‘Sorry, mate, I just want to see what’s happened to Nick.’
‘You and me both,’ said Matt.
They continued in silence and Brett checked his phone. There was nothing so far on the local websites about any assault at the university nor on the Persford police Twitter feed. Matt slowed as he approached the turning to the hospital. They followed the signs for visitor parking and easily found a space. They headed towards the main hospital buildings following the signs for Accident and Emergency. There were half a dozen people in the waiting room and one person was giving their details at the reception. The person in the queue was told to take a seat and then Matt spoke to the woman behind the glass of the reception booth.
‘Oh, hello, I’ve just had a call from Polly Thomas, her husband was brought in following an attack and she phoned me to come over and support her.’
‘Your name sir?’
‘Matt Pearson, Doctor Matt Pearson.’
Matt didn’t usually give his title as doctor but there were times when it helped to open doors.
‘Are you his GP?’
‘No, a colleague,’ replied Matt.
‘I’m afraid only next of kin are allowed into the medical ward,’ said the receptionist.
‘Well, can you please let his wife know that we are here? She specifically asked for us to come up and be with her. She’s had a big shock and is on her own.’
The receptionist seemed rather unmoved by his plea.
‘Please take a seat, I’ll phone through to the treatment area,’ she said without emotion.
Matt and Brett sat down away from the rest of the others and Matt leaned forward to rest on his knees.
‘Typical jobsworth,’ muttered Brett. ‘Some people like to feel powerful even though they are in a menial position.’
‘Shush,’ said Matt, ‘she’s only doing her job.’
‘What does she think we’d be doing in there? Having a party, disturbing the others?’
‘We just have to be patient, hopefully, Polly can persuade them.’
Matt went over to the coffee machine and rummaged in his pocket for some coins. He selected black coffee and pressed the button. ‘Want one?’ he called over to Brett.
‘No thanks, I’ll give that muck a miss. I don’t want to end up in hospital myself,’ he added.
Matt sat down and sipped his drink. It was as he expected but at least it was hot and he hoped the caffeine would perk him up a bit. It was now after 11 p.m. and he was starting to feel tired. A TV screen was fixed high up on the wall and was showing an old Carry On Film. Fortunately it wasn’t Carry on Nurse, or Carry on Doctor. Brett didn’t remember seeing this one and smiled at some of the hackneyed jokes.
Matt finished his coffee and binned the cup. He wandered around the waiting area to stretch his legs. Emma had texted to say she was at home and all was well. Toby had only woken up once and her mother had managed to settle him back to sleep. She asked for news of Nick but Matt had to let her know that they were still waiting to speak to Polly.
He went to sit down by Brett who was still engrossed in the Carry On Film. The door to the treatment area opened and Polly emerged, her eyes scanning the waiting area. Matt and Brett both rose from their seats and went over to her. Matt was unsure whether to kiss her or shake her hand and decided neither was appropriate.
‘Polly, how is he?’ asked Matt.
Polly looked around and ushered them over towards the door to gain some privacy. Her face was all red and blotchy and her eyes were filled with tears. She swallowed a couple of times to try to compose herself. ‘He’s taken a real beating. A broken nose, two black eyes, several broken ribs,’ and Polly’s voice trailed off and she searched in her pocket for some tissues.
‘Shit, Polly, that’s awful,’ said Brett and he reached forward to hold her hand.
‘They will need to do a scan to check whether there is any damage to his internal organs. They are worried about his spleen,’ and she shook her head.
‘Is he conscious?’
‘Well, that’s the good thing, he’s conscious for short periods but they’ve sedated him and he’s had lots of painkilling injections, so he’s very groggy.’
‘Was he robbed?’ asked Brett.
‘No, that’s the odd thing. He had his messenger bag across him, his phone still in his pocket and that’s a new one. His wallet and credit cards are all still in his bag and there’s over fifty pounds in his wallet.’ Polly shrugged.
‘Perhaps someone disturbed them?’
