Deadly Intent

by D. S. Butler

  “Tammy?”

  “The description didn’t sound like her. He said the woman was tall, shorthaired and mixed-race. He also mentioned she seemed upset.”

  Tyler groaned. “Things don’t look good for Tammy if he’s got himself another one, do they?”

  Mackinnon heard a car door and an engine rev. He was silent for a moment and then he said, “No, they don’t.”

  Tyler sat in the front passenger seat, tapping his mobile phone impatiently against his thigh. The traffic was not on their side today. They hit jams as soon as they left the station. DC Charlotte Brown sat in the back seat, a look of grim determination on her face.

  PC Connor was driving. She switched on the blues and twos and then put her foot down.

  Tyler held his breath as they shot around the corner. He hadn’t taken the advanced driving course himself because he preferred driving at a sedate pace, but today that was not an option.

  His phone rang.

  “DI Tyler.”

  “Sir, this is DS Bright. I’m calling to give you a heads up. You’re looking for a suspect called Brendan Maynard, correct?”

  “Yes, that’s right. What have you got for me?”

  “He’s suspected of abducting one of the GPs from Holly Hill surgery. He turned up there this afternoon in a very agitated condition demanding to see one of the GPs. When the receptionist went to check on the doctor because the appointment was running late, the GP was nowhere to be seen and neither was Brendan Maynard. The GPs name is Dr Wendy Willson.”

  “Description of the doctor?”

  “Forty years old. Five ten, IC4, with short black hair. Apparently, she also has a tattoo of a butterfly on her right shoulder blade.”

  “Right.” It looked like they now had a name for another of Brendan’s unfortunate victims. “How long ago was this?”

  “It was reported an hour ago. Brendan turned up at the surgery in a very agitated state. According to the receptionist he has medical issues.”

  Tyler was no doctor, but he could have predicted that one. “Thanks for the update. I appreciate it. Give me a call if there’s any more news.”

  He hung up and gripped the edge of his seat as PC Connor weaved in and out of the stationary traffic, sirens blaring.

  Tom paced the hospital corridor like an expectant father. He’d already spoken to the police and been breathalysed. Never in his life had he drunk alcohol and then got behind the wheel, so he didn’t have anything to worry about on that account. But he couldn’t get the woman sprinting across the road out of his head.

  Logically, he knew he could never have stopped in time. It wasn’t possible.

  He didn’t think he’d been going too fast. He’d only just accelerated away from a pedestrian crossing, so that wasn’t a factor in the accident.

  But he couldn’t deny his mind was occupied on other things. If he’d been more focused, would he have been able to stop in time? Or slow down, so the woman’s injuries weren’t so severe?

  A nurse walked towards him. “She’s woken up,” she said with a gentle smile.

  Tom gave a sigh of relief and started to walk around her to go to Tammy’s ward, but she put a hand on his shoulder. “Hang on a minute. You said you were family?”

  Tom flushed pink. When he’d arrived at the hospital they hadn’t wanted to give him any information, and so he’d told a little white lie. He said he was the woman’s uncle.

  Guilt made him clench his teeth, but he couldn’t back out of the lie now. He wanted to see her for himself and make sure she really was on the road to recovery.

  “Yeah, that’s right.”

  “You said her name is Tammy Hole?”

  “Yep.”

  “Funny,” the nurse said sternly. “When she woke up she told us her name is Tammy Holt.”

  “Yes, Holt, just as I said.”

  The nurse frowned. “You wrote down her name for us Mr Bradley. You wrote Hole.”

  “Sorry, I never finished school. I was terrible at spelling.”

  She weighed him up for a second or two and then said. “All right, I’ll take you in to see her, but if Tammy is distressed and you’re not her uncle. I’ll be reporting you myself.”

  Tom swallowed nervously, but he couldn’t back out now. He needed to make sure the woman he’d hit was okay.

  “Did they find out why she was only in her underwear?” Tom asked the nurse as they walked briskly towards the ward.

