Poppet by Mo Hayder Read Free Book Online

as little as she needs to get information across, then she stops. For someone as woolly and generally undisciplined as AJ, that’s incredibly intimidating.
    ‘There’s a problem,’ he says. ‘Regarding Zelda Lornton.’
    Melanie nods but otherwise doesn’t react.
    He shakes his head, doesn’t know how to put it. ‘It’s the heart attack. People are saying …’ He rubs his neck in embarrassment. ‘People are saying it’s odd – can’t be natural, someone that young, just dying.’
    Still Melanie doesn’t react. This is how she always is – she carefully considers everything before she speaks, never worries how long the other person is kept waiting.
    Eventually she says, ‘We don’t yet have the results of the postmortem. At the moment heart attack is only what the paramedics told us. In due course the review process will tell us how odd or natural her death was.’
    ‘But I take it you know what everyone is thinking. You do know the rumours are back?’
    ‘The rumours?’
    ‘Yes. About the … well, the supernatural things the patients sometimes entertain ideas about.’
    This time, although her face is absolutely motionless, a tiny spread of colour comes to her cheeks. The last time The Maude came to the hospital it proved a long, stressful and complicated process to get things back on track. Melanie was at the helm of that initiative. ‘The delusions, you mean.’
    ‘Yes. They’re back and the effect is spreading – to the staff. There’s been forty per cent absenteeism on nights this week. It’s a whole repeat process of what happened with Pauline Scott and Moses.’
    ‘So, AJ, what do you propose to do?’
    ‘What do I propose to do?’ He opens his hands, helpless. ‘Well, I don’t know. Maybe I should just look it up in the protocol – the “Ghost Stalking the Corridors” protocol. Probably it starts with “Include in weekly board report”. Then I guess it’s “Fill in requisitions in triplicate to the council’s Trust-related ethics committee with special reference to subsection 17.” Then I guess it’s—’
    ‘I didn’t ask for sarcasm.’ Her eyes are as clear blue as the sky. ‘I asked you what you propose to do about the spread of a delusion.’
    AJ is silent for a moment. She’s so curt. Her professional mask is genuinely scary, and in her mouth the word ‘delusion’ rankles for reasons he can’t quite define. Maybe it’s the way it seems unfair on Monster Mother to dismiss her fear so lightly. Or maybe it’s his own dream which still feels so real. Little hands, little face. His eyes stray to the window, the trees stark and old, forking up from the frosty ground. Then over to the window where Melanie’s trestle bed is tucked in a gap between the shelves. He wonders if she sleeps well when she’s here at night. If she has dreams.
    ‘I thought you might tell me,’ he says at last. ‘That’s what I was hoping.’
    She taps her finger thoughtfully on the table, taking in his face. It’s like being inspected by the headmistress. ‘OK, OK.’ She pushes the glasses back up her nose and makes a note on the large pad on her desk. ‘Leave the clinical route with me – I’ll deal with the consultants. We’ll do what we did last time – target each individual during therapy – no group meetings. In the meantime I’ll leave it to you to deal with the nursing staff. Fair?’
    ‘Thank you,’ he mutters. ‘Thank you.’
    ‘You’re very welcome.’
    He has his hand on the door to leave the office when he thinks he hears Melanie’s voice behind him. He turns. ‘Yes? Sorry?’
    She is studying him. There is something in her face he’s never seen before – something he can’t read. It’s as if she wants to speak but doesn’t know how to begin.
    ‘Yes?’ he repeats.
    ‘Do you find the unit spooky?’ Her eyes flicker briefly. They go to the bottom of the door. Then just as quickly she averts them, and clears her throat. ‘By which I mean I hope you