When I'm Old and Grey: DI Ted Darling Book III

by L M Krier

  Jim gaped at him, stunned.

  'Bloody hell, Ted. Bloody hell,' was all he could manage to say to begin with. Then, 'But he's so fit. Not a spare ounce on him.'

  'It's the way it goes with this condition. No advance warning. We just have to wait and see.'

  Bella appeared on the patio, just outside the French doors.

  'James, the meal is going cold. Are you two coming in?'

  There was an unmistakable note of reproach in her voice.

  As they moved off up the garden, Jim put an awkward hand on Ted's shoulder and gave it a clumsy pat.

  The rest of the meal went well. Ted had a moment's anxiety at the prospect of eating the Black Forest gateau which Bella had made, obsessed as he was with the case. But he did eat it and it was delicious.

  Ted was quiet for the rest of the evening, leaving Trev to turn on the full charm, which clearly already had Bella under his spell.

  When they were leaving, Jim walked them to the car.

  'I'm really sorry, Jim, once again,' Ted said contritely. 'Please make my excuses to Bella. Tell her I'm under stress at work. Or certifiable, or something. She's very nice, and no, I don't think she's a serial killer.'

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  'Try to sit down,' Ted said quietly, as Trev paced the small room like a caged animal. There were other people waiting and from the looks on their faces, Trev was making them nervous with his prowling.

  Trev flung himself back in his seat and said tersely, 'What, in case I drop dead of a heart attack in the waiting room?' Then he immediately looked apologetic. He reached for Ted's hand and squeezed it hard.

  An older man, sitting alone opposite them, frowned and looked disapproving. Trev immediately put an arm round Ted's shoulders, leaned closer and gave him a lingering kiss on the cheek. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Ted could not suppress a smile at the man's shocked reaction.

  'Behave,' he said fondly, in a quiet voice, to Trev.

  He was so anxious himself he could not begin to imagine how Trev was feeling. He kept hold of his hand and squeezed it back in what he hoped was a reassuring gesture.

  A woman in a white tunic put her head round the door of the waiting room and asked, 'Mr Armstrong?'

  Trev jumped to his feet, keeping hold of Ted's hand. Ted got up to go with him.

  'Just you for now, I'm afraid, Mr Armstrong,' the woman said firmly. 'Your friend can wait here. Then when all the tests are finished and you're having a chat with the consultant, he can come with you.'

  She gave Ted a friendly smile and said, 'We'll take good care of him, I promise. It's all pretty straightforward. Don't worry, I'll bring him back in one piece as soon as I can.'

  It was Ted's turn to pace the waiting room, in the face of more disapproving looks from the man opposite. Eventually he went out into the corridor and got his mobile phone out to call Mike, asking to be brought up to speed. At least it would take his mind off what was happening to Trev.

  'The carer Gillian Shaw checks out perfectly, boss,' Mike told him. 'Tight alibis, nothing in her behaviour to suggest anything to worry us. She's the same as Stacy. Started out at Snowdon Lodge, didn't like it, didn't get on with the management, so moved to Limekiln and is much happier. So far I'm not convinced about the other one, Mandy Griffiths. I think she's one you saw when Mrs Hibbert was first taken ill?'

  Ted remembered her. Large, lacking in sympathy, clearly not in the low-paid work for the love of looking after elderly people.

  'She's the one who's also worked at the hospital?' he asked. 'So she would know her way around there well enough. Alibis?'

  'Day off when Jane Applegate died at the hospital and no alibi. Says she was at home all day, alone, doing housework. On duty the day Betty Hibbert died, as you know. She could easily have been in a position to give her the cake, or to let in an accomplice. Although I still have no idea what the motive would be. Also on duty the day your gran died, so the same things applies.'

  'Hang on a second, Mike,' Ted asked and put his head hopefully back into the waiting room. There was no sign of Trev. Logically, he knew he would not be back yet, but he wanted to make sure he was there when he did return. A couple came walking down the corridor towards him and went into the waiting room, looking anxious. Once they were out of earshot, Ted spoke again.

