by Angus McLean
She could feel Ailsa’s hot, sour breath on her face. Her colleague’s complexion was going blotchy and her eyes became angry pinpricks. A coil of crazy orange hair had popped free and was sticking out the side of Ailsa’s head. It looked like a rusty spring.
‘You...you...’ Ailsa sputtered, dry spit flecking her lips. She took another step forward, her hands balling into fists now. She got right into Molly’s personal space, aggression beating off her like a heatwave.
Molly wasn’t a confrontational person, and had not been in a fight since intermediate school. But today was different. Today there was a line in the sand. She stepped up herself, her jaw set.
‘I’ve had enough of you throwing your weight around like you own the show,’ she growled, ‘you’re nothing but a bully.’
Ailsa gaped like a fish and Molly held up a warning finger.
‘No talking-I haven’t finished yet,’ she grated. ‘You think you can push me around, but you’re wrong. If you think I’m just a nice chick that you can walk over, then you’ve got another think coming. No more.’
Ailsa sputtered and Molly waggled the finger of warning at her.
‘I said no talking.’ She took a breath but it did nothing to calm her down. ‘I’ve had a really crap time lately, and you’re not making it any better. So if you’ve got a problem with me, sweetie, go right ahead and make something of it, ‘cause I’ll love every second.’ She leaned in closer now, toe to toe. ‘But just remember...you brought it.’
Molly could hear the blood slamming through her veins, adrenaline surging through her system. She was totally focussed on the woman in front of her, the one who’d treated her like something stuck to her shoe, who’d talked down to her and dismissed her, who’d deceived her and bullied her. All thoughts of the consequences were gone.
This was crunch time, and it was on.
There was a long pause while they held each other’s gaze, the silence broken only by the sound of Ailsa’s rapid breathing. Eventually Ailsa looked away and Molly knew she had her.
‘Whatever, girly,’ Ailsa said with a weak sneer, ‘you think what you like. But nobody talks to me like that and gets away with it.’
‘Pfff.’
Molly turned her back on her and went back to her desk. She had a feeling this wasn’t over yet.
Chapter Twenty One
Friday
When Dan opened the door into the foyer he saw Malakai Fenton standing in the middle with his wife and son behind him.
Some basic searches on NIA had easily identified Mykel’s family. Most of the information came from family violence reports between the parents, Malakai and Malia. It all explained her lack of get up and go. Malia Fenton was a broken woman-although one unit had reported her interfering when they tried to arrest Malakai for bashing her last year.
Malakai, on the other hand, was a lifelong thug and had done time for most categories of offending. He was flagged in the system for assaulting Police, carrying weapons, and drug use.
Malakai had the basketball arms going on and his chest was puffed out. Even from the door Dan could see the beads of sweat on the fat man’s face. His eyes were hidden behind black sharkies and he wore scuffed steel caps. Mykel was hard to see behind his father’s bulk, peeking past him at Dan. Malia Fenton stood silently at her husband’s shoulder, watching Dan as he approached.
The Watchhouse officers stood behind their counter, watching with anticipation. The foyer was otherwise clear of customers.
‘Hey Malakai,’ Dan said easily, tucking his hands into his pockets. ‘Thanks for coming in’
‘You the one spreading this crap about my boy?’ Malakai demanded. He was a big unit and was clearly wound up.
‘This one?’ Dan tossed his chin towards Mykel.
‘Uh.’
‘About him and his mates bashing robbing a kid?’
‘Uh.’ Malakai had found a groove, and went with it.
‘About that kid being too scared to leave home on his own now in case it happens again?’
The black lenses stared back at Dan and Malakai said nothing. Dan held his gaze coolly, his face expressionless.
‘How about you take the glasses off so we can talk properly?’ Dan suggested.
Malakai closed his mouth and took a snorting breath through his wide nostrils, his jaw tense. He leaned forward towards Dan, slowly removing his glasses, then took a deliberate step forward, his dilated pupils fixed on Dan’s impassive face.
‘There,’ he rumbled, ‘that better for you?’
‘Much. Thanks.’ Dan didn’t waver. ‘Now step back thanks Malakai, and let’s talk properly. There are some things you need to know.’