  The nurse hesitated and then shook her head. “Not yet. I’m sure it’s something the police will want to ask her, but we’re concerned with her medical well-being at the moment. It’s probably best to not bring it up unless she does.”

  “Understood,” Tom said as they reached the door to the ward.

  Tammy was in the third bed along. When he’d seen the blood coming from her head, Tom had feared the worst, so it had been a relief when he’d learned she hadn’t needed to go to ICU.

  Tammy was sitting up in bed, her long hair tumbling down her shoulders. She looked pale, but other than that, not too bad. He watched as she reached for a plastic cup of squash and gulped it down.

  “Tammy, I have brought your uncle to see you,” the nurse said.

  A frown of confusion puckered Tammy’s forehead, but when she looked up at Tom she smiled. “You’re the one who helped me after the accident.”

  “Are you okay if I leave you two alone?” the nurse asked.

  Tammy nodded.

  They were hardly alone. They were in the middle of a hospital ward, filled with other patients and nursing staff bustling about.

  “Yes, we’ll be fine. Thank you,” Tammy said.

  When the nurse reluctantly turned and walked away, Tom said, shamefaced, “I’m sorry about the uncle thing. They wouldn’t tell me anything otherwise, and I just wanted to make sure you were all right.”

  Tammy nodded. “I will be now. I’m safe.” She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. “They’ve called my mum and sister. They’re on their way here now. I wanted to thank you for staying with me. For holding my hand.” Tammy’s eyes filled with tears.

  The niggling guilt due to his white lie, now multiplied a thousand times. Why was she thanking him? Didn’t she know he was the one who’d knocked her down?

  “Tammy, I’m so sorry for what happened. It was my van that knocked you down. I couldn’t stop in time.”

  “I know. It wasn’t your fault. I was panicking and just running as fast as I could. I didn’t even see the van until it was too late. I’m sorry.”

  Tom realised to his embarrassment he was crying. He’d been so worried about her, and here she was, sitting up in bed talking to him, not only that, she seemed to have forgiven him.

  He pulled up a chair and sat down beside her bed and rubbed his face. “Sorry, I’m not normally like this.”

  “Exceptional circumstances,” Tammy said. She looked like she wanted to say more but then simply shrugged and picked up her squash again.

  He wanted to know why she was panicking and what she was running from, but he remembered what the nurse had said and kept his curiosity to himself.

  Tammy turned and a radiant smile spread across her face. “It’s my mum and sister.”

  Tom turned and saw two petite women rushing onto the ward. The younger one was wearing grey leggings and a sporty black vest top, and the older woman, who had to be Tammy’s mum, was wearing a floral dress. Neither had a scrap of make-up on and they were both crying and smiling at the same time. Something had happened to Tammy before she’d run in front of his van, but it looked like she had people who cared about her and would help her through it.

  Amongst all the hugs and tearful kisses, Tom got up and excused himself. He knew there was a lot more to the incident, but all he cared about was the fact Tammy was going to recover.

  Forget about butterflies. Tyler’s stomach felt like it had a herd of rhinos jumping around inside. They were almost at the address now. He was tempted to call Mackinnon to make sure he�
��d stayed in place as he was supposed to. In the past, Mackinnon hadn’t always chosen the sensible option, which was funny, because people considered Tyler the unorthodox one.

  He tried to focus on the risk assessment he was quickly filling in, but it wasn’t easy with PC Connor’s driving. Not that he was complaining, she’d get them there a lot faster than if he was behind the wheel. He just hoped they were still in one piece when they arrived.

  “Sir?” Charlotte, clutching her phone in her hand, leaned forward to get his attention.

  “Yes?”

  “I’ve just had some news, good news really. Tammy Holt’s been found. She was knocked down in Cedar Avenue, two hours ago. She was hurt, but her injuries aren’t life-threatening. They think she’s going to be all right.”

  “That is good news. Which hospital?”

  “The Royal London.”

