Person or Persons Unknown (29 page)

‘If Miss O'Toole becomes too agitated, we'll have to ask you to leave,' she informed Rona, clearly disapproving of her dispensation. ‘And the doctors say ten minutes at most – preferably five. She's still very weak, you know.'

Before Rona could protest that it was not she who'd insisted on the meeting, the nurse had opened the door and stepped aside for her to enter, and her whole attention narrowed to the figure on the bed. She walked slowly towards it.

Selina was lying motionless with closed eyes. It was the first time Rona'd seen her without the theatrical make-up that was her hallmark, and her unaccustomed pallor emphasized her fragility. Her head was swathed in bandages, tubes from both arms led to machines on either side of the bed, and another contraption supported one leg. Rona wondered in panic if she were asleep, and whether, if so, she should wake her.

‘Selina?' she said softly, and to her infinite relief the eyes flew open, and, after an instant's blankness, recognition came.

The white lips parted. ‘Thank God,' said Selina O'Toole.

Rona seated herself on a chair near the bedhead. ‘How are you feeling? I was told you wanted to see me.'

Cautiously Selina turned her head, until she was facing Rona. She seemed to be summoning up the strength to speak, and when she did so, her words were startlingly unexpected.

‘I needed to warn you,' she said, her voice even huskier than usual, from the effort involved.

‘Warn me?' Rona repeated, and a flash of the old impatience crossed Selina's face.

‘I've not much stamina at the moment,' she whispered, ‘and I can't waste it repeating everything. Just
listen.
' She paused, drew a painful breath. ‘Rona, I didn't fall under that bus. I was pushed.'

Rona stared at her, coldness creeping up her spine.

‘You
have
to believe me,' Selina went on urgently. ‘There's no possible doubt: as the bus approached, I felt a distinct shove in the small of my back, and the next thing I knew, I was under the wheels.'

The blue eyes surveyed Rona with remembered cynicism. ‘No,' she said in a hoarse whisper, ‘I'm not delirious, nor am I suffering from delusions or persecution complex or anything else you're considering.' She moved slightly, wincing as she did so. ‘And before you ask, no, I didn't see who was behind me. The traffic island was jam-packed.'

Rona's fingernails were digging into her palms. ‘Then it could have been an accident, surely?'

‘No,' Selina said succinctly, ‘it could not.'

After a minute, Rona asked, ‘Have you reported it?'

Selina gave a brief laugh and immediately grimaced. ‘To whom? My parents? The doctors? Can you imagine the reception I'd get? And how could I prove it?' A pause, filled by laboured breathing. ‘But I had to let you know, because you're also in danger.'

Rona gazed at her, her heart starting to pound. ‘You – don't think it was because of Gemma?'

‘Damn right it was because of Gemma!' Selina snapped, with a reassuring return to her old manner.

‘But – even supposing you're right and someone did push you, you've interviewed all sorts of strange characters for your programmes. It could have been any one of them.'

Selina was shaking her head in frustration. ‘For God's sake! It's taken every ounce of will power I possess to get you here. You
have
to believe me.'

Rona glanced towards the glass pane, saw the nurse's face peering sternly through.

‘Look,' she began, trying to speak reasonably, ‘if anyone thought you knew anything, he'd have seen to you years ago, when Gemma died. Why now?'

‘In case your digging triggers a buried memory? Then there was that letter in the paper, linking me with her. That could have jogged
his
memory.'

Rona said decisively, ‘All right, if you're absolutely sure about this, I'll go straight to the police.'

‘
No!
'

‘But—'

‘You mustn't tell
anyone
! Promise me!'

‘Selina!'

Selina's breathing rattled ominously. ‘Promise me!' she gasped, and Rona, alarmed, did so.

‘And don't – let anyone – know you've seen me – anyone at all.'

‘I told Max,' Rona said.

‘Then impress on him – to keep quiet. If whoever it is – finds out – you'll be in even greater danger.'

The door handle rattled, and Rona turned to see the nurse holding one finger up to the glass.

‘It looks as though I have to go,' she said.

Selina gave a brief nod. The effort required to impart her warning had obviously exhausted her.

