by Mari Hannah
‘Where is she?’
‘In her room sulking.’
‘Is she OK?’
‘What do you think? She knows we have her friend in custody. Where he belongs, in my opinion. I don’t suppose she’s too chuffed, but that’s her problem. She shouldn’t hang around with shite.’
‘Chris Collins’ involvement has yet to be determined. I gather he’s been a support to her since Diane became ill. In his absence, she might need reassurance.’
‘She needs a good hiding.’ It was out of his mouth before he could stop himself.
‘It didn’t work with her mother,’ Kate reminded him calmly. ‘In my experience, it never does. Shouldn’t you be picking on someone your own size?’
‘Like you, you mean?’
‘Give it your best shot.’
He was incensed. Wary too. ‘I was a hothead then.’
Kate wanted to roll on the floor laughing. She held it in. He hadn’t changed. The need to control – men, but mostly women under his command – was in his DNA. He didn’t have the balls to try it on with anyone else. He hadn’t learned from past mistakes, even though he’d lost a wife who, at one time, had been prepared to forgive and forget if only he’d accept help. He never would.
The idiot was his own worst enemy.
‘Get the fuck out of my house,’ he said.
‘I need a moment with your daughter.’
‘I don’t give a damn what you need. I told you, she’s in her room sulking.’
‘Did you shout at her?’ Of course he did.
Kate was kicking herself for not having come round earlier or sent Carmichael to check on Beth. Alarm bells were ringing. Was it only shouting? She’d seen what he’d done to Diane. Surely he’d not lift a hand to Beth? Kate stood her ground. She wasn’t moving until she’d seen the girl. Neither would she give in to his strong-arm tactics or let him intimidate her into leaving. Still, for a fleeting moment she wished Hank were by her side. Wished even more that they hadn’t fallen out.
‘Please call Beth. I won’t keep her long.’
‘You have five minutes, then you’re out of here.’
‘That’s all I need.’ She pointed along the hallway. ‘May I?’
He stepped aside, allowing her further into the apartment, her eyes drifting over an impressive open-plan lounge as she walked in. It was tastefully decorated, if a tad sterile for her taste. She noticed a tumbler of amber liquid on the arm of a chair. It was whisky, not beer. Unlucky. His ex-wife had told Kate that it made him unstable at best, violent at worst. The size of the glass was a dead giveaway.
Beth was nowhere to be seen.
Atkins had read her mind. ‘She’s probably on that phone of hers, telling all her mates what a sad fucking life she has.’ He poured himself another drink, took a slug, and then walked to the door, yelling at the top of his voice. ‘Beth, get out here.’ When she didn’t materialize, he turned to face Kate. ‘Don’t go away.’
She wasn’t planning to.
Leaving her alone, he marched out, heading for Beth’s room. Kate sat down, less nervous than before. If he was prepared to let her see the girl, she might have been worrying unnecessarily.
A shouting match took less time to heal than a slap.
She could hear him rapping on Beth’s bedroom door. When there was no response, he started yelling. ‘Beth, did you hear me? Daniels is here to see you.’ The rapping turned to thumping. ‘C’mon, stop your snivelling and get out here.’
Kate sighed. His parenting skills weren’t woefully inadequate, they were non-existent. She wondered why some people ever had children. With a growing feeling of unease, she left her seat and walked into the hallway. Sensing her arrival, Atkins turned, training his bleary eyes on her. He opened the door and stepped inside. Seconds later he reappeared, taking another slug of whisky as he moved further along the hallway.
Slamming his fist on the bathroom door, he ordered Beth to open up. He turned the handle. It wouldn’t budge. The door was locked from the inside. ‘Beth? Unlock the damn door. Stop messing about. We haven’t got all day.’ He put his ear to it and listened, then shifted his gaze to Kate, fear penetrating the alcoholic haze.
She was already running down the hallway. ‘Kick it in!’ she said.
