Chapter Five

Melody had whittled down the number of women who had been around at the time of Evelyn’s death and were still there to about four. She had jotted down some notes about what sort of things they would need to ask. She had also made a list of all the possible drugs which may have been prescribed to Evie that might have made her less aware of her surroundings, they still could not rule out an accidental death despite the few pointers that it was more ominous than that.

The clinic had quite stringent records of who was placed in what room, so it had taken very little time to narrow down the room that Evie had been staying in. She was in a single room, some were shared, but evie had been in a more expensive single room. She had been a voluntary patient and had been free to leave the clinic at any time as long as she was back in the grounds by seven every night.

Liam and Annie were to go into the village that day and dig about the clinic generally and about whether anyone knew Evelyn or who she had become friendly with. Foe Annie this was the perfect assignment, who was going to remember a little old lady being nosey, but him? He was visible, but then he supposed, he had to pretend to be local in case anyone at the clinic asked about “melanie”.

Melody awoke with a start when Gary lumbered into the living room wearing a pair of Chelsea boxer shorts at five thirty and shrieked at the sudden movement on the sofa. For a second, she didn’t know where she was and the sight of a strange man in his underwear did nothing to abate her confusion.

Liam jumped up from his seat at the breakfast bar in time to see Melody scramble up into a sitting position and Gary attempting to cover himself with a sofa cushion.

“Gary, Melody… Melody Gary” he said after they stared at each other for a second. “This is why you were never allowed a gun” Liam said as Gary sat down heavily on the armchair “Not so good in stressful situations are you?”

“Nice to meet you Gary,”

“Likewise!” Gary grunted.

“You two get acquainted and I’ll bring in the tea I was making before all the rumpus… WE do have neighbours you know! “He scolded as he trudged back out into the kitchen!

“Sorry” melody whisperd “didn’t mean to get you in trouble”

“It’s alright Liam is a mother hen most of the time, so what you doing here?”

“Bloody hell Gaz, you really are on form today! Melody fell asleep in the car so I put her to bed on the sofa. Not exactly rocket science “

“Look moody, it’s not as though you bring home girls every night is it? This is a novelty!”

“Well gents, this is all very interesting, but I need to go freshen up, so if one of you can direct me to the bathroom and I will leave you to it!

Liam pointed in the vague direction of Peckham and turned on his flatemate, deciding that this grumpy behaviour must mean that neither man was a morning person; she made a swift exit and looked in disgust at the crease marks on her face where she had slept awkwardly in the tiny bathroom mirror. How the hell did they shave with so little surface area to look at?

“Gary, she is not some girl I brought home for a quick one, she is my work colleague, so I would appreciate it if you treated her with some respect!”

“All right allright; don’t get your knickers in a twist!” Gary said raising his hands in surrender.

“You can bloody talk! Parading around the place in your boxers!” Liam said bursting into laughter. “Go put some clothes on you Wally or you’ll scar both me and Melody for life!”
After two mugs of tea and a piece of toast, Gary went to work and melody and Liam were left together and for once there was an awkward silence.

“Look Liam, I am so sorry I put you in this position. I am embarrassed that I fell asleep and you had to put me to bed like this.”

“It’s not a problem, I was worried about you. You need to be sharp a

Liam dropped Melody off at the office and she said she would get the train home into Buckinghamshire later on. This was obviously going to be a long night for her. The grange stood in the Essex countryside so a round trip everyday was going to prove problematic if they did not come to some alternative arrangements.

“That girl works too hard,” Annie sighed as she watched Melody descend into the bowels of the earth and into the office.

“She is trying to prove a point to her father, so she pushes herself.” Liam said pulling out into the early evening traffic. “ She thinks he is still laughing at her behind her back for doing this work.”

“James Moon only got the title because there were no more children in line when the last earl popped his clogs, he is an interloper, so really he is no more than a glorified grocer. Much of his trade has come via the title and it is his accountant a nd solicitor who keep everything ticking over. The man is an eejit. That girls has made this business from the ground up and you have helped her.”

“You really love her don’t you?”

“Course I do darlin, she is practically mine. When her Momma died leaving her and young Marcus motherless, I took up the mantle.”

Annie, a woman in her mid sixties had been a housekeeper at many houses since her early thirties, but it was only after meeting the two moon siblings that she could really say she relished her job. She had been mother, friend and confidente.

“Which explains why you are the only person I know, who she doesn’t talk back to!! Liam said shaking his head “She treats me like a minion sometimes!”

