by M A Comley
“By that, what you’re saying is that there’s something far more sinister going on than just a falling out with ex-colleagues.”
Patti tapped her forefinger against her temple and nodded. “Up here.”
“Mental problems? Wait, yes, I see. One of the victims, Rufus, he wasn’t a colleague at all, was he? I get it.”
“Yep. What you’ve got to hope for now is that he doesn’t start delving deeper into who has pissed him off over the years. Hopefully, he’ll settle on the damage he’s already caused and decide to call it quits.”
“God! Can you bloody imagine the death toll if he took that into consideration?” Charlie groaned.
“Nope, it’s too mind-blowing to consider.”
Roberts joined them. “Ladies, have we established anything yet?”
“Lots,” Charlie replied.
“Good. You can fill me in on the way to the victims’ addresses.” He sighed heavily and mumbled as he walked away. “Not something I’m bloody relishing, I can tell you. Chop-chop, Charlie.” He sniggered. “I like that, it could become your nickname.”
Charlie grimaced and widened her eyes at Patti who was shaking her head and pulling a weird expression. “I bloody hope not,” Charlie muttered.
She took off after Roberts.
Charlie caught up with him at his car. “We’ve got two cars. Wouldn’t it make sense to tackle the families separately? I could go to Ben’s home, it’ll be less of a chore for me, dealing with a family who has hope he’ll survive.”
“You’re suggesting I go break the news to Abbot’s family, is that it?”
Charlie nodded.
“You’re smarter than you think, DC Simpkins. You’re right, it does make sense. Even though I would prefer you being with me, you know, to offer backup at a stressful time. If we go our separate ways we’ll get things accomplished much faster and we’ll be able to get home sooner.”
That’s not what Charlie was thinking, but if that’s what he wanted to believe, who was she to argue with him? “Yes, sir.”
“You’re aware of the victims’ addresses, I take it?”
“Yes, Patti has them.”
“Nip back and get them, and then we can proceed.”
Charlie trotted back to Patti and collected the information then returned to the car. She tore a sheet of paper from her notebook and handed it to Roberts. “Abbot’s address, sir.”
“Thanks. I’ll tell the victim’s family the state of play and then head home. Good luck tomorrow with your exam.”
Charlie was stunned at his blasé approach and the lack of emotion evident in his expression, which ticked her off for some reason. Her own stomach was tied in knots at the thought of telling the victim’s family what had occurred; however, she was more worried about his attitude when he reached his destination. “Thank you, sir. Are you sure you’re…?”
“What? Up to this? I’m sure. It won’t be easy, but it’s got to be done. Goodnight.” He jumped into his vehicle, started the engine, and the gravel scattered in every direction as he drove out of the car park.
“Are you all right, Charlie?” Patti asked, coming up behind her.
“Yeah, just gobsmacked. Ignore me. Give me working alongside Katy any goddamn day of the week.”
“Any news on that front? Not wishing to hold you up, but I’m eager to know how her daughter is faring.”
“Katy’s back at work tomorrow. Georgie appears to have turned the corner, for now.”
“What a relief. I hope the little one makes a full recovery, it’s a vile disease to recover from.”
“I know. I believe my granddad caught it not long before his death. It weakened him terribly.”
“Does anyone else know that?”
Charlie dipped her head. “No, I didn’t deem it necessary for them to know. Maybe Katy knew and just forgot, I don’t know.”
“You poor thing. Do you need a hug?”
Charlie smiled and raised a hand. “Nope. I have work today. Personal emotions need to be set aside for now.”
“You’re an amazing young woman, no wonder you have the proudest mother walking this earth.”
“Get away with you. See you soon—not too soon, though, I hope.” Charlie hopped behind the steering wheel, waved at Patti and entered the details in the satnav before she left the car park. She arrived at the Thompsons’ house around five minutes later, meaning the Wheatsheaf must have been his local. She inhaled and exhaled a few deep breaths and left the car.
