His gaze drifted away into the corner of the room as his voice faded into silence. His expression was queasy, as if he was already regretting what he’d said.
‘Did you two stay in touch after he left?’ Ferreira asked.
‘I kept meaning to call him,’ Sutherland said regretfully. ‘Swing by and drag him out to the pub or something, just check up on him. But they were struggling to get another doc in to cover his shifts, so I ended up doing most of them.’ He rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Honestly, I don’t feel like I’ve been out of this place for the last couple of months.’
‘When was the last time you saw him?’
‘I hadn’t talked to him since the day he left.’ Sutherland looked between the two of them. ‘Sorry, I don’t feel like I’m being much help here.’
‘It’s fine,’ Ferreira told him. ‘You can only tell us what you know.’
He smiled at her, looking relieved at her reassurance.
‘How long have you worked here, Patrick?’
He glanced up at the suspended ceiling. ‘Oh, six years, just over. Josh started not long after me.’
‘So you both survived the purge.’
Zigic felt a chill come across the table from Ferreira, wondered if he’d misjudged her attention towards the man. Had she seen something that intrigued her more than an attractive doctor with half decent dress sense?
Sutherland’s face hardened. ‘We did. And we’d both been calling for action for quite some time before the board finally decided to drag the old governor out and bring in someone who wouldn’t keep looking the other way on the abuses we were dealing with in the medical bay on a near daily basis.’
‘It didn’t occur to you to bypass the governor and come to us?’ Ferreira asked.
He pressed his lips together. ‘I’m legally forbidden to discuss this. I’m very sorry. I really want to help you however I can but, you have to understand, this isn’t a hospital. It isn’t even a regular prison. Different rules apply here. I’m sorry.’
Ferreira settled back in her chair for a moment, seemingly satisfied that she’d got to the root of the problem, but they were a long way off it yet, Zigic thought, and Sutherland apparently saw that too.
‘What I can say is I really don’t think any of that could have anything to do with Josh’s death. It was two years ago. The staff who were sacked will all have moved on.’ He tucked his hands between his thighs, shoulders curling around protectively. ‘At the time – heat of the moment – I wouldn’t have been surprised if some of them got nasty, but now? No, it doesn’t make any sense, does it?’
‘Did Josh give statements against anyone in particular?’
A fearful look crossed Sutherland’s face. ‘I can’t comment on that. I’m sorry.’
‘I’m sure you understand the importance of these questions, Dr Sutherland.’ Zigic tried to keep the frustration out of his voice. ‘Somebody has brutally murdered your friend. If you have any information you are bound by law to tell us. Who did Josh report?’
Sutherland couldn’t meet his eyes.
‘Dr Sutherland, this isn’t just about Josh any more,’ Ferreira said softly. ‘If someone you two reported has gone after Josh, there’s every chance they’ll be coming for you next.’
Sutherland pressed his lips together tightly, whitening the skin around them.
‘Is there anything you can tell us?’ Zigic asked, trying to contain the desperation he felt.
‘I wish I could.’ He turned to Ferreira again, leaning across the desk towards her. ‘Truly, I really wish I could help you.’
Then he stood up and left the room, slumped and sheepish, drained of the easy confidence he’d walked in with.
‘Still believe he left with stress?’ Ferreira asked.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Five minutes later the door opened again and a doughy middle-aged woman in a set of blue scrubs came in. She cast a wary look at each of them, peering out from under the ash-blonde wedge of her fringe, green eyes quick and searching, before she turned back towards Field for guidance or permission.
‘This is Ruth Garner,’ Field said, waving her towards a seat. ‘Detective Inspector Zigic and Sergeant Ferreira. They just have a few questions for you. Anything you need I’m just along the hall.’
The door closed and Zigic noticed Ruth Garner’s head cock towards it as if she was listening for Field’s retreating footsteps. When she realised they were both watching her, she crossed her arms defensively over her stomach, swallowed hard.
‘Is it true?’ she asked. ‘Was Josh really murdered?’
‘I’m afraid so,’ DI Zigic said regretfully. ‘How well did you know him?’
‘We’d worked together for four years, so fairly well, I suppose.’
‘And what did you think about him resigning?’
‘I didn’t – I don’t know,’ she stammered, seemingly caught off guard by the question. ‘It was a bit of a shock. I thought he liked working here. As much as you can like it.’
‘How did he seem to you in the weeks before he left?’
‘I wasn’t here then,’ she said, looking between them, not sure who to settle her attention on. ‘I had to take some time off. My mother-in-law was diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer in April. We weren’t sure how long she had but she was adamant she wanted to die in her own home, so I took some time off to look after her.’
Zigic offered their condolences and she thanked him automatically, almost dismissively.
She shook her head clear. ‘What was I saying? Yes. No, I wasn’t here when Josh left. I came back a few weeks ago and he’d already left. Stress, apparently. It does get to you. I think it’s worse when you live in the village too. You’re never fully away from the place, not really.’
‘Do you live in Long Fleet?’ Zigic asked.
She nodded.
‘How much do you know about the
