Once Sally had parked, they hurried across the car park, flashed their IDs at the parking attendant, and entered the hospital. Sally asked the bespectacled woman in her fifties sitting behind the reception desk what direction they should head in for the location of the victim. The woman pointed at a large sign on the wall that listed all the major departments to the hospital. “Follow the blue line to the Intensive Care Unit,” she told them.
“Thanks.”
After getting lost a few times along the way, they finally arrived at the ICU and showed their IDs to the nurse at the station positioned outside the ward. “We’re here to see the doctor treating Amanda Collins. Can you contact him, please?”
“You’re in luck. He’s on the ward at the moment, carrying out his rounds. He shouldn’t be long, if you care to take a seat.”
“We’ll stand. Thanks.”
Sally and Jack impatiently paced the small reception area for the next ten minutes until a doctor emerged from the ward. He stopped at the hand sanitizer dispenser on the wall and rubbed his hands with the liquid. Sally approached him before the nurse could inform him of their presence.
“Ah, Inspector. Right, here’s where we stand: the patient, Amanda Collins, is still in grave danger. We’ve got her on a ventilator for now. She’s in a coma, and at present we have no idea how long that state will last or if indeed she will survive.”
“Damn, I take it her family has been contacted?”
“They have. They were on holiday in Turkey. They’re on their way back now. As you can imagine, the news came as a shock to them, and I’d appreciate you being courteous to them when they arrive. In other words, give them some breathing space before you start bombarding them with questions.”
“We’ll be sensitive, Doctor. No fear of that. What’s your honest opinion about Miss Collins?”
“I’d say realistically we’re looking at a sixty-forty split in her favour. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to complete my rounds on this floor.”
“Sorry, one last question, Doc. We’re on the trail of a serial killer. At this time, it’s subjective, but we think Miss Collins’s attack could be linked to the other crimes. I was wondering if you found any traces of semen on Miss Collins when she arrived.”
“We did. One of the nurses who usually works with rape victims in conjunction with the police, took a sample of fluid found on Miss Collins’s thigh before she cleaned her up. Wait here a moment please.”
Sally and Jack high-fived as the doctor walked away from them. “Things are certainly looking up. All we need now is for a miracle to happen and for Miss Collins to pull through,” Sally stated, with a cautious smile.
The doctor returned, carrying a sheet of paper with the nurse’s contact information attached to a Norfolk Constabulary requisite form. “There you go, Inspector. She arranged for the lab to pick up the sample already. It should be there now.”
Sally took the papers. “Thank you. I really appreciate your nurse’s timely thinking. I’ll just step out and ring the lab.”
“Of course. Her parents should be here shortly.”
Sally thanked the doctor, ordered Jack to wait in the hall to greet the parents, and stepped outside.
Simon answered her call right away. “What can I do for you, Inspector?”
“Another victim was attacked last night. She’s in a coma, but the attacker left this sample at the crime scene, just like all the others. Any chance you can get it verified for me ASAP?” Sally read off the case number from the nurse’s file.
“Hmm… I do have that sample at the lab, but the last I heard, you already had a man in custody for the other murders. Has he escaped?”
“No, he’s in the hospital wing of the prison. I think he’s innocent and probably being set up. I need to know why. We have a preliminary sketch of the real offender, but everyone we’ve shown the sketch to so far doesn’t seem to recognise the person.”
“That’s strange. So where do you go from here?”
“Well, the latest victim is in a coma. We have to pray that she comes out of that coma and can either give us a name of her attacker or give us a positive ID in the form of another sketch. It’s all up in the air for the time being. Can you get that sample rushed through for me? If nothing else, it rules out the man we have in custody and means we can be sure we’re after the man in the sketch.”
“Of course, I’ll get it actioned immediately. I’ll call you with the results as soon as we have them.”
“Thanks, Simon. Before I go, I have to tell you that my chief has given me until the end of the week to conclude the case. Otherwise, he’s hinting at another team taking over the investigation.”
“Seems a bit harsh.”
“I think the super is squeezing him about quotas, as usual.”
“If only the criminals would back off and give us all a break or two, life would be so much simpler, wouldn’t it?”
“It sure would. Talk later.”
Upon her return to the ICU, she found Jack trying to appease a man and woman in their mid-forties. Her partner heaved a relieved sigh when he spotted her.
“Here’s the Inspector now. Mr. and Mrs. Collins, boss.”
Sally held out her hand, but only Mrs. Collins shook it. Mr. Collins threw an irate hand up in the air. “I want someone to tell me what is wrong with my kid.”
Sally raised an eyebrow at her partner. “Haven’t you told them yet, Jack?”
“I was in the process of doing that when you arrived, boss.”
“Just tell us!” Mr. Collins ordered. His tone said he wasn’t in the mood to be challenged.
“Okay, as far as we know your daughter was attacked and left for dead by her assailant.” Mrs. Collins wailed and threw herself at her husband’s chest. Tears welled up in Mr. Collins’s eyes. Sally continued, “At this moment, your daughter is in a coma. The doctor couldn’t tell us how long that is likely to last. It’s the body’s way of shutting down to recover after such an ordeal.”
“Have you caught the bastard?” Mr. Collins asked less angry.
Sally shook her head. “Not yet. The thing is, we need Amanda’s help. We’ve had this man on our radar for a few weeks now, but he’s doing everything he can to evade capture.”
“What?” Mr. Collins pushed his wife upright and took a step towards Sally.
She stood her ground, sensing Jack tense up beside her. I refuse to feel guilty!
“What are you talking about? You knew there was a madman on the loose but neglected to tell the public? I know we’ve just travelled back from Turkey, but they still get the daily papers over there for those of us who like to keep informed about what’s going on back home. I’ve not read anything about this or a similar crime in this area while we’ve been away. Have they suppressed the news deliberately?”
“Yes, you’re right. This case has not hit the media yet. I felt that to inform the public would be tipping off the offender, too. We’ll never catch him if he knew we were on to him.”
“Oh, I see. So in the meantime, you’re happy to sit behind your frigging desk and watch the body count rise. Is that it?”
“Not at all, Mr. Collins. Please, can you keep your voice down? You’re disturbing the patients.”
He scowled at Sally, long and hard. Then he threw his hands up in the air again before continuing in a hushed, yet still-angry voice, “I get it—you’re convinced that leaving this bastard running around out there on the loose will benefit our society. Is that it? Damn, I’m so effing dumb!”
Sally’s own anger teetered. She inhaled and exhaled a few short breaths then replied, “No, that definitely is not the case. The murderer has been tricking us, using someone else’s DNA at the scene to throw us off his scent. We’re trying our hardest to deal with that issue.”
“Murderer? So he’s killed women already? Jesus, this just gets better. So you’re telling us that this animal intended to kill our daughter?”
“We believe so, yes.”
“And tell me this, Inspector; did the parents of the other victims give you those black eyes for giving them a dumb answer to their questions? Believe me when I say I’m sorely tempted to vent my anger out on someone right now.”