“I’m afraid he’s not here, Tom. You’ve missed him.” Janssen glanced at the clock mounted high on the wall behind the desk. They’d left Marie barely ten minutes earlier. “He came in this morning, opening up before even I arrived but he’s gone now.”
“Is that unusual?” Janssen asked. “For him to open up, I mean?”
“Certainly. Admin and the nurses are always here before the Bettanys. Not that they’re late. I wouldn’t want to give that impression. Dr Colin, that’s what we call him, as do the patients, otherwise we couldn’t differentiate between the two Bettanys, came in early to arrange for a locum.”
“Ah… that’s what his wife said he was doing but we thought he was staying on to see his patients today.”
Margaret looked puzzled. “Strange. Dr Colin left me a voicemail last night asking me to cancel all his appointments today and reschedule them for later in the week. I must admit I was surprised to see him this morning what with what happened to poor Holly.”
That explains a lot, Tamara thought, as Janssen glanced over his shoulder at her. He turned back to the woman behind the desk. “No matter, we must have got the wrong end of the stick. We probably passed him on the way here. How long ago did he leave?” He was casual, charming but the question was searching, far more so than Margaret realised.
“Oh, he left by eight.” That was long before they left the Bettany’s. Had he been heading for home, then they would have seen him, met him even. Unless of course, he planned to avoid them all along. She found that prospect intriguing. A man with a controlling streak who didn’t appear to accept challenge well. A man who steered clear of the police, even when they were investigating his daughter’s murder.
“Had he sorted out cover? I believe he was looking for a second locum.” Janssen was still seeking detail, doing so in a calm manner belying his professional interest.
“Not that he told me.” Margaret lowered her voice, possibly conscious of people listening in. Tamara looked around at the people in the waiting room. There were three present and none appeared to be taking much of an interest in them. She had to strain in order to hear. “I’m not sure what he was doing here to be honest.” Margaret took on a conspiratorial tone. “He achieved nothing, barely spoke to any of us. He’s not an easy man to be around, you know, Dr Colin. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a wonderful practitioner but as a person… some of us struggle with him… on a personal level, and I know him better than most seeing as I’ve been here for years.”
Janssen thanked the receptionist and came back to join her. The pair turned to leave. Approaching the exit, a side door opened and a nurse stepped out, almost colliding with them. Tamara apologised at the same time as the woman but her focus was on Janssen and not her.
“Hi Tom. Nice surprise! What are you doing here?” The nurse’s eyes lit up, gleaming. Quickly finding herself something of a spare part in the conversation as Janssen replied, Tamara politely disengaged, leaving them to chat safe in the knowledge neither would have noticed her departure had she not mentioned it.
Janssen reappeared a few minutes later, meeting her at the car. He unlocked it and as she went to get in, noticing the child seat was no longer in the rear. “Friend of yours?” she asked playfully. Never one to pry, she did however want to get to know him a little better and felt confident she could prod him, if only slightly.
“Good friend.” His tone was neutral, closing down the conversation. Janssen obviously wasn’t one to share. She turned her thoughts to Colin Bettany, wondering how he was filling his time this morning.
Chapter Eighteen
Eric woke to the smell of frying bacon. Propping himself up on his elbow, he looked at the clock. It was only just past six o’clock in the morning. The sun was up, streaming through the gap in the curtains of the bedroom. He felt young again. As if he could ever describe himself as old at the age of twenty-four. Throwing on a t-shirt and some joggers, he made his way downstairs to find his mother in the kitchen over the hob.
“I thought you might like something to go to work on. I’ll expect you’re finding it hard to find time working these hours.”
He smiled, kissing her on the cheek. Although she never said so directly, she was both immensely proud of him and at the same time concerned for his wellbeing. That’s why she would go to such efforts providing him with lunch and now, apparently, with breakfast. She felt guilty. Only on the odd occasion, perhaps after one too many gins on a Saturday evening, his mother would let slip how she beats herself up. The sudden passing of her husband, Eric’s father, and her own debilitating battle with cancer transferred the burden of supporting the family onto him at an early age. She knew the weight that placed on his teenage years. While his friends were out partying until late on the beach, Eric was at home, taking care of things and getting up early for work, whatever the day or the weather.
The police force was recruiting. It was a sensible job, stable, and he could stay near home and look after her. She wasn’t to blame, though. Nor was his father for dying. The thought occurred as to what he would do once his role was no longer needed? Hopefully, a day long in the future. Stay in the police, probably. Catching sight of his lunchbox, set aside on the worktop, he smiled again, shaking his head.
His first stop was at the school, incorporating the sixth form college attended by both Holly Bettany and Mark McCall. Admittedly, meeting the headmaster filled him with anxiety. Driving through the gates
