‘Oh, Natasha!’ cried Shirley rushing forward to cradle her head. ‘Please, help her, it’s not fair to allow her to suffer any longer.’ Shirley wept and continued to hold her step-daughter.
Godfrey opened his bag and withdrew a vial and a syringe. He drew up a generous dose of diamorphine and injected it into the cannula port on Natasha’s wrist. After a few minutes Natasha became calm and Shirley placed her head on the pillow.
‘Thank you,’ said Shirley. She opened her bag and gave Godfrey a large envelope containing ten thousand pounds which she’d withdrawn from her personal account earlier in the day. ‘I’ll drive you back now,’ she said.
She kissed Natasha on the forehead and they both left the room. It was over. She would phone Ron tomorrow morning.
Chapter 57
Andy Walters had been refreshing the inbox on his mail every minute or so and when the report from Alistair Gordon arrived he shouted out to Mike Harris who checked his own inbox and opened up the report.
Alistair had confirmed that he was reasonably satisfied that they could identify two of the charred bodies using dental records. Karolina Dabrowski and Lee Percival. To date, there was no formal identification of the third body but he had taken some DNA samples from the brain and these would be compared with samples from Erin Jones’ flat which she shared with Scott Briggs.
‘Two out of three isn’t bad,’ said Mike, wandering over to Andy.
‘Yes, but we aren’t any nearer to working out exactly why they were killed or who killed them. Apart from Scott who may have been critically wounded by Jessica.’
‘Anything back from ballistics on the nine-millimetre gun which was used to kill Lee Percival?’ asked Mike.
‘Nothing, it was clean, never been used before in a crime in the UK. These are clever criminals, professionals, they’ve not made any mistakes and they’ve covered their tracks. Unless someone talks I can’t see us ever getting to the bottom of this,’ and he punched the desk in anger.
The others looked around briefly and then carried on with their work.
‘It’s so fucking annoying, I know that Ron Radford is as guilty as sin but he’s remained one step ahead of us. He’s untouchable,’ said Andy, lowering his voice to a whisper. ‘Even if we did have some evidence I doubt the Assistant Chief Constable would run with it. Ron’s got him in his pocket I’m sure.’
‘Well, we can only do our best,’ said Mike. ‘You’ve done a good job, don’t be too harsh on yourself,’ and he patted Andy’s shoulder.
‘I’ll never give up with that slimeball. He’ll make a mistake sometime.’
Mike admired his colleague’s optimism, he just wished he shared it.
**
Ron was in a taxi to the private clinic in Basel when his mobile rang. It was Shirley.
‘Hi, Shirley, I’m just heading over to the hospital to finalise arrangements for this evening. The private plane has been booked. We’re just making sure we have all the necessary medical staff, we..,’ but Ron was cut off before he could continue.
‘Ron, there’s no point, you need to cancel the arrangements.’
‘Don’t start that again, it’s all organised.’
‘Ron, listen, I’ve something to tell you.’ Shirley paused in the hope that Ron would realise what she was going to say.
‘Oh, no, don’t tell me she’s gone?’
‘Ron, I’m so sorry, but she passed away in the night. The nurse woke me early this morning to tell me. Wendy said it must have been very peaceful.’
‘Oh, no,’ Ron was sobbing. ‘We were so close to her having the operation, why couldn’t she have held on another couple of days?’
‘I tried to tell you yesterday how weak she was. I told you what the nurse said. Dr Fitzwilliam is coming out to see her. He wants to pay his respects and he’s going to issue a death certificate.’
‘Well, that’s one thing I guess. I’ll sort things out here and get a flight back as soon as I can,’ and he disconnected the call. Deep down he knew that it was a race against time. He’d been clutching at straws and part of him felt he should have stayed at home and been with Natasha during her final hours. But that wasn’t the person he really was, he never gave up and tried to give everything his best shot. He hoped Natasha knew in her heart that was what he’d been doing.
