by Robert Innes
Now, a year later, nothing new had come up and the investigation had come to a standstill. Meanwhile, a series of break-ins around the local area had kept the police busy too. While the suspects for those offences had all now been caught and charged, all of this meant that Blake had been spending very little time at home, and Harrison was clearly getting fed up with it. Blake knew how frustrating it could be being in a relationship with someone in his position, but the last thing he remembered saying to Harrison, before his appendix had forced him to his knees, was that he had been entirely honest with Harrison about what a relationship with him could be like before they had started dating. It had taken a while to come to fruition, but Blake’s predictions about his work interfering with his home life had been there from the start.
As if on cue, Blake’s phone vibrated on the small table next to his bed. Harrison’s message asking how Blake was feeling stared back at him. Blake was unsure what the kindest way of saying ‘in pain, and still annoyed,’ was.
He was saved from having to think of a response when he looked up and saw his boss from the station, Inspector Jacob Angel, walking towards him, still as tall and skeletal looking as ever, with his usual air of grace that seemed so unsuitable for his position. Blake often wondered what Angel would be like when faced with a pair of thugs. He groaned as he pulled himself back up to a sitting position. Angel was hardly the kind and supportive type he needed in his life at this particular moment.
“Good evening, DS Harte,” Angel said as he approached. “You’ll forgive me for not bringing grapes. I understand that when one is about to have an operation, it’s nil by mouth.”
“Evening, Sir. Yes, that’s right,” Blake replied. “Lovely as it is to see you, I thought visiting hours finished about half an hour ago?”
“Yes, well the sister was kind enough to let me have five minutes,” Angel replied, sitting in the chair by the bed. “I told her it was police business I had to discuss with you.”
“I’m stuck in bed, Sir,” Blake replied, slightly dumbfounded that Angel clearly expected him to work regardless of what was going on. “I can’t really do a lot.”
“I understand that, DS Harte,” replied Angel. “But I thought you might like an update on how we plan to get on without you. I know you’re the sort to lie here and worry about how the station is getting by without your hand at the helm, as it were, so I thought I’d come and put your mind at rest.”
Blake said nothing. He was slightly peeved that Angel was probably right.
“So, Sergeant Gardiner will be taking over your duties until you can get back to us,” finished Angel lightly.
Blake stared at him. “Gardiner? Michael? Michael Gardiner?”
“That’s right. He was the natural choice, being third in command behind yourself and I.”
“You’ve got Gardiner taking over my duties?” repeated Blake. “I’ll say one thing for you, Sir, they want to look into getting you bottled and brought up with the medicines. You’ve taken my mind completely off the pain.”
“Oh, good,” Angel said, smiling. “I thought it would put you at ease.”
“Put me at ease?” repeated Blake, his eyes wide. “Michael has been after my job since before I arrived in Harmschapel – he’ll be a nightmare.”
“I am sure Sergeant Gardiner will behave in a perfectly professional manner,” Angel replied. “He knows his job, dresses well, and seems to have a perfectly functional appendix.”
Blake glared at him. “I see.”
“I knew you’d understand,” Angel said cheerfully, standing up. “I understand that your operation is tomorrow?”
“Apparently.”
“Well, I wish you luck with it. It’s a fairly simple procedure, isn’t it? I’m sure it’ll all go according to plan. I shall see you back at work.”
Blake gave Angel a glib smile and watched him disappear in the direction of the lifts, which were just visible at the end of the corridor. As the doors closed on Angel, Blake put his head back on the pillow and immediately messaged Harrison back.
‘Could be better.’
* * *
***
* * *
Blake had paid for the use of the television above the bed, though after two days of daytime television, he was sincerely regretting it. While he now had the knowledge of how to produce the perfect tiramisu, how to brighten up his drainpipe with left over Christmas decorations, and was now vaguely interested in the lives of the characters of an early afternoon soap opera that he had never heard of before he had arrived, none of it stopped him from feeling increasingly more restless and trapped.
