‘Jesus,’ he muttered under his breath.
Lola was standing in front of the bed, as though to keep everyone away from her son. ‘I don’t want you in here! Go on, get out!’
One of the paramedics approached the bed, smiling reassuringly. ‘It’s all right, we just want to take a look at your son.’
‘Get away from him!’
Lola swung a carrier bag of incontinence pads at the paramedic, but Whelan got in the way and took them from her. As this went on, Gary Lennox’s eyes darted from one person to the other, the only outward sign of his agitation. The paramedic smiled down at him.
‘All right, Gary. How’re you doing? I’m Kalinda, I’m a paramedic. I’d just like to do a few tests—’
‘No!’ Lola wailed, trying to get past Whelan and a uniformed PC who were doing their best to restrain her. ‘No, you can’t, I won’t let you!’
I tried again. ‘Lola, why don’t you come with me—’
‘Fuck off!’ she spat, the small eyes glittering with rage. ‘Bloody Judas, this is your fault!’
‘Leave it, you’re making it worse,’ Whelan told me over his shoulder as he stood between us. He was right, so I moved aside to let one of the social workers try. As I did there was a commotion outside. Voices were coming from the street, and I saw a uniformed PC blocking someone from coming through the doorway.
It was Adam Oduya.
‘I’m here to see Lola and Gary Lennox.’ The activist wasn’t shouting, but he didn’t need to. ‘Let me speak to them.’
‘Oh, great,’ Ward breathed. ‘Jack, get him out of here.’
Leaving Lola to the uniformed PCs, Whelan went to the doorway. ‘This is none of your business. You need to move away.’
‘Anything to do with this community is my business,’ Oduya replied. ‘Why are you harassing an old woman in her own home?’
‘We’re not harassing anyone. This is a police operation, we’re here with social services and—’
‘You don’t call this harassment? Forcing your way mob-handed into the home of an elderly woman and her son? They have rights.’
‘You’ve been asked to move on, I won’t ask you again—’
‘Mrs Lennox?’ Oduya called into the house, trying to see past Whelan. ‘Lola Lennox! I’m a lawyer, I can help you!’
‘Right, get him out of here,’ Whelan snapped at a PC.
But the shouting had attracted Lola’s attention. ‘Who’s that?’ she demanded, turning towards the doorway as a uniformed officer tried to hustle Oduya away.
‘My name’s Adam Oduya,’ the activist called as he was herded back. ‘If the police are here against your wishes I can help you. Just tell them I represent you and you want to speak to me!’
A look of calculation passed across the old woman’s face. She turned to Whelan.
‘You heard him.’
‘Mrs Lennox, there’s no need to—’
‘I want to see him!’
Whelan gave a look of appeal at Ward. She nodded, disgusted. ‘All right, let him through.’
Reluctantly, Whelan and the PC stepped aside. Oduya took a moment to straighten his jacket before coming inside. He didn’t seem surprised to find me there.
‘Hello, Dr Hunter…’ he began, but stopped when he saw the man lying in the room’s squalor.
‘Still think we’re violating anyone’s rights?’ Whelan asked.
The activist quickly recovered his composure. He went towards Lola, extending his hand.
‘Thank you for inviting me into your home, Mrs Lennox.’
She ignored the outstretched hand, staring at him with an expression of distaste. I realized she would only have been able to hear him outside, not see him.
‘You’re one of them.’
‘I’m a lawyer, yes,’ Oduya said, smoothly reaching up with the hand he’d offered and taking out a business card from his jacket. ‘My name is Adam Oduya, and if you’ll permit me I’d like to represent you and your son.’
‘I’m not paying you.’
‘You don’t have to. I run a not-for-profit organization. We offer help to members of the community who need legal advice and representation.’
‘She doesn’t need representing,’ Whelan said irritably.
‘But her son does. Or are you denying him legal representation because he’s incapacitated?’
Ward came forward. ‘Mr Oduya, our priority is making sure Gary Lennox is in a good state of health. He would have been offered legal representation as soon as was appropriate, but now you’re here that obviously won’t be necessary. And, while we’re on the subject, why are you here? Please don’t try to tell me you were just in the neighbourhood.’
He gave her a smile. It was warm but let her see they understood each other. ‘As I’ve told you before, I have my sources. None of them present at the moment, I hasten to add.’
That was for my benefit. Nor was I the only one to realize it: I was aware that Whelan was giving me a hard look.
‘What are you standing there for?’ Lola demanded to Oduya. ‘This is my house. If you’re a lawyer, tell them to get out!’
I wondered how long it would be before the activist regretted what he’d taken on. ‘I’ll do my best, but first I have to—’
‘We need to get him to hospital.’
The paramedic’s voice cut through everyone else’s. While the argument had been going on, she’d been quietly examining Gary Lennox. His eyes were wide and frantic, darting at everyone in the room. His breathing was fluttering and rapid, loud enough to be heard now the room had fallen silent.
‘His stats are all over the place,’ the paramedic went on. She tore the Velcro blood-pressure cuff off the emaciated arm with a ripping noise. ‘His oxygen levels are way down, his BP and pulse are—’
‘No!’ Lola sounded as though she’d been struck. ‘He doesn’t need a hospital! I can look after him!’
The paramedic briskly rolled up the cuff. ‘Sorry, but he can’t stay here. He looks malnourished and dehydrated, and I think there could be liver and kidney problems. He needs proper medical attention.’
‘You’ve no right! I won’t let you!’
‘Mrs Lennox, I think perhaps you should listen to the paramedic,’ Oduya said, his tone reasonable and reassuring. ‘I’ll come to the hospital with you and—’
‘No! Please!’ Lola didn’t seem aggressive any more, just desperate. And scared. ‘Don’t take him as well! He’s all I’ve got left!’
She began to wail as an oxygen mask was strapped to her son’s face, oblivious to anything either Oduya or the social workers could say. The room was overcrowded and I was getting in the way. Unnoticed, I stepped outside as a stretcher was wheeled across the pavement from the ambulance.
‘Tell DCI Ward I’ve gone back to St Jude’s,’ I told one of the PCs stationed by the front door. Pushing through the small crowd of onlookers who’d gathered in the street, I started walking in the direction of the hospital.
I could still hear Lola’s cries behind me.
Chapter 21
The cadaver dog search had made good progress while I’d been away. There had been no more false alarms, and the middle floor was mainly wards, which were larger and easier for the dog to search than the cubbyholes and crannies of the level above.
I rejoined them after lunch. It took longer to walk back to St Jude’s than I’d expected, and I didn’t exactly rush. The search team would call if they found anything, and after what had happened at Lola’s I needed time to clear my head. I’d driven part of this route before but never walked it and, although I knew there was a shortcut through the woods, finding it was another matter. The streets all looked the same, run-down terraces and boarded-up properties scrawled over with graffiti. I was beginning to think I’d got myself lost when I turned a corner and saw trees at the end of the road, a dark green border among the tired bricks and concrete.