“Flynn,” I repeated louder. Surely I couldn’t be ignored for much longer. “It's me, DS McCall. Kirsty, if you’d prefer. We came to see you earlier, remember? I came to check in on you, see how you were coping with… all this.” I coaxed in a gentle voice so he’d know I wasn’t there to intimidate. “You didn’t talk much earlier. You’re in shock, that much is evident.”
Flynn’s chest rose and fell in a jagged pattern, but something said that he was listening.
“It must’ve been frightening when you got out of the van to see all of us there,” I recalled. It would’ve been intimidating for anyone, criminal or not.
My aim for this interaction was to appeal to Flynn as a human being, rather than a criminal. To play on his emotions, find out why he’d got involved in the sticky situation. I was doing things my way, without interruption.
“I don’t blame you, Flynn. You were frightened,” I admitted. “The other two I didn’t know that well, but you were different. I thought I knew you better than that. You were the last person we expected to see with a gun in your hands.”
He flinched.
“It’s just me now. We understand each other, don’t we?” I waited. “Don’t we, Flynn?” I scrambled to locate his hand like before and squeezed it tightly.
Flynn didn’t fight against it anymore, he interlinked his finger with mine.
“Why, Flynn? You mentioned that your daughter would be able to see you in prison, but she saw you every day before you got into this mess. At home, with your beautiful wife. Why didn’t you stay out of it?”
The mention of Flynn’s family made a choked sob heave against his chest.
“Cry if you want to, Flynn. It’s only me. I’m not here to judge, only to understand.” The sweat on our palms was evident.
“Are we completely alone?” Flynn twitched and cried, as though plagued by memories.
“Alone,” I confirmed. “Only me and you. Nothing pressured or serious. I wanted to talk as equals. As someone who I could help out before, I want to see what I can do now.”
“No one else is here?” Flynn checked twice, suspicious of my confirmation. From the beams of corridor lighting coming through the glass pane, I could see wet tears sliding and dropping onto his chest.
“Nobody,” I affirmed. “In fact, I’ll let you into a little secret. I’m not supposed to be talking to you.”
That made him interested, and Flynn finally made subtle eye contact. “Why?”
“Because everyone is convinced that you were behind the crime,” I spoke honestly.
“Do you?” he whispered, mouth hanging agape. Talking was a start. Hopefully, this was working.
“I don’t know,” I said truthfully, relaxing into the seat, convinced this would be a long night. “You’re a wreck. You shake whenever authority is in the room, you’re awfully fond of your daughter, and I don’t believe you’d willingly do anything to jeopardize that relationship or bond with her.” Pouring him a glass of chilled water, I continued to talk in the shadows. “You’re not the greatest when it comes to crime, Flynn, especially after your track record. Here.”
Taking a satisfied gulp, Flynn slowly but surely began to perk up. In the sense that I was finally getting some sense from the man.
“Did someone threaten you into transporting the drugs?” The air was stifling hot in here. The rooms should at least install decent air conditioning. “You changed the subject earlier.”
Flynn checked left and right with uncertainty. His dodgy lip wavered, dry and bitten to shreds.
“Tell me, Flynn. I can help you,” I promised.
Flynn’s jaw jutted out, a telltale sign that he was going to cry again. Hot tears spilt from the crevices in his eyes, a dozen times over. It was as though all of his fear, humiliation, pain, and anger overflowed all at once. It created an epiphany of release.
“Shhh,” I coaxed and stroked his clammy forehead softly, as a mother would. Flynn warmed to the idea of someone caring for him. Caring about him. Nobody had since the shootings.
“They killed them, and now they’re after me too,” Flynn wept, glowing from a light sheen of sweat and adrenaline.
“Who?” I urged for something more to work with and gripped the armrests tensely.
“They said they’d hurt my daughter if I didn’t get involved. They threatened to take her away from us. To hurt her on purpose, to get to us.” The grown man crumpled like a rag doll.
It was a breakthrough of some proportion, though it wasn’t pleasant to hear. Whoever was behind this were cowards.
