Murder Ring by Leigh Russell

Author:Leigh Russell [Russell, Leigh]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oldcastle Books
Published: 2015-12-10T16:00:00+00:00

36

AFTER A RESTLESS night Geraldine got up early, but she didn’t set off for the police station. Instead she sat at home with her phone on her desk and tried to concentrate on work. She decided to give it until ten. If Louise hadn’t contacted her by then, she would call to find out what was happening. By nine forty-five the only call she had received was to tell her that Lenny had been released. At five to ten the phone rang. Without any preamble, Louise gave Geraldine the name of the hospital, and the ward, where her mother was staying. As though in a dream, Geraldine scribbled down the details.

‘Would you like to see her today?’

‘I’ll leave right away.’

The Whittington Hospital was probably about an hour’s drive away.

‘I can meet you there this afternoon –’

‘That’s OK, there’s really no need for you to come.’

‘We like to accompany people at initial meetings like this. You and your mother might experience an intense emotional reaction –’

‘I understand why you’re saying that,’ Geraldine interrupted her, ‘but it’s not as if we’re meeting somewhere private. We’ll be in a hospital ward. And I am a detective inspector. I’m used to dealing with tricky situations, not that I anticipate this being difficult, I mean, she wants to see me, doesn’t she?’ She broke off, aware that she was babbling foolishly. ‘I mean, of course you’re welcome to come along, I just thought you must be busy enough.’

‘Well, if you’re sure…’

‘Absolutely.’ Geraldine had never felt less sure of anything in her life. ‘We’ll be fine.’

After the brief conversation finished, she sat for a moment, staring at the message she had scrawled. If she hadn’t written it down, she would have struggled to believe that Louise had actually called and given her the details. Even with the physical evidence in front of her, it felt unreal. As if in a dream she walked to her car and drove to the hospital. In all her fantasies about finding her mother, she had never imagined meeting in a hospital ward, under the watching eyes of other patients and passing staff. She hoped it wouldn’t be awkward, establishing a bond in so exposed a place. When she was nearly there, it occurred to her that she and her mother might not feel any kind of connection anyway. Drawing up in the hospital car park, she started to regret having driven there without any last minute preparation. Louise should have been more strident in her warnings. But how could she have prepared herself for this encounter? She had been desperate to meet her mother for so long. The reality was almost bound to be a disappointment. She should never have come. But her mother wanted to see her. How could she have refused? She determined to assume an air of confidence, even though she felt like a frightened child.

Her mother lay in a hospital bed. Tubes attached to her arms connected her to complicated pieces of medical equipment, beeping, pulsing, dripping, keeping her hydrated, maintaining her blood sugar levels, and monitoring her progress.

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