Episode 12 - The engagement

Greg took things into his own hands for the rest of Saturday. After Gary had gone home he sat at his work-space for a while trying to decide how much rope Gary would give him when it came to the crunch. Gary still had a lot to learn about delegating and in the case of Fish’s assassination there was no time to lose.

Chris Winter was forthcoming with analyses and his conclusions.

Ronnie Fish had been stabbed in the shoulder with a syringe containing a nerve poison, but nothing had been left to chance. Either the poisoner or a second person had jammed a revolver into his back and pulled the trigger, after which whoever was responsible had disappeared into the shopping crowd leaving Fish bleeding to death on the pavement. By the time the paramedics came a few minutes later, Fish was quite dead and his body had stiffened from the nerve poison. Since it was too soon for rigor mortis to have set in, it was obvious to Chris that nerve poison had indeed been used and a brief examination of the corpse back in the pathology lab that led to finding a small bruise on the right shoulder of the dead man, confirmed his suspicion. A bullet from the shooting had yet to be extracted and compared with the available data. There was a slim hope that the owner of the gun would be found, but killing in full view of the general public seemed to be a good way of perpetrating the perfect murder. You chose a crowded street, worked fast, and got away unobtrusively. The street camera films had been transferred but had yet to be scrutinised. Had Fish been followed?

Chris also reported that Irene had been killed by nerve poison injected into a shoulder and then forced underwater in the bathtub. She would probably have been lamed by then and unable to save herself.

Chris could not rule out that the same killer was guilty of all three murders. The forensic team had collected everything in the hospital sick room, including the waste bin in which a syringe was found. Since it was unlikely that a syringe would be disposed of in that way by a member of the nursing staff, it was likely that the killer had used it but no bruising had been found on Maureen Bishop’s corpse. There were traces of nerve poison in the syringe and just one thumb print that Chris planned to identify as soon as possible.

“Can you do it by tomorrow,” Greg asked.

“I should think so, but I must get a few hours’ sleep tonight and there’s no real hurry, is there?”

“Yes, there is. It’s urgent, Chris.”

“Whoever the print belongs to thinks he’s in the clear. Monday’s soon enough to round him up.”

“How do you know that?”

“Experience, Greg.”

“Is there anything else I should know about?”

“We found some interesting documents at Fish’s house, Greg. Notes on bugging exploits. Someone must have known what was going to happen to Fish when he was released. There were no clients there and no girls there when we went there; just the barman and that Scandinavian-looking assistant. I don’t know how they found out that Fish was being released other than via a bug. Did Gary talk about his plan?”

“Only briefly to me in his office. I thought it was a bad idea, but Gary disagreed. You don’t suppose the superintendent office is bugged, do you, Chris?”

“I’ve have to check that. It’s wouldn’t surprise me.”

“Today?”

“I’ll do it now, Greg.”

“OK. I have a date so I’m leaving soon. Can you send me a text about any bug and anything else you think I should know?”

“Of course. Have a great evening. Do I know her?”

“Nurse Ellie consented to have dinner with me.”

“Look after yourself, Greg. I think she’s a fast worker.”

***

While Gary had been grappling with the sister issue at home in Upper Grumpsfield, Greg was grappling with his date in quite another sense. Nurse Ellie did not waste time with niceties. After her wish for a big hamburger and chips had been gratified, she invited him to her apartment, a rather dinky loft. Greg was used to Josie’s lethargy in all things except the spending of his money, so he had a little difficulty keeping up with pace of Ellie’s initiative that was not costing much financially, but all the more in other ways.

“You can sleep here if you like,” she said, getting out of bed and revealing her startlingly erotic nakedness. “I’ll open the bubbly now, shall I?”

“I can do that,” said Greg, whose nakedness was making him rather inhibited.

“You’re not cold, are you?” said Ellie.

“Not any more,” said Greg. “Are you single, Ellie?”

“Are you proposing, Greg?”

“I know it’s a bit sudden…”

That had not been Greg’s intention at all, since all he wanted to know was whether some guy or other would turn up and spoil the evening, but now he thought about it, Ellie was exactly what he needed in his life.

