'See you in the morning.' He leaned across and kissed her cheek. The smell of him physically hurt. It only happened in movies: the moment the heroine clasps the leading man's face in both hands and instigates a deep, lustful kiss. She hadn't the bottle to do anything so crass, but after he'd slammed the car door, she wished she had.
Anna parked her car, and used the lift though her flat was only two floors up: her legs felt leaden. Letting herself in, she tossed the keys onto the side table in the hall, eased out of her coat, and then toe-heeled each shoe off, leaving a trail of discarded clothes from the hall into the bedroom.
She flopped down on the bed, arms spread wide. She was so tired she didn't even have the energy to get up and clean her teeth.
She took a deep breath and moaned. 'Oh shit.'
James Langton was back, occupying so much of her mind and heart that denying it was pointless.
Chapter Seventeen
Sleeping, Emily looked so young and fragile. The glucose drip was still in place; both her long thin arms were above the tightly drawn sheet and her bony hands rested one on top of the other. Someone had drawn her hair back from her face with an elastic band, accentuating her high, chiselled cheekbones. Her big, wide eyes seemed sunken beneath the closed lids.
A nurse brought Anna into the room. She had been very concerned when she was told that Justine Wickenham had spent a considerable time sitting beside her sister.
'During the night?'
'Yes, apparently; in fact, you only just missed her.'
'Is the doctor going to release Emily?'
'I don't know; I'm just taking her blood pressure.'
'Will you wake her?'
The nurse checked the time and gave a rueful smile. 'Fraid so. It was very high again last night, but it had dropped a wee bit earlier this morning.'
Anna stepped back as the nurse gently lifted Emily's arm and wrapped it in the black pad. The pumping action seemed loud in the silent room. Anna moved round to see Emily more clearly as she had her pulse taken. She was awake, staring ahead with dull expressionless eyes, ignoring the nurse. Anna waited until she had left the room before she went close to the bed.
'Emily, it's Anna Travis.'
'I'm not blind,' she said, in a low, bored voice.
'I don't want to disturb you more than is necessary.'
'Terrific.' She pressed the bed lift to sit up higher.
Anna drew up a chair. 'I need to ask you some questions.'
She didn't respond.
'Have you had breakfast?'
'I'm not hungry.'
At least it was a start. Anna debated how she should continue; Emily was behaving in a totally different manner to the previous night.
'I kept my part of the bargain: you remained here last night.'
No reaction.
'Emily, will you look at me, please?'
She turned her head very slowly towards Anna; her eyes were like saucers, and so full of pain. She reminded Anna of a sick bird; it seemed as if her head was too heavy for such a slender neck to hold up.
'You said you would talk to me and answer my questions. It's very important, Emily.'
'No. Go away.' She didn't say it in anger; her voice was tired and wavery.
Anna hesitated and then reached out to hold her hand. 'You know, if I can, I will help you again. Maybe I can arrange for you to be looked after.'
'Maybe I'll just die and then it will be over.'
'Tell me what happened to you, Emily.'
The thin hand twisted and then clung to Anna's.
'I know about your abortion.'
Her eyes filled with tears, and her hand grasped Anna's even more tightly. 'He used to say how much he loved me; whatever he did to me was because he loved me, and I believed him. But then I began to get sick.'
'Was it your father's child?'
'I've never been with anyone else. I didn't know I was pregnant until Daddy examined me. He said he would make it all better, make it all go away, so no one would know.'
'How many months pregnant were you?'
'I don't know.'
'So when he made it all better for you, where were you?'
'At home.'
'Did your father operate on you?'
Emily released her hand and curled up on her side away from Anna. She picked at the plaster holding the needle to the drip in her right arm.
'Was there a room in the house he used?'
'Yes.'
'Tell me about the room.'
Emily didn't answer.
'Is there medical equipment in this room?'
Anna leaned closer and the girl half-turned towards her. It happened so quickly Anna wasn't fast enough to get clear. Emily vomited and then clung onto Anna as she retched and spewed up again.
Langton let the receiver drop back onto its cradle. Lewis was sitting opposite him.
'Travis is at the hospital with Emily Wickenham. Emily just chucked up all over her so she doubts she'll be able to question her for a while, but she admitted her father did the abortion, and inside the house. Travis was trying to ascertain where it took place, if there's medical equipment that could have been used in the Louise Pennel murder. I mean, there's got to be someplace he cut her body in two, for Chrissakes!'
'Well, when we go in, we'll find it,' Lewis said.
Langton pursed his lips. 'Yeah, but he could have got rid of the gear, and it might not necessarily be at Mayerling Hall.'
'So when do we go in?'
Langton stood up and pulled at his tie. 'We should wait until we get a result from the blood spotting at the other daughter's flat; has it come in yet?'
'No, they need twenty-four hours at least. Why the hesitancy?'
'We get one big hit. To get the amount of SOCOs I want there is gonna cost and I don't want to blow it.'
'Your shout,' Lewis said, standing and placing the chair back against the wall.
'Yes, yes it is; let me think about when we make the move.'
Lewis gave a small shrug, and walked out. Langton opened his top drawer and took out a half bottle of brandy, then thought better of it and dropped the bottle back into the drawer. He picked up the phone. If it was possible to arrange for the troops and warrants to be ready in time, they would hit Mayerling Hall at dawn the following morning.
