Dead of Winter

Chapter 70

‘Mrs Morell? Ivy? We need to have a look around. We have a search warrant.’ Ebony held it up to show her.

‘But we won’t be ripping the place apart,’ smiled Jeanie. ‘We would just need to take a discreet look.’ Ebony pushed the paper a little nearer to Ivy Morell so that she could read it through the bottom section of her vari-focals. She looked back up at the two detectives before her. ‘I suppose so. What are you looking for? I’ve seen you before,’ she said to Ebony. ‘Normally with that good-looking Italian man.’

Ebony smiled. Jeanie laughed.

‘Believe me, he’s as much trouble as he looks, Ivy. . Can we just take a look around?’

‘And do you have a Nurse Linda Peters on your books? She helps out at other hospitals. She’s an agency nurse,’ asked Ebony.

Ivy checked out her staff lists.

‘No. . I’m sorry, we don’t.’

‘Ivy. . is Mrs de Lange in today?’

‘I am expecting her in the next hour. She telephoned me earlier to make sure everything is ready. There’s a lot to organize with the donor organs being taken abroad from here. Mrs de Lange will take them herself this time. She asked me to make sure one of the ambulances was ready.’

‘She makes the arrangements to get the organs to the hospitals that are waiting?’

‘She or Mr de Lange. Actually. .’ Ivy lowered her voice. ‘I’m not sure where Mr de Lange is at the moment. He hasn’t been at work this past couple of days. I know the hospital in Poland have been trying to contact him urgently. They have a patient waiting for organs out there. I don’t think all’s well in their marriage. They don’t seem a very together couple. . if you know what I mean? I see them slipping round the back of the building sometimes. I don’t know why. They just don’t want to go past me here on reception.’

Jeanie could feel Ebony getting restless beside her.

‘Does Mrs de Lange ever help on the wards? What about nursing? Is she qualified to help?’ Jeanie asked.

‘I’ve never seen her here on the wards. She spends a lot of time here, but not nursing. She has an office on the lower-ground floor where she does a lot of the charity work for the Chrissie Newton Foundation.’

‘Where exactly is the office?’

‘Down the end of the corridor, take the far service lift down to lower basement. But. . you need to enter a code to get in.’

‘Have you seen her in her office?’

‘No. I never really had reason to go down there. I always just ring through if I want her. There are so many patients’ files down there that they have a security system separate from the main hospital. You have to have access and I don’t.’

‘Would anyone here know the code for gaining access?’

‘No. Sorry.’

‘Is there just one way in?’

‘There’s a door to the back of the hospital and the car park there but that won’t get you into her office. We take deliveries of cleaning materials for the hospital there.’

‘We’ll take a look. Thanks, Ivy.’

‘You’re welcome. Can’t you tell me what this is about? I love all the crime things on the telly; especially the Scandinavian ones. . brilliant. Always work it out before the end though. Always think I could have a crack at writing a crime novel. You must have some stories.’

Jeanie smiled. ‘Tell you what, Ivy, you keep in touch and if ever you get going with a crime novel I’ll be your inside source. How’s that?’

‘Brilliant. . thanks so much. . I’ll hold you to that.’

They walked along to the service lift, and went down two floors to the lower basement. They stepped out into blinking fluorescent orange light, which was activated by their arrival.

Jeanie took a scout to her right. ‘Cupboards, storage. Cleaners’ equipment. Nothing this way, Ebb. Not exactly a nice place to have an office.’ The rest of the floor was in darkness. To the left, at the far end, was a set of doors.

‘Ivy on reception was right,’ Ebony said as she walked over to take a look at the entry pad on the doors. ‘We’ll never get in without an invite.’ She phoned Robbo. ‘Can we get past this system?’

‘Yes. . probably. Text me the make and model, serial number. Take a photo of it for me. Then give me five. I’ll ring you back,’ Robbo said.

Ebony took the picture with her phone and sent it to him. She turned to Jeanie. ‘Five minutes, he says.’

‘Okay. . I’ll go and check out the back of the building. See what the other exits look like. Phone me when you get in.’

Jeanie went back up to reception. ‘Back in a min. .’ She smiled as she passed Ivy.

She walked down the front steps, turned right and walked around to the back of the building. Three ambulances, one unmarked, were waiting on a tar-macked area, under cover. Not far from them was a broad section of tarmac leading to the back entrance.

Robbo phoned Ebony back. ‘Here’s the sequence. It’s one used for the emergency services.’

‘Okay.’ Ebony tapped in the code and the lock released. ‘Thanks, Robbo. I’ll be in touch. I’ll ring you and tell you what I find. Where’s Carter?’

‘He’s gone to arrest Martingale.’

She texted Jeanie. . I’m in.

Jeanie replied: Found the ambulance.