not a rarity at any city hospital.
'I want to see whoever is in charge of the nurses here.'
The receptionist glanced back at her horoscope. Sally could see it was written by Jonathan Cainer. 'Depends what wards they work on. They all have their own senior sisters.'
'I don't know what ward she worked on. Isn't there someone from personnel who deals with them all?'
Sally could hear the irritation in his voice. The receptionist picked up the phone. 'I'll see if I can find someone to talk to you. Can I ask what it is about?'
'It's about police business. Tell them that,' Delaney said curtly.
The receptionist sighed heavily and punched some numbers into the telephone keypad. Delaney walked across to read the notices pinned on the adjacent wall on the other side of the reception desk and Sally smiled apologetically at the woman behind the counter. 'He doesn't like hospitals very much.'
'Not really interested.'
Sally shrugged. 'What's he say for Capricorn?'
The receptionist looked back at her, frowning. 'What?'
'Jonathan Cainer. He's very good, isn't he?'
The receptionist pointedly turned the page. 'I don't know. I only buy it for the Sudoku.'
Sally shrugged again, and wandered over to join Delaney as he was studying a poster advertising an STD drop-in clinic.
'Something you're worried about, sir?'
Delaney gave her a flat look. 'You may have done well with the belt buckle, Detective Constable, but don't push it.'
'Sir.' Sally grinned, she knew Delaney wasn't annoyed. Not with her at least.
A little while later, a short woman dressed in a navy-blue suit, with iron-grey hair cut fashionably short, strode briskly up to Delaney and thrust out her hand.
'Margaret Johnson. I understand you have some questions regarding one of our staff?'
Delaney shrugged. 'Possibly about one of your staff, Mrs Johnson.'
'Why don't you come through to my office?'
Margaret Johnson's office was surprisingly colourful and cluttered. She moved a stack of files from one of the chairs facing her desk and gestured at them to take a seat.
'What can I do to be of assistance?'
'We are trying to identify someone. We think she may have worked here.'
'And she's dead?'
'How would you know that?' Sally asked.
Margaret Johnson looked at her sadly. 'Call it an educated guess. If she wasn't dead she herself could tell you who she was, especially if you knew where she worked.'
Delaney placed a file on the desk in front of him. 'I'm afraid these photos are going to be rather unpleasant to look at.'
'That's okay, Inspector.'
'You know all the nurses who work here?'
'I would have interviewed them all at least once, yes.'
Delaney opened the file. 'We're trying to find out who she is. She wore a belt with a distinctive buckle. It's why we think she might have been a nurse.'
