by Noreen Mayer
'No.' The doctor appeared surprised. 'What did it say?'
'That she had Multiple Sclerosis.'
Raman stared at Libby. 'She couldn't have. She was perfectly healthy.'
'I don't know much about this disease,' said Libby, 'but can't you have remissions?'
'Yes, but an illness like that? Pamela would have had symptoms at some stage, she'd have taken time off her studies or work, and she'd have had her own doctor. She couldn't possibly have worked the long hours she did with such a serious illness.'
Libby was confused. 'I think the note said she was only diagnosed recently.'
'Are you sure this note is genuine?'
'No, that's the thing, I'm not sure. It was typed.'
'Typed?' Raman frowned. 'Pamela couldn't type.'
Libby stared at him. 'I suppose anyone can peck out a short note like this was, but how do you know Pamela couldn’t type?'
'She told me. And once, I heard Pamela asking a secretary to type a CV for her.'
'Really.' Libby smiled as she realised she had made a breakthrough. 'You know, this means that someone else wrote that note. Pamela didn't.'
He nodded gravely. 'It does.'
She said in a rushed voice, 'This is good evidence that Pamela was killed, isn't it?'
Raman replied, 'I agree.'
***
Dr Raman came down to Libby's office on the following Monday. He seemed to be pleased about something. He appeared different without his white coat, Libby thought.
'Hello, Raman, to what do we owe this visit?' Libby asked.
'Our missing man, Shane, has come back, I'm glad to say.' Raman smiled widely, showing his even white teeth. 'He's alive and well.'
'What?' Libby said in amazement.
'He's back. And there's more.' Raman's eyes danced with excitement. 'I saw someone attack Shane last night in the car park near the Green Lemon. I shouted at the fellow and scared him off.'
'Go on, tell me the whole story,' Libby said.
Raman took a deep breath and said, 'It all happened as I was walking back to the public car park in the centre of High Street. After I left the Green Lemon pub at closing time, I noticed a person walking ahead of me. My heart jumped, I was sure I knew this man. It was Shane, he had come back.'
'How were you so certain it was him?' she interrupted. 'It was dark then, surely.'
'Only Shane wears that hideous white leather jacket,' said Raman slowly. 'Also he wears silver cowboy boots. He's a big fan of Elvis. And I recognised his typical swaggering walk.'
Libby nodded, remembering having seen Shane's flashy silver boots. 'Go on.'
Raman continued, 'Shane headed towards the car park. That's where we both normally left our cars. It's only a ten-minute walk from the pub. I walked slowly, a good distance behind him.'
Libby was perplexed. 'Why didn't you try to talk to him?'
'I should have,' he admitted. 'But I felt tired and I wanted to get home. Suddenly a strange man appeared from nowhere a short distance ahead of me, just behind Shane. I reckoned that he must have come out of the gates of one of the houses. He walked along behind Shane.'
'Can you describe this person?' Libby asked.
Raman replied, 'He was tall and lean; he wearing dark tracksuit bottoms and runners and a dark wool hat. I couldn't see his face.'
'Didn't Shane hear him?'
'Yeah, he heard the sound of footsteps, and then he turned around to check. After that, Shane increased his pace. He quickly crossed the road, almost reaching his red Mazda in the centre of the car park. Then Shane fumbled in his pocket for something, probably his car keys.'
'What did this strange fellow do next?'
'He crept up behind Shane. He pulled out a white cord which he whipped around Shane's neck.' Raman paused for breath. 'He pulled tightly, trying to suffocate Shane. Shane struggled, tearing at the man's hands with his own fingers. Shane made a choking sound. I couldn't believe my own eyes, the attack happened so fast.'
'What did you do?'
Raman continued, 'I ran towards them as Shane fell down on the ground. The man ran off when he heard me approach. He never turned around. I walked up to Shane's car, and saw Shane lying on the ground. I felt his pulse; I knew it was there, even though it was weak.'
'Did you call an ambulance?' Libby asked.
'No, I bundled Shane into my own car and drove him to the hospital. St Gabriel's was only five minutes away.'
