Go Not Gently

by Cath Staincliffe

  ‘Miss Donlan,’ he grinned, ‘how are you? I haven’t seen you for a while.’ His accent blended Indian consonants and Mancunian vowels.

  Agnes explained why we’d come. He listened politely, rolling a thick fountain pen between his fingers and frowning slightly. When she’d finished he nodded once.

  ‘Of course I no longer have Mrs Palmer’s notes. As you know, I treated Mrs Palmer for the fall, the shoulder, and that was mending fine, but she was keen to move into sheltered accommodation. I didn’t see her again, she transferred to Dr Goulden. I’m sorry to hear she’s so poorly.’

  I asked him if Lily had ever shown any signs of dementia.

  She hadn’t. But neither had she had any acute illness that could have led to dementia-like symptoms. He recommended that we ask Dr Goulden to make sure there was no adverse reaction to drugs she was prescribed. ‘It’s a common enough problem,’ he said. ‘All drugs have side effects and sometimes switching to another similar drug can bring great improvements. I must say I am surprised that she is so ill. I would agree it seems very sudden and if she were my patient I would be reviewing the drugs very carefully.’

  As Dr Goulden claimed he was.

  There was nothing else he could tell us. I drove Agnes home and she invited me in.

  We sat in the front room, peaceful and homely. It still had the original fireplace with its ceramic tiles showing dog roses and rosehips, and a picture rail ran round the room. Agnes had decorated in warm colours, gold and peach and a spicy brown. She lit the coal-effect gas fire and we pulled our chairs up close. From somewhere else in the house a clock chimed, a sound from the days before time was measured in bleeps and digital displays.

  ‘Is that it, then?’ She looked into the fire.

  ‘You can always get a second opinion – about Lily’s condition now. I think you should consider that. Or a transfer. See about her changing back to Dr Chattaway, perhaps? Talk to Charles about it, he might need to make the request.’

  She nodded then turned to look at me. ‘And you. What do you think?’

  ‘I’m not a doctor,’ I objected.

  ‘But you have an opinion?’ Her dark eyes glittered.

  ‘I don’t know. I don’t like Dr Goulden but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know his job. I can’t make a medical judgement, and the whole thing seems to hinge on that. Maybe it just happened more quickly for Lily, maybe the drugs do need looking at again like Dr Chattaway suggested. Either way there’s not much I can usefully do at the moment. You need more medical help, not a private investigator.’

  Agnes turned away, looked back at the flames. ‘I can’t believe I was wrong,’ she murmured. ‘Stubborn. How much do I owe you?’

  ‘I can send you a bill.’

  ‘I’d rather settle it now.’

  ‘There’s only really the doctors’ visits, a bit of research. Fifty pounds will cover it.’

  She left the room. Came back with the cash. I took the bills and folded them into my bag. ‘Thank you.’ I wanted to apologise but I didn’t know what for.

  On the doorstep she laid her hand on my arm. ‘Thank you. For listening. It didn’t turn out as I hoped but it helped to have someone taking it seriously.’

  ‘Take care,’ I said. ‘If anything else crops up you know where I am.’

  As I walked away disappointment tightened my throat. If only it could’ve turned out differently. I thought it was all over then.

  And we all know what thought did.

  It was only ten forty-five and Tuesday was one of the days that Jimmy Achebe had asked me to watch Tina. I drove back to the office, checked my answerphone and mail and collected the camera. I’d invested in a powerful zoom lens which meant I could get shots of people without being under their noses. Nevertheless I still felt completely exposed whenever I used it. It was beyond me how anyone could fail to spot the strange woman parked in the car snapping away with a funny-looking camera. But to date no one had come up and knocked on the window to ask me my business. The zoom meant I could furnish my clients with the proof they wanted of lies told and trust betrayed.

  Before leaving I rang Jimmy Achebe’s home number. No point in staking out an empty house. Tina answered the phone.

  ‘Hello,’ I said, ‘is that the travel agent’s?’

  ‘You’ve got the wrong number.’

  ‘Oh, sorry.’

