Page 74 of Her Deadly Promise

‘I know and I’m sorry,’ Meera blubbed, eyes red rimmed from crying. ‘I wanted to tell Nadia how sorry I was. I didn’t mean any of this.’

‘And now you’ve made things worse. You saw my daughter hooked up to those beeping machines, and you chose to come here now and upset her more. You have a nerve. You and that tosser deserve each other. You’re both scum.’ Nadia’s mother’s bun had begun to loosen, and her face blushed a plum colour. She escaped Jacob and pushed Meera. ‘Go away, now before I do something I might really regret. No one hurts my daughter like that.’

Meera took a few steps back and grabbed her bag off a plastic orange chair. Gina glanced up the ward that came off the corridor and several tired and ill-looking people were taking in the argument.

Jacob gently led Nadia’s mother aside and Gina beckoned for Meera to follow her. ‘You were not authorised to enter Mrs Anderson’s room.’ She was angry with the woman for upsetting their victim. She swallowed down her frustration. Now was not the time. She’d heard it all. Meera was basically begging Nadia for forgiveness. It’s a shame she hadn’t thought about their friendship before she slept with her friend’s husband, but it wasn’t Gina’s place to express judgement.

‘I needed to come. I still care about her.’ She sniffed and placed a hand on her flushed cheek. ‘I don’t blame Nadia’s mother for slapping me. I deserved it. I’ve been a horrible friend and all I want to do is to make it up to her.’

‘Meera, did Nadia say anything to you about what had happened?’

Tears slid down her cheeks and bounced off her chin. ‘No, it was like she was terrified of me, like I might kill her. She raised her hands and kept trying to slap me away. I would never hurt her.’

That was debatable. Meera might not have taken her and stabbed her, but the emotional hurt she had caused would be hard for Nadia to get over. ‘Is there anything else we should know? I’ll be straight with you. A woman’s life is in danger and if you know anything, now is the time to say it.’

‘I don’t know anything.’ She broke down.

Gina took a deep breath and walked over to PC Kapoor. The woman bit her bottom lip. ‘I was only gone a few minutes, guv.’

‘It’s okay.’

‘It’s not okay. When I got back, the nurse had gone and Nadia was screaming and when I saw Mrs Gupta next to her, I ran in there, scaring Nadia even more. She kept screaming repeatedly. I’m sorry, guv. I feel like I stuffed up.’

‘You were here alone. We’re understaffed, and you needed the loo. There was nothing you could do. Please don’t beat yourself up about this. Did she mention anyone by the name of Benedict Carny during this time?’

‘No, guv. She was terrified and shouting, that was all. I’m sorry to have to tell you that they gave her something to calm her down. She is quite drowsy.’

Damn, that wasn’t what Gina wanted to hear. Had Meera not turned up, Nadia wouldn’t have been sedated. ‘I best not waste any time then.’

PC Kapoor stepped aside, and Gina entered the room to the sound of beeping. Nadia’s half-closed eyelids registered her presence. ‘Nadia, it’s DI Harte. May I sit?’ She didn’t want to alarm the dopey patient.

Nadia let out a groan.

‘Can you tell me anything about your attack?’

A tear drizzled down the side of her face and she mumbled, ‘Shiny.’

‘Shiny. What was shiny?’

She mumbled something incoherent then forced one eye open wide, but only for a second.

‘Do you know Benedict Carny?’

She shook her head.

‘Please, Nadia, if there is anything at all you can tell me, it would really help. I know you’ve been through a lot. Your friend Candice has been taken.’ She wondered if Nadia would name Gavin Brent.

A piercing yell came from Nadia’s mouth, and she mumbled again as if fighting a deep sleep. ‘Shiny, so shiny,’ she yelled, again. Her lids were virtually closed. ‘The knife.’

‘Nadia, please. Stay with me.’ It was no good. Nadia couldn’t fight the sedative any longer.

‘He’ll kill me,’ she murmured before drifting off to sleep.

‘Who will kill you?’ Gina didn’t know if Nadia meant Mr Anderson or Gavin Brent. She stormed out of the room. ‘Nadia said that someone wants to kill her. Call the station and get another officer here. We can’t leave her alone for a second. Not now.’

PC Kapoor picked up her radio and stepped to one side. Meera had left and Jacob was comforting Nadia’s crying mother.

Gina’s phone began to ring. ‘O’Connor?’

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