  'Listen, Mike, I made a bit of a prat of myself at Jim Baker's on Saturday night. I was practically interrogating his new lady-friend at the dinner table because she wears coloured contact lenses and likes to bake. But it did make me think of a different angle we need to check on, soon, as it opens up another possibility for a motive.

  'Do we know if all the residents in all the homes pay the same rate for their rooms? Is the price fixed or does it go up? I'm just wondering if some, who may have been residents for some time, are tied in to a lower rate. Is it more lucrative for the homes to lose a resident, then bring one in at a higher fee?'

  Mike let out a low whistle. 'Now that would be a seriously cynical motive,' he said. 'I'll get some of the team onto checking that. Rates, length of stay, variable contracts, that sort of thing. So where does that leave us with the lovely Angela? Is she connected to the financial side of it?'

  'I really have no idea about Angela. I'm starting to wonder if she is just a coincidence, maybe not always the same person. The Big Boss reminded me that such things do happen in life,' Ted said, using Jim Baker's old nickname from when he was in the same station. 'Oh, by the way, when was it you needed me to cover for you, Mike, for your theme park outing?'

  'It's on Saturday, boss,' Mike replied and Ted groaned inwardly. He had had a bad feeling it would be. Saturday was Rupert and Willow's wedding. Trev was going to kill him if he had to interrupt that for work.

  'Who's on duty?'

  'It's Sal and Jezza,' Mike told him.

  'Fine,' Ted said, even more disconcerted, but trying not to show it. He hoped this was not going to be another occasion when Jezza let the team down. It would be the first weekend she had been on the rota to work. 'I'll be at a wedding, so tell them my phone will be switched on, but on silent. Ask them to keep it to real emergencies only to call me, please.

  'I'll hopefully be in later today, but I have no idea when. Oh, and get someone digging a bit deeper into the background of this Mandy Griffiths. I didn't much take to her when I met her. I'd like to know more about her. I may drop in on Snowdon Lodge again myself later today, if I get time. I still need to pick up my gran's things. I'll see what else I can sniff out while I'm there.'

  Ted went back into the waiting room and sat down. The disapproving man had disappeared, presumably having gone for his appointment. Ted picked up an old copy of National Geographic and started to flick through it, although he couldn't really settle to much.

  After what seemed like an eternity, Trev reappeared. He had a small piece of cotton wool, held in place with a strip of surgical dressing, in the crook of his elbow, where he had clearly had bloods taken. Ted got up and went to him, anxiously scanning his face.

  'How was it? What now?'

  Trev nodded to the door and Ted followed him out.

  'Now I have to trot down the corridor and wait outside the consultant's room,' he said, leading the way. 'No one has told me anything so far, but apparently he will tell me all he can for now. They were very thorough. They've scanned every mortal bit of me and taken an armful of blood.

  'I was wired up to a machine and had to run on a treadmill, stripped off to my grundies. The technician in charge of that was flirting with me and he couldn't take his eyes off my pecs,' he added with a small teasing smile.

  The consultant didn't keep them waiting for long before he opened the door. He had thinning, light sandy hair, and his face and the arms which protruded from his short-sleeved shirt were liberally sprinkled with freckles. He had the same outdoorsy air as Bizzie and looked to be of a similar age.

  'Mr Armstrong? Please come in and take a seat. I'm Douglas Campbell, your consultant.'

&n
bsp; 'This is my partner,' Trev indicated Ted. 'Can he come in as well?'

  'But of course,' the man beamed expansively.

  He turned and led the way into his office, inviting them to sit down. Then he sat at his desk opposite them and opened a large folder, which contained various X-rays, ECG traces and other results.

  'Now let me say from the start, so as not to raise your hopes too high,' he began, looking at Trev over the top of half-moon glasses, 'that I don't yet have all the information to hand. So I'm afraid at this stage, I can't give you a definitive answer. I need to wait for the blood test results to be absolutely sure. What I can tell you, from the results so far, Mr Armstrong, is that you are currently in very good physical shape, with no signs of anything sinister. Do you work out to keep as fit as that?'

