Jordan was bruised and battered. The pain in his back had returned but he didn’t think it was quite as bad. Of course, it could all be relative, there were so many other aches and pains they were melding into one big whole.
“What do you want to do, boss?” Terry asked. “I can take you home if you like and then grab a taxi back to the station. Or I could take you down the ozzy, like.”
“No, no hospital. I’m okay. I reckon I’ll feel it in the morning, but I don’t think there’s anything too bad. I need to get back to the station anyway. There’s a hell of a lot of clearing up to do. Then there’s Gary and Jakey, we need to get them reunited with Molly.”
“It’s okay. I’ve sent a car for them. They’ll go straight to The Royal, that’s where they’re taking her. I’ve been in touch with Ros and she’s dealing with it all. She’ll go with them and then I’ve organised some uniforms to take over so she can go off shift. They’re taking these two losers to Aintree, though the doc thought the bloke will end up in Wizzy Ozzy.”
“Where?” Jordan said.
“Sorry, boss. Whiston Hospital. With the head injuries specialists. We don’t want them all in the same place, I don’t reckon. Is that okay?”
“It’s more than okay, Terry. You’ve done a great job. Well done. I’ll see the people that need to know are aware.”
“Oh, don’t bother about that. The main thing is we’re sorting this out.”
“No, come on – you want to get your promotion, don’t you?”
“Well yes. But…”
“It all helps. Anyway, it might take some of the heat out of the fact that you helped me to bring Eddie McCardle here. We both know that wasn’t strictly kosher now, was it?”
“Well, when you put it like that.”
“Okay let’s get going. I have to ring David Griffiths in Spain and let him know what’s happened. I reckon it’ll make a difference to his actions over there and you know what, I could murder a cup of coffee and a bun.”
“We’ll stop on the way and get some Krispy Kremes. I reckon we could do with a treat.”
“Okay. But don’t tell the wife. She’ll have me on lettuce for a fortnight.”
The hammering on the car window was sharp and annoyed. An elderly man in a green waxed jacket and flat cap was leaning down thumping on the glass.
“Can I help you, sir?” Jordan asked.
“You DI Carr?”
“Yes, and, you are?”
“Brian Swettenham. This is my home.” He waved a hand in the direction of the converted barn. “Just exactly what is going on here? I was told you’re the chap in charge.”
Jordan swung his legs painfully out into the drizzling rain. “Yes, that’s right, sir.” He pushed himself upright, biting back the gasp of pain as his back objected to the movement.
“Well, just what have you done? I go away for a few days and come back to this… mayhem. This absolute chaos.”
“Your tenants, guests – whatever you want to call them. The people in the middle cottage. We have had to arrest them in connection with very serious crimes. I am sorry, sir.”
“What guests? Which cottage? We’re closed. We open in two days. What the hell are you talking about, man?”
“Ah. Well, in that case you may want to bring charges of breaking and entering. But I’ll be honest, you might well have to wait for a while. As for opening, I think you may have to reschedule.”
“This is not good enough. This is atrocious. I have never heard anything so ridiculous in all my life. Not open – what do you mean, not open? We have a living to earn here. No, I’m not having this. I’ll have you know that DCI Cross is a close personal friend, and I shall be speaking to him in very short order. There had better be no damage to my property, Detective Inspector, or heads will roll. You can be sure of that.”
Jordan sighed and closed his eyes, letting the cool rain wash across his face as Brian Swettenham ranted at him.
Chapter 67
Jordan tried to remember how many painkillers he’d taken and how long it was since the last dose. He couldn’t. So, there were to be no more today. There was paperwork to do but in fairness a lot of that could wait. The incident room was lively, but it was mostly just high spirits. The staff in here hadn’t been there at the end, but the job was done, and Molly was safe. The bad guys – at least a couple of them – were on their way to hospital and Eddie was on his way to St Anne Street and almost certainly a long time in prison.
