by Ann Bloxwich
A few seconds later, she saw Mo go past, so she doubled back, intending to go back into Ray’s ward, but a shout from behind her made her run for the nearest exit. She flew out of the hospital, trying not to slip on the patches of ice that had formed, and ran towards the car park.
Mo cursed her and raced off in the other direction to where she had left her own car, shouting into her phone as she ran.
71
Alex and Penny searched Michelle’s bedroom carefully, leaving no stone unturned. Penny found a journal under the bedside cabinet and Alex had discovered various objects of interest. Penny pulled the wardrobe doors open and whistled. ‘Sir, look at this,’ she said.
‘What is it?’ Alex asked, not looking up from the drawer of clothes he was currently sifting through. When Penny didn’t answer him, he went to see what Penny had found.
The inside of the wardrobe looked like a shrine, with pictures of Steve Gifford plastered everywhere. On a lot of the photos he was with a small child, their sunny smiles lighting up the room. There was a framed obituary and a framed newspaper report with the heading: Local Legend Dies in Tragic Accident. There was an old T-shirt which had probably belonged to Steve and a small collection of stuffed toys. There was also a large scrapbook, full of pictures and press cuttings of Ray Diamond, along with flyers of where he was appearing. There were some photographs too, of him leaving various venues, shops and a couple of private homes. Michelle had clearly stalked her prey very thoroughly.
‘It’s so sad,’ Penny muttered, indicating the largest photo of Michelle and Steve, taken at a funfair. She was sitting on her dad’s shoulders and he was looking up at her with a huge grin on his face. ‘I lost my dad to a heart attack when I was young. The hurt never goes away.’
‘It is sad, but it’s no excuse for breaking the law,’ Alex said. ‘Michelle went after Ray with the sole intent of avenging her father’s death. What she should have done is come to us.’
‘Easier said than done,’ Penny said. ‘My dad was my world, and I simply can’t imagine how she must have felt, watching him get mown down like that.’
‘Mine left when I was young, not long after Dave was born,’ Alex said. ‘From what Mum says, we were better off without him.’
Penny flipped through the pages of Michelle’s journal. ‘Sir, I think I know how Michelle was planning to get her own back. Look at this,’ she said, handing the book to Alex.
Alex read the entry out loud. ‘I found Ray on the bathroom floor again this morning. He was high as a kite and I struggled to get him back to his room. On the upside, he had a load of cash in his jacket pocket, which is now safely tucked away in my bank account. I also found some blank cheques which I helpfully filled in and banked for him.’
A later entry read:
With any luck, Hope will never speak to him again after she saw those photos. I wonder how she found out about them – probably that anonymous email she got. Little by little, I’ll make him pay for killing my dad.
‘Wow,’ Penny said. ‘She really hates him, doesn’t she?’ She took the book from Alex and dropped it into an evidence bag.
‘That kind of grief can eat a hole into you,’ Alex replied.
Craig burst into the room. ‘Boss, Mo just called. It seems that Michelle Simmons showed up at New Cross Hospital but took off when she saw Mo. Michelle is driving Ray’s car, she smashed through the parking barrier at the hospital and is heading along the A460 towards the A449. Mo is in pursuit.’
‘Jesus Christ, Mo will get herself killed! Get onto traffic, tell them what’s going on. I’ll see if I can get a helicopter on them.’ His phone rang as he pulled it out of his pocket. ‘Sorry darling, I’ve got an emergency, I’ll call you back in a bit.’ He hung up, rang DCI Oliver and filled him in.
‘Alex, tell your DC to stand down, the traffic police will take it from here.’ Andy Oliver said. ‘We don’t want the public put at risk. The helicopter will soon find Miss Simmons and track her wherever she goes. No need for heroics.’
‘Understood, sir,’ Alex said. He tried Mo’s phone but there was no answer. ‘Bollocks,’ he said. He rushed down the stairs to his team. ‘Have any of you heard from Mo in the last few minutes?’ he asked.
‘Not since just now,’ Craig said. ‘Why?’
