I've Been Watching You

by KA Richardson

  It was a habit of his to know his neighbourhood; he knew what was going on where and with whom. He glanced at the rear of the solicitors as he always did when he passed – they’d had a break in a couple of months back, and since then he’d made a more conscious effort to check both that building and the other commercial ones in the street. He hated druggies – and he was convinced it was druggies behind the recent spate of burglaries in the area. So, he kept his eyes open.

  His steps slowed as he saw the crumpled form of a female on the floor. Dropping his gym bag, he made his way over to her and placed two fingers on her neck. Her pulse was thready and weak, pounding softly against his fingers like the soft swell of waves on sand. Careful not to touch anything else, he pulled his mobile from his pocket, withheld his number and dialled 999 asking the operator for the ambulance service. Speaking softly, he advised them of the situation, hung up, and picked up his bag. He didn’t like attention. She was still alive and there was nothing more he could do for her. He could watch the events unfolding from his kitchen window if he hurried home.

  Desperado’s Restaurant, Sunderland City Centre

  ‘That was fantastic,’ said Ben, leaning back in her chair feeling stuffed. ‘I can definitely see why this is TJ’s favourite place. The enchiladas were cooked to perfection.’

  ‘You have room for dessert?’ asked Jacob, as he topped up Ben’s wine glass with the sweet white she’d selected.

  Ben shook her head slowly. ‘Nope. I couldn’t be any fuller if I tried. If I eat one more thing I may actually go pop.’

  ‘Know how you feel. I was…’ Jacob was interrupted by his phone ringing. ‘Jacob Tulley,’ he said into the receiver after swiping the screen to answer. As he listened his face paled. ‘What? Where…? OK, I’m on my way.’

  ‘Sorry, Ben, I need to go. TJ’s been in an accident. She’s at the hospital.’

  ‘I’ll come with you.’ Ben stood and made her way to the front desk to pay the bill, and within minutes they were in the car heading towards the Sunderland Royal, Ben texting Aoife to let her know she’d be later than planned.

  Jacob stayed silent for the whole journey. His face taut with worry.

  Sunderland Royal Hospital

  As they reached the hospital, Jacob parked in a disabled bay outside the Accident and Emergency department, grabbed his stick, and limped inside, Ben following closely.

  She glanced around as they entered, taking in the three uniformed cops stood quietly to one side. She recognised one as Sergeant Malcolm MacKenzie and nodded at him as she followed Jacob to the reception.

  ‘My name’s Jacob Tulley, I believe you have my sister here? Someone just phoned me.’

  ‘Jacob? My name’s Malcolm. Come sit down and we’ll discuss what’s happened.’ Having overheard Jacob, Malcolm had made his way over and interrupted. Ben saw the flash of sympathy on the face of the receptionist. This wasn’t going to be good.

  ‘Are you happy for Ben to sit with you?’ asked Malcolm, his eyes flicking between the two. At Jacob’s nod, he continued, ‘Your sister was found in the car park to the rear of the solicitors. It would appear she was robbed. Whoever it was has given her a couple of good whacks round the head with something hard. The doctors have her in X-ray now.’

  ‘A robbery? But I don’t understand. TJ can take care of herself… and she’d have screamed to high heaven – I know she would have.’

  ‘It looks like she was surprised. The offender hit her from behind to the side of the head. We think he then hit her again while she was down. She’s a smart girl your sister though. She managed to scribble a partial plate before she passed out.’

  ‘Who’s doing the scene?’ interrupted Ben quietly.

  ‘Craig, I think. And it’s being headed up by Ali McKay. He’s at the scene now but when he gets here, we’ll head back to the nick. She’s a strong one, Jacob. Am sure she’ll be fine.’

  Jacob nodded slowly; his brow crinkled in concentration. A robbery? Why the hell would someone want to rob TJ? Shaking his head, he knew that was a stupid question – it was dark, the city had loads of druggies and people out to take advantage.

  ‘Mr Tulley?’ asked a tired looking nurse, flashing him a brief but strained smile. It was obviously a busy night. He nodded at her silently, not quite trusting himself to speak just yet. ‘If you’d like to follow me, I’ll take you through to the family room. The doctor will be through to update you shortly.’