  “All right, after we get to this address and the situation is under control, I want you to get down there and talk to her. We need her side of the story quickly.”

  Charlotte said, “Of course.”

  “How far is Cedar Close from where we are heading?”

  “Pine Avenue is only three streets away from Cedar Close. A four-minute walk according to Google maps.”

  “Interesting,” Tyler said, “Looks like we are finally going to nab him.” He turned around in his seat to face Charlotte. “You need to get as much information from Tammy as possible. Because this doctor’s life is at risk.”

  “Yes, sir,” Charlotte said a little distractedly as she stared down at her phone. “Um, sir?”

  Tyler muffled a sigh. He’d never get this risk assessment done at this rate. “Yes, DC Brown?”

  “I’ve just heard from Evie. She’s been chasing down Brendan Maynard’s family tree.”

  “Yes, I know that,” Tyler said impatiently.

  “Well, she hasn’t been able to find a record of Penny Crumb’s death.”

  Tyler frowned. “So Brendan’s mother is still alive?”

  “Either that, or she’s dead but nobody reported it.”

  PC Connor slammed on the brakes as they approached a turning. Tyler swore. This case was getting more complicated by the minute. It was almost enough to make him wish he’d allowed Mackinnon to continue on as SIO.

  The drugs were starting to take their toll now. Wendy’s movements, and even her thoughts, were slow and sluggish.

  Brendan had curled up on the floor, shivering and sobbing. Now he was distracted, this could be her chance to get away. If only she didn’t feel like she was sleepwalking.

  She moved slowly across the boards, wincing as they creaked beneath her feet. But Brendan didn’t budge, it was as though he was in another world.

  She descended the ladder slowly. Her feet and hands felt numb and wouldn’t grip the rungs properly. She was halfway down when she missed her footing and slipped, landing heavily on the floor.

  Above her, she heard Brendan give a roar of rage.

  Move. Move. Move.

  Her brain was screaming at her, but her body was slow to react. Heading for the stairs, she felt as though she was underwater. Taking the steps two at a time, stumbling and bashing into the banister and the wall, she went as fast as she could.

  When she reached the front door and found it locked, she screamed with frustration. Where were the keys? Brendan was at the top of the stairs now.

  She stumbled into the kitchen and screamed as she banged on the window.

  Please, let somebody hear her and call the police. There was no point screaming in the loft, with all the soundproofing, but surely someone would hear her now. They were in a terrace. The houses were close together.

  When Wendy saw Brendan’s reflection in the window as he appeared behind her, she screamed again.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Mackinnon stood at the end of Pine Avenue, keeping the property in view.

  A graffiti-covered bus shelter stood on the opposite side of the road a bit closer to the house. In fact, it was probably a bit nearer than protocol demanded, and Tyler definitely wouldn’t have approved. But it would give him a good view and he’d be less conspicuous if it looked like he was waiting for a bus.

  The first fat drops of rain started to fall, leaving dark grey splotches on the pavement, and Mackinnon made his decision. Yes, the covered bus stop was a much better idea.

  He walked briskly, and shot a glance at 9, Pine Avenue. There was no movement. Nothing to suggest anyone was inside.

  A flash of lightning preceded an ominous crack of thunder and then the rain began to bucket down just as he reached the bus stop. The rain formed a wall of water that made it hard to see more than a few feet.

  Mackinnon was pretending to look at the timetable when his phone rang.

  He glanced at the screen, expecting Tyler to be calling with an ETA, but it was Chloe.

  He considered not answering the call. He didn’t want to risk the distraction, but Chloe didn’t usually call him during the day, so it was probably important.

  “Hi, is everything all right?” Mackinnon asked.

  “Yes, I’ve got good news for a change. Sarah’s back.”

  Mackinnon paused. He still hadn’t told Chloe about Sarah’s request for money, or more importantly, that he’d seen her getting into a car owned by a known drug dealer.

  “That’s great,” he said eventually.

