Secrets to a Happy Ending

Chapter 22

Lydia arrived at the local hospital, which was just over an hour's drive from the village. She parked the car and walked into the main entrance. When she got inside, the main reception area was busy with people waiting to be seen by doctors.

The hall looked old and dated, there was the distinct smell of cigarette smoke in the air, a cleaner was using a floor buffer to clean the floor, she paid no attention to Lydia standing there.

She made her way over to the reception and tapped lightly on the glass, a middle-aged woman with short dark hair looked up and peered over her glasses at her.

"Da." she said.

"Oh, excuse me, do you speak English?"

The woman nodded her head, but replied with 'Ne."

Lydia was very confused, the woman returned to look at her paperwork, Lydia decided to tap on the glass again.

"Ronnie Ogden, English?" She said,

The lady sighed and pointed down the corridor through two big double doors.

"Thank you." She said,

She walked through the doors and down the corridor, there were lots of doors on either side, which had notices on them in Bulgarian, which she did not understand. She reached the end of the corridor and looked to her left where she saw a ward of patients lying in their beds, she hurried towards where they were, and noticed a nurse sitting at her desk just before the entrance. She looked at Lydia and smiled.

"Ronnie Ogden?" Lydia asked

The nurse stood up and motioned for Lydia to follow her. They walked back down the corridor until they reached a room, the nurse opened the door and let Lydia inside. There was a semi conscious Ronnie lying in his bed, whining with the pain he had suffered from the fatal beating he had succumbed to.

"Ronnie it's Lydia, do you remember me? We met at the Saw Mill the other day?"

Ronnie did not reply but nodded his head to show he understood.

"Good Ronnie, Good, now I need to find out something very important, something you were trying to tell me, when you got in the ambulance. Do you remember what you said to me?"

He made no reaction looking down at the heart monitor on his finger.

"Ronnie, it's important, I need to know something. Is someone calling you asking you for money?"

Ronnie hesitated, appearing agitated, Lydia tried to calm him.

"Ronnie, listen I know you don't know me. And this is not about you, bit this might help you, it's about someone else who is being asked for money, if you can tell me I can help them also, does that make sense?"

Ronnie nodded his head.

"So, you have been getting calls about Money, I thought so, was it them who called you when I was at the Mill that day?"

Ronnie nodded, his eyes filling up with tears remembering what had happened that same night. Lydia lightly placed her hand on his hand.

"Listen I am looking into who is doing this to you, I don't want you to worry Ronnie, and I know no one else knows. So, I am not going to say anything, ok?"

He nodded again.

"Thank you, Ronnie, I will be back to see you soon."

As she stood up to leave the room, Ronnie murmured, she turned to get his attention and he mattered to utter the words.

"Joanna!"

Lydia nodded in acknowledgment, she didn't say anything and quietly left the room. Once she got in the car she began to head back to the hotel, knowing that night she needed to find a way to break into the Town Hall. Whilst driving her phone rang, she picked it up on the speakerphone it was Michael her editor.

"Lydia, Michael here, I have some information you might need to help you with the story, how is it going by the way?"

"Well let's just say I have found lots of loose ends which I'm trying to tie up."

"Quite, quite, listen I just got this document, I'm getting a scan and email to you, turns out Mark Ross might not have bought the village after all, I have a copy of the land registry info. And it turns out it was signed by someone called Ian Fenwick. Now we haven't got anything on him, yet this just came in, do you want us to look him up or do you want to take it from here?"

"Thanks Michael, I will pick up the email when I'm at the hotel, I will look into it further."

She ended the call and shifted a gear, knowing fine well she was speeding she had to get to the hotel soon, things were beginning to make sense to her.