The Police Doctor's Discovery

by Laura MacDonald

  ‘I’m going to prescribe something for you to help you through this,’ said Rachel, sitting back on her heels on the floor, opening her case and taking out a prescription pad. While she was writing a prescription for sedatives she realised that Nick was talking in low tones to the man, who had now ceased his pacing and was staring out of the window through a narrow opening in the drawn curtains.

  ‘And what was she doing on the towpath?’ Donna carried on talking, half to herself and half to anyone who might be listening. ‘She would never have come home that way in the dark—not in a million years she wouldn’t...’

  At that moment the door opened and a policeman came into the room and indicated for Nick to join him outside. Rachel tore the form off the prescription pad and handed it to the WPC. ‘Is there someone who will fetch this from the chemist?’ she asked.

  ‘Yes, Mrs Munns’s sister and her husband are here,’ the policewoman replied, then lowering her voice so that only Rachel could hear, she added, ‘They identified the body.’ As if to endorse her words Nick came back into the room accompanied by a woman who bore a strong resemblance to Donna. The woman, tears pouring down her own face, went straight to the settee and sat between her sister and her niece, putting an arm around each of them.

  Nick looked grim-faced. Glancing first at the man by the window then directly at Donna, he said, ‘I’m sorry but there’s no easy way of telling you this but you have to know. I have just received the pathologist’s report and it confirms that your daughter was, in fact, murdered. There will now, of course, be a complete and thorough police investigation into her death.’

  * * *

  ‘You were right.’ Nick threw Rachel a sidelong glance. ‘Kaylee was strangled and there was evidence that she was also raped.’ It was some time later and Rachel was seated beside Nick in his car while he drove her back to Cathedral Close.

  ‘That was gruelling up there at the Munns’ house,’ said Rachel, taking a deep breath and momentarily leaning back against the headrest and closing her eyes. ‘That poor family. Honestly, I don’t know how anyone recovers from something like this.’

  ‘I think it’s pretty fair to say they don’t,’ Nick replied, ‘not really. But, then, you wouldn’t, would you, not if it was a member of your own family?’

  ‘No, I suppose not.’ Rachel opened her eyes and stared ahead at the wet road surface shining in the light from the car’s headlights.

  ‘I know I wouldn’t if it was Lucy,’ said Nick quietly, ‘or if it had been my mother or my sister.’

  ‘What happens next?’ asked Rachel. ‘For you, I mean?’

  ‘I go back to headquarters and assemble my investigation team,’ he replied. ‘I’ve already had a call from my superintendent asking me to head the inquiry—we then set up an incident room and start collecting information.’

  ‘Any thoughts yet?’ Rachel turned her head but the sight of that uncompromising profile did something to her insides and she turned back.

  ‘I try to keep an open mind at this stage,’ he replied tersely.

  They were silent for a while then Rachel spoke. ‘Do we know if Kaylee had a boyfriend, or whether she went to the club alone?’

  ‘She did have a boyfriend, apparently,’ Nick replied, ‘but according to her sister they split up a couple of weeks ago.’

  ‘So presumably he’ll be questioned?’

  ‘Of course.’ Nick inhaled sharply. ‘As will the group of girls she was with at the club that night.’

  ‘Did the pathology say whether she was killed where she was found?’

  ‘They thought she had been killed elsewhere and her body taken there and dumped.’

  ‘Thus endorsing Donna Munns’s theory that her daughter would never have walked home alone along the towpath.’

  ‘Unless, of course, she wasn’t alone, but we need to wait for forensics to report before we can reach any firm conclusions on that.’

  ‘Who was the guy at the house?’ asked Rachel after a moment.

  ‘Donna Munns’s boyfriend, apparently,’ Nick replied. ‘The girls’ father left home years ago and I understand this is Donna’s second live-in boyfriend.’

  ‘A possible suspect?’

  ‘He’ll be questioned, certainly,’ Nick replied, ‘as will anyone else in any way connected with the Munns family, which includes the uncle who identified the body. But it’s very easy to jump to conclusions in these cases, especially when there is a stereotypical suspect—so, like I said, I like to keep an open mind.’ He paused as the car drew into Cathedral Close and came to a stop before St Edmund’s. ‘Here we are,’ he said, ‘home safe and sound. Thanks for your help, Rachel.’