“No Liam darlin, she treats you like a friend and the poor child didn’t have many of those growing up!, just her brother and a few of the estate children, young Jed for instance. Those two were peas in a pod. That‘s why she has taken this case, she is intrigued by the similarities between herself and Marcus and this Abby and Evie Price”

“Marc and Melody weren’t orphaned though”

“Liam my lovely, you are a good Catholic boy yes? You have how many is if three brothers and four sisters? You may be London born, but there is Ireland in your blood just like me. You don’t know what it is like to be just one of a pair and reliant on each other. No their pa is stil with us, but they lost both parents when Mariah died, James just gave up and left the staff to deal with his headstrong children.”

They sat in silence for a while and Liam digested this particular take on Melody’s position most carefully. Perhaps he had been looking at things from completely the wrong angle. What disturbed him most is he was thinking more about Melody than he was the client and that wasn’t like him to lose sight of his target.

“ Stop moping you dolt, You coming in for a cup of char then boy?” Annie asked as they pulled up outside of the little house in the town that bordered on the Estate, It was just a two up two down, but Annie was obviously blissfully happy here with her husband Geofff and the dogs, piddles and puke. Only God knew why they were called that but as Melody and Marcus had named them and so the unfortunate animals had remained called it throughout their lives.

“That would be lovely, Thanks Annie! Do you know my flatmate Gary, he thinks I have got myself an older woman!”

“Ah, well if my Geoff suddenly passes over to the Lord , I promise to give it some consideration ! “ She cackled as she turned the key in the lock.

Liam had eaten a huge plate of shepherd’s pie and peas before Geoff had let him out of the door again. He had quizzed both Liam and his wife about the day’s events, which to be fair were minimal asnd had produced an apple pie and custard just as Liam was about to make his polite goodbyes.. He could never get over the generosity of the pair as Geoff loaded up the boot with a crate of home brew to take home to drink with “the copper chap”

After some rudimentary training on the patient database, melody was set free to roam at will. By the end of the day , she had already secretly printed out a full plan of the centre’s layout and had completed two copies of the information required for the question relating to drugs prescribed and the number of women patients who had been admitted from the time of Evelyn price’s arrival. She left one neatly stacked on Rita’s desk and saw the admiring look in the woman’s eye.

The women who had been admitted here and roomed close to Evie during her stay and still here would be an excellent resource of information as would the good Doctor Roberts, but only so much could be accomplished in one day. Moments later as the clock hit 4:55, Melody’s mobile phone vibrated silently on her knee, reading the message, she packed up her things without a hurry.

Melody put on her coat and said goodbye to Rita. She walked purposefully towards the main stairs where an elderly cleaner was counting sheets and towels on a trolley. Without a word the sheaf of papers that Melody held in a plain envelope was slipped into the pile of laundry and the woman walked awkwardly away on her arthritic legs.

Melody walked straight out of the unit and down the lane to the main road. She stopped at the gates and saw two mirrors had been installed so that people coming out of the drive could see what traffic was coming down the road. Trying to seem like a casual walker, she sidled up to one of the mirrors and looked at the brand name on the back of one of the mirrors. This would be another thing for Liam to chase up later.

The main road was reasonably busy at this time as people rushed home to families and home, but it would have been pretty much deserted at the time Evie ran out in front of Michael Jones. The land beyond the road was a grassy field and just beyond that in the distance she could just see the late afternoon sun glinting on something silver.

Liam was waiting in his car just round the bend and Melody jumped in beside him and without warning leant over and pecked him on the lips!

“Well Melody, I am pleased to see you too, but that was…unexpected!” he said slightly taken aback.

“Don’t get any funny ideas, this is strictly business!” She grinned

“I won’t have sexual harassment in the workplace and this car is an extension of that workplace!”

“Don’t be a Wally, the secretary woman just came out of the gates and you are supposed to be my boyfriend remember, or why else would you be hanging about near a private mental health establishment? Although to be honest, most of the folk in there seem to be having a whale of a time!”

They sat for a second with their arms around each other in a quasi hug until Rita Mansfield had passed by after giving a little tut and a shake of the head. Liam pulled away and they both laughed rather self-consciously. Always firm friends they had never actually touched each other before.

“Give it time, you are bound to rub up against some of the more interesting patients, oh here we go, about bloody time too, she was supposed to be out ten minutes ago so she could hide on the backseat…”

The elderly cleaner whom had been the recipient of the envelope in the laundry was now briskly walking down the road, with no trace of arthritis or the stoop that she had exhibited earlier, she got in the back of the car and curling up promptly disappeared from view.

“So how was your first day then Annie? “ Liam asked, turning on the engine and getting the hell out of dodge before anyone saw the three of them together.

“Well my darlin, Old Annie hear did a spot of dusting, Jesus Mary and Joseph that place needed it! Then I did a spot of polishing of the cutlery and then I smuggled out papers of uses to Ms Moon here. I did a bit of eavesdropping too, but I have to write it all up before I present to m’lady here.

“Oh Liam you should have see