Henry waited, but when the man didn’t add anything more, asked, “You make sure their meals, if they are allowed any, are properly served, and any hydropathy treatments are scheduled.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“How well do you come to know the patients?” Henry refused to use the term ‘guests’.
“Guests,” corrected the man, as though trained into it. “Quite well. Most stay a month or more. Sometimes two. Rarely any longer.”
“They must be rather lonely if they’re not allowed visitors,” Henry suggested. He would’ve thought that meant they would lean more heavily on the staff for support.
“Some attend group meetings, if Dr. Thorne deems it appropriate. Others are kept separate so they may focus on themselves.” Mr. Collins offered a weak smile, much different from the confident one at the sanatorium. “It is a time when we encourage them to be selfish.”
An odd way to put it. “How well did you know a Mr. Walter Dunn?”
Alarm flashed in Mr. Collins’s eyes before he quickly looked down. “Fairly well. Rather a grumpy individual overall, didn’t enjoy conversing that much.” He shrugged. “Some guests are harder to know than others. It also depends on how they’re feeling, of course.”
“How much weight are patients allowed to lose before concerns arise?”
Mr. Collins frowned. “That’s up to Dr. Thorne. She monitors such things closely. A guest is weighed each day when fasting.”
“Are hydropathy treatments also done daily?”
“Depends on the health regimen prescribed.” Impatience sharpened his features. “You must understand, every guest’s treatment plan is different—we strictly follow the doctor’s orders.”
“To the letter?” Henry asked with a lifted brow. “What if you disagreed with those orders?” He needed to get a feel for just how loyal Mr. Collins was to the doctor. How far would he go to see her directions followed?
Again the younger man looked away, his lips twisting. “She’s the doctor, not me, she’s got the fancy degree on the wall. Who am I to suggest her plan isn’t working?”
Henry shrugged. “Given your position there, you must have an opinion. A feel for when something is effective...and when it’s not.”
The finger on his trouser leg tapped faster. “It can be difficult to tell. Sometimes the guest’s health worsens before it gets better. We must trust the process.”
“Is that what Dr. Thorne says?” Henry could easily imagine her stating those exact words.
“Yes,” he murmured, a hint of resentment finally slipping through in his tone.
Somehow Henry didn’t think the resentment was directed at him. He consulted his notebook to give them both a moment before he put forward the next question. “How often is Mr. Barnes sent for?”
The solicitor was part of the scheme. Henry felt sure of it.
The tapping finger stopped mid-air. “W-Who?”
Ah. “The solicitor who amends the wills. Is it once or twice a month, or more?”
“I d-don’t know what you’re talking about.” The younger man straightened, wiping his now seemingly sweaty palms on his trousers.
Henry glanced around the room with its faded furnishings and worn carpet. “Surely the doctor rewards you for your silence, but you must not be receiving much of the money if you’re living here.”
Mr. Collins jerked to his feet. “You—you don’t know what you’re talking about. Now if you’re done with these ridiculous questions, I have plans for the evening.”
“We know about the hypodermic needles.” Henry remained seated, waiting to see if his bluff struck home. “Needle marks were noted during the postmortem examinations. We know about the wills changed by certain patients. Walter Dunn, for example.”
Mr. Collins’s face paled. He dropped back into the chair as if his legs had given out. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he repeated, this time without conviction.
“I think you do,” Henry returned calmly. “I think you were involved in the murder of Walter Dunn and Thomas Ambrose, among others.”
“No, no.” He shook his head adamantly. “Not murder—I only followed orders.”
“And were orders given to end a life if the patient was no longer cooperative? If they didn’t have especially strong family ties? If it was decided there was enough money in their estate to take the risk?”
