Kill Who You Want

Chapter Six

Plot reminder: Inspector Kubič has made a desperate appeal for the recipient of the second letter to come forward. The victim, Catherine Butterfield, was a doctor at a local surgery. Detecti e Chief Superintendent Baines, who is mentioned at the end of this chaptrr, is Kubič's superior.

~~~~~

Though Doctors Graham and Patel of Croxley Street clinic had been clearly distressed by the previous evening's events, and had answered Wye's questions as frankly and fully as they could, both had insisted that if she wanted an inside track on Catherine Butterfield then she really needed to talk to their colleague, Doctor Madeleine Cosgrove.

"I'd thought about taking the day off," she began, after having accommodated Wye into her surgery ahead of a somewhat miffed-looking octegenarian. "As you can see, people rely on us though. Prescriptions, referrals. Mostly though, what we deal in is good old fashioned peace of mind."

There wasn't going to be much of that around here for a while, Wye couldn't help thinking as she hooked her shoulder bag to the back of chair, flipped open her notepad. The figure seated on the other side of the desk was one of those infuriatingly tall and effortlessly elegant sort of women. Loosely coiled brown hair was gathered at the back, stray tresses dangling down her neck. Early-forties perhaps, the diagonally skewed photo frame which stood amidst the clutter of paperwork and prescription pads on her desk showing a handsome smiling boy of nine or ten and an equally pretty if rather gap-toothed sister two or three years his junior.

"What with this cold snap, as you can imagine we're pretty much up to our necks at the moment. Would have been unfair to have left Steve and Advika in the lurch like that. In any case, something like this, working helps take your mind off it."

"True, yes," nodded Wye sombrely. The shift would eventually finish though; she knew this from experience. Whatever it was that you were escaping from would then just start to circle around you again, envelope you like a thick, blinding fog.

"From what your colleagues have told me, it seems that you and Catherine were close."

The doctor's eyes now moistened a little, her smile a brave, radiant one. "BFF, as my daughter would say."

Wye's blank expression invited clarification.

"Best friends forever."

The smile was returned. "Oh yes, of course."

"We'd go out together, a couple of times a month perhaps. You know, just the two us. A pizza or a curry. A few glasses of wine."

"And how did Adam feel about this?"

The question seemed to surprise her. "Adam? Oh, he was just fine. It was my husband who'd work himself up into a lather about it." She let out a sigh, rolled her eyes briefly up to the ceiling. "Funny, you marry a man precisely because you think he's modern and liberal-minded. A different beast to our fathers' generation. Then a few years in you realise you've ended up with a Neanderthal."

Wye had her own experiences with possessive, restricting men. She suspected that were she and Doctor Cosgrove to meet under different circumstances, they'd have much to talk about. For now, however, it was a conversational avenue best left unexplored.

"So, these cosy girls' nights out. She must have let you in on a few secrets."

This provoked another smile; amused this time. "Oh, I don't think Cathy had any of those. Far too straight-laced. In fact, when she first arrived at the clinic I thought she was pretty dull. It took a year or so for me to realise just what a..." - the doctor's voice rose, the back of her hand brushing away a first tear - "what a special person she is." There was a rigorous shake of the head, correcting herself. "What a special person she was."