The taxi arrived at the hospital and Ron dried his eyes before paying the driver. He would be returning to the UK earlier than he’d imagined. At least Natasha died peacefully at home, that was some comfort. He walked into the clinic to start the painful business of cancelling all his arrangements and with it his hopes for his only daughter and heir.
**
Jake Marsfield and Theo Henchard were enjoying lunch in The Yarrow wine bar. They were there to discuss the next phase for their investment in PersCure and the next step for the further legitimisation of the funds from their ill-gotten gains from BioQex. They’d not had a chance to discuss their meeting with Brett Chandler a few days ago, preferring to speak in person rather than by email or text.
‘OK, well I’ve set things in motion for the first hundred thousand to be available for the venture capital investment so once PersCure is ready for the it we can send it over. It’s better if the money is moved in tranches.’
‘Fab,’ said Theo. ‘I’m hoping that we see a high multiple of a return on our investment, from the prospectus it all looks very promising indeed.’
‘Ventura Advisory, it’s got a nice ring to it. Do you not fancy a change of career to financial advice. I got bit worried when Brett started to ask all about our offices and so on but once he launched into his speech about PersCure he focused on that.’
‘Yes, well he’s a lot to think about at the moment. What with setting up the business. Also, I looked at the local Persford news website and there was a bad assault at the university. It sounded as though a chemist was badly beaten up. They might be worried about safety and security over there.’
‘Well, it was good to finally see Giles’ victim in the flesh. He was sort of “Victim Zero” shall we call him?’ Jake made inverted comma marks in the air when describing victim zero. They both chuckled and finished their pints of lager.
‘Any news about Giles?’
‘As far as I know, he’s not been charged. He paid back what he fiddled from Forteen Bank. I guess he’s looking for a new career now.’
Theo looked at his watch. ‘Right, I must be on my way. I’ll send you the usual coded texts and we can meet up when we need to discuss in greater detail, OK?’
‘Sounds like a plan.’ They put on their jackets and went back to work. It almost gave Jake a headache when he thought about the circuitous route their money had taken around the world and the numerous accounts it had passed through or languished in. Now it was back in the UK and soon to be working for the greater good, hopefully finding the next cure for cancer. Surely that was a good use of money and after all, they were entitled to take some rewards for themselves.
Chapter 58
Shirley was waiting in the short stay car park at Gatwick airport. Her husband had managed to obtain a seat on a flight which was due to land just after 6 p.m. He’d phoned her a couple of hours after she’d broken the news and he seemed more composed. He’d apologised to Shirley for becoming embroiled in one hopeless pursuit after another. He was having trouble believing how he’d been so misguided to think that Natasha could be saved. This was a side to Ron that she’d not really witnessed before. He appeared to have dropped his guard as the cold, callous and unfeeling businessman. Perhaps he had a human side after all. She had assured him that he’d only wanted the best for Natasha and his determination had been admirable. She would have expected nothing less of him. However, she knew that the weeks and months ahead would be so hard for them both. Their huge house would seem empty without Natasha.
A text pinged through on her phone to say that he was almost through passport control and would be with her in about ten minutes. Natasha was still at home so that Ron
could see her before the undertakers came to take her away to the funeral home. The nurse had helped Shirley wash and dress her in a clean set of pyjamas and a silk dressing gown. She looked beautiful as if she was sleeping peacefully. They had removed the cannula from her wrist and placed her arms under the covers. Her lovely hair was brushed and lay to one side of her head on the pillow.
Cole approached the car and threw his briefcase and overnight bag in the boot. He climbed into the passenger seat and kissed his wife on the cheek.
‘You drive,’ he said, ‘I’m exhausted and I keep bursting into tears.’
She patted his hand and started the engine. Ron switched on Classic FM on the radio and they travelled back to Brensford Manor without exchanging many words. The traffic was slow on the M25 so Ron reclined his seat and took a nap. Shirley was quite pleased as it removed some of the tension between them. They arrived home just after 7.30 p.m. and Ron stirred as she parked up outside the house.
‘Home now, darling,’ she said gently. ‘Let’s go and have a drink before you see Natasha.