  'Martial arts,' Trev said shortly. He was too nervous to be his usual polite and charming self.

  'Excellent! I just wish more of my patients took such good care of themselves. It would make my life a lot easier. Now, I am going to do my best to get you the test results as soon as I can. The moment I have them, I will contact you again to come in to hear the findings.

  'Bizzie Nelson is an old and dear friend. We've known each other since childhood, did med school together. Believe me, when she tells me to jump, my only question ever is how high,' he chuckled at his own joke.

  'I'm sorry I can't tell you more at this stage but it would be wrong of me to do so. I imagine that in your profession,' he looked at Ted as he spoke, 'you cannot go on guesswork alone and it's the same for me.

  'Now, I know this is easy for me to say, but not for you to hear. Please don't worry. It serves no purpose at all and could do you more harm than good. Carry on living your life as normal for now, and above all, continue to take such excellent care of yourself.'

  He stood up and shook hands with both of them.

  They walked in silence out of the hospital and back to Ted's car.

  'What do you want to do now?' he asked Trev. 'Go home? Get something to eat?'

  Trev shook his head. 'You need to get back to work, catch your killer,' he said, and cut across as Ted opened his mouth to speak. 'I think I'd quite like to go into work, too. It would take my mind off things. I might as well be doing something I like, rather than fretting about stuff. Can you drop me off there and I'll get a bus home afterwards?'

  He saw Ted's worried expression and laughed.

  'Honestly, I'm not going on another bender. I learned my lesson last time. I'd just rather be doing something, and I know you probably would, too. Thanks for coming with me.'

  'I'll try not to be late tonight. Do you want me to pick up a takeaway on the way back?' Ted asked, when they pulled up outside the motorcycle dealership where Trev worked.

  'Perfect, thanks. Love you,' he said as he got out of the car.

  'Love you, too,' Ted said and was rewarded by seeing the smile on Trev's face as he headed in to work.

  Ted was determined to be more demonstrative in the future. On a whim, he took out his mobile phone and called his mother's number. It went straight to voicemail. She was probably on her way to work.

  'Hi, it's Ted. Sorry I haven't picked up Mamgu's things yet. I hope to go today after work. Then perhaps I could fix a time when Trev and I could come round to deliver them?' He hesitated, then continued, 'It would be nice to see you again.'

  He dropped in to see the Ice Queen when he got to the station, as a courtesy. She was surprisingly supportive, expressing her concern and again asking if he needed to take time off, which Ted refused.

  He spent much of the afternoon at his desk, going through the statements which Mike had taken from the possible suspects, and trying to clear the ever-present paperwork mountain before it became overwhelming. He kept having the feeling that there was something he was missing, something glaringly obvious.

  Although he knew Trev was not yet in the clear, he felt more optimistic now that the tests had been done, at least. He and Trev both preferred action to waiting. He felt he might be able to concentrate a bit better now. He made a mental note to speak to Bizzie as soon as possible, to thank her again for her help. Then he set off for Snowdon Lodge once more.

  The carer called Katya opened the door to him with a friendly smile.

  'How's the carer who was ill?' Ted asked, as she let him in.

  'A lot better. She'll need a few more days off work but she should make a full recovery.'

  Ted could see that she was busy, as usual, so he asked for his grandmother's things. He followed her down a corridor to a store cupboard at the end, which she unlocked with a key from her belt. She lifted out two small holdalls and handed them to him. It did not seem much to show for his grandmother's life.

  'Can I ask you a question?' Ted asked her.

  She laughed. 'Isn't that what policemen always do? Ask questions?'

  He smiled in acknowledgement. 'Why do you work in this home? I mean this one in particular, rather than any other one? It doesn't seem quite as caring as some of the ones I've visited.'

  'Can we walk and talk?' she asked him. 'I'm doing the rounds of the rooms, making sure they're ready for the old dears at bedtime.'

