Gallows Drop

by Mari Hannah

  ‘Jo, I’m sorry,’she repeated. ‘If you let me, I can explain – but not now. I’m wasted. I’ve been up since six and I’ve had enough drama today to last a lifetime.’

  ‘Oh, it’s all about you, isn’t it? Feeling guilty, is that it?’

  ‘Hank had no business contacting you.’

  ‘Well, someone had to. You didn’t think I should know?’

  ‘Of course—’

  They stopped talking as a porter rounded the corner with a sickly patient on a trolley. Acknowledging the two of them, he pressed the up arrow. The lift pinged its arrival almost immediately and he disappeared inside.

  Jo turned back to Kate, apologizing for her outburst. ‘Let’s not fight. I was frantic when I couldn’t raise you. I . . . I thought you’d had an accident.’ She stepped forward, put her arms around Kate and held on tight, making her feel worse than she did already.

  Kate felt her body go limp. She was dead on her feet. ‘I’m sorry too.’

  ‘Don’t be,’ Jo released her. ‘I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. You were going the wrong way as it happens. He’s on ICU, next floor up.’

  He’s on ICU, next floor up.

  Kate was at a loss. It took a moment to make sense of it, a moment longer to realize that they had been talking entirely at cross-purposes. Finally, she made the jump, her stomach taking a dive. She’d known Hank wasn’t 100 per cent fit when he returned to duty, but she’d never figured him for a hospital case.

  ‘How bad is it?’ Her words were hardly audible.

  ‘He’s asleep. The consultant wants to talk to you—’

  ‘She’s here, at this hour?’ Kate checked her watch. It was almost two a.m.

  ‘She was a few minutes ago. If not, she’ll be in first thing tomorrow.’

  ‘Are we talking serious?’

  Jo was nodding. Behind her tired eyes there was fear. No wonder she was drained and upset. Hank meant the world to her. ‘C’mon, I’ll take you.’

  Kate refused to move. ‘What’s the prognosis?’

  ‘Believe me, it’ll be better coming from his physician.’ Jo grabbed her upper arm, propelling her down the corridor. ‘Don’t worry, Kate. He’ll be fine. He’s in good hands.’

  They took the stairs two at a time, exiting the stairwell on the floor above. Kate’s thoughts were all over the place as they entered an identical corridor, turning right towards a set of closed double doors. They were practically running.

  ‘Did he fall, collapse?’ Kate heard a tremor in her voice as she noticed they were heading for Critical Care, the unit for high-dependency patients requiring intensive nursing. She couldn’t get her head around why Hank was at this particular hospital. He hadn’t left the station until late. With an early start on his agenda, she’d assumed he was going straight home. The dawn raid on Gardner’s house was going down in a matter of hours. Lisa and Andy would have to be told. Kate couldn’t think about that now. Her mind was in turmoil. ‘What I meant was, it’s a bit far from home for him, isn’t it?’

  ‘I gather he was visiting a friend when it happened.’ They had reached the ward.

  Kate hesitated. ‘Tell me the deal before I go in.’

  ‘I won’t lie to you.’ Jo opened the door. ‘It’s bad. He’s had a massive heart attack. They lost him for a while.’

  No!

  Kate’s hands flew to her mouth. It was all she could do to suppress a scream. This could not be happening again. She remembered the race to Santa Lucia Hospital in Cartagena. Being helped from a car by a Spanish police officer and thrust inside, hoping, no, praying that he was fit enough to survive the shooting. She never dreamt he’d suffer a catastrophic setback following discharge.

  ‘This is my fault.’ I should never have let him return to work.

  ‘Don’t do this, Kate. It really isn’t helpful.’ Jo was leading her by the arm, dragging her almost. She pointed to a door on their right. ‘He’s in there. I gather he stabilized. He needs surgery though, so be prepared. You want me to come in or wait outside?’

  Kate took hold of her hand and felt the pressure as Jo squeezed it gently. They entered together but Kate stopped dead in her tracks as soon as they got inside. The lights were dimmed, a heart monitor blinking away beside his bed, numbers lit by coloured LEDs increasing and decreasing to reflect changes in vitals: blood pressure, pulse rhythm, respiratory rate.

  It wasn’t Hank in the bed. It was her father.

