The Broken Ones

by Carla Kovach

  Kapoor pushed her away and for the first time since she’d entered, Gina properly looked at her young colleague. Tears slid down her cheeks, blood seeped down her arm and wrists.

  ‘I need the paramedic in here, now. We’re getting you to the hospital, Jhanvi. Do you hear me?’

  Jhanvi didn’t reply. She brought a trembling finger up and pointed to her lips, which were sealed together. Gina placed an arm around her and led her to a waiting paramedic. Jhanvi turned back and nodded to Gina as she was led out. There would be time to talk later.

  Gina hurried back into the living room and stared at the hellish prison that Kapoor had been trapped inside. A photo of a dark-haired teenager sat on a shelf in the corner. The mechanical chair was in the lean-back position. That’s the position Amber had died in. Binds were tied through the contraption and in Gina’s mind she could see Kapoor peeling off her own skin to free herself. The woman was a fighter and that had most likely saved her from a knife to the heart.

  This very moment was just the beginning of the end and she wouldn’t rest until she had answers. She closed her eyes and all she could see was Kapoor covered in blood, the feral fear in her eyes that said so much even though she was rendered speechless. She wondered if her lovely colleague would ever be the same again.

  68

  Curtis Gallagher slumped over the table in the interview room, the duty solicitor by his side. The young woman whispered a few words into his ear as Gina loudly exhaled. They had been questioning him for half an hour and all he’d replied with was requests to use the toilet, for a drink, a smoke but not a word had come from his lips about the crimes he’d been arrested for. Wyre checked her watch.

  Curtis began to roll his shoulder in its sling then he flinched. His wounds had been superficial and only a few stitches had been required. Most of the blood on his body had been PC Kapoor’s.

  Images of Amber Slater’s body and the remains of Curtis’s mother filled her mind. The young man in front of her had murdered two people. He’d attacked Madison Randle and what he’d done to Jhanvi Kapoor made Gina grimace. Curtis glanced at her. It was as if he could tell what she was thinking. The glint of light in his dark beady eyes that peered up through the gaps in his greasy fringe gave her the creeps. ‘Let’s try again. Let’s talk about your mother.’ He put his thumbnail to his mouth and began to bite. Gina wondered if Kapoor’s blood was still under his dirty brown nails.

  He snorted and a broad smile filled his face. ‘Let’s not.’

  He may not have replied in the manner she’d hoped for but it was a start. They were getting somewhere.

  ‘What happened?’ The woman’s remains were undergoing a post-mortem as they spoke. They didn’t yet know the cause of death, all they knew was that she’d been restrained in a chair in the shed where she’d died.

  ‘She got what she deserved.’ His smug grin turned to a wide-eyed glare.

  ‘How?’

  He burst into laughter. ‘I can see what you’re trying to do. You think I killed her, don’t you? I didn’t kill her, I just left her there and she died.’

  That was the same thing. She imagined the woman being locked in the cold shed, slowly dying of hypothermia or starvation. ‘You left her there to die, your own mother, restrained in a shed?’ Gina felt her body shiver for just a second as she thought of the woman.

  He shook his head. ‘Like everyone else, she wouldn’t shut up so I shut her up, alright. I was trying to get her to see but she wouldn’t.’

  ‘See what?’

  He began shaking his head rapidly, bits of spittle landing on the table. ‘No.’

  He was cracking. Gina clenched her hands under the table in anticipation. ‘No, what?’

  ‘Can I have another drink?’

  ‘What were you trying to get your mother to see?’

  ‘I need a smoke.’

  ‘What did you want her to see?’

  He stared straight at Gina. ‘That she was a murderer.’ Curtis stood and flipped the table over, knocking the recording equipment everywhere. It was as if the pain in his arm was gone and had been replaced by a surge of adrenaline. ‘She’s a murderer.’ He slammed himself against the wall. Gina hit the alarm strip on the wall and PC Smith and Jacob ran in and attempted to restrain the man.

  Curtis slammed his fist into Jacob’s jaw then he ran into the corridor. PC Smith grabbed him from behind and brought him to the ground. Gina ushered the shaken solicitor out. The woman’s low heels clattered down the corridor where she stayed watching at the end.

