慖t抯 not necessarily anything to worry about,?says the kindly voice at the end of the phone. 慖t just means that they can look after him properly.?
慉nd I can抰 see him??
慖抦 afraid not. No visitors allowed on the Covid wards.?
Judy sits at the workspace she created only a week ago. What would Cathbad do now? Pray to the healing spirits? Light a ceremonial bonfire? Bake some brownies? Instead Judy googles the hospital, planning to check the ICU success rates. If they are poor, maybe she can get Cathbad moved elsewhere. Along with complaints about parking charges and maps showing new building works, she sees news stories from the past, the hospital抯 name highlighted. One of them includes a photograph.
Nurse cleared of killing patients.
Nurse Dawn Stainton, 32, was yesterday cleared of killing patients Bill Grimes, 86, Edna Bates, 91, and Margaret Loomis, 88 . . .
Judy looks again at the photograph. She remembers the yoga picture and the slight unease she抎 felt at the laughing face on the other side of Ruth抯 fence. Because Dawn Stainton is, without doubt, Ruth抯 new neighbour, last seen gatecrashing Cathbad抯 online class.
Chapter 29
慏awn? That抯 not her name. Can抰 remember what it is but it抯 something different.?
慖t抯 the same person, Nelson. I抦 sure of it.?
Nelson tries to recall Ruth抯 neighbour. He remembers the two women sitting in the darkness drinking wine, the face at the window when he left on Sunday morning. What was she called? One of those short names. Chloe? Zoe. That was it. Why does the name Dawn also strike a faint, but slightly sinister, bell?
慫oe,?he says. 慔er name抯 Zoe. She is a nurse though. Ruth told me.?
慫oe,?says Judy. 慏oes she work at the surgery in Wells? Westway??
慖 don抰 know.?
慖 think she does. I think I spoke to her yesterday about Cathbad.?
慖s there any news??
慣hey抮e moving him to the ICU.?
慣hat抯 OK. He抣l get good care there.?
慪es.?There抯 a pause. Nelson thinks he can hear stirring filmic music in the background.
慖t might be nothing,?says Judy. 慉fter all, she was cleared of any wrongdoing. I do remember the case though. It was before you came to Norfolk. There were several patients involved. I thought I remembered the woman抯 face when I saw it in that photo.?
It might be nothing, thinks Nelson, but the fact remains that Ruth and Katie are locked down in the middle of nowhere, next door to a woman once accused of murder.
慖 spoke to Hugh Baxter yesterday,?says Judy.
慦ho??
慔e was a friend of Avril Flowers. He said that Avril had a friend at Lean Zone who was a nurse.?
慉nd you think it could be this Dawn? Zoe? That抯 a bit of a stretch.?
慖 know it is, but it might be worth checking up.?
慖抣l certainly be having a chat with her,?says Nelson.
慔ave you met her??asks Judy.
慗ust briefly.?Nelson still doesn抰 want Judy to know just how familiar he is with Ruth抯 house and her neighbour.
慖抣l go around later,?he says.
慖 thought you would,?says Judy.
Nelson doesn抰 know how to respond to this.
慓ive Cathbad my best,?he says. 慚y mum抯 praying for him. And she抯 got a hotline to the big man.?
慖抦 praying too,?says Judy, 慳nd I haven抰 prayed for years.?
慚e too,?says Nelson. He has to stop himself saying 慓od bless?when he rings off.