In response DI Dwyer’s phone burst into life. He took it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen with another of his amused smiles before answering. “Yes Sir.” He nodded before hanging up. “That was The Chief Superintendent. He told me to keep up the good work.”
“I don’t believe you,” said Ryan, already calling back Taylor. “Taylor, he’s still here…” He sighed and hung up.
“Let’s just throw him out the fucking window,” said Rachel.
Ryan had to hold her again to prevent her from carrying out her threat, she was so angry.
“Don’t worry, I’m off anyway,” said Dwyer. “Mr Maguire can’t tell me anything. In fact I doubt he’ll ever talk again.”
“You fucking wanker,” yelled Jules, shooting to her feet.
“Jules, sit down,” said Ryan.
“It seems your family doesn’t have the clout it used to,” said Dwyer. “Already your powerful contacts are pulling back, leaving you vulnerable. It’s the start of the slippery slope.”
“Just get out,” said Rachel in a weary voice.
He left whistling a happy tune, his hands stuffed into his pockets.
“Unfortunately he’s right,” said Jules. “It says a lot that we couldn’t get a dick like that removed.”
“We need to make our move and soon,” said Ryan, Rachel nodding in agreement.
CHAPTER 34
Joe attempted to slow down his breathing as he approached Mikey Maguire’s room clutching a hand sanitiser refill. He was painfully aware that he was sweating even more than normal with the stress and if he wasn’t careful he was going to get sent home because everyone would think he was ill. On an intensive care ward naturally everyone was very strict about staff illness.
After sorting out the oxygen cylinders he’d been sent on a few other errands, so he’d missed his earlier window of opportunity. He’d popped up to the ward later on but found Mikey’s wife as well as his brother and sister-in-law in the room. Fortunately they’d now gone. Mikey Maguire was back in his room but he had no choice. It was now or never.
“I’ve got to change the hand sanitiser dispenser in the room,” he told the two hulks who were still on the door. Idly he wondered whether they ate, slept and used the bathroom.
“On you go,” said one of them, opening the door for him with a pleasant smile.
“Thanks,” he said. For hard scary bikers they were very polite.
Joe tried not to look at the figure on the bed, out for the count, feeling dreadful for planting something that would spy on him when he was so vulnerable. He wandered over to the hand sanitiser dispenser clinging to the wall by the side of the bed, taking out the bottle that was already in there - which was still half full - and replacing it with the fresh one. He closed the unit back up, tossing the bottle he’d removed into the bin.
Glancing at the door he saw the two hulks were talking, not paying him any attention. His hand closed around the camera in his pocket…
“Jesus,” he cried, jumping when there was a choking sound from the bed.
He could only look on in horror as Mikey Maguire’s eyes opened, rolling about in his head, gagging on the tube in his mouth that went down into his windpipe. His hand flailed uselessly at it, attempting to swipe it away but it was held in place by surgical tape.
“Get a nurse,” Joe called to the two hulks, who were staring into the room with wide eyes.
One nodded and ran off while the other remained at his post.
“It’s okay,” said Joe, feeling useless. “You’re in hospital, don’t worry.”
Mikey released a loud groan, limbs twitching and Joe wondered if he was having some sort of fit.
“What are you saying?” said Joe, frantically looking around the room, clutching the camera, he had seconds at the most.
He dumped it behind a small portable CD player that had been set up on the cabinet by his bedside.
“Oh thank God,” he breathed, wanting to laugh out loud with joy. Finally he’d done it.
“It’s alright Mr Maguire,” said one of the nurses, tearing into the room.
Now the pressure was off Joe felt he could admire how lovely she looked in her uniform.
Mikey’s eyes fixated on the nurse as she shone a torch into his eyes. “You’re okay,” she said, smiling down at him.
Joe could only gaze at her. What an angel. He wished he were lying in bed and she was tending to him with such care.
