Chapter 38

Instead of finding Karlos, I’m back at Shaloma watching Nat and Elsa march into reception like two soldiers on a mission. Helen looks up with surprise before giving them her habitual welcoming smile. ‘Hello, girls. What can I do for you?’

‘We need to speak to Dr Brink in private, Helen. Is he in?’

A quizzical look flits across Helen’s face. She sets her jaw and nods. ‘I’m not sure if he’s busy right now. Sit down and I’ll go and see.’

Nat and Elsa move towards the black leather couch nestled against the lime-green wall. Elsa taps her red nails on the armrest while Nat stares at the blank wall opposite.

‘You’re in luck. Please come this way.’

They follow Helen in silence through the courtyard to Dr Brink’s office.

Dr Brink ushers them over to chairs in the corner of the office. ‘Please, sit. What can I do for you?’

‘We need some information on a patient called George Mannering,’ says Elsa before sitting down.

Dr Brink gives a small nod and frowns. He clasps his hands together and looks first at Elsa and then at Nat before clearing his throat. ‘I am so sorry about Lissa. I truly am. I know there’s an investigation. I’ve had both the police and Mr Fletcher here and have given them all the information they’ve asked for. As much as I want to, I can’t disclose confidential patient information to you. I can’t.’

Elsa’s jaw tightens. ‘Yes, I realise that,’ she says, ‘I just want to know how long he was here for.’

‘He arrived on the Friday with Wolf and Nic. Lissa came on the Sunday,’ says Dr Brink. ‘They all started the treatment together on the Monday. He left recently to be admitted to another hospital.’

‘Were you aware then that he’s psychotic?’ Elsa leans forward in her chair and clenches the armrests.

Dr Brink leans back from her anger. ‘Yes, but he was controlled by medication.’

‘The same medication called Trithapon which somehow became listed on Lissa’s file.’ Elsa’s eyes are fierce.

Dr Brink’s mouth drops open. He reddens. ‘That shouldn’t have been on Lissa’s file.’

Nat lets out a small sigh. A tinge of relief trickles through me. At least now she knows the truth.

‘Well, it was,’ snaps Elsa.

A deep frown etches across Dr Brink’s forehead. ‘I’m sorry, I never prescribed Trithapon. I have no idea how that happened. The files are locked in the filing cabinet. We’ve given everything to the police and answered all their questions.

Elsa stares at him like a threatening cat while Nat shifts uncomfortably on her chair. ‘I think you’d better review your security policies, Doctor. If I’d known you were as bad as this we would never have let Lissa come here.’

Dr Brink says nothing.

‘Where’s George Mannering been admitted to?’

‘Fort Napier,’ he mumbles.

‘Why? Is he dangerous?’

‘I’m sorry, ladies. I really can’t answer any more questions.’ Dr Brink clears his throat and stands. ‘If I think of anything else I will contact the police straightaway.’

Elsa shoves back her chair and leaves the office with a curt nod. Nat scurries behind her, eyes fixed on Elsa’s back.

‘Well, that was a complete waste of time,’ says Elsa as soon as they step outside.

‘I guess we should’ve known he wouldn’t tell us much,’ says Nat, pulling a face, ‘but at least we know now that it shouldn’t have been on Lissa’s file.’

‘I think that was pretty obvious already,’ snaps Elsa.

Nat reddens.

‘We made a right fuck-up bringing her here. I really thought I was helping; thought it would be the turning point she needed. I was so consumed with worry that the thought of the low-lifes she would meet didn’t even enter my mind. How could I be so incredibly stupid?’ Elsa’s head drops and her shoulders slump forward.

Nat places her arm around Elsa’s shoulders. ‘It was both of us, not just you, and we meant well. If we hadn’t forced her here the chances are she’d have drunk herself to death. She was in a bad way, don’t forget that.’

Elsa nods as her eyes cloud over.

‘Come on, let’s go and have a walk around Mitchell Park. I think we both need a bit of time with nature.’

***

It’s hard to remain stressed in a place as beautiful as Mitchell Park and my heart warms as I see Elsa’s and Nat’s shoulders relax. The air is heavy with the scent from frangipani trees. Smell is one of the strongest triggers for your memory they say, and it’s true. I only have to get the slightest whiff of frangipani and happy memories of Dad come flooding back.

The park is pristine and in some strange way its order gives me hope. I know there’s a lot of chaos out there, but with God’s help they’ll get through, and then at least Dad’s death won’t have been for nothing. I push away the petrol nightmare by focusing on my own death. I can’t let it be for nothing. I have to nail Karlos.

Nat and Elsa wander over to the zoo area. They stop briefly in front of the flock of salmon pink flamingos perched comically on one of their pink stick legs, before moving on to the mob of sentry-straight meerkats, peering with sharp, black fur-framed eyes at the crowd from the soft mounds of brown earth dotting their enclosure. I can’t help but smile, with their straight backs and small paws hanging dutifully in front; they’re so cute and so loyal to each other. We humans could learn a lot from them.

‘Didn’t that drug addict from church you were trying to help end up going to Fort Napier years ago?’

Elsa lifts her eyebrows. ‘Hmm, I think he did.’ She gives a small laugh. ‘That feels like a lifetime ago. I’d forgotten all about him. Wonder how he is; probably dead if he went back on drugs.’

‘Shit, there’s too much of it around, there really is.’

‘I could get Fletcher to access George’s records there. Shaloma won’t help. They’re just trying to protect their reputation, but if we can somehow pinpoint George as being able to gain access to Lissa’s house early that morning, he could well be our man. I think her death in the hospital might just be down to incompetence. It’s quite possible they over-sedated her by mistake – but the fitting that took her there, that came from someone.’

Nat purses her lips and nods. ‘That would explain the lack of post-mortem.’ She looks earnestly at Elsa. ‘Can’t we nail them for that, Els? Can’t we get them to exhume her body?’

Elsa snorts and shakes her head. ‘You’ve no idea how hard that would be Nat. I’d never get it through court without the police agreeing, and Govender’s unlikely to help.’

‘Can’t Thabo get him to?’

Elsa shrugs. ‘I think what we need to do is get the person who tried to kill her in the first place. At least we’ll have a strong attempted murder case if we can find evidence of this George giving her Trithapon.’

‘Do you think he’s the more likely suspect now? You were so sure it was Karlos before.’

Elsa’s eyes follow a meerkat as it jumps from its mound and scurries over to join the rest of its pack. ‘I’m keeping Karlos on my list. He got the money, after all, but other than that I guess we don’t have much on him. George on the other hand is a dinkum psychotic and the drug he’s on is also mysteriously listed on Lissa’s file. There’s got to be a connection.’

‘Karlos did seem genuinely broken, especially at Lissa’s funeral. His eyes were raw with pain.’

‘I guess,’ says Elsa.

Nat draws in a deep breath and turns to Elsa. ‘I know this sounds a bit weird but do you think that’s why we found that script at Lissa’s funeral? Do you think she was trying to tell us she’d been poisoned?’

Elsa’s face stiffens. ‘No, I don’t.’ She turns away from the meerkat compound. ‘Come on, let’s go and phone Fletcher. I think we’ll get either him or Govender to pay Fort Napier a visit.