He turned back to the woman. “We are expecting two interpreters to arrive shortly. Gazmend and Diellza Dushku.” He spelled out the names and waited while the woman wrote it down. “When they get here, would you ask them to come up to the ward?”
She nodded, almost regally, and Paolo knew they had been dismissed.
CC pressed the button to call the lift. As the doors opened, a man who’d been studying the board displaying the wards and floor numbers came rushing over and got in behind them. The man stood back so that CC could press the button for the third floor before reaching forward and pressing number two.
When the man got out, CC, who’d been staring straight ahead, turned towards Paolo. The mirrored wall reflected the full glory of her appearance. Green spiky hair, a stud through one eyebrow, and enough make up to launch her own cosmetics company, Paolo wondered how much was stating ‘here I am’ and how much was camouflage. He knew many of the men on the force were intimidated by her. Perhaps that’s what she’d set out to do. What better way to stop people from picking on her than by flaunting her personality? And there would have been quite a few coppers in line to do just that: all those who felt threatened by a woman – and a woman only interested in her own sex, no less.
“What is it, sir? Have I got dirt on my face?”
He laughed. “Sorry, was I staring? I’m still trying to come to terms with the green hair.”
She grinned. “I’m just waiting for the day you no longer notice it and then I’ve got another colour in mind. One that will really stand out.”
“As opposed to this one, that just blends nicely into the background, you mean?”
She nodded, an impish grin spreading across her face. Paolo wondered what shade her hair would be next week. Not that it mattered one iota. She could dye it purple with pink stripes as far as he was concerned. CC was one of the best detectives on his team. He wished he had another ten just like her.
The lift doors opened and they followed the directions they’d been given. A sign on the wall next to double swing doors told them they’d reached Rutland ward. Pushing through the doors, they came into another, narrower, corridor with doors leading off on both sides. A little way along the corridor, set back on the left, was a nurses’ station, at present unoccupied.
“We’d better wait here,” Paolo said.
After a few minutes one of the doors opened and a nurse appeared.
“Have you come to see Doctor Peters?” she asked.
“Yes,” Paolo answered, showing her his identification.
“Could you follow me, please? I’ll take you to him.”
“We have interpreters coming along shortly. Will there be someone here to show them where to go?”
The nurse hesitated. “Possibly not. What with the flu epidemic and cut backs, we’re all rushed off our feet.”
“You go with the nurse, sir,” CC said. “I’ll wait here for Gazmend and Diellza. You can come back for us after you’ve seen the doctor.”
“That sounds like a plan,” Paolo said. “Lead on, nurse.”
He followed her almost to the end of the corridor before she stopped and showed him into a tiny waiting room.
“Doctor Peters is just finishing his ward rounds. He’ll be along in a few minutes.”
“Thank you,” Paolo said sitting down on a less than comfortable plastic chair, resigning himself to a long wait. But he’d barely had time to register just how hard the seat was before the door opened again and a man came in.
Without the white coat and stethoscope hanging from the man’s neck, Paolo would never have placed the man as a doctor. In his mid to late thirties, he looked more like a lumberjack. He stood at least six foot five, with massive shoulders, bushy hair and a beard that could have won competitions for healthy growth.
“Detective Inspector Storey?”
Paolo stood up. “That’s me. You must be Doctor Peters,” he said.
“Sit, sit,” Doctor Peters said as he lowered himself onto a chair facing Paolo. “You’ve come to see that poor child we found outside. To be honest, I’m not sure you’ll get much out of her. She’s in a terrible state.”
“Physically?”
“Yes, that too, but I was thinking more along emotional lines. She’s been badly traumatised. Whoever raped her was extremely rough. By the time we brought her into the hospital she’d lost a fair amount of blood where she’d been torn on penetration. She’s scared to death, poor thing. Doesn’t seem to speak or understand English, so it’s been difficult to deal with her fears.”
Paolo nodded. “Sadly, Doctor Peters, we see too many cases where young girls, children who should be safely at home with their families, have been repeatedly traumatised in such a way. We know where she was found, but is there anything else you can tell me that might help catch the people who did this to her?”
“Unfortunately, no. I’ve stitched her up and tried to calm her down, but being a man, the gender she sees as the source of her troubles, isn’t helping. She seems to be more at ease with the nurses, so I’m staying out of sight as much as possible.”
“We think she might be Albanian. Would it be possible for our interpreters to try talking to her?”
“You can, of course, but I’m not sure how far you’ll get. I’ll get one of the nurses to show you into the child’s room, but I’ll be on hand, just in case she reacts badly to your visit.”
They walked back to the nurses’ station where CC was chatting to Gazmend and another man. Paolo only caught a glimpse of the man before he turned away to read something on the notice board, but guessed he must a relative of the interpreter’s. Apart from being almost the same height, build and colouring, the other man moved in the same fluid way as Gazmend.
CC and Gazmend came forward, leaving the other man on his own. He held out his hand to Paolo, who shook it before making introductions.
“Gazmend, this is Doctor Peters. Doctor Peters, Gazmend Dushku, our interpreter. And this is Detective Sergeant Connors,” he said, enjoying the look of surprise on the doctor’s face as he took in CC’s appearance.