‘One good thing,' she murmured, as Rona rose to her feet. ‘Between us – we've rattled someone's cage. Only trouble is – it seems to be – the killer, rather than – Amanda's father.'

When Rona turned at the door, Selina's eyes were already closed.

On her journey home, Rona kept well away from the edges of pavements and railway platforms. Could Jonathan or Philip have been responsible? she wondered with a frisson. Dark glasses and a hat pulled down would have prevented Selina from recognizing them.

She had left her car at the station, and as she was getting into it, her mobile sounded in her handbag and she paused to dig it out.

‘Ro – it's Pops. He's been rushed back to hospital!'

Rona put a hand on the car to steady herself. ‘When? Is he all right?'

‘I don't know any details; the bank contacted Mum, who phoned me. Where are you? I tried you at home first.'

‘At the station; I've just—' She broke off, remembering Selina's warning, but Lindsey wasn't listening.

‘I'll see you there,' she said, and broke the connection.

Did Max know? Rona wondered, as she switched on the ignition. She'd ring him from the hospital. It seemed as if her whole life was disintegrating; threats on all sides, Selina attacked, her parents' marriage breaking down, and now, to crown it all, Pops back in hospital.

Ten minutes later, for the second time that day, she found herself in a hospital corridor, and moments later joined her mother and sister at her father's bedside. To her profound relief he was propped up on pillows, looking much as normal. He reached out a hand and she hurried to him, bending to kiss his hot cheek.

‘No need to panic, sweetie,' he said. ‘All this fuss!'

‘What happened?' Rona glanced from one member of her family to another, and it was Avril who answered.

‘He was in severe pain, and with his previous history, the bank wasn't taking any chances.'

Rona thought back to his heart attack earlier in the year, and how frantic her mother had been then. Now – though admittedly it didn't seem nearly as serious – she was calm and composed, even if pale. Didn't she
care
what happened to him? Rona asked herself savagely.

As though bearing out the thought, Avril retrieved her handbag from the floor and stood up. ‘Well, since the panic seems to be over and you're both here, I might as well go.' She glanced impassively at her husband. ‘I'll phone this evening to check when they're sending you home.'

And, ignoring her daughters' stunned gaze, she nodded at them all and walked out of the room.

Tom said quickly, ‘Don't blame her; she was worried enough when she first came in.' He paused, then added, ‘She started a new job today – at Belmont Library.'

‘Mum's gone back to work?' Lindsey asked incredulously. ‘After all these years?'

‘Best thing for her, in the circumstances.'

‘Are you really all right, Pops?' Rona asked him.

‘Really. They think it was a false alarm; talked about stress, and so on.' He smiled crookedly. ‘They could be right; life hasn't exactly been plain sailing of late.'

The sisters left twenty minutes later, when Tom's check-up was due, and were standing talking by Rona's car when a blue Peugeot skidded to a halt beside them and Catherine Bishop half fell out of it.

‘Rona – how's your father? I had an appointment at the bank, and he wasn't there. At first, they wouldn't say what had happened, but I insisted …'

Lindsey had turned abruptly away, but Rona answered steadily, ‘He seems all right. They think it was a false alarm.'

‘Oh, thank God!' Her voice shook. She glanced towards the hospital, then, tentatively, back at Rona. ‘Is – your mother with him?'

Lindsey said harshly, ‘No, you're quite safe.'

‘She's just left,' Rona replied. ‘He's being checked at the moment, but it shouldn't take long.'

Catherine hesitated, glanced at Lindsey's averted face, then said quietly, ‘Thank you. I'll go in and wait.'

‘What a nerve!' Lindsey broke out, when she was barely out of earshot. ‘How
dare
she come waltzing along as though she's every right to be here?'

‘She loves him, Linz. That's pretty obvious. And it's also pretty obvious that Mum doesn't any more. Try to accept it.'

There were angry tears in Lindsey's eyes and Rona felt the wrench she always experienced when her twin was unhappy. ‘Look,' she said, ‘I've been – out all morning and missed lunch. How about trying out that new teashop in Market Street?'