  ‘Don’t mention it. I didn’t feel I could do very much.’

  ‘You’d be surprised,’ he replied, his voice softening. ‘The presence of a GP in these situations can be very reassuring for the family.’

  ‘I may call again to see them—if that’s all right?’ She threw him a quick glance.

  ‘Yes, of course.’ He nodded. ‘Anything that will help. Well, I guess I’d better get on down to headquarters—I have a feeling this is going to be a long night.’

  For a moment there was an awkward silence between them and just for one wild instant Rachel had to fight the absurd urge to lean over and kiss him goodnight. She would have done so once, unhesitatingly, but the barrier of time prevented that, now making it unthinkable. With a murmured goodnight she opened the car door and got out, her feet slithering on the wet pavement. Before she had a chance to shut the door Nick leaned towards her, lowering his head. ‘Don’t forget, will you,’ he said, ‘what I told you?’

  ‘What you told me?’ She frowned, wondering what he meant.

  ‘Yes, about opening the door to strangers.’

  ‘Oh, that.’ She smiled.

  ‘Yes, that.’ He was deadly serious. ‘Keep the chain on the door. There’s a killer out there, Rachel.’

  A sudden shiver ran down her spine. ‘Most murders are by someone known to the victim,’ she said lightly.

  ‘That’s as may be,’ he gave a slight shrug, ‘but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take care.’

  ‘All right.’ She smiled again. ‘Goodnight, Nick.’

  ‘Goodnight, Rachel.’

  She shut the car door and stood back before realising that he was waiting for her to go into the house. Fumbling slightly, she took the keys out of her pocket, unlocked the door, opened it and switched on the lights. Only then did Nick lift one hand and draw away. Rachel watched the tail lights of his car as it disappeared out of the close, then with a little sigh she closed the door, bolted it and secured the chain.

  * * *

  The town of Westhampstead was abuzz with the news of Kaylee Munns’s murder. Groups of people congregated in the most unlikely places to discuss the events of the last few days, not least of these being the staff-room of the medical centre.

  ‘I can hardly believe it,’ said Julie as she, Rachel, practice nurse Patti Roberts and partner Dr Bruce Mitchell lingered over morning coffee. ‘I can’t ever remember a murder in Westhamstead before.’

  ‘There was one once, a long time ago,’ mused Bruce. ‘I don’t remember all the details but it was a woman who was murdered in a farmhouse just off the M4.’

  ‘Did they catch who did it?’ asked Patti.

  ‘Yes.’ Bruce screwed up his face in concentration. ‘If I remember rightly it was her husband. I think she’d been having an affair and he’d caught her with her lover or something like that. Anyway, he got a life sentence.’

  ‘I hope they catch this one soon,’ said Julie with a shiver. ‘Honestly, it’s not safe to go out on your own.’

  ‘Folk don’t seem to be able to talk about anything else,’ said Patti.

  ‘That’s true,’ Rachel agreed, recalling how almost every one of her patients in that morning’s surgery had mentioned the murder.

  ‘I wonder if the police have anyone in mind,’ mused Bruce as he drained his cup and stood
up, collecting up a variety of records, medical journals and repeat prescription forms.

  ‘Do you know if they have a suspect, Rachel?’ asked Patti. ‘What with you being involved at the station.’

  ‘No, I’m afraid they don’t volunteer that sort of information to me,’ said Rachel. ‘Although, from what I have heard, all police leave has been cancelled while the enquiries are going on.’

  ‘They were doing house-to-house enquiries up on the Charlwood Estate,’ said Julie. ‘Philip’s mum lives up there and she said they called on her—not that she could tell them anything, of course. She’s elderly and hardly goes out these days.’

  ‘I must get on,’ said Rachel as she, too, stood up. As Bruce and Patti left the room and she started to follow them, Julie called her back.

  ‘Rachel,’ she said, and Rachel paused, one hand on the doorhandle, and looked back.

