We were shown into a side room. I didn’t know whether Terence’s private health insurance had secured him such luxury, or whether he’d gotten lucky. This beating notwithstanding, Terence was the kind of man who always landed on his feet.
He lay on top of the hospital sheets, the back raised so he was reclining. His green top was stained with blood, his face bruised. A white bandage stood out against his olive skin on his left hand and there was another on his thigh, peeking under the hem of his running shorts.
‘Ah, you,’ he said, as we entered the room.
‘Hello, Terence.’ I sat on a chair beside the bed and balanced my notepad on my knee. ‘We were sorry to hear that you were attacked earlier today. Can you tell us what happened?’
Juliet maintained her position at the end of the bed. Terence’s face turned a blotchy red between dark bruising.
‘I went out for a run. As I was coming back to the hotel, someone grabbed me. I tried to shout but they punched me in the stomach. I fell over and they kicked me until I fell unconscious.’
‘Did you see your attacker?’ I internally winced at the violence Terence had endured but I didn’t think he would react well to overt sympathy.
‘They were wearing a balaclava, and jeans and a dark jumper. They were tall, strong enough to grab me. After they punched me in the stomach, they hit me on the head. I covered my face with my hands when I was on the floor. I didn’t see anything after that.’
The person driving the van that hit Leo was also wearing a balaclava. That didn’t necessarily mean the two incidents were linked, but it was something to pull together the seemingly random violence being meted out to those connected to this case.
‘Did they say anything?’ I asked. ‘Do you think they were male or female?’
‘They didn’t speak but I’d say male, maybe? Their jumper was bulky. Too much of their face was hidden to be sure.’
‘Have you had any indication someone was interested in hurting you?’ Juliet asked.
Terence huffed out a laugh, which he swapped for a wince. ‘I was outed by an online rag this morning.’
My stomach swooped. ‘I’m sorry.’
Terence accessed me, then sniffed. ‘It’s fine.’
‘Would anyone other than your father have a problem with your sexuality?’ Juliet asked.
I held a cringe inside as Terence laughed again. Only a straight person would assume random strangers wouldn’t turn against Terence.
‘Of course they do,’ he sneered. ‘But I don’t think anyone but my father matters.’ He glared between me and Juliet. ‘I think Dad ordered the attack.’
My pencil hovered over my notepad. ‘What makes you think that?’
‘Because he hates me now,’ Terence growled. ‘He’s always gone on about how homosexuals are a perversion from what’s normal, and now he’s got a gay son. He’s obviously going to disown me, but apparently that isn’t enough. He needed to put me in my place. He wouldn’t get his own hands dirty, so he got someone else to assault me.’
Terence’s chest expanded with each of his laboured breaths. In this side room, the noises of the rest of the ward were muted. Bleeping monitors and scuffing footsteps were quiet in Terence’s sanctuary.
‘We’ll look into the possibility that your father orchestrated this attack,’ I reassured Terence. I’d do it, if only because it was tenuously connected with Melanie’s case. I didn’t think it likely, since Dunlow was at the station when the news broke, but he could have found out another way. Us arresting him could have been incredibly convenient. ‘Can you think of anyone who has any specific ill-will towards you?’
Terence leant back. ‘Not really.’
‘Were the photos the same ones that Karl blackmailed you with?’ Juliet asked.
Terence’s head snapped up. ‘Karl did not blackmail me, and of course they’re not the same photos. Those were taken weeks ago and I made sure he deleted them. The ones in the article are from last night.’
‘They couldn’t have been taken by him?’ Juliet pressed, undeterred by Terence’s ire.
‘How would I know?’ He threw up his injured hand, the bandage bright under the fluorescent lights. ‘I haven’t studied his unique photography style, for Christ’s sake.’
Without access to the original photos, which Terence had ensured were long gone, there was no way to compare the two.
‘Karl wouldn’t have sent pictures anywhere,’ Terence grumbled. ‘He didn’t want to publicly expose me, he just wanted me to talk to my dad.’ He shrugged, his petulant energy fading. ‘Maybe if I’d talked to him he would have disowned me, rather than setting some lacky on me.’
I glanced over at Juliet, then stood. ‘Thank you for talking to us. If you remember anything else, please give us a call.’
‘I won’t be staying at the hotel anymore,’ Terence said. ‘If you need me, I’ll be at Benny’s house. I assume he hasn’t contacted you yet?’
‘No,’ I said. ‘You’ve not heard from him either?’
Terence shook his head. ‘I’ve got a key for his place. If I find anything that explains where he might be, I’ll let you know.’
‘Thank you.’
As we walked from the room, Terence’s face pulled tight with misery and pain. If he was to be believed, he’d had a bad run of luck recently.
Juliet and I walked through the ward and down busy corridors, the normal thrum of the hospital washing over us. I couldn’t see how this attack connected with Melanie’s murder, but I desperately wanted it to be related. At least it was linked enough that I could hold onto this case for a little longer.
‘We need to find out where Jordan was during the attack,’ I said, as we reached the hospital entrance.
Juliet fumbled with an anti-bacterial dispenser. ‘You think he could be involved?’
‘Someone tall attacked a member of the Dunlow family. Jordan’s a young man with a history of violence. He’s already beaten up Leo. We have to consider that his grudge might extend to the wider family.’
‘Could it have been Karl?’ Juliet moved aside to let me pump the stinging gel.
I nodded begrudgingly. Just because Karl couldn’t defend himself, I didn’t want to pin every unexplainable thing on him.
We stepped out into the chill air, rubbing our hands. I searched my coat pocket for my car keys. All my fingers encountered was my notepad and the blunt end of my pencil.
‘Mr Dunlow?’ Juliet said.
I jerked my head up. Timothy Dunlow rose from a bench beside the hospital entrance. Alongside the habitual frown lines, his mouth was downturned and his eyes reddened. He didn’t look like the same man who’d stood and goaded me outside the station.
‘He won’t let me in,’ Dunlow croaked. He ran a hand over his face. ‘Terence doesn’t want me near him.’
‘I’m sorry.’ The apology was automatic. No matter what I thought of this man, his son turning against him was clearly causing him pain.
Dunlow looked at the bustling hospital, something in his expression hardening. His spine straightened as he took a deep breath.
‘Could I follow you to the station? There are some things I should tell you.’
My heart skipped, but Juliet answered. ‘No. We have an important interview to get to.’
I struggled to understand what she meant for a second before it clicked; Matthew Biss. We couldn’t miss this chance to investigate Karl’s past, no matter how important Dunlow’s new information might be.
‘We’ll be back late this afternoon,’ I said. ‘Could you come into the station?’
Dunlow nodded, before spinning on his heel and marching to his car.
‘What do you think he’s got to say?’ Juliet asked as we walked across the car park.
‘No clue.’
I shot her a half smile, trying not to let my frustration bleed through. This visit to Karl’s father was a formality that would likely be of no use. What would be far more helpful was a signed confession from Dunlow. We had to delay talking to him, and what if he changed his mind about whatever he had to share?
‘Chin up.’ Juliet’s elbow brushed my upper arm, a barely there touch. ‘There’s nothing a visit to a convicted murderer in a high security prison can’t fix.’