He turned to Gazmend. “Where’s Diellza?”
“She went out early this morning to visit her sister and won’t be back for several hours. Detective Sergeant Connor said it was urgent, so I came over as soon as I could. Should I have waited for my wife?”
Paolo looked at Dr Peters. “What do you think?”
“It would, of course, be better for a woman to speak to her, but I think the sooner someone communicates in her own language, the better. We can’t get through to her at all.”
Dr Peters pointed down the corridor. “Our patient is in room 14, just along there on the right. Please don’t stay too long or tire her out. Let one of the nurses know if you need me for any reason.”
Paolo let CC lead the way to the room. As CC opened the door, the child looked up and screamed. Yelling and crying, she scrambled up and climbed onto the pillow, trying to pull the drip from her arm. Paolo felt himself being shoved to one side as Doctor Peters rushed into the room.
“Get out!” the doctor shouted. “Shut the door so that she can’t see you.”
Paolo quickly pulled the door closed, shaken to the core at the poor kid’s reaction. What must she have gone through? After several minutes the door opened and the doctor emerged.
“I’ve sedated her. You’ll have to come back tomorrow, but I don’t think she should be interviewed by men. In fact, as her doctor, I am forbidding any males from entering her room.”
Paolo nodded. “Gazmend, will your wife be available tomorrow?”
“Yes. I’m sure she’ll be happy to put herself at your disposal.”
“CC,” Paolo said, “will you make arrangements with Mrs Dushku to meet you here? I have no intention of subjecting that child to more trauma; only you will interview her. I won’t go into her room again.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Gazmend, I’m sorry to have dragged you all the way over here for nothing.”
“It is not a problem. I will leave you now and tell Diellza to expect a call from Detective Sergeant Connor.”
Paolo waited until Gazmend caught up with the other man and they disappeared through the double doors before turning once again to the doctor. “Forgive me for asking, but in view of what we’ve just seen, shouldn’t the child be treated by a female doctor?”
Doctor Peters sighed. “She should, of course, but with the flu outbreak we are so short staffed that I’m her only option at the moment. As soon as one of my female paediatric colleagues is available, I’ll be handing over to her. In the meantime, as I said, I’m staying out of sight as much as I can.”
Paolo smiled in sympathy. “It must be very difficult for you when a patient cannot bear you to be in the room. I’m going to place a WPC outside her door. We need to make sure no one has access to her apart from medical staff.”
Doctor Peters nodded. “Yes, of course.”
“One last thing before we go, Doctor, we’d like to take the clothes she was wearing when she was admitted. We might be able to get some idea of where she’d been from forensic testing.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll get a nurse to bring them out to you, but I don’t think they were actually her clothes. They seemed to be at least two sizes too big for her.”
“That could be good news for us, doctor,” Paolo said. “If they belonged to someone else we might get traces of the original owner from them.”
“Good point. I hope you catch whoever did this. I’d hate to see another child in this state.”
The doctor walked over to the nurses’ station to explain what was required. He nodded farewell to Paolo and CC before disappearing into one of the side rooms.
“Was that a relative with Gazmend? They look so alike, I thought it might be his brother,” Paolo asked.
“Not a brother, a cousin, Jeton. Gazmend’s car is in for service and Jeton gave him a lift over. I see him with Gazmend quite often. I think they’re very close. In fact, if I remember rightly, Jeton is staying with Gazmend at the moment. Marriage problems.”
“Is he also an interpreter? I’m beginning to think the more people we have who can speak Albanian and English, the easier it might be to flush out our traffickers.”
“I don’t think he is on any official list, but his English is even better than Gazmend’s, so maybe we should suggest he takes the test?”
“Good idea.” Paolo looked at his watch. “CC, I’m going to call for a WPC to sit outside the girl’s room. Would you wait here until she arrives? When she does, collect the clothes, then go down to security and pick up the CCTV coverage from last night. Get everything you can – all cameras, all entrances and exits. The child didn’t walk here, so someone dropped her off. Odd though, I wouldn’t have thought the people we’re hunting would have brought her here, so maybe she’s not connected to our case after all.” He sighed. “Whether she is or she isn’t, we need to get the bastard who did this to her.”
“I agree, sir. I take it you’re going to see Katy?”
“Yes, as I’m here, I thought I’d pop in for a few minutes. I’ll come back again this evening as usual, but…”
“I know, sir. Take as long as you need. I’ll wait for you downstairs.”
Paolo could never suppress a shudder when he entered the psychiatric ward. He’d visited Katy every day for months and yet he still hadn’t come to terms with her being here. He made his way to her room and stood outside, steadying his emotions. The reaction of the young girl had shaken him badly and he didn’t want his daughter to be able to see his distress. Katy had already had more than enough trauma in her life without him adding to it. He was about to open the door when a friendly voice called out.
“Hello, we don’t usually see you here during the day.”
He looked up to find Jessica Carter walking towards him.
He smiled. “No, but I was here on business so thought I’d drop in. I hope that’s okay.”
“Yes, of course. Katy will be pleased to see you. I take it you’re here regarding our poor young rape victim?”