  ‘Yes?’ she said.

  ‘Could I book myself in to see you this afternoon?’

  ‘To see me?’ Rachel hesitated. ‘Aren’t you registered with Dr Davenport?’

  ‘Yes, I am, but he doesn’t have any free appointments for a few days and, well, actually, it’s something I would really rather discuss with a woman.’

  ‘All right. Put yourself in wherever there’s a space.’

  ‘Thanks, Rachel.’ Julie smiled.

  * * *

  By the time Rachel received the afternoon’s surgery list it was full, and after casting her eye down the list Rachel saw that Julie had put herself in about halfway down.

  She worked steadily through the list, dealing with the usual variety of patients, from a baby with teething difficulties to an elderly man with prostate problems, a woman suffering badly from menopausal mood swings to a child with an ear infection. As the little boy and his mother left the room Julie tapped on the door and came in. Rachel was surprised to see that her husband Philip accompanied her. From what Julie had said, Rachel had imagined she wanted a confidential chat about some intimate ailment.

  ‘Julie, Philip.’ She looked from one to the other—Julie with her dark hair and olive complexion, and, in complete contrast, Philip with his red hair and white skin. ‘Please, come in and sit down.’ When they were both seated, she said, ‘Now, how may I help you?’

  ‘We want to see about IVF treatment.’ It was Philip who answered.

  ‘I see’ said Rachel. ‘So, tell me, have you been trying for a family for very long?’

  ‘Ages,’ said Philip.

  ‘Not really,’ said Julie. Glancing at Philip, she added, ‘It hasn’t really been that long, Philip.’ She turned back to Rachel. ‘We used precautions for a long time because we couldn’t really afford to start a family.’

  ‘I see from your notes, Julie, that you were taking an oral contraceptive,’ said Rachel, studying Julie’s medication chart on her computer screen. ‘So when did you come off the Pill?’

  ‘About a year ago.’

  ‘It should have happened in a year,’ said Philip.

  ‘Not necessarily,’ Rachel replied. ‘Sometimes it takes longer than that for a woman’s body to get back to normal after taking oral contraceptives. I would like to examine you, Julie, but I think it’s far too soon to be talking about IVF treatment. If you’d just like to slip into my examination room and undress, I’ll be with you in a moment.’ Julie stood up and walked through the communicating door into the examination room.

  ‘So you don’t think there is too much of a problem, then?’ said Philip, leaning forward earnestly.

  ‘I wouldn’t think so,’ Rachel replied. ‘But let’s wait and see, shall we?’ In an attempt to lighten the atmosphere while they waited for Julie to undress, she said, ‘Did you sell all your raffle tickets, Philip?’

  ‘Nearly.’ He nodded. ‘When does the draw take place?’

  ‘At the Michaelmas Fair at the end of the month,’ he replied.

  ‘Heavens,’ she said, ‘I’d forgotten all about the Michaelmas Fairs. I didn’t realise they still held them. We all used to go to them in the old days, didn’t we?’

  He nodded. ‘Some of us still do,’ he said, his face breaking into a grin. ‘Maybe you’ll join us again this year.’

  ‘Maybe I will at that.’ Rachel smiled then stood up and walked across to the examination room.

  A little later, after examining Julie thoroughly and questioning her at some length about her monthly periods and the regularity of her cycle, Rachel rejoined Philip who looked up expectantly. ‘We’ll just wait for Julie,’ she said, crossing to the basin to wash her hands. By the time she had finished Julie had dressed and rejoined them.

  Rachel came straight to the point as Julie sat down. ‘I will write a referral to a gynaecologist. I think, Julie, there may be a chance from what you have told me that you could be suffering from a condition called endometriosis.’

  ‘That can result in blocked Fallopian tubes, can’t it?’ Julie looked alarmed.

  ‘Let’s not jump to any conclusions,’ said Rachel. ‘A specialist will carry out the necessary tests and be able to tell you more.’

  She spent the next five minutes trying to reassure Julie and Philip that even if Julie did have endometriosis it didn’t necessarily mean they couldn’t start a family but that they would have to wait and see what the test results showed.

