Missing (The Cass Lehman Series Book 3) (30 page)

‘Hello my darling.’

I looked at her carefully. She was still pale. She was normally quite olive from being out in the sun, but now she looked only slightly darker than the white pillow behind her head. The lines on her face looked deeper too. There was the echo of a sparkle in her eyes but nothing like what was normally there.

‘Stop worrying. You’ll give yourself wrinkles.’ She smiled at me.

The smile eased my anxiety half a degree.

Ed wriggled closer to the bed and bent down to give her a kiss on the head. ‘Gwen, it’s good to see you looking a bit better.’

‘Hello Ed, I’m glad to see you too. Where’s Anita?’ she asked.

‘She couldn’t come, Gran, she’s got the flu. I’ve had to quarantine her. We couldn’t risk her making you sick,’ I said.

‘Oh no! I’ll have to make her some herbal tea when we get home,’ Gran said.

‘You’ll do no such thing. It’s bed rest for you,’ said the nurse hovering nearby. ‘Make sure she doesn’t overdo things, won’t you?’

The nurse was a no-nonsense matronly type with an impressive bosom and hair tied back so tight it gave her a facelift. I doubted she ever had trouble with her patients.

‘I will, I promise,’ I said. ‘Are you ready to go, Gran?’

‘I am.’

‘The ambulance is ready downstairs. I’ll just give the paramedics a buzz and let them know we’re good to go,’ the nurse said.

‘Ambulance?’ Gran said.

‘Yes, they didn’t tell you?’ I said, avoiding her eyes, which I knew had suddenly glued themselves to my face.

‘No, they didn’t, and neither did you or Anita! Don’t pretend you didn’t know. You’re a terrible liar, Cass.’

I risked a glance at her. The smile had fallen from her face and she pressed her lips together.

‘Don’t worry, I’ll ride with you,’ I said.

‘That’s not possible,’ Gran said.

‘Of course it is. It’s not uncommon for a family member to ride along,’ the nurse said.

Gran gave me a look that said plenty.

‘It’ll be fine. I’m sure of it.’ I smiled at her.

‘Of course it will be fine,’ the nurse said.

Gran looked at Ed. ‘Ed?’

He shrugged. ‘I wouldn’t bother arguing if I were you. I’ve already tried. So has Anita.’

Gran looked back at me with a worried frown. She looked too weary to argue.

‘All right. Let’s give it a go.’

Ten minutes later Gran was being loaded into the back of the ambulance and I was ready to step up behind her. Ed grabbed my arm.

‘You don’t have to do this.’

‘Yes, I do. Stop worrying. I’ll see you back at home.’

The paramedic stuck his head out the doors.

‘You coming?’

‘Yep.’ I placed my hand on the doorframe and propelled myself into the back of the ambulance.

‘You can sit on the other bed if you like,’ the paramedic said. ‘I’m Brett by the way. I’ll be up front. If you need me just press the button and speak into this microphone.’ He pointed to a device on the wall, then slammed the door shut.

I clenched my teeth and eased my backside onto the edge of the thin mattress, then shut my eyes, waiting for something to
happen. I felt the ambulance move and opened my eyes. I looked across at Gran.

She had closed her eyes. The whole experience had been traumatic and exhausting for her. I sat down properly and took her hand, willing some of my strength to flow into her.

She opened her eyes and looked at me. ‘You’re OK?’

‘I am. It’s amazing. I had a feeling I would be.’

She squeezed my hand tighter. Her eyes opened wide for a second and then a smile spread across her face.

‘What’s the matter, Gran?’ I said.

‘Nothing, sweetheart. Everything’s just as it should be.’ She closed her eyes and was asleep before the ambulance had even left the hospital.

‘Are you comfortable, Gran?’ I bent to adjust the pillows behind her head for the fifteenth time in as many minutes.

‘Would you stop fussing, dear? I’m fine.’

‘The nurse will be here shortly. I’m not sure that I should go back with Ed, though. It’s not that important. I think I should stay here with you.’

‘I want you to go. I need to rest and you need to go and get your things. Your mother and the nurse can manage one old lady between them.’

Mum had got as far as the doorway to say hello before I’d banished her back to her bedroom. She still looked like death
warmed up. At Gran’s insistence I’d made her a herbal concoction, which seemed to help a bit, but the flu was the flu and there wasn’t much that could be done about it.

I sank into one of the battered armchairs next to Gran’s bed. Domiciliary care had set up a proper hospital bed for her in the sunroom off the kitchen. Upstairs was too awkward, so we’d decided that the sunroom was the next best option. It was warm and looked out over Gran’s beloved garden.

I took her hand and we sat there, looking out the windows. Most of the trees in our garden were natives or evergreens, but the few that were deciduous were decked in their best autumn finery. A few late iceberg roses were clinging to the bushes and a smattering of daisies and pelargoniums added splashes of pink, red and purple. Shadow was curled up next to Gran but I could see Jasmine crouched low in the long grass, watching a wattlebird that was busy splashing in the birdbath.

‘I’m glad to be out of the hospital,’ Gran said.

‘I’m glad you’re out too.’

We watched as Jasmine crouched and quivered, ready to spring. She leapt out of the grass in a single bound, swiping for the bird. It exploded out of the bath in a flurry with Jasmine hot on its tail-feathers.