  Curtis’s roars filled every inch of the station as he swore and shouted. ‘She’s the murderer, not me. I did it for Hailey. Justice for Hailey.’ He began to scream and kick as he was led towards the cells. The rest of his shouts were incoherent babble.

  ‘Do we know anything about his deceased sister?’

  Wyre shook her head. ‘They were twins.’

  ‘You’re shaking.’

  Wyre looked at her hands. ‘So I am. I just wasn’t expecting that.’

  Gina felt her own body trembling a little. ‘I won’t ask if you’re okay.’

  Wyre smiled. ‘Thanks, guv. Ditto. What’s happening with Jhanvi?’

  ‘She called and wants to see us. I was going to head over there when we’d interviewed Curtis Gallagher. You coming with me?’ Gina glanced at her watch. It was almost nine in the evening. Late for a visit but they all needed to know what Jhanvi Kapoor had to say before they stated their case to the CPS and the medical team had stabilised her now.

  ‘Too right.’

  Gina smiled at Wyre. ‘Let’s do this.’

  As they headed back towards the incident room, Gina glanced into the main reception where she saw that Madison, Tyrone and Alice were about to leave. She peered through the door. ‘Have you all given statements?’

  Tyrone nodded. ‘Yeah, just finished. Sorry again. We didn’t mean to mess things up.’

  The dressing on Madison’s head had begun to peel around the edges where she was picking at it. ‘I can’t believe it was him. All this time, he must have been watching Amber, then me. When I visited Ty, he was there, always lurking outside with a roll-up in his mouth, trying to make conversation.’ She shivered. ‘It makes me sick to think about it. Is the other woman okay? Your officer?’

  Gina didn’t want to discuss Kapoor with the meddling trio. ‘We’re going to visit her in a while.’

  Madison forced a smile and Alice linked arms with her. ‘Let’s get you home.’

  ‘Stay safe and I shouldn’t need to tell you again. Any trouble in the future call the police straight away and let them handle it. Don’t go putting yourselves in danger. Anything could have happened.’ Gina smiled back at them. For all their faults they had been trying to help. She couldn’t be angry at their interference any longer. To her they looked so young, so vulnerable and she now knew they were safe from Curtis Gallagher and Gina hoped that tonight, Madison would sleep well knowing that they’d made an arrest. They were only a little bit younger than her own daughter, Hannah, and she felt this sudden urge to protect them, mostly from themselves and their own stupid decisions.

  Tyrone pulled her card out of his pocket. ‘Thanks, DI Harte. If I suspect anyone else of being a murderer, I’ll call you.’

  His wide grin made her smile. ‘Look after that kitten of yours.’ She waved them off and turned back to the incident room, bumping straight into Briggs’s broad chest. As always, heat radiated from him. ‘That was moving, Harte. Are you okay? I heard about what happened in the interview so I thought I’d check.’

  She glanced at him, properly this time. His frown caused his forehead to crease. She knew he wasn’t just checking up on her. He wanted to know if they were okay. She mulled over that for a second and she couldn’t answer that question. ‘You know, Wyre and I have made a decision never to ask each other if we’re okay ever again. I’m standing and I’m present and I’m not hurt. We’ve made an arrest. Things couldn’t be better.’ They could. Briggs being o
n AppyDater had really played on her mind. She swallowed and looked away.

  ‘I’m sorry you found out about me being on AppyDater the way you did. I know I should have said something.’

  ‘It’s none of my business. We’ve established that. Now all this is over, I might even resurrect the account I opened the other day just so that I can have a snoop. Might find me a hook-up. A woman has needs.’

  ‘You’re going to find a hook-up?’

  ‘Yep.’ She looked away but felt the weight of his stare on her.

  Gina glanced up and down to make sure they were alone and he followed her into a small waiting room off the corridor.

  ‘I’m lonely, Gina. I joined before what happened between us last week and I almost forgot about it. Believe it or not, I get lonely and I crave company. I want your company but look at us.’

  ‘And that’s my fault?’ She ground her teeth.

  ‘I didn’t say that. It’s just complicated but I’m not going to be meeting anyone on AppyDater. I’ve deleted it.’

  She stared at the floor.

  ‘Please say something, Gina. You and I have a past. We know things about each other that no one else does. I just need you to be okay with me.’

  ‘I’ve been unfair with you. I know I have but the truth is, I don’t know where we’re going to end up. You should be free to meet someone else.’