Malakai took another breath, sounding like a bull so close up. He was still locked on Dan, rage almost consuming him. The silence was thick. The big man made no attempt to back off.
‘Malakai, step back and take a breath,’ Dan told him firmly. ‘I know you’re pissed off mate, but you losing it is not going to help your boy right now, is it?’ He didn’t break the stare, but tried to keep his own look non-confrontational. Malakai Fenton could rip his head off with one hand if he wanted to, and Dan felt painfully exposed.
‘Or what?’ Malakai grated.
Dan gave him perplexed. ‘Really?’ he said. ‘Are you seriously going to go down that road, Malakai? Don’t give me “or what.” You’ve been there before, you know how it ends. Talk to me and we can get this sorted out right now.’ He held up his hand and counted off his thumb. ‘I can guarantee you two things. One, Mykel did this and yes, he needs to take responsibility for it, but I will look after him while he’s here and treat him fairly. And two...’ he ticked off the index finger, ‘if you are going to play up and make this difficult, then all bets are off.’ He let his hands drop to his sides. ‘Understand?’
Malakai took a long slow breath. Dan waited, his heart pounding in his chest, mentally keyed up to react as soon as Malakai made the inevitable move. His fingers twitched. Oxygen pumped into his blood and he felt a huge dump of adrenaline surge through him. The big man in front of him nodded slowly, and put out a gnarled mitt.
Dan shook it, the huge mitt surprisingly soft.
‘Okay boss,’ Malakai said softly, ‘fair enough.’ He released Dan’s hand and gave an apologetic shrug. ‘You know how it is eh...he’s my boy.’
‘No worries mate.’ Dan gave him a smile. ‘I understand. Gotta look after your family, eh?’
They both turned towards Malia and Mykel, who had watched the interaction in silence. Malia was as impassive as ever, but Mykel was twitchy now, bouncing from foot to foot, looking anxious.
‘Oh eh, you gunna just give me up to the cops?’ he demanded of his father. ‘I come down here coz you say you gunna sort it out, and you just gunna hand me over to stick me in jail?’
‘Hey.’ Malia nudged him with her elbow. ‘Shush. Don’t you talk to your father like that.’
‘Ow, shut up Mum!’ His eyes were wide and Mykel was starting to lose it now. He was jittering like a corn kernel on a hot plate. ‘You just as bad as him! Hand me over so you never have to see me again, eh!’
‘Watch your mouth, boy,’ Malakai growled. He reached out and took his son’s arm, pulling him towards himself. ‘You get this done, and own up to what you done. You think you a big man, so stand up and prove you are.’
‘Ow, not even!’ Mykel jerked his arm away and stepped back. He looked angry and frightened, the enormity of the situation dawning on him properly now. ‘I ain’t gunna jail, I ain’t like you!’
The front doors buzzed open and Hugh Kennedy stepped in, a folder tucked under his arm. He looked up in surprise when he saw the others in front of him. He looked from Mykel to Malakai and then to Dan. He looked back at Mykel, just a metre away from him. The teen glared back at him.
‘Whatchu lookin’ at, dickhead?’ Mykel squealed. ‘You wanna one-out?’
Dan moved forward, knowing Kennedy probably didn’t even know he’d just been challenged to a f
ight. Mykel might still be a kid, but the state he was in he’d tear Kennedy apart.
‘Mykel, knock it off and come with me. You’re just making this worse for yourself,’ he said.
‘I ain’t gunna jail!’ Mykel shrieked, his voice getting higher every time he spoke.
Enough was enough. Dan reached out and took Mykel’s arm. ‘You’re under arrest, come with me.’
Mykel started to protest in earnest, pulling away, and Dan quickly locked his arm up behind his back, his other hand on the boy’s shoulder. He started to move him towards the internal door as the boy continued to struggle and whine.
Malakai and Malia stood aside, watching in silence as their son was hustled past them. Kennedy stepped forward, braver now that someone else had taken control.
‘Step back,’ he told them loudly, trying to wave them back with his hands, ‘move away. You’re just getting in the way here.’
‘Get the door,’ Dan grunted, struggling to contain Mykel. He got him to the wall beside the door and held him against it face first.
Kennedy ignored him and continued to try and shoo the parents out of the foyer. ‘Keep going, don’t obstruct me or you will be arrested.’