Shirley unlocked the door and left Ron to collect his bags from the boot. Although it was dark, the boot had a light and when Ron reached in to pick up his bags he noticed something glinting in the light. It looked like a brass button but it was snagged in the carpet lining the boot. Ron dislodged the item of interest and saw that it was actually a badge, not a button. It was a lapel badge. He peered at the logo engraved on the front and saw that it was from a local golf club although one much less prestigious than where he played. Ron stood staring at the badge before placing it in his jacket pocket. Someone he’d known for years played at this particular club. How unusual that he had dropped his lapel badge in the boot of the Range Rover. To Ron’s knowledge he had never given this particular person a lift in this car, after all, they’d only owned it for six months. Perhaps Shirley would be able to explain.
**
Nick Thomas couldn’t believe how good his own bed felt after his uncomfortable nights of broken sleep on the hospital bed. He was luxuriating in the comfort provided by the pocket sprung mattress with the goose down duvet pulled up to his chin. He wasn’t asleep but half watching some television whilst Polly finished some work on her laptop. Nick had received some nice messages from Matt and Brett telling him not to rush back to the lab and asking him to contact them in the next few days when he felt a bit stronger. Even Dan had sent several messages apologising profusely for being responsible for his assault. He ended by saying that he hoped Nick had binned the awful jacket with the Rebel logo as it was obviously jinxed. The jacket in question was at the moment sitting in a carrier bag in the hallway. Nick was planning to give it back to Dan but perhaps he should either do as Dan suggested or give it to the charity shop.
Nick was still no further forward in discovering why exactly Dan had been forced to steal the front-runner compound. He’d been researching whether it could possibly have any psychoactive properties and could find no reason to believe so. He hoped that when he met up with Brett and Matt they might have some information from the police. He really hoped that someone was continuing with the breakthrough reaction he’d done just before some bastard had put him out of action. Perhaps they had managed to bring through some more material for the project.
‘OK, Nick, can I get you anything?’ asked Polly as she popped her head around the bedroom door.
‘Well, this bed is rather big for one person, I could do with some company.’
Polly smiled. It was so good to have Nick back and to hear him joking again. ‘I’ll come to bed soon, I’ve nearly finished what I needed to do.’
‘OK, don’t be long, I’m waiting for you,’ winked Nick.
Polly was hoping that Nick wouldn’t want to rush back to the university. He needed to rest and they would just have to manage without him. She also worried about whether he would be fit to do any lab work for a while. Without Nick’s knowledge, she had messaged Matt and told him about her concerns. She had received a text back telling her not to worry they had some alternative plans for Nick but they wanted to discuss things through with him first. It sounded intriguing, she couldn’t wait to hear what that involved.
**
Shirley left Ron alone with Natasha to say his goodbye. When he came back downstairs he told her to phone the undertakers. He was ready for them to take her away. Neither of them had any appetite so Shirley opened a bottle of red wine and they just had some nuts and crisps whilst they sat in front of the fire. Shirley supervised the removal of Natasha’s body whilst Ron remained in the lounge. She stumbled slightly as she returned to him, half a bottle of red wine on an almost empty stomach had gone straight to her head.
Ron poured them each a whisky and they sat in silence.
‘Shall we go to bed now?’ asked Shirley.
‘It’s only 9 p.m. I’m too tense to sleep.’
‘Do you want to watch TV?’
Ron shook his head. ‘I fancy a swim. I need to soak away the stress of today. Perhaps then I’ll be able to sleep.’
‘OK, I’ll see you later then,’ said Shirley.
‘Come with me, I don’t want to be alone.’
‘I don’t want a swim, not now.’
‘Well, come and watch me, you can sit in the chair. I just don’t want to be alone.’
‘OK, then.’
Ron went to get changed and joined Shirley by the side of the pool. He’d brought the whisky bottle with him and had already poured out another measure for Shirley. He handed it to her.
‘Oh, I think I’ve had enough,’ she said.
‘Drink it. You’ve had an awful day, it will help you.’