  ‘I don’t want anyone else.’ He brushed his fingers across her cheek. ‘By the way, you should get out more. This weekend, drinks for the whole team are on me. Say you’ll join us.’

  Wyre was calling Gina from the corridor.

  ‘I best go.’ It was time to call it a night at the station and head to the hospital. She hurried back to the incident room.

  Wyre bit her bottom lip then turned to walk towards the door. ‘Right, guv. To the hospital?’

  Gina nodded.

  O’Connor bit into a chocolate bar as he swivelled on his chair. ‘Yes, Jhanvi just called again. She said to hurry. I asked if we could visit but she said her family were fussing like mad and she just wanted to get the statement out of the way. She said she needs to tell you about Hailey and that it’s urgent.’

  Gina grabbed her thick coat from the end of the table. ‘Right, the night is still young.’

  69

  As Gina and Wyre trudged through the ward they left a trail of snow behind them. Slowly it would turn into puddles. Something that was once so beautiful would be nothing more than a dangerous smear on the floor.

  ‘I think we’ve found Kapoor.’ Gina pointed to the side room where Kapoor’s family were spilling out.

  A nurse thundered past. ‘Excuse me. Visiting is over and only two at a time in future.’ The cracked veins on her nose looked more accentuated as she kept her angry expression.

  ‘Sorry and thank you for all that you’re doing for my sister.’ The tall young man left with the child in his arms and Jhanvi’s parents.

  ‘See you tomorrow, my love,’ her mother called, blowing a kiss through the window as she left. ‘I’ll be back first thing in the morning with some supplies.’ As Jhanvi’s mother passed the room, the woman burst into tears and fell into the arms of her husband.

  The younger man carrying the whining child passed Gina and Wyre. ‘Dad, I’ll meet you both outside. She’s getting restless.’

  ‘Mr and Mrs Kapoor, I’m DI Harte – Gina – one of Jhanvi’s colleagues. How is she doing?’

  Mrs Kapoor pulled away from her husband’s chest. ‘She looks so frail and all those tubes. I can’t believe it. My poor baby. Someone did that to her.’

  ‘I’m so sorry.’ Gina could only imagine how she felt. If she was in Mr and Mrs Kapoor’s position she didn’t know how she’d feel. If it were Hannah that had been through something so traumatic, would she be here now, feeling helpless and crying? Probably, and they weren’t even close. The Kapoor family were as close as they came.

  ‘She wants to speak to you. She said you were coming which is why we were saying our goodbyes until tomorrow morning.’ The woman pulled a crumpled tissue from her jeans pocket and wiped her tears away, snivelling a few times before finally stopping completely. ‘We have to be strong, for her.’ She paused. ‘She was getting tired. I think they gave her a sedative so you might want to hurry.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Gina smiled sympathetically as the Kapoors continued down the corridor and out of the main door.

  The nurse came out of Kapoor’s room. ‘Not more visitors. Don’t you know what time it is? I have sick people trying to sleep on this ward.’

  Wyre tilted her head a little. ‘We’re really sorry. PC Kapoor called us at the station and requested that we come to speak to her. We’re her colleagues, DC Wyre and DI Harte.’

  ‘Oh, I see. Make it snappy, she needs her rest.’ A buzzer went and the nurse hurried past. ‘Coming.’

  Gina approached the door and peered through the side window. Kapoor’s long black hair that was usually tied up in a low bun under her hat was splayed out all over the pillow and fell way past her chest. A white sheet had been pulled up to her bust and her arms lay on top of it, connected to the drip and bandaged up. The cabinet next to her bed was piled high with boxes of cakes and chocolates, bottles of pop and crisps that Kapoor’s family had brought with them. Tubes led to a beeping machine above and Kapoor lay there with her eyes closed. ‘I think she’s asleep.’

  ‘I’m not,’ she murmured, wincing as she forced her body to sit up a little. She reached for a cup with a straw in it and sucked with closed eyes.

  ‘It’s me, Gina, and Paula’s here too.’ The room smelled of disinfectant. Gina pressed the lever on the sanitiser dispenser and rubbed it into her hands.

  Kapoor opened her red-rimmed eyes and squinted as she tried to focus. ‘I’m so glad you’re here. I have a lot to tell you. Grab some chairs. Do you want some of this food?’

