Chapter 49

Juliet jerked awake from an exhausted doze and tried to focus her swimming eyes on the woman who lay prone in the bed next to her chair. After vomiting several more times during the early hours of the morning, Liz Pocklington had lapsed into a leaden, stertorous sleep from which Juliet had been advised by the duty doctor not to rouse her until she woke naturally. She was still snoring now, but had shifted her position in the bed. Juliet hoped this was a sign that Liz was gradually waking up. She peered at the clock above the bed and saw that it was almost 7 am. Fuck, she thought to herself, there’s no way I’m going to get into the station before Nancy Chappell arrives there this morning. She thought about giving Nancy a call, then decided against it. It wasn’t her job to run around after an ‘assistant’ she hadn’t asked for.

She eased herself into a more upright position, wincing as some bone in her back clicked rebelliously. She wondered how Giash was coping with Gerald Arsehole. She and the doctor had barred him from entering the side-ward where Liz was being treated and he’d announced belligerently that he’d be waiting outside, demanding to be told as soon as she woke up.

Juliet stood up slowly and helped herself to a plastic cup of water from the water dispenser. She walked down the short corridor from the ward to the waiting area and peered cautiously round the wall. Giash was alone, seated in the waiting area surrounded by empty banquettes. He looked tired but much more alert than Juliet felt. He grinned at her encouragingly.

“Where’s Mr Pocklington?”

“He went home around 3 am. Says he’ll be back. That’s why I’m still here. I told Verity to try to get a few hours’ sleep. She called a taxi to take her home.”

“Good. Do you know when he’s coming back?”

“He wants us to call him when she wakes up. He’s left his mobile number.”

“She doesn’t have to speak to him, but we do. We need to ask him the same questions we ask her, even if Margie was living with her mother.”

“Yes, I know. Do you want me to call him? He’s probably getting up by now, if he intends to go to work.”

“No. We’ll wait until she’s awake first. Unless she wants to see him, we’ll question him at the station. If they discharge her, she can come to the station, too, but we can make sure they don’t meet.”

“OK. Do you think there’s any chance of getting a cup of tea here?”

“I doubt if the café’s open yet, but there’s probably a nurses’ canteen. The day shift should be coming in any minute. You could ask one of them.”

The duty doctor appeared from the same direction that Juliet had come.

“DC Armstrong? Could I have a word?”

“Of course.”

Juliet followed him into a small ante-room.

“Mrs Pocklington’s beginning to stir now. She’ll probably be properly awake in half an hour or so. I think we should keep her in for observation, at least until this afternoon. I’m going off duty now and I’ll pass care of her to a colleague, but here’s my card if you need to get in touch.”

“Thank you. Is it all right to ask her some questions when she comes round?”

“It should be safe enough, but you may not get much sense out of her. She’ll have a thumping headache.”

“But it’s ok to try?”

“Certainly.”

Juliet returned to the waiting area in time to see Giash being presented with a mug of tea and a plate of biscuits by a pretty nurse aged about twenty. The nurse had disappeared through the swing doors before Juliet could attract her attention.

“I see you’re exercising your charm, as usual. You could have got one for me.” Giash looked sheepish. “She’s got to stay here for the time being,” Juliet continued. “So if you wouldn’t mind calling Gerald Pocklington and asking him to go to the station, I’ll get someone there to interview him. I’m going to have to stay here.”

“Sure thing. Who should I tell him to ask for?”

“Good question.” Juliet frowned. She knew that Andy and Ricky were going to be out somewhere together that morning – something to do with the land dispute that Andy was dealing with. In any case, she didn’t want to hand over part of the investigation to either of them at the moment: it would put her chances of the job in even more jeopardy than accepting Nancy Chappell’s help. Tim would be on his way to India. That left Superintendent Thornton, but as everyone knew he hated what he called ‘upwards delegation’, besides which he had no detailed knowledge of the case and would be much less likely to listen to a briefing from Juliet than . . . a possible if unpalatable solution came to her. It would be the least of several evils.

Juliet sighed. “Tell him to ask for DC Chappell. I’ll try to call her now. It would help if I could speak to her before Lady Jane in there wakes up, but knowing my luck her phone will be switched off.”