‘Detective Warr?’
Jack nodded and reached for his ID, but Burrows had already turned back to go through the door, gesturing for him to follow.
The small waiting area was painted white and contained four hard-backed chairs and a stack of magazines on a spindle-legged coffee table. Burrows had left her office door open and Jack followed her in. She gestured for him to take a seat. Filing cabinets took up most of the space around the room, and her modern-looking desk had a laptop and phone with files stacked to one side.
Burrows pulled out a comfortable desk chair and sat down, wheeling it close to her desk. Jack undid his jacket button and placed his briefcase down beside him.
‘You wanted to talk to me about Rodney Middleton? Obviously, you are aware of patient confidentiality. I am his reserve psychiatrist. By that I mean he was transferred from CAMHS to this clinic to be a patient of Dr Donaldson’s, who is currently on holiday. I’m listed as the reserve to see Rodney whilst Dr Donaldson is away, should it be required.’
Burrows opened a file, glancing at the numerous documents before sitting back and folding her arms. She looked at a small watch on her slender wrist before she spoke.
‘I assume Angus Seymour suggested you came to see me. If I can answer any questions you have without breaching any confidentiality, then I will obviously do whatever I can to assist you.’
Jack nodded. ‘Did Rodney Middleton come to the clinic for regression therapy?’
‘Yes, Dr Donaldson is very much an advocate of regression when it seems appropriate.’
‘What do you mean by that?’
‘If the patient seems to be repressing emotions, regression can be a very valuable means of discovering what may be deeply buried.’
‘Did Rodney Middleton benefit from this therapy?’
She pursed her lips and glanced at the file. ‘I believe Dr Donaldson found the patient unwilling to participate. Also, according to his appointment book, Rodney persisted in missing his appointments. As we are an NHS clinic this is a huge waste of our over-stretched resources. We always have a lengthy waiting list, and we have to report lack of attendance to a client’s probation officers where it is appropriate.’
‘Was Rodney here via a probationary parole requirement?’
‘Yes, he was. The reason I’m able to tell you that is because it was some time ago, and I believe Dr Donaldson sent in his report, as did Dr Seymour.’
‘So, was he mentally ill?’
Natalie began to slowly turn pages in the file in front of her, then frowned, turning back a few pages.
‘He was referred to Dr Seymour when he was seventeen, after a family tragedy. According to his GP he was suffering from depression and severe anxiety. He was prescribed medication, but it appears that this was not being taken, and he was therefore heading for a possible nervous breakdown. However, as you can see, this is quite an extensive file. Rodney Middleton was referred for further treatment a few years later, this time via a probation department.’
Jack saw Burrows glance at her watch again. Judging by the thick file there was a lot more information than she was willing to divulge.
‘Was there any indication that Rodney was violent, or suffering from multiple personality disorder?’
Burrows hesitated. ‘He was certainly angry and prone to aggressive behaviour. I found no suggestion of multiple personality disorder, though, having said that, it was reported that he did have an ability to quickly switch his moods from aggressive to charming. I suggest you might gain more information from the probationary department, as the details must be in his criminal records.’
Jack nodded. ‘Was he ever sectioned?’
‘Not to my knowledge.’
‘Was there any reference to his over-familiarity with young girls?’
Burrows pursed her lips and closed the file. When she pointedly looked at her watch again, Jack leaned forwards.
‘I am investigating a serious assault, Dr Burrows. I have discovered that Rodney kept a young twelve-year-old girl virtual prisoner for several years. He was also violent towards her, and his own father has told me that his wife was concerned that Rodney was “touchy-feely” towards his young half-sisters.’
Burrows frowned. ‘Are you asking me if Rodney had paedophiliac traits? To my knowledge that has never been diagnosed, either by Dr Donaldson or Dr Seymour.’
‘What about your own interaction with him?’ Jack pressed.
‘I don’t think you quite understand my position, Detective Warr. I explained to you I am here as a reserve psychiatrist, to be available should Mr Middleton require an appointment when Dr Donaldson is absent. I have not had any direct interaction with Mr Middleton, but I am privy to his files in case I am required to have an appointment with him.’
‘So, you have read his past medical history?’
‘Yes, of course. And when you rang, I took the trouble to read over the files again.’
Jack leaned back and reached down for his briefcase. Burrows immediately stood up, eager for him to leave. Instead, he placed the case on his knee, opened it, and took out two pages of notes that he had made the previous evening.
‘I am here to try and ascertain Rodney Middleton’s state of mind when he attacked a local shopkeeper and used a knife in a threatening manner, causing serious injuries. I am also aware that he beat up his girlfriend before the attack. But I have grave concerns that he may have committed even more serious crimes.’
Jack waved the pages in front of Burrows before placing them back in his briefcase. Burrows chewed at her bottom lip, then sighed.
‘I am sorry not to be able to be more helpful. It is unethical of me to have even given you my personal opinion. We have to adhere to a strict code of confidentiality.’
‘But he’s not your patient,’ Jack snapped.
She sat back and flipped open the file again, then wrote something down in her notebook before ripping off the page, folding it and handing it to Jack. She stood up.
‘These are the names of the probation officers, should you require more information.’
Jack pocketed the note, knowing he could easily get the names from Middleton’s records. He thanked Burrows for her time and left.
By the time Jack returned to the station it was after two o’clock, so he went up to the canteen to grab a sandwich and a coffee. The CID office was half empty, with just a few probationary officers sitting at their desks.
‘Where is everyone?’ Jack asked.
‘Board meeting with the DCI, for an update.’
Jack sighed, knowing he would get a few harsh words from Clarke. He grabbed his notes and went over to join the probation officers. He asked them to get moving on bringing up all of Rodney Middleton’s previous records and to track down the fire teams who had handled the blaze at his family home, as well as the probationary records they had on file. He then asked a young female officer if she could contact mispers again in Liverpool, as they still had no confirmation regarding Amanda’s time away from home. He told her to go back five years to see if they had any other information on Amanda Dunn, or if there had been any reports of a black girl, possibly Jamaican, who also went missing around the same time.
Jack picked up his coffee, logged on and typed in his report on his recent meetings, including the prison visit to Rodney Middleton’s father. He saw, in large letters on the screen, that all members of the team should be in the boardroom at 1.15 p.m. for a progress report.