The exterior of the house was lit up with numerous strands of Christmas lights, and there was a five-foot plastic snowman in the centre of the front lawn. It brought home to her what this time of year meant: it was supposed to be about bringing joy and peace on earth, and here she was, about to tell the victim’s family he’d been rushed to hospital after being shot. Life can be shitty as hell some days!
She rang the bell.
A dark-haired woman with a welcoming face greeted her. “Hello, can I help?” She glanced past Charlie as if she was expecting someone else.
“Mrs Thompson?”
Her expression changed to one of concern. “I am. Jo Thompson, and you are?”
Charlie presented her ID. “DC Simpkins. Would it be okay if we went inside?”
“Oh no. This is about Ben, isn’t it? I’ve been expecting him home for the last half an hour, he’s never late. I tried calling his mobile, but it was off. Please, tell me he’s okay.”
“Inside, if possible, Jo. May I call you Jo?”
“Yes, yes, come in. Of course you can. Come through to the lounge.” She raced to stand by the mantelpiece and placed her elbow on it for support. “What’s wrong?”
Charlie chose to stand while she delivered the news. “I’m sorry to have to inform you that your husband was injured tonight as he left the pub. He’s on his way to the hospital now.”
“What? Has someone attacked him? I don’t understand.”
“No, it was a shooting.”
“No!” she screamed.
“Please, won’t you take a seat? Can I get you a glass of water? Is there someone I can call to be with you?”
“Yes, my mother. I need her here with me. Oh God, is he badly hurt?”
“First things first. Do you have your mother’s number?”
She snatched her phone off the coffee table and punched in a number then handed it to Charlie. “Her name is Sue.”
“Hi, Jo, I was just thinking about ringing you, everything all right?”
“Hello, Sue. I’m DC Simpkins, I’m here at Jo’s house. She’s asked me to call you to see if you would come and join us.”
“What? You’re not making any sense. Police? Why are you there? Has she done something wrong?”
“Just listen, Mum,” Jo shouted, annoyed.
“All right. I’m listening. I’m not coming until you tell me what’s going on.”
Charlie sighed. “Your son-in-law was involved in an incident tonight. He’s on his way to the hospital to receive treatment. Jo wondered if you wouldn’t mind coming to be with her.”
“Why didn’t you say that in the first place? Oh my…I’ll be there in five minutes. Where the hell did I put my car keys? Oh God, poor Ben. I’m coming, sweetheart. Mummy is on her way.”
Jo shook her head and grabbed the phone out of Charlie’s hand. “Maybe I should have called her later. She’ll be faffing around now.”
“Sorry. Do you want to take a seat until she gets here? I’ll accompany you to the hospital.”
“How bad is he? He was with his work colleague, Steve. Was he hurt in the attack?”
Charlie chewed her lip and shook her head. “Sorry, Steve was shot also, but he didn’t survive.”
“Oh God, poor Valerie. No, I can’t believe this is happening. Why them? Has this got something to do with the other shootings? Stupid question, of course it has. Wait a minute, didn’t I see you on the TV earlier, asking for the public’s help?”
“You did. We’re aware of
who the killer is, we’re in the process of trying to track him down. We had your husband under surveillance, two police officers were with him at the time.”
“What? Are you telling me you’ve got the bastard or that you’ve let him go?”
“He used a sniper rifle to carry out the shootings. His only targets appeared to be your husband and Steve Abbott.”
“Why? My husband isn’t the type to fall out with people. Why is Boyd doing this?”
“We’ve yet to uncover a plausible motive. We’ve got a possible idea that it might be because of the promotion which he was overlooked for.”
“Really? People take umbrage at something as silly as that?”
“We won’t know the truth until we bring him in for questioning.”
The front door opened, and a grey-haired woman wearing leggings and a long fluffy grey jumper burst into the room and smothered Jo. “My darling, it’s such terrible news. Is he okay?”
“I’m just questioning the officer now, Mum, be patient.”
