CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Bryce scrolled through his contacts until he found the number for the general manager of the Sydney Harbour Hospital. Tanya Singh was still avoiding his calls. He’d tracked down her father who confirmed he’d seen his daughter that morning. He said he’d brought her coffee before she’d hurried out the door to work.

“Good afternoon. Deborah Healy’s office. May I help you?”

Bryce identified himself and then told the receptionist he needed to speak with her boss.

“I’ll put you right through, Detective Sutcliffe.”

A moment later, the phone was answered by the general manager.

“Detective Sutcliffe, what can I do for you?”

“I’m trying to locate Doctor Tanya Singh. I was wondering if you could tell me whether she’s rostered on today.”

“I’ll need to check with one of the doctors. Sit tight. I’ll call you right back.”

Less than two minutes later, his phone rang.

“Detective Sutcliffe, it’s Deborah Healy. I’ve had someone check the roster and Doctor Singh is apparently at work today.”

“Great. What time does she finish?”

“Around seven in the evening, unless there’s an emergency. Then she’ll be here longer.”

“Thank you, Ms Healy. I appreciate your time.”

“What’s happening with Doctor Munro? I heard a whisper she’d been arrested. Is it true? I’m so pleased we acted when we did. When the media gets wind of this—”

“Doctor Munro was released within hours of her arrest. No charges were laid. I would appreciate it if you made no mention of anything to do with this investigation to the press.”

“Oh, so… She’s not the one responsible?”

“No.”

“Then, who is?”

Steel determination surged through him. His eyes narrowed. “That’s what I intend to find out.”

* * *

Tanya peered over her shoulder and was relieved to see that the corridor that led into the ward was bare. Slipping into the staff toilet, she locked the door behind her and collapsed against the wall. Her heart pounded and her breath came fast. She felt like she’d run a marathon. The thought of running into Leo had her adrenaline pumping.

She’d heard about the police searching the apartment in North Sydney and how Chanel had been taken away in handcuffs. Apparently, the police had found the poison in her kitchen, in a bottle Tanya had put there just over a week before.

She couldn’t believe it was the bottle Leo had given her. Even more shocking was the growing knowledge that he must have known what it contained. He’d told her it was some kind of herbal aphrodisiac. He wanted her to keep it on the shelf in the apartment so that next time he came by, they could indulge in it together.

At the time, the thought of having sex with him in her bed had her giddy with excitement. Until now, he’d taken her to hotel rooms. While the rooms were nice and the sheets were soft, there was something a little cheap about having sex with a married man in a hotel room. A couple of times, they’d even had sex on the back seat of his car. The first time it was exciting, but it wasn’t like they were teenagers and it was hardly comfortable. To have him in her king-sized bed sounded like heaven.

Now, it seemed like the bottle hadn’t contained an aphrodisiac at all. Why Leo would have her put a bottle of poison in Chanel’s kitchen was beyond her. She had an awful feeling he was involved in the suspicious deaths of his patients and was trying to pass off the blame.

From almost the beginning, he appeared to have a gripe against Chanel. If she was to be believed, it was because she’d turned him down. Although Tanya hadn’t wanted to believe it at the time, Chanel’s assertion that he’d propositioned her and was rejected rang with the truth. After all, he’d done the same thing to Tanya.

Only, she hadn’t turned him down. She’d been flattered by the attention and he knew how to work his charm. She’d also been relieved to have the issue of struggling for high grades disappear. If sleeping with him was all it took, she was more than happy to do it.

But murder was another thing entirely. And framing her roommate… There was no way she’d agreed to be part of that. Even as an accessory after the fact. She’d seen enough CSI and old reruns of Law and Order to know there was such a thing. By leaving the bottle of poison on the kitchen shelf, she’d put herself at risk. When the police found out she was sleeping with Leo, they’d think she’d been in on it from the start.

Fresh panic surged through her and she trembled from the strain. The phone in her white coat vibrated against her hip and she ignored it, like she’d been doing for the past four days. The screen showed a blocked Caller ID. It could be anyone, but she had a sneaking suspicion the call was from the police.

