Chapter Four – Accidents and Accusations
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When Nick and Kate arrived at the accident site the ambulance could be heard in the distance. The little cottage just outside Aidensfield was fully lit and the door stood ajar. Mr. Telford ran toward them. "It's my wife, doctor, you better come quickly," he urged, visibly upset, his eyes pleading as he focused on Kate.
"Alright, Mr. Telford, just show me where she is," Kate responded as she retrieved her medical bag from the backseat of the car.
Nick took a moment to look around the place. He took in the broken window, the trampled roses beneath it and then walked around the house before he finally went inside after having deduced that the person who'd given the Telford's a nightly visit was long gone.
Kate had obviously finished examining the woman as Nick entered and now she was finishing up a dressing around her head. Mrs. Telford was out for the count completely and her husband stood next to her, seemingly in shock.
Nick hated to intervene in moments like these because if it had been Kate, lying there, he wouldn't have cared about anything else. But he had to do his job so he moved over to stand next to the worried man. "Mr. Telford, could you please tell me what's happened," he asked kindly.
"He clubbed my wife, that's what happened," he returned heatedly.
"Who did?" Nick tried politely.
"How should I know? I haven't seen the bloke before," Mr. Telford said upset.
"Maybe you could give me a description so that I have something to start with," Nick suggested softly as the paramedics walked in with a stretcher.
Telford sighed. "I…it happened so fast," he began hesitantly. "He was of medium height, all dressed in black…," he trailed off as he stared at the limp body of his wife as she was being lifted on to the stretcher. "He had some kind of mask on, I really couldn't see his face properly but he had dark hair," he offered.
Nick nodded. "That's okay for now, Mr. Telford, go with your wife and I'll talk to you later," he said softly.
The man looked relieved. "Thank you Constable Rowan," he said.
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"Kate," Alex acknowledged as she stepped through the door to the practice the next morning.
"Hello, Alex," she greeted. "I'm sorry but I had to stay with Mrs. Telford at the hospital for a while," she apologized.
"Of course," he said. "What happened?"
"There was a burglary and Mrs. Telford walked in to the room just as the man was in the process of emptying their money box. She hasn't come around yet. I'm afraid he struck her pretty hard over the head with a bronze statuette," Kate filled in.
Alex shook his head. "Poor woman, I've known Eve and Aaron for quite some time you know," he said sadly.
"I'm sure he would have been keen on having you at his doorstep rather than me," Kate replied.
Doctor Ferrenby frowned and then a slight smile crept upon his lips. "I'm sure you handled it exemplary, Kate, besides Nick had to report there and you would have been awakened anyway," he reasoned.
Kate narrowed her eyes and folded her arms across her chest at the smug look on her colleagues face.
"Well, I better go and visit them," he said innocently. "I'll hand over the rest of the patients into your care then Kate."
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Blaketon walked briskly into the duty room. "Well, that was the second burglary in three days and we still don't have a clue about the first one," he said in annoyance, his voice sharp.
"The description doesn't fit for both robberies," Nick offered.
Blaketon turned to glare at him. "Doesn't help things, Rowan," he returned and nodded at Phil. "Bellamy, have you had a chance to look into the burglary from two days ago or have you been busy gossiping?" he questioned sourly.
"According to Mrs. Philpot, sarge, there were two younger men in her flat. She caught them red handed stealing her money. They panicked when she appeared, threw her down the stair and climbed out through the window. She reckons they needed the money to buy some drugs," Bellamy finished.
"Well, anyone else saw them? Have they done something more? Are they previously charged? What are their names?" Blaketon asked, firing a volley of questions.
Phil looked down at the desk gloomily.
The sergeant folded his arms. "I think you have your work cut out for you Bellamy, off you go," he commanded as the young constable scrambled out of his chair.
"It wasn't exactly a straight forward burglary, sarge," Alf drawled to Phil's defense.
"I know that, Ventress, but the fact remains that we still haven't managed to solve it. I had a call from the HQ in Whitby earlier on where I was told it was a disappointment to know that we hadn't found anything about the missing gang," he finished.
"They might not even be here," Nick protested.
"Exactly, Rowan, but if they are and it turns out that your acquaintance from London is somehow involved…" Blaketon let it hang in the air.
"He's hardly an acquaintance, he was a look out for a gang back in London," Nick returned, clarifying things for Alf.
"Do you still believe that he's involved?" the sergeant asked straight forward.
Nick frowned and reached up to scratch his forehead. "The central division doesn't believe…"
"Forget about the division, Rowan," Blaketon rudely interrupted. "I asked what you thought."
"I wouldn't put it past him," he returned thoughtfully, sincerely.
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Doctor Kate Rowan yawned tiredly, despite the fact that it was only early afternoon, as the door closed behind the last patient for the day. She hadn't got near enough of sleep last night.
There was a knock on the door and she straightened in her chair.
Alex Ferrenby walked in.
Kate sighed with relief. "I thought you were another patient; one that I had forgotten," she said.
He chuckled. "Not to worry. Did they give you trouble today?" the good old doctor asked kindly.
Kate beamed. "No more than usual," she returned as she organized the papers on her desk. "How's Mrs. Telford doing?"
Alex made a face. "She finally came around, just as I was about to leave. The gash over her temple seemed pretty nasty and she's nursing a good concussion but she will be alright," he explained.
"Sounds good, she had me worried there for a bit," Kate admitted. "Did you see Nick?"
"No, was he supposed to be there?" Alex asked.
"I thought so," she returned with a frown. "Anyway, I'm heading over to Mrs. Barclay to see what she's been up to this time."
Her colleague chuckled. "I heard Nick found her taking a stroll down the street in Aidensfield last night," he said.
Kate nodded in exasperation. "See what I mean? She can't be on her own any longer," she replied.
"You know we can't just place her on a home without a good reason," Alex said seriously. "More importantly, like I said before, she doesn't want to go."
"She's senile, Alex, she was going to meet her late husband. I agree that her body is healthy for her old age but she's not in her right mind and she hasn't got any relatives nearby. What if something happens to her, or worse to someone else?" the young doctor finished.
Alex nodded. "I see your point, Kate," he said, finally relenting. "I'll see what I can do."
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It was already seven o'clock in the evening when Phil Bellamy walked into the police station at Ashfordly.
"How did it go, Phil?" Nick asked as he reached for his coat and helmet.
Phil shook his head and sighed. "I could use something strong," he said.
"Rough day?" Nick asked, his voice slightly teasing.
"You could say that but…" Phil began and broke into a grin. "I've managed to find out…"
"Bellamy!" Blaketon hollered as he strode down the corridor from his office. "Report," he demanded as he walked up to stand next to him.
"Um, as I was telling Nick, I've managed to get their names. Alan and Henry Abbott, lives in Whitby. No previous allegations or run-ins with the law. They deny being in the woman's apartment and I can't bring them in," Phil finished.
"What do you mean can't bring them in?" Blaketon asked, fixing the young constable with an angry glare.
"They say the evidence is circumstantial at best and that the woman's statement can't be reliable since she's had a bang on the head and don't know what she's saying," Phil explained.
"Rubbish," the sergeant returned.
"Well it's not going to be easy. Turns out they are the sons of the lawyer Andrew Robbins up in Whitby," Phil finished, eliciting a smirk from Nick and a deep sigh from his sergeant.
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4/17
To be continued. As always, I would love to hear from you ;)