  “It is. I know you worry, Jack. But I think we’ve really turned the corner now. We had a good, long chat this afternoon, and we’re planning a girl’s evening. Just me, Sarah and Katy. I think it will be really good for us.”

  “Right. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something. I was planning to try and get away from here for a few hours tonight, but things are a bit frantic at the moment.”

  “That sounds serious. Don’t tell me, you’ve got tired of my dysfunctional family?” The tone of her voice told him she was teasing.

  “Our dysfunctional family. But it was to do with Sarah.”

  “Go on.”

  Mackinnon hesitated again. If Chloe had really sorted things out with her daughter, and Sarah was back home, was it worth causing more tension by telling her?

  But Chloe had a right to know. Who was he to keep things from her when it concerned her daughter?

  “Sarah came to the station to ask me for money.”

  Chloe groaned. “Yes, she mentioned it. I’m really sorry, Jack. She can be exceedingly difficult at times. I’ll get her to apologise when you’re home at the weekend.”

  “It’s not just that. The thing is, when she left the station, I saw her getting into the passenger seat of a car. Technically, I’m not supposed to, but I looked up the licence plate and it was owned by a known drug dealer, Robin Courtney.”

  “Sarah mentioned him. He sounds like a nasty piece of work. She said she got taken in by the wrong crowd, but she’s turned her back on them now. She wants to go back to college.”

  “Do you think the college will allow that after what she did?”

  “I think there’s a chance. A small one, admittedly. If not, I think I can get her a position in my admin department, so that’s an option, too. She just needs some stability. She’s not a bad kid deep down.”

  “All right. Well, I’m glad she’s home and safe. Things are really kicking off here, and I couldn’t really afford to take any time off, but I didn’t want to tell you over the phone.”

  “It’s not nice to find out she’s been hanging around with drug dealers. I have to admit I was worried she was on something, but other than her mood swings, I can’t see any signs. I’m not proud to admit it…but when she took off, I searched her room. I didn’t find anything.”

  “I’m glad. Perhaps we should just keep a close eye on her over the next few weeks.”

  “Yes, anyway, I should let you get on. How is everything at work?”

  “Pretty good. A breakthrough looks imminent, although I’m currently lurking at a bus stop sheltering from the rain.”
<
br />   “So that’s what the noise was! It sounds like someone is playing drums nearby.”

  “Yes, it’s giving the roof quite a pounding. I’m glad I got undercover before the rain got really heavy. I’ll call you later tonight. Have a nice time with Sarah and Katy. Where are you going?”

  “Just to the local pub. It’s steak night tonight.”

  Above the din of the rain, Mackinnon heard a sound that didn’t fit with the quiet neighbourhood.

  It sounded like a woman’s scream.

  “Chloe, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you back.”

  He hung up and stepped out of the bus shelter to get a clearer view of the house. But the rain was like a sheet of water obscuring his view.

  He ran towards the house. It wasn’t in line with protocol, but he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if something happened to Dr Willson and he didn’t try to prevent it.

  As he got closer, he saw a woman at the downstairs window. Terror contorted her face. Her mouth moved, and he thought he heard a muffled, “help me.”

  There was a movement behind her in the shadows, and then she was roughly pulled away from the window.

  Mackinnon headed straight for the front door. It was made from uPVC. Red and faded, it was old, but there was little chance he’d be able to smash through the lock. He’d have to kick through the panels instead.

  “Police,” he called out. “Open the door.”

  He wasn’t really expecting Brendan to comply and when the door didn’t open immediately he took a step back.

  His first kick was a failure. The rainwater soaked his shoes, making his foot slip and slide rather than smash into the panels.

  He cursed and tried again. A better, more direct hit this time, but still not enough force to puncture the panel. On the fourth attempt the first panel gave way, falling more or less intact inside the house.

  He heard another scream from inside, and then a male voice ordering him to stand back from the door.

  “Brendan Maynard? I need to talk to you.”