by Jade Winters
Dale stood beside Ashley and put a hand on her arm. “Let’s make a move. The SOCOs are ready to get started.”
“Just give me a minute,” she said, and touched Dale’s hand lightly. She started down the passage towards her boss.
“Colleen!” Ashley called as Colleen abruptly left the men and headed down the stairs. “DCI Rees!” Ashley called louder, quite sure now that she was being ignored.
Colleen didn’t break stride, so Ashley raced after her, tugging off her overalls as she did so. She rushed out into the street where the crowd was still gathered. Colleen was already standing in front of the assembled press, giving a spiel about the case that would have made upper management cry with happiness because of its textbook generalities. Colleen had not even had a good look at the scene, so what she was telling the press could only be much edited, second-hand information. Typical!
Ashley pulled off her overalls completely and removed the booties from her feet whilst she waited for Colleen to finish.
She took a good look at Colleen’s side profile and noticed the fine lines of stress around her boss’ eyes, even as she talked and smiled for the cameras and microphones. There was something going on here, something that Colleen was hiding from her. She wondered whether it was anything to do with her brother, but before she could pursue that thought, Colleen stepped away from the cameras and headed towards one of the vans. Ashley rushed after her.
“What the hell is going on here, Colleen?” Ashley hissed as soon as she was within ear-shot. “You can’t just come in here and pull me off the case because it looks like it’s open and shut. Especially when you aren’t even the SIO. Since when do we work like that?”
“I can, and I have,” Colleen said slowly and firmly. “I’m your boss.” Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Ashley.
“Did you see that poor girl? The monster who did this to her practically tore her apart, and you’re taking me off the case?” Ashley cried out, her voice getting louder. “Don’t you want to find whoever did this to her? Don’t you want to stop them before they do it to someone else? How can it be open and shut? It will take days to get DNA results. We have no concrete evidence linking anyone to the murder!” She realised her voice and behaviour were unprofessional, but she wasn’t going to stand for this.
Ashley noticed out of the corner of her eye that some of the camera crews and reporters had heard her shouting and were looking at the two women with interest. Ashley ignored them, focusing on a now very stiff-bodied and closed-faced Colleen. She wanted answers, and Colleen had them. She could see it clearly behind the mask she’d put up. Ashley opened her mouth to launch another tirade at Colleen about why this didn’t make sense and demand that Colleen tell her just what she was hiding.
“Lower your voice, Detective!” Colleen growled, grabbing Ashley by the arm and dragging her behind one of the vans. “There are cameras everywhere, and the last thing we need is a juicy story of in-fighting within the police service being splashed all over the newspapers!”
Ashley yanked her arm free. “You’re wanting me and Dale to work a case that’s dead in the water and you’re giving this one to a desk jockey who wouldn’t know a carving knife from a bayonet!”
“I am doing what is best for the victim,” Colleen stated icily. “And if you ever, ever, question my decision-making like that again, you’ll be in front of a disciplinary panel before you can blink!”
The two women faced off, neither willing to back down. Both were breathing heavily from the heated exchange.
A shuffling of feet to one side made them both turn to see Dale standing there, shifting awkwardly. He cleared his throat. “I’ll, erm … just,” he stuttered, pointing towards the back of the van. When neither woman responded, he cleared his throat again, and said, “I’ll get changed, shall I?”
The two women glared at him and he quickly hurried away to the other side of the van. Ashley went back to staring at Colleen, who looked at her blankly, completely unmoved, the mask now firmly in place.
“Fine,” Ashley snapped at last. “Can you at least tell me the boyfriend’s name?”
“Jimmy Marsh,” Colleen said matter-of-factly. “It wasn’t the first time the neighbours had heard them, and it would often get heated. Officers have been called out once or twice to break things up when it got nasty. I think the boyfriend’s spent more than one night in the cells for domestic violence. Not a nice piece of work.”
