down. You said he spent a long time in his study. Maybe he left papers lying around?'
'I don't think so,' said Claire Richardson thoughtfully. 'But there was one thing…'
'Yes?'
'The night it all started he was pacing up and down in the study. I heard him repeat several times, 'No blisters. There were no blisters.'
Jamieson looked blank and Claire Richardson shrugged. She said, 'I know. It doesn't make much sense but that's what he said.'
'No blisters? No blisters on what? On whom?'
Claire shook her head.
'Think about it,' said Jamieson. 'And have a think about anything else John might have said. If you do come up with anything give me a call.'
'I will,' said Claire. She shook hands with Jamieson and they parted.
Jamieson had started to tell Sue about his meeting with Claire Richardson when the phone rang. It was Clive Evans.
'A second woman has died of the Staphylococcus infection but the others are beginning to respond to Loromycin treatment.' said Evans.
'Good,' said Jamieson. 'How's Moira Lippman's sister in law?'
'She was the second woman I'm afraid.'
'Damnation.'
'I thought you should know as soon as possible and I couldn't find you in the hospital.'
'I was having lunch with Claire Richardson.'
'Really. How is she?'
'Bearing up is the phrase I think.'
'I didn't know that you knew her,' said Evans.
'I didn't but I wanted to talk to her about her husband. I think John Richardson knew something about the infections that he didn't tell anyone. I hoped he might have mentioned something to his wife.'
'And had he?'
'No.'
'Pity. What sort of thing did you have in mind?' asked Evans.
'It's a bit difficult to say but when I had the Pseudomonas analysed at Sci-Med and they told me that it was resistant to all these drugs in its own right I was very surprised. John Richardson wasn't. It was almost as if that was the result he expected.'
'Strange,' said Evans.
'I suppose he never said anything to you about it?'
''Afraid not.'
Jamieson put down the phone and told Sue about the second death in Gynaecology.
'Surely the unit will have to close now?' said Sue.
Jamieson started to pace up and down. He said, 'In theory there is no need. There has been an outbreak of Staphylococcal infection. The cause has been identified. Two women have died but we now have the infection under control and there is every chance that the others will get better under Loromycin treatment. Tragic but one of these things that happen from time to time.'
'But more often in the Kerr Memorial than in any other hospital,' said Sue.
Jamieson nodded silently.
'What can you do about it?' asked Sue quietly.
'Nothing. All I have to go on is the suspicion that some head case is deliberately contaminating dressings and instruments. It's not the sort of thing you start saying without any kind of evidence to back it up.'
'On the other hand women have been dying.' said Sue. 'Three the first time and now another two.'
'You didn't have to point that out,' said Jamieson.
'I'm sorry,' said Sue. 'I didn't mean to…'
'No, I'm the one who is sorry,' said Jamieson coming over to her and taking her in his arms. 'This place is getting to me. I loathe it. I hate every stone of it, every evil inch.'
'But you are not going to give up. You are going to see it through and then we'll go home to our lovely cottage in Kent and we'll go back to being the people we were.'
'What a lovely thought,' murmured Jamieson, his cheek against Sue's hair.
The telephone rang and startled both of them. It was Claire Richardson. 'You did say I should phone you if I thought of anything that might be useful?'
'Of course.'
'I've been having another look through the things in John's study and I've come across something that John never mentioned at all to me.'
'Really?'
'It's a card with the name of a hospital on it and a telephone number.'
'A hospital,' Jamieson repeated feeling deflated.
'Yes. Apparently John was in contact with this hospital the day before he died. I've never heard of it and he certainly didn't say anything about it to me. Do you think it might have some relevance?'
'At this point we can't afford to dismiss anything Mrs Richardson.'
'Call me Claire.'
'Very well, Claire. Which hospital was it?'
'Costello Court Hospital. It's in a place called Willow Norton and that's in Norfolk. Do you want the phone number?'
Jamieson said that he did and wrote it down. 'I'll check it out Claire. Many thanks.'
'You will let me know if it's anything important?'
'Of course.'
'Sounds like an old folks' home,' said Sue as Jamieson started to dial the number. She waited patiently while Jamieson made enquiries. 'Well?' she asked as she saw him put down the phone and walk slowly over to the window.
'It's not a home for the old,' said Jamieson. 'It's a mental hospital.'
'Costello Court, a mental hospital,' repeated Sue.
'They don't have a laboratory service there so Richardson's call wasn't anything to do with the job.'
'So why would he be calling a mental hospital?'
'Maybe he had a friend or colleague who worked there?'
'If that was true his wife would have known about it. They told each other everything.'
Jamieson thought for a moment then said, 'Everyone said the strain was getting to him. Maybe he was going to have himself admitted for a rest before he had a real breakdown.'
'And then decided to kill himself instead?' said Sue.
Jamieson acknowledged the incongruity. 'Claire Richardson doesn't believe that her husband did kill himself,' said Jamieson.
'It would be difficult for her to do that under any circumstances,' said Sue. 'She was his wife. Suicide is always seen as a betrayal by the people who love you most.'
'I wonder what she would think about the idea of her husband having himself admitted as a patient at Costello Court.'
'Ask her,' said Sue.
'Tomorrow,' said Jamieson.
ELEVEN
'A psychiatric hospital!' exclaimed Claire Richardson when Jamieson told her on the telephone. 'Why on earth would John contact a psychiatric hospital?'