“I won't let them get away with it, I promise. You just have to tell me who they are.” Making such a weighty promise wasn’t easy, especially if we failed to keep it.
“No, I can’t,” Flynn yelled unpredictably, hitting the sheets in frustration. “If I tell you, they’ll come after the both of us, anyway. They’re here, watching us now.” My neck snapped up in paranoia too. “If they knew I’d shared even this much with you, they’ll kill me before you find them.”
A shiver ran up my spine and sent goosebumps that covered every inch of bare skin. Now that Flynn mentioned it, it certainly felt like we were being watched, but there were dozens of people in the hospital. Our chances of narrowing them down were slim.
“Flynn, who’s supposed to be taking care of you, looking out for you? Is it the nurses who want to harm you?” I wondered if the nurses were taking on their own form of justice nowadays, especially since Flynn’s crime wasn’t exactly kept on the down-low.
Flynn set his mouth into a grim line, refusing to acknowledge the sources that were threatening his life any further.
“I’ve already said too much. They’re going to kill me.” He’d gone past all points of reason.
We were stuck in a predicament, an ultimatum. Someone was behind this, yet Flynn wouldn’t be able to say who. It was frustrating and equally upsetting to know people could scare others in such a way.
“Were Sam and Robin threatened too?” I gripped tighter on Flynn, wordlessly signalling that he wasn’t alone in this.
“We all were. They found us.”
“Who found you, Flynn? Who?” Frustratingly, Flynn had clammed up like earlier. “I’ll stay here tonight, make sure you’re safe. I don’t want to leave you alone in such a worked-up state.”
“Thank you,” Flynn hiccuped and slowly calmed down. A hiccup would frighten us both every now and then.
“You’re welcome.” I gave up and settled into the chair, thinking about how to solve this. There was no chance in hell I was going to leave Flynn alone, where anyone could get to him. They weren’t going to get the chance.
Gradually, Flynn’s miserable eyes sunk closed, until he had settled into a blackout sleep, mumbling every so often out of paranoia. I, however, didn’t get that luxury and was kept awake by many intrusive thoughts.
How could this be fixed?
11
Nine in the morning, exactly on the dot. I rushed into CID preoccupied with the wealth of knowledge Michael had shared. The decorators were finishing up their painting, and we had to admit it looked much better than before.
“I’ve got something,” I spoke loudly upon arrival at the main hub, and the team looked up in surprise. They were milling around randomly, and DCI Reid surfaced out of the adjoining kitchen.
“What’s all this about, Cooper? I was just about to grab some cake. Tony brought some in.” DCI Reid held the tin up excitedly. “Want a slice?”
“No thanks, Guv.” I stood up tall. “This is way more interesting than cake.”
“C’mon then, Cooper. Make it worth our while,” Reid said as he joined our group.
Rebecca pretended to be occupied with the robbery files, yet I knew she was secretly intrigued. Meanwhile, Cillian was too busy stuffing his face, icing stuck to his pointed chin. Tony’s lanky figure stood next to the printer, and he hit the temperamental technology in hopes of reviving it. DC Taylor typed furiously, though lent an ear towards our discussion.<
br />
We were missing someone important.
“Where’s McCall--?” No sooner had I opened my mouth to speak, the office doors flung open and there she was.
McCall’s uniform was crumpled, and she seemed weirdly upbeat in an ironic fashion. Gaunt shadows resided under her usually bright eyes and her gingery tresses hung limp, having not received a wash. Barely bothering with formalities, McCall rushed to join the group.
“You’re not going to believe this.” She mirrored my own actions, which severely lacked eloquence. “I’ve got something.”
Everybody struggled to speak when McCall appeared oblivious as to why they were laughing at us.
“Is this some kind of prank, or something? Only I’m sure we’re in some parallel world, like back to the future.” Tony grinned cheekily.
DCI Reid poked a fork in the air at us two. “You two have some kind of weird synergy going on.”
“What?” McCall snapped and turned to me for an explanation.