“Is that it? It’s a long leap from domestic violence to carving up a person! Don’t we have any more to go on? Charges in the past? A history of violence or assault that’s escalated over the years? You know, the usual stuff we check before we slap a murder charge on someone.” Ashley couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of her voice.
“Officers are running checks at the station as we speak,” Colleen said.
Ashley sighed, exasperated
Colleen’s eyes narrowed and she looked intently at Ashley. “Why are you pushing this so hard, Ashley? We have a suspect and we have potential motive. Hell, we’ve even got a history of domestics within the relationship! What more do you want?”
Ashley narrowed her eyes and after a moment snapped, “Fine, but I want to go and arrest the suspect.”
“What?” Colleen cried out, and then quickly looked over towards the reporters to see if any of them had heard her outburst. “Why in heavens name would you want to do that?”
Ashley stared at her, the look in her eyes booking no compromise. “Dale and I were put on the case by Ripley, and I want to see it through,” Ashley said firmly, her tone brokering no argument. “The least I could do is arrest the bastard who did this to her.”
“This is so unnecessary, but fine, if it’s going to stop you causing a scene,” Colleen said. She looked askance at Ashley as if she was seeing her for the first time and was not too keen on what she saw.
Dale stepped around the end of the van, his white overalls and booties now gone.
“Once this is done I want all of your attention on the Conner case until it’s closed with an arrest. Got it?” Colleen said.
Ashley shook her head. “Don’t you think we’re trying our hardest to find the person responsible? We’d like nothing more than to find that driver and put them behind bars.”
“Oh, just get going then,” Colleen snapped dismissively, waving a hand at the two detectives.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ashley knocked harder on the door. For ten minutes, they’d been outside the ground floor flat where Justine’s boyfriend, Jimmy, was believed to be staying. It was nearly ten o’clock. They’d knocked and called, but there was no answer. Dale peered through the window, his hands cupped around his eyes, as he tried to see in.
“I think there’s someone in there,” he said. “Looks like they’re passed out on the sofa. Oh, I think we’ve got movement, looks like he’s stirring,” he said. “Knock harder!”
“I’m banging as hard as I can,” Ashley replied.
Dale sniggered under his breath.
“Oh, grow up,” she said, laughing despite herself. She knelt down and lifted the letterbox cover, continuing to pound the door. “Mr. Marsh, are you in there? Mr. Marsh, it’s the police. We need to talk to you!”
“Suspect is coming to life,” Dale said, stepping away from the window. “Get your cuffs ready.”
They could hear heavy footsteps, a man coughing and clearing phlegm from his throat in a loud hawk.
“Charming,” Ashley muttered as she straightened herself up, not knowing what temperament was going to greet them once the door opened. They could hear the sound of the lock twisting. Ashley and Dale looked at the door expectantly.
Finally the rustling sounds of movement stopped and the door slowly opened. They were greeted by the sight of a semi-naked muscular man, wearing only a pair of boxer shorts with the words “Anarchy Forever” printed all over them. Dale raised an eyebrow on spotting them. The man’s hair was standing up all over his head, he blinked and swore as the o
range glow of the streetlights hit his eyes and he rubbed them hard.
“Whatcha want? I was sleeping, wasn’t I?” the man growled, scowling at the two detectives as he yawned widely, making his jaw crack. “Ain’t it a bit late to be knocking on doors?”
“Our apologies, but this couldn’t wait,” Ashley said firmly. “You’re Jimmy Marsh, correct?”
“Who wants to know?” the man asked suspiciously, glancing from one to the other. “I told Micky I’d have the money for him in a few days. He didn’t have to send his henchmen round.”
“I’m DS McCoy,” Ashley said, showing her badge, “and this is DC Taylor. Are you Jimmy Marsh?” She tried again, needing him to confirm who he was before they could continue with what they had gone there to do. There was no way that they were going to make one technical error that his lawyer could use to get this scumbag off the hook.
He tilted back his head and yawned loudly again, allowing the detectives full view right down his throat.
