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I just needed to get out of this hospital bed and finish the plan. Once I took over both family businesses, there would be nothing they could do. Daniel would be in prison, and the people who had caused me so much pain over the past five years would be destitute. I just had to keep calm and bide my time.
Part of me did feel guilty for involving such a sweet guy like Daniel in this, making it seem that it was all down to him. I knew he wouldn’t hurt a fly. Even though he suspected me and Katherine of having an affair, whenever we were in the same circles, he was always sweet and polite to me. Never once did he fly off at me for what he suspected me of doing. I needed a scapegoat, though. I couldn’t get what I wanted from inside a prison cell, now, could I?
I was pulled from my thoughts as one of the doctors walked into my room. My mood immediately lightened as hope came into my thoughts. This could be it. He could finally be coming in here to tell me I could go home.
I wasn’t sure how I was going to cope on my own; I couldn’t breathe without pain shooting through me, and with a cast, going up to my flat would be an issue. I knew I couldn’t go back to Katherine’s house, because even though the will had left it all to me, I was sure that nothing could be done until the whole murder case was settled. I guessed I would just have to hire some gorgeous blonde nurse to look after me for a few weeks, in more ways than one. A warmth went through my body as I thought of some Scandinavian blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman in a skimpy nurse's uniform nursing me back to health.
I hadn’t realised I was being spoken to until I heard the doctor say my name in a raised voice.
“Mr. Wright.”
My eyes immediately shot up to the doctor who was now standing next to my bed. I hadn’t seen this one before, but it didn’t worry me too much, as I knew they came and went in shifts. The one thing I noticed, though, was that unlike all the other doctors I had seen, this one was a mister, not a doctor on his name badge.
“I’m sorry. I was lost in my thoughts there. Are you here to give me my release paperwork?”
I saw a confused look come over the doctor's face, and a feeling of dread came over me. I wasn’t going to be getting out of here anytime soon, if that look was anything to go by.
“I’m not sure what you have been told, Mr. Wright, but I am Mr. Hendricks, and I am the orthopaedic consultant and surgeon here at the hospital. I’m afraid you won’t be getting out of here for a while yet. The cast on your leg is only temporary. We couldn’t risk doing the surgery required in the state you came in after the accident. You have shattered a bone in your leg due to the impact of the crash against the lamppost, and it needs pinning, or you will never walk again properly. I was coming down to check on you so we can get you ready for surgery tomorrow.”
I lay there in complete shock. Panic started to course through my body. I needed to get out of here. The longer I stayed in here, the less chance there was of finishing the plan. Also, it gave those private investigators more time to prove that Daniel was innocent. I could feel my heart rate starting to increase and my breaths quicken.
The consultant must have sensed my panic, as he spoke again. “Don’t worry, Mr. Wright. I do this every day. We will have you all fixed up soon, and you would never know. Now, I need to continue my rounds, so I will see you down in the theatre tomorrow morning, all being well.”
With that he turned and walked out of my room, leaving me lying here shocked and worried. I was going to kill Ryan when I got out of here.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Daniel
I’d spent my first night in prison. One of many, I was starting to suspect.
When I had arrived yesterday, they had taken me to the first night centre, they called it. I had been interviewed, checked out by a member of the healthcare staff, and asked all the usual questions.
Was I on drugs?
Did I have an alcohol problem?
Was there any prescribed medication I was taking?
It was all a blur, though. All I could think of was how Richard would survive throughout this. I was allowed to phone someone, but I couldn’t phone him. The thought of hearing his voice on the first evening was too much for me to bear. I was having enough trouble trying to control my feelings without speaking to him as well.
I decided to call James and ask him to let Richard know that I was doing okay, and once I was settled in, I would give him a call and perhaps arrange for him to visit. I had to chuckle to myself when I saidonce I was settled.
I wasn’t sure that I would ever settle in here. All my clothes and possessions—not that I had many—had been removed from me, and I had been given my basic prison uniform, taken a shower, given something to eat, and then led down to my cell for the night.
I wasn’t sure if I was the lucky one or not, as there had been five of us processed yesterday, but I had been the only one to be given a cell of my own. It was only around six o’clock in the evening when the door of the cell finally slammed shut. I just stood there for a moment staring at it. If I had thought I felt lonely in the police cell, it was nothing compared to being in prison. Unlike Number Six in the TV seriesThe Prisoner, I was not a free man. I was now a number.
I’d spent the night mainly staring up at the ceiling, my body almost void of all emotion. Any pain or distress I had previously felt had long since left my body. I couldn’t cry anymore; there were no more tears left in me. I was just a shell of a man—existing, but not actually living. It was amazing how quickly you could become that. One night in a prison cell for an innocent man would do that to you.
I had been transferred onto the main prison block this morning. Well, I say the main block, but they had put me into E1 wing, the segregation unit. They said it was for my own safety, that as soon as the prisoners found out I was accused of killing my wife and unborn baby, I would be on the hit list for every criminal in here. I wasn’t sure if that was the case, if I was being placed on suicide watch, or if it was just Callum’s way of keeping me safe. Either way, I had never felt so alone. Even through my years of a loveless marriage I’d always felt as though there was at least someone around to talk to if I really wanted to.
My new room wasn’t very dissimilar to the one I had spent the night in. It consisted of a bed, table, chair, wash basin, and toilet. That was it. I was meant to spend nearly the whole day in here, with only an hour’s worth of exercise a day. If this was Callum’s idea of keeping me safe, then I would have hated to know what being unsafe was like. I’d spent the whole morning just lying on my bed staring up at the ceiling. My mind started to wonder at how different things were not less than seventy-two hours ago. Back then, life had looked good and the world was my oyster. Now, all I had to look forward to was whatever delights would be brought to me for dinner this evening.
As I lay there, I heard footsteps approaching the door, and then the sound of the door being unlocked, a sound I was very much getting used to. One of the officers who had brought me here this morning walked into my cell and addressed me.
“Your solicitor is here to see you, Daniel. It’s not normal protocol, but given the situation, the governor has allowed it. I’m Officer Richards, by the way. You will get to know me and Officer Stock, I suspect, as it will usually be one of us on the landing.”
I was shocked that James was here. I hadn’t been expecting him for a few days, but at least it would be a little relief from sitting alone in my cell. I thanked Officer Richards and followed him towards the private meeting area that was at the end of the cell block. I guessed they didn’t like to take solitary prisoners too far away from their cells. As Officer Richards opened the door to the room, I walked in and found James sitting there on the other side of the table, with two takeaway coffee cups in front of him. He smiled at me as I walked in and then spoke to the officer.