‘That was close,’ Gran said.

‘The birds around here are used to a lazier breed of feline. I don’t think Shadow has bothered to try and catch a bird for at least five years. Our feathered friends will have to smarten up their act or they’ll end up as lunch,’ I said.

‘You’re staying, then?’ Gran said.

‘Yes. Ed and I have talked about it. We’re moving back. We’ll look for a place together.’

‘That’s good. Your mother will be glad to have you around.’

‘My mother? What about you?’

She smiled and kissed my hand. ‘I always love having you around.’

‘Gran?’

‘Mmm?’

‘I didn’t get any visions in the ambulance.’

‘No, you didn’t.’

‘I had a feeling I wouldn’t. I didn’t get any in the High Dependency Unit either. Or when I was walking through the hospital corridors.’

‘No.’

‘I just don’t understand why. The last time I was in an ambulance I had multiple visions, and hospitals are normally terrible places for me.’

Gran nodded.

‘What do you think?’ I bit my lip. ‘Do you think it’s because I’ve killed someone?’

‘No, I don’t. You can stop worrying about that. You did what you thought was right and you shouldn’t worry that you’re somehow being punished for it. You’ll work out what’s going on in time. You’ve spent half your life wishing your gift away. Maybe you should just enjoy not having it for a while.’

I studied her profile. I had the distinct impression she was holding something back but it seemed wrong to badger someone who’d just been let out of intensive care.

She squeezed my hand.

‘I love you, Cass. I’m so glad you and Ed are working things out. I’m very happy for you. He’s a good man and he loves you very much.’

Ed chose that moment to stick his head through the doorway.

‘Will I put the kettle on? We can have a cuppa and then hit the road.’

An hour later we were on our way back to Adelaide.

‘What’s up?’ Ed said.

‘I can’t help thinking I should have stayed. I’ve got this knot of anxiety right in the middle of my chest,’ I said, rubbing my sternum.

‘I wouldn’t have minded if you’d stayed.’

‘I know, but Gran didn’t want me to. I think she would have pushed me out the door if she was up for it.’

‘The nurse seems very capable.’

‘Yeah, I know. I’m being silly.’

‘No, you’re just feeling guilty because you think this is your fault.’

‘That’s because it is.’

‘No. No one is responsible for the actions of a crazy person. Trust me, I’m an expert on self-flagellation and even I’ve come to accept that. What else is up?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Come on, I know you better than that. You’ve been brooding since we left Jewel Bay.’

‘My talent isn’t working.’

‘What?’

‘It’s stopped working. Think about it. No visions in the ambulance, none in the hospital. It’s weird.’

‘But isn’t that good?’

‘Yeah, I guess so.’

‘Gee, there’s no pleasing some people.’ He laughed and rolled his eyes. ‘Maybe no one had died in that ambulance. It could have been new. As for the hospital, I think you just got lucky. It’s not like a big city hospital where people lie on beds in the corridors. Maybe you just didn’t cross any places where people had died.’

‘Maybe but I want to test it.’

‘You what?’

‘I want to go back to that park near our place where I had the vision and see if I get it again.’

‘That’s nuts.’

‘Is it? If you suddenly stopped hearing wouldn’t you want to find out if it was your ears or if you were just in a quiet place?’

‘I suppose.’

Ed’s phone rang. He hit the hands-free.

‘Dyson? Where are you?’ Arnott’s voice exploded out of the speaker.

‘On my way back to Adelaide.’

‘Have you heard from Reynolds this morning?’

‘No. He’s not at work?’

‘Would I be asking the fucking question if he were here?’

Ed’s knuckles whitened as he gripped the steering wheel like a vice. I was sure he was wishing it was his boss’ neck.

‘I haven’t heard from him since yesterday morning,’ Ed said.

‘He went to see that Jacobs woman last night. While he was there he called and left a message for Janice saying he had a lead on one of the vic’s last movements and was going to see some homeless people who hung out under the Morphett Street Bridge. He mentioned Mark Saunders as well. Hoped he might be there.’

‘Janice didn’t go with him?’ Ed said.

‘She has the flu. She didn’t even get the message until she crawled out of bed this morning. I don’t know what the fuck he was thinking. Who does he think he is? Fucking supercop?’

‘He’s not answering his phone?’

‘What the fuck do you think? How far away are you?’

‘About thirty minutes.’

‘Swing by his house, will you?’

‘I will, but he said he was going to see Beth Crowley this morning. Maybe he went on the way into the office.’

‘Jesus H. Christ. She’s a possible suspect too.’ The volume of Arnott’s voice climbed a few more decibels.

‘Not a very likely one. We don’t have anything concrete to link her to Simpson.’

‘The fuck we don’t. Janice went to the Hutt Street Centre and talked to the bloke that runs the place. Turns out he remembered Dr Crowley and Thomas Simpson. Simpson was definitely a visitor while she was a volunteer there.’

‘Right. Dave might be with her … I’ll stop off at her place first. If he’s not there I’ll check his place, then head down to the bridge, and Mrs Jacobs’ if he still hasn’t turned up … I might be late for our meeting.’

‘Fuck that, just find your bloody partner. And when you do, kick his arse for me.’ He hung up.