Ultimate Dilemma (Justice Again Book 2) by M Comley (best books under 200 pages txt) 📕

“Still? Was she there when the attack took place?” Katy queried.

“Apparently she rang for an ambulance after coming home from work and finding her father in that state.”

“Interesting. We’ll drop by and see her. Do we know what ward?”

“Her father had just had an operation and was in the recovery room, I believe.”

“We’ll find them. Thanks, Ray. What’s the name?”

“The victim is Bruce Crawford, his daughter is Nadia.”

“Thanks again. We’ll take my car, Charlie.”

They arrived at the hospital around ten minutes later and parked in one of the numerous available spaces.

“Makes a change not to be hunting for a space around here, I’ll see that as a good omen.” Katy got out of the car and jabbed the fob to lock it once Charlie had joined her.

“If you say so. Nothing about this seems ‘good’ to me,” Charlie muttered.

“I hear you. Let’s see if the daughter is up to speaking to us. I doubt it. If she’s not, we can arrange to call round to see her in the morning and trundle off home to bed.”

“Wishful thinking on your part, I fear,” Charlie said with a grin.

“We’ll see. I’ll ask at reception where we’re likely to find her.”

The receptionist furnished them with lengthy directions which Katy lost halfway through. She smiled and thanked the woman, and they set off. “I hope you remembered the latter part of those instructions because she lost me after the seventh right turn.”

Charlie grinned. “Yep, don’t worry.”

There was a nurse exiting the room when they eventually found it.

Katy flashed her ID. “Hi, we’re looking for a Miss Crawford. Is she in there?”

“She is. I’m not sure she’s in any fit state to talk to the police, though.”

“We’ll be gentle with her, I promise. Is it all right if we go in?”

“I suppose so.” The woman spun on her heel and dashed up the corridor.

Katy inhaled a few deep breaths and entered the room. There was a young woman sitting beside a man who was obviously no longer alive.

Katy was shocked to see him lying there uncovered. “Hello, Miss Crawford, is it? Sorry for the intrusion.”

The woman slowly turned to look at them. “Yes. Who are you? No, please, don’t take him away from me, not yet. I haven’t had the chance to say goodbye to him properly. I’ve just been sitting here numb…”

“I can understand that. No, we haven’t come to take him away. I’m DI Katy Foster, and this is my partner, DC Charlie Simpkins from the Met Police. Would it be possible to have a word with you?”

“Now? Right now, you expect me to answer your questions?”

“Just a few, if you don’t mind.” Katy studied the woman. Her clothes were covered in blood, which could only mean one thing: she’d probably contaminated the scene back at the house. Or there could be another scenario for her to consider, that the woman was the perpetrator. She’d come across cases like that in the past. It wasn’t beyond the realms of possibility, nothing was in this day and age. Not when the perps seemed to be getting cannier by the day.

Nadia let out a shuddering breath. “If you must. I’m not leaving this room, you can say what you have to say right here.”

“That’s all right. Can you tell us what happened?”

The sergeant had given them a brief rundown of events, but Katy wanted to see if the woman came up with the same account of what had gone on.

“I came home from work just after ten-twenty and found him lying on the living room floor. I tried my hardest to help him.”

“You touched him?”

The woman glanced up, seemingly appalled by the question. “Of course, what would you have done in the same situation?”

Katy acknowledged Nadia’s rebuttal was probably a valid one. “You’re right. Go on.”

“I’m a nurse, if that helps you to assess things more accurately. I took an oath to help those in distress or injured.”

“Ah, well, that definitely sheds a different light on things. Thanks. Was there anyone else in the house when you got home?”

“No. I only managed to search the house briefly while the paramedics worked on him and couldn’t find anything wrong. The back door was shut. I think the front door was closed when I got there, I would have remembered if it hadn’t been.”

“Was your father due to see anyone this evening?”

“No, he rarely goes out or accepts visitors, not nowadays. He goes to work and that’s it. He had heart problems and was awaiting a bypass.” She stared at her father’s snow-white face and ran her hand down his cheek. “Maybe he didn’t have the strength to fight back. Had he been twenty years younger he would’ve throttled the person before they had a chance to lay a finger on him.”

“Did you live with your father?” Katy needed to ask the question. She reckoned Nadia was in her late twenties to early thirties, which seemed old for a young woman to be at home still.

“Is there a law against that?” Nadia bit back defensively.

“No, it wasn’t a judgement, just an enquiry into why you were at the house, really.”

Nadia’s gaze fell on her father once more. “I see. Yes, I’ve always lived with my father. Have you seen the price of property in the area? Out of my reach on my paltry nurse’s salary.”

“Yes, I get that. What about your mother, is she still with you?”

Her gaze lowered to her hands. “No. My mother died when I was four and my sister was three.”

“Sister? Does she live with you as well?”

“No, Penny has her own life up in Scotland. She’s married to Adam; he works on the oil rigs up there.”

“Do you see her much?”

“Not as often as I’d like. I’ve rung her, she’s on her way to be with me. She’s promised to help me with the funeral arrangements. I’ve never had to deal with any of this crap before and I wouldn’t know where to start.” Tears dripped onto her flushed cheeks.

“It’s