“We’ve paged your doctor, she’s on her way. Please don’t speak, you’re hooked up to a ventilator.” He continued to make the same sound, begging her with his eyes and finally she translated what he was trying to say. “You mean Jules, your wife?”
He nodded.
“She’s fine, she’s in the room next door. She’s going to be so happy to see you awake.”
The nurse was rather touched by the delight that filled his eyes. She frowned at Joe when she caught him staring at her in that creepy, intense way of his. The sweat stains around his armpits made her feel nauseous. “You can go now.”
“Oh, okay.”
He jumped for the second time when a voice behind him yelled, “you’re awake. Get out of the way,” Jules barked at Joe.
“Sorry,” he said, stepping aside so her brother could wheel her to the bed.
“Thank God,” she breathed, taking her husband’s hand and kissing it.
Mikey’s panicked breathing slowed down, eyes filling with peace, grazing her cheek with his fingertips.
“Welcome back babe,” she smiled.
Joe left the room on shaky legs, torn between collapsing into a heap as the adrenaline drained right out of him and running to the nearest pub to get absolutely plastered. Before he could decide either way, the formidable charge nurse stepped out in front of him.
“Joe, you don’t look well.”
“I’m fine. I’m just hot.”
“You look unwell to me, you’re bright red and the sweat…” She trailed off with a grimace. “You’re to stay away from this ward for the next five days, just to be on the safe side. I’ll inform your supervisor of my decision.”
“Fine by me,” he said, rushing off the ward before she could say anything else.
He snuck into the stairwell to make the call he’d been longing to make ever since this nightmare began.
“What?” snapped Desiree’s voice in his ear.
“It’s done.”
“Both of them?”
“Both of them. Mikey Maguire woke up while I was in there. Shit me up it did.”
“Is he on the mend?”
“Dunno, I’m not a doctor. But he was asking for his missus, even though he’s on a ventilator. A nurse examined him. They paged his doctor too.”
“What about Jules?”
“She yelled at me to get out of the way when she was wheeled into my room, so I’m guessing she’s going to be okay.”
“Always was a loud-mouthed cow. So she’s in a wheelchair? Interesting.”
“It’s only temporary, ‘cos she’s still weak.”
“Good job Joe. At least you’ll get to keep your kneecaps now.”
She hung up on him and Joe stared at his phone, feeling sick. Just knowing he’d had sex with that vicious bitch made him feel unclean. Bugger it, he was crying off sick and going home. The charge nurse on the ward would back him up on that one. He thought he’d have a few days away, just in case those gorillas in suits decided to come back.
Estelle hung up, feeling as relieved as Joe had sounded on the phone. She’d been summoned to a meeting comprised of Clayton, his weirdo brother Luke, Katia, Hayden Brody and Mick. That call couldn’t have come at a better time because so far they’d all been distinctly unimpressed with the results.
“That was Joe,” she announced, walking into an office in the business block Clayton owned. “He’s done it.” She directed this particular comment at Katia who she was quite sure had wanted her to be got out of the way. It was clear she didn’t trust her an inch. Well
the feeling was mutual. She described what Joe had told her about Mikey and Jules’s conditions.
“You mean that clown has actually managed to plant both devices?” said Hayden.
“He has. Sounded like he was on the verge of a coronary,” she laughed, sparking up a cigarette, ignoring the way Katia wrinkled her nose. This was Clayton’s gaff and, as he was a smoker himself, he didn’t give a shit.
“I knew you could do it darlin’,” said Luke with a wink. “How could he resist you in that pretty little nurse’s uniform.”
To everyone’s consternation Luke was extremely attracted to Estelle, who was twice his age, at least. She’d slept with some ugly, scummy bastards in her time but that spooky little bugger made her skin crawl. Usually she wouldn’t have thought twice about sleeping with a man if it gave her an advantage and she was certain she could show him a trick or two but she knew that if it came down to it she couldn’t bear for him to touch her, which was rather a refreshing change for her.
“What are we waiting for?” continued Luke, practically salivating. “I’ll ignite them.”
