Waves of Guilt, page 26
I shook my head. ‘No, I feel guilty. About Cyril, I mean.’
‘Oh, don’t be. He must be very annoying to have as a neighbour, but....,’ Craig paused.
‘But he saved my life,’ I added.
Craig smiled wryly.
‘I’ll speak to him when I get out and thank him,’ I said. ‘Perhaps I can buy him something?’
‘Look, we can sort all that out in the future, there’s no need to worry about it now.’
‘I’ve been so horrible to him in the past. Short-tempered and irritable. I feel so embarrassed.’
‘Look, I’ll tell him to visit you if it makes you feel better,’ joked Craig.
‘Perhaps not,’ I replied. ‘But if you see him, please thank him.’
‘I will,’ replied Craig.
‘He told me why he came for me....,’ I started to say. ‘What are you looking at?’ I asked, conscious of Craig looking towards the entrance to the six-bed ward. I noticed him nod and put his hand up.
‘We’ve got visitors,’ he replied.
DS Forbes and DI Bignell wandered over towards us, and Craig stood up to greet them.
‘Please, don’t get up, Mr Dennison,’ said Katy.
‘DI Bignell,’ said her superior officer. ‘How are you doing, Mrs Needham?’
‘Not too bad, thank you,’ I replied. ‘I was very lucky. Have you charged Joe?’
‘Do you mind if I close these curtains?’ asked Katy.
I shook my head, then regretted my decision as we were now four adults confined in a small space around my bed and DI Bignell took up considerably more of it than myself or Katy.
‘I probably shouldn’t perch on the bed, but I don’t want to speak too loudly,’ said Katy. She positioned herself near to the top of my bed, and Craig was on her other side. ‘We haven’t been able to charge Joe as he didn’t make it. He didn’t regain consciousness.’
Craig looked shocked.
‘My memory is all a bit hazy,’ said Craig. ‘I remember grabbing Joe by his clothes, but after that, I’m not sure.’
‘There’s no need to be alarmed, sir,’ said Katy. ‘You did what anyone would have done in that situation. I clearly saw Joe try to drown Sarah. You struck him to get him to release her.’
‘Did I kill him?’ said Craig quietly.
‘The post-mortem shows Joe had drunk a considerable amount of alcohol and that would have contributed to his death by drowning.’
‘I remember flailing about, but I’ve no memory of whether I managed to hit him.’
‘You hit him on the nose,’ said Katy. ‘It was quite a good strike.’
‘I felt so weak. I couldn’t have gone on much longer,’ said Craig.
‘You did very well.’
‘Will there be an inquest?’ asked Craig.
‘Yes, but as I say, there’s no need to worry. I witnessed the whole thing. We know he abducted Sarah.’
‘He told me why he did it,’ I added. ‘I can tell you the whole sorry tale.’
‘That will be helpful. We’ve got an idea of his motives, but a few details are missing,’ said Katy. ‘But, we can do that another day when you feel stronger.’
‘What a mess,’ I said. ‘He never got over the death of his wife. He felt cheated.’
‘He still shouldn’t have tried to take revenge on you,’ said DI Bignell. ‘You were an innocent party.’
‘The whole thing is such a mess. Perhaps if I’d shown more interest in what David was doing, none of this would have happened,’ I said, my voice breaking, as tears began to flow down my cheeks.
DI Bignell inclined his head at Katy to indicate that they should leave.
‘I’ll be in touch,’ she said. They left the confines of the curtains, and Craig took hold of my hand. I closed my eyes, thinking about another life lost.
Chapter 58
Margate Police Station
DS Forbes was busy finishing some paperwork when her boss DI Bignell wandered over and slumped down heavily in a vacant chair.
‘Sir,’ she said.
‘I’ve just heard back from the Canterbury team, and someone has been around to Stuart Barnes’ widow, Elspeth.’
Katy relaxed back in her chair and pulled a wry smile.
‘Well, not that it makes much difference, but I guess it’s some sort of closure for the family. Now they know it was a deliberate attempt to intimidate Barnes.’ DI Bignell shrugged.
