Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Always the voice of reason, Abigail stepped forward. “Mrs. Craig, is it OK if I take Elsie for some cocoa and maybe a scone?”
The other woman appeared in a daze, but she nodded. She touched her daughter’s cheek. “You go with the nice lady. It’s going to be OK, Elsie. I’ll figure this out.”
“I want to see Daddy,” Elsie whispered. “Did he go to heaven? Is that why we can’t see him?”
The room fell silent. Whatever else was happening, a little girl was missing her dad.
Abigail reached out her hand. “Your mum and the Constable need to talk. You come with me. Don’t be scared. Hot chocolate makes everything better.”
“Go on, love. Mummy’s right here. I’ll come and get you soon.”
As Abigail walked the child down the hallway, the little girl glanced back. I couldn’t imagine what might be going through her mind. The adults in the room were confused, and she was bound to be even more so.
“She’s in quite capable hands,” I said.
“Thank you,” the mother said softly. “I feel like I’m going mad. I—can’t imagine what she’s thinking right now. It’s just such a shock. I took three trains to get here from Glasgow. We were starving, so we went to the pub. That’s where I heard someone talking about my husband being dead.”
“Why do you think it is your husband?” Ewan asked. “If you’re from Glasgow?”
“I haven’t heard from him in days. We own a second-hand and antiques shop.
It’s small but keeps us going. He takes short trips to do estate sales and sometimes he does resales at fêtes.
That’s why he was here. He usually calls me every day and video chats with Elsie.
But I haven’t heard from him since—I don’t know.
It’s been a few days. I have a find my phone app, and the last spot his phone was on was here. I thought …”
“What?” Ewan asked encouragingly.
“He’s been off the drink for years. Since Elsie was born, he hasn’t had a sip. But before … he had a problem. I was worried maybe he was … I never imagined he’d be dead.” Tears streamed down her face. “Please, I need to see him.”
Isobel and Baird stared at her. The shock evident on their faces. It was obvious this poor woman was sincere.
Ewan nodded at me.
“If you’re ready, I can take you to see him,” I said.
“Thank you.”
She and Ewan followed me to room four.
I cleared my throat. “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” the word was a whisper.
I carefully pulled back the sheet.
She gasped. And then fainted.
Thankfully, Ewan caught her before she hit the floor.
I quickly pulled the sheet back up and then helped him get her into the room next door. We sat her in a chair. “Hold her there, I’ll get a wet rag and a glass of water.”
I put the rag on her head.
“Is there something we can do to help?” Baird asked. “What happened?”
“She fainted.”
The cool cloth seemed to stir her. Her eyes opened, and it was obvious she tried to focus.
“I’m Dr. Em, and you’re OK,” I said. “You’ve had a shock and took a spill. Here drink this.”
She took the water from me and sipped slowly.
Then she put her hand to her head. “I—I fainted?”
“Yes,” I said. “It’s not unusual when you’ve had a shock. Have you had an episode like this before?”
“Only when I was pregnant … oh?” Her eyes grew wide.
Ewan and I glanced at each other. The poor woman had enough to deal with at the moment.
“Tell me what we can do to make things better,” I said.
“You already have,” she said. “I’m sorry I made such a fuss. I’m usually the sensible one. It’s all just been so much.” She touched her head again. Her shoulders sagged.
“Is there someone we can call to come and get you?”
“No. I’ll be fine. We never ate. I heard about Duncan … I just need food, and I’ll be fine. And please apologize to the man’s family.”
The man?
“I feel so bad for upsetting them, but he isn’t my Duncan. Thank the heavens.”
What? I did not see that coming.
“You’re saying the gentleman in room four isn’t your husband.” Ewan tried to clarify.
“Right. I didn’t even think there might be someone with the same name. I mean, it must have been a coincidence that this was the last place his phone was turned on. I’m talking about my Duncan. He’s always misplacing the thing. I’m so sorry. I’m embarrassed.”
“Don’t be,” I said. “You had every right to be upset given the circumstances.”
“I should go,” she said. “Though, Constable, I wonder if maybe you could help me. I asked the police at home, but they said he had to be gone for more than forty-eight hours. They wouldn’t take me seriously.
But it really isn’t like him to go for this long.
At the very least, he likes to talk to Elsie before bed.
” She took her cell from the pocket of her cardigan. “This is my Duncan.”
The picture was of the three of them. This Duncan was bald and several inches shorter than the man in my exam room.
“Why don’t I take you and Elsie down to the pub, and we’ll discuss it,” Ewan said.
She sighed. “Thank you, for your kindness.” She patted my hand. “I can’t believe I might be pregnant again. I didn’t even—it’s been a very strange day. I need to find my husband, though.”
I gave Ewan the eye. “I’m going to check on Abigail and your daughter.” He shut the door behind him.
“Before you go, I’d like to check out your levels, and we can run a test. If you are pregnant, we can get you started on some prenatal vitamins.”
“I have a doctor,” she said.
I held up my hands. “I understand. But I’d feel better if we make sure it was just the shock and not something else going on.
Like your blood sugar. It’s some simple blood tests, and you can be on your way.
We will mostly likely have answers for you by the time you finish your meal at the pub. Besides, don’t you want to know?’
She smiled. “I do. Thank you. I’m so sorry for the way I acted before. Truly.”
“Don’t worry about it. Really. You stay there. I’ll be right back.”
By the time we’d drawn blood, the others had left. Ewan had explained the mix-up to them. I couldn’t imagine what they might be thinking. That episode had to be so upsetting.
While we ran the labs, Ewan took Flora and Elsie down to the pub.
“That was strange,” Abigail said. “Two men with the same name in the same town. I mean, we aren’t like Edinburgh or Glasgow.”
“It’s weird—and that she would show up today. But it makes me wonder about something.”
“What do you mean?”
“What if our Duncan was killed mistakenly? I mean he had full on makeup. What if whoever killed him was after Flora’s husband?”
“But why? He’s an antiques dealer.”
“Right, but we don’t really know anything about him. The fact that he fell off the map makes me wonder if maybe he had some sort of side gig. Maybe he’s on the run? I mean, why else would he ignore his wife and child?”
“You really should write books. You’re great at coming up with scenarios.”
I laughed. “Or it could be as simple as he fell off the wagon. I hope he’s just lost his phone.”
“Me too. The tests are positive. She’s going to need support.”
“Yes, she is.”
Still, I couldn’t get it out of my head. The what ifs were driving me crazy.
Had someone killed the wrong Duncan Craig?