Sitting at a table with a yellow plastic checked cloth, and the worst imitation flowers he had ever seen, Cooper hesitated to drink the tepid coffee in the chipped brown mug as he sat opposite Dr. Foster’s secretary, Karen, listening to her talk.
She looked nervous and had a habit of pulling at her brown bobbed hair every couple of minutes. And although her face was young, her turtle neck and tweed skirt were better suited to a woman almost twice her age.
‘Dr. Foster, he’d been shaken up pretty badly by the time he got back. I spoke to him a few times on the phone when he was in the DRC, and I saw him when he arrived at the airport, but only very briefly so he could give me something. We were supposed to meet the next day, but he didn’t show.’
‘Why didn’t you meet, Karen?’
‘I don’t know, he just didn’t show. Which is unlike him.’
‘Where were you supposed to meet? At the office?’
Karen shook her head. ‘Oh no, he didn’t want anybody to know.’
Cooper looked puzzled. ‘Know what?’
‘That’s the thing. I don’t know. He didn’t want to talk about it on the phone.’
‘But what do you think it was?’
She shrugged, pulling on her hair and said, ‘I wish I knew. But on the morning we were supposed to meet, he did call me. Not to cancel, but just to tell me…’ Karen stopped. Looked around, chewing on her lip.
Cooper encouraged her. The woman was a nervous wreck. ‘Go on, it’s fine.’
‘Well he thought he was being followed. He was frightened. Real frightened, Mr. Cooper.’
‘Frightened of what?’
‘I think of what he’d found out. Which, like I say, I don’t know what it is.’
‘Where was he when he called you?’
‘I’m not sure because he called from his cell, but I do know he was going to see someone from Nadbury Electronics before he was supposed to meet me.’
‘Did he say who? Do you know who he was going to visit?’
‘A man called Parker. Donald Parker.’
‘I don’t suppose you know why he wanted to see him?’
‘No. I’m sorry if I’m not being very helpful, but he really didn’t tell me anything much. But, like I say, he was very frightened.’
‘I appreciate you talking to me, it must be difficult.’
Karen’s eyes filled with tears. ‘It’s terrible, Mr. Cooper. They said awful things about him in the papers. Dr. Michaels told them stuff which was untrue. He’s a horrible man.’
‘Did Dr. Foster say anything about feeling depressed or anything to do with money worries?’
Karen shook her head forlornly. ‘No. And I realize you can’t always tell, but he didn’t seem depressed. I don’t believe he took his own life.’
‘Why do you say that?’
‘Because he was planning to go back to the DRC.’
‘When, and what for?’
Karen, seeing the waitress walk past, spoke quickly to her before she went by. ‘Excuse me, can I have another black coffee please?’ She turned back to Cooper, looking apologetic for ordering in the middle of their talk. ‘I think he wanted to go back as soon as possible. Once he had the evidence. Well, that’s what he said.’
Slightly frustrated, Cooper tried to keep any hint of it out of his tone. ‘Evidence of what?’
‘I’m sorry, I don’t know.’
‘Did he mention anyone call Bemba? Or Ballard?’
Tugging at her hair again, Karen shook her head. Said nothing.
‘What about the name Charles Templin-Wright? Does that mean anything to you, Karen?’
‘No.’
‘How about when he flew back to the States? Can you remember the date Foster arrived home?’
‘Oh yes, because he was due back May 22nd but I had to change his ticket. I remember because they wanted to charge double for it if he flew back in June, so I booked him a flight for May 27th from Kigali.’
‘Why was the date changed?’
‘He said he had to go and see some place before he came home, and that’s why I had to move it.’
‘Is there anything else he said?’
‘No, sorry. But when I met him at the airport, he gave me something to keep safe for him until we met the next day, but we never did… I’ve got it here.’
Karen went into her oversized gray handbag and pulled out a lipstick and an empty bottle of perfume and a couple of magazines and some old receipts and a hairbrush, before bringing out a small white padded envelope. ‘This is what he gave me. I haven’t opened it.’
She handed it to Cooper. It was cool to the touch. There was some handwriting on the front.
Karen Kirby, to be stored at 4°C
‘Is that Dr. Foster’s handwriting on the envelope?’
‘Yes.’
Cooper didn’t say anything. Just gathered his thoughts. Pulled out his phone in half the time it’d taken Karen to pull out the envelope, scrolled through some photos and zoomed in on the photo he’d taken of the names in Lemon’s visitors’ book.
‘Is this Dr. Foster’s writing as well?’
Karen studied it. ‘The top one looks like his writing. But why did he write someone else’s name?’
Cooper looked at the entry:
Phillip Holt.
‘I don’t know Karen, that’s what I’m trying to find out. Can I ask why you didn’t give this to the police? Why give it to me?’
‘Mr. Cooper, I don’t want any trouble. I look after my elderly parents. They live with me in a small apartment. They rely on me for everything. I can’t afford to lose this job, and I know Dr. Michaels is always looking for an excuse to let me go. He’s not interested in what did or didn’t happen to Dr. Foster, he’s just interested in me doing what I’m paid to do.’
‘Sounds like somebody I know.’
‘Jobs are hard to come by around here and, if I’m truthful, Dr. Foster sounded frightened the last time I spoke to him. I’m sorry but I’ve got to think of my parents. If anything happened to me… ’ She stopped then added, ‘You do understand?’
‘Of course. But if you didn’t want to get involved why give it to me?’
‘It sounds silly but back in the office you sounded like you cared. That was like Dr. Foster, he always cared.’
‘You sound like you cared about him.’
Karen’s eyes filled up with tears, but she held his eye as she spoke. ‘I did… I loved him, Mr. Cooper. He didn’t know. I never told him, there wasn’t any point. Like I say, I’ve got my elderly parents to think of.’
‘I’m sorry, Karen… Do you mind if I open this?’
‘Not at all. In fact, I’d rather you kept it. I haven’t known what to do with it. I’m actually pleased I can give it to you.’
Cooper ripped it open. Inside was a small glass test tube full of blood. There was a label on the side of the test tube.
Emmanuel Mutombo.