by Matt Drabble
“Said that he had some personal stuff to take care of.”
“Man, if I was him I’d be heading to the nearest airport and putting some distance between myself and this mess. There’s no need for him to ruin his career; you think he’ll show up?”
“Honestly, Jane, I don’t know, but I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
“How does the story breaking affect us?”
“Well, we’re definitely on a clock now. Chalmers will back one play and that’s all the time that we’re going to have, so I hope that you’ve got one hell of an idea.”
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Detective Sergeant Eileen Landing looked around the squad room with frustration and anger etched deeply across her face. This case should have been the one to make them all but now it was going to break them. Wilson was dead, Selleck was hiding, and Meyers was off on his own, no doubt working the case. After all the time that they had spent together, still none of them seemed to grasp the concept of being a team and a family.
She was helping Kim take down and box up the investigation, such as it was. She had never before worked on a case that had been so full of potential but ultimately so fruitless. Kim was oddly quiet and the woman seemed to be taking things as badly as she was.
The door opened and Tim Selleck walked in, looking sheepish.
“Where the hell have you been?” Landing demanded angrily.
“Hey, I just go where I’m told,” he answered nervously.
“And who is giving you orders?”
“Oh…, you know…, when there’s shit duty to be done it lands in my lap,” he replied evasively.
Before she could question him further, the door swung open again and the American walked in. He stood next to Selleck and exuded health and vitality next to the rather pasty young Brit.
“I thought that you were supposed to be helping?” she asked the agent.
“Well, Miss. I can assure you that I am helping you more than you know.”
“Well I’ve yet to see any evidence of that. I’ve got a dead colleague…, a friend…, and this whole damn case is about to explode, taking all of us with it. They’re going to blame us with everything that’s wrong, whether we were even here or not. While you’re sitting in a first class seat on the plane back home, we’re going to be labelled as either dirty or incompetent and personally I don’t know which one’s worse.”
“I wish that I had better news for you,” Bradshaw said sympathetically. “I think that we’re all out on a limb here.”
“What the hell are you doing here, Bradshaw? I mean, what’s your deal?”
“I’m a cop, just like you guys,” he shrugged. “I get sent to consult on various cases, simple as that.”
“So why don’t I believe you?”
“Is DI Meyers here yet?” Bradshaw asked, changing the subject.
“No, is he coming in?” she asked, hating having to do so.
“Any minute,” Bradshaw smiled warmly. “Oh, and he’s bringing a friend.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
ALARMS
“What are you looking for?” Danny asked her as they walked through the lobby of Faircliff Police Station.
“Hookers,” she drawled in a fake American accent. “In every movie and TV show I’ve ever seen, the police station always has prostitutes cuffed to desks; where do you keep yours?”
“There’s a special cell in the basement.”
“Really?” she couldn’t stop herself from asking before realising that he was teasing her. “Why, Detective Inspector Meyers, whatever has gotten you quite so giddy with mirth? Love life picking up?”
He blushed slightly at that and she realised that she’d hit the spot.
“Well, good for you,” she said genuinely. “You gotta grab your happiness wherever you can find it, Danny, trust me.”
He led her up the back stairs and out into the squad room where his team were waiting. She didn’t need to be psychic to see that her presence wasn’t appreciated. Bradshaw tipped an imaginary hat to her but his face was the only welcoming one.
“What the hell is this?” a large aggressive woman demanded. “Are you nuts bringing her here?”
“Easy, Eileen,” Danny said, holding up a placating hand. “You’re just going to have to trust me on this; that goes for you too, Tim. Kim, I understand if you want out - you don’t have to be here for this. I’m sure that I can muster enough juice to transfer you to another department.”
“I’m staying, Sir,” the civilian aide replied firmly. “We’re a team and I’m here till the end.”
“Fair enough,” Danny nodded. “As I’m sure that you all know, or at least could guess, we’re on borrowed time here. This department, and everyone in it, is going to be cut loose. We’re going to get the blame for everything that’s gone before us as the suits above look to clean house.”
