Troy stood up and ushered at Jen and Lisa to come towards him. He had seen a quiet corner of the waiting room, somewhere where they could talk, away from the prying eyes. Although most of the observers had returned to their zombie like states, staring at the screens of their phones.
“They’ve taken him into surgery at the moment.” Troy explained to Lisa. “He’s lost a lot of blood, I think it’s touch and go if he will make it.”
Lisa nodded.
“You guys have any idea who is responsible?” Troy asked.
“Not yet.” Lisa said. “But we are assuming this was a targeted attack.”
“At the crack of dawn though.” Jen said.
Lisa nodded. “It’s unusual, granted, but if people were watching his movements, maybe they would know he walked his dog early.”
“It could be the girl’s father, maybe?” Troy said.
Lisa shook her head.
“No. We dropped the charges yesterday. The girl had been coerced into making a false statement.”
She went to continue, and stopped herself. Despite Jen and Troy being good friends, she really shouldn’t give them too much information about active cases. It was unprofessional at best, negligent and criminal at worst. She trusted Hannah not to say anything to her colleagues, but she had her limits.
“We need to find the perpetrator.” She said.
“And I know just the way I can help you, if Penny will consent.” Troy said.
“Project Payback” they said in unison.
28
“You've agreed what?”
The anger was evident in Matron Bradley's voice.
“And how is exactly is this going to generate income for the facility? You can't go using highly expensive and technical resources to help out your next door neighbour.”
Troy was furious.
“How dare you.” he said, trying his hardest to maintain his composure.
“Without me, my skills and my developments, there is no facility!”
“Rubbish!” Matron Bradley hissed, “It's only through Mark's generosity and philanthropism that you are continuing to use the technology in the first place.”
Troy could feel his anger simmering.
“That is utter bullshit and you know it. Mark Fence paid for me to work here to save his sorry dying arse, and now he's inhabiting a new meat suit he wants to make a quick buck. Philanthropism! Give me a break.”
Hannah was stood at the doorway.
“Am I safe to come in.” she asked, tentatively.
“Sure.” Troy replied. “The matron was just leaving.” he shot Matron Bradley a look, the venom clear in his eyes.
“This isn't over Mr Mitchell. The technology is here to make money. The sooner you get your pathetic, do-gooder head around that. The better it will be.”
She stormed out of the room, pushing past Hannah as she left.
“What the fuck was that all about.” Hannah asked.
Troy sighed “It appears that the Matron can't get her head around the fact that I invented the technology to help people and not to make a billionaire even richer.”
“Jason Locke?” Hannah asked.
Troy nodded.
“But she can piss right off. He's already being transported by ambulance and the medical wing is on standby for his arrival. We WILL watch his memories and we WILL know who attacked him, whether she likes it or not.”
“I thought this may end up happening.” Hannah said. “You can thank me later for coming in on a Sunday.”
29
Penny was at a bit of a loss. Her emotions were all over the place. She went from being overwhelmed to angry to heartbroken. She loved Jason, they had built a whole life together, but she was now wondering who this man actually was.
Of course, she knew he wasn't a paedophile, that much was certain, however when that young police officer had mentioned that his computer was full of pornography, full of threesomes, lesbian orgies, anal sex, and even scenes depicting domineering acts, it made her feel physically sick. How could she trust a man who thought that was sexually enticing?
Penny had always thought that she was no prude, but there were limits. Maybe she was old fashioned, but sex was a loving act between a husband and wife. She thought Jason had felt the same as her. What else didn't she know? How could she be sure that he was still the man she had married? The man she had raised their son with.
Andrew!
She hadn't even told her son what had happened. Her emotion turned to overwhelming worry. Andrew was in the middle of university exams. She worried about what would happen when he found out his father was in a critical condition. Penny knew that she had to tell Andrew, but she also knew he would hurry straight home. He nearly had when his father was arrested. It had taken everything in Penny to persuade him that it was all a terrible misunderstanding and that he should stay where he was, that he should focus on his exams. Andrew had already spoken about wanting to stay on in university to do his masters degree. He needed to get good results in these exams. Penny would never forgive herself if he lost the opportunity to continue his studies.
Her thought process was broken by her colleague.
“They've taken him in the ambulance now.” she said.
Penny nodded.
“Thanks Jodie.” Penny said.
“Let me get you another cup of tea.” Jodie said. “It's been a hard day for you today.”
Penny shook her head.
“I was on nights last night, we lost a patient, and now this. I need to phone Andrew and I need to get some sleep.”
“Well at least let me get someone to drive you home. I'll come by after shift tonight.”
“Thanks lovely.” Penny said smiling.
She had previously worked in A&E with Jodie at the start of her career. They had stayed good friends over the years.
“At least you know that Jason is in good hands in that private facility. Did you hear that Matron Bradley has started working there since she took her NHS retirement.” Jodie added.