“Not yet,” said Clayton.
He looked outraged. “Why not?”
“Because you heard what Joe said,” countered Clayton. “Mikey’s awake and being attended to by a medical team.”
“Surely you don’t care about them?” said Katia with a raised eyebrow.
“No but if there is a medical team present they may intervene and our little plan will fail. Let’s wait until tonight, when there will be fewer staff about and everyone will be off their guard.”
“Makes sense,” said Hayden.
“Yes, I suppose,” said Katia, casually examining her nails so no one would see that she was annoyed about being wrong.
Mikey was determined to stay awake, despite how exhausted and sore he was. He’d already drifted off once since he last woke up. He’d woken up again just ten minutes ago and it was dark outside. Jules was still by his bedside, to his relief looking pretty well even though she’d recently been shot. Ryan, Rachel and Bruiser had left to meet up with Jez and the others at headquarters to formulate a battle plan.
Now he was breathing independently the horrible ventilator had been removed, leaving his throat rough and sore. The panic he’d experienced when he’d woken up to find that thing shoved down his throat had been awful.
“The boys have gone to Devon with the others,” said Jules. “I didn’t let them come here, I didn’t want them seeing you unconscious, it would have frightened them.”
He nodded, thinking this very wise. He’d scared himself. His fingers brushed her lips. “You…look beautiful.”
“Don’t lie, we both know I look like a big pile of shite.” She beamed when he chuckled.
“Never,” he breathed.
“Never mind giving me a load of old flannel. You need to conserve your energy. It’s not like you’re going to get lucky in this place.”
“Shame.”
“Later,” she said, kissing his fingertips. “When we’re both fighting fit again and we can indulge in all our special little toys. Down boy,” she added when his eyes sparkled and the blip of the heart monitor sped up.
He took a few deep breaths and it slowed down again.
“You’ll be back on your feet in no time,” she winked.
Mikey thought it was perhaps time to go back to sleep when the room started to swim.
“Jules?” he said when she put a hand to her head and swayed in her seat.
“I feel…strange,” she murmured.
“Me too,” he replied, longing to sink into the lethargy wanting to overtake him.
Alerted by a hissing noise, Jules pulled aside the CD player by Mikey’s bed to reveal a small, round object. Putting her hand to it, she could feel air pumping out of it.
“Gas,” rasped Mikey. “Poison.”
Jules nodded and got to her feet, determinedly ignoring the pain. She placed the oxygen mask hanging off the corner of the bed frame over his face. Her hand shook as she reached out to switch it on. She’d seen the nurses do it enough times to know what to do.
The fog that had settled on Mikey’s brain lifted as soon as he inhaled the clean air. All he could do was watch as Jules snatched up the device, stumbling with it to the window, every step agony for her. He groped for the call button on his bed and frantically pressed it.
Jules lacked the strength to push the window open, her fingers unable to work the lock. Instead she lurched towards the bathroom, her vision fading, struggling to get her legs to work properly, gasping for breath. She tossed the hissing thing into the sink and switched on the tap, sending a stream of water down the hole where the gas was coming from. The thing spluttered and shuddered before going silent.
She glanced back to Mikey on the bed who was reaching out a hand to her. She gave him a gentle smile before her legs collapsed.
“Ow my fucking head.”
“Sounds like she’s back to normal,” said a voice.
Jules’s head pounded, making her stomach churn. Her eyelids felt like someone had attached lead weights to them but she forced them open nevertheless. Ryan was peering down at her with a frown.
“You back with us?” he said.
“I think so. What happened?”
“What do you remember?”
She struggled to think. “Hissing…air…dizzy…”
“It was some sort of gas bomb,” he replied.
“You saved Mikey’s life, as well as your own,” said Rachel, homing into view. “It was a colourless and odourless toxin. Thank God you were awake. If you’d both been asleep when they were set off you wouldn’t have stood a chance.”
“Mikey’s okay?”