‘Well, the ambulance people told me he was lucky as two security guards spotted what was happening. Mark Jameson was one of them. Remember he used to work on the science park, well he still does apparently but I remember Nick saying he’d bumped into him the other day and he’s doing a few shifts at the university.’
‘Well, let’s hope the police got a description and they can find those bastards,’ said Brett with malice.
‘The strange thing is that Nick keeps saying, Dan all the time.’
‘Dan?’
‘Yes, Dan, then sometimes he says, not Dan,’ and she looked at both Matt and Brett and pulled her lip slightly as if to say, it’s a mystery.
‘Well, there’s a Dan that he works with, Dan, what’s his surname?’ Matt paused and rubbed his forehead. ‘Dan Lythgoe, that’s it.’
‘Well, until Nick becomes more lucid we won’t know. But the doctor did say that his memory of the attack may be sketchy.’ She got up from her seat. ‘I must get back to him, I want to be with him all the time.’
‘Of course, can we come in and see him?’
‘They told me one person can come in but not both of you, sorry.’
Brett indicated to Matt with his head, ‘You go, he’s known you for longer.’
‘OK, well I’ll pop in and see him.’
‘Polly, can I get you a hot drink or something to eat? I could go and see if there’s a cafe open in the hospital somewhere?’ asked Brett.
‘Well, a tea would be nice, no sugar. Perhaps something like a cake or a pastry to keep me going.’
‘I’ll go and have a wander, see what I can find,’ said Brett, giving Polly a gentle smile. ‘Matt, anything for you?’
‘No thanks, text me if you manage to buy any food and I’ll come out and get it from you,’ said Matt.
‘Right, I best be going back into Nick,’ said Polly, ‘it’s this way. And thanks so much for coming over. My Mum should be able to come over to me tomorrow.’
‘Keep in touch,’ said Brett, ‘and give Nick my best wishes.’
‘Will do, thanks again,’ and Polly and Matt went into the treatment area.
Brett was glad he could escape from the waiting room. He went over to the main entrance and looked at the map. There seemed to be an all-night cafe over in another part of the hospital. He set off down the silent corridors passing a few hospital staff and cleaners busy with their mops and floor polishing machines. He thought back to his brief stay in this hospital when he’d been brought in by ambulance. Poor Nick, though, he thought, he was so unfortunate to be on the receiving end of another vicious assault. He wondered how much more his body could take. This was the third time that Nick had received head injuries. The brain was fragile and it would be tragic if Nick’s mental capacity was impaired. He was such a good chemist, that’s why they’d suggested him in the first place. It was odd that he kept mentioning Dan, was he trying to tell them something? The next couple of days would be crucial and would hopefully shed more light on the incident. Brett had now reached the cafe wherein there was around a dozen medical personnel taking a welcome break and a middle-aged couple who were obviously visitors. Brett scanned the meagre fare on offer and chose a couple of American style muffins. The drinks were again from a machine but they should be a little better than from the vending machine in Accident and Emergency department. He found the tea bags and pressed hot water. He had no idea how Polly liked her tea but he hoped it would give her some comfort. He decided t
o get himself a black coffee and went to pay for his refreshments. It was now early morning and he was relieved that his meetings up in London weren’t in the morning. He would have a lie in and hopefully then feel more refreshed as there was a long day ahead.
Chapter 41
Dan could hardly believe what he was seeing. Was he hallucinating? Dan almost crushed Jessica with the his passionate hugs. He enfolded her in his arms, hoping that it wasn’t a dream. He kissed her all over her face and neck then held her close to him. Jessica kissed him back with tears spilling down her face.
‘You’re safe! They released you! Oh, God, I’ve been so worried!’ He was crying and laughing simultaneously. Jessica was real, he could feel her. He just wanted to remain hugging her forever. He’d never imagined how much he would miss her until she had gone. Ruth had closed her door, leaving them to their emotional reunion.
In the privacy of their flat she pulled away and yelled at him. ‘Dan, what have you been up to? Why was I kidnapped? Do you owe money? I know you are taking drugs?’ She started to pummel her fists on his chest. ‘I could have died!’she yelled.