Katy shook her head. ‘I guess it’s not a nice way for the family to remember him, given what he got up to at QexChem.’
‘That’s right,’ sighed DI Bignell. ‘It’s a tragic tale all round. Fisher’s wife dies of cancer, David Needham takes his own life. God, it’s too depressing. Even more depressing than this job usually is.’
DI Bignell rubbed his forehead and took a long swig of water from the bottle he was holding. Katy looked at him and felt concerned. Her boss often suffered in the heat, not that it was particularly warm that day and the air-conditioning was working quite well this year, but he looked particularly peaky. His pallor grey and his face drawn.
‘Are you feeling OK, sir?’ she asked.
‘What? Oh, I’m OK. Tired, but it’s probably my new exercise routine. I’ve been putting in the hours at the gym recently.’
‘Oh, I see,’ smiled Katy. ‘Well, you look like you have.....,’ she stopped, realising she was being a bit personal.
‘I’ve lost a stone and a half actually,’ said Aaron Bignell. ‘I know there’s a lot more I need to lose, but it’s a start.’
‘Well done.’
‘Thanks,’ he replied as he drained the remainder of his bottle of water. ‘Good work the other night. I’m amazed we didn’t lose all three of them in the sea. It was very close.’
‘It wasn’t down to me. The lifeboat crew were amazing, as were the paramedics. Sarah was very lucky to survive. She lost a lot of blood and suffered some really nasty head wounds.’
‘Any idea when she will be out of hospital?’
‘No. She’s getting better, but I think she will be in for a few more days. When I went over yesterday, we had a short chat about what Joe told her, but she started to get tired. Then they needed to take her off for another CT scan, so I left her. I’m going over again tomorrow.’
DI Bignell nodded. ‘Look, I’m sorry I was a bit sharp with you about looking into what Sarah Needham told you. Your instincts were correct.’
Katy felt herself flush slightly. She respected her senior officer, but he could be irascible, and he wasn’t someone who found it easy to apologise or admit he had been wrong.
‘Well, I was as regards her husband. Well, partly. He did take his own life, but he was sort of coerced into doing it,’ Katy paused. ‘As for the other matter, you were right about the vandalism at Sarah’s house. It was nothing to do with Rory Campbell.’
‘So, it’s a draw, then?’ joked DI Bignell.
‘I guess so,’ smiled Katy.
‘I still think I was a bit, well, off with you. I don’t think I was feeling so good that day.’
‘It’s OK. I understand,’ she replied. ‘It’s got to be a balance between cases.’
‘Right,’ said DI Bignell hoisting himself up from the chair. ‘Back to the grind.’
Chapter 59
I had been dozing most of the day but had managed to eat some soup and a yoghurt. I had learned from the doctor that they had given me a pint of blood and some intravenous antibiotics to prevent any infection to my wounds from the seawater. Now that I could take fluids, I was off the drip, and I was taking oral medication. The nurses had kindly sponged some of the saltwater from my hair, so it felt a little better, but it would be a few days before I could have a bath or shower.
‘Sarah, this is Ben,’ said Craig. ‘He brought me some clothes.’
‘Hello,’ I said. ‘Are you off now?’
‘Ben’s offered to drive me over to your house to get anything you need, then we can call back here and then go on to Canterbury.’
‘Oh, OK. Well, yes, that would be great. Are you sure?’
‘It’s no trouble,’ replied Ben. ‘Craig can repay me in beer.’
I smiled. ‘Do you want to sit down for a few minutes?’
Ben went to find another chair, and Craig leant over to kiss me, then sat down, taking hold of my hand. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘A bit better, but I’m still in pain. I’m so tired as well.’
‘It’s not surprising after what you went through,’ said Craig. ‘I had another visitor today.’
‘Who?’
‘A policeman called around with some of my things. Fortunately, I threw off my jacket before jumping in the water, so I’ve still got your keys, my phone and my wallet!’ said Craig, triumphantly.
‘That’s good,’ I smiled.
‘I wonder whether the police have my phone? Joe took it.’
‘I can ask them if you want?’
‘It’s not urgent,’ I replied. ‘I guess they will return it to me if they have it.’