  ‘Oh God!’ Kate felt like she’d received a kick in the gut. A combination of regret and relief battled for space in her heart, a guilty heart that was beating much faster than it should. Her voice broke into a hoarse whisper. ‘I thought you were talking about Hank.’

  ‘What?’ Jo’s eyebrows pinched together in confusion. ‘I thought you knew. I thought that’s why you’d come.’

  Kate shook her head. ‘I’ve been here for hours.’

  ‘What? Why?’

  ‘Long story, tell you later.’ She studied the ventilator tube in her father’s mouth, the intravenous drip fed through a cannula in his hand, wires everywhere, all of it intensely distressing. ‘He looks dreadful.’

  Jo put a forefinger to her lips, indicating that Ed Daniels might well be sedated but that didn’t mean he couldn’t hear.

  Kate’s thoughts fleetingly turned elsewhere:

  Hang on, Beth . . .

  Couple of minutes . . .

  You’re going to be fine.

  With a lump in her throat, she pulled a chair towards the bed and sat down quietly, taking hold of her father’s hand. It was cold to the touch. Kate realized then that she’d not touched him physically in years. Even when her mother died, he’d pushed her away.

  His loss.

  ‘Dad, it’s Kate . . .’ Her voice broke. A hot, salty tear fell from her eye. She wiped it away, swallowing her grief. They used to be so close. What the hell happened? ‘I’m here,’ she said through a sob. Her heart was breaking. ‘You’re going to be fine, Dad. You’re being well cared for. We’ll have you out of here in no time.’

  37

  They left an hour later, having spoken to a cardiologist. Tests had revealed that two of Ed Daniels’ coronary arteries were blocked. A serious condition if left untreated. They needed to open up the vessels carrying blood to his heart and check for any permanent damage. A bypass was on the cards as soon as it could be arranged, to reduce the threat of another attack that could well be fatal.

  Afterwards, Kate walked Jo to her car and climbed in beside her, a chance to talk. As exhausted as she was, Kate couldn’t leave without telling her what had gone on in the past few hours. She deserved an explanation.

  ‘I have something to tell you,’ she said.

  ‘Whatever it is, it can wait. You need sleep.’

  ‘No, I need to tell you now.’ Kate took a deep breath. ‘Bright suspended Atkins from duty. He’s off the case. To cut a very long story short, he went home and got legless. He had a go at his daughter.’

  ‘Physically?’

  ‘I think so.’ Kate dropped her head, then glanced at Jo, her voice breaking once again. ‘We found her unconscious on the bathroom floor having taken a cocktail of cancer drugs. That’s why I’m here.’

  ‘Is she OK?’

  ‘I really don’t know.’

  ‘What a moron he is.’

  ‘Tell me about it. You saw for yourself what a vicious temper he has – unless of course there’s real humpy, then you don’t see him for dust.’

  ‘I’ve heard rumours,’ Jo said. ‘Nothing substantiated, mind.’

  ‘They’re true. He’s a coward. I know it for a fact, unless he has a whisky in his hand, then he’s a fucking prize-fighter, especially if you’re female. There’s a lot of bad blood between us.’

  ‘So I gather.’

  ‘I’d fill you in, only—’

  ‘I can wait. You’ve had a bad day. What he said in the incident room, his assault on Beth, your old man’s heart attack and your concern for Hank – thes
e are all more important than Atkins. You need to get them in perspective. Be kind to yourself. Don’t let him drag you down.’

  Jo was mistaken.

  When one thing went wrong, Kate got upset. When ten things did, she tended to laugh it off. Her grandmother’s disapproval forced its way into her head . . .

  ‘That smile will get you into deep trouble one day, young lady.’ It was a telling-off for reacting inappropriately to sad news: the sudden deaths of two family friends on the same day. It was the solemn expression on everyone’s faces that started her off. Her parents looked so funny she just couldn’t keep it in. They were appalled when she began to giggle. It was a nervous reaction, of course, a defence mechanism, a physical and emotional release to something bad. Even now Kate had the overwhelming urge to grin.

  There had been many laughs in her career, many in the face of adversity. Others brought on by hysterical happenings that stayed with her for years afterwards. One particular set of colleagues sprang to mind.

  ‘Did I miss something funny?’ Jo asked.

