Kim had hoped to have open access to the whole site and the people. She’d have liked to talk to some of the current patients.
‘How do you want to play it?’ Inspector Plant asked.
‘Give us five minutes to serve the warrant. We’ll be heading for the third floor. The second floor is out of bounds because it’s residential, so you focus on the ground floor, admin and back-of-house areas.’
‘Got it,’ he said as Bryant started the car and headed towards the property.
‘You gonna speak to Celia about her past?’
‘Oh yeah but not until we’ve taken a good look round.’
The building came into view, and Kim was struck by how inoffensive it was. It was hard to imagine the horrors that had been described.
Kim got out of the car and strode into the reception.
Jessica greeted her with an open smile. ‘Hello again, Inspector. How may—’
‘We have a warrant,’ Kim said, pushing the document through the gap underneath the glass partition.
‘Okay, but is that really necessary? I’d have happily let you in again.’
‘We’re not here for the guided tour this time. The details are in the warrant.’
Jessica glanced over the document and reached for the phone.
‘Who are you calling?’ Kim asked.
‘It appears this document prefers you not to have contact with our patients so I need to have them directed to their rooms. It’ll take just a minute and you can listen. I really don’t know what you think we’re hiding.’
Kim said nothing as Jessica hit two buttons on the phone.
‘Eric, can you confine all patients to their rooms? The police are here to conduct a search.’
Kim couldn’t hear Eric’s response.
‘Thanks,’ she said, hanging up.
Jessica pressed the button to allow them through.
‘Eric will be here in a minute,’ she said as the rest of the police cars pulled onto the drive. Jessica frowned. ‘Is this some kind of raid?’
‘We just have to be thorough,’ Kim said as Inspector Plant and a constable entered the reception.
‘Inspector Plant and his team will be focussing on this level, including your parents’ office,’ Kim said. ‘That could definitely be classed as admin.’
‘My parents are in a meeting with a prospective client.’
Damn it, that was a grey area. The warrant insisted on privacy, and she wasn’t going to have anything happen that some clever defence lawyer could use if they found anything incriminating.
Kim shook her head at Inspector Plant to indicate that the office was off limits for now. ‘But have someone close by,’ she advised.
Her colleague nodded his understanding. They would make sure nothing was removed.
If the meeting was finished once she was done upstairs, she’d take care of that room herself.
The side door opened and Eric stepped in with a tight smile. ‘At your service, Inspector.’
For some unfathomable reason, Kim had a knot forming in her stomach. This was how warrants were supposed to be executed – no fuss, no histrionics, no attempt at refusal. And yet something felt a little bit off.