  ‘Please, nurse…’ he paused as he checked her name badge. ‘Gina. TJ is my sister…we are very close. Please at least tell me if she’s alive.’ His voice threatened to break, fear running every scenario through his brain as he stood and waited for her to respond.

  Gina nodded. ‘She’s alive. She’s got a head injury and some facial breakages, but the doctor will clarify in full when he comes through. She’s not currently conscious, and we’re not out of the woods yet, but trust me when I say Dr Stirling is the best there is. She’s in good hands.’ She placed her hand on his arm, a brief pat of comfort, then turned and led the way to the family room.

  Not quite knowing what to do, Ben followed behind. If Jacob wanted her to leave, he could just ask.

  It took a moment for them to get seated; they were the only people inside the room. The walls were painted puce, and there were posters asking whether the NHS had provided a good service and telling how to submit feedback. One corner held some tired and broken books and toys, and a couple of small tables were scattered with the remnants of magazines from years gone by.

  Jacob sat rigidly, his back straight, his hands clenched on top of his legs. His eyes were troubled, like storm clouds rolling in on rough oceans.

  What if she’s not OK? What if she dies? God, please don’t die, TJ.

  Feeling his pain, Ben placed a hand on top of his. ‘I’m sure she’ll pull through this, Jacob. From what you’ve told me, she’s a strong person. You need to believe she’ll be OK.’

  Jacob took hold of Ben’s hand and held it tightly. What she was saying made sense, but still, he was worried. He needed to see her himself, touch her hand and feel her pulse pound beneath his fingers. Visions of injured soldiers, crying and screaming in pain ran through his mind, and he felt himself starting to slip. Not now. His teeth ground in his mouth, and he tried to focus on his breathing. He did not need a PTSD flashback right now. But his mind didn’t listen to his urgent plea.

  He was in the base hospital. Unable to move his lower body, he was propped in bed by pillows. Screaming could be heard at the entrance, and suddenly four nurses ran inside, their faces terrified. They were followed by an Asian male carrying an AK47 rifle. Jacob couldn’t move, couldn’t save them. All he could do was watch as the man opened fire on the three nurses huddled together in the corner. He made no eye movement towards the one hidden beside his bed though, all he could do was hope the man finished him off and didn’t look past him to see her. He stared at the man, feeling his hatred of these western people, and their healing methods. The man held his eye contact, raised his weapon, and aimed it at the middle of his chest. As Jacob prepared for the gun to fire, he saw the man’s eyes widen in surprise suddenly. Jacob watched as his eyes turned vacant, and the man’s body slumped forward to the floor, a growing stain of red spreading over his back. Glancing at the door, he saw the armed response officer enter the room, sweeping the gun from side to side as he checked for further threats. He nodded at Jacob and pulled the now sobbing nurse to her feet and led her away from the room, her colleagues slumped together with blood pooling, amalgamating, beneath their bodies.

  The images started to fade, and Jacob focussed on Ben’s words. She was telling him over and over that he was OK, and that TJ was going to be fine. He felt her thumb softly rubbing the back of his hand, just as he’d done when he’d helped her through her panic attack. He felt his breathing slow back down and realised that judging by the pain now pulsing in his jaw, he’d been gnashing his teeth together throughout the episode.

  ‘I’
m OK, thank you.’ He said the words quietly, his voice neutral.

  ‘How often does it happen?’

  ‘Depends. Usually maybe once every few months, but if I’m stressed, they come more regularly. Doc says they might just disappear one day, or they might never go away.’

  ‘You want to tell me about what you see when you go back there?’

  ‘I do, but—’ Jacob’s sentence was interrupted as the door opened, and the doctor entered.

  ‘Mr Tulley, I presume?’ Dr Stirling held his hand out for Jacob to shake. He gave a quick nod to Ben and continued, ‘I believe in being straight to the point and not sugar-coating information. Your sister was assaulted by someone wielding a hard object; from the shape and colouration around the bruising I’d say something like a wrench. She has a bad concussion, fractured jaw, and cheekbone and some severe bruising. She’s just heading to surgery now where my colleague will put a metal plate inside her cheek to hold her bones in place while they heal. He will also apply some wire to her jaw to hold this in place. Obviously, there are certain risks to surgery, but we are confident she’ll be fine given time. She’ll be in hospital for at least the next few days, so I don’t know if you want to pop home and get her some toiletries and pyjamas. She’ll be in ICU for observations after her surgery then will move to one of our other wards.’