  The grin had almost progressed to a laugh. ‘I was thinking about a shift I was once attached to. They were known as the wildebeesties.’

  ‘Dare I ask why?’

  ‘Wildebeest follow the herd.’ Lifting her arms, Kate spread her hands and placed them behind her head like antlers, thumbs in her ears, making Jo laugh. ‘If a call came over the radio, didn’t matter what it was, the whole shift turned up.’

  ‘Sounds hilarious.’

  ‘It was. I happened upon a burglary once, a drunk trying to break into a chemist’s shop. I’d just locked him up when several panda cars screeched to a halt. Every one of my colleagues jumped out, with the exception of Atkins. I thought it was because I was new to the squad and single-crewed, that they were watching out for me, until I realized they never went anywhere by themselves.’

  It felt good to walk down Memory Lane.

  ‘They were as good as gold,’ Kate added. ‘What they lacked in experience they made up for in enthusiasm. The point is, they looked out for one another, rather like my current team.’ The smile disappeared. ‘Atkins wasn’t worthy. He didn’t deserve them. He was a drain on morale, a bully with no balls, even then. That’s serious shit if you happen to be working alongside him. The job relies on trust. You’ve got to be able to count on colleagues to come to your aid.’

  ‘I can imagine.’

  ‘He should’ve been suspended years ago. A shout went up once: Officer requires assistance. I grabbed my keys and sped out of the station like a shot. He was sitting in a side street having a smoke; no attempt to get involved or even start the car. Another time I found him hiding in a lay-by.’

  ‘Isn’t that a dereliction of duty?’

  Kate nodded. ‘He’s always been a liability, especially where I was concerned. Bright made sure we never worked the same nick after that. There were other reasons I won’t go into.’ Checking her watch, she changed the subject. ‘I better get going.’ She glanced up at the windows of her father’s ward. ‘Do you think I should go back in and see if he’s awake?’

  ‘No, I think you should go home and get some rest.’ Jo put her key in the ignition. ‘I’ll drive you?’

  ‘No, my car is . . .’ Kate scanned the car park, her memory deserting her. ‘Actually, I don’t know where my car is. The day I’ve had, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s been towed away. I parked it at the entrance to A & E. I should go and check. It had a POLICE sticker on, so it should be OK.’

  ‘You want me to wait around, in case?’

  ‘No, you go. If it’s not there, I’ll get a lift in a panda. I need to reschedule a meeting with Adam Foster that Hank arranged for seven. In the meantime, I need to lie down before I fall down.’ Kate leaned in, cradled Jo’s face in her hands and kissed her gently. ‘I can’t leave tomorrow but I’ll make it up to you. You go on ahead and I’ll come as soon as I can get away.’

  ‘No,’ Jo said. ‘Family takes priority.’

  Kate dropped her head, guiltily. ‘Even without this latest drama, I couldn’t have gone. Bright cancelled my leave.’ There, she’d said it.

  ‘When?’

  ‘After he suspended Atkins.’

  Jo looked crestfallen. ‘And you didn’t think to call me?’

  ‘I was busy, I’m sorry.’ Kate waited for the backlash.

  ‘I understand,’ Jo said quietly. She was trying and failing to hide her disappointment. ‘Now is not the time to have a dig at you. With your old man up there,’ she flicked her eyes towards the hospital. ‘You couldn’t take leave now even if you wanted to.’

  ‘I do . . . want to.’

  ‘I know. But I also know that you’d fret about the case if you went. I wanted to go too, of course I did, but what I wanted more than anything was for you to benefit from a break and not wander around aimlessly stressing about what’s going on here, ringing Hank for updates, wishing you were at work.’

  ‘I wouldn’t have—’

  ‘Yes, you would.’ Jo managed to smile through bitter disappointment.

  Kate glanced up at the first-floor windows. ‘Well, I’ll have to drop the case now. Bright can’t possibly refuse me compassionate leave—’

  ‘He’ll try.’

  ‘Tough. He’ll have to find cover. I’m good but I can’t be in two places at once.’

  ‘Your old man wouldn’t look after you,’ Jo said pointedly.

  Kate could see that it hurt her to say it. ‘Yeah, well he’s got no one else, has he?’