“I’m afraid I can’t answer your question,” Charlie said. “What I can do is either take, or accompany you, to the hospital. Which do you prefer?”
“I’d rather go in my car, you know I don’t trust other people driving me,” Sue was quick to reply.
“She’s right. She’s a nightmare, you’d be a nervous wreck after having her as a passenger. You’ll come with us? Be there with us at the hospital?”
“Yes. All right, I suggest we go now in that case.”
The three of them headed out of the house. In the hallway, on the half-moon-shaped console table was a framed photo of Jo and Ben. Jo threw her coat on and then ran her hand over her husband’s face in the photo.
A lump appeared in Charlie’s throat that she cleared with a subtle cough on the way out to the car. “It shouldn’t take us too long. Try and stick close behind me if you can. If I lose you, I’ll pull over to allow you to catch up. We have a number of traffic lights to contend with on the way.”
“I’ll keep up, don’t worry. It’s not like a jobsworth copper is going to pull me over, is it?” Sue pointed out.
Charlie couldn’t argue with her logic. The three women set off in their respective cars, and before long they were within spitting distance of the hospital. Charlie’s phone rang. She glanced down at the caller ID. It was Katy.
“Hi, I’m driving.”
“Sorry, want me to call you back?”
“No, I just wanted you to be aware in case I lost my signal. How are things?”
“I’m heading home for the night, leaving hospital now. Things seem to be going okay with Georgie. The doctor is pleased with her progress, which is a blessing. Why are you in the car and not tucked up at home revising?”
“I was at home. I got called out. You don’t want to hear.”
“You’re wrong. What’s going on, Charlie? I order you to tell me. There, I’ve said it!”
Charlie sniggered. “Briefly, because the hospital entrance is up ahead. Ben Thompson and Steve Abbott were both shot tonight. Abbott didn’t make it, but I’m on the way to the hospital now, taking Ben’s wife and mother-in-law with me, and no, they’re not in the car before you ask.”
“Shit, what a bummer. Hey, I caught you on TV on the early evening news. You did good, girl.”
“Thanks. Roberts forced me into a corner. Now I feel guilty. Did I push Boyd into going after Ben and Steve?”
“Like hell! Don’t even go there. Boyd has got an agenda, he won’t stop until he’s fulfilled it. Let’s face it, there’s no one left now, is there?”
“Ben, if he survives. What if he calls the hospital to check how he is and then shows up to finish the job?”
“Crikey! There’s every possibility he’d do that. You need to put Ben under guard at the hospital.”
“Already tried that. Both Ben and Steve were being accompanied by uniform when they got shot earlier. It wasn’t a deterrent for Boyd, far from it.”
“You’re going to have to make the call, put an armed officer on the door if necessary, love.”
“I was wondering about that. I’ll run it past Roberts.”
Katy tutted. “Where is he? He should be out there with you.”
“He is, well, sort of. He’s gone to break the bad news to Abbott’s wife. Get this, then he’s going to head home.”
“Whoa! That’s the last time you and I pull an all-nighter in the future then. What a…never mind. I’ll sort it out with him in the morning. Did you get anything from the press conference?”
“A lady rang in telling me that she’d seen Boyd in Croft Road close to where we last spotted his latest stolen car.”
“Excellent news. All right, I’ll let you get on. Send me a text later, let me know how you get on at the hospital.”
“Will do.”
“And Charlie, good luck for tomorrow. You’ve got this.”
“Thanks, Katy.”
Charlie ended the call and found a parking spot. She waited outside her vehicle for Sue to go back and forth in the place she’d found, only to leave the space and park in a different one a little farther away. Oh God, she’d do my head in! Come on, woman!
She pinned a smile in place as Jo and Sue joined her. “We can go straight in, we’ll pick the ticket up when we leave.”
They raced through to the Accident and Emergency department, and Charlie asked at the reception desk if it would be possible for them to see the doctor treating Ben Thompson.
“Can I ask you to wait in the family room? It’s over there, on the right. I’ll see what I can find out after I’ve dealt with the queue.”
