Read Online BLOOD SECRETS a gripping crime thriller full of suspense by Gretta Mulrooney - Free Book Online Page B

blank. The skin over the missing eye was dark pink and neatly folded, the other eye unseeing. He was wearing shorts and a sleeveless sweatshirt. His limbs were almost skeletal, his frame twisted, his mouth drooping. It was impossible to tell what age he might be. Swift would never have recognised him. The therapist smiled up at Swift.
    ‘It’s okay to talk to Teddy. You could crouch down and touch his hand as you speak.’
    Swift knelt at the other side of the sheepskin and touched Teddy’s hand lightly. It was warm and supple from the massage oil but he could feel the frail bones through the skin.
    ‘Hello, Teddy, my name’s Ty. We haven’t met before. That hand massage looks good.’
    There was no reaction. The therapist had moved to Teddy’s right leg and was massaging the calf.
    ‘This is your regular time with me, isn’t it, Teddy? We always have a chat while we do this. I think you like this oil.’
    A woman in a wheelchair let out a high shout. Teddy made a soft noise in his throat. The therapist carried on. Swift felt intrusive. He touched Teddy’s hand again briefly.
    ‘I’ve come here because your father contacted me. He’s living back in London now. He’s asked me to try and find the person who attacked you in Epping Forest.’
    Teddy gave no sign that he had heard. The music changed to Vivaldi, a burst of bright violins. There seemed little reason to stay longer.
    Swift stood. ‘Take care, Teddy. It was good to meet you.’
    He walked back to the waiting room with Alfonso and drank a cup of water. He was used to seeing victims of violence, yet he felt more distress than he had anticipated at the sight of the damaged young man. Perhaps it was the contrast between his broken body and the caring environment around him.
    ‘What’s Teddy’s life expectancy?’ he asked.
    ‘Hard to say. He has low level antibiotics to ward off infection but with someone with such complicated needs, life can be tenuous. But he has good care so he might live a good many years.’
    ‘Does he have visitors?’
    ‘His father’s been once. His sister Sheila comes a couple of times a year. There’s a brother who never visits. Says he can’t face it.’
    ‘It seems strange that Sheila doesn’t come more often. She and Teddy were very close when they lived at home.’
    ‘It is difficult for families when someone can’t respond to them. I know she’s a nurse but that doesn’t necessarily make it any easier when it’s personal. And so many years on, it can be hard to maintain visits because life moves on and gets busy. We don’t pressurise families, we make them welcome when they come.’
    Swift was glad that he had seen Teddy, the visit had made him a real person. But he was deeply relieved to walk away from the confines of Mayfields into the busy hum of the city.

Chapter 5
    Swift met Nora Morrow in The Parterre, a bar near Portobello Road. She had told him that she liked its eastern bazaar décor, with shabby leather chairs and ethnic throws, because it was a world away from the soulless offices she worked in. She was there, tapping on her laptop, when he arrived and she had a glass of merlot waiting for him. She was wearing one of her natty suits and string ties and trainers with purple laces and flashes. He felt a rush of pleasure at seeing her as she smiled at him.
    ‘Hi there, Ty.’ She stood and kissed his cheek. ‘How’re you doing?’
    ‘I’m fine. Thanks for the wine.’
    ‘Slainte!’
    They clinked glasses and she took a long draught of her drink.
    ‘I can smell that you’ve been on the river,’ she said.
    ‘I did have a shower, honest . . .’
    She laughed. ‘It’s lingering in your hair. It’s lovely, something wild and tangy.’
    They talked for a while about work and ordered two more drinks. She woke her laptop with a tap.
    ‘I had a look at the file on Edward Bartlett. It’s pretty inconclusive. You’ve seen the strange note he left?’
    ‘Yes. Despairing but ambiguous.’
    ‘Hmm.