Clare’s phone was ringing as they pulled into the car park back at the station. She glanced at the display. Sara.
‘I’m just outside, Sara. Be in shortly.’
‘Okay, boss. Um, there’s a woman here to see you. She said you were expecting her.’
Clare racked her brains as she walked into the station. As she entered the public enquiry area she saw the woman. She was tall, warmly dressed in a long herringbone patterned coat with polished brown boots. She wore a brown felt cloche hat and was carrying a calf-coloured briefcase.
Clare approached her with a smile. She was pretty sure she’d never seen the woman before so why was she asking for her? ‘DI Clare Mackay,’ she said.
The woman smiled. ‘I’m Dr Holt. Sandra Holt.’
And then Clare remembered. Her heart sank. ‘Oh, Dr Holt – I’m so sorry. You’ve come to examine Ruth Williams.’
She nodded. ‘That’s right. Did you forget I was coming?’
Clare glanced round. The station was quite busy. ‘If you’d like to come into my office…’
In the privacy of her office Clare explained that Ruth had been found dead on Sunday. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she said again. ‘I should have called to cancel. I’m afraid I’ve wasted your time.’
Dr Holt looked shocked. ‘Oh, how dreadful. Do you know… I mean, what happened? Was she ill?’
Clare hesitated. They still didn’t know officially. The PM report wouldn’t be out until the end of the day or even tomorrow. ‘We don’t have a cause of death yet but we are treating it as unexplained at this stage.’
Dr Holt said, ‘Then I imagine you’ll be busy. I’ll not keep you any longer, Inspector.’
‘Actually…’
‘Yes?’
‘I can’t tell you how we found Ruth but, until we have a cause of death, I did wonder…’
‘You’re thinking that the balance of her mind could have been disturbed by her arrest?’
Clare was grateful for the doctor’s directness. ‘Frankly, yes. If there is a chance that the arrest contributed to her death we need to learn from that.’
‘I’d have thought not, Inspector. But maybe if you could tell me a little about the circumstances…’
‘Can I offer you something to drink first?’
Dr Holt smiled. ‘I’d love a cup of tea, if you have time. No milk.’
Over mugs of tea – Clare couldn’t find any cups and saucers – she related the story of Ruth’s arrest. As she mentioned the garage full of stolen goods Dr Holt interrupted her.
‘How did she seem, when she opened the garage? Was there any sense of pride? Were the goods arranged in any order?’
Clare rose from her seat. ‘Hold on. I’ll fetch Sara.’
Sara trailed in after Clare, twisting her hands.
‘Dr Holt’s keen to learn how Ruth reacted when she opened the garage,’ Clare explained.
‘Can you remember what she said?’ Dr Holt added. ‘At the garage.’
Sara’s brow creased and she stood thinking for a minute. ‘I think she said something like It’s all here. And she stood back to let me go in.’
‘You didn’t see her face?’
‘I did,’ Sara said. ‘She wouldn’t meet my eye, though. Just looked away.’
‘Her body language – was it defensive? Arms crossed, that sort of thing.’
Sara shook her head. ‘Oh no.’ She half closed her eyes, as if recalling the scene. ‘I think her shoulders were down. She’d sort of slumped, if that makes sense.’
Dr Holt nodded. ‘And the garage? How were the goods arranged? Any order or method?’
‘No, nothing like that. A bit like a jumble sale, to be honest. Some of the clothes were dusty and the things on the floor were just a mixture. No order at all.’
‘And did she attempt to show you anything? Point anything out?’
‘No. In fact, I think she was desperate to close the door again. She seemed ashamed of it.’
Dr Holt smiled her thanks and Sara escaped with obvious relief.
When the door was closed again, Clare said, ‘Well, doctor?’
‘It certainly sounds as if she was crushed by the experience, Inspector. But, from what your officer said, I think her problems pre-date her arrest. That kind of random, disorganised shoplifting, with no apparent benefit to the thief, no sign that she’s using the stolen goods to improve her life, well, it’s a kind of compulsion. Rather like an alcoholic who drinks, not because he enjoys it, but because he must. He fears the alternative more than the drink itself. I’d say Ruth Williams stole because it made her briefly happy. The guilt she demonstrated at her garage is typical. It’s not particularly common but is a recognised mental health condition.’
Clare hesitated and Dr Holt seemed to guess what she was thinking.
‘Put your mind at rest, Inspector. If Ruth Williams did kill herself – and, from what you say, I think you have your doubts – the root cause goes further back than her arrest on Friday. I’m just sorry I wasn’t able to see her then. I might have been able to recommend the types of therapy that could have helped.’
Clare smiled. ‘Thank you. I’ll relay that to Sara. She’s been terribly worried.’
Dr Holt rose and began to pull on her coat. ‘Please do reassure her. Whatever the outcome of the post-mortem, I’m sure your officer wasn’t to blame.’
Jim was waiting for Clare when she showed Dr Holt out. ‘I’ve been on to the Registrar General – about Jessica Peters.’
‘Any luck?’
He shook his head. ‘Nope. All they have is her birth certificate. No record of a marriage or anything like that. I’ve been through our own records and the voters’ roll. She’s not on either.’
Clare nodded. ‘That figures. When we spoke to Michelle Delaney this morning…’ She saw Jim’s face cloud. ‘From the WhatsApp group – hairdresser, still lives in the town – she said she thought Jessica had moved to France when she was about fourteen.’
‘Ah. That makes sense,’ Jim said. ‘Thought about Europol?’
‘Thanks for the reminder, Jim. I promised to send the details to the DCI. He’s agreed to process a request. Better do that now.’ She turned to head back to her office then stopped. ‘Any luck with the house-to-house yet?’
‘Not that I’ve heard. They’ll phone in if there is anything.’