  Jacob let the information sink in. She was hurt, but she would be OK. ‘Thanks, doctor, I’ll pop to her flat now. How long will it be before she gets back to the ward?’

  ‘I can’t say as yet – the surgery itself isn’t too complicated, it’s something the surgeons perform relatively regularly. Try not to worry, Mr Tulley. You’ll be seeing her soon enough.’ And with that, he left the room just as he’d entered.

  O’Byrne Residence, Sunderland

  Ben stood and watched as Jacob’s taillights turned the corner at the bottom of the street as he made his way to TJ’s house. He’d just dropped Ben off at home, and she knew he would spend the night at the hospital, waiting for TJ to come out of surgery and then sitting with her through the night. He’d glared at the one nurse who dared to suggest he head home and wait for them to ring him with an update. She’d smiled knowingly, patted his arm, and left him in the waiting room with Ben.

  Opening the front door, Ben made her way inside with a sigh.

  She was glad she’d taken the opportunity to text Aoife from the car and let her know what had happened. Aoife, as always, had said she was fine looking after Grace, but Ben had been a little worried because of the surgery.

  ‘What happened? Is Jacob OK? How’s his sister?’

  ‘Whoa, lots of questions there. Let’s have a cup of tea and I’ll tell you everything.’

  ‘Now that sounds like a plan, I’ve just boiled the kettle.’

  Ben followed Aoife into the kitchen and as her aunt reached the bench, Ben cuddled her gently from behind. ‘I loves you, you know.’

  ‘I loves you, too.’ Aoife patted Ben’s hand with a smile, reaching for cups with her good hand. Ben kept hold, not wanting to let her go, needing the closeness for a moment.

  ‘You OK, sweetheart?’ Aoife turned and looked at Ben, studying her expression thoughtfully.

  ‘Yeah, I’m OK. I just wish certain things didn’t happen sometimes is all. TJ getting attacked is awful. I mean, I see this all the time at work, but I detach from it, don’t let it affect me as a person. When it happens to someone you know, it just makes it all so real. I moved back here ’cos I couldn’t cope with Durham, kept constantly thinking he was out there somewhere looking for me. Is it naïve of me to have believed that it would be different here?’

  ‘No, it’s not naïve, love. You just need to remember that there’s a bit of bad everywhere. But there’s also a whole lot of good everywhere too. You’ve put things in place to stop anything like that happening to you again. That’s all you can do, is do your best to be safe. It’s all any of us can do.’

  Ben reached for her tea and held the cup in both hands, leaning against the bench behind her. Her green eyes were thoughtful as she nodded slowly.

  ‘I worry that something might happen to Gracey too. Sunderland’s a big city. Maybe we’d be better living in the country somewhere?’

  ‘You can’t wrap the child in cotton wool. She’s a good kid. She knows not to talk to strangers and anything else at her age would just make her scared. She has a good set of friends and she goes to a great school. You take her to the country, and she loses out on all the things she should have as a child, friends who live close by, parks to play in. I think you need to stop worrying so much. You’re doing a wonderful job of raising a confident, happy little girl. You can’t change the bad things that the minority do – they’ll always do it regardless, but you can focus on living life as best as you can.’

  Aoife took a slurp of her tea. She didn’t want Ben to move, would hardly see her or Grace if they did. And she knew in her heart that they both belonged where they were, at least for the time being. She’d think about looking for somewhere else if things worked out for Ben and Jacob, and call it intuition, but she already felt like it would. The two were well suited, even if they didn’t see it yet. And as much as she knew that the future wasn’t preordained, she just had a feeling that everything would work out fine.

  Finishing her tea, Aoife pecked Ben on the cheek, and said, ‘I’m heading up to bed now. There’s a Victoria sponge in the fridge, and some crispy cakes in the tin if you’re peckish. Me and Grace did a little baking.’

