Necessary as Blood

anything comes directly to me. I‘m sure DI Weller will have a chance to make that clear when he comes in. Now, where would 1 find Dr Kaleem?‘
    ‘At the London, sir.‘

    ‘I want you to set up the team in charge of going over the Maliks‘ house,‘ Kincaid told Cullen as they drove the short distance to the Royal London. ‘I want our lads, not Bethnal Green. And I want them to go through everything with a fine-toothed comb, including any records of Sandra Gilles‘s business transactions. The one thing we do know about this Ritchie is that he was one of Sandra Gilles‘s clients.‘
    Glancing at his watch as the bulk of the hospital came into view, Kincaid added, ‘Oh, and, Doug, drop me at the front and I‘ll meet you at the mortuary in about ten minutes.‘
    Cullen glanced at him for an instant, then shifted his gaze back to the road. ‘Right, guv.‘
    ‘It will probably take you that long to park in this warren,‘ Kincaid said, but didn‘t offer any further explanation. He wasn‘t in the mood to discuss Gemma‘s personal business with Doug, especially considering Cullen‘s pouting over Gemma‘s involvement in the case.
    He jumped out of the car as Cullen stopped on the double yellows in front of the main building. Admittedly, the hospital‘s venerable original building was quite hideous, but looking at the disparate styles of the mushrooming annexes, Kincaid couldn‘t help but think the planners would have been better served by sticking with uniform ugliness.
    A quick query at the main information desk sent him outside again, and a brisk walk took him to the building that housed Vi Walters‘s ward. He found her alone, and dozing, but when he came in she opened her eyes and gave him a delighted smile. ‘Duncan! What are you doing here? Did you come all this way to see me?‘
    He kissed her cheek. ‘I was in the neighbourhood. A new case,‘ he said. ‘But I couldn‘t pass up a chance to check on you and make sure you were behaving yourself. I can‘t stay long.‘ He was waffling, he knew, covering his shock. She seemed to have shrunk since he‘d last seen her, and her skin was almost translucent. Her left arm was neatly bandaged.
    ‘Sit, then,‘ she said. ‘You look wilted as an old lettuce. Is it hot?‘
    He stayed beside the bed, hand on the rail. ‘Broiling.‘ Thank God the wards had air-conditioning.
    ‘You‘d never know it in here.‘ Vi gave a shiver, and he realized that her bed was heaped with blankets. ‘Always did like a touch of the sun,‘ she added, a little wistfully.
    ‘Well, you should be home soon, and you can toast yourself to your heart‘s content.‘
    Vi started to lift her bandaged arm, then seemed to think better of it and waggled her fingers at him instead. ‘Maybe tomorrow. I‘ve got my own personal plug, as of this morning. No more sticking me black and blue with needles.‘
    Gemma had told him about the chemo port, and he wasn‘t at all sure that was a good sign. ‘You‘re brilliant,‘ he said. ‘A regular bionic woman. Gemma‘s coming in to admire the handiwork a bit later, I think.‘
    ‘She shouldn‘t come all this way.‘ Vi sounded a little fretful. ‘I‘ve told her a dozen times.‘
    ‘I‘m glad she listens to you,‘ he tossed back, grinning.
    ‘Oh, go on with you.‘ Vi shook her head, but her smile was back. ‘Give us another kiss, then, and go about your business.‘
    When he leaned down and touched his cheek to hers, it was cool. At least she no longer had a fever. ‘I‘ll see you soon.‘
    ‘Duncan.‘ She touched his hand as he straightened up. ‘About Gemma. You know she‘s been stubborn as a mule since she was in nappies. Don‘t let her baulk.‘ Kincaid gave her a gentle squeeze in return. And you know as well as I do that no one can make Gemma do anything.‘

    If it had been cold on Vi‘s ward, it was arctic in the hallway leading to the mortuary. Kincaid pulled up the knot of his tie and shrugged the lapels of his jacket a little closer together, wondering if the denizens of these depths lived in thermal underwear. But a consultant wearing a coat and tie walked briskly towards him, showing no evidence of Eskimo bundling. The man gave a curt nod as they passed, shoulders almost brushing, but Kincaid stopped. ‘Dr Kaleem?‘
    ‘What?‘ The consultant looked startled.
    ‘Can you tell me where to find Dr Kaleem?‘
    ‘Oh. Office just down the hall. No one could miss it.‘ The tone was impatient, as if implying