Chanel would have denied knowing anything about the bottle. It was natural the police would seek Tanya out. It was the only logical course of action to take. If Chanel didn’t know about it, then her roommate might.

It was why Tanya had escaped to her father’s place for a few days. She’d lied and told him she needed the peace and quiet to study for her exams. Her father was more than pleased to see her and quietly proud of her dedication. The lie had tasted sour on her tongue, but she didn’t have a choice. She was afraid of going back to face Chanel. She was also afraid to talk to the police.

A knock on the bathroom door gave her a start and she gasped aloud in surprise. She put a hand up to her chest in an effort to steady her heart.

“Is anyone in there?” The impatient voice of another female sounded from outside.

“Um, I won’t be a minute.” Tanya gulped and hurriedly flushed the toilet. Turning to the sink, she quickly splashed cool water on her face.

She drew in a breath and eyed herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were wide, but to the casual observer, she looked almost normal. She opened the door and brushed past the staff member who waited outside. With her head down, she made her way back to the ward.

* * *

Filled with the disquieting knowledge that Leo Baker might be involved in a murder spree, Bryce decided to stop by and visit his grandmother before he confronted Tanya Singh. He’d driven his grandmother to the hospital two days earlier and she’d been admitted with a view to commencing her course of IV antibiotics.

He stepped out of the elevator and made his way down the corridor. He was pleased to see an IV cannula still in her arm and a bag of fluid attached to the machine. He smiled at the sight of her in her pink cotton housecoat and matching nightdress. With her halo of soft, white hair and eyes that sparkled when she saw him, she looked a decade younger than her eighty-three years.

“Bryce, how lovely to see you! I wasn’t expecting you until after you finished work.”

He leaned over and kissed her on her cheek. “Hi, Grandma. I had to pay a visit to the hospital on a work-related matter, so I thought I might look in on you. How are you doing?”

“I’m fine. It will take a few days for the antibiotics to give the ulcer a kick-along, but I don’t mind. Someone’s cooking all my meals, my bed gets made and I get to catch up on my reading.” She lifted the book she held in her hands. The cover showed the naked chest of a man in a passionate embrace with a woman who looked more than a little enamored of him. His grandmother winked. “Life doesn’t get any better.”

Bryce smiled fondly back at her and shook his head. “There’s no doubt about you, Grandma. You’re one of a kind.”

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with being unique.” She smiled. “How are you getting on? Did you eat something decent last night? What are you having for dinner?”

“I’m fine, Grandma. For the first two nights, I ate the lasagne you left in the fridge and tonight I’ll start in on the meatloaf. You didn’t have to cook and freeze meals for me, Grandma. I do know how to cook.”

“I know. I taught you, remember? And taught you well. I just thought, with you coming home from work so late, so often, the last thing you’d want to do was cook. I was just looking out for you, Grandson.”

Bryce looked at the old woman he loved so dearly and breathed through the sudden tightness in his chest. “You’re always looking out for me, Grandma.”

She shrugged. “I’ve been doing it for a long time. What can I say? It’s become a habit.”

“Well, I appreciate it.” Bryce glanced at his watch. “I’m going to have to go, Grandma. There’s someone I need to see.” He leaned over and gave her wrinkled cheek a peck. “I’ll see you later on. Probably tomorrow. I’ll call you.”

“Have a good night, Grandson and thanks for dropping by. It’s always good to see you.”

He waved to her on his way out and took the elevator up to Level Four. Upon his arrival in the ward, he looked around, hoping to spot Doctor Singh. According to her roster, she should have been there. He approached the nurses’ station and smiled at the nurse who stood behind the counter.

“I’m looking for Doctor Singh. I understand she’s here.”

The nurse nodded. “Yes, I saw her coming out of Room Six only a few moments ago.”

Bryce waved his hand in thanks and strode in the direction she indicated, but Doctor Singh was nowhere in sight. With a sigh of impatience, he pushed open the door to a treatment room and came up short.

He recognized her from the photo ID that was pinned to the lapel of her white coat. She looked at him and her eyes went wide with fear.

“Doctor Tanya Singh?” he asked, more as a matter of courtesy than anything else.

“Yes. I’m Tanya Singh. Is there something you need?”