  I stopped to buy a trendy sandwich and a drink on the way across to the Achebes’. Levenshulme – where the biscuit factory sweetens the air. I drove past the address Jimmy had given me. An ordinary terrace. Door leading straight on to the street. A quiet road. One where a strange car parked too long would have the nets twitching. I parked up on the main road where I could see down the length of their street if Tina appeared.

  I’d finished my posh butties (avocado, cream cheese and chives) and my drink. I was parked near the Antique Hypermarket, full of stalls dealing in furniture, fixtures and fittings. The sort of place you could get original fireplaces like Agnes’ among the Victorian hatstands and chaise longues. I’d tagged along when my friend Diana had got old chimney pots there for her back yard. I divided my attention between Tina’s street and the comings and goings of the antique dealers.

  It was one thirty when she came out. The photo I had was a good likeness. She was short and slight. She walked down to the main road and turned left towards the shops. Once she’d passed the bus stop I slipped my camera in my bag, left the car and followed her at a safe distance.

  Tina bought fresh milk and bread, a chicken, vegetables. She called in the hardware shop and browsed and did the same in a cheap and cheerful clothes shop. Then she walked back home.

  Some you win, some you lose.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Sheila was on the phone, the woman about the room. I told her what we’d got available and what it cost, a bit about the setup (two adults – not involved with each other – each with a child, one dog, shared kitchen and bathroom, no smoking). She was still interested but would be away for a few days on a field trip. I told her I’d check when Ray was in and fix a time for her to come and meet us. I took her number.

  I rang Swift Deliveries and left a message for Jimmy Achebe to ring Kilkenny’s after ten the following morning.

  Moira’s books were still in their carrier bag in the corner so I stuck them in the car ready to drop off the next time I passed her house or the surgery.

  Over tea I got some times from Ray when we could both be in to see Sheila. I rang her back while he was washing up and fixed for her to call Wednesday next week after tea. We wanted her to meet the kids but not until they’d been fed. Maddie in particular was capable of horrendous behaviour. I thought of it as attention-seeking in my better moments, and I didn’t want to give her a chance to display it with food at hand.

  That evening it was my turn to get the children to bed, a long process that included baths and books and stories. I also had to arbitrate in the many disputes that arose between the pair of them. Maddie and Tom were virtual opposites in looks as well as temperament. Tom had inherited Ray’s dark curls, brown eyes and olive skin, while Maddie was dirty blonde, blue-eyed and pallid. Tom had a cheerful lust for life and experience, a sensuality that led him to wallow in mud and chuck himself all over the place. Maddie found the world an unnerving place, was cautious, suspicious of the new, and a borderline hypochondriac. She could be infuriating but I loved her with a passion that continued to startle me.

  Once I’d got them in pyjamas and persuaded them to their beds, I had to check under beds, in drawers and behind curtains for scary things. Maddie was in an anxious phase and every shadow and sound had her gasping. When I’d done my atheistic version of casting out the devils and blessing the bedroom I sat in the old rocking chair in the corner of the room and began a story. They were both still awake when I finished.

  ‘Will you stay, Mummy?’ Maddie asked.

  ‘Yes,’ I sighed.

  ‘Till I’m asleep?’

  ‘Yes. Now
be quiet.’

  I closed my eyes and let my mind flow around the day’s work. Images floated into my thoughts and away: Agnes’ fireplace, Tina shopping, Dr Chattaway rolling his pen…

  I jerked awake, a sour taste in my mouth. I could hear steady breathing from Maddie. I got up and bent over Tom, no sound at all. I touched his chin, he shuffled and sighed. I let my breath out and left them to it.

  In the lounge with a fresh cup of tea I dug out my gardening books and spent an hour gazing at glossy pictures and looking up various species. In the depths of February it was hard to recall the scents and colours of the summer, to remember exactly how it felt when the sun went down four hours later and washing dried on the line. Of course, living in Manchester summer could often feel like February but we did have glimpses of the seasonal changes the rest of the country took as read.

  I could hear Ray messing about in the cellar, fitting in a bit of his furniture making. When he’d a building job on everything else got postponed, so if he’d said yes to a few orders he’d soon have impatient customers ringing up wanting to know when the chest, table or chair would be finished.