Jordan was just tired. He ached all over and he was still processing the last few hours, trying to compartmentalise all that had happened. He had been here before and accepted it would take time. Writing up the reports, though it could be tedious, would help because they had to be factual and lacking in emotion.
Terry brought him a mug of coffee and one of the doughnuts from the huge boxes they’d bought. “You okay, boss? You look pretty done in, to be honest.”
“I’m fine. It’s late, you should get off home.”
“Well, a few of us are going out for a bevvy, just to wind down, like. Are you coming?” It was clear by his expression that he knew the answer would be no.
“I think I’ll just finish the essentials and head off home. We’ll have a few drinks, though, maybe tomorrow; my shout.” It was expected and he knew that when it happened, he’d enjoy it, but not right then with the images in his mind still so very fresh.
“Have you spoken to DCI Griffiths?”
“No, I’ve tried a few times, but his phone goes directly to voice mail. I’ll call him from home. There’s only an hour time difference so maybe he’s out eating or something. Did Gary get to the hospital okay?”
“Yes, I facetimed Rosalind Searle. She said it was very emotional – ‘lovely’ was the term she used. Molly has to have some surgery on her arm but it’s not too serious and they don’t think there’s permanent damage. Have you heard from DCI Cross, boss?”
“No, not yet. I had a message to say he was coming in. That’s why I’m still here, to be honest. I could do most of this other stuff from home. Hopefully, it won’t be too long.”
As he spoke the internal phone rang and Terry raised his eyebrows. “Good luck, boss. That bloke, the nutter ranting afterwards, was well out of order. I don’t see there’ll be any repercussions because of that. Although his cottage was pretty bashed about.”
“He was probably all bluster. If I had a pound for every pissed off punter who supposedly knew the Chief Constable, I’d be retired. Anyway, I’ll go down and speak to DCI Cross and then I’m heading home. Have a good night. See you in the morning.”
He hoped for recognition of what they’d accomplished. It would be nice to have congratulations and a pat on the back. What he didn’t expect was anger.
He wasn’t invited to sit down, and Cross paced back and forth behind his desk. “What the hell did you think you were doing, Carr?”
“Sorry, sir?”
“Rules, Carr, rules. They are there for a reason. They apply to everyone, including you, believe it or not. What possessed you to take a prisoner out to a potential crime scene? In what universe did you think that was acceptable? Why the bejesus did you think it was okay to go off, take a junior ranking officer with you and play bloody superheroes – smashing up people’s property, destroying buildings?”
“Sir, I had to act quickly. I made a judgement call. I know I was sailing a bit close to the wind but… in the end…”
“No, let me stop you there. I have just had a very uncomfortable conversation with one of the senior members of my lodge. He is not happy, not happy at all. Thousands of pounds of damage to his holiday cottage, loss of revenue from cancelled rentals. There was no need. If you had stuck to the rules, if you had gone about this in a calm and orderly manner, we could have had these miscreants arrested calmly. Brought them in for questioning in the usual way.”
“You do know, sir, that they were holding Molly McCardle captive? I had reason to believe she was in imminent danger. I had to g
o out there, I had to get her to safety.”
“We do not negotiate with kidnappers. You know this, DI Carr, it is not the way we do things. There will be an enquiry. You will be suspended until further notice. You are not some TV action man able to go off on an unapproved jaunt just whenever you feel like it. We have to look at DC Denn’s part in this as well.”
“He was acting under orders, sir. I take full responsibility. DC Denn only did what I told him to do and he performed outstandingly in the event. I cannot commend him highly enough. I don’t think what I did could be described as negotiating, sir.”
“Are you trying to be clever?”
“No, sir. Of course not.”
“Well, your commendation for DC Denn is pretty weak under the circumstances and this is not going to play well, not at all. Go home, DI Carr, and wait for further instructions.”
Jordan turned and stomped from the office. He didn’t close the door but walked the corridor towards the car park still tamping down the sense of unfairness, the anger at the narrow view taken by Cross. It would be okay. It had to be. Not the pat on the back he could have hoped for, but he knew he had done the right thing. The best thing for Molly and Jakey, and his conscience was clear.
