JM04 - Deadly Justice
Page 24
To Mackinnon’s horror, he saw four buckets lined up underneath the table. He heard the rush of blood in his ears.
“Get away from there,” Mackinnon said. “I’m warning you.”
Stuart hadn’t mixed the chemicals yet. There was no smell… It wasn’t too late.
Stuart moved forward towards the buckets.
“Stop,” Mackinnon shouted. “I told you to keep away from there.”
“I can’t do that. My life has a purpose. I have to fulfil it.”
Mackinnon looked across at the sash window on the far end of the room. He could feel himself slipping away; the edges of his vision were blurred and dark. He didn’t have long.
He had pins and needles in his arms. That wasn’t a good sign. He looked around for something heavy, something he could throw through the window and attract the attention of the officers in the street. But there was nothing. He wasn’t thinking clearly.
His breath grew shallow.
Mackinnon heard a splash as Stuart poured the contents of one of the five-litre containers into one of the red buckets. The reaction was almost immediate. The putrid smell flooded the room. Mackinnon gagged.
He needed to move. It took all Mackinnon’s remaining energy to pull himself up on his hands and knees and crawl across to the window.
Stuart didn’t attempt to stop him.
Mackinnon grasped the windowsill and pulled himself up, releasing the catch and shoving up the sash window. He leaned outside sucking in cool, sweet air. The freshness momentarily revived him.
He could see other officers milling about at the end of the road and could just about make out the temporary incident room. He called out and waved, frantically trying to attract their attention.
He saw one of the uniformed PCs turn and shade his eyes from the sun as he looked up at Mackinnon. He began to walk forwards, but not quickly enough.
Mackinnon looked around for something to hold on to. He reached across for the black guttering. It didn’t look very secure, but there wasn’t anything else.
He made a grab for the guttering pipe, and as his fingers closed around it, he felt it move away from the wall.
He didn’t have another option.
He heaved himself out of the window. The muscles in his shoulders burned as he struggled to keep a grip on the guttering. His shoes scraped against the brickwork as he scrambled for purchase.
He’d only lowered himself by a foot before the fastening loosened and the whole thing gave way.
Everything seemed to go in slow motion as he plunged towards the tarmac.
The commotion gained the attention of Kathy Walker. He heard her scream.
Mackinnon lay winded on the floor. He didn’t know whether it was the fall or the gas, but he couldn’t seem to get enough air in his lungs.
Kathy Walker sank to her knees beside him. “Oh, my God. What happened? Where’s Stuart? Is he okay?”
Mackinnon raised a hand to grab Kathy’s wrist. “Don’t go in there… It’s Stuart… He’s…”
Kathy’s eyes widened. “Stuart? Is he hurt?”
“He’s…” Mackinnon sucked in another breath. “He’s the one behind the gas attacks.”
Kathy shook her head and her curls bounced violently. “No.” She slapped a hand across her mouth. She tried to get up to move towards the salon, but Mackinnon kept a grip on her arm.
“I have to talk to him,” Kathy said. “He’ll listen to me. I’ll get him to stop.”
She tried to pull her arm away, but Mackinnon didn’t let go. “It’s too late.”
Mackinnon struggled to keep his eyes open. He heard the thud of footsteps closing in on them and suddenly they were surrounded.
He heard a voice he didn’t recognise say, “He’s got a stab wound to the neck. He is losing a lot of blood.”
Mackinnon felt firm pressure applied to the side of his neck as he was bundled onto a stretcher.
In the confusion, he let go of Kathy’s arm. He heard her wail, “Stuart, please. Junior, come down.”
Mackinnon turned his head and saw the second floor window had been closed. Stuart Walker stood behind the panelled glass. He looked down at Kathy and raised a hand. He was only upright for a few seconds before the gas claimed him.
Mackinnon heard Kathy scream again before everything faded to black.
68
A WEEK LATER, CHARLOTTE walked into the Red Herring pub on Gresham Street and spotted Mackinnon and Collins at a table near the bar.
Mackinnon stood up and waved her over. “What are you having?”
Charlotte didn’t answer straight away. She reached up on tiptoes and hugged him tightly.
Mackinnon almost knocked over his pint glass. “What’s that for?”
“I’m just so glad to see you back in here.” Charlotte looked down at the empty pint glasses on the table. “I’m not sure you should have had quite so many drinks, though.” She frowned up at him. “You’re still looking pale.”