“I’m Detective Sutcliffe with the City of Sydney Police. I’m part of the task force investigating the recent deaths of three patients. I’m sure you’ve heard about it.”

“Yes, of course. I was interviewed by one of your colleagues about ten days ago. Is there something else you need?”

“Yes. I need you to come with me and answer a few more questions. Down at the station, if you don’t mind.”

Her eyes grew rounder and she stumbled and reached out for something to lean on. She shook her head, indicating she’d prefer not, before she spoke.

“No, no, no, Detective. We don’t need to go down to the station. Let’s just do it here. I’m at work. I can hardly just up and leave.”

“I’ve approved it with the general manager. She has asked you to cooperate with me. Now, are you coming with me of your own accord, or do I need to pull out the handcuffs”

His words had their desired effect. She gasped and turned white and her eyes went wild with fright.

“Please, detective, please, no handcuffs,” she begged. “I’ll come with you, I promise. Just give me a minute to collect my things.”

“I’ll come with you,” Bryce said, not trusting that she wouldn’t disappear. “Where have you been and why aren’t you answering your phone? I’ve been trying to get hold of you.”

“I… I’ve been at work. I never answer my phone at work.”

“What about earlier? Your roommate says she hasn’t seen you for days. Where have you been?”

“I…I went to my father’s. I do that sometimes. He… He lives on his own. He misses me.”

“So he told me,” Bryce replied, his voice dry.

What little color left in Tanya’s cheeks disappeared. “You spoke to my father?” she gasped.

“As I said, I’ve been trying to get hold of you.”

A short time later, he showed Tanya to his unmarked police car and opened the back door. She climbed in and reached for the seatbelt with an unsteady hand.

Good. He wanted her scared. She might actually tell the truth if he frightened her enough about what could happen to her if she lied.

He maneuvered his way through the afternoon traffic and pulled up outside the station. Helping her from the car, he led her into the building and up the stairs to the squad room that housed the detectives. He showed her into a vacant interview room. Not bothering with niceties, he got straight to the point.

“Why did you leave a medicine bottle in Chanel Munro’s kitchen?”

Tanya wrung her hands together and stared at her lap. Her bottom lip wobbled, but she refused to speak. Bryce’s temper ratcheted up a notch.

“Tanya, hindering a police investigation is a criminal offense and so is being an accessory after the fact. We’re talking about a triple murder. You could be looking at some serious time. Now, are you going to cooperate, or should I just charge you now?”

If it were possible, the woman turned even paler. Bryce felt a surge of satisfaction. He was being a little heavy-handed, but it was necessary. He was sure the key to finding the killer lay in discovering the identity of the person behind the medicine bottle and Tanya, who’d been seeing Doctor Baker, knew a hell of a lot more than she was saying. Which right now, was zilch.

Bryce’s anger stirred. Pushing away from the table, he strode to the door and opened it, intent on carrying out his threat. Tanya’s head snapped up and her eyes went wide with fright.

“Okay, okay. I’ll tell you what I know. Please, Detective, sit down.”

Bryce turned and made his way back to the table. He picked up the remote control that operated the video camera mounted on the wall.

“I’m going to electronically record this interview. Are you agreeable to that?”

She gave a jerky nod. Tears glittered in her dark brown eyes and Bryce felt a twinge of guilt. It disappeared the moment she opened her mouth.

“I got the bottle from Doctor Leo Baker. He asked me to leave it on the shelf in Chanel’s kitchen.”

Bryce’s gaze narrowed. “Did he specifically mention Chanel?”

“No, but he knew we shared an apartment.”

“Did he tell you what was in it?”

She lowered her gaze and her cheeks flushed pink. “He told me it was some kind of herbal aphrodisiac.”

Bryce decided to play dumb. It wasn’t necessary to make Tanya aware her roommate had revealed her dirty little secret.

“An aphrodisiac? Did I hear you right?”

Tanya’s cheeks turned crimson. She nodded and buried her face in her hands.

“Are you saying you and Doctor Baker are lovers?”

Her voice was muffled through her fingers. “Yes.”

“I’m sorry, Doctor Singh, I need you to speak clearly. Are you and Doctor Leo Baker lovers?”

