‘What’s up?’

  ‘How do you know something’s up?’

  ‘Well, you don’t usually hover in the kitchen with a glass of whisky before six thirty. Did you have a bad day?’

  ‘Not exactly. Something strange happened and none of us can fathom what’s going on. Ridley’s been replaced, with no reason given. So, we have a new DCI who’s being very over-cautious with everything we’re working on. Most of the team assume Ridley must be ill. You know he had that cancer diagnosis, and when I found out he was having chemo he made me promise to keep my mouth shut about it. He also told me he’d been given the all-clear and, to be honest, I believed him. He’s been in great spirits lately, almost unlike him, telling me he’d started working out at a gym and asking my opinion about these new clothes he’d bought. I was surprised when he took off for a couple of weeks. I even thought he might have been lying about being given the all-clear but didn’t want anyone to know. He didn’t look that good either.’

  ‘Why don’t you call him?’

  ‘I did. No reply. It went straight to voicemail.’

  ‘Well, I’m sure he’ll be in touch.’

  ‘I guess so. I’ve become quite fond of the old codger . . . even more so with him testing out his new wardrobe on me, but this is so unlike him . . . it was just sprung on everyone.’

  ‘What veg do you want?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘With the casserole. We have spinach or carrots.’

  ‘Whatever . . . I’ll go up and see Mum and Hannah.’

  Maggie caught his arm. ‘Before you do, can I have a quick word? Something’s bothering me a bit. Does Penny seem alright to you?’

  Jack shrugged, watching as Maggie took her coat off and handed it to him.

  ‘I’ve been meaning to have a chat with you because I’m concerned. Penny seems to be a bit forgetful lately and I wondered, you know, if it’s too much for her?’

  ‘If what’s too much?’

  ‘Well, she has to take Hannah to nursery every morning, then collect her in the afternoon. She’s only there for three hours before Penny walks her to the playground, then comes back home, feeds her, bathes her, gets her ready for bed. It’s a lot for a woman in her seventies, you know.’

  ‘She’s fine; she loves it . . . and I haven’t noticed anything.’

  ‘OK, well I just wanted to mention it. If you could hang my coat up in the hall, I’ll get on with setting the table.’

  ‘I could just call round to speak to him, couldn’t I?’

  ‘Yes, you could.’

  ‘Although the Super asked for complete privacy. What do you think?’

  ‘Jack, it’s up to you. Did you turn the oven on?’

  ‘Oh, I might not have. I’ll call him again and leave a message.’ Jack walked out of the kitchen to hang up her coat.

  Maggie shook her head and went over to turn the oven on. She then opened the fridge and took out the vegetables.

  Although she had treated it lightly with Jack, she was genuinely concerned about Penny. She had noticed a few things that were unlike her: she had left the iron on a couple of times recently, and the washing machine was full of dirty clothes that hadn’t been washed. They weren’t terribly serious things, but they were niggling at Maggie. Also, the nursery had given Penny some dates for parent meetings and Maggie had found them left on the hall table under a duster.

  When Jack went into Hannah’s bedroom, she was wrapped in a soft bath towel, and his mother was opening a drawer to get out a nightdress for her. Jack gave Hannah a hug and a kiss, and then sat on the edge of her little bed with one of her cuddly toys.

  ‘Has she been a good girl today, Mum?’

  ‘Yes, apart from eating another little boy’s biscuit, according to the new young nursery assistant.’

  Jack watched as Penny put on Hannah’s nightdress and some soft wool socks, saying that the nights were getting colder so if she tossed her blankets off at least her feet would stay warm. Hannah took the cuddly toy from Jack, saying ‘dadda’. Penny then picked her up and Jack got off the bed so that Penny could tuck her in and pull up the sides. She was too big for a cot now, but still needed the sense of safety.

  ‘The casserole’s in the oven. Are you having dinner with us tonight?’ Jack asked.

  ‘No, dear, I’m going to have an early night. After I drop Hannah off at nursery tomorrow, I’m going to meet up with some friends. We’re arranging a bingo night so when I get the dates, I’ll tell Maggie, as one of you will need to be here for Hannah.’

