The Visitor (#3 - The Craig Modern Thriller Series)

by Catriona King

  He waved his hand dismissively. “Now, piss off. I’ve important things to do.” Then he banged his fist down hard on the table to signal that the meeting was adjourned.

  Hill rose and strolled slowly out of the hall, not looking back. No-one spoke until they heard his car revving.

  “Fuck, I widn’t like to be the one who did for his Evie. There’ll be no day in court before they die.”

  “He’ll cut their balls off.”

  Gerdy and Coyler speculated wildly on the fate of Evie’s killer, while McCrae stood up to go. He was bored by the lack of entertainment now that Tommy had left. He feared his boss, but he always enjoyed the fireworks he created.

  “Cheers lads, I’ll catch you later. I’m away to the Elm for a pint an’ some pussy. I’ve a real wee goer waitin’ for me the night. Happy Days.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Craig’s Friday morning interview list had four doctor’s names on it, including Iain Lewes. He saw the others quickly, certain that they wouldn’t need to be seen again. None of them had the sang-froid required for murder. He was waiting the five minutes it would take for Annette to reach High Street, when his mobile suddenly vibrated.

  “Hi Liam, what’s the news?”

  Liam’s voice boomed through the ear-piece, so Craig put it on speaker and set it on the desk.

  “Martin’s doing the cross-corridor stuff, and it’s all a bit tasty, boss. The M.P.E.’s cameras were due to for set-up and testing three weeks ago. CCTV’s already working 24/7 in most wards, basically anywhere where there are children. You remember that case where a woman stole a baby in London? Well, CCTV’s recommended for kids protection now.”

  “So why wasn’t it set-up on Maternity? You’d think that would have been one of the first areas.”

  “Why indeed. Well, like we knew, the building works are winding up and moving over to St Marys soon. And the last cameras are being fitted in the complex next week, including in Maternity. The Maternity corridor connections had been shut down to protect the sparks. Far too early in my opinion. But what’s really interesting is the lack of swipe-card data for Monday night. There’s none. Somehow that circuit mysteriously got broken as well.”

  “Yet it was working fine on Tuesday morning when we arrived on the Unit. This is too convenient, Liam”

  “Way too convenient. The cross-corridor pics should help, so I’m on a dig there. And I’ve another meeting with the project lead at eleven. He’s the guy Martin got the floor plans from – Ted Greenwood. I did his interview yesterday and he’s had a real charisma bypass.”

  Craig laughed. It wasn’t a crime, although maybe it should be. “OK. Follow that up and get back to me. I’ve got Dr Lewes to interview before the briefing, so I’ll catch you back at the squad at twelve.”

  “Oh aye, one last thing. I’ve Martin doing the cleaners’ interviews, so I’ll update you on those at twelve as well.”

  “Don’t work the boy too hard, Liam.”

  “Ah, sure he loves it. “ He smiled smugly. “He keeps calling me sir as well. Bye.”

  Craig smiled and the phone clicked off. He called out through the door. “Sandi, any chance of two coffees and whatever Dr Lewes wants? And is Annette here yet?”

  At that moment Annette rushed in, short of breath. “Sorry, sir, it took me longer than I’d thought. I had to bypass Custom House Square or get run over by skateboarders. There’s some practice session going on. I’ve no idea how they don’t kill themselves on those things.”

  “Lucia can skateboard you know. She learned during the summer she nannied in Florida, if you ever fancy it?”

  “Ha, thanks, but I’ll give that one a miss. Dr Lewes is sitting in reception and he looks terrified. No solicitor though. The mark of an innocent man?”

  “Or one who thinks he’s flameproof. OK Annette, I’d like you to lead on this please.”

  She smiled, knowing he was saying he trusted her judgment. “Thanks, sir. Step in as you need to.”

  Sandi came in with the drinks and greeted Annette warmly. They knew each other well from the Association of Women Police.

  “Thanks Sandi. Could you bring in Dr Lewes, please?”

  Iain Lewes came into the room like a hanged man. He gazed longingly at Sandi’s disappearing back, as if he could cling onto her and escape. Then he sat down in worried silence, everything about his body language flat and confused. Craig motioned to Annette, and she pressed the button on the tape machine gently.