‘Arrested?’ Malakai looked incredulous. ‘For what?’
‘Obstruction,’ Kennedy retorted hotly. ‘Now move.’ He put a hand on Malakai’s wide chest and gave him a push. ‘Get back.’
‘Don’t push me, clown,’ Malakai warned him, ‘we’re tryin’ to help.’
‘Just get the door, Kennedy,’ Dan barked at him.
Kennedy shot him an annoyed look. ‘I’m handling this, thank you Detective. And mind your lip.’
Dan stared at him, exasperated, and in that second, he lost his concentration on Mykel.
Mykel twisted, pushed away and threw an elbow up and back at Dan’s face. Dan sensed it coming and ducked.
At the same time, Kennedy pushed Malakai again, the push doing nothing to move the big man but plenty to bring back his rage.
Malakai grabbed Kennedy by the shirt front and pushed him back hard. Kennedy lost his balance, fell over his feet and landed on his butt on the floor.
Mykel’s elbow brushed Dan’s head and the boy turned to face him, just in time to catch a left jab to the gut that took the wind out of him. Dan side stepped, grabbing at the boy’s arm when someone crashed into him from behind. He was bowled sideways into the wall by Malia’s full weight, seeing Mykel bolt past her.
Dan caught himself and pushed off the wall, shoving Malia aside as the internal door opened and Ace burst through with Buck hard on his heels.
Kennedy was starting to get up when Malakai reached down to offer him a hand.
‘Help!’ Kennedy shrieked, scrambling away, his shoes slipping on the tiled floor.
Seeing the big man looming over the fallen Senior Sergeant, and hearing the cry for help, Ace lined up Malakai and threw himself at him. He cannoned into him and knocked him backwards, falling in a tangle together on the floor.
The front doors slid open and Mykel ran for it. Buck hurdled over Malia and made to give chase. He was going too fast to dodge Kennedy as the other man started to get up and they collided. Buck crashed over him, flat on his face and sliding across the tiles head first into the closing doors. Kennedy was knocked back again, letting out a cry of pain.
Dan got past Malia and saw Ace wrestling with Malakai on the floor. The bigger man clearly had the upper hand and was swinging huge fists at him. Ace was trying to duck punches and wriggle away at the same time. He got free and scrambled to his feet, stepping back beside Kennedy who grabbed the OC spray canister from his belt and delivered a burst into Malakai’s face.
Ace pushed his hand down quickly. ‘Not inside,’ he said.
Buck picked himself up, shaking his head to clear it. Dan grabbed him and pushed him towards Malia, who was sitting on the floor and keeping out of the way now.
‘Lock her up,’ he snapped, ‘and watch her.’
He saw Malakai starting to get up, ignoring Ace’s commands to stay down, and saw the OC spray running down his sweaty face. He looked good and proper angry now, looking from one to the other.
‘Stay down, Malakai,’ Dan barked, ‘you’re under arrest.’
‘Self-defence,’ Malakai grumbled, heaving up on his knee.
The foyer reeked of OC spray and it hung in the still air.
Dan and Ace moved in together, each going for an arm, but Malakai was like an enraged bull now. He swung both arms free and started throwing punches at both of them. Ace ducked one and stayed low, landing a double jab to Malakai’s ribs. They barely even seemed to register. Dan was too slow and copped a big mitt on the side of the head. He staggered away, seeing stars. It was like being hit with a baseball bat.
While Malakai was distracted by Dan, Ace came in again and slammed his boot into the side of Malakai’s knee. Malakai growled and half buckled, then turned his attention to Ace. He turned awkwardly, reaching out with one hand and swinging the other one in a huge haymaker. If either hand made contact, Ace was in serious trouble.
Dan launched himself off the wall and flew in, rage in his eyes now, and shoulder charged Malakai in the ribs under the swinging fist. He hit the man with his full weight and pushed through, sending both of them crashing to the floor. Malakai hit the deck with a resounding thud and Dan managed to hang on to him, grappling with one arm in a mad frenzy. Ace piled in on the other arm and suddenly Buck was there too, helping them to wrestle Malakai onto his front and lock his arms behind his back.