“Really?” Penny said, the surprise evident in her voice. “Gosh, that has surprised me. I had no idea that she had continued working. Although I understand her wanting to retire as early as she could. A&E is a hard place to work.”
“I've heard she's getting paid an absolute fortune over there.” Jodie gossiped. “I asked her if there were any nursing bank shifts going over there, but apparently it's all top secret work, so they are only offering permanent contracts. The money is great, but what can I say, I'm a sucker for the NHS.”
Penny laughed.
“I just hope that they can help Jason, and this technology can work out who attacked him.”
“It's like the stuff of sci-fi.” Jodie said “I honestly had no idea that we had come this far in medical science.”
“Me neither.” Penny agreed. “And what are the chances that it was my brand-new next-door neighbour who was the genius behind it.”
She paused for a moment.
“I did the right thing in giving my consent, didn't I?”
30
Detective Sergeant Lisa Whitney sat at the console with Troy.
“The extract was a success.” Troy said. “He's still in a critical but stable condition.”
Lisa nodded.
“There is something that isn't adding up with this case.” Lisa said. “I know that this is different to the cases we used to deal with on Project Payback, but I feel we are missing something.”
Troy nodded.
“This feels personal.” Troy replied. “Ok, it isn't a domestic abuse case like we're used to, but this was a planned attack. No random person is going to stab a dog walker in the woods behind their house at the crack of dawn. The attacker must have known his routine. This is pre-planned.”
“I agree.” Lisa replied. “But who? I would have had bets on that Daniel Cook kid, but he was in our cells.”
“His father?” Troy suggested.
“Possibly.” Lisa replied. “He was shouting his mo
uth off at the station last night, demanding we released his son. He kept yelling that his son was a good boy, and that the teacher was scum.”
Troy raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah, real good kid there! From what you've just told me.”
Troy was shaking his head, an involuntary reaction as he thought back to the conversation that he and Lisa had in the car on the way to the facility. Lisa had made the decision that now they had moved Jason, that Troy needed to know the full background.
“What I don't understand,” Troy started “is why this kid has such a grudge against the teacher.”
“I had hoped to find out myself today.” Lisa said “but this is going to have to take priority, with this being an attempted murder.”
Troy smiled “We may be about to have some answers for you. It looks like the footage is loading.”
They both looked at the computer monitor as scenes started to play. They could see Oscar out in front on his lead, as they walked down the quiet woodland path. Then from behind a tree, a figure dressed in dark clothes stepped forward, the early morning sunlight reflecting off the blade of a large kitchen knife.
“You deserve to die, you rapist bastard.” the figure said.
Lisa punched the desk.
“I know that face, how do I know that face? Troy, can you get me some screen shots, I need to get back to the station.”
31
Two years earlier
Jason scrolled the left arrow on the video footage, taking it back to the facial cum shot. There was no mistaking that face. OK, it was significantly younger than the face he knew now, but that birth mark on the left-hand side.
“Saga, you dirty little bitch.” Jason said out loud, grinning to himself.
He could hardly believe that he had been masturbating over the school drama teacher.
He cleaned himself up with a tissue, pulled up his pants and trousers and shut his laptop lid.
He grinned at himself as he thought of Saga being spit roasted, she looked like she loved it. One cock in her mouth, another in her arse. He wouldn't be able to look at her in the staff room tomorrow.
He was tempted to text Matt, send him the link to the video, but how exactly do you tell a fellow teacher.
“You never guess what, I was watching porn and saw one of our colleagues.”
No, this was something he was going to have to keep to himself. It was his dirty little secret. He could feel himself starting to get hard again as he thought about it.
“Ah, one more time can't hurt.” he thought to himself as he fired up the laptop and pulled down his clothes to reveal his erect penis.
“Come on Saga, you whore, make me cum again.”
32
Two years later
“You stupid little shit.” Timothy Cook was furious as he yelled at his son. He looked at his tear stained face, how could he be so stupid.
He stormed off towards the car parking spaces up the road from the police station. His teenage son almost having to break into a jog to keep up with his angry father.
Tim reached his car, and got in to the drivers seat. He slammed his door and then punched the steering wheel.
“Why did you admit it Dan? Why did you say that you raped that kid. You are fucking up your life.”
Dan closed the door of the passenger seat and threw his head into his hands.
“Because I did rape her, Dad.”
He looked at his father, there was remorse in his face.
“I thought you were shagging her anyway? I thought she was up for it. Why, Dan, I don't understand?”
“I had to Dad, I couldn't let him get away with it.”
“You aren't making any sense. You are going to go to prison. Do you understand me?”
“They told me that if I confessed, I'd get a lighter sentence and they'd send me to a young offenders unit.” Dan cried. “I'm so sorry, Dad, I'm so sorry.”
Dan paused for a minute, a solitary tear began to run down his cheek.
“Dad, I'm scared.”