‘You need to put a block on your number,’ said Craig.
‘Perhaps tomorrow, I’ll use your phone,’ I said. ‘I’m too tired now.’
‘OK. Well, what do you need?’
‘I’d like my pyjamas and a robe, slippers, and some wash things, oh and toothbrush and paste of course. Just take the things from the bathroom.’
Craig nodded and jotted things down on a scrap of paper.
‘What else? My tablet as I’ve no phone. And my reading glasses. I’m not much use without them,’ I joked.
‘OK. Great. Well, if I see anything else I think you need, I’ll bring it.’
‘Thank you.’ I suddenly felt a bit dizzy and closed my eyes.
‘Are you OK?’ asked Craig. ‘Shall I get someone?’
‘Just tired. It’s the effort of using my brain.’
‘Have a rest and we’ll be back in about an hour,’ said Craig.
I nodded at Ben and took Craig’s advice, closing my eyes and drifting off again to sleep.
Chapter 60
Two days later
Craig arrived for afternoon visiting. My spirits lifted as I saw him enter the ward, and I realised how much I missed his company. I was sitting next to the bed as I was feeling a bit stronger. We kissed, and he brought over a blue plastic chair and sat down next to me.
‘I couldn’t wait to see you,’ said Craig. ‘So, how are you feeling today?’
‘A bit better thanks. I hope I’ll soon be out of here. It’s driving me mad.’
‘A bit more mad, you mean?’ joked Craig. ‘Well, what have I got in my bag of goodies? I come bearing gifts.’
I watched as Craig rummaged around in his bag, bringing out the first item. ‘Firstly, some healthy fruit! And next, some not so healthy chocolates!’
‘Lovely. Thank you.’
‘Ah, here we have a bottle of gin,’ joked Craig as he produced some sparkling water and some small packets of apple juice. ‘So, you have to guess the next item.’
‘Could it be a book?’ I’d given Craig a list of new releases I was hoping to read. I enjoyed reading and consequently got through quite a lot of books. I didn’t want him to waste his money buying ones I’d already read.
‘It is a book, but which one?’
‘Sorry, that’s too hard a question.’
‘OK, well as you aren’t well, I’ll not tease you too much. Here you are!’
‘Oh, great. I’ll look forward to reading this. Craig had brought me “The Hunting Party” by Lucy Foley. ‘Or perhaps I’ll start it now?’ The hospital days were long and tedious, and I had trouble sleeping at night due to the constant noise and disturbance. I was usually fast asleep at 6 a.m. when the day started, and they brought me a lukewarm cup of tea.
‘Charming. But if you do that you will miss my final gift.’
‘More presents? You’re spoiling me.’
‘Here you are,’ said Craig.
‘Wow! Thank you!’ I now had a brand new phone. ‘Oh, that’s so good of you to sort that out.’
‘It’s the later model of the one you had. The SIM card arrived this morning, so I’ve put it in and charged it up. It’s done the setup, so it should be ready to use.’
‘Excellent. Thanks, Craig.’ I kissed him again.
‘You can thank me properly when you get out of here,’ he whispered, winking at me.
I laughed and looked past Craig to check nobody else had heard.
‘So, no excuses for not phoning me all the time and texting me,’ said Craig.
I noticed the doctor arriving in the ward. Dr Bhattacharya came straight over and introduced herself to Craig, who politely stood and shook her hand.
‘How are you feeling today, Sarah?’
‘Quite a bit better, thank you,’ I replied. ‘A bit sore still, but stronger.’
The doctor scanned my notes on the clipboard at the bottom of the bed. ‘Well, you have made good progress, but your arm will take a while to heal fully, and you sustained a serious blow to the head. The CT scan showed a small amount of bleeding, so we need to keep an eye on that.’
I nodded, inwardly scared at the mention of bleeding in my brain.
‘Your lungs have had a hard time too, but they should recover quickly. You don’t smoke, do you?’
‘No. I’ve never smoked.’
‘That’s good to hear. So, we will continue with the antibiotics for a few more days, just to be on the safe side.’ Dr Bhattacharya paused. ‘How would you describe your pain on a scale of one to ten?’