Turning sideways on, Atkins shoulder-charged the door, crashing through it so violently, he tripped over his daughter’s body, saving himself by grabbing hold of the bath. Whatever he said was incomprehensible. It came out like an animal wailing.
Beth was unconscious on the floor, a small amount of vomit visible on the left side of her mouth, an empty vodka bottle and a container of her mother’s pills lying on the tiles beside her. Shoving him away, Kate got down on her hands and knees, cleared the girl’s airway and felt for a pulse.
‘She’s alive but weak. Get her in the car!’
Kate scooped up the container and the tablets, Beth’s bag too. There might be other drugs inside. Identification of everything she’d swallowed would be crucial when they reached the hospital. Kate wasn’t waiting for an ambulance. By the time it arrived it would be too late. Atkins was frozen to the spot, wide eyes on his daughter. Kate screamed at him to move.
35
They crashed through the door to A & E. At Kate’s request, a medical team was waiting to receive Beth into their care. The minute she was on a stretcher, they took over, rushing her into an examination room. The door swung shut, leaving Kate and Atkins standing in the corridor in silence. In her wildest dreams, she couldn’t imagine what he was going through. She didn’t see him as a religious man but he sure as hell would be offering a prayer to someone.
Kate checked her phone. There were no messages so she switched it off.
Dropping a two-pound coin into a drinks dispenser, she pressed for tea with sugar, watching as the weak liquid dribbled into a plastic cup. Atkins took it from her and slumped down heavily in a chair, eyes firmly focused on the door through which Beth had been taken. At this stage there was no way of knowing how bad her condition was or even if she’d survive. If she was lucky, medics would be pumping her stomach and bringing her round . . .
Whether she wanted it or not was another matter.
Fleetingly, Kate thought she’d been utterly selfish. How could she attempt suicide, knowing she’d be leaving behind a dying mother? Kate would give anything to have hers back for a few more moments, if for no other reason than to say a proper goodbye and tell her how precious she was. A chance to say all the things that had remained unsaid, one final opportunity to cuddle up in her arms, to feel the strength of her love.
Kate turned her head away before Atkins misinterpreted her sorrow. Although he’d played a part in his daughter’s drama, Kate didn’t want to spook him into thinking that she might not come through.
‘Why did she do it?’ He was talking to the side of her head.
Although she could see him in her peripheral vision, Kate kept her eyes front. She knew why but didn’t say. She didn’t trust herself to keep it civil. She didn’t think he’d heard her telling Beth to hang on in there, even though she was unconscious as they raced to the hospital, blue light flashing. Apart from getting there, all Kate could think of was what he’d done to drive his daughter to suicide.
She turned her head to look at him. ‘Has she tried anything like this before?’
‘No!’
He was welling up, a man drowning in a misery of his own making. She wanted to be honest with him and tell him what a disgrace he was. Instead, and despite the fact that he didn’t deserve reassurance, she found herself putting a hand on his shoulder, patting it gently. It was pity, not anger, she felt for him.
He made no attempt to shrug her off.
‘She has everything to live for,’ he sobbed.
Shame he hadn’t thought of that before.
‘Young people invariably do,’ Kate said.
She wondered if Beth had heard her plea to come through. People who’d come back from the brink of death had repor
ted hearing those trying to communicate with them.
Kate willed it to be true.
‘No, you don’t understand,’ Atkins said. ‘Diane and I are going to give it another go.’
A tear fell from his cheek as he dropped his head in his hands. Kate couldn’t believe it. She wondered if it was the drink talking. Surely if what he was telling her was accurate, Diane would have called him to explain Beth’s predicament instead of giving the girl Kate’s number.
It seemed highly unlikely that reconciliation was on the cards, but Kate played along, not wanting to antagonize a man who clearly still blamed her for the collapse of his marriage and for stalling his career the first time. Jo popped into her head briefly. They were hours away from their own reunion and still she hadn’t come clean and told her that she couldn’t keep her promise to go on holiday.