  After the Newtons had gone Rachel carried on with her list then discovered that the last person that afternoon was Tommy Page. Her heart sank when Tommy came into the room and there was no sign of his mother, Eileen. ‘Hello, Tommy,’ she said. ‘All on your own today?’

  ‘Mum’s gone shopping,’ said Tommy, coming right into the room and sitting down. He was wearing a navyblue tracksuit with what appeared to be a red football shirt.

  ‘Does she know you’ve come to see me, Tommy?’ asked Rachel warily.

  ‘No.’ Tommy giggled and slowly shook his head. ‘I made an appointment,’ he said, ‘all by myself.’

  ‘So why did you want to see me, Tommy?’ asked Rachel when he fell silent again.

  ‘Because...I like you,’ he said simply. ‘I wanted to see you.’

  ‘Well, that’s very nice, Tommy,’ she said, ‘but really, you know, you should only come here to the surgery to see me if you’ve got something wrong with you—if you aren’t very well,’ she added, when he didn’t appear to have grasped what she meant.

  He frowned and appeared to be concentrating intently, then he said, ‘I could come and see you at your house.’

  ‘I don’t think that would be a very good idea,’ said Rachel. She was about to say that he didn’t know where she lived but thought better of it, imagining that he might demand to be told.

  ‘Why not?’ he said.

  ‘Well, it just wouldn’t,’ she said. ‘Now, Tommy—’

  ‘I know where you live,’ he said. ‘You live near the big church. Mum showed me where you live.’

  Rachel took a deep breath, knowing she had to stop this. ‘Tommy,’ she said firmly, ‘if you don’t have anything wrong with you today, I’m afraid you’ll have to go so that I can see people who do have things wrong with them.’

  ‘No more people out there,’ he said. ‘I’m the last one.’

  ‘Even so...’

  ‘I’ve got tummyache,’ he said, ‘right here.’ He pointed to his stomach.

  Rachel was on the point of calling another member of staff in to chaperone while she examined Tommy when, quite suddenly, he stood up and turned to the door. ‘I’ll come back tomorrow with Mum,’ he said. Opening the door, he ambled off into the corridor.

  With a deep sigh Rachel sank back into her chair, then after a moment’s reflection she pressed the intercom. ‘Danielle?’ she said when the receptionist answered. ‘In future I can only see Tommy Page if his mother is with him.’

  ‘Sorry,’ said Danielle. ‘We did wonder about that. He’s never come on his own before.’

  Tommy didn’t come back to see Rachel the following day but towards the end of her morning surg
ery something happened that in a way was far more disturbing. It was between patients when she was entering a report onto the computer that she saw that she had incoming email. There were two messages—the first from a pharmaceutical company, advertising a new brand of anti-inflammatory drugs, and the second which had no subject and came from someone listed as ‘your friend’. When she opened it the message simply said: I really do love you Rachel.

  She stared at it. Surely this couldn’t be from Tommy Page, not through email? Then she remembered that Eileen had told her that the day centre Tommy attended had fixed him up with his own computer. It had to be from Tommy, just as the handwritten note had been, although heaven only knew how he had obtained her email address.

  Really, she thought, she should tell someone about this. But at the same time Tommy was harmless and she didn’t want to get him into any sort of trouble. The poor man had obviously developed a crush on her and provided it didn’t go any further she felt she could cope with it. She had already told the staff she wouldn’t see him alone again and apart from that, there had only been the note and this.

  Suddenly she remembered the phone calls, the ones where the caller had hung up when she’d answered and had withheld their number, but she doubted those had been anything to do with Tommy. That sort of thing happened all the time—wrong numbers, or someone hanging up without speaking. No, she really didn’t think she needed to do anything about this. Purposefully she deleted the email and pressed the buzzer for her next patient.

  She had almost finished her surgery when Danielle buzzed through to tell her that the police were on the line, wanting to speak to her.

  ‘Thank you, Danielle. Put them through.’ Her pulse had started to race but she took a deep breath, steadying herself as she waited to hear Nick’s voice.