Five days later, while she was gazing down at the beach after work, watching two little boys wrestling over a bodyboard, her phone rang.
‘Hello, Kate,’ said Andrew Ross, ‘I wanted to let you know that we’ve had the results of the post-mortem. Edina Martinelli died of a massive myocardial infarction, which was almost certainly caused by digoxin toxicity. She was pumped full of the stuff.’
‘Oh my God!’ Kate was so stunned for a moment she didn’t know what to say.
‘Did you get any impression that she might have wanted to take her own life? Was she depressed or anything?’
‘Absolutely not – quite the opposite,’ Kate replied. ‘But, Andrew, she was convinced that someone was out to kill her.’
‘Well, that’s interesting but now the surgery’s in the firing line because it could be construed as medical negligence. The report has been handed over to the coroner and it looks like the police will be involved.’
‘Oh heavens!’ Kate was horrified. ‘Does that mean we might end up in court?’
‘Almost certainly.’
Kate’s mind was in turmoil. She knew she had checked Edina’s pulse and blood pressure correctly and she knew that Edina had been prescribed digoxin for her heart. Could she have overdosed accidentally? That didn’t seem likely; she’d been on the drug for some years. But, she thought, perhaps someone wanted to make it look like she had died of an accidental overdose? If so, that ‘someone’ was the killer. And the killer must have known she was on the drug. Who could have known that? Would she have told everyone? Most unlikely. Kate knew that Edgar Ellis and Cornelius Crow collected her prescriptions for her as did her friend, Hetty. And David Courtney might possibly know. But the Pratts? And the Potter twins who she hadn’t yet met? But Kate was only too aware that old people loved talking about their ailments and medication, so it was possible that any of them could have known. All these thoughts raced around in her head as she walked up the hill to Woody’s house.
‘Oh, Woody,’ she said as he hugged her. ‘You’ll never guess…’
‘I don’t need to guess,’ Woody said. ‘I’ve been working up there today and heard what was going on. It’s now very much a police matter. But can I say something?’
‘Yes, what?’
‘Do not get involved, Kate. I know you only too well. You will, though, need to give a statement to Bill Robson about what Edina said to you about someone wanting to kill her. And probably mention the stepson. But nothing else, do you hear? You do not want to get involved in this.’
‘But I am involved, Woody. Andrew Ross has spoken of medical negligence and I was the last person from the surgery to see her. I’m really, really worried that I might be in trouble but I’m certain I did everything I should. And, knowing that Edina was convinced somebody wanted to kill her, isn’t it possible that someone administered an overdose of digoxin to her?’ As she uttered the words Kate now knew there was no way she couldn’t be involved and that she’d find any excuse to visit Seaview Grange again. And the first chance she got, she intended to check whether any of the other residents of the Grange were prescribed digoxin, because if the person who wanted to kill Edina had poisoned her, they needed to have access to a large amount of the drug.
Woody sighed. ‘Why are you always around when murders happen, Kate?’
‘Yes, it does rather seem to be my mission in life since I’ve come to live down here. But it’s not my fault.’
‘Do you really think one of the oldies could have killed her?’ Woody asked.
‘I intend to find out. I can’t wait to get back there and suss out some more of the residents!’
‘Kate,’ he said, sounding all serious, ‘be careful. Dear Lord, it’s only a few months ago that you were nearly a murder victim yourself! And entirely due to your nosiness!’
‘Natural curiosity,’ Kate corrected, but nonetheless she shivered as she recalled her experience. ‘Anyway, I helped to solve the case.’
‘Yes, you helped to solve the case and nearly got yourself killed in the process. I think you should consider changing your reading matter and try to wean yourself off Agatha Christie and P.D. James. And you should stop watching all those crime shows and whodunnits on TV, Kate. I know it fascinates you but sometimes I think you’ve become too fixated with it all.’
‘I can’t help it,’ Kate admitted. ‘I just love trying to unravel the mysteries!’
Furthermore, there was a repeat of Midsomer Murders on TV this evening, and she planned on watching it.
Kate knew Woody worried about her and that he had her best interests at heart. But she had found herself becoming quite addicted to real-life investigating, after the murders last spring. It was exciting and exhilarating and, at times, of course, extremely dangerous – as she knew to her cost. It hadn’t put her off though and, looking back, she had to admit she was rather good at it.
And on this occasion it wasn’t as if she’d gone around looking for trouble. On the contrary, she just happened, purely on account of her job, to have met not only the victim of a poisoning, but several of the suspects as well. She had become involved, like it or not. And she liked it. And because Edina’s murder was committed in this manner – poisoning by medication – she felt a greater responsibility than she had on the previous occasion when she’d only been one person amongst a large gathering at the Women’s Institute. Not only that, but her reputation, and the surgery’s, could be at stake this time.
Or perhaps she was just plain nosy.
Kate mulled, over and over again, her visits to Edina Martinelli. She knew that Edina’s prescription was reviewed every few months, that she was never over-prescribed and