  “For the benefit of the tape, this is Friday the 12th April 2013, interview commencing at 10.40 am. Present are...”

  “D.C.I. Marc Craig,”

  “D.S. Annette McElroy.”

  There was complete silence, until Annette spoke again. “Dr Lewes, could you identify yourself for the tape, please.”

  Iain Lewes startled as if he’d been woken from his sleep, and realised that he had a part to play. He was a thin, handsome man, well over six feet tall. With dark blonde hair and skin so pale that it looked as if he never pulled back the curtains. His expression was completely dead, as if he was defeated by life. Annette recognised the signs - she’d seen it before in patients with depression. She immediately wondered if he was on medication, thinking that he probably should be.

  In that moment she became a nurse again, and glanced at Craig for approval. He nodded imperceptibly and she stood, moving across to sit beside Lewes. He jumped at her sudden proximity and then smiled tiredly at her, recognising the kindness. It was just a small smile, but it was enough to start with. Annette nodded encouragingly and he finally spoke.

  “Dr Iain Lewes, 25b, Osborne Quay. BT9 7BU.” His voice surprised her. It was a soft, beautiful baritone, like a Radio 4 newsreader’s.

  “Dr Lewes has agreed to have an informal chat with us. No charges have been brought and he has waived his right to counsel or companion. Could you please confirm that for the tape Dr Lewes? And that you’re happy to have this meeting recorded?”

  Lewes nodded. “Yes, that’s fine...fine.”

  There was silence for another minute while Annette considered her first question. It couldn’t be intimidating, or there mightn’t be a second one without a solicitor. But she needn’t have worried. Iain Lewes started talking spontaneously, and he didn’t stop for ten minutes. He answered every personal and professional question that they asked him. Only hesitating once, when they asked about his wife and child.

  He’d graduated from medical school in ’92 and had gone to London to train, returning to Northern Ireland as a young consultant. He’d worked at St Mary’s for eight years now. He’d met his wife there, and lost her there. Yes, he knew how to ‘piggy-back’ drugs, but it wasn’t a technique they used often nowadays. He seemed genuinely confused at being asked about it. And yes, he knew Mr Murdock, but he didn’t like him much.

  He knew that he was clinically depressed - he’d already diagnosed himself. But he explained that doctors rarely admitted it, and even more rarely got treatment. There’d been a stigma attached to it when he’d trained. Medicine was a macho world where doctors were supposed to be perfect, and being ill was a prerogative awarded only to the public. They recognised what he said - policing was the same.

  Annette asked every difficult question that needed to be asked. She framed them sensitively, but this was a murder investigation and Iain Lewes could still be a liar. Finally Craig was satisfied that Lewes wasn’t their man, and the interview ended. Then he stood up and shook hands with the doctor, giving him back some of the status that a police presence always took away.

  “Thank you for agreeing to a second interview, Dr Lewes. I know you’re a busy man. Sergeant McElroy will show you out.” Then he left the room diplomatically, leaving Annette to make Iain Lewes understand that doctors get sick too. And hopefully to get some help.

  He stood outside the station in the warm April sunshine and phoned Nicky. “Hi Nicky, can you get on to the D.C.S.’ office and see if he has ten minutes to meet?”

  “Actually,
sir, he’s asked if you could go up as soon as you get in. Something about wanting an update.” Craig rubbed his temple and resigned himself to a grilling. Then he headed back to Docklands, leaving Annette still talking, with Jack keeping a watchful eye.

  ***

  Terry Harrison had his sleeves rolled up when Craig arrived in his office. His hair was slicked back so hard that Craig swore he could see comb marks on his scalp. There was an angry glint in his eyes and Craig knew the signs. He wanted a quick result.

  “Good morning, sir, you wanted to see me?”

  “Sit, D.C.I. Craig. And tell me where you are with all this.”

  ‘Sit’. It was like a dog-training session. Well, if Harrison couldn’t be bothered with the niceties then Craig was in the mood to play hard to get.

  “The Warwick case, sir?”