“Brilliant, mate. Absolutely brilliant.” Jordan had barely had time to press the answer button on his phone before David Griffiths’ voiced yelled out, so loud that it was distorted by the tiny speaker.
“I’ve been trying to call you,” Jordan said.
“Yes, yes I saw that. I was a bit tied up. Still am, actually, mopping up over here it’s all a bit hectic but I wanted to call you to say well done and thanks. Once we got word that Molly was safe and the thug Mariano was in custody and Eddie in an interview room and spilling his guts about it all… well, it cleared the way for us to go in all guns blazing as it were. Not literally, but pretty heavy anyway.”
“That was quick though. I mean it’s only been a few hours.”
“Yeah, well, we’d been working towards it of course, but the news about your work over there cleared the final hurdles for us. There’re arrests being made on that side of the Channel as well. You’ll see it on the news before the day’s out, no doubt. Well done.”
“Oh right. Thanks.”
“I bet you’re the golden boy right now, eh?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say that exactly.”
“Oh. Ah well, you are with my lot anyway. Listen, I’ll be back in the UK in a day or two. You have to let me take you out, yeah. You and your lovely wife. This is excellent stuff, Jordan. Listen, pass on my thanks to your people as well, won’t you? And, if ever I can do anything for you, just let me know. Got to go now, I’ve got banditos to interview.”
“Right, well, thanks for the call.”
And suddenly it was bright again. Okay, there were questions to answer and probably a couple of black marks on his record but, at the end of the day, the bad guys were caught, and the evil had been stopped. Only for a while, he acknowledged, and they would never win the war, but they had been victorious in another little battle and for now that was enough.
Chapter 68
Still smarting from the Cross interview but cheered by the other news, Jordan’s nerves were jangling. He needed to calm down and soothe his spirits before he went home to Penny. He glanced at his watch. It was late but not too late for a hospital. They’d be quieter than during the day, but they never slept, and it would help to draw a line under it all.
It was only about ten minutes if he went straight there but he turned right and headed east along Wavertree Road. He drove along the quiet route to the building site where Mary McCardle had been found. He pulled in alongside the deserted bit of land. The little muddy pond in the corner had overflowed and the pathways were trails of mud. The patch of grass was completely indiscernible from the rest of it. All of the flowers and candles were gone, although there was a sad piece of sodden ribbon flapping on one of the railings. He could hear a train in the distance and cars swished by on the roads, but nobody stood in vigil and there was nothing now to witness what had been done there or what it had led to. He turned away and drove back to the main road and down into the city and the hospital.
There was a security guard on the door, but Jordan’s warrant card cleared his way and the volunteer managing the reception desk was glad of something to do. “She’s been moved to minor surgery.” He gave Jordan directions and showed him on a plan. The walk along almost deserted corridors in the subdued night-time lighting was calming in itself and by the time he had arrived at the ward door he was in control again.
There was a uniformed officer, bored and tired on a straight chair outside the ward door.
“Is she alone?” Jordan asked.
“No, her brother is in there and the baby. They’ve never left. Well, apart from him going out for a fag break a couple of times. She’s having an operation tomorrow and then they reckon she’ll be able to be discharged.”
“Excellent. I’ll just pop in and say hello.”
The baby was asleep on the side of the narrow hospital bed, but Molly’s uninjured arm was wrapped around him holding him safe. Gary was asleep in a low easy chair but as Jordan walked in, Molly looked up and smiled.
“Hello. You’re him, aren’t you? You’re the one who came to get me. Sorry, I should know your name, but I can’t remember it, from before at the house. I was a bit of a cow, wasn’t I? At first. Sorry.”
“It’s okay, you had a lot on your plate. How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay. A bit sore and I can’t close my eyes. When I do, I’m back there, in that cottage, with those people.” As she spoke her eyes filled with tears and she reached painfully for the tissues on her bedtable.