“Yeah. So? What about it?” he said. “What do you want? You’re coppers? Where’s your uniforms, that’s just sneaky like, dressed like people but you’re really coppers. I ain’t done nothin’, whatcha want with me?” He took a jumper off the hallway radiator and pulled it over his naked torso as he spoke, muffling his words, but not an angry tone to them.
“We’d like you to come down to the station with us to answer a few questions regarding the murder of Justine Lockhart,” Ashley said matter-of-factly, and stepped towards him.
“What?” Jimmy cried out, backing up. “What the hell is going on? Watcha mean murder of Justine Lockhart? Justine’s dead? I ain’t done nothin’.”
“So you’ll have no problem coming to the station then,” Ashley said firmly, and she and Dale stepped into the hallway, matching the suspect’s retreating footsteps, not giving him room to dodge past them, should he get it into his head to do so.
He came to a stop when his back hit the wall at the end of the hallway. To Ashley, he genuinely seemed upset by the news of his girlfriend’s death. Perhaps this was going to be easier than they had thought. Then suddenly she saw a malicious glint darken in Jimmy’s eyes and he snapped out of his shock and came to violent life. In a split second he had gone from a half asleep man to a very wide-awake and angry one.
Without any warning, he rushed towards Ashley, swinging his arm out and slamming her into the door jamb. She gasped, the breath knocked out of her by the blow. Dale grabbed for the CS spray in his belt, but Jimmy’s large fist caught him square on the jaw, sending him spinning backwards through the living room door. Ashley caught her breath and advanced on him as he tried to make a break for it. She grabbed hold of his jumper, but he pulled back his arm and punched her hard in the face. Her nose cracked. Then he punched her again, and she tumbled to the ground, shocked and gasping as blood trickled down the back of her throat. She tried to move, but felt too disorientated and couldn’t work out how to stand up.
She could hear Dale calling her name urgently, trying to warn her, but in her daze she couldn’t process what he was saying. Jimmy slammed his foot into her ribs. She cried out and gasped, trying to draw breath into lungs that seemed unable to function. She was grateful that he hadn’t had a chance to put on shoes. As she lay on the cold linoleum floor, trying to remember how to breathe she saw Jimmy racing towards the open front door, with Dale running after him. There was the sound of fighting on the balcony, of blows landing on flesh, and Dale crying out in pain. He fell in the doorway and Jimmy laid into him a few more times before racing off and disappearing into the darkness.
After a disorientated moment or two, Ashley groaned and sat up slowly. Her head was spinning, and the act of simply sitting up caused her to be overcome by a wave of nausea. She fought down the urge to vomit and took a ragged breath as she reached for her radio, managing to pull it free with fingers that felt too big and clumsy to be hers.
“This is DS McCoy, requesting backup,” she panted in to it, trying to form coherent words. “Location: Westside Flats, Burnham Street. We have two officers down and a murder suspect fleeing on foot. I repeat, officers down and the suspect is fleeing the scene. Suspect is six foot white male, wearing a dark orange jumper, black logoed satin boxer shorts, and is barefoot. All available units to pursue. Request ambulance to the scene for officers.”
Ashley didn’t really hear what the response was. She struggled to stay upright, fighting sudden on-set vertigo. “You okay, Dale?” she called out.
“That guy was like Chuck Norris after an energy drink! I feel like a wimp!” he said, pushing himself into a sitting position.
Ashley tried to smile, but the cut on her lip was too painful.
“Oh my Lordy lord!” a voice gasped.
Ashley squinted and then winced as pain shot across her face. She looked towards the light shining in through the front door, and standing in the doorway was the silhouette of a large woman with her hands on her hips.
“Oh my, Oh my. My goodness you poor dears,” the woman said. “That thug been at it again? He’s a monster. There, there, don’t you move, you look right beat up darlings. Just stay still, Agatha here is going to get you some help, okay? He owe you money? That man owe everybody money. No good piece of shit. You hold on right there,” the woman said, patting the top of Dale’s head gently. “I’ll call an ambulance for you.”
