Catch Your Death (10 page)

‘
I am interested…’

‘
It’s okay. I don’t want to talk about me right now. This is about you and your future. Kate, you could have a brilliant future in this battle against viruses. You could do a lot of good. An awful lot of good. The field needs people like you, with brains and vitality. And you have that something extra, don’t you? A personal connection. Because of what happened to your parents. Dear Derek and Francesca.’

She waited for him to go on, wondering if perhaps he was about to shed a tear. But he quickly regained his composure.

‘
I do hope you won’t think me presumptuous, but as soon as I heard your results, I got on the phone to an old friend of mine at Harvard University. Professor James Scott. A genius, and Dean of the Immunology and Infectious Diseases faculty. I told him all about you, Kate, and he wants to meet you. He’d like to see if you’d be interested in a position as a researcher in the department.’

‘
Oh my God. But what about my Msc at Oxford? I’m supposed to be starting that in October.’

‘
Wouldn’t you rather go to Harvard?’

‘
Yes, of course, but….’

‘
Kate, don’t worry. I’ll sort it all out for you. And, in fact, again, I hope you won’t think I’ve been presumptuous, but I’ve already booked you onto a flight to Boston. I’m told you’ll be fit enough to get out of here next week.’

He put another envelope on her bed, this one containing an air ticket.

‘
So what do you say?’

She was dumbstruck. Harvard. They were renowned for having the most advanced and forward-looking immunology departments, the ideal place for a young virologist to learn and grow as a scientist. And not only that, but it was America. She had images of skyscrapers, wide avenues, Boston’s beautiful old buildings, and the brightness of the new world. It was where all the most important research was being done. And, best of all, it was a long way from here. The perfect chance to make a new start.

She didn’t want to be in this country any more if Stephen wasn’t here.

She picked up the airline ticket and said, ‘What time’s the flight?’

CHAPTER 13

‘
And that was it,’ she said, as she finished her coffee. ‘I met Professor Scott, who offered me a position, and I never came back.’

She felt a tug at her arm. Jack said, ‘Mummy, I need a pee.’

‘
Okay. Come on. And don’t say pee, say wee.’

When they got back to the table, Paul asked, ‘If only Bainbridge was still alive. I bet he’d be able to help. Is there anyone else? Did you have any friends at the Unit? What about your roommate?’

Kate almost gasped. ‘Yes. Sarah. She was my roommate on my second visit.’ An image flashed in her head of her and Sarah fleeing the fire. ‘I would have spent most of my time with her. If there was something going on, there’s a good chance I would have talked to her about it.’

Excitement blossomed on Paul’s face.

‘
Except I never had any contact with her after I left the CRU.’

‘
Oh.’

‘
I don’t even remember her surname.’

‘
Do you think that if we went there, to see the CRU, it might jog your memory?’

‘
It might do.’

‘
Right.’ He pulled the laptop back towards him.

‘
What are you doing?’ Kate asked.

‘
Finding out the quickest way to get to Salisbury.’

Back in their hotel room, Kate packed her and Jack’s suitcases. Her heart was beating fast and her body tingled. It was almost a sexual feeling, a sense of excitement mingled with trepidation about what was to come. Jack was excited too, bouncing on the bed.

‘
Don’t do that,’ she said.

He kept bouncing.

‘
Jack, get down.’

Tutting and huffing he lay down on his back on the bed and said, ‘Mummy, where are we going?’

‘
We’re going for a drive down the motorway.’

‘
What’s a motorway?’

‘
A highway.’

‘
Cool. Are we going in Paul’s car?’

‘
Yes.’

‘
I don’t expect it’s nice as daddy’s car. Daddy’s car’s really big and fast, isn’t it?’

That’s to make up for his small penis, she thought. ‘Yes, it is.’

‘
Mummy, is Paul your boyfriend?’

She couldn’t see herself in any mirrors, but she was certain her cheeks had turned pink. ‘No, of course he isn’t. He’s just my friend.’

‘
Your new friend. Like Billy’s my new friend.’

‘
Yes, sweetheart. Just like that.'

Her 'new friend' was waiting in the lobby. He picked up both Kate’s suitcases and strolled off with them towards his car, which was in the hotel car park. Kate noted, with another accompanying tingle, that Paul had surprisingly muscular arms. Jack trotted along behind. ‘Mummy, can we stop on the highway for a KFC?’

‘
No.’

‘
Taco Bell?’

‘
They don’t have Taco Bell in England.’

‘
How about a Subway?’ Paul asked.

Jack screwed up his face and stuck his tongue out. ‘Eww. I hate Subway.’

Paul said, ‘Right, you’ve asked for it. We’ll stop at Little Chef.’

‘
Alright.’

Paul and Kate exchanged a smile, and Jack looked up at them. ‘Paul, my mum said you’re not her boyfriend, just her friend. But she’s married to my dad, so you couldn’t be her boyfriend anyway, could you? Daddy wouldn’t like that.’

Kate groaned. ‘Ja-ack.’

She couldn’t see Paul’s face to ascertain whether he was amused or horrified by the idea. She knew it was stupid, but she would have been crushed if she’d seen a look of horror. And besides, Jack was dead right. Daddy wouldn’t like that at all.

A minute after they left the car park, John Sampson drove in.

CHAPTER 14

‘
How can I help you, sir?’

Sampson didn’t think of his police ID as fake. It wasn’t fake – it had been removed from the still-warm body of a detective inspector and modified later so it showed Sampson’s picture. It always came in handy in situations like this. Real criminals, or people who often had dealings with the law, were usually unimpressed and uncooperative. But flash a police ID at an ordinary member of the public, and act in the right, superior way, and they would fall over themselves to help you. It was easy.

