A Fatal Obsession by Faith Martin

Author:Faith Martin
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780008297763
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2018-05-07T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY

‘The boss wants to see you,’ Phil Monroe, the desk sergeant, said the moment she stepped into the station house, and Trudy gave a tight little nod.

Was she in trouble? It wasn’t often the DI actually deigned to notice her, let alone actively seek her out, and her first instinct was to cast her mind around for some misdemeanour she might have committed.

‘Don’t worry,’ said Phil, grinning at her, reading her mind easily. ‘He didn’t sound like he was out after blood.’ Two years off retirement, he had a granddaughter Trudy’s age and often gave her encouragement where he could.

‘That’s a relief!’ Trudy gave a brief smile. She half-turned to go, but Monroe was anxious to get the gen on the latest station-house gossip. Which, as everyone knew and accepted, was one of the main prerogatives of a desk sergeant.

‘I hear the DI has thrown you to the wolves then? Or, in this case, the vultures?’ he said slyly.

Trudy gave a wry grin. ‘If you mean our esteemed coroner, then yes. I’m helping him out with an old case.’

‘Bit of a tartar, our Dr Ryder,’ the desk sergeant said. ‘Bloody brilliant chap, mind you. Nothing gets past him.’

‘No. I think that’s why DI Jennings consented to let me help him. He’s worried he might be on to something,’ Trudy admitted. ‘And you know something?’ She leaned forward a little and lowered her voice. ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if he isn’t.’

‘Ah,’ Phil said appreciatively, nodding eagerly. Here was juicy gossip indeed. ‘What you working on then? An unsolved murder?’

‘I wish!’ Trudy said, frowning. ‘The original coroner’s verdict was death by misadventure. A young girl took too many pills. I think the old vult—I mean, Dr Ryder, suspects it was really suicide.’

The desk sergeant nodded, looking a little impressed now. ‘Nasty, that. Suicides – especially when it’s a youngster.’

Trudy nodded. ‘I agree. And I don’t really see why, even if the wrong verdict was given, we should pursue it,’ she muttered. For some time now, she’d felt a pang of conscience over this issue. And since everyone else confided in the desk sergeant – indeed, it was almost a prerequisite that they did – she thought now was as good a time as any to get it off her chest and seek his wisdom.

‘Say Gisela Fleet-Wright did kill herself, and her parents covered it up. Is that so terrible?’ she demanded. ‘I mean, I don’t see what good can come of raking it all up again. It’s not as if her parents haven’t suffered enough, is it? I just don’t see the point.’

‘Hmmm. Fleet-Wright? That name rings a bell,’ the desk sergeant said thoughtfully.

‘Mrs Fleet-Wright confessed at the inquest that she might have been responsible for giving her daughter too many pills. Nothing came of it – I mean, no formal charges were brought against her.’

‘No. That’s not it.’ The desk sergeant shook his head. ‘I remember that case vaguely. But this was something else… something that came across my desk… something minor but… Fleet-Wright…’ He sighed and shook his head.

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