“Surely not, Boss,” a young, fresh-faced officer said, looking around anxiously. “I mean, they can’t blame us for everything. We weren’t even here during the original case.”
“It’s already in the works, Tim,” Danny replied. “Trust me.”
“Who blabbed?” Landing demanded to the room. “Someone must have given them inside information; whoever the reporter is, they must have spoken to one of us.”
“It may be an insider,” Danny agreed. “But I’ll bet my life that it wasn’t someone in this room. Besides, what does it matter?”
“It matters because I’d like to tear them a new hole!” Landing barked.
“Well, unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of time,” Danny replied. “All we can do now is to make our last stand count, and that’s where Jane comes in.”
She had watched the exchange carefully, knowing that she was the outsider here and that they were unlikely to believe in her; the only thing that she could lay her trust in was Danny. “It doesn’t matter what you think of me,” she started. “All you need to know is that I can help you; in fact, I’m the only person who can help you.”
“Bullshit!” Landing shouted. “Why the hell would we trust you? Jesus, Danny, you bring this bitch here after she got your dad killed; what the hell are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that I want to stop a killer, Eileen, and so should you,” he answered in a low, cool voice. “Look. Anyone who wants to leave, the door is right there.”
“What can she do?” Selleck asked awkwardly.
“I know where he’s going to strike next,” Jane answered. “Or, at least, I kind of know where. We just need to narrow it down a little first.”
“So it’s just the six of us?” Selleck said to the room.
“Seven,” Chalmers said, entering the room to puzzled looks. “I might not be able to contribute to a direct operation, but I can give you the clearance and the authority, as long as we act quickly enough. Let’s not forget that my ass is on the line far more than any of yours.”
“So, Jane,” Danny said, turning to her as the rest of their faces all swivelled in union. “Where is he going?”
Jane looked around and saw the large whiteboard that had been wiped clean. “Is there a pen for this?”
Kim Croft rushed over with one from her desk and handed it to her nervously. As Jane took the pen, her hand brushed the civilian aide’s and in that second she knew that the woman had been the leak. There was so much guilt and sorrow that it was overwhelming and Jane knew that she would never spill the woman’s secret. “Thank you,” she said quietly as she took the pen.
She walked to the whiteboard and closed her eyes, picturing the school emblem that had been sewn onto the school uniforms. The badge was shield shaped with what looked like blue wavy lines and an open book. “Does anyone recognise this school?”
They all moved in but no one spoke out and her heart sank. She knew that they had little time left and she had just assumed that the puzzle piece would fall into place. “No one?” They all shook their heads. “Well, shit.”
“What do we do now?” Selleck asked.
“How long do we have to find the school?” Bradshaw asked more pertinently.
“Hours, I think,” Jane admitted.
“What can you tell us?” Bradshaw asked.
“Jesus, not you too? You’re not really going to listen to this nutter, are you?” Landing suddenly barked.
“Well, as my old daddy use to say…” Bradshaw started.
“Oh, save the he-haw bollocks,” Landing bit back. “I can’t believe that you’re all humouring this madness.”
“Quiet, Sergeant!” Chalmers silenced her. “I for one would like to hear what Miss Parkes has to say.”
Jane found herself under close scrutiny from the room, but with only the large sergeant glowering at her. “He’s careful and meticulous; not just about his crimes, but also about keeping me out, at least until now. He’s mid-thirties, strong, but not overly muscled; he’s intelligent and probably a professional.”
“Can you work with a sketch artist?” Chalmers asked.
“No, not yet,” Jane had to admit. “I haven’t gotten a clear look at his face.”
“Well isn’t that convenient,” Landing scoffed.