“…but why not?” he said accordingly.

“OK. Let’s do it,” said Ellie.

Greg, who had until that evening seen himself as prosaic and unromantic, twisted the wire on the bubbly cork to make a ring and presented it solemnly to Ellie.

“I’ll get you a proper engagement ring on Monday,” he said, thinking he must be in some sort of trance, though they had only drunk cola at the hamburger place.

“I already have three. I’d rather have a wedding ring,” said Ellie. “But if you insist…”

Greg felt dizzy from the enormity of his action. He had prided himself on being a confirmed bachelor, and here he was, nearly married on his first date with Ellie.

“We’ll take the bubbly to bed,” she said, “and take your socks off this time.”

***

Nurse Ellie did not have to be on night duty until Monday, so Greg abandoned crime and spent the weekend consummating his relationship with her.

While she took a lovely scented bath between torrid love sessions, Greg made two phone-calls. The first was to Gary to tell him that he was taking his off-duty Sunday after all, but Chris had some good news for him if he could please get in touch and be on hand for any emergency until Monday afternoon. He did not mention to Gary that the afternoons were Ellie’s sleep-time before she spent the whole night on duty at the hospital.

“Where are you, Greg?” Gary asked.

“Visiting.”

Gary remembered that Greg had told him about his date with Nurse Ellie, whom he thought might be a number too big for the staid Greg, but a welcome distraction after greedy Josie had gone off with a guy sporting a Ferrari.

“You have my blessing, Greg, but as a friend I’d recommend that you don’t get too involved too fast. Remember Josie.”

“Josie’s gone. I now have Ellie.”

“OK, and it’s OK with tomorrow. I’ll see to things.”

“Thanks, Gary. You’re a good friend.”

“Hopefully not in need.”

“Not this time.”

***

Greg’s phone-call to Chris was short.

“Any news?”

“I found one identity,” said Chris enthusiastically.

Greg did not seem impressed.

“I found a wife,” he boasted.

“A what? I told you to be careful,” said Chris.

“I thought I was. It just happened.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Greg.”

“I’ve been struck by a thunderbolt,” said Greg.

“Rather you than me. Let’s talk it through on Monday, shall we?”

“In the afternoon. Registry Office and ring in the morning, Chris. I’m almost a married man.”

“I think you’re potty,” said Chris. “Think it over!”

“You could congratulate me,” said Greg.

“I could, but I won’t,” said Chris and hung up.

***

Greg was getting used to his nudity, but the sight of Ellie wrapped in a rose pink bath towel and looking rather angelic was too much.

“Can you dry my back?” she said.

“I’ll do more than that,” he replied picking up this rose-like bundle and carrying her back into the bedroom part of the loft.

Greg was acting totally out of character. Or was he now being himself for the first time? By Monday morning he was quite sure that Ellie had brought out the real Greg. He would never the same again.

Ellie was enchanted, not least with the pretty ring Greg bought her before they went to the town hall. The wedding rings had also been selected and would be collected after they had been engraved. Greg did everything in style even if he could not afford it.

“Where shall we live?” she whispered as they waited to be served by the registrar on duty, who happened to be Mrs Colby, so Greg knew her from Gary’s wedding.

The formalities were completed quickly. The marriage would take place a week on Saturday. The happy couple signed the documents.

“We can live at my flat,” said Greg.

“Or mine,” said Ellie.

“There’s no room for my model railway in your loft,” said Greg.

Ellie looked at him in astonishment.

“We’ll have to find something else to keep you amused then,” she said coyly.

“OK. No model railway,” said Greg rather sadly.

“Would you rather have your trains than me?” said Ellie.

“Oh no. You are the woman in my life,” said Greg hastily.

“Thank goodness for that,” said Ellie. “I’ll have to go home now. I need some sleep before I go to work.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“Better not, Sweetheart. You have a job to go to.”

“So I have,” said Greg. “When can I see you again?”

“Can you pick me up from the hospital at about seven thirty tomorrow morning?”

Greg wondered how he would get through the rest of the day and the night without the nearness of this bundle of joy.

“You’ll have to change your night schedule, Ellie.”

“I will, won’t I?”