It had been a cheap looking quiz show, the evening news, and a chat show that featured a lot of gossipy z-list celebrities discussing world events since he had finally received another dose of painkillers, and he was now starting to feel uncomfortable again. In the next bed, an elderly man was snoring loudly. Blake glanced across at him wondering how he had managed to fall into such a deep sleep with all the noise that was going on around him.
The chat show began telling a story about a little boy who had died while on holiday with his family. Blake could not help but feel worse by the depressing story. He was also aware that Harrison had not messaged him back, suggesting that he was either still at work, which considering it was nearly nine PM was unlikely, or he was ignoring Blake and the inquiry into his wellbeing had been more out of politeness than anything else. As the snoring next to him got louder, Blake sighed and wondered what he was going to do. There was no way he could reduce his workload once he was out of hospital, in fact if anything he would be playing catch up, especially if Gardiner was now in charge. Until work was quieter, Harrison would just have to deal with things.
As the night drew in, the ward became ever so slightly quieter. After all the water Blake had drank from the jug next to his bed, he was desperate to go to the toilet. They had provided him with a container for any of his toiletry needs, but Blake had decided point blank that unless they needed any of it for tests, he would be using the patient’s bathroom. He pressed the buzzer above his head and a few moments later, Kelsey appeared. Her black and red hair had been tied back in a tight bun, and she looked extremely tired.
“Yes?”
“Can I go to the loo, please?”
“You’ve got a bottle there.”
Blake glanced distastefully at the strangely shaped bottle next to the bed. “I’d rather use the loo. If only just to stretch my legs.”
Kelsey narrowed her eyes. “You’re not just looking for an excuse to use that vape pen of yours, are you? We told you last time, you’re not allowed to use it in here.”
“No!” protested Blake, his ecig protruding into his arm from where he had hidden it in his sleeve. “I just want to go to the loo.”
Kelsey looked like she was still suspicious of his true intentions, especially as Blake had been whining about needing to use his ecig from about two hours into his time on the ward. But she nodded and helped him stand up.
“Just give me a shout if you need me,” she told him as Blake closed the door.
“Will do.”
As soon as the door was closed, Blake sat on the toilet and pulled his ecig out of his sleeve. It was not normal for him to blatantly disregard the rules in this manner, but he had been deprived of nicotine for two days and he was not feeling at his most reasonable. As he gratefully inhaled, he fleetingly considered the fact that some people would have taken this opportunity to begin quitting entirely, but as his craving became slowly satisfied, Blake realised that it was not going to happen while he was stuck here. The pain from his appendix had been a fairly good distraction, but not enough.
Eventually, he was satisfied, and after using the toilet for what he had come to do in the first place, Blake unlocked the door and made his way back towards his bed.
As he was passing a room marked ‘Office,’ he heard raised voices. The door was ajar, so with a lack of anything better to do, he peered inside.
> Kelsey was stood with her back to the door talking to a doctor that Blake vaguely recognised from when he had first been brought in. The doctor, young looking, with brown wavy hair, wearing a white coat with a stethoscope round his neck, was sitting in a chair with his arms crossed, looking up at Kelsey with a pained expression on his face.
“I can’t cope with it, Joe!” Kelsey cried. “Everywhere I look, she’s there. Every time I close my eyes, all I can see is her!”
Blake frowned as he watched them. Joe looked impatient.
“Look, Kelse, you need to move on from this.”
“How can I?” exclaimed Kelsey. “Even the bloody weather’s the same. It’s chucking it down, just like it was that night! There was a copper here earlier. The guy with the appendix, he’s a policeman!”
“Yes, and he’s here because of his appendix!” Joe said firmly. He stood up and grasped Kelsey by the hand. “Nothing else, just his appendix. He’s not interested in you, me or anything else.”
Blake stared at the pair of them as Joe pulled Kelsey in for a tight hug. He was just about to knock on the office door when he heard a voice behind him.
