Four Days in October

Chapter Four: Day Three (Monday)

Chapter Four: Day Three (Monday)

'We need to go hospital visiting,' Mirabelle reminded her husband. She rubbed his shoulders, and added: 'That's a nasty cut you've got - how did that happen?' 

Leon winced as her hand brushed over it. 'I caught it on the roof hatch yesterday,' he said. 

'I'll fetch some iodine.' Mirabelle got out of bed and headed for the cabinet in their little attic bathroom. A moment later she was back with the blue glass bottle and a wad of cotton wool. 'Don't move, darling,' she said, as she dabbed it on to his shoulder. Leon yelped. 'Well, you should have told me yesterday!' his wife chided him. 'Now it's become inflamed.' 

'It will be fine now,' he assured her. 'What was that about hospital visiting?' 

Mirabelle put the bottle of iodine on the bedside cabinet and got back into bed. 'It's time we went to see a few people who are in the Middlesex Hospital,' she said. 'We haven't seen Joan Murphy for about a week, and we should visit that poor man who was hurt in the building accident - Bert Cleeve - and then we should see Menshikoff, and that poor man from yesterday: you called him Joan Josep.' 

'I think Meadows would like me to interview him,' Leon agreed, 'and I would certainly like to talk to Menshikoff. We have some unfinished business to clear up.' 

'I suppose I won't be able to understand a word,' Mirabelle said regretfully, 'but I'd like to come along just the same. They're both Maria's victims.' 

Her husband gave her a searching glance. 'That was said with fellow-feeling, darling,' he commented. 

'I feel like one of her victims,' Mirabelle confessed. 'She's thrown our lives upside down!' 

Leon put a warm arm around her. 'Putting your own feelings aside,' he said gently, 'as a just woman must, you may evaluate the impact she has had on Europe, and on many individuals' lives.' 

Mirabelle rested her head on his shoulder. 'So may I at least be indignant on behalf of Europe?' she asked. 

'Certainly you may. Any rational person would agree. And for the last three days we have been trying to protect her from the individuals she has harmed. But now go back to sleep, darling. You've been awake half the night - you need to sleep.' 

'You weren't supposed to notice! That means you've been awake too!' 

'I have been thinking about how to deal with this current case of ours.' Leon was trying to rationalise his concerns, but Mirabelle knew him too well. 'You're just as worried as I am!' She rubbed a hand through his hair. 'Instead of lying here worrying, why don't we get up? We could walk over to the hospital and ask how Joan Josep is getting on.' 

Leon frowned at the alarm clock on the chest of drawers on the other side of the bed. 'It's six o'clock: yes, why not get up? We can leave a note for Raymond and George.' 

However, as they made their way downstairs, Raymond emerged from his bedroom in his dressing gown. 'I heard you get up,' he confessed, 'is everything all right?' 

Mirabelle smiled affectionately at him; she knew this saturnine man regarded her as a sort of surrogate daughter. 'Everything's fine,' she answered, 'but neither of us can sleep. So we're going out for a walk.' 

Raymond walked down the stairs with them to the back door. 'Where are you going?' he asked. 'I won't tell George unless you want him to know.' 

Leon shrugged. 'You may tell him if you wish; we're going to the Middlesex, to see some of Maria's recent victims.' 

'We have some hospital visiting to catch up with,' Mirabelle explained. 

'What do you expect to find out?' asked Raymond.