“We’ve already done that, sweetheart,” Dale managed to say. “We’re police officers.”
“Oh, of course, of course,” she cried out. She turned, went back outside, and called for her husband next door. “Elliot, get your lazy good for nothing backside out here and help these two police officers! Now!” She came back in and helped Ashley shift into a more comfortable position whilst they waited for the ambulance to arrive.
Ashley closed her eyes, and let Agatha coo and croon and fuss over her. It was good to know that there were still decent people in the world. Her dealings with scum like Jimmy Marsh made her wonder at times.
***
“Well, Detectives, there’s nothing too serious here,” the doctor said to Ashley and Dale. “A few bruised ribs and rather swollen noses, but nothing broken and certainly no need to keep you here any longer.”
Ashley and Dale grinned at each other and stood up gingerly from the examination beds that they had been sitting on whilst the doctor had patched them up. They fist bumped before heading towards the curtain that led to the rest of the hospital. “We’re made of tough stuff,” Dale said and grinned at Ashley again.
“I don’t feel very tough,” Ashley admitted ruefully, her hand gently touching her bruised nose.
“I would like to make a suggestion though,” the doctor said, interrupting them both as they were about to make their exit. “Take it easy for a few days. Although there’s nothing serious right now I’m not sure whether you’ll be quite so lucky next time. As it is I’m signing you both off work for a couple of days until the bruises heal and the swelling goes down. Go home and take a long, hot bath, both of you. Let your bodies heal themselves, but I’ll give you both some pain killers to take for the next day or so if you need them.”
“Yes, Doctor,” Ashley said with a small smile. “Thank you.”
She winced as her lip split again and a warm trickle of blood ran down her chin. She dabbed at it with a tissue. It seemed strange to feel grateful to the thug who had beat up her and Dale, but in a small way, Ashley was. After the daze she had been in since Nathan’s arrest and Tasha’s departure, the pain reminded her of what it felt like to be human again.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Dale drove Ashley home from the hospital in silence. He drew his car up outside her house and switched off the engine. He sat without moving, looking as if he had something to say, then reached underneath his seat.
Ashley turned to look at him. “You don’t have to babysit me, Dale.”
“Who said I was planning on babysitting you? It’s not the first time you’ve taken a beating, and I’m sure it
won’t be the last.”
“Great. You sure know how to charm a woman, don’t you?” she said with a half-smile, making sure she was careful not to re-open the split on her lip. She slowly released her seat belt and opened the car door. Dale reached out for her arm, stopping her from getting out.
Finding what he was looking for, he straightened up. “I’ve got something for you. I wish I didn’t have to give it to you, but I know that you wanted it.”
“It’s not your will, is it?” Ashley tried to smile but the pain was too intense, so she stopped making the effort, knowing Dale would understand.
“No. It’s Emily Hill’s crime scene video.”
Ashley twisted her whole body around again and put her foot back in the car. “Are you kidding me?” She stared at Dale, searching his face to see if he was playing a very bad joke.
“Do I look like I’m joking?” he threw a package on the dashboard.
The grim set to his face made Ashley look at the envelope then back at him. “How? Where? I don’t understand how you...”
Dale looked away. “Those are not the questions you should be concerning yourself with. The pertinent question is: Are we going to watch it or not?”
“What do you think?” Ashley grabbed the envelope and pushed open the door again.
They exited the car simultaneously, both wincing in pain as they did so.
“We’re old crocks, you and I,” Dale said to Ashley with a pain-tinged chuckle.
“Hey, less of the old, thanks. The last time I checked I was still in my prime.”
Dale waited until Ashley moved around to his side and they walked up the path to her house together in silence.
Ashley opened the front door and picked up the mail in the dark hall before absent-mindedly throwing it on the table. The letters slid along the smooth surface. In her haste to play the DVD in her hand, she paid no attention to the biggest envelope, which fell to the floor and lodged behind the table leg. She walked straight through to the living room and flipped on the light.