“Can I help you, mate?”
Blake turned to see a man who looked to be in his sixties standing behind him. He had greying ginger hair, a large round pair of glasses, and a beaming smile. He was wearing a dark blue tunic and as Blake glanced down at his badge which was hanging from one of his lapels, he read “Stan Alderman – PORTER.”
“No, I’m okay, thank you,” Blake said. “I was just on my way back from the loo.”
“Oh, so you’re the reason it smells faintly of gingerbread, are you?” Stan said, chuckling. “Using one of those vape thingies, no doubt. Hey, Kevin – we’ve got another one here.”
A small, young looking man with dark brown eyes and large ears appeared behind Stan. He was wearing a similar uniform and greeted Stan’s remark with a mere nod of his head.
“Oh, vaping, was he?”
Blake jumped and turned around to find Kelsey standing in the doorway behind him, glaring at him. Her eyes were red and tears were faintly visible on her cheeks. “Back to bed please, Mr Harte. And next time, you can use the bottle!” She disappeared back into the office and slammed the door which rattled in the frame. The next moment, a large blind had come down over the window to the office.
“Don’t mind Kelsey,” Stan said. “Those two are often rowing. They’re a couple. Mind you, between you and me, you sometimes wonder why they don’t just make a clean break of it. I mean, it’s not worth it when you have that much to argue about, surely? Anyway, shall we get you back to bed? Come on, Kevin. Lend a hand.”
The young man nodded but said nothing. Blake quickly assumed he was straight out of college and yet to decide his direction in life.
“Hmm,” said Blake, glancing at the office. He allowed Stan and Kevin to lead him back to his bed. But all he could think of now was that Kelsey was hiding something, and she seemed to be extremely worried that he was a police officer. Suddenly, boredom and fatigue seemed a distant memory.
3
Did I tell you by the way? She wants him back now! She knows he’s mine, but she can’t resist sinking her bright red fake talons into him. She makes me sick, honestly. Kelse? Are you even listening to me? Kelse!”
Kelsey looked up from staring into her cup of tea. “Sorry?”
Her best friend, Gloria Nicolls, rolled her eyes. “What is up with you lately?”
“I’ve just got a lot on my mind, that’s all.”
Gloria raised her eyebrows. “Like what? Is it Joe? Has something happened?”
“No,” Kelsey replied. She leant back in her chair and stretched. She would have preferred to have spent her break on her own, but Gloria had spotted her coming into the cafeteria and followed her in. “I’m just busy on the ward, that’s all.”
“Kelse, I do work on the same ward as you,” Gloria scoffed. “It’s been a fairly quiet night. Come on. I’ve known you too long. Tell Auntie Gloria what the matter is.”
Kelsey stared at Gloria for a few moments. She imagined just telling her everything about what had happened a year ago. For one, brief, wonderful, second, she pictured the pressure she felt being put on somebody else for a change. But then, she realised that it would only make matters worse. “It’s just work. It’s putting a bit of a strain on me and Joe, that’s all.”
Gloria nodded knowingly. “You want to tell him to pay more attention to his own job, babes. You’re an independent career woman! We’re in the twenty-first century! What’s up with him? Is he whinging about you never being there to have his dinner waiting for him on the table? Having to iron his own uniform, is he?”
Kelsey sighed. “Something like that, yeah.”
Gloria stood up. “Then you tell him from me to stop dragging his knuckles around and to start treating you with more respect, or he’ll have me to deal with. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an appointment with a Mr Jenkins and a catheter. Talk later, babes.”
Kelsey watched her saunter out of the cafeteria. Everything about Gloria suggested that working in a hospital was against everything she could deal with. She loved wearing makeup and had her nails manicured once a fortnight. Anyone who did not know her would think she was too squeamish to work in the medical profession, but Kelsey knew that she had more gumption about her than that, and that was one of the reasons why they were such good friends. But Gloria also had a habit of not noticing what was immediately in front of her when it came to those around her, proven by the fact that she had only recently noticed that Kelsey was not herself, when the truth was that Kelsey was struggling to remember what feeling like her old self was like.
