could have cut the air in chunks.’
‘Do you know what it was about?’ Janine said.
‘Well, him and Dr Halliwell, they didn’t really get on. Dr Halliwell, he’s a bit old-fashioned. Was. It’s weird,’ she said, ‘I keep having to remind myself he’s dead. You never know, do you, you never know what’s round the corner.’
‘And the argument?’ Janine said.
‘Fraser’s saying how he was relying on the partnership and how he’s screwed now. Then he starts in about how Dr Halliwell runs his own little empire and no one else can have an opinion.’
‘How did Dr Halliwell respond?’ Richard said.
‘Well …’ Vicky grimaced, ‘…he didn’t usually lose his temper but he went ballistic, he was under a lot of stress, he was shouting, really shouting at Fraser to get out, telling him he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.’ She shuddered. ‘It was horrible.’
‘He was a good man, a good doctor, a friend,’ Dr Gupta told Janine and Richard.
‘All good?’ Janine said.
‘Well, we had to coax him a little with some of the new initiatives but he was highly regarded by his patients, his list was invariably full.’
‘And his colleagues? Dr McKee?’ Richard said.
There was a pause. Dr Gupta looked uneasy. ‘Don didn’t feel Fraser was right for us,’ she said, ‘in the long term. Fraser would complete his year, then he’d have to look elsewhere.’
‘We understand there was a confrontation yesterday?’ Janine said.
‘That’s right, a row, but you can’t think that has anything to do with the shooting,’ Dr Gupta said.
‘We’re not jumping to any conclusions,’ Janine said, ‘we’re just gathering as much information as we can at the moment. Can you think of anything else, anything out of the ordinary, odd?’
‘No,’ she said, then she froze, her eyes cast upwards as though remembering.
‘Dr Gupta?’ Janine said.
‘It may be nothing but—’
‘Go on.’ Janine said.
‘On Monday, I saw a Range Rover outside, a black one, parked across the road. It was a little odd because surgery had already finished, so they weren’t picking anyone up.’ Janine thought of the 4x4 that had come after McKee. Could it be the same vehicle?
‘Was there someone in it?’ Richard said.
‘A man. I couldn’t see him properly, the windows were quite dark. And I didn’t like to stare.’
‘This was Monday?’ Janine said.
‘Yes,’ Dr Gupta said, ‘at six o’clock.’
‘Did you see the car again?’ Janine said.
‘No.’
‘Did you notice the registration?’ Richard said.
‘Sorry, no.’
‘Thank you,’ Janine said. ‘Dr Gupta, we need someone to make a formal identification of the body and Mrs Halliwell has declined. Would you...?’
‘Of course,’ she said.
‘It will be sometime later today after the post-mortem,’ Janie said. ‘Thank you.’
Dawn Langan was so tearful, apparently in shock and they got next to nothing from her. In between crying, her eyes would cloud over, staring into the distance and Janine would have to repeat the question to get any reply.
‘On Monday, do you remember seeing anyone parked across the street?’ Janine said.
‘No.’
‘And did you notice anyone hanging around when you left on Tuesday?’
Dawn started to cry again. ‘I’m sorry, it’s just so awful.’
‘Something Fraser McKee failed to mention,’ Janine said as they walked to the car. ‘A screaming row.’
‘Shall we jog his memory?’ Richard said.
‘Definitely. It could be a motive but it’s messy, isn’t it? Halliwell sacks McKee in effect, McKee overreacts, some may say, and shoots Halliwell. Meanwhile, the Wilson gang are trashing McKee’s house. McKee flees and is run off the road by forces unknown, maybe Wilson Crew affiliates – in a car similar to the one Dr Gupta saw the evening before.’
‘Where’s the gun?’ Richard said.
‘And why would McKee come to see us if
‘Do you know what it was about?’ Janine said.
‘Well, him and Dr Halliwell, they didn’t really get on. Dr Halliwell, he’s a bit old-fashioned. Was. It’s weird,’ she said, ‘I keep having to remind myself he’s dead. You never know, do you, you never know what’s round the corner.’
‘And the argument?’ Janine said.
‘Fraser’s saying how he was relying on the partnership and how he’s screwed now. Then he starts in about how Dr Halliwell runs his own little empire and no one else can have an opinion.’
‘How did Dr Halliwell respond?’ Richard said.
‘Well …’ Vicky grimaced, ‘…he didn’t usually lose his temper but he went ballistic, he was under a lot of stress, he was shouting, really shouting at Fraser to get out, telling him he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.’ She shuddered. ‘It was horrible.’
‘He was a good man, a good doctor, a friend,’ Dr Gupta told Janine and Richard.
‘All good?’ Janine said.
‘Well, we had to coax him a little with some of the new initiatives but he was highly regarded by his patients, his list was invariably full.’
‘And his colleagues? Dr McKee?’ Richard said.
There was a pause. Dr Gupta looked uneasy. ‘Don didn’t feel Fraser was right for us,’ she said, ‘in the long term. Fraser would complete his year, then he’d have to look elsewhere.’
‘We understand there was a confrontation yesterday?’ Janine said.
‘That’s right, a row, but you can’t think that has anything to do with the shooting,’ Dr Gupta said.
‘We’re not jumping to any conclusions,’ Janine said, ‘we’re just gathering as much information as we can at the moment. Can you think of anything else, anything out of the ordinary, odd?’
‘No,’ she said, then she froze, her eyes cast upwards as though remembering.
‘Dr Gupta?’ Janine said.
‘It may be nothing but—’
‘Go on.’ Janine said.
‘On Monday, I saw a Range Rover outside, a black one, parked across the road. It was a little odd because surgery had already finished, so they weren’t picking anyone up.’ Janine thought of the 4x4 that had come after McKee. Could it be the same vehicle?
‘Was there someone in it?’ Richard said.
‘A man. I couldn’t see him properly, the windows were quite dark. And I didn’t like to stare.’
‘This was Monday?’ Janine said.
‘Yes,’ Dr Gupta said, ‘at six o’clock.’
‘Did you see the car again?’ Janine said.
‘No.’
‘Did you notice the registration?’ Richard said.
‘Sorry, no.’
‘Thank you,’ Janine said. ‘Dr Gupta, we need someone to make a formal identification of the body and Mrs Halliwell has declined. Would you...?’
‘Of course,’ she said.
‘It will be sometime later today after the post-mortem,’ Janie said. ‘Thank you.’
Dawn Langan was so tearful, apparently in shock and they got next to nothing from her. In between crying, her eyes would cloud over, staring into the distance and Janine would have to repeat the question to get any reply.
‘On Monday, do you remember seeing anyone parked across the street?’ Janine said.
‘No.’
‘And did you notice anyone hanging around when you left on Tuesday?’
Dawn started to cry again. ‘I’m sorry, it’s just so awful.’
‘Something Fraser McKee failed to mention,’ Janine said as they walked to the car. ‘A screaming row.’
‘Shall we jog his memory?’ Richard said.
‘Definitely. It could be a motive but it’s messy, isn’t it? Halliwell sacks McKee in effect, McKee overreacts, some may say, and shoots Halliwell. Meanwhile, the Wilson gang are trashing McKee’s house. McKee flees and is run off the road by forces unknown, maybe Wilson Crew affiliates – in a car similar to the one Dr Gupta saw the evening before.’
‘Where’s the gun?’ Richard said.
‘And why would McKee come to see us if
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