“I said the same thing when I arrived,” I huffed, wishing I could get on and share what was bugging me. “You got here last, so you can wait your turn.”
McCall rolled her eyes, so I took the opportunity.
“As you all know, I visited Michael last night,” I started, waiting for the team to simmer down. They blinked expectantly.
“We’ve been set up,” I spilt impatiently and expected a commotion to erupt.
Except it didn’t.
They stared, clearly thinking I was crazy or something worse.
DCI Reid chewed slowly. “Elaborate, Cooper.”
“Well…” I drew a large breath. “Michael told me that the cocaine prices have shot through the roof. These guys are hitting new markets, presumably getting bigger cuts for themselves. Think wealthy daddy’s girls with an addiction, bored businessmen. That kind of thing. They’re new operators,” I shared, without waiting for any further jibes. “They’re recruiting and threatening criminals with a history of petty crimes, using the rife underground networks. The likes of Flynn, Sam and Robin are a front for the real criminals.”
McCall’s expression was unreadable, but my explanation sucked her in.
“Flynn, Sam and Robin were forced into this. I don’t know what the actual criminals behind this had against them, but it was something important. The same events, right down to the tip-offs, have happened all over Scotland, from Glasgow to Edinburgh and here too. Petty criminals have all been caught transporting cocaine by the police, all of whom, have wound up dead.” I let out a deep breath, glad to have it all off my chest.
The team frowned, struggling to make heads nor tails of it. Even Rebecca had paused her scribbling. DCI Reid struggled to clamber ungracefully to his feet, starting the same familiar pacing technique he’d used in Flynn’s hospital room.
“Are you trying to say it’s a conspiracy, Cooper? And you believe this information from where? A homeless guy living underneath a dirty bypass.”
When it was put like that, it did sound crazy.
“No, Guv,” DC Taylor spoke up, fixated to the computer screen still. “I’ve typed it in on the internet. DI Cooper’s telling the truth. There are online news reports dating to a couple of months back for the one in Edinburgh. Take a look.”
Ah, the brilliance of modern policing.
We all gathered around the screen collectively to skim through the article over DC Taylor’s trimmed shoulders. Sure enough, it was all there in black and white.
“Well, bugger me,” DCI Reid inhaled and struggled to articulate much else. “Tip-offs, shootings, then what? I’m struggling to understand what the point of all this is. What happened after they took possession of the cocaine?” He looked to DC Taylor. “Well, keep digging, lad.”
DC Taylor skimmed the pages with a morbid interest. “The drugs were disposed of, then nothing. The cases were sidelined. Dead leads, according to this.”
Tony frowned, digesting the facts we were faced with. Surprisingly enough, Cillian came up with the most logical conclusion as he wiped royal icing away with the back of his hand.
“Do you reckon they’re trying to kill off the petty criminals for a reason? Maybe someone’s got a grudge against them?”
“Criminals with a history, yes,” I heartily agreed. “It’s the only connection between these cases. Injustice perhaps, that they were given a second chance at living in society.” These were all theories, of course. “A carefully constructed revenge act. But why would people like Sam, Robin and Flynn agree to doing it?”
McCall exhaled shakily, almost in disbelief. She’d taken a turn for the worse and grabbed a chair to sit upon. “Because someone was going to die either way.”
We watched McCall carefully. I’d never seen her so… pensive.
“Care to explain what that’s supposed to mean, DS McCall? I feel like I’m deaf in one ear today, and I’m only getting half of a story,” Reid grumbled irritably.
“You’re not going to like it, Guv,” she admitted and stared at the dirty carpet, with crumbs trodden underfoot from their cake.
“Go on…” he said hesitantly. What was she talking about?
“I went to visit Flynn again last night, after hours. I know you said not to, but it proved necessary.” She rubbed her thighs as if willing herself to continue. DCI Reid’s stony face said more than any spoken words could. “Flynn told me that these criminals, the real ones, threatened both his and his daughter’s lives. He could either do the shipment or watch his daughter die. That’s why he told us the story about his little girl and the fact she’d be able to visit the prison at least.”