'Why didn't you tell us this sooner?' Libby asked in wonder.
'I was afraid to. Yesterday evening, someone threw a brick through my kitchen window, and broke the glass.'
'So you connected this to what you had witnessed in the car park.'
'Of course I did,' Raman said, breathing heavily. 'Why else would they threaten me? What's more, I got three phone calls last night from someone who threatened to kill me.'
Libby's eyes opened wide. 'Kill you, for what?'
'If I spoke to you or the police about what I'd seen.'
'Still, you're here now.'
He smiled. 'I'm going to tell the police about this. I want you, or the police to catch the killer. It's the safest thing for us all.'
'You've made the right decision,' Libby said.
***
At half past one in the morning, Libby's house phone rang. She felt worried, knowing calls late at night never brought good news. She got out of bed in a hurry and ran downstairs to the hall to answer it. I hope nobody's dead, she thought. She said, 'Hello,' but no one answered. She waited and heard heavy breathing for a few seconds.
Then a low voice said, 'Have you checked your son?'
Libby startled. Does he mean Andrew? 'You've got the wrong number.'
'No, I haven't. You're Libby Hargrove, you're a private investigator. I know you've got a son.'
Libby said nothing. The slow mocking voice continued, 'You'd better lock your doors tonight. Or you won't wake up tomorrow.' Libby had listened carefully to the accent throughout the call, but she could not place the voice. She could only say it was a man's voice. Then, there was a click as the person put the phone down.
Libby ran into Andrew's room. She saw his sleeping figure stretched out on the bed, with no sheet covering him. He was dressed in pyjamas bottoms and snored lightly. He was definitely not in danger, she saw, smiling with relief. Libby felt spooked, nevertheless. She made herself a cup of cocoa, before checking that all the doors were locked.
She went back to bed, and then had a horrible dream. A tall figure was chasing her in a dense forest, and she could not find the way out. She took several paths, but each one brought her deeper into the forest. The stranger closed in on her. He caught her firmly by the shoulders, preventing her escape. She resisted and fell to the ground. She was just about to see his face, when she woke up suddenly.
Chapter 2
7
Libby decided to pay the wounded doctor, Shane Collins a visit. He was in St Gabriel's Hospital as a patient, recovering from his ordeal with the assailant. She climbed the stairs to the first floor and found Shane on the surgical ward, in the bed nearest the door. There were six other male patients on the ward.
Shane sat up straight when he saw her. She noticed he was looking clean in his striped pyjamas and he appeared alert and anxious. She approached him and saw the angry red mark on his neck where the stranger had tried to strangle him.
She sat on the chair, which was beside his bed. 'Raman has given us a description of the man as tall and lean, and he wore a track suit. Can you add anything to this?'
'No, I turned around when I first heard him behind me, but he wore a balaclava, so I never saw his face, just these black staring eyes.'
'Anything else that stands out, a smell or his voice?'
'He said nothing to me,' Shane replied. 'It was dark and I was concentrating on escape, so it's all a bit of a blur.'
'Think hard, close your eyes and picture the man who attacked you.'
'He was definitely tall and thin, I rememb
er that. Fit too, he moved like a cat.' .
'You were extremely lucky Raman happened to be behind you.'
'Yes, it's ironic because I have been trying to avoid the hospital crowd.'
'Why did you go into hiding?' Libby asked.
Shane sank lower in his bed. He looked ashamed. 'I owed money to a loan shark.'
Libby said in horror, 'Why?'
'I needed money to pay off a dealer.'
'And did this loan shark threaten you?'
Shane looked at her with a frightened expression. 'Yes, he said he would break my legs. I believed him.
However, luckily for me, my brother paid him off a few days ago.' He breathed a sigh of relief. 'I'm in the clear now.'
Libby fixed her gaze on him. 'I'm still investigating the death of Doctor Kathleen Lynch. Do you know who killed her?'
'How the hell would I know who killed her?' Shane's face grew red.
'I know she took drugs' Libby said coldly.
He stared at Libby. 'Who told you she took drugs?'