  ‘That’s good that you’re making new friends,’ Jack smiled. ‘I sometimes worry about you leaving all your old friends back in Devon. It’s about time you had some new interests.’

  ‘Well, I don’t know if you could call bingo a new interest! But we’ll have dinner and make it a weekly date . . . if I enjoy it. A couple of the women are bringing their husbands, and then there’s the caretaker from the nursery . . . he’s up for a night out.’

  ‘That’s great, Mum! Just let us know when one of us needs to be here to look after Hannah.’

  Penny pulled out a large story book and drew up a low chair to sit beside Hannah’s bed. She lowered the brightness of the bedside lamp and glanced at Jack as he hovered.

  ‘Everything alright, dear?’

  ‘Yeah, yeah. See you in the morning, unless you want me to bring a tray of supper up to your room?’

  ‘No, thank you, dear, but I appreciate the offer. You enjoy having dinner with Maggie.’

  Jack quietly closed the door behind him as Penny began reading a story to Hannah. He went into his home office to call Ridley. It went straight to voicemail again, so he left a message asking if he could do anything and hoping that Ridley would get in touch with him. By the time he went back to the kitchen, Maggie had cooked the vegetables and was just taking the casserole out of the oven. Jack opened a bottle of red wine and fetched two glasses.

  ‘Mum seems better than ever. She’s joining some women to start going to bingo once a week.’

  ‘You didn’t mention anything to her?’

  ‘No, like I said, she seemed fine. I left her reading Hannah a bedtime story.’

  ‘I should have gone up to kiss Hannah goodnight,’ Maggie frowned. ‘Never mind, it’s nice to have a quiet evening together and I’m feeling really pooped. We had a long day today, lots of new cancer cases taking up beds, and as usual we’re awfully short-staffed.’

  Jack nodded. ‘I called Ridley again and left another message. It’s all very odd.’

  ‘Maybe he is ill again, and just wants his privacy?’ Maggie suggested. ‘You could always go round to his place and find out; although if he wants you, or anyone else, to know I’m sure he’ll contact you.’

  ‘Yeah, you’re probably right . . . perhaps I’ll pay him a visit at the weekend.’

  Jack ate hungrily, and they drank almost an entire bottle of wine between them, before Maggie, her eyes drooping from tiredness, said she was going to have a shower and go to bed. Jack said he would clear up and then join her. He loaded the plates and cutlery into the dishwasher, washed up the casserole dish, wiped the work surfaces, then filled his glass with the last of the wine before switching off the lights and going upstairs to his office.

  Opening his briefcase, Jack took out his notes on the investigation and listed his meetings for the following day. First thing he had the appointment with the psychiatrist, to discuss Rodney Middleton’s previous medical history. He knew he would be given the usual blather about client confidentiality but was hoping that as Middleton was no longer a patient, he might actually be able to glean some information. He had checked, as Clarke had suggested getting a warrant, but had been informed he did not need one as Middleton had signed a statement saying police could access his medical records. This was unusual and made Jack feel as if Middleton might be adept at playing the system. Jack had also arranged an interview with Amanda Dunn, Middleton’s girlfriend, at her hostel in Shepherd’s Bush. Middleton’s lawyer had informed Jack that she had moved out of the flat they had previously shared.

  By the time Jack had showered, Maggie was fast asleep in bed. He tried not to wake her as he climbed in beside her. More often than not she slept so soundly that he joked it would take a bomb blast to wake her. He switched off the bedside light and lay down with his back to her. Just as he was dozing off, he heard low murmurs from Penny’s bedroom above. He turned over, suspecting that she had probably left her TV on and fallen asleep. He lay on his back, eyes wide open, as the murmur continued, then got up with a sigh of irritation and crept up the stairs to Penny’s bedroom, standing outside and listening. It wasn’t the television. Penny was having a lengthy conversation with someone on the phone. Jack knew his mother had a mobile; in fact, he had insisted on buying her one in case of an emergency when she was out, but he had never heard or seen her using it. Jack paid the bills, so he knew that she very rarely, if ever, made calls. He heard her laughing, then felt as if he was spying on her, and quickly headed back down to his bedroom.