Dan grabbed her hands until she had calmed down and her anger had worked its way out of her system. Gently he led her over to the sofa. He let go of her hands and raised up his own at this barrage of questions. They both looked down for a few moments. He then got hold of Jessica’s hands and looked her directly in the eyes. ‘Listen, I’ve some explaining to do, I know and I’m sorry, I really am. I was so worried about you,’ Dan broke down in tears and sobbed. He put his head down on Jessica’s lap and continued to cry. Jessica stroked his head tenderly. Her emotions were in turmoil. What Dan had said about having a lot of explaining to do was a complete understatement. She hardly knew where to start after the events of the last two days.
‘I think we need a cup of tea or something,’ she said, ‘then we need to talk. There’s no way we will be able to sleep tonight.’
**
Jed was now ready to complete the clean up operation. He phoned Lee and told him to come over to the outbuildings where Jessica had been held. He heard the van approach, the door slam and Lee entered to see Jed standing in front of the cell where he had been told Dan’s girlfriend was being held.
‘Come in, Lee,’ said Jed. He pointed to the open door.
Lee was confused. Why wasn’t the door locked? He stood to wait for instructions.
‘What’s going on?
‘See for yourself,’ and he motioned with his hand for Lee to enter the room.
‘Fuck!’ said Lee and he rushed back out, grabbing at the wall to steady himself.
‘What happened?’
‘What happened was your friend and protégé messed up big time. His captor stabbed him through the eye socket with a pen and I put him out of his misery. He would be a liability.’
‘You what? Did you kill him? Bastard!’ Lee was pacing back and forth. He lunged at Jed, you could have phoned for an ambulance! He could have been saved!’
‘Oh, yes, and then he would have talked. We can’t take the risk. There’s no room for incompetence in this outfit. He couldn’t manage the simplest of tasks.’
‘It’s not fair, he was learning!’
‘And he was a poor learner. Overcome by a young girl. I ask you?’
Jed laughed cruelly. ‘ Now there’s some cleaning up to do in here. Perhaps you can do that properly?’
Lee was still shaking his head and pacing around. He wanted to be sick and was swallowing down bile which kept rising up his gullet. What sort of people had he become involved with? They were animals.
‘Open that door there and go and fetch the mop and fill a bucket at the sink. You need to mop up all the blood. There’s some bleach in there as well. Then we need to move Scotty boy as we will have to dispose of him. He can join that tart you’ve got in the back of the van. I assume you have managed that little task?’
Lee decided not to grace that question with a reply. He set about finding the necessary cleaning materials whilst Jed sat down and smoked a cigarette and read through a tabloid newspaper. There were two smaller patches of blood distinct from where Scott lay. It was a hideous sight. In addition to the pen through his eye, his throat had been slashed. Blood had sprayed out over the walls and a huge sticky pool surrounded his head and neck. It would take several buckets to clear up the scene which resembled an abattoir. The metallic smell of the blood was filling Lee’s nostrils and he could sense it permeating his clothes. The image before him would last for a long time.
In contrast, Karolina had looked peaceful, just like she was asleep. He had no idea what exactly had befallen her but he felt no remorse for her in view of the way she’d derided him and treated him with scorn. He thought once again of Scott and his girlfriend Erin. How could he face her after this? Did she know that Lee had recommended Scott for this job? What a mess? He vowed to lie low for a while and hope that Erin would just assume Scott had moved away without telling her. For the moment that was the best he could hope for. He heard Jed shouting for him to get a move on so he refilled his bucket and continued his cleaning job.
Finally, the gore was cleaned away and it was time to move Scott. Lee went to the back of the van and removed another tarpaulin. The two men laid it out on the floor and lifted Scott’s body on to it. They then dragged it outside and towards the waiting van. Scott had been a tall and well-built young man and it took considerable effort for the two of them to get him up and into the back of the van. They both gasped for breath and steadied themselves after their exertions.
‘Get up into the van and drag him along a bit,’ said Jed. He needs to be up at that end.’