‘OK, well just the one. I don’t want to have a really bad headache in the morning.’
‘You won’t, it’s only the one.’
Ron sat down opposite her and sipped his own whisky. Shirley yawned and rubbed her eyes. She felt very sleepy it had been such an emotionally draining couple of days. She really felt very woozy, it was bad news drinking on an empty stomach.
Cole reached into the pocket of his bathrobe and placed what he’d found in the boot of the car on the table. She peered at it but her vision was beginning to blur. She couldn’t tell what it was exactly, it looked like a button but perhaps it was a brooch.
‘What’s that?’ she asked, barely able to form her words.
‘You tell me. Shall I read out what it says on it?’
She nodded.
‘It says, Mornington Golf Club.’
Shirley shrugged.
‘Know anyone who plays there?’
‘No idea,’ she said, her words barely intelligible.
‘Really? Do not take me for a fool! I know who’s been here! I worked it out!’
‘Please?’ begged Shirley, ‘it was the kindest thing, she was in agony. You wouldn’t listen. It would only have been a couple of days. I couldn’t bear to see her suffer.’ She was rubbing her eyes and trying to stay awake, her head kept lolling forward. ‘You wanted her to have a pointless fucking operation! She might have ended up as a vegetable!’
‘She was my daughter, not yours. I didn’t get chance to say goodbye!’
Ron looked like he was going to burst with rage. He stood over Shirley and she cowered beneath his angry stare. She raised her hands to protect herself from the anticipated blows. Suddenly Ron grabbed the back of her chair and tipped her into the pool. She floundered but the alcohol and tranquilisers in her system made it impossible for her to stay afloat. She was gasping for breath and managed somehow to use her legs to get nearer to the side of the pool. Ron knelt down and held out his hand to her. She reached for it but he suddenly withdrew it and instead pushed her head under the water. Bubbles escaped from her mouth and her arms and legs flailed but with decreasing speed. After thirty seconds, he let go. He stood and took his drink from the table returning to the main part of the house. He had a night’s peace before Shirley would be found by the cleaner in the morning.
Chapter 5
9
Two days later.
Nick was feeling much better after a couple of days at home. After a diet of daytime TV and being subjected to his next-door neighbours bawling and shouting he was ready to get out of the house again. Although he didn’t feel he should attempt any chemistry he was keen to get back to the university and see how things were progressing. If nothing else, he could find out what the team was doing and perhaps give some advice. Polly wasn’t too happy but after much persuasion, she agreed to drive him there.
‘So, shall we meet up for lunch then?’ asked Nick.
‘Yes, I’ll send you a message mid-morning when I’m certain I don’t have any urgent meetings sprung on me,’ replied Polly as they pulled out of their driveway.
‘Matt and Brett want to speak to me at 10 a.m. then I’ll go and see how the team are doing.’
‘Don’t get any ideas of putting on a reaction,’ admonished Polly. ‘I have my spies you know,’ she joked.
‘They are probably knee deep in water,’ joked Nick, ‘last time I was in the lab they had that flood, leaking pipe.’
‘Oh, no! You didn’t tell me about that, of course, with everything that happened.’
‘No, well, we had more important things to think about, in fact, it’s only just occurred to me now.’
‘Shall I drop you at the main door and then go to park the car?’
Nick tutted slightly. ‘I’m OK to walk a few yards, don’t fuss,’ then he felt guilty. ‘Sorry, that was nasty. I just mean I’m OK, we can walk slowly.’
Polly let the comment lie, she knew Nick didn’t like being fussed over, it was just that she felt she needed to protect him.
‘I’m a bit nervous about this morning,’ said Nick. ‘I’m worried about seeing Dan again. It’s going to be embarrassing for both of us. I just want him to realise we need to put it all behind us.’
‘I’m sure it will be fine,’ said Polly. ‘Text me in the morning, if you get chance and say hello to Matt and Brett. It was really good that they came over to the hospital that night to give me some support. They are good blokes, even Brett who you didn’t take to at first.’
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