  Gina shook her head. She brought the plastic chairs close to Kapoor’s bedside then she and Wyre sat. Wyre pulled out her notepad.

  ‘We’ve been so worried about you. Smith told me to say he can’t wait to see you. Mrs O is making you some of your favourite Chelsea buns for tomorrow and we all miss you.’ Gina tilted her head to the same angle that Kapoor’s was tilted at and looked into her weary eyes. The last time she saw the young officer she’d been covered in blood and on top of Curtis Gallagher with a knife in her hands.

  ‘I had him, just before you came.’ Her torn cracked lips formed a smile then she flinched. ‘You think this would hurt more.’ She held up her bandaged wrists. ‘My lips kill.’ A tear slid down her cheek then she laughed. ‘Never superglue your lips.’

  ‘We got you some chocolate but it looks like you’re well sorted for goodies.’ Gina pulled out a large bar of milk chocolate from her bag and popped it on the food mountain.

  ‘My family are a bunch of feeders, I swear.’

  Gina paused. ‘How did you end up on him when we got there?’

  ‘For hours, I’d been pressing through my flesh with the binds on that horrible chair and the skin on my wrists was literally peeling away. In my mind, I thought I’d scored them to the bone but when they were stitching me up, they said I hadn’t sawn away at them too deeply.’ She scrunched her nose. ‘Eventually, I managed to pull them free, then I was able to untie my legs, waist and neck. When he went for the knife, I knew I had to take the opportunity to fight for my survival. I did it and something came over me, the biggest surge of adrenaline ever. I thought of my mum and I knew I’d get one chance. I brought my fist quickly to his throat taking his breath away. He went to stab me and I managed to slide off the chair and he got the knife wedged in it. I reached up and grabbed him between the legs and twisted as hard as I could and he yelped like a baby and fell to the floor. We fought and scrambled for the knife. I pulled the knife out of the chair and he reached over and fought me for it, that’s when the adrenaline wore off and the pain seemed to take over.’ She shook her head. ‘The keys to the door were in his back pocket and I
couldn’t get them from him so I hit him again, hard. He lolled on the floor.’

  Gina placed her hand on Kapoor’s arm. ‘You were so brave. That fight you had in you saved your life.’

  ‘He started to come around a bit after rolling on the floor and I was still wrestling to get the keys from his pocket. He grabbed my bleeding wrist and began pulling me to the ground. Just as I reached the floor, I gripped the knife and knew I had to use it to get away from him. My wrists were stinging like mad and blood was dripping everywhere. I was sure I’d bleed to death. I awkwardly pushed the knife into the only place I could seem to aim which was his shoulder. He was going to kill me. I had to get him off me. He was shocked when I stabbed him, and I kicked him again but he still fought back. After a struggle, I managed to pin him down, then you arrived. I wanted to gouge his eyes out and smash his nose in. I saw red and that’s never happened to me before. I didn’t know I had it in me to feel that primal.’ She let out a sob.

  ‘You did what you had to do to survive, Jhanvi. You fought and you lived.’ Gina felt Kapoor’s hand grab hers.

  ‘Thanks, guv.’ She took a moment to gain her composure. ‘There’s more. Before he came in with the knife, he let me into his thoughts. He said other things and you need to hear them.’ Kapoor paused.

  ‘Are you okay talking about this now?’ Gina hoped she was but the nurse passed and peered through the window, giving her and Wyre a stern look.

  ‘Yes. I want to talk. Can you crack open a can of Coke for me? My mouth is bone dry and I’m sick of water.’

  Gina gently eased a can of Coke from the pile and opened it, passing it to Kapoor who took a swig as her hands trembled.

  ‘The painkillers are good. I’m dreading when all the meds wear off. Anyway, while he kept me there, he kept referring to me as Hailey. He thought I was going to become Hailey and he would talk to himself as if he was in conversation with Hailey herself. I found out that she was his twin sister. He was weirdly trying to turn me into her in an effort to bring her back to life. There was something that he kept mumbling about at the end. His mother found out about Hailey being pregnant by some boy at school and she recently told Curtis that it was she who gave the tablets to Hailey. I think that was the trigger for all this. Their mother bullied Hailey into taking her life because of the shame she’d bring on the family. He kept saying how his mother beat them and was nasty all the time.’ She paused. ‘I don’t know where his mother lives.’