“Actually, no, it isn’t,” Jane snapped, angry at the constant accusatory tone of the cop. “If I could tell you more about his description then this whole damn thing would be a hell of a lot easier. I’m closer to him now than ever before, but it’s still not enough to see his face. I know that he’s going to attack this school.” She pointed to the crest drawn on the whiteboard. “And it’s going to be tonight.”
“Well, that’s a fuck load more than we had yesterday,” Danny interjected firmly. “We get this bastard tonight or else we don’t get him at all. You all know that the suits are going to shut us down, however temporarily that is. All of you… all of us … are going to be tainted by this scandal and this is our last chance. I won’t pretend that, even if we catch this guy, we all go back to normal; chances are that whatever happens, we are all going to be scattered to the winds tomorrow. The way I see it is that all we have left is to decide how we finish the game.”
“So how do we find the school in time?” Selleck asked after a long pause, and to the silence in the room.
“That’s St Joseph’s,” a voice said from the back of the room. They all turned towards Dr Wendell Reese, the police surgeon, who was standing behind them.
“How do you know that for sure?” Danny asked.
“Because my daughter goes there,” Reese replied to worried faces. “Why? What the hell is going on?” he demanded, as the whole room went deathly silent.
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Kim Croft hurried as quickly as she dared; her heels clicking on the pavement seemed monstrously loud, announcing her arrival to the watching world. Her heart was pounding fast and painfully against her chest and the churning stomach acid in her stomach was rolling hard. She knew that she was a rat caught in a trap, but the trap was all of her own making.
She had left the squad room while the others were formulating their plans for the night ahead. She had lied to DI Myers about needing to check on her mother for a half hour or so and, as always, he had been understanding. It was the betrayal of her boss that meant that she couldn’t look at herself in the mirror anymore. The reporter, Zerneck, had been texting her non-stop for the last hour or so with demands to know what was happening at the station and for the details on Martin Kline. He professed to knowing that there was a high-level meeting taking place and he wanted details. The only thing that was worse than her betrayal would be for it to come out. She couldn’t bear the thought of her colleagues finding out that she had deceived them.
Finally, she’d agreed to meet Zerneck just to keep him from fulfilling his threat to turn up at the station and expose her betrayal. He’d told her to meet him in the park a short walk from the station and she hurried to get it over with.
The afternoon was waning into evening as she arrived and the place was deserted. Families had long since retired home from a day’s oblivious happy playing. There was a large wooden castle built at the back of the playground and Kim headed to it. The grey drawbridge was down and she had to duck to walk across it and into the structure.
“Mr Zerneck?” she whispered as loudly as she dared, but there was no answer.
The place seemed empty and she hoped that the reporter wouldn’t be long. She steeled herself against the impending confrontation. She desperately wanted this to be her last tip for Zerneck. The department was about to be disbanded and she would be transferred or fired tomorrow. Either way, she had to end Zerneck’s hold over her, come what may.
The wooden planks creaked behind her and she spun around quickly, but there was no one there. The light seemed to dim quickly inside the castle and suddenly she felt nervous. The walls seemed to have moved in closer and she started to feel a wave of panic rising in her throat. Instinctively, she moved back to the drawbridge and into the evening air, away from the claustrophobia inside.
Surrounding the play castle were large, plastic animals painted in garish colours and perched atop thick metal springs to allow the riders to sway and bounce. A lion off to the side started to squeak as it moved slowly back and forth. There was little in the way of a breeze and Kim could only look on as the lion swayed with increasing mobility. Its face was painted in the shape of a cheerful grin, but the expression now looked predatory and hungry. A ladybird to the lion’s left joined in the dance, creaking with rusty legs as it bounced enthusiastically. A frog and then a zebra all started to move and Kim could only stand open-mouthed as the children’s rides rocked back and forth until the springs were screaming and the bright plastic shapes became a dizzying blur.