'Her husband, Mick. He told me she bought them off you.'
Shane groaned. 'I gave her some coke only three or four times, just for her own use. It was nothing.'
Libby frowned. 'What about your affair with her?'
'I told you, I only slept with her the one time.' A likely story, Libby thought.
'Where was that?'
'At her house,' he replied, looking at the floor.
Shane leant forward towards Libby. His expression became pleading. 'Look, I didn't kill Kathleen, I hardly knew her, except at work.'
'Gina and your friends thought you were dead.'
He clenched his jaw. 'Well, I would be, if that vicious bastard had his way.'
'Why did that man try to kill you?'
'I've been racking my brains to come up with a reason, but I can't.'
'Are you involved in something criminal, other than this cocaine business?' Libby asked, staring at him with disapproval.
'I swear I'm not.' He remained silent for a few seconds. 'I get some coke sometimes, I will admit, but I only buy for my own use.'
'Do you owe money to any other dealers? Maybe one of them is angry?'
'Not at all.'
'And Conor, you gave him drugs, too.' Don't try to deny it, she thought.
'Yes, that fool still owes me money.' Shane's face reddened. 'Okay.' He hesitated, and then spoke. 'So I give Conor a bit of cocaine now and again. So what? He's a mate.'
Libby gazed at him in disgust. 'We found the photos you took of men having sex with your girlfriend.'
Shane grew indignant. 'How dare you break into my house?'
'Gina gave me a key. She thought you were in danger.'
'The pictures were Gina's idea to get money. It was a stupid idea, anyway. They never paid up.'
'What made you become a doctor, Shane? You don't seem the type.'
He looked at her with a weary expression. 'I'm a good doctor, or at least I was, until recently.' He stopped. 'I'll be okay again when I get myself clean. I'll be a new man.'
I have my doubts, Libby thought. 'I'll see you later,' she said as she left.
Chapter
28
The next day, Libby called to see Kathleen's boss at St Gabriel's, Dr Moran at his outpatient clinic. She wanted to ask him more about why Kathleen had left her previous job.
He was coming out of a patient's cubicle, dressed in blue scrubs, when she spotted him. Rushing forward, she asked him to spare her a minute.
'As you can see I'm quite busy, so you'd better make it quick.' His voice was pleasant, but impatient. He sat down at a large desk, piled with papers and files, and motioned to Libby to sit on the opposite chair.
'Where did Dr Kathleen Lynch work previously?'
The surgeon leant back in the chair. 'The Bon Secours in Cork, as far as I recall.'
'She worked as a consultant there?'
'That's right.' Dr Moran hesitated. 'There was some scandal, however. One of her patients died during labour.' Libby's eyes opened wide at this news.
'Was she a good doctor, in your opinion?' Libby asked.
'Kathleen was a brilliant student, she always got top marks. She got first place in the Finals.'
Libby whistled. 'Wow, she must have worked hard.'
The consultant continued, 'She intended to be a general surgeon, but she failed the first part of the fellowship.' He picked up a file from his desk and opened it. He read through the starting page and closed the file again quickly. He glanced up at Libby and said, 'Kathleen worked with Professor Muldowney for two years. He's the head surgeon in Cork University Hospital.'
'She switched then to obstetrics?' Libby asked.
'Yes, it's a much shorter course than general surgery. She passed all the exams quickly.'
Libby thanked him and returned home. She rang Mick Doody at his office. 'Did you hear about one of Kathleen's patients dying during labour?'
'No, of course not. Good heavens, that's a serious allegation.' Mr Doody's voice was loud and cold. 'Who told you that?'
'I'm afraid I can't say,' Libby replied, with hesitation.
'You shouldn't be listening to such wild accusations.' His voice was steely hard.
'Can't you give me a straight answer?' Libby asked, losing patience with him. 'Yes or no?'
'I told you she never discussed her work with me,' he said slowly. He was silent for a moment. 'But I can tell you this much, Kathleen never made mistakes.'
'Everyone makes mistakes,' replied Libby. 'It's just a question of how serious they are.'
'Kathleen was an excellent doctor. No one ever questioned her ability.'
