The Doctor

by Lisa Stone

  ‘So you were just friends with Em?’ Ben asked, still struggling to accept what he’d been told.

  ‘Yes. Good friends. Why would you think anything different?’ He sat in the other armchair.

  ‘Em left a note saying she’d left me for someone else and I assumed it was you.’

  ‘Shit! Well, it’s not, and that doesn’t sound like Em – having an affair.’

  ‘She didn’t say anything to you about it then, or about leaving me?’

  ‘No. She was always talking about you and Robbie. She was so proud of you both. Why did you think it was me?’

  ‘The photograph of the two of you together on Facebook and all your messages and phone calls.’

  Greg sighed. ‘I can see why you might think that, but trust me, we’re just friends. Good friends, and as far as I know she wasn’t seeing anyone else. She loved you.’

  ‘So where the hell is she?’ Ben demanded angrily, all the days and nights of worry taking their toll.

  ‘I don’t know. But not using her phone or social media isn’t a good sign. What do the police say?’

  ‘They’ve listed her as missing, but they’re treating it as if she’s run off with someone because of her note. A body has been found in the quarry at Coleshaw Woods, but they’re almost certain it’s not Em.’

  ‘Thank God. And you can’t think of anywhere she might be?’

  ‘No. I was convinced she was with you.’

  Greg shook his head in disbelief. ‘Come and check my house, she’s not there, and I’ve no idea where she could be. Seriously.’

  Robbie climbed onto his father’s lap and babbled something. Ben looked at him questioningly.

  ‘He wants his beaker,’ Greg said, nodding to the trainer cup on the table. ‘You get used to baby talk when you hear it all day.’

  Ben passed the beaker to Robbie.

  ‘Did you and Em have an argument?’ Greg asked after a moment. ‘I mean, all couples have fallouts sometimes.’

  ‘No, we had a really good Christmas. When I left for work on that last morning, she seemed fine.’

  ‘And she’s not said anything to her parents?’

  ‘No, they’ve been here helping out. They’re due back later.’

  ‘And there are no other relatives she could have gone to for a cooling-off period?’

  ‘No, I’ve contacted all the family, and all the friends I know of. And why would she go anyway?’

  ‘I really don’t know. It doesn’t make sense. I saw Em a couple of weeks before Christmas – we met up with the kids in the park. Then Amy and I were supposed to come to your Christmas party but our babysitter let us down at the last minute. I swapped Merry Christmas messages with Em then my phone went down. The last time I heard from her would have been Christmas Eve.’

  ‘Isha eve,’ Robbie babbled from his father’s lap.

  ‘No, Christmas Eve has gone,’ Ben replied absently as he had been doing each time he said it.

  ‘I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to suggest,’ Greg said with a heartfelt sigh. ‘Em was the last person I’d have thought would ever clear off.’

  ‘And there are no other friends you know of who she might be with?’ Ben asked helplessly.

  ‘No. We didn’t really have mutual friends. We met by chance at the Health Centre when we were having our babies checked.’

  ‘Isha eve,’ Robbie said again.

  ‘No, son, Christmas Eve has gone,’ Ben replied with less patience.

  Greg threw Robbie a knowing smile. ‘I don’t think he’s saying Christmas Eve. I think he’s trying to say Alisha and Eva. Is that right, mate?’

  Robbie grinned, while Ben frowned, puzzled.

  ‘Alisha and Eva are your neighbours, right?’ Greg said to Ben.

  ‘Alisha is, but I don’t know who Eva is.’

  ‘Their daughter.’

  ‘They don’t have any children,’ Ben said, confused.

  ‘Yes, they have one. A badly disabled daughter, but they hide her away because of stuff that happened before.’

  Ben stared at him dumbfounded. ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Yes. Em wasn’t supposed to tell me, but one day it just tumbled out. She was so worried.’

  ‘I’d no idea.’

  ‘She wanted to tell you, but worried you might let something slip to the husband. Em’s been visiting Alisha and Eva regularly, with Robbie. He likes playing with Eva. I know Em was worried that Alisha’s husband was abusing her. She tried to persuade her to leave him, but she was too frightened. He’s a doctor and seems to have a hold over her.’

