Free Death at the Clos du Lac by Adrian Magson Page A

said, ‘He was with me.’
    ‘Upstairs?’
    ‘Yes. I … I fell asleep … and he went off to do his rounds.’
    So, they’d been having a little private time when everything was quiet. Rocco couldn’t fault that. For every soldier the world over, the credo was the same: when things were quiet and under control, you catnapped, ate or relaxed, because one thing was certain – it never stayed that way for long.
    ‘Did he know anything about the patients … about Ardois, for instance?’
    ‘You know the name? Who told you that? It’s cla—’ She stopped speaking, eyes wide.
    ‘Classified? Is that what you were going to say?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘I think you were. You should know that now I have a name, I can start asking questions. You might as well tell me, save us both a lot of time.’
    ‘Really? Will that help André? Will it bring him back?’
    ‘No. I’m afraid it won’t do that. But if I can find out why he was taken away and killed, why Ardois was murdered, it will help shift any element of blame away from André. Why was Ardois here?’
    A few seconds went by, then she gave a small sigh. ‘André didn’t know anything about him, only that he wasn’t really ill. Anybody could see that.’
    ‘So why was he here?’
    ‘I have no idea. All I do know is Ardois wasn’t his real name. It was a file name, to be used while he was a resident here. Everybody has one; it comes with them. When they move on the file name is destroyed and they’re given a fresh one. I’ve no idea why – something to do with confidentiality, I suppose.’
    ‘Does that happen a lot?’
    ‘Over the past year, probably four times.’
    Four patients moved in and out of a small government-controlled facility, all with names that weren’t their own. It sounded improbable, but Rocco had heard of stranger things.
    ‘Do you know his real name?’
    ‘No. They don’t tell us. But I heard Drucker mention it once when he was on the phone.’ She frowned, trying to remember it. ‘Sorry – it’s gone. If it comes back I’ll let you know. Other than that, all I have is their current medical regime and background notes in case of emergencies.’
    ‘They’re all on a regime?’ Alix asked.
    She gave a wry smile. ‘If you can call it that. They’re on various medications, some stronger than others. Mostly it’s sedatives, to keep them calm.’
    ‘To shut them up, you mean? Keep them under control?’
    ‘Yes. Once they’re down, they don’t move.’
    Not quite the case with Stefan, Rocco thought, and asked her about him.
    She pulled a face. ‘Stefan’s different.’
    ‘How?’
    ‘He’s highly manipulative, very clever and loves to play games. He pretends to swallow his pills, but doesn’t always do it. Then he wanders the corridors at night, poking around.But he’s harmless.’ She looked at Rocco and explained, ‘I know a bit of his history. He’s a genuine case. He had a series of nervous breakdowns and his family used their influence to get him in here and away from outside pressures. His family has connections. He’s not like the others.’
    ‘Did he tell you that?’ In Rocco’s experience, serial manipulators never dropped the habit. Like habitual criminals, it was in their blood. Stefan had even been able to work his magic on him for a short while.
    ‘Yes.’ She looked doubtful. ‘I shouldn’t have believed him, should I?’
    Alix glanced at Rocco and he nodded. There was really only one main question to ask.
    ‘You said he’s not like the others,’ she said, and placed a gentle hand on Dion’s. ‘How are they different? The dead man, for example. It won’t go any further, I promise.’
    Dion hesitated, then shook her head angrily. A teardrop flew from one cheek and she brushed a hand down her face, smearing her make-up. ‘It doesn’t matter now, does it? They’ve gone. But André didn’t kill him. You have to believe me. He just wouldn’t.’
    ‘We believe you,’ Rocco said. He doubted a military