She drained her cup of the remains of her black coffee and began walking back to the ward, glancing at the clock as she left the cafeteria. It was now two-thirty AM. It was half an hour away from being exactly one year to the minute that they had taken the life of Lucy Pennock. Kelsey had a crystal-clear memory of glancing at the clock on the dashboard of Joe’s car as they had fled the scene. Right now, Lucy would have been going about her normal life, unaware that she was a mere thirty minutes from it ending.
As she pushed the door open to the ward, she was nearly sent flying by someone else on their way through it in the opposite direction.
“Oh, sorry, Kelsey!”
It was Nurse Chloe Prendergast. Kelsey grimaced slightly as she took in the huge frame of the woman before her. Chloe was a similar age to Kelsey, but she looked about a decade older than someone in her early thirties. She had very short brown spiky hair, a gold chain around her bulging neck and a face that Kelsey could not help but think resembled a goblin.
Chloe smiled, her teeth crooked. “How are you, Kelsey? I wondered if you were working tonight, I haven’t seen you.”
Kelsey nodded. She found Chloe slightly strange at the best of times and she was in no state of mind to try and deal with her at the moment. “Yep. Here all night. Excuse me.”
She pushed past Chloe and walked back towards the front desk.
“Me too!” Chloe called. “I’ll see you later then?”
“Yeah,” Kelsey called back, not turning around as she continued down the corridor. In a slightly more positive frame of mind, Kelsey might not have been so cold. She knew Chloe could be socially awkward, but she had always thought of her as somewhat clingy and it was the last thing she needed at this moment.
As she arrived back on the ward, she allowed the relative silence to wash over her. It seemed that all the patients were asleep. She gave a brief smile to one of the doctors on the reception desk as she walked across the ward and past the patients’ beds. She stopped as she reached the bed of Blake Harte. He was asleep, his face illuminated by the television that he had been watching. She stood opposite him, wondering, as she had been since she had sent him back to bed earlier that evening, about what he had heard when she had been arguing with Joe in the office. Perhaps it was her paranoia, but she was sure he had been
giving her funny looks ever since. She glanced down at his name on his notes hanging from the end of his bed. ‘Blake Harte’. She had thought the name had sounded familiar when she had first heard it when he had been brought in. She had typed it into a search engine, and to her horror, it seemed Blake was an extremely talented officer, having been behind the solving of some truly baffling cases. Worse still, he had been in charge of the investigation into Lucy’s death, though he obviously had been unable to find anything. Kelsey felt no pleasure from this. She knew full well it was by more luck than judgement that neither she or Joe had been contacted regarding the death and that there had been no evidence linking them to the case. She switched off the television, pacifying herself with the thought that if Blake had heard anything incriminating, there surely would have been police now all over the building.
As she went about her work, her eyes kept drifting to the clock above the wall near the lifts, watching the time tick towards three AM.
With just a couple of minutes to go, she returned to the reception desk, which was now empty, and she sat down in front of the computer, desperately clicking at windows to find something to distract her mind, finally deciding on solitaire. She clicked randomly on the screen, not really playing the game. All the while, her mind kept taking her back to seeing Lucy’s face staring up at her from the road, her eyes glassy and her face shiny from the rain, blood trickling from her head onto the wet tarmac of the road. Her heart began to hammer in her chest as she glanced down at the clock on the computer screen. 2:59. She closed down the game and leant back in the chair, shutting her eyes, trying to steady her breathing, aware that a panic attack was threatening to brew within her.
‘Nothing is going to happen,’ she kept repeating to herself in her head. ‘You’re okay. There’s absolutely no danger. You can get through this.’ She took another deep breath in and exhaled slowly, feeling herself slowly beginning to feel calmer as she bathed in the silence of the ward.