  Ben held his gaze and his brow creased. ‘Em did try talking to me about them, but looking back I don’t think I showed much interest. It just seemed like gossip to me.’ He paused. ‘But Em’s father went next door after Em disappeared to see if Alisha knew anything. Amit, her husband, denied she and Em were friends. He said Em was bored and had kept phoning Alisha, so eventually she had to tell her straight not to contact her anymore.’

  ‘Bullshit!’ Greg blurted. ‘Alisha was the one who kept phoning, but Em didn’t mind. She felt sorry for her. The woman is ill, has a badly disabled daughter and a brute of a husband. Have you asked Alisha if she knows where Em could be?’

  ‘No, but the police went there. I assume they saw her. They’ve asked for a copy of their CCTV to see if it showed Em leaving here. Why would Amit lie?’

  ‘He probably didn’t know,’ Greg said. ‘Alisha kept her friendship with Emily a secret from him. He’s a control freak and didn’t let her have friends. I understand they used to wipe Em’s visits from their CCTV so he wouldn’t know.’

  ‘Really? That’s a bit drastic.’

  ‘Yes, but that’s the sort of person he is.’

  ‘Eva,’ Robbie said clearly.

  ‘Your friend, right?’ Greg asked.

  Robbie nodded.

  ‘Will you tell the police she’s not with me?’

  Ben nodded, deep in thought.

  ‘If they want to speak to me, that’s fine, but I best be getting back now. Amy’s at home and she doesn’t get much time off. Tell me as soon as you have any news. I’m as worried as you are. I’ll let myself out.’

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  ‘It’s not Greg, the guy on Facebook,’ Ben said as soon as David and Pat returned that evening.

  ‘What?’ David exclaimed.

  ‘Greg came here. He and Em were friends, nothing more, and he hasn’t heard from her since before Christmas.’

  ‘And you believe him?’ David asked sceptically, setting down their suitcase in the hall.

  ‘Yes, I think I do. He seems a decent guy. I’m sure he’s telling the truth. Otherwise he wouldn’t have chanced coming here, would he? And what’s more, according to him, Em and Alisha Burman were friends. Greg said Em took Robbie next door to play with their daughter, Eva. She’s badly disabled and never goes out. I didn’t even know they had a child. That’s what Robbie has been trying to tell us – Alisha and Eva, not Christmas Eve.’

  ‘So Amit Burman lied to me,’ David said, pausing from taking off his coat.

  ‘Greg said he probably didn’t know, because Alisha wouldn’t have told him. He’s a control freak and didn’t allow her to have friends or visitors.’

  ‘Have you told the police all of this?’ Pat asked.

  ‘I left a message,’ Ben said. ‘Beth Mayes wasn’t there. She’s not working New Year’s Day.’

  ‘So you don’t know if she was able to view the Burmans’ CCTV?’

  Ben shook his head.

  ‘I think I’ll knock on his door again,’ David said.

  ‘What will you say?’ Pat asked, worried. ‘He doesn’t sound like a nice person.’

  ‘I’ll try to speak to his wife as it seems she and Emily were friends, and I’ll ask if I can view their CCTV. I’m not convinced the police will follow it up.’

  ‘I’ll come with you,’ Ben said, pushing his feet into his shoes. ‘I would have gone before but for Robbie.’
Then to Pat, ‘He’s asleep in his cot.’

  ‘I’ll listen for him,’ Pat said. ‘But be careful, you two.’

  Ben followed David out and into a sharp north-easterly wind.

  ‘I never believed Emily was having an affair,’ David said. ‘She loves you too much.’

  ‘But where is she?’ Ben asked in despair.

  ‘I don’t know, lad, but hopefully Alisha will be able to point us in the right direction.’

  The Burmans’ house was in darkness as usual.

  ‘Doesn’t the guy believe in electric lights?’ David said, as he pressed the doorbell.

  They stood side by side and waited.

  ‘Come on, answer,’ David said impatiently and pressed the bell again. ‘Someone must be in if they have a daughter who never goes out.’ He moved away from the door and looked down both the side alleyways, testing the gates. ‘Padlocked,’ he said, returning to Ben. ‘The guy’s obsessed with security. It’s almost as if he’s got something to hide.’