33
Two years ago
Jason drained the last of his pint of Guinness and staggered to the bar. He'd been mixing his drinks all night, and right now he was in the mood for a jack daniels and coke.
Matt followed him to the bar.
“Have you seen what that slut is wearing tonight?” Matt said.
“If her tits were pushed up any further they'd be up her nostrils.” Jason replied.
“I was also taught that you either show a bit of cleavage or a bit of leg, never both.” said Lucy, one of the PE teachers who had joined her male colleagues at the bar. “No prizes for guessing who you are talking about.”
“Saga” they all said in unison.
“You'd think with her face, she would try and look inconspicuous.” Lucy continued.
“Nah.” Matt said “She has to flaunt what else she has on offer to make up for her face.”
“She would be pretty without the birthmark though.” Jason said. “Just a shame she is such an ugly person.”
“She's OK.” Lucy said “I think her being a Drama teacher is just a way she can overcome her insecurities. But she doesn't do herself any favours by dressing like a tart.”
“She is a tart” Jason replied. He stopped himself saying anymore, even the drink wasn't going to push him into confessing what he knew. “I'm just going for a piss.”
Jason began walking to the toilets towards the back of the pub. He reached the urinal. He unzipped his jeans, he held onto the wall in front to steady himself as he freed his penis to pee. He was in mid flow when Saga walked in.
“Don't worry, I haven't come in for a nose at your cock, there's a queue in the ladies.” she giggled as she walked inside the cubicle.
Jason finished, his inhibriation making it a longer and harder job to shake his penis and place it back in his pants. As he was pulling up his zip on his trousers, Saga unlocked the cubicle.
Jason saw his chance. Being drunk had made him braver than he usually would be. He pushed Saga back in and shut the cubicle behind him, pulling the lock across.
“I know your dirty little secret.” he began.
“Jason, what the fuck, let me out.” Saga yelled.
“Not yet.” Jason grinned. “Let's just say I know about your starring roles, on screen.”
He winked.
Saga looked uneasy.
“I don't know what you are talking about.”
“Is that right.” Jason continued. “So you are telling me you don't like fucking two men at once? That sucking cock whilst some other bloke has his dick up your arse isn't what turns you on? Has this jogged any memories.”
“Let me out of here.” Saga screamed, trying to push Jason out of the way.
“You aren't denying it. Anyway, I know it was you.” Jason said, as he pushed her back towards the toilet, so he could look her in the eye.
“I'm sure the board of governors would take a dim view to your special brand of drama.”
Saga looked scared.
“Jason, please, you can't say anything.”
He pushed her again, holding her backwards with one arm. His free hand he placed up her short skirt, gliding this fingers inside her knickers, slowly. He took a moment to feel her, he slid a finger inside her vagina.
“We'll talk on Monday, Miss Eriksson.” he laughed, he turned and opened the cubicle door. “I'll come and find you after class.”. He licked his fingers as she ran out of the toilet in tears, adjusting her knickers and skirt as she ran.
“Dirty fucking slut.” he thought.
34
Two years later
“They will work out who has done this, won't they?” Penny asked Jen.
Jen was sat with her neighbour in the medical wing of the facility. She didn't like it, it made her feel uneasy. All the memories of her time here started flooding back and she fought the urge to vomit, she thought about Freddie and how his abuse had caused him to attempt to take his own life, leaving h
im brain dead.
“All I can tell you is that Troy is the best in the world. If there is anything in Jason's memories, he will find it.” She told her neighbour.
“I can't believe that you would move in, just as this happens.” Penny said. “What are the chances of your new neighbours being the only people who could help your husband in a coma find his attacker. They have to see the man who did this.”
“Troy will hand any information over to the police. DS Whitney is a good police officer.” Jen said.
“So, do you know her through Troy's work then?” Penny asked.
Jen nodded. “Yep, and Hannah her partner works with Troy.”
Jen was not about to tell Penny about her history with the facility. She had done her best to put that part of her life behind her.
Penny sat there for a moment or two, her face in contemplation.
“If Jason survives, I'm going to ask for a divorce.” she said, almost too matter of fact.
Jen looked at her, “Why?”
“I'm not happy.” she said. “I haven't been happy for a while if I'm honest, but now I think I don't even know him. I know he isn't a child molester, but I do think he's a pervert. How could I live with a man who watches such disgusting porn?”
Jen pondered her reply. “Lots of men watch porn. It doesn't make them bad people.”
Penny nodded, but there was sadness in her eyes. “I can't stay with him.” she said. “I can't share a bed with a man who can watch that stuff. It's sick.”
35
“Are you done with your little pet project yet?” Matron Bradley had done her usual customary barge in to Troy and Hannah's lab, without any form of pleasantries.
“Good afternoon to you too.” Hannah said sarcastically.
“We are behind schedule with the testing for the other projects.” Matron Bradley continued.
“We have the hospice patients arriving this afternoon.”
Mob Justice (Sinister Minds Quick Reads Book 3) Page 6