“Of course.” Charlie led the way.
The three of them took a seat. Sue flicked frantically through a magazine, not bothering to read any of the articles, while Jo and Charlie were lost in their own thoughts. Charlie was unsure what to say for the best.
Fifteen minutes later, the doctor came to see them. “Ben Thompson’s family, I presume?”
Charlie introduced them all. “His wife and mother-in-law, I’m DC Simpkins. How is he, Doctor?”
“Honest truth? Very poorly. We’ve been forced to resuscitate him several times already. I believe we’ve got him stable, for now. I’m sorry to tell you this, but I think you should prepare yourselves for the worst.”
“What? Why? What injuries does he have?” Jo clutched her mother’s hand.
“We’re sending him down to the theatre. X-rays show he has a bullet lodged close to his heart. It will need to be removed before we can assess him further. It’s going to be a tough operation.”
“How long will the operation take, Doctor?” Charlie asked.
“Could be an hour, it might even be six or eight. There’s no telling until we open him up and see the damage that has been caused. I need to go now.”
Charlie nodded. “Thank you for keeping us informed. Please, do your best for him.”
“Of course. Once he’s been operated on, I’ll get someone to come and advise you of the outcome.”
After he left, they all stared at each other. Jo was the first to crack, her strong resolve crumbling. Sue comforted her, and Charlie went in search of coffee.
She returned with three cups and distributed them. “Please, you need to have faith in the surgeon. It’s the only way you’re going to get through this, Jo.”
“I know. It’s the thought of him lying there, all alone. None of this makes sense.”
Sue pointed at Charlie. “You shouldn’t be here, you should be out there trying to find him.”
Charlie couldn’t argue, Sue was right. That wasn’t how Roberts wanted to play this, though, so her hands were tied.
Another couple of hours dragged by until the doctor returned to share the news. “They’ve successfully removed the bullet. He’s on his way to intensive care. You’re welcome to visit him now.”
“Thank you, Doctor, that’s good news,” Charlie replied on behalf of Jo and Sue who were hugging each other tightly.
He barked a hello down the phone.
“Sorry to disturb you, sir, it’s Charlie.”
“I’m aware of that. Are you at home?”
“No, at the hospital still. Ben’s had surgery to remove a bullet close to his heart. I was wondering if we could put an armed guard on his door, sir, in light of what has already happened this evening.”
“Oh, you were, were you? No can do. A uniformed officer will suffice. Get it organised with the desk sergeant.”
“As you wish. Sorry to bother you, sir.” Charlie ended the call and stared at the damn phone. It appeared to heat up in her hand the longer she stared at it. What the fuck! This is so wrong.
Her mind made up, she didn’t bother ringing the station. Instead, she led the ladies up to ICU and sat outside the unit for the rest of the night. No one would get past her, she was adamant about that.
11
Katy got on the road early that morning, eager to get to work and see how the investigation had progressed overnight. She’d received a text at around eleven from Charlie, telling her she would remain at the hospital to ensure that Ben stayed safe, in case Boyd got wind of him being the sole survivor. Pride puffed out her chest. She was proud to have Charlie as her partner. She wished her well again for what lay ahead of the young DC and told her to call her after she’d left the exam.
I hope she doesn’t flunk it after not sleeping all night. What a committed copper she is.
Roberts was the first to join her in the incident room.
“Hello, sir. How’s it going?”
“Fine. Glad to have you back. I’ll leave you to it.” He turned and walked towards the door. “Sorry, how rude of me. How’s Georgie?”
“I called the hospital first thing. They said she was a lot chirpier than she has been. AJ left at the same time as I did to be with her.”
“You have a good man on your hands there, Katy. Be kind to him.”
Katy frowned. “Meaning what?”
“Meaning don’t go taking him for granted, either now or in the future.”
“Excuse me? Since when does showing up at work give you the right to give me advice on my personal relationship? May I remind you of your position, sir? Divorced and living on microwave meals for one.”