  Bending down, David opened the letter box and tried to look in but a letter box protector blocked his view. ‘Hello!’ he called. ‘Anyone there? Alisha, it’s Emily’s father with Ben from next door. We’d like to talk to you.’ He paused and listened. Nothing. Not a sound and no light. ‘Dr Burman?’

  ‘He might be in his workshop,’ Ben said. ‘He’s often down there in the evening, sometimes until very late.’

  ‘Alisha, Mrs Burman,’ David called once more, and then allowed the letter box to snap shut. He tried the bell again and, disappointed, reluctantly gave up. ‘We’ll come back tomorrow.’

  They walked home in silence. Once indoors, Ben went straight upstairs and into his bedroom, where he parted the curtains. He looked over to the outbuilding in their neighbours’ garden just as Em had done many times before. A faint glimmer of light could be seen escaping from around the edges of the blinds, suggesting Burman was in there. Ben remembered Em wondering what he found to do in that shed every evening and most weekends. He also remembered he’d never shown any interest, and the last time she’d commented on Burman was on Christmas Day night when she said he’d been in there most of Christmas and she felt sorry for Alisha. Em’s concern made more sense now. She’d been aware they had a daughter. But why hadn’t Em confided in him about Eva and her friendship with Alisha? There was so much he didn’t know. Partly because Em hadn’t told him and partly because he hadn’t been listening or asked the right questions, he acknowledged with regret. Em was kind and he could see why she’d befriended Alisha and her daughter, and from what Greg had said she was Alisha’s only friend. Wasn’t Alisha worried about Emily’s disappearance? Unless she knew where she was.

  Ben continued to gaze through the window, but there was nothing to be seen beyond the faint light escaping around the edges of the blinds. Tomorrow he and David would return and try to speak to Alisha if they could get past Amit. All those polite good mornings and neighbourly chats he’d had with the man, with no idea he had a daughter or treated his wife badly. But Em had spotted something, which was why she’d never liked him. If only he’d listened to her and had shown more empathy.

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  ‘I’ll return Ben Johnston’s phone call now we know for certain the body in the quarry isn’t Emily King,’ Beth said to Matt as she read the summary of the autopsy report. ‘Late seventies; she’d had a stroke within the last year, and died from natural causes – very likely a cardiac arrest. She was dead before she went in the water.’ Beth looked at Matt over their computer monitors. ‘So how the hell did she get in there?’

  ‘That’s what the DCI told us to find out,’ Matt said.

  ‘Someone obviously put her there, but why, if she was old and died of natural causes? It doesn’t make any sense.’

  ‘That’s what the DCI said,’ Matt replied.

  ‘I know. Will you stop saying that. I’m thinking aloud. So who was she?’

  ‘Wonder no longer,’ Matt said, concentrating on his monitor. ‘It looks like they’ve found a match on the national database of missing persons.’

  Beth opened the file on her screen and began reading the report. ‘Mrs Lynda Jones, 78, stroke victim, wheelchair user, reported missing by her nephew, her only relative from St James’ Hospital. There seems to have been a mix-up at the hospital and she was discharged into the care of someone else. What!’ Beth exclaimed. ‘How on earth did they manage that? Whoever took her must have known they had the wrong person, surely?’

  ‘Unless he was short-sighted,’ Matt quipped.

  Beth threw him a look. She read on and then looked up again. ‘So they discharge a vulnerable patient into the care of the wrong person and then she turns up dead over fifty miles away. Presumably whoever took her put her in the quarry. But why would anyone want to take her in the first place?’

  ‘Perhaps it was the nephew wanting to get his inheritance and he’s made up this story?’

  ‘Possible, I suppose,’ Beth said. ‘He is her only relative. The local team are speaking to the hospital staff, checking their CCTV and taking a statement from the nephew. Someone should remember something. At least I can tell Ben the body in the quarry definitely isn’t Emily.’

  Beth picked up the phone but, as she did, their boss, DCI Aileen Peters, came over. ‘I know you’re up to your eyes in it, but this needs handling sensitively,’ she said to Beth and passed her a printed sheet.

  ‘Can’t understand why you’re not asking me, ma’am,’ Matt said with a smile.