The door crashed open again and a pair of uniformed cops charged in to help. In seconds Malakai was handcuffed and being dragged to his feet by the uniforms. The three detectives stepped back to catch their breath, all of them sweating and panting. Dan looked over to see Kennedy dusting himself off and felt his rage start to boil again. He gingerly touched the side of his head where he’d been clobbered, grimacing at the pain.
‘Everybody okay?’ Kennedy asked as he approached the group.
They all nodded, nobody really interested in talking to him.
‘Right, you...’ Kennedy jabbed a finger at Buck- ‘take that woman through for a witness statement. You...’ jabbing now at Ace, ‘give those uniforms a hand to process that idiot. You will be OC of him now. And you...’ he turned his attention to Dan, ‘come with me.’
Dan frowned. ‘What’s the witness statement for? She’s under arrest as an offender.’
Kennedy fixed him with a beady stare. ‘She’s a witness. There’s no need for her to be charged.’
Dan made a scoffing sound. ‘No, she’s to be charged with Aggravated Assault. She allowed her son to escape.’ He glared back at the NCO. ‘While I was trying to restrain him and open the door on my own, remember?’
‘Listen!’ Kennedy’s voice shot up an octave and he waved a finger at Dan. ‘I’m in charge here, I make the rules and I say she’s a witness!’ His eyes were wild and dry white spit flecked his thin lips. ‘Don’t you undermine me, Crowley, or I’ll have you!’
Dan didn’t whether to laugh at the absurdity of the situation, or to belt him. He settled for an old fashioned curl of the lip. ‘You don’t actually make the rules, Hugh,’ he replied, as calmly as he could manage. ‘And I think you’re giving an unlawful order.’
Kennedy began to tremble and his face was white. ‘You get in there!’ he shrieked, waving wildly towards the door. ‘You get up there and you see the Area Commander!’
Dan didn’t move.
‘Now!’
Dan shook his head in amazement, and Ace tried to butt in.
‘Boss, maybe...’
‘Shut up, just shut up or I’ll have you too!’ Kennedy’s voice was verging on breaking windows now.
Dan decided that, in the interests of getting this ridiculous drama sorted out, he better do as he was told for now. He crossed to the internal door, swiped his card and went through, letting the door fall behind him. He was half way down the corridor when Kennedy barged throu
gh the door after him.
‘That was just childish, Crowley,’ he snapped. ‘You could’ve held the door.’
Dan stopped. He turned and looked at the other man. He gave him incredulous.
‘Rude, isn’t it?’ he said.
Kennedy reached him and got right up in his face. Dan took a step back, nudging the wall. The man’s halitosis could strip paint.
‘That was just pathetic behaviour,’ Kennedy spat, ‘you lost control out there and it all turned to crap on us. This will be going on paper and you will be facing serious consequences, you understand? Serious consequences.’
‘First off,’ Dan replied tersely, feeling his anger swelling up inside him, ‘I had things under control until you wet your pants like a little school girl. And secondly,’ he eye balled Kennedy now, their faces just inches apart, ‘back...off.’
‘You don’t scare me, Crowley,’ Kennedy retorted, ‘you might think you’re the big man with your little gang out there, but I’ve got you pegged.’
‘Really.’ Dan felt his heart thumping now, and his hands involuntarily curled into fists. ‘Well I’ve got you pegged too, Senior. As a gutless...back stabbing...light weight...little...punk.’
Kennedy’s face went even whiter now, and his lips went taut across his rodent-like teeth. ‘Well,’ he hissed, his fetid breath filling Dan’s face, ‘at least I can father a child.’
Dan felt his guts drop through the floor and in a nano-second the red mist came down.
His hands came up, both slamming into Kennedy’s chest and sending him crashing back against the opposite wall. Kennedy let out a squeal as Dan stepped in. He felt nothing, thought of nothing but tearing this guy apart. His left hand slapped away Kennedy’s weak attempt at a grab, and his right hook came thundering in at shoulder height, backed by all the anger and frustration that had been building up.
The hook connected with Kennedy’s jaw and sent him sideways, crashing to the floor.
‘Detective Crowley!’
The shrill voice cut through the mist and Dan’s head snapped left towards the stairs at the end of the hallway. Inspector Newlands stood there, Joe behind her.