  ‘He’s got me.’ Jo’s eyes reflected determination, a hint of mischief too. ‘I’ve already booked the time off. It’s no skin off my nose to look in on him during and after his operation until your case is resolved. In fact I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to tell him what a brilliant daughter he has, if only he’d care to open his eyes and take a closer look.’

  ‘I don’t deserve you.’ Pecking her on the cheek, Kate got out of the car and walked away without a backward glance. She didn’t want Jo to see how choked she was.

  38

  Six a.m. Pitch dark. The streets were quiet. No one about as tactical support, dog section and CID vehicles moved silently into their positions across Ashington and the Redesdale area of west Northumberland. The plan was to hit the properties simultaneously, a coordinated strike. It was DC Lisa Carmichael’s operation. On her mark, the target’s known associates would be woken from their beds, placed under arrest and transported to the nearest nick.

  Hank winked at Carmichael.

  As her mentor, his role was to oversee the operation, to act in an advisory capacity only. She’d overheard Kate Daniels instructing him not to take over, not to get involved unless it was absolutely necessary to do so, and she knew why. Hank hadn’t argued with their boss. He’d agreed to remain with the outside team, covering front and rear of the target’s house to prevent escape. Given what they knew of Liam Gardner, no one expected him to raise his hands and go quietly.

  Good luck to him if he upset Hank.

  Carmichael gave a silent nod to the TSG leader sitting on the opposite side of the vehicle. Speaking softly into his radio, he instructed all units under his command to make their move, simultaneously warning his own team that the dog handler would go in first.

  They piled out of their vehicles, moving silently and swiftly to Gardner’s house, the spreaders taking the front door out at the first attempt.

  ‘POLICE! Police!’

  A dog, trained to attack – moving so fast it was hard to tell the breed – leapt along the hallway, crazed eyes illuminated by torchlight. The dog handler held up an Armadillo electronic shield as protection against attack, an effective deterrent for rapid-entry situations. Sensitive to the electric current and the sound of it passing between terminals, the dog backed off, cowering from the officer, snarling and barking – an American pit bull.

  Carmichael relaxed.

  So far, so good.

  She’d spoken too soon.

  The
dog ran at them again, this time coming into contact with the shield and triggering a 40,000-volt shock, more than the standard Taser gun used on humans. The animal yelped and fell away stunned, landing heavily on the bare floorboards. Before it had a chance to recover, the handler used a snaffle pole to get a loop around its neck and remove it from the house.

  A dangerous breed exhibiting such aggression – Carmichael knew it would later be destroyed. With no time to indulge that sad thought, she crossed the threshold. As two officers peeled off to check the living room, she followed several pairs of police-issue boots up the stairs, DC Andy Brown bringing up the rear.

  Carmichael flicked a light switch. ‘Police! Stay where you are!’

  Alerted by the dog, Gardner had already begun a run for freedom, leaving his skinny, waiflike girlfriend alone in bed. He’d pulled on some tracksuit bottoms and was halfway out the rear window, trying to access the roof of the bay window on the floor below. Two TSG officers managed to grab him and haul him back inside.

  ‘You’re going nowhere, mate,’ yelled one officer, placing him in a stranglehold. ‘Stop struggling!’

  Gardner’s efforts to escape proved futile. The more he thrashed around, the more pressure was put on his Adam’s apple. The fool was almost choking, face turning red, eyes bulging and full of hatred, as ferocious as the dog they had encountered in the hallway.

  ‘Get your pig hands off me!’ He lashed out with bare feet at those trying to search for weapons, making contact with his target. ‘Get the fuck off!’

  ‘Oi! Cut it out.’ Carmichael was getting impatient. ‘Hands on your head and he’ll let you go. Don’t make this more difficult than it already is, Gardner. You’re coming with us.’

  ‘I’m going nowhere, bitch.’ He stuck a middle finger in the air. When he badmouthed her a second time, the guy restraining him increased his grip, cutting off his air supply.

  ‘He’s choking, you bastard!’ The girlfriend threw a jumper over her head, pulled it down over sizeable breast implants and reached for her phone. ‘Get a good look?’ she said to Carmichael, her eyes shifting to Gardner. He was still being restrained. ‘Hey! You can’t do that. I’m calling his brief. He’s done nowt wrong.’