He held up the ID and said, ‘Who’s in charge here?’

There were two receptionists behind the desk, a brunette woman and a man who Sampson was pretty sure was homosexual. He could sense it in the same way someone with a phobia of cats could sense a feline presence. He bristled as the man leaned over and said, in a poofy voice that made Sampson grit his teeth, ‘The manager’s not here at the moment, detective. Perhaps we can help?’

Sampson concentrated on the woman, putting a picture down on the desk in front of her. ‘I believe this woman is staying with you.’

The receptionists gave each other a knowing look. Sampson said, ‘Well?’

The woman said, ‘She looks a lot younger in this picture, but she was staying here. She checked out this morning.’

‘
Was she due to check out today?’

‘
I’m not sure. Let me check.’

The woman knew Kate’s name, even though they must have hundreds of guests come and go every day. Interesting, thought Sampson.

She brought up Kate’s name on the computer screen beside her and said, ‘She was supposed to be here for another week, though there’s a note here to say her stay was open-ended.’

It was amazing how much confidential information people would give you if they thought you were a police official. It was the human need to gossip taken to a new level. Only fear of losing their jobs made people cautious. But if they felt they had to give the information away – or had an excuse to do so – they would squeal like piglets in a slaughterhouse.

‘
Why did you give each other a knowing look when I showed you her photo?’

The guy couldn’t wait to tell him. ‘She had a bit of an altercation last night with one of our babysitters.’ He told him about the scene the previous evening.

‘
So, she and the child checked out this morning?’

‘
Yes, and the guy they were with.’

Sampson narrowed his eyes. This fucking homo was giving him the creeps. ‘A guy? Can you describe him?’

‘
Um, he had really nice eyes. Late thirties, maybe. I wouldn’t make a very good witness, would I, detective?’

The woman said, ‘Are they in trouble?’

Sampson counted to three under his breath and said, ‘Maybe.’

The receptionists looked at each other. This was exciting.

‘
Do you have CCTV here?’

The homo nodded. ‘I could show you if you like.’

Sampson blanched. He nodded at the woman. ‘No, you show me.’

‘
Okay.’ She turned towards her colleague. ‘Can you look after things down here, Damien?’

‘
I’m sure I’ll manage.’

Sampson concentrated on the receptionist’s butt as she led him towards the security office. She had a nice arse. Very womanly. Her hair was tied back in a short ponytail that exposed the back of her neck. A good spot to bite.

‘
What’s your name?’ he asked.

‘
Michelle.’

‘
You’re being very helpful, Michelle. I won’t forget you.’

She touched her hair. ‘It’s no problem.’ She lowered her voice and cast her eyes left then right, as if checking that no-one was eavesdropping. ‘To tell you the truth, I thought there was something funny about Ms Maddox, even before the scene with the babysitter.’

‘
Really?’

‘
Yes. She seemed jittery, like she was afraid of something.’

She was desperate to know why he was after Kate. She’d regret finding out, though, because then he’d have to kill her.

Sampson had been given the picture of Kate when he dropped off the virus and hard disk the night before. She looked a bit pale and washed-out in the photo – it didn’t do her justice. Didn’t show her true extraordinary beauty. The picture was 16 years old, taken when both Kate and he had been at the CRU.

‘
It might take us a few days to get a more up-to-date picture,’ said Gaunt. ‘Her name is Kate Maddox now.’

‘
I thought I’d never see her again,’ said Sampson, gazing at the picture. Kate Maddox. She must be married. That thought had a strange effect on him, made him feel nauseous. It was something he hadn’t felt for a very long time.

Sixteen years.

‘
I got tipped off that she’d entered the country. She’s probably merely on holiday or visiting friends. But as a precaution I’d like you to find out what she’s up to. Just in case.’

‘
And if she’s up to something?’

‘
Report back to me. There’s a chance we might have to do something we should have done a long time ago.’

Sampson felt himself growing hard.

Michelle knocked on the door of the hotel’s security room and pushed it open. A bloke in a blue uniform sat in front of a few colour screens showing various scenes from around the hotel. The lobby, the car park, the corridors, the restaurant. He had The Sun spread out before him. Sampson had already checked the papers and was pleased to see the Animal Liberation Front taking the heat for Dr Twigger’s death. Michelle explained to the guard that the detective here needed to see CCTV footage of the lobby from this morning.

Huffing and sighing, the guard played with some buttons on the desk and they watched the silent characters in the lobby go into reverse.

‘
She only left half an hour ago,’ Michelle said, ‘so we shouldn’t need to rewind far.’ She scrutinised the screen carefully. After a minute or so, she said, ‘There she is. Play.’

The picture was clear and of high quality. Michelle pointed as Kate walked across the lobby, dragging a pair of suitcases, a small child beside her.

‘
The little boy’s really sweet,’ said Michelle. ‘Poor thing.’

Sweet? Sampson didn’t agree. He had no interest in children. He’d hated them when he was a kid and his opinion hadn’t changed as he’d got older. But seeing Kate had a strange effect on him. He became aware of his heartbeat, of the blood flowing through his veins. And he could taste blood in his mouth. Sweat broke out on his forehead and he started to breathe heavily.

‘
Are you alright?’ Michelle asked, touching his arm.

He couldn’t take his eyes off Kate.

‘
There’s the guy,’ Michelle said, and Sampson felt a more familiar sensation – the desire to hurt and kill – when a man, whose face Sampson recognised with shock – took the suitcases from Kate and walked off with her. They left the lobby and vanished from view.

‘
I need to see the car park footage,’ he said.

There were numerous cameras set up around the car park, and it took a while for them locate Kate and her companion. Finally, they got a view of them getting into a silver Peugot, though it wasn’t possible to see the registration number.