“You know about her?”
“The entire hospital knows. Collective rage is the dominant emotion in Bradchester Central at the moment.”
Paolo nodded. “I can imagine. She’s going to need counselling. Will she be in your care?”
“I think so, although a lot depends on language issues.”
“Yes, I can see that would be a problem,” Paolo said. “Have you already seen Katy this morning?”
“Yes, and before you ask, there is no change. Please don’t mention your reason for being here to Katy.” She smiled. “I’m sorry, that was unnecessary. I know you won’t.” She touched his arm in apology. “Enjoy your visit.”
She walked on towards the lifts, leaving Paolo trying to remember the last time a woman had touched him. It had been Barbara, the best part of a year ago. He hadn’t had any female contact since their brief affair. No wonder he felt so alone. Pushing that thought to one side, he plastered on a smile and opened the door to his daughter’s room.
Katy was standing with her back to him, staring out of the window. Paolo came in and closed the door, but Katy remained absolutely still. He could see her reflection in the glass. Dark hair and eyes, olive skin and delicate features, she looked so much like his mother. Katy used to have his mother’s fiery Italian personality as well, but now she was always so passive it was like being with a different person.
His little girl wasn’t so little anymore. She’d be sixteen on Christmas Day, just over two months away. He prayed she wouldn’t be spending the day in here. Surely she’d be well enough to go home by then. But if Lydia carried through on her threat, how often would he be allowed to see Katy? Better not to worry about that now.
“Hi, baby, how are you doing today? I was in the area, so thought I’d drop in early.”
Katy spun round.
“Dad!” she screamed and threw herself into his arms, sobbing as if she would never be able to stop.
Paolo stroked her back and made soothing noises, trying to remain calm in the face of her hysteria, but he was stunned. She’d spoken! For the first time in months she’d called to him!
She pulled away, her mouth moving, clearly desperate to say more. Pain and rage filled her face as she tried to force words out, but none escaped.
“What is it, baby? What’s happened? Tell me.”
But the effort proved too much, she began to howl. Paolo pulled her back into his arms and manoeuvred them closer to the wall so that he could reach for the buzzer. Katy needed more help than he could give. And she needed it now.
CHAPTER TEN
8th October (midday)
Pete glared at the clock. Midday already and still no word from Joey. What the fuck was taking him so long to come over? He jumped when the intercom finally played. His nerves were shot to shit. He hadn’t been able to calm down since Joey had dropped him off the night before. Hands shaking, he pressed the button.
“Who is it?”
“Pizza delivery.”
“Thank fuck for that, Joey. Where you been?”
“You want to have this conversation over the intercom, or you going to open the gates and let me in?”
“Fuck, you’re right. I’m not thinking straight.”
He pressed the key button and then went to open the studio door. He stood outside, barely able to keep still as he watched for the pizza van to appear. Joey manoeuvred the vehicle so that the back doors were close to the studio’s entrance. The van had hardly stopped before Pete was reaching for the driver’s door.
“What have you found out?” he asked as Joey climbed out.
“Let’s get inside, shall we? Stop asking questions out here like a moron.”
“Don’t you speak to me like that,” Pete said as Joey pushed past and disappeared into the studio. Pete followed him in and slammed the door. Joey was already sprawled in Pete’s favourite chair. Fucking bastard was acting like he was
somebody important instead of just a pimp.
“Screw you, Joey. Where do you get off telling me I’m a moron?”
“Well now, let’s look at this, shall we? In the last three days you’ve totally fucked up the mind of one girl, killed another and lost me a third. In my eyes that makes you a moron.”
Pete swallowed the insults he wanted to hurl. Right now he needed to find out what was happening and Joey was the only one who could tell him.
“Have you got people in the hospital?”
Joey nodded. “Yes, but the kid is being watched 24/7. We can’t get close to her just yet. Fortunately, she doesn’t speak a word of English, so can’t do us any harm at the moment, but the cops have already been sniffing around. We can’t take the chance on there being no one in the hospital who can speak Albanian. I need to get rid of her today, before she can spill her guts.”
Pete shook his head. “You should have picked her up last night when the travellers dumped her at the hospital. I told you that.”
“And I told you there are too many cameras around the place. If we’d been caught on CCTV that would have been the end of everything. Anyway, I’m not here to talk over old ground. I’m here to clean up after you, yet again. What have you done with the girl’s body?”
Pete pointed. “She’s through there. I put her in the bath, out of the way.”
Joey stood up. “I’ll go get her.”
“What will you do with her body? What if she’s found?”
“Pete, believe me, where she’s going, no one will ever find her. I’ve hidden more bodies than you want to know about. Remember that,” Joey said, glaring at Pete with enough venom to make him wish he’d kept his mouth shut. Joey grinned and then headed off to the bathroom.
He soon reappeared with the child in his arms. “Open the door and make sure it’s safe, will you.”
Pete peered out. No one was in sight. His staff over at the house would all be busy at this time of day, although what they did he couldn’t imagine. Not that he cared enough to find out, but sometimes he wondered what exactly he was getting for his huge wage bill.
Someday Never Comes (#2 - D.I. Paolo Storey Crime Series) Page 6