“Thanks to you,” said Jez, appearing in her line of vision. “This was the Slovakian slag. We’ve come up with a plan to get rid of the lot of them.”
Jules slowly sat up, groaning at the pain in her shoulder, which was worse than ever. She didn’t want to be in this state, she wanted to be back at full strength so she could kick some fucking arse. “Where am I?” she said when she realised she was in a different room.
“On the Critical Care ward,” said Ryan. “They had to evacuate Intensive Care because of the gas. It’s caused complete chaos.”
“Shit,” she said, hating the thought of all those sick people being put in danger then shunted about.
“I don’t know how the fuck they got those gas bombs into your rooms,” said Jez. “We’re still trying to work that one out. Dane’s given his men a major fucking over and replaced them with ones who are more alert.”
“DCI Taylor’s outside,” said Ryan. “He wants to interview you about what happened. He’s on our side, don’t worry. Just tell him what happened.”
She nodded. “Send him in.”
“Are you sure you’re up to it?”
“I might throw up in front of him but I want to get it over with then I want to see Mikey.”
“He’s at the other end of the ward. They couldn’t get you rooms together.”
“Understandable.”
“We’re going to bust you both out of here,” said Jez. “It’s not safe. We’re taking you to the care home Rachel went in after…you know…the Alex thing. But they’re saying we can’t take Mikey, he’s not stable enough.”
Jules shook her head. “I’m not going to the care home.”
“Please be sensible about this,” said Ryan. “You’re still recovering from a very serious injury and you’ve just been poisoned.”
“I’m fine. More lives than a cat me,” she said before launching into a painful bout of coughing.
“A cat with bronchitis?” said Jez, earning himself a glare.
“We’ll talk about it later,” said Rachel. “Let’s get this interview with Taylor over with first.”
Taylor listened to Jules’s statement about discovering the device and then disposing of it. No, she had no idea who’d planted it there or even how it had been done. At least he knew sh
e was telling the truth, they all seemed perplexed about it, as well as furious. He was full of admiration for how she’d ensured her husband was safe first, putting her own life at risk. There weren’t many people with such grit.
“A cursory investigation will be made but I’ll ensure it’s not in-depth,” said Taylor.
“And what about the tenacious DI Dwyer?” said Rachel. “No doubt he’ll be poking his nose in.”
“Perhaps. He doesn’t always do as he’s told. How was he with you when he gave you a lift?”
“Unpleasant, vicious. He said he wished his brother had finished the job on me.”
“The prick,” said Jez.
“He’s not done with us,” she sighed.
Taylor thought how sick of it all she looked. “The man’s an obsessive lunatic, like Benton.” He wondered just how far this lot were willing to go to get rid of the inconvenience that was DI Dwyer. Dwyer himself firmly believed that his brother was murdered, that his death wasn’t a suicide and Taylor was inclined to agree with him, although he’d never tell him that. But Benton had been disgraced and had heaped that same disgrace on the uniform, sentenced to life in prison for murder. No one had looked hard at his death. Dwyer had been a constable then, his demands for more to be done ignored, thanks to the powerful palms that had no doubt been greased. But Dwyer was a different prospect to his brother, he was still a police officer with a good record, despite the rumours of fitting people up. If he was found dead there would be a serious investigation and the Maguires and Laws weren’t so stupid that they’d kill a serving police officer. It would be interesting to see how that panned out. With any luck when something was actually done about Dwyer he’d be sunning himself in the Bahamas, well away from all the chaos.
“By the way,” said Taylor, producing something from his jacket pocket. “Forensics found this at the barn. I believe it belongs to you,” he added, holding it out to Jules.
She took it, everyone watching as she opened the charred box to reveal the watch, which was dented and scratched. She recalled how excited she’d been when she’d had it engraved, enjoying picturing Mikey’s face when she gave it to him. Now all it represented was the day they’d all nearly been killed, as well as the date of Battler and Grant’s deaths.
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