I joined in helpfully. “Because he was supposed to die too.” It clicked into place. “The same way as Sam and Robin, pronounced dead on the scene. It would get rid of any trace or mention of their threats. Living was an unexpected luxury for Flynn in the end.”
“But he’s still certain they’re out to get him. To kill him. I stayed at the hospital last night, to keep an eye out,” she revealed meekly.
“That wasn’t sensible, sarge,” Rebecca’s gentle tone chastised. “You could’ve been hurt.”
“I know.” McCall flung her small hands up erratically into the air, “but I couldn’t leave him frightened and alone. We need surveillance posted at their family home, as well as tightened security at the hospital. He’s the last one alive. We need him to stay that way,” she spat forcefully, not angry at us but the entire debacle.
DCI Reid towered over her seated body. “I’ll send a uniform team to watch over the home. But Flynn’s got a police guard there. He’ll be fine. I’ll alert them to the situation at hand. Meanwhile, I’d like a word in private. My office, now.”
12
McCall
“Please, take a seat,” DCI Reid offered politely, now that we were alone. It was obvious who’s office we were in, due to the number of trophies with his name inscribed on the bases and photographs of the police award ceremony that decorated him as a DCI.
“Right.” I had a feeling this wasn’t going to be a particularly pleasant meeting. Everyone knew what this was about, and I was just waiting for the telling off.
“Well, then. Let’s get on with it, so we can all get back to work…” He trailed off, leaving us two in uncomfortable silence. “It’s obviously going to be a busy few weeks ahead of us.”
“Yes, Guv.”
The clock ticked and increased in volume with every second that passed us by. DCI Reid stared, and I shifted under the intense leer.
“I’m not against you, McCall,” he finally revealed his true intentions. “We’re on the same page, I think? The same team?” His ragged eyebrows lifted, awaiting a response.
“I know, Sir,” I replied, licking my suddenly dry lips.
“Do you, though?” Entwining his hands together, I felt that every move was tactically planned out beforehand. This felt to me like a staged conversation, one designed to reveal our weaknesses and air our dirty laundry in private.
“Me vi
siting the hospital last night was purely out of sympathy for Flynn. It wasn’t a statement to prove myself as better than you, or more knowledgeable for that fact. I asked you politely when we were there together, but you didn’t take my idea on board,” I fired off, perhaps a wee bit too defensively to start with.
DCI Reid hushed me with a simple gesture. “Woah. I didn’t think any of the above was true, to begin with.”
“You didn’t?”
“No.” He reached for a silver flask. “I merely called you in here to ask if you were alright. By the looks of things, you’ve been through the wars and back.”
“Sorry.” My heart thudded to the floor, turning a deep shade of purple. Ashamedly paranoid. “I guess my conversation with Flynn made me snappier than I realised.” Trying to quell my beating heart, I bowed my head meekly.
The sound of pouring liquid filled the uncomfortable silence between us, and DCI Reid pushed a glass over the oaken desk.
“Have some. You’ve been awake for hours. This’ll get you on track,” he urged me to take a sip, though not unkindly. He swivelled on the office chair. “I have to admit, McCall, that you were right to go.”
My ears must’ve broken. “I’m sorry?” I nearly choked on the strong liquid.
“Stop saying that word.” He chuckled at my exaggeration. “You were right to visit Flynn again,” DCI Reid repeated, proving it wasn’t made up inside my head only. “Perhaps I wasn’t open enough to your suggestions yesterday. But you’ve proved me wrong and found out facts that we didn’t have.”
Getting such praise from a superior of DCI Reid’s position was enough to give anybody a big head. Usually, Finlay got more praise than any of us put together, but after this, I was catching up.
“Well, Guv, that’s what teamwork is all about.” I raised my glass in mock celebration.
“Indeed. When were you going to tell me?” A twinkle reflected in his grey irises, finding my recklessness and instinct almost funny.
“I didn’t have to, and that’s what we should focus on.” I downed the liquid thankfully, glad to be let off the hook lightly.
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