‘DCI Oliver has ordered her to cease her pursuit, he’s sending the helicopter up and has asked Uniforms to intercept. Do we know where Michelle Simmons could be heading?’
Gary spoke up. ‘Her mum lives in Wellington. My guess is that’s where she’ll go.’
‘Your guess will have to do Gary, I’ll let traffic know. If any of you hear from Mo, tell her she’s to stop channelling her inner Bodie and get her arse back to the station.’
72
Mo drove as fast as she could along the A449, one eye on the Porsche in front and the other on the rest of the traffic on the dual carriageway. She blasted her horn at a driver who refused to move over, content to stay in the right-hand lane, so Mo dropped down a gear and flew past him on his left, leaving his rude gestures behind. Stamping on the pedal, she made her engine growl and punch the car forward hard enough to cause whiplash as she took the second exit at the Three Tuns roundabout, narrowly missing a lorry which was turning right.
***
The Porsche had gained some ground by the time they got to the industrial estate, and Mo had to put her foot down to close the gap. The traffic lights at the junction for the M54 turned red as Mo approached and she had no choice but to wait. She revved her engine in frustration and hoped the white van in front of her wouldn’t give her any problems. She sped off as the lights changed and zipped around the van, taking the mini roundabout at the top of the slip road onto the motorway at 60 mph. Mo accelerated until the needle on her speedometer tapped 120 mph, causing the car to vibrate. She gritted her teeth and hung onto the steering wheel, anxiously searching for any sign of the Porsche up ahead. The heavens chose that moment to open, making visibility more difficult.
Mo floored the pedal, urging her car forward. The Porsche appeared to have slowed down and she managed to close the gap to three cars.
As they approached junction 3, Michelle’s car exited left onto the slip road towards Albrighton and Shifnal. An old couple in a Mercedes changed lanes abruptly in front of Michelle’s car, forcing it off the road and over the edge of the steep embankment. The car rolled over a couple of times and landed back onto the motorway on its roof, right in Mo’s path. Mo stood upright on her brakes and swung the steering wheel hard, trying desperately to avoid it, but the gap was too small.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as the two cars collided. Mo felt the shockwaves travel up her spine as her car spun around, throwing her from side-to-side before coming to a stop. She tried to turn her head but the shooting pain in her neck persuaded her to stay still. She could see Michelle slumped awkwardly against the door pillar of the upside-down Porsche, her eyes closed and blood on her face. A pool of liquid caught the moonlight as it trickled out from underneath the wreckage.
Mo fumbled to release her seat belt, desperate to get to Michelle in case the spilled fuel ignited. Other cars had pulled over nearby and drivers had exited their vehicles, phones pressed to their ears. A few seemed to be filming, more intent on their fifteen minutes of fame on the internet than helping to get either of them to safety.
There was a scraping noise as someone slowly wrenched Mo’s door open. She shuddered at the sound, thinking how all her brother’s restoration work had been for nothing. Gentle hands helped pull her from her seat and she leaned heavily on her rescuers as she limped towards the embankment.
73
Alex clung on for dear life as PC Marshall drove as fast as possible, the blues and twos on her squad car warning other drivers to move out of the way. The helicopter had reported the accident and Alex prayed under his breath that no-one was badly injured, or worse.
‘Nearly there, sir,’ Penny said as she sped up the
M54. ‘Highway Patrol have closed the motorway and have set up a diversion at junction two to stop anything else joining the queues.’
Within minutes they could see stationary traffic up ahead, and Penny drove along the hard shoulder to get closer to the scene. A fire engine was parked next to the central reservation and the crew were spraying foam everywhere. Alex was out of the car before it had stopped properly, anxious about his officer. He ran over to a nearby ambulance, his face white as a sheet.
Mo lay on a stretcher in the back, a stiff collar fastened around her neck. A paramedic had her hooked up to a portable ECG machine. She opened her eyes slowly when she heard Alex’s voice.
‘Mo, what the hell were you thinking? You could have been killed!’ The fury in Alex’s voice was mixed with relief.