  Ben smiled after her and downed the rest of her tea. She was too het up to sleep just yet. Making her way into the living room, she selected a book off the shelf and opened it. It was one Aoife had read recently, a classic Sherlock Holmes. She found herself drawn into the plot woven by Arthur Conan-Doyle and pulled her knees to her chin as she sat on the sofa. Finally, her eyes started to blur, and tiredness seeped through her mind into her brain and made her realise it was bedtime. Glancing at the clock, she was surprised to see it read 02.02 a.m. Definitely time for bed now. She put the book on the table and checked the windows and doors before heading upstairs.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Tunstall, Sunderland City Centre – 12 June

  Damn he wished that had been him. Though if it were, he knew he’d have done the job properly – he wouldn’t have left her alive to tell her tale. The local news headlines were ablaze with an assault that had happened near the town centre, a female solicitor robbed and assaulted. The reporters had got hold of it quickly: it had happened earlier that night. He knew it would be front page in the print editions. According to the report, she wasn’t dead so the story would fade past page two the day after, as was usually the way.

  He would have done it better. Any fool could hit a woman with a ‘metal object’. Doing what he did took skill, class even. He’d had a lot of practice, perfected his methods. And in all the time he’d been doing it, he’d never been caught. The box on his shelf held twelve envelopes now, the delectable Clarice would be thirteen. Unlucky for some, he smirked to himself. Thirteen was a good number and he liked it. He’d have to make this one extra special, maybe hint to the stupid cops, who were never wily enough to catch him, that this wasn’t his first time. His smile widened. Hell, he’d pretty much have to leave them a note saying this is number thirteen. They were so dense he didn’t even know if they’d understand that. He’d had experience with cops – the various jobs he’d done had meant interacting with them on a regular basis. He usually found that they were over-muscled idiots of less-than-average intelligence who couldn’t solve a crime if you handed the evidence to them on a plate.

  Whoever had attacked the girl had guts though – CCTV all over the town centre meant the attacker could be picked up somewhere along the line. It would be mildly interesting to see the case progress. He nodded once as he added the headline to his favourites list – he’d keep an eye on it.

  Feeling restless now, he flicked the screen over to Clarice’s bedroom. He saw a lum
p wrapped up in the bedclothes and sighed. It was too late. She was already sleeping and likely wouldn’t move until the next morning now. He hit sleep on his computer system and made his way into what usually stood as a spare room. Fastening the laces to his Nike Air Max trainers, he pulled his iPhone from his pocket and selected the playlist labelled ‘running’. Setting the treadmill going, he hopped on and listened as the heavy rock from the likes of Rammstein and Drowning Pool filled his ears, his feet pounding as he found his rhythm. Now established, he increased the speed and focussed on the music, sweat slowly starting to pool at the small of his back. He’d be there for hours now. There was something freeing about being able to exercise whenever the need overtook him. He liked the control.

  Chapter Nineteen

  ICU Ward, Sunderland Royal Hospital

  Ali McKay made his way to the lift through the warren of corridors in the hospital. The smell was almost overwhelming – that disinfectant used in hospitals the world over. A faint whiff of school dinner type food drifted over from wherever the canteen was situated, adding to the nauseating scent. Ali frowned. Even through the standard hospital smells there was always an undertone of death and illness. It had always scared him as a child; he’d kicked up a fuss the size of Mount Everest on every occasion his mum had seen fit to take him there for treatment. Now it wasn’t so much the fear but the memory of fear that bothered him. He’d been taken there when his dad had died, a final goodbye for a wife and gaggle of children too young to deal with such horror. He’d only ever stepped foot in hospitals when he absolutely had to since then.

  In the lift, he felt his stomach stop churning and slowly return to normal. The ICU Ward was on the sixth floor, and he was the only person in the lift. He hoped TJ was awake. He really needed to know if she’d seen her attacker. The CCTV was being examined by one of the uniforms, but it was arduous work and would take hours to get through footage from all the different camera angles. Then, if someone was identified as a suspect, the other cameras would have to be looked at for further intelligence, anyway.