bed, turned his back on her and put out the light. It was some time before Lois could get Josie’s description of Joanne Murphy out of her head.
? Terror on Tuesday ?
Eighteen
A couple of weeks went by, and the Josie drama faded. Derek had threatened her with fire and brimstone if she lied to them again, and family life returned to normal. New Brooms settled into its routine, and Lois began to enjoy the feeling of being in control. There was no shortage of work, and she knew that once their reputation was established she would have to think about further recruiting. But for the moment she made sure each job was done satisfactorily, and that the team was happy with the way things were going.
On another front, she had failed to ask Gary Needham once again about Joanne Murphy. He must have been talking to her that day when Derek had passed by, and she felt increasingly uneasy about him. He, on the other hand, had continued to be charming, helpful and seemed to be loving the job. She knew she should tell Cowgill what she suspected, but did she want to put him on Gary’s tail? Give it a bit longer, and there might be something more definite to tell.
Monday morning, and Lois was up early. She had just put on the kettle for Derek’s early cup of tea when the telephone rang. Blimey, who was that at this hour?
“Lois? This is Sheila.” Her voice was thick and indistinct.
Lois knew at once what she was going to say. “You sound terrible,” she said.
“A cowd, thad’s all,” croaked Sheila, “bud I don’t think I cad go to work today.”
“No, no,” said Lois, thinking rapidly that she’d have to do the surgery herself, “get on back to bed, and I’ll ring you tonight. Don’t worry, Sheila, we’ll manage. Take care, bye.”
“Bound to happen sooner or later,” said Derek. “Can’t you get Hazel to turn out? She ain’t got kids to see to.” But Lois said no, she’d rather do it herself. “Oh well, then,” said Derek, “it’s a bit o’luck I can stay at home until they’re gone to school. Better get goin’, Lois.”
Gary was there before her, sitting in his car reading a paper. When he saw her approach, she thought a shadow of alarm crossed his face, but then he was out of the car, smiling and saying, “Is this a spot check, Mrs M?” She told him about Sheila, and said they’d better get on, since they now had a late start.
Gary was helpful, as she’d expected, telling her their routine, and making sure she knew exactly what they had to do. “Most of the rooms are tidy, and lots of the cupboards are locked, of course,” he said. “There’s just the old doctor’s room that’s a shambles. Anyway, I do the doctors’ rooms, and Sheila does the rest. Are you OK with that?”
Lois nodded, and began work. She found herself keeping an ear tuned to where Gary was cleaning. It wasn’t easy, with the linear layout of the surgery. A long corridor bisected that section of the building, with doctors’ rooms on either side.
“Mrs Meade, room number two, please,” said a voice. She whipped round, her heart thumping, and then realized it was Gary, fooling about up the corridor.
“Just get on with it,” she said crossly, and he disappeared.
Half an hour or so later, Lois had made a decision. This was a perfect opportunity to have a word with Gary. No need to give it unnecessary weight by asking him to see her at home. Just a casual word, she decided. She walked on soft-soled shoes up the carpeted corridor to find him. He was in room number three, with the door half open, and she could see that he was reading a document he must have picked up from the doctor’s desk. She stopped dead, uncertain what to do. He went on reading for a few seconds, then sensed her presence.
“Mrs M!” he said, putting the piece of paper down hastily on the desk. “I didn’t hear you coming.”
“Obviously,” said Lois sharply. “What were you doing reading that letter?”
“It’s not a letter,” said Gary, swallowing hard. “Well, just a handout from a drug company. Doctors get them all the time. It caught my eye, that’s all. Look, you can see for yourself.” He picked up the paper again and held it out to her.
She shook her head. “Bloody hell, Gary!” she said. “You know we don’t touch private papers! Put it back where you found it. I’ve a good mind to give you your cards right now, you stupid idiot! Now just get out…right out, and go home. I’ll let you know what I decide.”
Gary shrugged. “Not a criminal offence,” he muttered.
She ignored him, and left the room, but when he’d gone, she went back to room number three and looked into the doctor’s in tray. It was the same piece of paper, she was sure, and read it without picking it up. In no uncertain terms, the drug company set out the side effects and dangers of over-prescribing a new painkiller, known to be used illegally by kids in the States. The letter stated baldly that hundreds of young people had died from misusing this drug, and warned doctors to be particularly vigilant.
By the time Lois reached home, her instant rage at catching out Gary had subsided. After all, it wasn’t as if he’d had his fingers in the till. She told Derek at lunchtime, and his reaction was what she expected. “Get rid of him, gel,” he said at once. “I told you he’d be no good, and he isn’t.”
“But he’s very good at his work,” Lois protested.
Derek exploded. “What’s the matter with you, Lois? The nasty little sod is obviously up to something, probably ferretin’ about for the latest on drugs, and you witter on about being good at cleaning! For God’s sake, woman, think about it! For all we know, it might have bin him dishin’ out God knows what at the club Josie went to…and you said that woman she saw could have been the slut you turned down…”
“It was,” said Lois quietly. When Derek lost his temper with her, she always listened. “At least, I’m pretty sure it was, from Josie’s description.” She felt sick, remembering how Joanne Murphy had threatened to get back at Lois for rejecting her. Not through Josie, surely? Nobody could be that evil! Oh yes, they could, Lois told herself.
“Well, for Christ’s sake, Lois, get rid of him. And then let’s stay out of this whole business. Josie’s got her head screwed on, more or less, and we can keep an eye on her. You can easily find another cleaner, and then leave all that other stuff alone.”
Lois was quiet for a minute or so, and then put out her hand to take Derek’s. “You’re most likely right,” she said. “But I took him on and it’ll have to be me that fires him. If I do. My decision, really, and it’ll have to be quick. He’ll be waiting.”
“Let him wait!” said Derek. He sighed. Lois was right. It was her business, and he’d not take kindly to her telling him how to rewire a pub. But she was still his wife! “Just get your priorities right, Lois,” he said. “Our kids come first. And if there’s any sniff of danger to them, I hope you’ll know what’s the right thing to do.”
After he’d gone back to work, Lois sat motionless for an hour, staring out of the window and getting her thoughts in order. Finally she made her way through to her office and lifted the telephone. “Inspector Cowgill?” she said. “Can we meet?”
? Terror on Tuesday ?
Nineteen
The storm began when Lois was halfway to Alibone Woods. Her ancient windscreen wipers were not really up to the job, and she could barely see the road ahead. As she turned off into the track where she concealed her car, she splashed into deep puddles and muddy potholes. I hope to God I can get out of here again, she thought. Well, I can’t blame Cowgill today. He’d taken her request very seriously, and suggested the next day, when she had planned to go into Tresham to see her mother, and would be passing by the woods anyway. “You sound worried,” he’d said. “Can it keep ‘til tomorrow?” She had assured him it wasn’t that urgent, though after she’d put down the phone, she had realized she had no idea of how urgent it was. Like Derek, she began to feel caught up in something too close to home. She tried not to think of the children out there…on the school bus, in the playground, on their way home through the village. She fought back mental pictures of Josie being dragged screaming into a car with darkened windows, of Douglas reeling home covered in bruises and cuts, and Jamie yelling for his mum as he was dumped unceremoniously into the boot of the same car.