  He popped his face round the door to tell me he was taking Digger out for his walk. I was in bed and fast asleep before they came back.

  After leaving the children at school I spent most of the money that Agnes had given me on food. I raced round the discount supermarket plucking cereal boxes and containers of milk and juice, toilet rolls, tins of beans and tomatoes, mini yogurts, crisps, rice, cheap cheese, tea and coffee. In the vegetable shop opposite I picked a selection of vegetables and a bag full of fruit. I unloaded the lot on the kitchen table, stuck the cheese, yoghurts and milk in the fridge. The rest I’d sort out later. It was time for work.

  Jimmy rang as requested just as I’d settled at my desk. ‘I’m ringing from work,’ he said. ‘We’re not meant to make private calls. I can’t talk for long.’

  In the background I could hear the sound of vans and a Tannoy.

  ‘I watched Tina yesterday,’ I said. ‘And she didn’t go anywhere but the local shops. Do you want me to try again today?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘OK. Ring me again tomorrow, same time.’

  I didn’t want to alert Tina by using the old wrong number call again so I just drove over to Levenshulme as soon as I could. After an hour sitting in the car my left buttock had seized up. I was getting hungry too. I’d demolished my apple and banana in the first half-hour. My stomach was growling. A light rain finally made it down from the clutches of the clouds. Fine as a sea fret and bringing with it the scent of sewage, not brine.

  Tina came out wearing a check jacket, black skirt and carrying a bag. She looked stylish. Her hair was bound up in a knot on her head and she wore large gold earrings.

  I got out of the car and locked it while she walked down the main road. She passed the bus stop and turned left towards the post office and the local train station. I followed her up the ramp and stood behind her while she bought a return to Piccadilly; I did too. She took a seat in the waiting room while I went and stood on the platform. I didn’t want to become too familiar.

  When the train arrived I sat in a different coach. I looked out over East Manchester, Beswick, Ardwick, Miles Platting. I could spot the curve of the Velodrome changing the skyline and work going on to complete the large-scale redevelopment of the whole area. Where once there’d been whole estates of terraced houses, established communities, there were now great tracts of raw earth littered with heaps of bricks and huge concrete cylinders. Yellow cranes and earth movers gnawed away at the land.

  Where had all the people gone? Would they come back or were homes going to be replaced by industrial estates, superstore complexes and yet more roads?

  We were at Piccadilly in ten minutes. The check jacket made it easy to keep Tina in view. She took the escalator down to the Metrolink. Were we just going shopping or would I need a ticket to Bury or Altrincham? Tina didn’t bother with a ticket. I hedged my bets and pressed the buttons to get a ticket for the central zone. Last thing I wanted was to get done for fare dodging.

  The first tram was for Bury and she boarded it. But we only went as far as Piccadilly Gardens. We weren’t going shopping, though. She turned in the other direction and I followed her, at a distance, across Portland Street and along a side road to the Worcester Hotel. I waited while she went in, counted to twenty and then as quietly as I could opened the heavy glass door and followed. I was dead lucky, the receptionist wasn’t at her desk. The place looked decent enough, good maroon wool carpet, clean decor, fresh lilies at reception, which made the lobby smell sweet. There was no lift. I took the stairs two at a time and silently as possible, alert to any noises. The corridor on the first floor was empty. I thought I caught a footfall from upstairs. On the second landing I was in time to see a glimpse of Tina’s check jacket disappearing into a room. Bingo!

  I walked down to the room, number 203. I paused outside, stilling my breath and straining to catch any sound. Nothing. Just my pulse pounding, that sweet way it does when I’m scared of being caught.

  There was nowhere in the corridor to wait. There were three doors on either side and a fire door at the far end. More than likely that would lead out to a fire escape. No good waiting out there, I wanted to see if anyone came up to join Tina.

  I went back down to the first floor, prepared to act as if I were just leaving my room if anyone spotted me. Ten minutes crawled by. Then I heard footsteps, the clink of coins or keys. A man crossed the landing and carried on up. I followed him. He knocked sharply on a door and cast a glance my way as I appeared from the stairs. Room 203. The door opened and he went in. Full house.