  Jack slid into bed and lay back trying to listen but there was no more murmuring so he assumed she must have ended her call. He thought about what Maggie had said and knew that his mum’s forgetfulness was a bit of a concern. However, Maggie had insinuated that Penny might have signs of dementia, in addition to the normal symptoms of old age. Jack felt that Maggie was probably being over-pessimistic as she had been dealing with a number of very elderly patients during the pandemic, many of whom did have dementia.

  *

  The following morning Jack overslept. Maggie was already serving breakfast to Penny and Hannah by the time he had got dressed and shaved. Jack sat at the kitchen table, buttered some toast and poured himself a coffee, whilst Maggie gave him a kiss on the cheek before rushing out.

  Penny cleared the breakfast away and prepared Hannah’s orange juice and cookies for her mid-morning break. Jack gave Hannah a bite of his toast whilst she sat in her highchair, noticing that it was getting way too small for her. She had also learnt how to lift the tray and slide out on her own.

  ‘I heard you talking on the phone last night?’ Jack said tentatively.

  Penny closed the dishwasher and began wiping down the work surfaces, whilst Hannah chortled and kicked out happily.

  Jack continued: ‘I thought it was your TV, and that maybe you had forgotten to turn it off.’

  ‘Oh yes. I was talking to my new friend about the bingo dinner. You know you shouldn’t give her that seeded toast. It often gets stuck in her throat because she doesn’t chew it properly. Here, let me get her out of there as we should be leaving in a minute.’

  Jack finished his coffee and by the time he had put his dirty things into the dishwasher, Penny had got Hannah into her buggy in the hallway.

  ‘Right, we’re off. Have a good day, dear.’ She leant in through the doorway and waved, and Jack blew a kiss to his daughter. He smiled to see her making the same gesture back to him, replete with kissing noises.

  Jack collected his briefcase from the office, got his coat and went into the kitchen to double check that everything was turned off. He noticed that Penny had forgotten to take Hannah’s orange juice and biscuits, which were still on the kitchen table in a zip-up food bag with her name printed in cartoon letters on the outside, and decided he would drop it off on his way to interview the psychiatrist.

  Ten minutes later, Jack pulled up outside the gates of the nursery school, which were kept locked whilst the children were inside. He rang the bell and waited, putting his mask on. After a few minutes a pretty teenager came out and he was able to pass the bag through the railings to her. ‘My mother forgot to bring this, for Hannah Warr.’

  ‘Oh thanks, I’ll take it in. I’m Carol, one of the classroom assistants,’ she smiled, before walking back into the nursery. He checked his watch, realising that he had not seen Penny returning home before he left, but then told himself that she was probably doing some shopping before she met up with her friends.

  By the time he had found a parking space near the psychiatric practice, just off Marylebone High Street, he was fifteen minutes late.

  Angus Seymour’s name was listed on the brass plaque outside the building. Jack walked into the small reception area. There was a rather elderly woman sitting behind a curved desk who looked up as he approached. She was wearing a mask and Jack quickly pulled his own mask up, as it was hanging from his right ear.

  ‘I have an appointment with Dr Seymour.’

  The receptionist put on her glasses and opened the appointment book.

  ‘I am Detective Sergeant Jack Warr, Met Police.’

  She pointedly looked at her watch.

  ‘Sorry I’m a bit late . . . traffic.’

  ‘Let me call through to him. He does have a rather a full morning.’

  Jack waited patiently as she spoke to Seymour briefly then told Jack that he could go straight up the stairs to the second landing where Mr Seymour’s office was behind the first door to his right.

  The carpet was well worn, even though the clinic was in quite a prestigious location. Jack knocked on the door, which had Angus Seymour’s name printed in gold on the outside.

  The first room had three hard-back chairs and was obviously a waiting area, and then there was a door to another room which was ajar. Jack hovered for a moment before he heard an abrupt voice asking him to come in.

  Seymour was about the same age as Jack, wearing casual jeans, a checked shirt and a thick tie pulled down to the third button of his shirt.

