Mia was propped up in her bed when Banks entered with a bunch of grapes and a small bouquet of flowers. She still had the transparent oxygen tube running under her nose, but most of the other tubing was gone, and she was breathing by herself again. The heart monitor still beeped a steady rhythm, and the clock’s second hand still ticked, reminding Banks of the hours he had spent sitting by her bed. She raised her eyebrows and smiled. ‘What a picture.’
He gave her the grapes and arranged the flowers in an empty vase on her bedside table. ‘Brightens the place up a bit,’ he said.
She touched her hair, which was plastered to her skull. Her eyes were sunken and dark circled, her olive skin a little more pallid. ‘I’m sorry. I must look such a mess,’ she said.
‘Don’t worry about it. How are you?’
‘I’m feeling a lot better, thanks. Except for the dreams. I’m having terrible nightmares.’
Banks remembered her eyes opening when she came out of the morphine haze, the fires he saw blazing in there. Was she remembering what she saw on the other side?
‘Anyway, to be honest, I’m a bit bored being stuck here, but they say they want to keep me in for a while to do some more tests. They gave me a room of my own. Was that your doing?’
Banks shook his head. ‘No influence when it comes to the NHS. It’s just easier to isolate you this way, lessen any risk to the other patients.’
‘Charming.’
‘Not that there’s any risk to you. Randall is in custody.’
Mia closed her eyes and breathed deeply. When she opened them again she gave Banks a direct look and said, ‘I understand you kissed me?’
Banks felt himself redden. ‘I gave you mouth-to-mouth, if that’s what you mean.’
‘The kiss of life,’ she whispered, and turned her head away. ‘Thank you.’
Banks shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
‘I suppose you want to know everything?’ Mia went on.
‘It would help. If you can manage it. You really should have told the truth sooner, then we might have avoided all this.’
‘Oh, you sound just like my father.’
At least it’s not her grandfather, Banks thought. ‘Do you mind if I bring my DC in to take notes?’ he asked. Annie was busy with the forensics team so he had brought Gerry Masterson. She deserved a road trip, and besides, in his experience she was one of the most competent note-takers they had.
‘No.’
Banks opened the door and beckoned to Gerry, who was waiting outside. When she came in, Mia looked her up and down and gave an approving smile. ‘Nice hair,’ she said.
‘Don’t even think it,’ Banks said. ‘We pay our DCs very well. They don’t need to moonlight for you, thanks very much.’
‘Spoilsport,’ said Mia.
Gerry made herself as comfortable and unobtrusive as possible in a corner chair and readied her notebook. ‘I don’t know, sir,’ she said. ‘You don’t pay that much.’ She set her phone down to record the conversation. Mia wasn’t under arrest, merely ‘helping with inquiries’ but even so, this would avoid having to go over it all again at the station when she was released from hospital, and it might help with the case against Randall.
‘Could you get me some water first?’ Mia asked. ‘It’s in the cabinet under the flowers.’
Banks took out a bottle of spring water and looked for a glass.
‘It’s all right,’ Mia said, taking the bottle from him and unscrewing the cap. ‘I don’t need a straw.’ And she proceeded to glug down half the bottle. ‘And in case you’re worried, there’s a bedpan in the toilet.’
‘It’s good to see you haven’t lost your sense of humour.’
‘Who said I’m joking? Where do you want me to start?’
‘With the other night,’ said Banks. ‘Randall. What happened?’
‘I heard someone knocking at my door. The front door must have been on the latch. I’ve told the bloke in 1A about it, but he takes no notice. Anyway, I wasn’t expecting anyone, and when I answered it I saw it was Randall. I remembered what you’d said about us being the only ones left, but he pushed his way in.’
‘You didn’t have the chain on?’
Mia shook her head. ‘No. Not since you left.’
‘How did Randall know where you lived?’
‘I’d given him my address ages ago, when he hooked up with Sarah. Just in case of emergencies. It’s all part of the service. Anyway, Randall was in a bit of a state.’
‘What did he do?’
‘At first he was just ranting on about his reputation and how his association with me could ruin it. I told him I didn’t consider him to be associated with me, but that only made him worse. He grabbed my blouse and it tore. Then he grabbed my breast. To tell the truth, I didn’t know whether he wanted to rape me or murder me. I’m not sure he knew, himself.’
‘He wanted you out of the way,’ said Banks. ‘He didn’t know we’d found you, but with you around there was always the risk of the full story coming out. Unless there’s more to it. Unless you were a witness. Were you a witness?’
Mia shook her head. ‘To poor Sarah’s murder? No. But he did it. I know he did it.’
‘Tell us what happened next.’
‘Things get very hazy. I turned away, and he hit me with something. I think I passed out. I felt a sharp pain in my arm, but I couldn’t do anything about it. Then I felt like I was floating. I had the most wonderful sense of well-being until...’ She put her hand to her throat. ‘I suddenly couldn’t breathe, then I couldn’t even move. I was just so limp. Then I suppose you came in. My knight in shining armour. And you kissed me.’
Gerry gave Banks a questioning glance and pulled a face.
‘I gave her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, DC Masterson,’ said Banks. ‘It’s text book.’
Mia looked at Gerry and laughed. ‘Get him. But he was. Really. Your boss was my knight in shining armour. And Annie, of course. His gallant page.’ She paused and eased herself back into the bed as if the laughter had tired her. ‘After that it’s all vague, just the hospital, machines, tubes down my throat, in my arms, up my whatever, and needles. Elaine — that’s Dr Logan — says it was touch and go.’
‘Anthony Randall injected you with a high dose of morphine, which can cause you to stop breathing, and he tried to tell us that it had happened before he arrived, that you had done it to yourself and he was trying to save your life. Now can you tell us about what really happened on Saturday night two weeks ago?’
Mia drank some more water. ‘It started out as just an ordinary day,’ she said. ‘Like all the rest. But I suppose I already knew it might turn into something different. Nothing like what it did become, but... just... difficult.’
‘How did you know?’
Mia took a deep breath. ‘As you know, I supply all my clients, the girls and the men, with dedicated mobiles. Burners, if you like. So the couples could communicate with one another as they wished, and with me, without anyone else knowing. You wouldn’t believe how many erring husbands, or boyfriends, get caught out by their mobiles.’
‘Both Sarah and Adrienne had left their own mobiles at home,’ said Banks. ‘That seemed odd, an indication there was something wrong.’
Mia nodded. ‘I advised them to take only the burners when they were meeting,’ she said. ‘It’s easy to make mistakes, get mixed up. Better to be safe than sorry.’
‘What happened to those phones?’ Banks asked.
‘I’ll tell you about that later. Another aspect of my role was to reassure the girls that I would always be there for them if they needed me. That they didn’t have to put up with anything they didn’t want. I know that sounds strange, given the nature of their relationships, but some men... well, let’s just say they don’t like to stop at what we might consider natural or normal relations. If the girls had any problems, they knew they could come to me. The men, too, but their problems would be of a different kind, and to be honest, they never had any complaints. I’m not saying I could always help, and looking back I think I let Adrienne down badly.’