The paramedic gave him a sharp look. ‘She needs pain relief, but she refused any until you got here,’ she told him.
Mo whispered something and Alex leaned in close to catch what she was saying. ‘Michelle,’ she croaked. Alex glanced at the paramedic and she shook her head.
‘Don’t worry about Michelle for now, just be thankful you’re lying down so I can’t kick your arse. Thank God your brother fitted that roll cage when he rebuilt your car, otherwise it might have been a different story.’
Mo winced at the thought of her precious car, then mouthed something else.
‘What was that?’ Alex asked her.
‘Visor,’ she repeated.
‘Visor? In your car? What about it?’
Mo nodded. ‘Picture.’
‘Okay, I’ll find it. Now you take your meds and get going.’ Alex squeezed her hand and went to look at Mo’s car. It was a sorry sight, with nearly all the glass shattered and big holes in the bodywork. The driver’s door had come clean off and lay on the road in a twisted heap. He reached inside the car and pulled the visor down. He smiled as he retrieved Mo’s precious photo of Lewis Collins that was taped to the flap and tucked it safely in his jacket pocket.
He jogged over to Faz, who was waving at him. Michelle’s body lay nearby, covered by a blanket.
‘Poor DC Ross, she loved that car,’ Faz lamented. ‘I don’t think she will be able to rebuild it this time.’
‘Never mind that, what did you want?’ Alex snapped. He apologised almost immediately but Faz waved it away.
‘No need, I know you’re frustrated. This bloody rain isn’t helping either.’ He pointed to the remains of the Porsche. ‘That, my friend, is a death-trap. I have no idea how it got through its last MOT, but you should trace the garage and close them down.’
‘What are you on about?’
‘Look at this,’ Faz said, indicating a portion of the crumpled door pillar where the paint had scraped off, revealing fine lines of welding. ‘This looks like a cut and shut – two cars welded together.’
‘Fucking hell, no wonder she didn’t survive,’ Alex said.
‘Exactly. The car rolled over onto its roof and the pillars gave way under the weight, likely breaking her neck. I’ll know more after the PM, but I think it’s safe to say that your officer is not to blame, this young lady was dead before the collision.’
‘That will be some small comfort I suppose,’ Alex replied, ‘But Mo will still be getting a bollocking for driving like a lunatic.’ He looked at Mo’s car again. ‘Then again, maybe she’s been punished enough.’
74
The team had gathered back at the station, and Craig was on tea duty. ‘It’s a shame we haven’t got anything stronger,’ he said as he handed the mugs out.
Les came off the phone. ‘That was Isobel. Mo is okay, she’s got whiplash, a couple of cracked ribs and a sprained ankle. It’s a miracle, given the state of her car.’
‘Thank God for that,’ Alex said. ‘We’re going to have a serious word about her obsession with The Professionals when I see her next. She could have been killed.’
‘Isobel told her the same. Mo said that Lewis Collins saved her life,’ Les said.
‘That’ll be the drugs in her system,’ Gary added. ‘How’s Ray Diamond?’
‘He’s recovering,’ Dawn said. ‘He’s had his stomach pumped and his injuries have been treated. He decided not to make an official report concerning what his friends did to him. He’s now claiming that he cut his own hair off. He said he was done with stripping so was going to reinvent himself.’
‘I wonder what he will do now?’ Les said.
‘The first thing he will do is stand trial for killing Steve Gifford,’ Alex said, sipping his tea. ‘Although he’s slippery enough to try and worm his way out of it. He’s out of the frame for Elizabeth Callendar though. It looks like Michelle Simmons had it all planned out for years before. We’ll never know if murder was on her mind from the start, but she was determined to make him pay for killing her dad. She doesn’t appear to have been that sorry for killing Elizabeth by mistake.’
‘What about Vicky and Helen? I hope they’re not getting off scot-free,’ Gary said.
‘Oh, don’t worry, they’ll each be charged with obstruction and wasting police time,’ Alex said.
‘It was a pure fluke that Ray Diamond started dating Helen Whittaker’s friend,’ Les added. ‘But I doubt Vicky Wilson will want to see him again once she finds out about him killing Steve Gifford.’
