‘It’s from a Caucasian male,’ said Isaac.
‘Of course, there could have been someone else at the house that evening, before Vicky was killed,’ said Erika. ‘Do you think the same person killed Sophia who killed Vicky?’
‘It’s impossible to tell,’ said Isaac. ‘The methods of both murders are so different. A crazed violent outburst from the person who killed Sophia, versus a calculated controlled way of killing Vicky.’
47
Early the next morning, Erika and Peterson met with Olivia Moreno, a student doctor who had trained with Sophia Ivanova. It seemed to be a quiet morning at Lewisham hospital, and they found a spot in the corner of the empty cafeteria.
‘I can’t think of anyone who would want to hurt Sophia,’ said Olivia. She was a striking woman and she made Erika think of a slightly bookish Penélope Cruz. ‘She was very popular.’
‘Did you socialise outside work with Sophia?’ asked Erika.
‘Not a lot. She didn’t come to the pub that often. I think she saw drinking alcohol as something bad. She liked to have coffee, and we had coffee sometimes, but studying was important to her.’
‘Did she ever talk about friends she had outside work?’
‘No. She talked about her sister… Well, moaned about her sister a lot. She didn’t enjoy their living arrangements, both of them trying to study in a one bedroom flat.’
‘Did she ever mention a friend called Vicky Clarke?’ asked Erika.
Olivia thought about it for a moment. ‘No. Sorry.’
‘What about boyfriends?’ asked Peterson.
Olivia sat back for a moment.
‘I’ve only known her for a year and a half. She’d been having – had – a thing with one of the guys who works here since we’ve been on our placements here, which I was quite surprised about.’
‘Why?’
‘He works as a porter.’
‘Why is that surprising?’
Olivia hesitated and then smiled.
‘The dynamics of a hospital. It’s all very segregated. Doctors don’t really socialise with nurses, and nurses don’t socialise with porters or admin staff. And the NHS managers are hated by everyone, so for Sophia to start a thing with a porter was…’
‘Odd?’
‘Yes. He’s quite sexy in a bad boy sort of way, but that kind of mixing is unusual.’
‘What’s his name?’ asked Peterson.
‘Reece. Reece Robinson. He works in the basement.’
‘And were they dating?’ asked Erika.
‘They were screwing, with the odd cup of coffee thrown in.’
After they left Olivia in the cafeteria, Erika and Peterson went to find Reece. They got into a huge industrial-sized lift and pressed the button for the basement. The journey down seemed to take ages. They heard far-off clanks, creaks, and groans and then they came to a stop. The doors opened out into a long windowless corridor which was poorly lit. Up ahead there was a square of light glowing on the cracked linoleum. They followed a scuffed sign on the wall which read INCINERATOR. Their shoes clacked loudly on the floor as they moved towards echoing crashing sounds. At the end of the corridor a metal double door was propped open. They felt the heat from the furnace, and it opened out into a huge round space made of concrete. There were a few dim lights set into the ceiling and at one end of the vast room was a huge metal furnace. A man wearing overalls opened the furnace door to toss in a couple of waste bags. They caught a glimpse of the white-hot glow of the furnace interior, before he slammed the door shut again.
He noticed them, took off his thick gloves, and came over. He was very tall and thin. Erika and Peterson both stood at over six foot, but he was a few inches taller than them both. His face had a blue five o’clock shadow, and dark, penetrating eyes which were almost black. He had a strong nose and prominent lips. There was an intensity about him that Erika acknowledged could be attractive.
‘Can I help you?’ he said. He had a strong cockney accent.
‘Hello, are you Reece Robinson?’
‘Yeah. Who’s asking?’
Erika and Peterson introduced themselves and flashed their warrant cards. ‘We’d like to ask you a few questions about Sophia Ivanova,’ said Erika. She could feel the heat from where they were standing, and a warm smell of decay floated over. ‘Can we talk to you more outside?’
‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘I was going to go outside for a cigarette.’ He led them to a fire escape and opened it. Light from outside flooded in and they stepped out into the cool cleaner air of the car park. Reece indicated a bench and they sat down. He lit up a cigarette and squinted in the morning light.