  Harrison lunged ominously across his desk. “No! The Trust one, of course! I’m having a hell of a time keeping the tabloids at bay. We need to issue a statement today and I want your input. Here’s what I’ve drafted.” He thrust a sheet of A4 rudely across the desk, and Craig scanned it deliberately slowly, just to annoy him.

  Eventually he spoke. “Well, yes. That about sums it up. We’ve had a suspicious death. We’ve closed the Unit and diverted services, and there is no immediate danger to the public. That’s really all we can say, until we get further with the enquiry.” Harrison talked on without acknowledging what he’d said. He was a rude bastard and Craig hoped that he’d never become the same.

  “Then there’s the problem of Thomas Hill. The deceased’s name hasn’t been released, but you know these reporters, they’ll get it somehow. And then Hill’s face will be all over the papers and bang goes our low-key investigation. We need a quick result on this, Craig.”

  We always did, sir, and not just for the sake of your career.

  “We’ve got the Assistant Chief Constable interviews at the moment. And those talentless hacks will take great pleasure in putting Hill’s photograph beside pictures of the successful candidate. Calling it a failure of policing, or some other rubbish. I need your assurance that another week won’t pass without an arrest.”

  Harrison glared at him over clasped hands, his elbows propped on the table. He looked like he was praying, except Craig doubted he could even spell the word unless promotion was involved.

  “I’ll do my best, sir. We’ve got everyone working flat out - those that aren’t at court on Warwick. And I’ve authorised overtime. Let me give you more detail of where we are.”

  He brought him up-to-date quickly, so that by the time that he’d finished Harrison was a lot calmer, and he was ‘Marc’ again. Not that he gave a toss about that.

  “That’s much more reassuring Marc. OK. Have a good weekend but I’d like to see you first thing Monday morning. Meanwhile I’ll give this to The Telegram and The Chronicle and see if that calms them down.”

  Craig’s thoughts as he walked down to the briefing room fell far short of charitable. ‘Have a good weekend but come and see me on Monday with answers, Craig’. The two were incompatible. Julia was coming to stay for the weekend, now he’d hardly get to see her. He bet the same wouldn’t be true of Harrison and his mistress.

  ***

  By twelve the briefing room was full of the murder team, plus Karl Rimmins from Drugs and Reggie Boyd from uniform covering the Demesne. Liam came hurtling in and beckoned Craig urgently to one side, showing him a plastic evidence bag. Craig nodded to get it to the lab and turned to start the meeting.

  “Right. You’ll be pleased to know that this is going to be quick. There’s a lot to cover so I’ll go round everyone first for updates. Let’s start with Liam. The CCTV footage first please, Liam.”

  “Well, Martin was right.” He scanned the room. “Where is Martin, by the way?”

  “I haven’t seen him, but don’t probationers have to go to lectures?”

  He shrugged and continued. “OK, Ted Greenwood’s a real computer geek. Same as I told you earlier boss. The last CCTV cameras are being fitted this week and they had to switch off the system so the electricians didn’t get a shock. He got defensive when I asked why they had to be off for so long. Just said scheduling was a difficult thing to organise, and better safe than sorry for the sparks. Aye, and oh yes, how would I like to try organising a new hospital build? He was stroppy enough with it too.

  Anyway, no-one knows why the door swipe-system was off on Monday but Martin got all the available swipe-card data for last week. It shows Greenwood and his team in and out of the Unit all last week, all over the weekend, and this week every day and evening. So it’s fair odds that they were in and out last Monday as well. He says they’ll be around the Maternity Unit until next Friday, the 19th. And they’ll leave the M.P.E. completely on the 26th. I’ve checked that with McAllister and it ties in with the Trust’s building schedule.” He stopped to draw breath and Nicky pushed a cup of tea towards him. He gulped down a mouthful gratefully and restarted.

  “Aye, well. The swipe-card traces show Beth Walker, Katy Stevens, Murdock and Laurie Johns swiping in and out from Sunday until the system ‘failed’ at Monday lunchtime. The interviews confirm Tommy Hill, Brian Murray and the Kerrs were buzzed in at various times on Monday daytime. The Kerrs and Murray weren’t there after six on Monday so that rules them out on timing alone. We’ve confirmed their alibis.”