Collins grinned, his flushed cheeks dimpling. “It’s been a long day. We’ve earned it.”
“This,” Mackinnon said, raising his half-finished pint, “is exactly what the doctor ordered. Now, tell me what you’re having.”
Charlotte said she’d get the next round and told Mackinnon to sit back down. He didn’t seem quite as steady on his feet as usual.
It was busy at the bar, but she managed to get her order in quickly, then leaned back against the counter, looking back at Collins and Mackinnon. She remembered seeing Mackinnon lying on the pavement outside the hairdressing salon, his white shirt soaked with blood. He’d been surrounded by paramedics and other officers, shouting at each other and issuing orders, but all Charlotte could remember was the blood.
Charlotte shuddered. Mackinnon was usually so strong and larger than life; it was a shock to see him so defenceless. Bring a knife or another weapon into the equation and he was vulnerable. They all were.
Charlotte turned as the woman behind the bar served up the drinks. After she paid, Charlotte carried the drinks across to the table, weaving her way through the other customers surrounding the bar.
Collins hiccoughed as Charlotte set the drinks down on the table. Then he said, “How did it go at the hospital?”
Charlotte sat down and tucked her purse back in her bag. “Pretty depressing to be honest.”
Charlotte had been checking up on Stuart Walker’s condition and trying to get information from his sister. “It seems as though Kathy had no idea what was going on. In her eyes, Stuart was the perfect brother. Stuart is still in a coma, and Dr. Sorensen says if he does wake up, he will be brain damaged.”
A waitress appeared next to their table and put down two bowls of steaming hot wings in front of Collins and Mackinnon.
Charlotte’s mouth watered. The spicy smell reminded her how hungry she was. “Can you bring me another of those?” she asked the waitress.
“What about Estelle Williams?” Mackinnon asked.
Charlotte stole a spicy wing from Mackinnon’s bowl. “Physically she’s ok. She had the baby, a little boy. But long term … I’m not sure. I mean, how do you come to terms with something like that?”
Neither Mackinnon nor Collins had an answer.
Charlotte polished off the chicken wing, then wiped her fingers on the paper napkin.
“So, according to the DCI you are definitely on desk duties for the foreseeable future, Jack,” Charlotte said.
Mackinnon raised his glass in a toast. “Here’s to desk duties. I’m actually looking forward to it.”
“Yeah,” Collins coughed over his drink. “And how long do you think that will last?”
Charlotte stole another chicken wing. “About a week.”
“Hey!” Mackinnon moved his bowl away. “Eat his.” He pointed to Collins’ chicken wings. “You can rib me as much as you like but stop stealing my food.”
As Mackinnon and Collins argued over the spicy chicken wings, Charlotte felt something she hadn’t felt in a whi
le. She was having fun. All the problems of the job and her personal life seemed a million miles away as she drained her drink.
Perhaps she didn’t need to move away for that fresh start.
At least not yet.
Thank you!
THANKS FOR READING DEADLY Justice. I hope you enjoyed it!
Would you like to know when my next book is available? You can sign up for my new release email at www.dsbutlerbooks.com/newsletter
You can follow me on Twitter at @dsbutler, or like my Facebook page at http://facebook.com/dsbutler.author.
Reviews are like gold to authors. They spread the word and help readers find books, and I appreciate all reviews whether positive or negative.
The next book in the series is DEADLY RITUAL (coming soon).
For readers who like to read series books in order: 1) Deadly Obsession 2)Deadly Motive 3)Deadly Revenge 4)Deadly Justice and 5) Deadly Ritual (coming soon).
About the Author
D. S. BUTLER IS the author of the DS Jack Mackinnon series of crime mystery books set in London.
To learn more, you can visit D. S. Butler’s website:
http://dsbutlerbooks.com
Other books by D. S. Butler
1)Deadly Obsession
2)Deadly Motive
3)Deadly Revenge
4)Deadly Justice
5)Deadly Ritual (coming soon)
If you would like to be informed when the new DS Mackinnon book is released, sign up for the newsletter: http://dsbutlerbooks.com/newsletter.html
Acknowledgements
MANY PEOPLE HELPED TO provide ideas and background for this book. My thanks and gratitude to DI Dave Carter, Andy Green, Richard Searle and Lexy Cran for generously sharing their time and wealth of experience.
I would also like to thank my friends on Twitter for their entertaining tweets and encouragement.
My thanks, too, to all the people who read the story and gave helpful suggestions and to Chris, who, as always, supported me despite the odds.