  DCI Peters ignored him. ‘As you can see, drugs have been going missing from the operating rooms at St Mary’s Hospital for some time,’ she said as Beth read. ‘A nurse has come forward and accused one of the doctors of taking them. He’s off work at present. It’s given management a chance to check his records with the stock. There’s a big discrepancy going back at least six months. I want you to pay him a visit and see what he has to say for himself. Diplomatically. If they’re right, this is a serious charge.’

  Beth looked up with a mixture of confusion and astonishment. ‘Ma’am, the doctor accused, Amit Burman, lives next door to Emily King, our missing person.’

  ‘Coincidence, I suppose,’ the DCI said. ‘How could there be a connection?’

  ‘I don’t know. I’ve been trying to see Dr Burman to view his CCTV for the day Emily King went missing. I pushed a business card through his door but he hasn’t got back to me.’

  ‘So now’s your opportunity. Two birds with one stone,’ the DCI said.

  ‘Yes, ma’am, I’ll go there now.’

  ‘Update me as soon as you return, please.’

  DCI Aileen Peters went to speak to another officer as Beth stood and slipped on her jacket. ‘Can you do me a favour, Matt? Check to see who is living at the Burmans’ house. According to the message Ben left yesterday, a friend of Emily’s told him there was a disabled child living there that no one knows about. I might need social services.’

  ‘Will do. Do you want me to call Ben and tell him the findings of the autopsy report?’

  ‘No, I’ll go there after I’ve seen Dr Burman.’

  Coincidence, Beth thought as she drove. As the DCI had said, it couldn’t be anything else, could it? Emily goes missing, she and Alisha are good friends, although no one knows because – according to the message Ben left – Dr Burman is a control freak and doesn’t let his wife have friends. Now he’s accused of stealing drugs. Could there be a connection? But how? Was it possible Emily was part of a drug cartel, pedalling the stolen drugs? From what she knew of Emily King and her family it didn’t seem likely, but it could explain her disappearance. Drug barons were ruthless and she wouldn’t be the first person to vanish after crossing one of them. When she’d finished interviewing Dr Burman, she’d go next door and talk to Ben. Ask him about Emily’s movements in the weeks and months leading up to her disappearance. Was there extra cash lying around the house or in her bank that he couldn’t account for? She’d better go see this Greg, too, an
d find out exactly what he knew about Emily. Handle it sensitively, the DCI had said. Diplomatically. But if her suspicions were correct about a drug cartel, she’d need search warrants for both houses and backup too.

  Parking outside the Burmans’ house, Beth cut the engine and checked her phone. A message from Matt read: No child registered at the Burman address. Do you want me to notify social services?

  She thought for a moment and then replied: Not yet. It’s possible Greg got it wrong. She would establish there was a child living there first.

  Getting out of the police car, Beth crossed the pavement and opened the gate to the Burmans’ front garden. The house looked just as shut up and deserted as it had before. No car on the drive, curtains and blinds closed although it was daytime. She pressed the bell and looked up at the CCTV so she was easily recognizable. No one answered. She pressed the bell again, then tried to look in the downstairs window, but it was impossible to see beyond the opaque film and blind. The DCI had been sure Dr Burman was at home on leave.

  Beth pressed the bell for a third time, knocked on the door and then opened the letter box. ‘Dr Burman! Mrs Burman!’ she called. ‘It’s DC Beth Mayes.’ But her voice didn’t carry past the letter box protector. Taking a step back, she looked up at the house. No sign of life upstairs. Then she looked down both side alleyways and tried the gates.

  ‘They’re padlocked.’ A man she recognized as Emily’s father called from next door.

  ‘Yes, I know.’

  ‘Ben and I have already been here twice this morning,’ David said, now coming down the front path.

  ‘Perhaps they’ve gone away,’ Beth suggested.

  ‘But his car is in the garage. You can just about see it through the gap in the garage doors.’

  Beth went over to the doors and peered through the slit between them. She could make out the dark outline of a car. ‘When was the last time you saw the family?’ she asked.

  ‘I’ve never seen Mrs Burman, only him, and that would be on the evening of 30th December. I went knocking on neighbours’ doors to see if anyone had seen Emily, but no one had. I understand there’s a child there too.’