Kate resisted the temptation to take a peek at her watch, or walk away and make a call. She couldn’t bring herself to give Jo the bad news over the phone. Besides, a private call was likely be misconstrued by Atkins. He was staring intently in her direction.
‘Does Beth know?’ she asked.
‘No. Diane wants to wait until she’s out of hospital. She’s worried Beth might not be too keen. Doesn’t think it would be good, coming from me.’
No wonder, Kate was thinking. He was rigid and controlling. Beth was a rebellious teenager. They weren’t exactly a comfy fit.
‘What’s taking so long?’ He glanced at the door to the emergency room, urging it to open.
In spite of all that had happened in the past twenty-four hours, Kate didn’t have it in her heart to hate him. In the whole scheme of things, what had been said in anger in the incident room was unimportant. Beth was their sole focus.
‘I’m sure she’ll be fine,’ Kate said, inwardly declaring a truce.
Atkins’ hard eyes had softened.
Kate hoped he’d do right by Beth from now on. Her father must see that, with her mother so unwell, and Collins in the frame for a serious charge, he was her only support.
Fate had brought Kate and Beth together all those years ago. She’d been an unhappy little girl in distress. In helping her mother flee an abusive partner, Kate had hoped to avoid the scenario where she ended up on a dim hospital corridor, waiting to find out if she’d been too late to save a life. But it seemed there was no escaping the inevitable. Though it had taken them a while to get there, that’s exactly where they had ended up.
Almost two hours later, in the early hours of the morning, Kate was struggling to stay awake when the door opposite opened and a female doctor entered the corridor, a solemn expression on her face. She looked utterly exhausted and, if Kate was any judge, uncomfortable too. She prepared herself for bad news as the doctor checked that there was no one around and made her way slowly towards them.
Feeling a presence, Atkins stood up.
‘Any news?’ he said. ‘I’m James Atkins, Beth’s father.’
No mention of his rank, Kate noted. No wonder, the state he was in. He was unsteady on his feet, invading the doctor’s personal space, breathing second-hand whisky fumes all over her. She took a deliberate step backwards, shooting Kate a disparaging look. She obviously thought they were together, the irresponsible pair who’d neglected their beautiful daughter.
Kate showed ID to enlighten her and felt a change in the woman’s attitude almost immediately. Bound by regulations, the medic switched her focus to Atkins, addressing her comments to him as next of kin, her tone of voice leaving him in no doubt that she was making judgements based on his condition.
She fixed him with a hard stare. ‘It’s too early to say. Beth’s still in recovery.’
‘What’s taking so long? She’ll pull through, won’t she?’
‘You’re going to have to be patient, sir. Maybe you should return home and get some rest. Beth has ingested a cocktail of tablets. We’re unable to accurately predict how many. What I can do is assure you that we’re doing all we can for her and the baby.’
Kate saw the horrified expression on Atkins’ face even before it was fully formed. It was clear he had no knowledge of any pregnancy. The news hit him like a body blow. He’d switched off and was pacing the corridor, his stress levels rising as the alcohol in his system began to wear off.
Kate covered for him. ‘We appreciate your efforts, Doctor.’
Atkins swung round. ‘Can I see her?’ He was almost pleading.
‘Not yet, she’s still quite poorly.’
‘I’m her father!’
‘Yes, and the drugs she swallowed are strong, some with serious side effects in patients who don’t require them. Beth will need constant monitoring, then close observation until we’re satisfied that she and the baby are completely out of danger. We’ll definitely be keeping her in.’
‘Is she conscious?’ he asked.
‘She has been. She’s sleeping now.’
The doctor excused herself and retreated.
Kate wondered if Beth had told those caring for her that she didn’t want to see him. She hurried off and caught up with the medic as she reached the emergency room. ‘Doctor?’
The woman swung round.
‘Would you keep us informed of progress, good or bad?’ She was tempted to ask after the unborn child, but then decided not to. Unrelated to Beth, she was unlikely to get an answer and she didn’t really want to know whether or not the baby had survived.
