Reid’s face turned ashen; his mouth was instantly so dry he could barely speak. ‘It can’t be connected, it can’t. I don’t think Amy even knew where Harry lived. Both Lena Fulford and Agnes checked everything at the house and threw a load of food out. No one else who works or lives in the Fulford house has been ill at all, and anyway Lena sacked him over the watch. It’s impossible, simply impossible for Dunn to have been poisoned.’
‘Well you had better bloody check it out.’ Jackson slammed out of the office as Reid tried to calm himself down, battling against the sensation of everything closing in on him. Not only was he exhausted but now he was concerned that he had never mentioned the sexual relationship between Amy and Miss Polka. If Deirdre’s information led to the discovery of the pair going to Italy, he would have to admit failing to report it. He hoped to God that Harry Dunn was not a victim because if he was, it would be his career finished.
Agnes had a double gin and tonic. She had started by answering questions very diplomatically, but when offered ten thousand pounds, and a second double gin and tonic, her tongue loosened. She was certain that she could easily remove some family photographs from the Fulfords’ albums, but asked if she could call her daughter just to make sure she was doing the right thing.
Natalie immediately suggested that her mother ask for another five thousand, and to check that the journalist would ensure that there would be no repercussions over the confidentiality agreement she signed when starting work for Mrs Fulford. Agnes turned off the phone and pursed her lips. She then requested the payment be increased to fifteen thousand. The deal was agreed and Agnes was assured that she would see the article before it was printed, so that any changes could be made.
When DI Reid arrived at Kingston Hospital to enquire about Harry Dunn he found that DS Lane was already there. Harry had died just a short while earlier without Lane having an opportunity to talk to him. He told a shattered Reid that Harry’s wife said he came home from work with a container of bolognese from Mrs Fulford’s, and that was all he’d eaten with some spaghetti before falling ill. Harry hadn’t even had a chance to tell her that he had been sacked over the watch. Reid sank onto one of the hard waiting-room seats and put his head in his hands, wretched with guilt and wondering if he could have done more to prevent Harry’s death.
It was some time before Harry’s attending doctor was available to speak to Reid and Lane. Harry had been admitted with suspected gastroenteritis, his symptoms consisting of dehydration, high fever and severe bouts of vomiting. After DCI Jackson had called them they had administered various antidotes for mushroom-poisoning, but to no avail and Mr Dunn had eventually succumbed to a bronchial infection that had resulted in his lungs collapsing, culminating in a heart attack and death.
Harry Dunn’s body was being transferred to the mortuary and a post mortem was to be carried out the following day. Reid was shocked and asked if mushroom-poisoning could have brought on the lung collapse and heart attack. The doctor was non-committal until a forensic post mortem was done, and toxicology tests completed.
Reid, grasping at straws, asked if it was possible Harry’s lungs collapsed through bronchitis alone. The doctor said he doubted it as his wife said he was perfectly healthy and full of life before suddenly being taken ill. The doctor told Reid that he could speak to Mrs Dunn and pointed to the waiting room opposite them. Reid could see an elderly woman in floods of tears being comforted by a nurse. As much as he knew he should speak to her about her husband, his guilt was so great he just couldn’t bring himself to do so. DS Lane could see how upset Reid was and patted him on the shoulder, assuring him he would speak to her and take a statement. Reid thanked him and asked that he take her home and seize the empty bolognese container for forensics.
Reid went to the toilets to wash his face with cold water. To his relief there was no one else about as he stood staring at his reflection in the mirror, observing how his expression failed to hide his anger at his own stupid mistakes, and he banged his fist repeatedly into the metal towel holder, leaving two big dents. Returning to his car, he couldn’t get Mrs Dunn’s wretchedly sad face out of his mind; by the time he was in the driver’s seat the overwhelming emotions became too much for him, and he broke down in floods of tears.
Eventually composing himself, Reid rang Deirdre and said he would not be coming over, making the excuse that he’d been held up and to tell Mrs Fulford that he would like to talk to her in the morning. A frustrated Deirdre replied she was finding it all rather a waste of time as Mrs Fulford had not come out of her office for hours and still refused to eat anything. She felt like she was wet-nursing her rather than performing her role as a counsellor.
‘I could do with some counselling myself,’ he said quietly.
‘Pardon?’
‘Nothing, I’ll be in touch.’
No sooner had Deirdre come off the phone than Lena walked into the TV room.
‘Would you like me to make a tea or coffee, Lena?’
‘I’ll make you one,’ Lena said, beaming. ‘I have been so hard at work all day, and I think I have rectified all the problems. As from tomorrow I will reorder and start getting the business back in shape. Everyone has been very understanding, and I have got the orders coming back and deliveries can be deferred until we are ready.’
‘Oh that’s good, and a tea’s fine for me, thanks.’
Lena clapped her hands. ‘Yes, isn’t it, and I have also made a decision – whether Marcus likes it or not is not my problem. I want to do a television interview, so I want you to contact Detective Reid and tell him to set the wheels in motion. I will need to have my hair done, and will organize someone to do my makeup, and maybe you can help me choose what I should wear.’
Deirdre was non-plussed. Lena now appeared energized and confident, almost like a different person, and in no way concerned that Marcus had not returned. She could hear her banging around the kitchen. The TV was on very loud in there, and to Deirdre’s astonishment Lena reappeared with a glass of chilled white wine for her.
‘Here you go, and the fry-up I’m making for us both won’t take long. There’s an old movie with Doris Day on Channel 5 we can watch while we eat.’
Deirdre accepted the wine, even though she would have preferred a cup of tea.
Marcus was also cooking dinner for himself; he had bought steaks, only to discover that Grant was a very dedicated vegan. He tossed a salad and fried up his steak as Grant opened a second bottle of very good wine. They had already gone over details for the funeral, compiling lists of guests and attempting to contact relatives, but it was not very fruitful as only two of the names they had recovered from Simon’s address book were still living. There was an elderly aunt who was in a retirement home and an uncle who was somewhere in Canada. Grant had been in touch with Simon’s lawyers to ascertain whether or not his will was up to date, and was told that Simon had very recently made some alterations. Grant had been eager to discover who the beneficiaries were, but had been informed that the legal team were still checking all the bequests.
‘Do you reckon he looked after you?’ Marcus asked, when he really wanted to know if he himself had been left anything. He had elaborated on how long he and Simon had been friends and tried his best not to sound over-eager, turning the conversation to how long Grant had been Simon’s partner.
Grant had been slightly evasive, as he had only been associated with Simon for six months. He explained that he had been hired as a crew member for Simon’s yacht and their relationship had become serious only recently. Yet again Marcus prodded for information, knowing Simon had died from an AIDS-related illness. Grant claimed that they rarely had unprotected sex – although Simon had never admitted to him that he was infected, there had been suspicion on his part and he said he wanted to have himself tested.