‘Why, isn’t he OK where he is? I’ve done my back in lifting him,’ said Lee.
‘Cut the questions and do as you are told!’ spat Jed.
Muttering to himself, Lee clambered up into the back of the van and crouching down he dragged the tarpaulin along until Scott’s corpse had been moved as far as it could go.
‘OK?’ said Lee, ‘that suit you now?’ he asked, squatting down on his haunches.
‘That will do nicely,’ said Jed, quickly removing a gun from his pocket and firing two accurate shots into Lee’s skull. The gun was a Glock seventeen, firing nine millimetre bullets, a favourite amongst criminals due to its ease of purchase on the black market. Lee collapsed on the body of his friend and Jed slammed the doors shut. He’d completed his task efficiently as usual.
Chapter 42
Nick had been moved to a clinical assessment ward and Polly had accompanied him, she was dozing in the chair beside his bed. For the moment Nick was described as serious but stable. They had removed the oxygen mask and he was now breathing unaided through his nose which although broken they had realigned and taped it in position. The bruises were starting to appear on his face and his eyes were badly blackened, purple patches were starting to spread all down his face and cheeks. Nick had opened his eyes briefly and Polly was sure she saw a hint of recognition in them. Once the sedation started to wear off she would try to talk to him even if she didn’t get much response in return. She hoped that the sound of her voice would be a comfort to him and he wouldn’t feel alone. Matt had returned her texts and told her not to hesitate to ask if she needed him to bring anything, otherwise, he would call in again during normal visiting hours.
A junior nurse arrived to perform the regular checks on temperature and blood pressure. She performed her tasks as quietly as possible as the other patients were trying to sleep. She entered the readings on her handheld device and smiled comfortingly at Polly. The full extent of Nick’s injuries would become clearer tomorrow when he had his MRI scan on his abdomen and CT scan on his head. Polly couldn’t go back to sleep so she inched her chair forward and took hold of Nick’s hand. She was sure she felt the slightest pressure in return.
**
Dan had changed out of his suit into a T-shirt and pyjama bottoms. The flat felt chilly so he had put on a sweatshirt over the top. Jessic
a was stretched out on the sofa with a rug over her and Dan sat facing her in an armchair. They had finished their cup of tea and were ready to have a difficult conversation.
‘So who is going to start?’ said Jessica.
‘I should go first. I’m the one who got us into this mess,’ said Dan sounding contrite.
Jessica remained silent.
‘I’ve been a complete idiot. A few months ago I began to feel under pressure at uni. Things weren’t going so well on the project. Well, I mean, the project was going well but I seemed to be struggling. I really want to make a success of things as you’ve got a good job and travelling up to London every day,’ he paused.
‘I hope you’re not going to say that I’ve driven you to take drugs,’ said Jessica sternly.
‘No, please, hear me out. I just felt I needed something to give me, I don’t know, just a bit of help from time to time. Then I went out one night with those friends I used to see a lot, Hal and Stu and well, we went back to their flat and they were doing lines and I tried it. It gave me a bit of a buzz you know and well, one thing led to another.’
Jessica looked exhausted and depressed as she listened to his excuses. She’d put a cushion behind her head and lay back listening to him impassively.
‘I got hooked, it’s so easy. They introduced me to their dealer, someone called Wayne, that was all I knew him by and he kept me supplied. That’s what I was using the money out of our account for. I was dishonest, I lied about having to get a replacement tyre, it was disgraceful. I’m really sorry,’ and he started to weep.
‘But why kidnap me? How much did you owe?’ asked Jessica, finding it hard to believe the gravity of what had occurred was related to Dan owing some money to drug dealers.
‘Believe me, I had no idea what these people were like and I still don’t know what sort of people Wayne is mixed up with but they must be complete nutters’
‘Or sadists.’
‘The day you went missing, well in the evening, I assume they took you earlier in the day, someone approached me and threatened me. He gave me some coke but it was in return for a favour. I still have trouble processing what he asked me,’ Dan put his head in his hands.
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