The Last Life

Chapter Five

Over the next few days, Kate made good progress. She could stand unaided and walk slowly with the aid of a walking frame. The physiotherapist finally seemed delighted with her progress, but Kate was less than pleased. Her body may be starting to behave, but her memory was still a closed book.

Detective Snow would be coming to see her again, and this time she knew he had to tell her what had happened to her. In a way, she didn't want to know. Supposing it was something awful, something she couldn't live with?

Her doctor, a young, recently qualified student, said her memory could switch itself back on at any moment, but Kate didn't believe him. He explained what they knew of her medical condition, her long history of heart attacks, leading to a complete breakdown. They had found a substantial amount of sedatives in her system, and more than probably had suffered a mild stroke, resulting in paralysis and memory loss.

None of this sounded good to Kate. What had she been involved with?

The voice tried to reassure her but didn't sound convincing , so it failed miserably. Why couldn't it just tell her what had happened?

While she waited for the detective to turn up, she became aware of someone looking through the little window in the door. A man's face with dark eyes, searching the room. If he saw her, he made no sign, and then he vanished.

Shortly afterwards, detective Snow arrived. He nodded to her and brought the chair over to her bed. 'How are we today, Miss Devereau?'

'Please...call me Kate. I'm not bad; all things considered...er...what do I call you?'

He thought for a minute. 'There's Detective Inspector, D.I.Snow, or David...take your pick, Miss Devereau.'

She found herself smiling, amused by the slight embarrassment she could see on his stern face. She wanted to call him 'snowman' but decided to keep that to herself. 'Well, David. What happens now?'

He looked nervous, trying to brush specks of imaginary dust from his jeans. 'Have you remembered anything at all, Kate?'

She shook her head. 'Not a thing...I think it's all gone for good. But I suppose you are about to tell me the worst?'

'I'm afraid I must. I have a job to do and a case to solve. It involves your brother, Danny. Does the name sound familiar?'

She thought long and hard. A brother? How could she forget having a brother?

'Something bad happened to him, Kate... someone killed him.'

His words reverberated around the room, touching her brain and jumping away again. The dizziness returned, and she leaned back, grateful for the pillows behind her.

'We don't really know what happened to you. Michael Barratt brought you to the hospital drugged and unconscious. We have no clear idea of why he found you or what happened. We have been to the cottage, but there were no clues there. Are you all right, Kate?'

His voice seemed to come from a long way off and she struggled to answer. But what could she say? She wished she didn't have to know, wished he had never told her anything. 'Just go away and leave me alone... I don't...'

'I'm afraid I cannot go away. Somewhere in your head you know what happened... and I have to know.'

Her head felt as if it would burst. Flashing images filled her head again, scarlet streaks on a floor, blood red puddles of blood? Whose blood?

'He is right, you know. The truth of what happened is in your head somewhere...'

After David Snow left, Kate refused to think about their conversation. Far too horrible to contemplate, but the idea she once had a brother played over in her mind. At one point, she actually cried, but with no clear idea of why, when she couldn't remember a thing.