Kim backed away slowly, unable to take her eyes off the animals as they whirled. She was so transfixed with the sight that she didn’t hear the man move up behind her. A hand reached out of the dusky light and grabbed her around the throat. The grip was powerful and she struggled to breathe underneath the steely fingers. She tried to draw upon the memories of her self-defence classes but her mind was a jumble of confusing images. With desperation, she kicked backwards and scraped her heel down the man’s shin and was relieved to hear him grunt in pain and the grip loosen around her throat. She stumbled forwards, shucking off her shoes as she ran, carefully skirting the plastic animals who had all now returned to their statue-like appearances. Her feet whistled across the grass as she ran as though the devil was chasing her and for all she knew, he was.
She had always stayed in shape, and hours of gruelling jogging stood her in good stead as she pushed the accelerator and ran faster. The gates of the playground soon grew closer and she knew that she was going to make it. The station was a short run away and the building was full of cops who would come to her aid and track this piece of filth back to his lair; the cavalry were close. She could see the street from here, and the cars that passed offered people and saviours to attract.
She prepared to vault the short wooden gate but, just as she reached it, her mother stood before her. The elderly woman had been practically bedbound for the past few years and now she glowed radiantly with an aura of peace and tranquillity. The years had fallen from her mother’s face and Kim stumbled in mid-jump. Her bare foot clipped the top of the gate and she fell forwards, heavily landing on her face. “Momma?” she asked nervously, all concept of the chasing man momentarily forgotten.
Her mother looked down with love and compassion. She stretched out her hand, a hand devoid of its usual wrinkles and prominent blotches and veins. Kim looked up as her mother’s eyes sparkled with life for the first time in what seemed like forever, but then the eyes clouded. A dark storm passed over her kindly features and the colour drained away until her skin was ashen. Her pupils became black and her mouth stretched open, far beyond normal limitations, and wasps flew out in a vomiting tidal rush. Kim screamed in terror as the insects swarmed around her head with tiny biting stings pricking her a thousand times over. The buzzing roared in her ears as the wasps found their wa
y into every open orifice. As she lay squirming on the ground, she was dimly aware that someone had taken hold of her ankles and was dragging her backwards into the deep shadows. At some point, before the man reached his destination, she was suddenly aware that the wasps had gone, and the pain had miraculously lifted from her body as though the insects had never been there at all. Her gratitude and relief was short-lived, however, as the tip of a sharp blade shredded her blouse and began to carve into the soft flesh beneath.
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“Have you got a minute, Randall?” Helen Allen asked as he cursed himself for answering the phone.
Randall checked his watch and could see that he was already running significantly late for his meeting with Kim Croft. The police admin assistant was already walking around on cold feet and he didn’t want to give her any excuse to run. “You’ll have to make it quick, Helen. I’m in a hurry.”
“No problem,” she replied officiously. “I had the results of your medical back and I wanted to share a couple of things with you.”
Randall’s heart skipped a beat. He had known for as long as he could remember that there was a bright light rushing towards him at an increasing rate of knots. He always thought that he was ready for any diagnosis, but now that the words were about to be laid upon his shoulders they seemed so much heavier than he’d anticipated. Even for a cold fish such as Helen Allen, it seemed a little harsh to be breaking such news over the phone, but then again at least he wouldn’t have to risk shedding any tears in public.
He switched off the engine and prepared himself for the worst. In his mind, as long as he had enough time to finish this then that was all he wished for. “Okay, what is it?”
“The doctor that we use for the insurance medicals believes that you have IBS.”
Randall struggled to place the initials. “What sort of cancer is that?”
“Its Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Randall. The docs say that it causes some stomach problems, but nothing too serious. By the look of you, I’d guess that it’s been quite some time since your plate saw a green vegetable. You need to look after yourself better, Randall, and stop drinking so much. The doc says that it’s a miracle that your liver isn’t shot to pieces by now with the amount that you drink. You’ve got some vitamin deficiencies and a wheat intolerance, but nothing that can’t be sorted by taking better care of yourself, Randall. We only get one go around, so stop wasting it.”