  She headed off to do her appointed tasks, Ted following her from room to room.

  'I looked at more or less all the homes in the area before I took this job. It wasn't the one I liked the most but it was easy to get to and they promised to help me with my continued training. There's been no sign of that so far, though. I was a nurse in my own country, but although I'm told my qualifications should be recognised here, somehow I never get the nursing jobs I go after. So, here I am, wiping bums and cleaning up sick.'

  She laughed again. Ted tried to work out if there was any hint of bitterness in her voice.

  'Do you not enjoy looking after the elderly?'

  She shrugged. 'It's a job. I try to be kind to them, because that's what I'm trained for. Even on the low wages I get here, it's more than I would earn at home. So I have to say nothing and keep working.'

  She looked at him across the bed which she had just turned down and was now smoothing flat and wrinkle-free with practised hands.

  'I finish at six,' she said, smiling. 'If you wanted to go for a drink, or a coffee, maybe?'

  To his alarm, Ted realised she was actually flirting with him.

  'Ah, no, it's very kind, it's just that …'

  'I know, you're on duty,' she laughed.

  'Erm, not just that. I'm gay. I have a partner,' he said, a little awkwardly.

  It was her turn to look flustered.

  'Oh, I'm so sorry,' she said hastily, going red. 'You don't …'

  ' ... look gay?' Ted interrupted, with a smile. 'We're just people. We don't all look the same or sound the same.'

  'Your partner is a very lucky man,' she said, with apparent sincerity.

  'No, I'm the lucky one. You should see him. He's stunning!' he smiled with pride.

  They chatted for a few more moments, trying to put the incident behind them. Then Ted picked up the holdalls, gave her a smile and went back to his car. He took out his mobile phone.

  'Mike?' he asked. 'Can you make a note to check out in more detail another member of staff at Snowdon Lodge, as soon as possible? Her first name's Katya, I don't know her surname. It'll be on the records. She has a very good motive to be resentful of the old people she looks after. And she's visited most of the homes on our patch, when she was first looking for work.'

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Ted felt full of a new resolve the next day. Even though the rational part of him knew there could still be devastating news ahead for Trev, his optimistic side was doing its best to convince him that there would not be. He started the morning briefing with an apology.

  'I've been a bit off my game lately,' he began. 'I had the feeling there was something blindingly obvious that I'd been missing, and I've finally come up with a few things. I've already asked the DS to start looking into the financial side of this case, from the point
of view of the homes. Could they make more money if beds were freed up and new residents came in on higher rates, for example?

  'But now for what I've missed so far. Have we looked fully into who benefits from these deaths, directly or indirectly? Who inherits? I know we have with Mrs Jones and there's no evident financial motive there, but what about any of the others?'

  There was a deafening silence. The team members looked at one another, clearly embarrassed. It seemed no one else had thought of it, either. Or if they had thought of it, no one had yet taken any action.

  'We need to look into the wills of all the victims, and we need to do it soon. Mike, please also check who drew the wills up. We haven't found a solicitor called Angela Mortice, and that's probably a false name. But I was speaking to an accountant at the weekend who goes round to visit clients, including care homes, which got me thinking.

  'If our Angela exists, and if she really does have a connection to all our victims, could she perhaps be a solicitor, or a legal executive, under another name? Could she be the person who drew up their wills, and is she coercing our victims into making her a beneficiary?'

  'Shit, boss,' Mike said apologetically, 'you're not the only one off your game. I should have been on top of that from the start.'

  'We're on it now, that's the main thing,' Ted said reassuringly.

  'But boss, what about witnesses?' Rob O'Connell asked. 'You need two witnesses to a signature on a will, people who aren't beneficiaries, surely? Would they not spot when signing it that all was not as it should be?'

  'Depends on who they were,' Ted told him. 'And that's another thing we need to check out. Just suppose that Angela asked carers in the homes she visited to witness a signature. Would they even have the time to scrutinise a document or would they just scribble their names?'