‘Probably not, but that’s their business. I for one will be glad to see the back of that man.’ Alex rubbed his face. ‘Now, I have to go and see Mr and Mrs Callendar. It’s time they got their daughter back.’
‘Leave it until the morning, boss,’ Craig said. ‘It’s gone midnight now and they’re probably asleep. One more night won’t hurt, will it?’
‘No, it has to be tonight,’ Alex insisted. ‘It won’t take long and it will give them closure. Now bugger off home all of you.’
75
Ray Diamond sighed inwardly as he felt someone sit down on the edge of his hospital bed. ‘For fuck’s sake, will you lot leave me alone and let me sleep,’ he snapped.
‘That’s no way to treat an old friend,’ a gravelly voice replied, making Ray’s stomach clench in panic. ‘Especially not when you’ve been dossing in their house.’
Ray slowly opened one eye and Glyn Mason’s face swam into focus. He had filled out while living abroad, and his hair was now the colour of steel wool. His tanned face creased into a smile, but his blue eyes remained as cold as ice.
‘Looks like you’ve been in the wars, old son,’ he said as he patted Ray’s cheek. ‘Now, before we discuss what you’ve done to upset my goddaughter, let’s talk about the cheques that you stole from my nephew.’
76
It was after 1 a.m. before Alex managed to get home, and the house was in darkness. There was a faint glow coming from his son’s office window, which afforded him enough light to see where he was going in the otherwise pitch black. Making a mental note to sort out some outside lighting, Alex slipped quietly inside and kicked off his shoes. He stood for a few seconds, enjoying the silence.
He padded to the kitchen and opened the fridge. Jayne had left a plate of food, covered with cling film for him, but he was far too tired to eat. He grabbed a bottle of beer instead, twisted off the cap and drank almost half of it in one go. Taking his beer with him, he headed straight towards the bedroom. He opened the door quietly but was surprised to see the bed empty.
Alex went back along the corridor towards Joel’s room, figuring Jayne must be helping him with one of his many projects. He opened his son’s office door and stopped dead.
The room looked like a bomb had hit it. Torn up posters lay scattered on the floor, CDs and pens were spilled over the desk and the curtains had been torn down.
Jayne lay still and quiet on the floor by Joel’s bookcase, her eyes closed, her hair matted with blood. Alex felt a whooshing sound in his ears as he dropped his beer bottle, rushed over to her and anxiously checked for a pulse. He detected a faint fluttering under his fingers. Pulling his phone o
ut of his jeans pocket, he dialled 999 with one hand while keeping the other hand on Jayne’s neck. He looked around for his son, his face distraught.
Joel sat on the floor in the doorway of the adjoining room, staring at his bloodied fists. He looked up at Alex, his face streaked with tears, his eyes puffy from crying. He opened his mouth to speak and his words came out in a whisper.
‘I’m sorry, Dad.’
77
After Alex dialled 999, he rang his brother, then sat on the floor next to Jayne and stroked her face, ignoring his son’s constant screams of apology.
Dave and Carol had rushed in a few minutes later and quickly took charge. Dave checked Joel for injuries before scooping him up and carrying him out of the room, ignoring Joel’s protests and flailing arms.
Carol stayed with Alex, crouching by his side and speaking in a low, calm voice, all the while keeping an eye out for the ambulance. As soon as it had arrived, she pulled Alex away from Jayne so the paramedics could do their job.
Carol sat Alex on Joel’s bed and held his trembling hands.
Dave came back into the room just as the paramedics lifted Jayne onto a stretcher and started to wheel her out of the door. ‘I’ve put Joel in Jayne’s car, take him to our house and try to calm him down. I phoned the boys while I was outside, so they’ll be there to help you with him. I’ll take Alex to the hospital.’
Alex stood up and tried to push past him, but Dave held him firmly by the shoulders. ‘Stay put, mate. Let me take a look at you first.’ He peered into Alex’s eyes. ‘Nah, you still look as daft as usual.’