“Here, let me.” Jordan pulled one out and handed it to her. “Don’t get upset. You’re safe now. It’s over.”
“I don’t know how to thank you. I didn’t think they’d let me go. I didn’t think I’d ever see Jakey again. When they took him away I thought I’d die. I didn’t want him, not when I first got pregnant. Mam was so angry and ashamed. I thought my life was pretty much over. No more parties, no more going out on the lash. But when I thought I’d never see him again – I couldn’t bear it.”
“Hey, come on. Don’t do that. Don’t torment yourself.”
“No, you’re right. He’s okay and that’s all that matters. What’s happened to Eddie?”
Jordan pulled one of the plastic visitors chairs up beside the bed. “Well, he’s in trouble, no point pretending. He’s probably going to jail. I can’t give you much information yet, they are still questioning him. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
“What has he done? I mean he wasn’t anything to do with what happened to me, was he?”
Jordan didn’t know how to tell her that her brother had not only been the reason for her own kidnapping but for the death of their mother as well. “Listen, you don’t want to be worrying about that now. When you get home, someone will come and take a statement from you, maybe more than once and you will probably have to go to court. I’m sorry but it’s just the way it is. There’s plenty of time and it’ll all make sense eventually.”
“If Eddie was involved. If he was the reason for me and Jakey being in danger like that then I’ll give evidence and you can lock him up and throw away the key. That’s not what you do. You don’t hurt your family. At the end of the day that’s all we have. Each other. Now, there’s just me and Jakey and Gary. Sandra’s going off somewhere, she’s marrying Brian – doesn’t want to be a McCardle anymore. You can’t blame her, can you? But it’s okay, she’s worked hard to get away.”
“Will you be okay?”
“Yeah. Gary’s going to move back to the house for now and then – later – when everything’s all sorted, we’re going to Australia. Well, I mean we’re going to try. There might be problems with their rules. But, if that doesn’t work, we’ll go somewhere else, anywhere really. No point in staying here now. We’ll go and start again. Properly
. Not like Dada and Mam – new but not really new. Still tied to the old country, the old problems. No, we’ll go right away and be something different. It’ll be good.”
Gary snorted in his sleep and Jordan and Molly smiled at each other.
“Come and see me again, won’t you? I’d like that.”
“I will. Yes, you and Jakey, when you’re better.”
“Cool.”
As he left and wandered out into the deserted city streets, Jordan was perfectly happy with the way he had acted. Okay, they were going to investigate what he’d done. Maybe there’d be some sort of comeuppance, but it didn’t matter. Molly was safe with the baby. Some bad guys were locked up and he could go home, take a long hot bath, and go to bed with his wife. He smiled as he walked back to the car.
Penny was asleep when Jordan arrived home. He undressed in the bathroom and settled for a long shower instead of the bath. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to clamber out once he was in there and he didn’t want to have to call for help.
The night light in Harry’s room was the only illumination as he walked across the landing. He stepped into the nursery and tiptoed to his son’s cot. He knew he shouldn’t do it and might regret it, but he leaned down and gathered the sleeping baby in his arms.
He sat in the rocking chair and breathed in the warm, baby smell and felt the precious weight against his chest. Harry didn’t waken, so Jordan sat quietly with him, watching the tick of a pulse in his neck. He was overwhelmed.
Penny was quiet until he was suddenly aware of her standing beside him. He felt the touch of her hand on his hair. “Are you alright? What’s wrong?” she whispered.
“Nothing, it’s okay. I just wanted to hold him.” He adjusted his embrace on the baby so he could wrap a hand around his wife’s waist.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been here very much lately.”
“It’s alright, love. I understand.”
“You are my life, you and Harry. You do know that, don’t you?”
She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. “Of course. But come to bed. You’re exhausted and I see you have some bruises. You’ll need to explain those in the morning. But for now, just put him back and come on with me.”
Body by the Docks: detectives investigate a baffling mystery Page 21