  I went down to the lobby. The receptionist was back, and she seemed surprised to see me.

  ‘Can I help you?’ she said.

  I weighed her up. Young, lots of make-up, expensive clothes. It couldn’t be very exciting working here. Maybe I could brighten her day. ‘You might be able to,’ I said. ‘I’m a private detective.’ I pulled out one of my cards and showed her. She took it, read it, handed it back. Cool. Sceptical. Weighing me up too.

  ‘Room 203,’ I said, ‘can you tell me who’s registered there?’

  ‘I don’t think I could do that,’ she said, a neutral tone. ‘Confidentiality and all that.’

  ‘I thought that was doctors and priests,’ I said.

  ‘And lawyers,’ she was enjoying this, ‘and banks.’ I missed the hint.

  ‘You could just check the mail,’ I gestured towards the pigeonholes, ‘or tidy the information board. And I could just glance at the visitors’ book.’

  She sighed. ‘Rotten wages,’ she said, ‘hotel and catering trade. Time they agreed a minimum wage.’

  It took me a moment to cotton on. I nodded. Took a fiver from my purse, put it on the desk.

  She smiled. ‘Then there’s inflation, the recession, negative equity. You know my house is worth less now than it was in 1989.’ I placed a second fiver on the desk. ‘Just look at those letters, what a mess.’

  She turned away, pocketing the fivers, and began to shuffle the envelopes. I swivelled the ledger round my way. I found room 203, in the name of Mrs Peters. A flick back through the pages revealed another eight occasions. Mrs Peters checked in for days not nights. I made a note of the dates.

  ‘Does Mr Peters always join her?’ I asked.

  The receptionist put the letters back and turned round.

  Before she could answer the door opened and a woman swept in carrying an umbrella and pulling a scarf from her neck.

  ‘Sorry I’m late, Lynn.’ She lifted the counter top up and joined her colleague. ‘Flipping plumbers. Plonkers more like.’

  ‘I’m sorry we can’t help you,’ said Lynn very firmly. ‘We don’t use outside caterers.’ End of conversation.

  I’d done my job, bar the photos. I hadn’t promised Jimmy Achebe photographic proof of what I discovered but it always helped to have hard evidence to back up th
e facts.

  I loitered near the hotel for another hour watching people come and go and feeling faint from hunger before the man I’d seen emerged. He was in his forties, I guessed. Tall and slim. He wore an expensive camel coat and his brown hair was swept back from his face. He had a creamy complexion, clean-shaven. I got a shot of him in profile and another, full length, facing me. I swung the camera around and clicked the skyline just in case.

  I soaked up nearly another hour of steady drizzle. My bladder began to ache, and my shoulder, too, a gnawing pain, a reaction to the tension. Tina came out. I snapped her twice then put my camera away. I stuck with her until she reached the platform at Piccadilly from where the train for Levenshulme left, then I called it a day. I had a blissful pee in the ladies’ at the station, bought a huge sandwich, a rich chocolate bun and a large fresh coffee. Only when I’d eaten my fill and warmed through did I get the train myself. It was an old model, shabby and seedy. People were returning from work. I sat crushed in with the smell of wet wool and hair, and the windows grey with condensation. The train lurched to Levenshulme. I walked back and got my car. I didn’t relish telling Jimmy what I’d found out. If Tina’s meeting had been with a man at a café, a pub or a restaurant there may well have been an innocent explanation. But a hotel? A private room with a bed?

  My job was done. Their troubles were just beginning.

  CHAPTER NINE

  I’d arranged for the kids to go hom

  e with school friends. On the way to get them I dropped the film in at a photo shop I know where they boast processing within the hour. I didn’t need it that urgently. I’d collect it in the morning.

  I reached the children at five.

  ‘I could’ve given them tea, you know,’ said Jean.

  ‘We want tea, stay for tea,’ Maddie began to chant and the others joined in.

  ‘No, not tonight. Maybe some other time,’ I said. I thanked Jean for offering, wishing she’d not mentioned it in front of the children. Now I was the mean, horrible Mummy who wouldn’t let them.