‘Er, about five,’ I replied.
‘OK. That’s not too bad. You mustn’t be afraid to take pain relief. You can’t get better if you are in constant pain.’
I nodded again. I dreaded to think about how much medication was circulating in my body.
‘Has anyone talked about discharging you? I mean about support at home?’
‘No. Nobody’s mentioned it yet.’
‘So, do you live alone, or with someone?’ she asked, looking over at Craig.
As I opened my mouth to speak, Craig intervened. ‘We live together, so I’ll be able to look after her.’
I looked at Craig, but his eyes remained fixed on the doctor.
‘Oh, I see. Well that’s good to know,’ replied the doctor. ‘Do you work, Mr, er....?’
‘Dennison, Craig Dennison. I do work, but I mainly work from home on my laptop. So there’s no problem with me being around.’
‘Well, that’s very good. In that case, I should think we will be able to discharge you in a day or so.’
**
I had a second visitor that day. It was about an hour into the visiting time, and the ward was noisy, each patient with at least one visitor, several with children as well. Craig was still with me and had brought us both a hot cup of tea from the cafe.
I smiled as DS Forbes approached my bed. ‘Mrs Needham, how are you today?’
‘Getting better, thank you. They say I can go home in a couple of days.’
‘That’s great news! You’ll get better even more quickly in your own home.’
‘Take this chair, I’ll get another one,’ said Craig.
‘Thank you. Actually, I wondered if we could go to a more private room to chat? The nurse has shown me one we can use.’
‘Yes. That’s fine by me,’ I said.
‘Do you need a wheelchair?’ asked Katy.
‘No, I can walk slowly,’ I replied.
Craig helped me out of my chair, and I shuffled slowly out of the ward. Katy went ahead down the corridor, and we entered a small windowless room, furnished with a small sofa and a couple of easy chairs arranged around a coffee table. I sat down on the sofa, wincing slightly.
‘Shall I go and get your pillow?’ asked Craig.
‘No, I’m fine.’
Katy took out a file from her satchel and opened it on the table. ‘Well, I just wanted to update you with a few details, as we only had a short chat the other day.’
‘Yes, I was a bit groggy when we spoke last time,’ I replied. ‘My goodness, Joe had planned it all very carefully. After David, he went for Barnes, then me, and I’ve been wondering whether he planned to kill Laura too. I asked him, but he was evasive. He said he would see how their relationship developed.’
‘We will never know,’ replied Katy. ‘He did enough damage. Now, his daughter has lost both parents.’
‘I feel so sad for her,’ I replied. ‘Joe told so many lies.’
‘I can only assume he was worried his daughter might let something slip about his wife’s treatment which would make Laura suspicious,’ said Katy.
‘Well, he did come clean about his wife when Laura confronted him, but he still managed to manipulate her. She believed that he was acknowledging his issues and going to seek help.’
‘He must have been a good actor,’ said Katy.
‘It’s such a tragic story. Joe’s grief had been eating away at him for several years. He couldn’t move on.’
‘We’ve looked at Joe’s laptop, and his emails, and just like the one you saw, Joe contacted your husband, posing as a journalist, Geoff, claiming he had become interested in the victims of Excelor and the inflation of the clinical data. Geoff claimed that his story would help a solicitor to bring a legal case.’
I shook my head. ‘And David was so caught up in his guilt, he went along with it.’
‘Yes,’ replied Katy. ‘I’m so sorry.’
‘The memory of my conversation with Joe is a bit jumbled now. I was so frightened. I do remember that he told me it was my fault for sending the email as it reawakened his grief.’
‘You did remarkably well under the circumstances.’
‘He enjoyed telling me how he had gained a hold over David and manipulated him.’
‘Joe was very cruel,’ said Katy. ‘We had no reason to question the verdict from David’s inquest. The witnesses all stated that he jumped of his own volition. The drugs and alcohol in his system were certainly a factor for someone who was already in a fragile mental state.’
‘Joe told me how he’d drugged David. I guess we will never know exactly what he said to him whilst he kept him at his house. Perhaps it’s better that I don’t know the details.’
