The History Suite (#9 - The Craig Modern Thriller Series) by Catriona King Page A

continued hastily.
    “What about Newman Ward?”
    Davy smiled and turned back to the paper in his hand. “Everyone’s accounted for there, according to where they said they’d be. The only people who left the w…ward in that period were Eleanor Rudd, Caroline Hobbert and Hannah Donard.”
    “No-one went from Newman to Reilly, or vice versa?”
    Davy shook his head again. “No. S…So by that reckoning the only people who would have been anywhere near the linen room were the three nurses I just mentioned and anyone from Reilly w…who had detoured there.”
    Annette interjected. “Or anyone from anywhere else in the hospital that’d just wandered in.” She turned to Craig. “Even if we see people heading in the right direction, we can’t place them definitively at the scene because we’ve no CCTV in or around the linen room.”
    Craig sighed. She was right. All they could do was narrow down the pool.
    “We need a lot more than this. Any court would throw it out.”
    Jake cut in. “What about new visitors to the ward? Were there any relatives in or out?”
    “No again. Newman’s visiting hours are restricted to the afternoons. And any visitors to Reilly in that time will be I.D.ed off the CCTV outside.”
    Craig thought for a moment and then banged his forehead hard with his hand. “Of course. Why didn’t I think of it? Davy, have the forensics come through yet?”
    “Rudd’s tox-screen was clear. I won’t get the rest till Monday.”
    “OK, when you do, ask Des to isolate any prints on the linen room door. There were no prints on the body, so either our killer wore gloves or wiped them off, but they might have got careless and not put their gloves on until they were inside the room. It’s worth a shot.”
    “Cool. I’ll check.”
    “Anything else on Rudd?”
    “Just the usual. Twenty-five; had been a nurse for four years, moving around the Trust. One younger brother and both parents still alive.”
    Craig frowned, remembering Billy Rudd’s aggression. He wondered what Eleanor Rudd had learned growing up in that home.
    “One reprimand on her record and mediocre reports all the w…way through her career.”
    “What’s the general gist of them?”
    “Uncaring, veering towards cruel.” Davy shook his head. “She s…shouldn’t have been a nurse and that’s not just my opinion. It’s actually written on her assessment from the ward she was on before geriatrics.”
    A squeak from Annette made everyone turn. “Not geriatrics, Davy. It’s called Elderly Medicine nowadays.”
    “OK, whatever it’s called. The ‘Medicine for people over forty’ ward.”
    It was Craig and Liam’s turn to squeak. Craig recovered enough to speak. “OK, get me those reports. Anything else?”
    “Carmen and I did background checks on the s…staff and patients on Newman but there was nothing there. We’re still doing the ones on Reilly.”
    “Well done, and thanks for helping with that, Carmen. Keep digging. This seems as good a time as any to tell you about our visit to Eleanor Rudd’s home. Annette?”
    Annette wagged a finger at Davy for his ageism and started to report.
    “Well…the Rudds. It’s a highly dysfunctional family. The mother’s been beaten by her husband for years, if her demeanour and his willingness to try it in front of two cops is anything to go by.”
    Jake gawped. “He didn’t!”
    “He would have if we hadn’t been there to stop him. He’s in High Street now under arrest.” She shook her head. “He called his dead daughter a whore as well, so God knows what sort of life he gave her when she was alive.”
    Craig interjected. “Annette’s right. His mood wasn’t improved by the press camping outside their door.”
    Liam’s bass echoed through the room. “Mercer?”
    Craig nodded. “Being his usual charming self.” He was about to ask Liam to have a word then he remembered that every time Liam saw Ray Mercer he struggled to control his fists. He turned to Jake and Ken