'Did any patient sue Kathleen?' Libby asked in a quiet voice.
Mick said angrily, 'Certainly not. Look, can we speak another time? I'm late for a meeting.' He banged down the phone.
I can easily find this out anyway from public records, if I have to, she thought.
***
Libby rang the Bon Secours in Cork and spoke to Dr Henry. She mentioned about wanting to talk to him about Kathleen Lynch's death and made an appointment to see him that afternoon. Traffic was heavy, so the journey from her home took longer than expected.
She met Dr Henry in his outpatient rooms at the hospital. A pleasant grey-haired man, he spoke with a soothing voice.
'I heard about Kathleen's tragic death.' He paused. 'A terrible shock for us all, it was. I feel very sorry for her husband. Kathleen was only young, she had her whole life ahead of her.'
'Did this hospital sack her from her position here?' Libby asked.
'No, her one-year contract was up. We didn't renew it, however, after the scandal.'
'The woman who died in childbirth - she was Dr Lynch's patient, isn't that right?'
'Yes, Fiona Browne was her maiden name. Kathleen admitted she should have operated sooner on Mrs Browne.' He grimaced slightly.
Libby said, 'Does that mean she made a gross mistake?'
Dr Henry nodded slowly. 'Well, Kathleen admitted she had made an error in not seeing the patient sooner. I have the file here because I rooted it out after you rang.' He picked out a brown file from a pile on the desk, and flicked through it briefly. 'But not a gross error. She maintained the outcome would have been the same whether she had operated earlier or not.' Libby felt confused. 'Can you say that again?'
'Fiona would have died anyway, Kathleen maintained. The post-mortem findings here in this file agree with what Kathleen said. In fact, Mrs Browne suffered from a rare, undiagnosed clotting disorder.'
'And this led to her death?' asked Libby.
The consultant sighed. 'She died from massive bleeding from her womb after giving birth. I explained this to the family, but I still expect them to pursue a court case against this hospital.'
'Why?' Libby asked. 'If the doctor didn't do anything wrong, why would they sue?'
'Well, because the woman died,' he replied. 'Death in labour is rare in this country. We only get a few in the whole
year, thank heavens.'
He lifted up the phone. 'I'll call in the midwife who attended Fiona during her labour. She remembers more about the case than I do.'
He rang the midwife, Angela, and asked her to join him in his office. He asked her to bring along her file on Fiona Browne. A while later, a Filipino nurse, armed with a large file, appeared. She was about thirty-five. Thick brown hair framed a wide face with big brown eyes and sallow skin. She wore a white nurse's dress and smiled pleasantly at Libby.
She took a seat beside the consultant, facing Libby, placing her file on the desk as she opened it. Libby introduced herself.
The midwife said, 'I keep my own patient notes. I remember poor Fiona well.'
'Can you tell me a bit about her?'
The midwife read her notes, and then looked up. 'Fiona was aged twenty-eight. It was her first pregnancy. She worked hard, she owned a few small shops, and she travelled a lot. Fiona was expecting twins.'
'Twins?' Libby jerked her head in surprise.
'Yes, it was her first pregnancy, but she had several previous miscarriages.'
'So Fiona was a complicated case.'
'Yes, definitely. She suffered a lot during the pregnancy with morning sickness and tiredness also. 'Fiona's labour started normally. Her waters broke, and then her cervix dilated a certain amount. However, I noticed after three hours nothing further had happened.'
'What did you do?'
'I listened to the foetal heartbeat, I could get no sound.'
'Then what?'
'I rang Kathleen, Dr Lynch twice, asking her, begging her, to come in immediately, but Kathleen didn't arrive till two hours later.'
'Why did she delay coming?'
'She said something about her car having broken down, but at the time I didn't believe that was a valid excuse. She could have got a taxi and she didn't live far from the hospital. It was Christmas Day, I remember.'
Libby's eyes widened. 'She probably resented being called away from the big dinner.'
'Yeah,' said the nurse, 'it was around lunchtime. I can see that here, from the chart. Perhaps that's why.'