‘Did you know?’ demanded Atkins when she returned to his side.
‘About the baby?’ Kate said. ‘No.’
‘Jesus!’ He put a hand to his forehead and shut his eyes. ‘No wonder she was so upset about Elliott.’
‘You think he’s the father?’
‘I know he is.’
‘I knew they were good friends, but I didn’t get the impression—’
‘Open your bloody eyes, woman! They were inseparable. Jesus Christ! You don’t think she’s stupid enough to let that toerag Collins . . .’ He looked away. ‘How the hell didn’t I see it coming?’
‘You weren’t to know.’
‘No? She was throwing up yesterday and again tonight. I thought it was because I’d kept the news of Foster’s death from her, because . . .’ He stopped himself from finishing the sentence.
‘Because?’
He dropped his head. ‘Because she was upset.’
Kate sensed there was more to it than that. Whatever he was holding back, he was ashamed of it. She threw in a lowballer. She had to know. ‘What were you really going to say?’
‘Nothing.’
‘You’re lying.’
‘I lost my temper, OK? She fell over—’
‘She what?’
He tried to hide the guilt but his emotions got the better of him – he was almost in tears. He’d helped Beth on her way. This time Kate didn’t offer any sympathy. She’d tried so hard to support him and be reasonable, disregarding his attack on her, but there was a limit to her patience and she’d reached it. Unable to look at him for a second longer, she walked away.
36
Of all the despicable things Atkins had done in his lifetime, pushing his daughter around was probably the worst. Kate marched down the corridor, her face set in a scowl, saddened and outraged. He’d lived up to his reputation as the Angry Man. Angry with himself because of the way he’d treated Diane, angry with her because she’d intervened. He could drown in despair for all she cared. The tosser deserved to rot in hell. Poor Beth: pregnant to a dead boy and out on a limb with no one decent to hold her hand.
It didn’t get much worse.
New theories began to form in Kate’s head as she thundered down the corridor. If Elliott was the father of Atkins’ unborn grandchild, assuming Collins knew about the pregnancy, it went some way to explaining his jealousy. It changed things considerably. Even before the argument with her father, Beth had been under a lot of stress – a contributing factor to her suicide attempt perhaps. The overriding thought in Kate’s mind was the mo
tive it gave Collins.
‘Kate? KATE? Wait up!’
A female voice and the sound of footsteps rushing up behind her sucked Kate back into the hospital corridor. She turned, her eyes locking onto to the approaching figure, heart sinking as she recognized the familiar profile. Jo walked quickly towards her, pale and distressed and, if Kate was reading her right, getting ready to deliver a mouthful.
She groaned inwardly.
Thanks a bunch, Hank.
Whatever her plans were after she left the incident room, several hours ago, she hadn’t followed through or told Jo that her leave had been cancelled. She simply hadn’t had the time. It looked like her brilliant DS had gone and done it for her. Her own words echoed in her head:
You tell her then!
Kate hadn’t expected him to take her literally. No matter how well intentioned, he shouldn’t have interfered. It was her place to break the news, no one else’s. When would he learn to stay the hell out of her private life? She didn’t need his input and it had done more harm than good this time.
No wonder Jo looked so pissed off.
‘Where on earth have you been for the past three hours?’ Jo came to an abrupt halt, hands on hips, a gesture of frustration. ‘I’ve been searching all over for you. There must be a dozen messages on your bloody phone.’
Kate ran a hand through her hair, apologizing. Taking her mobile from her pocket, she switched it on. She could only surmise that Jo had been in touch with Control, heard about Beth Casey’s overdose and come to remonstrate with her. Glancing at her mobile, Kate wondered how long she’d been waiting. There were seven voice messages and a number of texts, two from Fiona Fielding. She was in the area and keen to have some fun. After the day she’d had, Kate was more than tempted. Sex, with anyone, would be a welcome release.