Death on Cromer Beach by Ross Greenwood

Author:Ross Greenwood [Greenwood, Ross]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Boldwood Books

39

Ashley and Hector returned to the office and updated the team. Bhavini and Jan were back from the hospital.

‘How’s Bob?’ asked Ashley.

‘Spaced out. They let us have a word, but he was too sleepy to get much sense out of him. Although I had the impression he was putting it on,’ replied Bhavini. ‘The nurse told me the doc will examine him tomorrow morning at ten and discharge him afterwards if he seems all right. There’s still a uniform present, so he won’t be sneaking out.’

‘And how’s Candy’s mum?’

‘Stunned,’ said Jan. ‘They let her sleep next to Candy’s boyfriend, who’s in pieces. Candy’s mother didn’t want to talk to us. She even tried to shut Elliott up, saying there’s no point going over spilt milk.’

‘Crying over spilt milk,’ corrected Hector.

‘Yes, that’s it. Nice phrase. But Elliott kept sobbing. He felt responsible.’

‘Did you ask for his take on the stairs incident?’

‘Yep. Said he hurt himself on purpose. Elliott seemed a bit simple as well, so I don’t reckon he was lying. He believed he should have done more to stop her from killing herself.’

‘Why does he think it was suicide?’

‘He said she’d been really down lately. She was at rock bottom a few weeks back. When he asked her about it, she said someone she knew had visited, and that had upset her.’

‘Distraught enough for suicide?’

‘Yeah, that’s why he was arguing with her. She kept saying she had to die, not that she was going to die. It was like she deserved to. He told her he couldn’t live without her and threw himself down the stairs. She started shouting at him at the bottom for being so stupid. A neighbour called the police.’

Ashley considered what Jan had said. Deserved to die would mean she’d done something wrong. What could that be? Maybe she was somehow responsible for her friend, Foxy, dying. Perhaps she should have been looking out for her on the beach, and when she died, Candy felt guilty. Ashley could understand those thoughts.

‘A lot of suicides make little sense,’ said Ashley. ‘It’s the horror and tragedy of mental illness.’

‘That was the strange thing about Homeless Bob,’ said Bhavini. ‘We’re still waiting for toxicology, but the doctor reckons the amount of heroin Bob took was immense, because he was out of it for so long.’

‘What’s odd about a heavy habit?’

‘It was too much. Bob would know more than anyone the quantity for a safe dose. The doctor reckoned it was a deliberate overdose.’

‘Unless someone else gave him too much,’ said Ashley.

A hush came over the team as they considered it.

She gave them a moment to absorb that, then issued instructions to set up a meeting at Eddy’s recent secure unit.

After the discussion, Hector and she left the station for Peter’s house in the hope that, despite what he’d said, he was home. Hector signed for the same car. He seemed puzzled by the prospect of their DI’s involvement.

‘I can’t find a strong motivation for him being part of this.’

‘No, me neither.

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