  ‘Sit down and let’s get on with it,’ Seymour said briskly. ‘I have a patient in fifteen minutes. You can remove your mask.’

  Jack lowered his mask and sat down on a chair opposite Seymour. Positioned against a wall was a worn leather couch with stacks of files on the seats, so he doubted it was used in a Freudian capacity. The walls had numerous framed diplomas and a couple of Turner prints. The modern desk had a laptop, telephone and an anglepoise lamp. Seymour sat in a leather swivel chair and flipped open a large diary.

  ‘I would like some information regarding a previous patient of yours by the name of Rodney Middleton,’ Jack began. ‘As he is no longer a patient, I am hoping you’ll be able to assist me without worrying about client confidentiality.’

  ‘Yes, I am aware of the reason you’re here, Detective Sergeant,’ Seymour replied. ‘However, it would be unethical for me to discuss any patient with you, past or present. At my suggestion, Rodney Middleton was transferred to another practitioner; being only seventeen, he came under the umbrella of Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services.’

  Jack was feeling frustrated. ‘But it would not be unethical if you were just to tell me how you came to see him.’

  Seymour flipped back some pages in his diary, then took his time before he sighed.

  ‘He was referred to CAMHS by his GP, and they contacted me to do an assessment. He was with me for six months, having one session every two weeks.’

  ‘Why did you refer him to another practice?’

  ‘I suppose I can tell you that. I had grave concerns regarding his aggressive behaviour and his inappropriate interactions, not only with myself but with my staff. My receptionist in particular.’

  ‘So, you felt you couldn’t help him?’

  Seymour nodded, then closed his notebook. ‘I suggested that perhaps past-life regression, a form of hypnosis, might help. He was refusing to take his medication, was becoming very aggressive and had missed several appointments. He would not accept that he had severe mental health issues, and I was concerned – not only for his wellbeing but for anyone associated with him.’

  ‘Was he schizophrenic?’

  ‘Not to my mind. Though I considered a multiple personality disorder, and decided that he needed treatment. Do you have the details of the clinic I referred him to, as they would obviously be better equipped to discuss his condition?’

  ‘Yes, but his current therapist is on holiday so I’ll have to wait a couple of weeks. You said his GP referred him to you?’

  ‘Yes, that is correct, via CAMHS. They contacted me as it was suggested that Rodney needed further psychiatric assessment after he was released. His GP also knew about the fire at his family home.’

  Jack was also aware of the incident. ‘Was he suspected of setting the blaze?’

  ‘I believe so. He was only sixteen or seventeen. He had an abusive father and his mother was a drug addict. As a teenage boy it was clear that he needed help to recover from the tragedy.’

  ‘Can you tell me more about it?’

  Seymour sighed and glanced at his watch.

  ‘I can only tell you that his young siblings died in the blaze. There was an extensive investigation. However, I’m sure this will all be on his record.’

  ‘Well, I’ve read the case file and the SIO was of the opinion that Rodney could have been involved.’

  ‘I believe that was never proved, but after it happened, he became very troubled and then began to get into trouble with the police.’

  Jack made a few notes, and it was obvious that Seymour was eager for the meeting to end.

  ‘So, Rodney was what age when you first met him?’

  ‘Eighteen. Once he became an adult, and no longer under CAMHS, I didn’t have any further contact with his doctor or the psychiatrist who took over his treatment. I’m afraid I’ll have to finish now, detective, as I have a patient waiting.’

  Jack stood up, pleased that Seymour had in fact given him more information than he had expected. Seymour scribbled on a Post-it note and handed it to him.

  ‘That’s where Rodney was referred after being here with me. There may be someone else that can see you rather than having to wait.’

  Jack put the Post-it into his briefcase and headed for the door. Seymour pushed back his chair and stood up.

  ‘Is he suspected of something serious?’

  ‘Yes. Another violent assault.’

  Seymour put his hands in his trouser pockets. ‘On a young girl?’

  Jack shook his head. He was slightly taken aback when Seymour moved from behind his desk to open the door for him.