arm.

“Will, your mum’s death isn’t looking like a revenge kill,” she told him. “Whatever might have been threatened, whatever you think might have happened, might not be the case. We won’t know for sure until you give us some names and some dates.”

He swiped the sleeve of his jacket across his face, smearing mucus across his cheek.

“Put an end to this interview immediately, or I’ll advise my client to make a formal complaint of police harassment,” the solicitor stormed.

“Is that what you want, Will?” MacKenzie asked, very softly.

Two, maybe three seconds passed by before he drew himself up again and shook his head.

“I’m ready to talk.”





CHAPTER 25


After Will Cooper had purged himself, Ryan and Phillips went in search of the Head of Emergency Medicine. According to Cooper, he had never stolen any drugs, but he had ferried them from one place to the next. One time, he’d seen a man he recognised making the drop-off and that man was one of the pharmacists at the RVI hospital, located a stone’s throw from the Dental Hospital. If pharmaceutical products were going missing regularly, the hospital must be aware of it.

Furthermore, Sebastien Draycott was on the hospital committee, next in command after the Medical Director who was—maddeningly—still out of the country. If anyone was aware of a discrepancy in their logs, it ought to be Draycott. The fact that he hadn’t mentioned it when questioned was a black mark against him from the outset.

There was a slight chill in the air by the time they reached Draycott’s home on one of the city’s smartest roads. It was a towering feat of Art Deco architecture that spoke of wealth and taste, as well as extreme order. The gardens were exquisitely manicured, and a snazzy little Aston Martin was parked behind the tall security gates, polished to a high sheen.

“This is it,” Ryan said, executing a nifty parallel park on the kerb outside so that his car was sandwiched between two souped-up Range Rovers.

“It suits him,” Phillips remarked, and thought that he much preferred his little three-bed semi. “Looks like the doctor’s in residence, too.”

“Ah, but he’s a surgeon. We mustn’t forget that, must we?”

Phillips snorted.

“How d’ you want to play it?”

Ryan locked the car and looked up at the house.

“He gets one chance to come clean,” he said. “After that, it’s open season.”

Phillips rubbed his hands together, in anticipation.

“Ma—”

He was cut off by the sound of Ryan’s phone ringing.

“No caller ID,” Ryan said, then answered. “Hello?”

“H-hello? Is that Detective Chief Inspector Ryan?”

“Yes. Who’s calling?”

“This is Eileen. Eileen Spruce, Sharon’s mum.”

Ryan held back a sigh, thinking that there was no time to spend consoling grieving relatives, much as he might want to.

“Hello, Mrs Spruce,” he said. “How can I help?”

“Yes, well, that is—I don’t know if it’s important or not. Only, I’ve found something that Sharon left at my house,” she said.

“What’s that, Mrs Spruce?”

“Well, Sharon had dinner at my house a few days before… It was the Friday night before she died.” He heard her take a deep breath as she tried to collect herself and remained silent while she waged her battle. “While she was here, she told me she was a bit worried about Will. To tell you the truth, Chief Inspector, he hasn’t been himself lately. He used to be such a kind boy,” she said.

“Did Sharon say why she was worried?” he pressed.

“She only said he’d got himself into a bit of trouble at the university. I assumed he’d cheated on one of his exams or something like that,” she said. “He hasn’t told me and, to be honest, I’m frightened to ask.”

Ryan shifted the phone to his other ear and thought that this was nothing they hadn’t already learned.

“I’m sure Will can get himself back on track,” he said, lamely.

“Yes, I hope so,” she said. “But that’s not really what I was ringing about. I’m sorry, I seem to have gone off on a tangent.”

“Take your time,” he said.

“Thank you,” she sniffled, and blew her nose loudly down the line. “It’s about the file.”

Ryan exchanged a look with Phillips and signalled for a notepad and pen.

“What file?”

“Well, it’s just that Sharon left a notebook and one of her files at my house. I mentioned it to her at the weekend and she said she’d come by and collect it but, of course…she never did.”

“Did you find something in the notebook that worried you, Mrs Spruce?”

“I didn’t mean to pry,” she said quickly. “I suppose it was just something Sharon had left behind, and it reminded me of her. I haven’t been able to go back to her home; the forensic people are still working there.”