Rose pushed the phone into her pocket and followed Dr Farrukh back into Craig’s room.
“Well done, Craig. You must have the constitution of a buffalo.” Dr Farrukh examined the machines monitoring Craig. “Great, your vitals are returning to normal, but we don’t want your blood pressure rising too high.”
Craig opened his mouth, but only a hiss of sound came out. The doctor placed her hand on his arm. Don’t try to speak just yet. It’s going to take you time to recover and I don’t want you getting worried and worked up. Just lean back and rest.”
She turned to Rose and Chris and said, “I’ll check back in an hour or so, but if you need me or a nurse, just press the red emergency button above the bed.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Rose said as she felt her phone vibrate again in her pocket.
“What’s going on, Mum? Why all the calls?” asked Chris.
She removed the phone and looked at the caller ID. “It’s the commissioner again. He’s got people looking up information which could solve the death of Nina Scott Watson.”
Craig made another hissing sound, and they turned towards him. His eyes were wide and insistent.
Rose squeezed his hand. “It’s OK. I’m just providing guidance, but I better take this call.”
“Yes, Commissioner,” Rose said as she answered the phone.
“Our enquiries have set some alarm bells ringing in the UK. I’ve just received a call from Thames Valley Police. It appears they’re also interested in Robert Scott Watson. They’ve been tracking him for several years, but they hadn’t found any evidence to implicate him in the deaths or disappearance of his wives. So they were most interested to hear his current wife has turned up dead in Kenya.”
“Oh, I suppose they would be,” Rose said self-consciously, feeling Chris’s eyes upon her.
“And there’s more. Again, you were right to suggest we look into the wives as they were all heiresses. The first was an older lady, a widow, but the others, including Nina, have been younger women with their own fortunes or sizeable trust funds. Thames Valley Police had already checked out Nina Scott Watson and found she’d changed her will before leaving for Kenya. And it will come as no surprise that Robert is the sole beneficiary.”
“So you think Robert killed her?” Rose enquired.
“I do, but the trouble is we still don’t know how. Do you?”
Did she? Pieces had been starting to fit together when she’d been sitting with Chloe at Cape Chestnut, but now her mind was heavy and she couldn’t even fully process the information the commissioner had given her. When she had been at Cape Chestnut what had she considered needed doing? The enquiry into Robert and his marriages … and to chat with Sam. But she couldn’t remember why.
“I need to speak to Sam.”
“Excellent. I’ll pick you up and drive you across to Borana. Where are you? Home or at the hospital? And how is Craig?”
“Commissioner, he’s not well. The doctors said he suffered a major stroke, and he’s hooked up to all these machines.”
“I am sorry. Is he awake? And stable?”
“Yes, for the moment.”
“Then he’s in the best place and there’s not much you can do for him. If we leave now, we should be back by nightfall. But if we delay for too long, we risk Robert disappearing.”
“I know, but …”
“I’ll be with you in ten minutes.”
The phone went dead, but she continued to stare into it.
“You are not going anywhere,” ordered Chris. “Not at the moment. Your place is by Dad’s side.”
Rose dropped her arms to her side as she said, “I know, and you’re right. But I can’t stand by and allow a man to escape. A man who almost certainly killed his wife, and probably several others, and who is likely to go on and kill again.”
Chris stiffened his stance and argued, “Just leave it to the police. That’s their job.”
“I know, I know.” Rose wrung her hands. “But they can’t prove he did kill his wife. Nobody can at the moment. But I’m certain I was close to the truth earlier. I have to speak to Sam and have some space to think. I’m sure I can piece together what happened.”
Chris’s voice rose an octave. “But it’s still not your job. Your role is as Dad’s wife and you have a duty to be here with him. He needs you.”
Rose felt an unaccustomed flash of anger and retorted, “My role. My duty. I’ve been by your father’s side for over forty years and supported him through thick and thin. Who do you think provides food for our table since he retired? Me and my veterinary work. And what about your role? You’re his only son, so you stay by his bed. Besides, what can either of us really do for him at the moment? He’s getting all the medical care the hospital can provide and now he needs rest, and some peace to recover.”
There was a hissing noise from the bed again. Rose felt stunned by her outburst, and Chris’s mouth hung open.
“Go,” whispered Craig.
“What was that, Dad?” Chris stammered.
Craig held eye contact with Rose and repeated a little stronger, “Go.”
“I love you,” said Rose as she pecked Craig on the cheek.
Her lips were wet, and she noticed tears trickling from his eyes.
“Goodbye,” she whispered.