She lifted her head and stared at him, tears flowing down her cheeks. “Yes.”

“For how long?”

“I don’t know. A month, I guess.”

“Who initiated it?”

“He did.”

“How?”

She proceeded to relate a story that sounded strangely similar to the one Chanel had related.

“Did Doctor Baker coerce you in any way?”

She shook her head. “No, apart from offering me a free pass through his residency program. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

“Did he give you a choice?”

“Yes, of course, but to tell you the truth, I was flattered he’d asked. He might have a few years on me, but he’s still a very attractive man. Gaining good grades was an added bonus.”

“Do you know anything about the deaths of three of his patients?”

“No, only what I’ve heard around the hospital.”

Did you ever talk about it with Doctor Baker?”

“No.”

“When did he give you the medicine bottle?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. A little over a week ago. It wasn’t that long before you found it.”

“Have you talked to him about it since?”

“No, I’ve been too scared to talk to him. What if it does contain the poison? I don’t know what I’ll do!”

Bryce’s phone rang and he checked the Caller ID. It was Samantha Wolfe from the morgue. Hoping she had news of the lab results, he paused the recording and took the call.

“Doctor Wolfe, how can I help you?”

“Detective Sutcliffe, I have those results back from the lab. The powder in the medicine bottle contains a very high strength ricin.”

Even though he guessed it would turn out that way, Bryce took no satisfaction from having his suspicions confirmed. Doctor Baker had given a bottle containing ricin to his infatuated student and made sure it was found in Chanel Munro’s kitchen. Bryce was sure the good doctor was the anonymous tipster. Nothing else made sense.

After thanking Samantha for her time, he ended the call and immediately made another.

“Boss, I’m sorry to call you at home. I was told you’re not well, but I’m in the middle of an interview with a witness in relation to the hospital murders. She’s told me it was Doctor Leo Baker who gave her the medicine bottle we found in Chanel Munro’s apartment. I need to get a voice analysis of the male person who called in with the anonymous tip. I’m betting it’s him.”

Bryce answered the questions posed by Holt and when his boss approved Bryce’s request, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thanks, boss. I’ll keep you informed. I hope you’re feeling better soon.” He ended the call and turned back to Tanya, who remained drawn and pale in her seat.

“The bottle you left in Chanel’s apartment contained the poison ricin. It’s the same poison that was used to kill three patients under Doctor Baker’s care. If you had any knowledge about what he was doing or if you participated in any way, I will bury you so deep inside the bowels of a correctional facility, you’ll never see the light of day.”

Her expression turned frantic with fear. “No, please, Detective. You have to believe me. I knew nothing about the women who died, I swear. My only involvement with Doctor Baker began when I was stupid enough to start a relationship with him. I was sleeping with him. I…I thought I was in love with him. Now, I realize I’ve been used. I was nothing more than a pawn to assist him in his vendetta against Chanel.”

Bryce nodded grimly. I’m afraid you’re right, Doctor Singh, but lucky for you, there’s no crime for being stupid or for making poor choices. I believe you when you say you had nothing to do with the deaths, but you don’t get to walk away scot-free. I need you to help me.”

Tanya nodded with an eagerness that would have been comical if the whole situation weren’t so serious.

“Of course, Detective. I’ll do whatever you want. Does this mean I’m not going to be charged? I won’t have to tell my father?”

“What you tell your father is your business, Doctor Singh. I can’t help you there. But no, you won’t be charged provided you cooperate with our investigation. You’re going to help me get the evidence I need against Doctor Baker.”

“What must I do?”

“I’m going to get approval for you to wear a wire. Then you’re going to meet with Doctor Baker and do your best to get him to talk about the medicine bottle. You’re going to tell him about Chanel’s arrest and that the police suspect the bottle contains the poison that was used on her patients. You share an apartment. It’s not too much of a stretch for him to believe you’d be privy to information not necessarily in the public domain.”

Tanya looked fearful. “What if he guesses there are people listening? What if I can’t get him to talk?”

Bryce smiled without humor. “You’re a smart woman. You’ll think of something. Right now, I need to check on my grandmother.”