Lindsey hesitated. ‘I'm supposed to be at work.'

‘Compassionate leave,' Rona said, and Lindsey grudgingly smiled.

‘All right, but I mustn't be long. Is your car OK here?'

Rona nodded. ‘Not knowing the score, I clocked in for two hours. I presume you walked?'

Lindsey's office was barely five minutes away.

‘Ran, more like.'

They walked together along Alban Road and turned into Market Street. The new café was, in fact, almost opposite the bank, and they both glanced across at it.

‘Pops has been there for as long as I can remember,' Lindsey commented. ‘It's odd to think he soon won't be. Because of his retirement, I mean,' she added hastily.

They went inside and were shown to a table. The café was doing a good trade in afternoon tea. There were blue and white checked cloths on the tables, and the crockery bore the willow pattern from which it had taken its name. Rona ordered a toasted bacon sandwich. She'd still not phoned Max, but since there was now no urgency, this evening would do.

She glanced across at her twin. ‘Anything more on Hugh?'

‘No,' Lindsey said, adding after a minute, ‘Thank God.'

‘And Jonathan? Still dancing attendance?'

‘Uh-huh.'

‘When did this start between you?' Rona asked curiously. ‘I thought at first he was new to the firm, but at dinner he said he'd been there yonks. If you'd known each other for years, why the sudden spark?'

Lindsey shrugged. ‘At first I was married to Hugh and not looking elsewhere, though I always thought he was dishy. Also …'

‘Yes?'

‘There was talk he was seeing someone in accounts.'

‘Quite the philanderer.'

Lindsey bit her lip. ‘Then, of course, I met Rob.'

There was a brief silence, while they both reflected on that disastrous episode.

‘And as soon as that ended,' she continued, ‘Hugh started his weekend visits, so to some extent I was involved with him again. It was really only after our latest bust-up that Jonathan … hove to, as it were. Said I was looking miserable, and would a drink cheer me up, and we went on from there.' She paused. ‘Weird it should turn out he knew that girl whose death you're working on.'

‘Indeed it is,' Rona agreed.

Catherine sat gripping Tom's hand, her eyes continually searching his face. ‘But it's my
fault
!' she insisted for the second time. ‘God, Tom, if anything serious had happened as a result of my suggesting—'

He smiled and squeezed her hand. ‘My darling, that's the best
release
of tension known to man! If it hadn't been for that episode, I might really have kicked the bucket.'

‘Don't talk like that!'

‘Well, it's true.' He paused, looking at her anxious face. ‘But if you really feel responsible, let me scotch it once and for all. As it happens I did have a word with the doctor; asked if it could have had any ill effects, and he said no.' His mouth twitched. ‘Though he advised me not to overdo it for a while!'

Catherine flushed, laughing in spite of herself.

‘So you don't have to hie yourself to a nunnery, all right?'

‘That's a relief!' She bent forward and gently kissed his mouth. ‘I do love you,' she said.

W
hen Rona returned to her study the following morning, it was to find Gemma's tapes still on her desk, as she'd left them when Mrs O'Toole telephoned. Fortunately, her call to Max the previous evening had been taken up with the drama over her father, and it was only at the end that he'd thought to enquire about Selina. Rona reported that she was still seriously ill but making progress, and no more was said. He seemed to have forgotten the urgency of the summons to her bedside, which was just as well; she'd no intention of telling him Selina thought she was in danger.

Rona sat down and stared for a couple of minutes at the postcard from Monte Carlo, reaching out absentmindedly for the phone when it started to ring.

‘Hello?'

‘Well now,' said the remembered voice, ‘not doing too well, are we? And now that woman mentioned in the paper is in hospital. Coincidence, would you say? Don't you think it's time you agreed to see me, before anything else unpleasant takes place?'

Instinctively, Rona slammed down the phone – and immediately regretted it. Without hope, she dialled one-four-seven-one, to be told, as she'd known she would be, that the caller had withheld the number. Pushing him from her mind, she switched on the recorder, backtracking slightly to remind herself of Gemma's last words.
I thought I'd switched it off
, she said.