  Craig leaned forward, interrupting. “Where were they, Liam?”

  “The Kerrs were seen at church on Monday evening, and Murray was in the Botanic Inn with two of his mates, wetting the baby’s head in advance. Everyone else freely admits they were in the Unit on Monday evening, in the hours before Evie died. Dr Lewes swiped himself in and out all weekend, and Beth Walker remembers buzzing Dr Stevens in on Monday night. She also said that she found the door wedged open at one point, but no-one has owned up to that.”

  “What time was that?”

  “About two o’clock on Tuesday morning - two hours before Evie died. She thought it was one of the night cleaners. They’d been mopping the corridor floors. But remember, any one of the others could have hidden on the ward all day if they’d wanted to. There are plenty of empty side-rooms. So I’m not sure how far any of this gets us.

  But, as of now, the only people known to be on the ward after nine on Monday night, in the seven hours before Evie’s death, were Katy Stevens, Nigel Murdock, Beth Walker and Iain Lewes. Tommy Hill was in and out all day and night. Everyone else has been interviewed and eliminated.”

  He paused for breath, taking another drink, and just then Martin rushed in, flushed and waving an apology.

  “But, as I’ve said, anyone could have hidden there all day. Or got in when the cleaners propped the door open. Anyway, the cameras will be up and running by next week – that’s why Greenwood’s lot have been working so hard. They’ve to be ready to start over at St Marys on the 29th and they’ve still to finish the other wards and outpatient clinics at the M.P.E. before they leave on the 26th. So, like I said, they need to finish in Maternity by the 19th.”

  He pointed to a back-lit board with the schematics of the M.P.E. enlarged, just as Annette entered. She sat quietly to one side, raising a hand in apology.

  “The floor plans here show the location of the cables, and where all the future camera points will be. There’ll be a camera outside the main door, and eight inside the Unit. Two on each of the four corridors. Their exact positions haven’t been decided yet. When they’re up-and-running they’ll be on a continuous loop, with the records stored digitally in future. Too late for Evie unfortunately.”

  Martin moved to sit beside Craig and whispered something in his ear. Craig interrupted Liam’s flow. “Sorry Liam. Martin has just said he was looking at the cross-corridor tapes, and surprise, surprise, they’re showing nothing but static from nine am Monday until nine am Tuesday. So we can’t see who went down the parallel corridors towards Maternity in that time. So now we have no CCTV or swipe-card data at all for the relevant time windo
w. This is definitely the killer covering their tracks. We have a killer with detailed electrical knowledge, and access.”

  “That could be an electrician, builders, most anaesthetists...the list is endless, sir.”

  Craig raked his hair in frustration. “You’re right, Annette. We’ll have to dig deeper into people’s backgrounds. In particular we need to re-interview Greenwood and Randle. OK, Liam, let’s move on.”

  “Aye well, the rest of the time I’ve been helping Annette look into everyone’s backgrounds. There’s nothing startling on most of the doctors. The only excitement is Beth’s lifestyle, but even that’s fairly tame. She’s had the same girlfriend for six years, Janey Holmes. They met in Australia. Anyway, they go out clubbing a lot and there might be some Ecstasy being used, but nothing else.” His face widened into a grin.

  “But we’ve just had a breakthrough with one of the night cleaners.” He consulted his notes. “A Mrs Lily Irvine from the Tullycarnet estate. Nice wee woman. Martin interviewed her.” He nodded Martin on.

  Martin sat forward, his face flushed with excitement, and Craig smiled. He remembered feeling that excited on his first case.

  “She was on a few days holiday at her daughters in Glasgow, sir, so we only caught up with her today. She was cleaning on the ward from midnight on Monday through to eight on Tuesday morning, and she remembers Evie very well. She was very sad about what happened, especially as she had to clean-up the room after the resuscitation.

  She didn’t see anything during the resusc ‘cos she was cleaning in post-natal when it all happened. But, when she was cleaning Evie’s room later, she found a piece of paper on the floor in a corner. It must have got thrown there during the resuscitation. She stuck it in her overall pocket, to dump in the bin later.”